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LEAF LITTER BREAKDOWN IN A RECENTLY IMPOUNDED RESERVOIR 1
Author(s) -
James William F.,
Kennedy Robert H.,
Sham William E.,
Myers Richard K.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
jawra journal of the american water resources association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.957
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1752-1688
pISSN - 1093-474X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1752-1688.1988.tb00934.x
Subject(s) - litter , beech , plant litter , nitrogen , environmental science , nutrient , phosphorus , dissolved organic carbon , sink (geography) , organic matter , leaching (pedology) , agronomy , environmental chemistry , chemistry , ecology , biology , soil water , soil science , cartography , organic chemistry , geography
The impoundment of Richard B. Russell Lake resulted in the inundation of 3490 ha of forested area or 33 percent of the total area of the lake. Estimates of the total inundated leaf litter biomass were combined with a leaf litter decomposition study to determine the nutrient load and dissolved oxygen demand to the reservoir. Hickory leaf bags broke down most rapidly at the 3‐m and 28‐rn depths, followed by short‐needle pine, white oak, a hardwood litter mixture, beech, and red oak. Leaf bags incubated at the 3‐m depth exhibited significantly higher breakdown rates than those at the 28‐m depth for most leaf types, due to differences in dissolved oxygen and temperature. Respiration rates of litter were also higher at the 3‐m depth. Most leaf types accumulated nitrogen and phosphorus and lost organic carbon after an initial leaching period. Richard B. Russell Lake exhibited extensive anoxia and the buildup of total organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus during summer stratification. Leaf litter breakdown accounted for 64 percent of the organic carbon increase but acted as a sink for nitrogen and phosphorus. The dissolved oxygen demand of the litter accounted for over 50 percent of the demand incurred in the lake.