Browsing by Author "Sutton Grier, AE"

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Open Access
Different plant traits affect two pathways of riparian nitrogen removal in a restored freshwater wetland
(Plant and Soil, 2013) Sutton Grier, AE; Wright, JP; Richardson, CJ
Background & aims: Plants may have dissimilar effects on ecosystem processes because they possess different attributes. Given increasing biodiversity losses, it is important to understand which plant traits are key drivers of ecosystem functions. To address this question, we studied the response of two ecosystem functions that remove nitrogen (N) from wetland soils, the accumulation of N in plant biomass and denitrification potential (DNP), to variation in plant trait composition. Methods: Our experiment manipulated plant composition in a riparian wetland. We determined relative importance of plant traits and environmental variables as predictors of each ecosystem function. Results: We demonstrate that Water Use Efficiency (WUE) had a strong negative effect on biomass N. Root porosity and belowground biomass were negatively correlated with DNP. Trait ordination indicated that WUE was largely orthogonal to traits that maximized DNP. Conclusions: These results indicate that plant species with different trait values are required to maintain multiple ecosystem functions, and provide a more mechanistic, trait-based link between the recent findings that higher biodiversity is necessary for multi-functionality. While we selected plant traits based on ecological theory, several of the plant traits were not good predictors of each ecosystem function suggesting the ecological theory linking traits to function is incomplete and requires strengthening. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
Open Access
Spatial Impacts of Stream and Wetland Restoration on Riparian Soil Properties in the North Carolina Piedmont
(Restoration Ecology, 2011-11-01) Unghire, JM; Sutton Grier, AE; Flanagan, NE; Richardson, CJ
Hydric soil development of riparian wetlands is primarily influenced by the hydrologic connection between the floodplains and the stream channel. Often, the goal of riparian restoration is to revitalize this connectivity through a restructuring of the stream channel and the floodplain; however, the effects of this restructuring on the physical and spatial characteristics of soil properties are rarely considered. The objective of this study was to quantify the impacts of restoration efforts on the spatial characteristics of soil properties by means of a pre- and post-restoration comparison. We determined that the spatial patterns of soil organic matter (SOM) and exchangeable phosphorus (P ex ) appeared less variable in the years following restoration than in the years before restoration. Mean SOM significantly decreased after restoration, whereas mean P ex significantly increased. The spatial characteristics and mean concentrations of NO 2 -NO 3 did not differ much between sampling dates. The loss of this spatial patterning in SOM and P ex and the decrease in SOM pools may represent negative impacts of restoration on important ecosystem characteristics. This study demonstrates that soil properties and spatial patterns can be negatively affected by restoration activities potentially hindering ecosystem development and function. © 2010 Society for Ecological Restoration International.