Interspecific ecological and meteorological controls on forest canopy-derived hydrology and biogeochemistry in the southeastern United States

Transcription

1 Interspecific ecological and meteorological controls on forest canopy-derived hydrology and biogeochemistry in the southeastern United States Courtney M. Siegert Katy E. Limpert A.A. Sasith Karunarathna Department of Forestry

2 Introduction Introduction Ecosystem services, timber production, and carbon sequestration potential are fundamentally constrained by forest health and can be measured using parameters such as net primary production, evapotranspiration, resiliency to disturbance, andnutrient budgets (Long et al. 2009; Pan et al. 2009; Wear and Huggett 2011; Woodall et al. 2013). Precipitation = Interception + (Throughfall + Stemflow) Dry Deposition (gases, particles) Throughfall & stemflow deposit water and nutrients directly to the forest floor via converging pathways inherent to forest structure (Levia & Frost 2003, 2006). Hydrologic fluxes are influenced by environmental and biological factors: species composition & morphology (Siegert et al. 2014), storm characteristics (Van Stan et al. 2011), and seasonality (Levia et al. 2011). Intra-system nutrient cycling also subject to similar influences (Staelens et al. 2006). Throughfall Stemflow Canopy Uptake/ Leaching Wet Deposition (rain, snow, fog)

3 Implications of Changing Forest Nutrient Cycles Introduction WATER QUALITY: Longer growing seasons will increase nutrient cycling of readily leached solutes (DOC and K + ) (Campbell et al. 2009). Enhanced leaching of DOC can mobilize heavy metals, putting pressure on stream habitats and water treatment plants (Mikkelson et al. 2012). WATER QUANTITY: Changes in species composition alters hydrologic flux to forest floor and watershed discharge (Woodall et al. 2013). CARBON SEQUESTRATION: Temperate forests could once again return to carbon sources as declining health reduces sequestration abilities (Bonan 2008). SOURCE: USGCRP (2001) 3

4 Throughfall Variability Canopy Heterogeneity Understory Structure & Composition Rainfall Intensity Sampling Design [Herwitz 1986] Seasonality Leafless Leafed [Howerda et al. 2006] [Staelens et al. 2008]

5 Stemflow Variability Branching Geometry Wind Characteristics Size [Siegert and Levia 2014] Rainfall Characteristics [Levia et al. 2010] Bark Morphology [Van Stan et al. 2011] White Oak Southern Red Oak Shagbark Hickory

6 Research Objectives 1. Quantify spatial and temporal relationships among canopy-derived hydrologic and biogeochemical fluxes in deciduous forests with respect to: a. Seasonality b. Stand composition c. Storm characteristics 2. Examine the influence of natural and man-made disturbances on nutrient cycling in forest ecosystems.

7 Mesophication Maples Oaks [Nowacki and Abrams 2008] [Fei and Yang 2011]

8 Study Site

9 Hydrology Measurements Stemflow, Throughfall, & Bulk Precipitation Red Oaks: Southern Red, Shumard White Oaks: White, Post Hickories: Pignut, Shagbark

10 Tree Species DBH (cm) Basal Area (m 2 ) Canopy Area (cm 2 ) Specific Leaf Area (cm 2 /g) Bark Thickness (mm) Quercus falcata Southern Red Oak Quercus shumardii Shumard Oak Quercus alba White Oak Quercus stellata Post Oak Carya glabra Pignut Hickory Carya ovata Shagbark Hickory

11 Shagbark Hickory (Carya ovata)

12 Pignut Hickory (Carya glabra)

13 White Oak (Quercus alba)

14 Shumard Oak (Quercus shumardii)

15 ph Cations & Anions: Biogeochemistry Dionex DX-500 Ion Chromatograph Na +,K +,Mg 2+,Ca 2+, NH 4+,Cl -,SO-2 4, NO - 3 Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC): Hach DR5000 Spectrophotometer Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (TKN): Bran+Luebbe Autoanalyzer 3

