2022 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Virtual Conference

March 13 - 15, 2022

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5/24/2018 | 12:00 PM - 12:15 PM | LINKING RIPARIAN AND STEAM NITROGEN DYNAMICS IN A MEDITERRANEAN HEADWATER CATCHMENT | 310 A

LINKING RIPARIAN AND STEAM NITROGEN DYNAMICS IN A MEDITERRANEAN HEADWATER CATCHMENT

Riparian areas are recognized to be natural filters of nitrogen, yet their role at catchment scale still remains poorly understood. This is mostly because stream water chemistry integrates processes co-occurring within upland, riparian, and fluvial ecosystems. Here, we summarize results from different studies in order to examine some of the processes by which Mediterranean riparian zones can regulate stream nitrogen dynamics. First, riparian soils may be important sources of nitrate to streams because they exhibit higher net nitrification rates than upland soils. In addition, riparian evapotranspiration can influence the temporal pattern of stream flow and promote the stream hydrological retention during the vegetative period. Nonetheless, such stream hydrological retention is not always accompanied by a decrease in catchment nitrogen exports, likely because low flows, warm conditions, and large stocks of nitrogen-rich leaf litter enhance in-stream nitrification. Finally, riparian tree phenology can regulate in-stream photoautotrophic activity and thus reduce catchment nitrate exports in spring. Overall, our findings question the well-established idea that Mediterranean riparian zones are efficient nitrogen buffers, and stress that an integrated view of different landscape units is needed to advance in catchment biogeochemistry.

Riparian
Aquatic-terrestrial Linkage
Biogeochemistry

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Presenters/Authors

Anna Lupon (), Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, anna.lupon@slu.se;