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The Effect Of Nitrogen Fertilization On The Phenology Of Roots In A Barrier Island Sand Dune Community, Everett P. Weber

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Little work has been done on the phenology of root growth and senescence largely due to methodological difficulties. The application of minirhizotron technology has enabled the tracking of individual roots through an entire growing season. As a result, direct measures of turnover, root growth, and an analysis of cohorts were made. Small plots on a 36 year old dune on Hog Island, a barrier island in the Virginia Coast Reserve Long Term Ecological Research Site, were fertilized with nitrogen. Minirhizotron tubes were installed in each fertilized and control plot. Each tube was sampled monthly for nine months, March through October …