16 Canopy Partitioning

17 Stemflow Funneling Ratio

18 Throughfall 1:1 line

19 Stemflow

20 Dissolved Organic Carbon Rain SRO SO WO PO PH SRO SO WO PO PH SH Rain SRO SO WO PO PH SRO SO WO < < PO < < PH < SH <0.001 <

21 Nitrate: NO 3 -

22 Ammonium: NH 4 +

23 Conclusions Species %TF %I %SF FR TF DOC (mg/l) SF DOC (mg/l) TF DIN (mg/l) SF DIN (mg/l) Southern Red Oak Shumard Oak White Oak Post Oak Pignut Hickory Shagbark Hickory Rain

24 References Bonan, GB Forests and climate change: forcings, feedbacks, and the climate benefits of forests. Science 320: Campbell JL, Rustad LE, Boyer EW, et al (2009) Consequences of climate change for biogeochemical cycling in forests of northeastern North America. Can J For Res 39: Fei S, Yang P (2011) Forest composition change in the eastern United States. Proc. 17th Cent. Hardwood For. Conf. pp Holwerda F, Scatena FN, Bruijnzeel LA (2006) Throughfall in a Puerto Rican lower montane rain forest: A comparison of sampling strategies. J Hydrol 327: Levia, DF and EE Frost A review and evaluation of stemflow literature in the hydrologic and biogeochemical cycles of forested and agricultural ecosystems. Journal of Hydrology 274: Levia, DF and EE Frost Variability of throughfall volume and solute inputs in wooded ecosystems. Progress in Physical Geography 30: Levia, DF, JT Van Stan, CM Siegert, SP Inamdar, MJ Mitchell, SM Mage, P McHale Atmospheric deposition and corresponding variability of stemflow chemistry across temporal scales in a mid-atlantic broadleaved deciduous forest. Atmospheric Environment 45: Long, R. P., Horsley, S. B., Hallett, R. A., & Bailey, S. W. (2009). Sugar maple growth in relation to nutrition and stress in the northeastern United States. Ecological Applications, 19(6), Mikkelson, KM, ERV Dickenson, RM Maxwell, JE McCray, JO Sharp Water quality impacts from climate-induced forest die-off. Nature Climate Change.. Nowacki GJ, Abrams MD (2008) The Demise of Fire and Mesophication of Forests in the Eastern United States. Bioscience 58:123. Pan, Y., Birdsey, R., Hom, J., & McCullough, K. (2009). Separating effects of changes in atmospheric composition, climate and land-use on carbon sequestration of U.S. Mid- Atlantic temperate forests. Forest Ecology and Management, 259(2), Siegert CM, Levia DF (2014) Seasonal and meteorological effects on differential stemflow funneling ratios for two deciduous tree species. J Hydrol 519: Siegert CM, Levia DF, Hudson SA, et al (2016) Small-scale topographic variability influences tree species distribution and canopy throughfall partitioning in a temperate deciduous forest. For Ecol Manage 359: Staelens, J, A De Schrijver, K Verheyen, NEC Verhoest Spatial variability and temporal stability of throughfall deposition under beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) in relationship to canopy structure. Environmental Pollution 142: Staelens J, Schrijver A De, Verheyen K, Verhoest NEC (2008) Rainfall partitioning into throughfall, stemflow, and interception within a single beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) canopy: influence of foliation, rain event characteristics, and meteorology. Hydrol Process 22: Wear, D. N., & Huggett, R. (2011). Forecasting forest type and age classes in the Appalachian-Cumberland subregion of the central hardwood region. In C. Greenberg, B. Collins, & F. R. Thompson (Eds.), Sustaining young forest communities: ecology and management of early successional habitat in the US central hardwood region (Vol. 21, pp ). New York: Springer Netherlands. Van Stan, JT, CM Siegert, DF Levia, CE Scheick Effects of wind-drive rainfall on interception and stemflow generation between two codominant tree species with differing crown characteristics. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 151: Woodall, CW, K Zhu, JA Westfall, CM Oswalt, AW D Amato, BF Walters, HE Lintz Assessing the stability of tree ranges and influence of disturbance in eastern US forests. Forest Ecology and Management 291:

25 Questions? Department of Forestry