Can differences in phosphorus uptake kinetics explain the distribution of cattail and sawgrass in the Florida Everglades?

Background: Cattail (Typha domingensis) has been spreading in phosphorus (P) enriched areas of the oligotrophic Florida Everglades at the expense of sawgrass (Cladium mariscus spp. jamaicense). Abundant evidence in the literature explains how the opportunistic features of Typha might lead to a complete dominance in P-enriched areas.

Nutrient and growth responses of cattail (Typha domingensis) to redox intensity and phosphate availability.

Background And Aims: In the Florida Everglades, the expansion of cattail (Typha domingensis) into areas once dominated by sawgrass (Cladium jamaicense) has been attributed to altered hydrology and phosphorus (P) enrichment. The objective of this study was to quantify the interactive effects of P availability and soil redox potential (Eh) on the growth and nutrient responses of Typha, which may help to explain its expansion.

Methods: The study examined the growth and nutrient responses of Typha to the interactive effects of P availability (10, 80 and 500 microg P L(-1)) and Eh level (-150, +150 and +600 mV).

Vegetation responses to extreme hydrological events: sequence matters.

Extreme hydrological events such as flood and drought drive vegetation dynamics and are projected to increase in frequency in association with climate change, which could result in sequences of extreme events. However, experimental studies of vegetation responses to climate have largely focused on responses to a trend in climate or to a single extreme event but have largely overlooked the potential for complex responses to specific sequences of extreme events. Here we document, on the basis of an experiment with seedlings of three types of subtropical wetland tree species, that mortality can be amplified and growth can even be stimulated, depending on event sequence.

Growth and nutrient responses of Eloecharis cellulosa (Cyperaceae) to phosphate level and redox intensity.

Phosphorus (P) availability limits plant growth in many ecosystems. The ability of plants to explore for soil P is often impaired by nonresource stressors. Understanding the effects of these stressors on P acquisition in oligotrophic environments is critical in predicting species dominance.

The 7-decade degradation of a large freshwater lake in central Yangtze River, China.

Freshwater lakes store water for human use and agricultural irrigation and provide habitats for aquatic fauna and flora. However, a number of these lakes have been degraded by human activities at a rapid rate. Here, we used historical land cover information and remotely sensed data to explore a 7-decade (between 1930s and 1998) shrinkage and fragmentation of Dongting Lake, the second largest freshwater lake in China, located in the drainage basin of Central Yangtze River.

Interactive effects of redox intensity and phosphate availability on growth and nutrient relations of Cladium jamaicense (Cyperaceae).

Expansion of Typha domingensis into areas previously dominated by Cladium jamaicense in the Florida Everglades has been linked to anthropogenic phosphorus (P) enrichment and increased hydroperiod. The principal stress factor for plants in flooded soils is biochemical reduction, the intensity of which is measured as redox potential (Eh). The objective of this study was to assess the growth response of C.