Spatial patterns of labile forms of phosphorus in a subtropical wetland

J Environ Qual. 2006 Jan 5;35(1):378-89. doi: 10.2134/jeq2005.0042. Print 2006 Jan-Feb.

Abstract

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.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Ecosystem*
  • Models, Theoretical
  • Phosphorus / analysis*
  • Phosphorus / chemistry

Substances

  • Phosphorus