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Water Column Ammonium Concentration And Salinity Influence Nitrogen Uptake And Growth Of Spartina Alterniflora, Rachel Mactavish
Water Column Ammonium Concentration And Salinity Influence Nitrogen Uptake And Growth Of Spartina Alterniflora, Rachel Mactavish
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Salt marsh macrophytes, such as Spartina alterniflora, play a critical role in uptake and transformation of inorganic nitrogen before it reaches coastal waters, thereby reducing the potential for eutrophication. Although nitrogen availability typically limits S. alterniflora growth, it may be possible to exceed the nitrogen uptake capacity of S. alterniflora. Increasing either nitrogen concentrations or salinity are key factors regulating S. alterniflora nitrogen uptake. Investigating the effects of nutrients and salinity on S. alterniflora is important given that increases in inorganic nitrogen supply to surface waters from agriculture and urbanization occur simultaneously with freshwater withdrawals that reduce flow and increase …