Date of Award

Spring 1987

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Biological Sciences

Program/Concentration

Biology

Committee Director

Frank P. Day, Jr.

Committee Member

Kneeland Nesius

Committee Member

Gerald F. Levy

Call Number for Print

Special Collections LD4331.B46 S95

Abstract

Two methods were used to estimate belowground production in a maple-gum stand in the seasonally flooded Great Dismal Swamp of Virginia. The first was an auger method which involved sequential core sampling. The second method was an implanted soil mass technique. Nylon mesh bags were filled with peat and buried at the study site. New growth into these implants was taken to be production.

Mean annual lateral root biomass and necromass to 40 cm, determined from soil cores, were 583 g·m-2 and 281 g·m-2, respectively. Production estimates for roots ≤ 5 mm in diameter, using soil cores, ranged from -336 g·m-2 · yr-1 to 253 g·m-2 · yr-1. Values were generated from various manipulations of the Wiegert and Evans' (1964) equation for productivity. Production values estimated by the implant technique ranged from 228 g·m-2 · yr-1 to 520 g·m-2 · yr-1. Both methods were inappropriate for measuring production of coarse (> 5 mm) roots. The short time period of the study appeared to be a limiting factor in estimating coarse root production.

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DOI

10.25777/5r61-1732

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