Spatial and Seasonal Patterns of Above- and Belowground Vegetation Biomass and Potential Drivers in the Pascagoula River Delta, MS

<p>Coastal wetlands provide a valuable wealth of services to the greater coastal ecosystem and human communities. However, threats such as sea level rise and conservation projects, such as freshwater diversions, have the potential to alter coastal wetlands in different ways. In this thesis, I describe the effects of inundation and nitrogen on vegetation productivity using a field-sampling approach and an <em>in situ</em> controlled mesocosm experiment, called a marsh organ. The West Channel of the Pascagoula River contained significantly higher belowground biomass than the East Channel, which is more anthropogenically modified. Vertical distribution of belowground biomass did not strongly vary between seasons or channels. Elevation was significantly correlated to aboveground biomass, and NO_x was correlated to belowground biomass. Both relationships were nonlinear and complex. In the marsh organ, <em>Sagittaria lancifolia</em> end-of-season biomass responded in a quadratic fashion, similar to coastal sedge and grass species in previous studies. My findings are valuable to understanding the status and resilience of the lower Pascagoula River, as well as the ability of <em>S. lancifolia</em> (a dominant fresh-brackish water marsh species) to respond to changing hydrological regimes, potentially including freshwater diversion.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MS)

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters Thesis

Year dc:date.available

2021

Author dc:creator

• Grimes, Evan

Contributors dc:contributor

• Dr. Wei Wu
• Dr. Patrick Biber
• Dr. Glenn Suir

• coastal marsh
• wetlands
• sea level rise
• Sagittaria lancifolia
• Biology
• Marine Biology

Repository record dc:identifier

https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/849

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:aquila.usm.edu:masters_theses-1910