Submission Type
Poster
Abstract
Coastal dunes are important geographic features that protect shorelines from erosion while supporting unique plant and animal biodiversity. The ecosystem engineering plant Ammophila breviligulata is particularly important for coastal dune development because of its ability to trap sediment and build up dunes. Understanding how environment conditions affect functional traits of this plant is an important first step towards protecting coastal dunes and improving their conservation. Our hypothesis in this study was that we would see a decrease in aboveground functional traits of A. breviligulata with increasing climatic and nutrient stress. In July 2022, we identified four different sites along the western coast of Michigan that spanned a stress gradient. In each site, we collected five A. breviligulata tillers from each of three locations. We recorded the number of leaves per tiller and then dried and weighed tillers back in the lab. Counter to expectations, A. breviligulata had an increase in aboveground biomass and leaf number with increasing nutrient and climatic stress. Ammophila breviligulata is known to respond positively to burial disturbance by increasing growth of aboveground parts. These data may indicate A. breviligulata aboveground traits are more influenced by heightened burial disturbance than by climatic and nutrient stress. These results have implications for conservation of these habitats in light of climate change, which can alter stress as well as disturbance regimes in this system.
Included in
Changes in aboveground biomass of Ammophila breviligulata are influenced by disturbance along a climatic gradient.
Coastal dunes are important geographic features that protect shorelines from erosion while supporting unique plant and animal biodiversity. The ecosystem engineering plant Ammophila breviligulata is particularly important for coastal dune development because of its ability to trap sediment and build up dunes. Understanding how environment conditions affect functional traits of this plant is an important first step towards protecting coastal dunes and improving their conservation. Our hypothesis in this study was that we would see a decrease in aboveground functional traits of A. breviligulata with increasing climatic and nutrient stress. In July 2022, we identified four different sites along the western coast of Michigan that spanned a stress gradient. In each site, we collected five A. breviligulata tillers from each of three locations. We recorded the number of leaves per tiller and then dried and weighed tillers back in the lab. Counter to expectations, A. breviligulata had an increase in aboveground biomass and leaf number with increasing nutrient and climatic stress. Ammophila breviligulata is known to respond positively to burial disturbance by increasing growth of aboveground parts. These data may indicate A. breviligulata aboveground traits are more influenced by heightened burial disturbance than by climatic and nutrient stress. These results have implications for conservation of these habitats in light of climate change, which can alter stress as well as disturbance regimes in this system.
Comments
Shannon L. Walker, Ph.D. Candidate, Biology Department, University of Louisville (co-author)
Dr. Sarah M. Emery, Professor, Biology Department, University of Louisville (co-author)