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Spatial Patterns of Labile Forms of Phosphorus in a Subtropical Wetland
Author(s) -
Grunwald S.,
Corstanje R.,
Weinrich B. E.,
Reddy K. R.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of environmental quality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1537-2537
pISSN - 0047-2425
DOI - 10.2134/jeq2005.0042
Subject(s) - wetland , biogeochemical cycle , context (archaeology) , marsh , phosphorus , ecology , biomass (ecology) , spatial ecology , environmental science , ecosystem , nutrient , subtropics , productivity , ecological succession , spatial variability , geography , biology , chemistry , statistics , mathematics , macroeconomics , archaeology , organic chemistry , economics
Phosphorus (P) has been identified as the key constituent defining wetland productivity, structure, and function. Our goal was to investigate the spatial patterns of total P and three labile forms of P (labile organic, inorganic, and microbial biomass P) across a subtropical wetland located in east‐central Florida, the Blue Cypress Marsh Conservation Area (BCMCA), and link spatial patterns to ecosystem processes. The wetland received a continual input of nutrients primarily from the south and intermittently from the west and east, respectively, which ceased in the mid‐1990s. Since then the marsh system has been undergoing natural succession. We used (i) ordinary kriging to characterize the spatial patterns of total P and labile P forms across the wetland, (ii) local, moving spatial correlations to investigate relationships between total P and labile P forms, and (iii) a clustering technique to link the identified spatial patterns to biogeochemical processes. The spatially explicit analyses revealed patterns of total P and labile P forms as well as changing relationships between variables across the marsh. We were able to distinguish P‐enriched areas from unaffected (“natural”) areas and intermediate zones that are currently undergoing change as P is mobilized and translocated. We also identified areas that are at risk, showing a shift toward a more P‐enriched status. Our results improve our understanding of P and its labile components within a spatially explicit context.