EARLY HEARING DETECTION AND INTERVENTION VIRTUAL CONFERENCE
MARCH 2-5, 2021
(Virtually the same conference, without elevators, airplane tickets, or hotel room keys)
6/08/2017 | 9:00 AM - 9:15 AM | DESCRIBING COMMUNITY CONTROLS ON NUTRIENT SEQUESTRATION AND FLUXES WITH SPATIAL MODELS | 302C
DESCRIBING COMMUNITY CONTROLS ON NUTRIENT SEQUESTRATION AND FLUXES WITH SPATIAL MODELS
Animal aggregations can lead to localized hotspots of nutrient and material flux in streams. Yet, the abiotic characteristics and the spatial structure of these hotspots due to species-specific preferences remain a mystery. Historically, unionid mussels dominated benthic biomass in many riverine ecosystems, but have undergone extensive declines. We examined reach-scale physical attributes of sites encompassing a gradient of mussel densities, evaluated quadrat-scale abiotic variables, and the role various species play in nutrient sequestration and regeneration (C, N, P). We sampled mussels and abiotic variables at 1,218 quadrats, measured tissue composition and excretion and biodeposition rates of 11 species across 12 reaches in the Sipsey River, Alabama. Using geostatistical analyses, species distributions and their ecological functions were mapped and models were developed to examine species distributions and species’ roles in recycling and storing nutrients. These models were used to examine species-specific roles in reach- and quadrat-scale nutrient recycling and storage. Our results demonstrate that mussels are important to nutrient dynamics through nutrient regeneration and the creation of storage hotspots, but their significance varies with distribution, species composition, and abiotic context.
- S19 Elements and energy as fundamental currencies of nature: using ecological stoichiometry as a tool to advance the sustainability of freshwater ecosystems
- S30 The future of trait-based approaches in research and management
- C11 Community Ecology
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Presenters/Authors
Carla L. Atkinson
(), University of Alabama, carlalatkinson@gmail.com;
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Brian van Ee
(), University of Alabama, bcvanee@gmail.com;
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