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Fine root productivity varies along nitrogen and phosphorus gradients in high-rainfall mangrove forests of Micronesia

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Abstract

Belowground biomass is thought to account for much of the total biomass in mangrove forests and may be related to soil fertility. The Yela River and the Sapwalap River, Federated States of Micronesia, contain a natural soil resource gradient defined by total phosphorus (P) density ranging from 0.05 to 0.42 mg cm−3 in different hydrogeomorphic settings. We used this fertility gradient to test the hypothesis that edaphic conditions constrain mangrove productivity through differential allocation of biomass to belowground roots. We removed sequential cores and implanted root ingrowth bags to measure in situ biomass and productivity, respectively. Belowground root biomass values ranged among sites from 0.448 ± 0.096 to 2.641 ± 0.534 kg m−2. Root productivity (roots ≤20 mm) did not vary significantly along the gradient (P = 0.3355) or with P fertilization after 6 months (P = 0.2968). Fine root productivity (roots ≤2 mm), however, did vary significantly among sites (P = 0.0363) and ranged from 45.88 ± 21.37 to 118.66 ± 38.05 g m−2 year−1. The distribution of total standing root biomass and fine root productivity followed patterns of N:P ratios as hypothesized, with larger root mass generally associated with lower relative P concentrations. Many of the processes of nutrient acquisition reported from nutrient-limited mangrove forests may also occur in forests of greater biomass and productivity when growing along soil nutrient gradients.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the Kosrae Island Resource Management Authority and the Ponape Agriculture and Trade School for the use of their facilities and equipment and for providing field assistance while on island. Erick E. Waguk, Jason Jack, Simpson Abraham, Robert D. Hauff, Fr. Joseph Billotti, and Fr. Greg Muckenhaupt were especially helpful. Many thanks to Donald R. Cahoon, J. Andy Nyman, and John Meriwether for their reviews, scientific input, and support throughout this study. We would also like to thank Rassa Dale and Jim Baldwin for their statistical expertise and Karen L. McKee and Brian Fry for critical reviews of earlier drafts of this manuscript. We acknowledge the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Center for Ecology and Environmental Technology for supporting NC as a graduate assistant during the study, and providing storage, laboratory, and bench space for sifting through root samples. The USGS Climate and Land Use Change Research and Development Program facilitated the production of this manuscript by supporting NC and KWK. Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

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  1. Katherine C. Ewel

    Present address: School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA

  2. Robert R. Twilley

    Present address: Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA

  3. Nicole Cormier & Ken W. Krauss

    Present address: US Geological Survey, National Wetlands Research Center, 700 Cajundome Blvd., Lafayette, LA, 70506, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. USDA Forest Service, Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry, Hilo, HI, 96720, USA

    Nicole Cormier & Katherine C. Ewel

  2. Department of Biology, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA, 70506, USA

    Nicole Cormier & Robert R. Twilley

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Cormier, N., Twilley, R.R., Ewel, K.C. et al. Fine root productivity varies along nitrogen and phosphorus gradients in high-rainfall mangrove forests of Micronesia. Hydrobiologia 750, 69–87 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-015-2178-4

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