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- Biological Sciences Peer-Reviewed Articles (2)
- Brackish marsh (1)
- CCRM Peer Reviewed Articles (1)
- Crassostrea virginica (1)
- DNRA (1)
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- Data collection; ecotones; estuaries; habitats; humans; land use; models; salt marshes; species diversity (1)
- Denitrification (1)
- Ecological equivalence (1)
- Eutrophication (1)
- Mercenaria mercenaria (1)
- Mesohaline marsh (1)
- Nitrogen (1)
- Oastal storms; disturbance; ecosystem response; Juniperus viriginiana; salinization; sea-level rise (1)
- Physical Sciences Peer-Reviewed Articles (1)
- Salt marsh (1)
- Sea level rise (1)
Articles 1 - 4 of 4
Full-Text Articles in Marine Biology
Asymmetric Root Distributions Reveal Press–Pulse Responses In Retreating Coastal Forests, Tyler C. Messerschmidt, Amy K. Langston, Matthew L. Kirwan
Asymmetric Root Distributions Reveal Press–Pulse Responses In Retreating Coastal Forests, Tyler C. Messerschmidt, Amy K. Langston, Matthew L. Kirwan
VIMS Articles
The impacts of climate change on ecosystems are manifested in how organisms respond to episodic and continuous stressors. The conversion of coastal forests to salt marshes represents a prominent example of ecosystem state change, driven by the continuous stress of sea-level rise (press), and episodic storms (pulse). Here, we measured the rooting dimension and fall direction of 143 windthrown eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) trees in a rapidly retreating coastal forest in Chesapeake Bay (USA). We found that tree roots were distributed asymmetrically away from the leading edge of soil salinization and towards freshwater sources. The length, number, …
Ecological Associations Of Littoraria Irrorata With Spartina Cynosuroides And Spartina Alterniflora, Caroline Mackenzie Failon, Serina Sebilian Wittyngham, David S. Johnson
Ecological Associations Of Littoraria Irrorata With Spartina Cynosuroides And Spartina Alterniflora, Caroline Mackenzie Failon, Serina Sebilian Wittyngham, David S. Johnson
VIMS Articles
It is well-documented that marsh periwinkles (Littoraria irrorata) consume and inhabit smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora), but their interactions with big cordgrass (Spartina cynosuroides) remain unknown. Plant communities in mesohaline marshes will change as sea-level rise shifts species from salt-intolerant (e.g., S. cynosuroides) plants to salt-tolerant (e.g., S. alterniflora) ones. Therefore, understanding how L. irrorata interacts with different habitats provides insight into this species’ generalist nature and allows us to predict the potential impacts of changing plant communities on L. irrorata. We show, for the first time, that L. irrorata inhabits, climbs, …
Differential Effects Of Bivalves On Sediment Nitrogen Cycling In A Shallow Coastal Bay, Ashley Smyth, Anna E. Murphy, Iris C. Anderson, Bk Song
Differential Effects Of Bivalves On Sediment Nitrogen Cycling In A Shallow Coastal Bay, Ashley Smyth, Anna E. Murphy, Iris C. Anderson, Bk Song
VIMS Articles
In coastal ecosystems, suspension-feeding bivalves can remove nitrogen though uptake and assimilation or enhanced denitrification. Bivalves may also retain nitrogen through increased mineralization and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA). This study investigated the effects of oyster reefs and clam aquaculture on denitrification, DNRA, and nutrient fluxes (NOx, NH4 6 +, O2). Core incubations were conducted seasonally on sediments adjacent to restored oyster reefs (Crassostrea virginica), clam aquaculture beds (Mercenaria mercenaria) which contained live clams, and bare sediments from Smith Island Bay, Virginia, USA. Denitrification was significantly higher at oyster reef sediments and clam aquaculture site than bare sediment in …
Effects Of Terrestrial–Aquatic Connectivity On An Estuarine Turtle, Robert Isdell, Randolph M. Chambers, Donna M. Bilkovic, Matthias Leu
Effects Of Terrestrial–Aquatic Connectivity On An Estuarine Turtle, Robert Isdell, Randolph M. Chambers, Donna M. Bilkovic, Matthias Leu
VIMS Articles
Estuaries world-wide have been modified or fragmented due to human stressors in their terrestrial and aquatic components. Estuary fragmentation often results in reductions in species richness, diversity and connectivity. Effects of human modification on estuaries have been well studied, but less is known about how land use alters connectivity of the terrestrial–aquatic ecotone. We studied the relationship between terrestrial–aquatic connectivity and the distri- bution of an estuarine turtle, diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin).