Root production in natural and created wetlands: nutrient limitation and functional development over time.
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Date
2007-04-04T14:34:52Z
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Abstract
This research compares root production in four natural and ten created freshwater wetlands, using a range of high-to-low quality natural wetlands and a chronosequence of created wetlands. Below-ground production was described using total root dry weight, root length, surface area and volume, using an artificial substrate and an in-growth root core method for sampling along with an estimate of the root/shoot ratio. The experimental design evaluates changes in root parameters and root/shoot ratio for soil cores with or without nutrient amendments. The root metrics measured for this study were highly variable in all wetlands, but there are differences in root biomass and production between natural and created wetlands. This may indicate that below-ground production and functional development in created wetlands follows a general trajectory towards increasing similarity to natural wetlands, but further research is needed to determine what factors control wetland development.
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Wetlands, Restoration