Topic
Nyssa aquatica
About: Nyssa aquatica is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 133 publications have been published within this topic receiving 4152 citations.
Papers published on a yearly basis
Papers
TL;DR: Elevated water levels, which occur during late fall when seeds are released, influence the distribution of bald cypress and water tupelo seeds and their avail- ability for recruitment, and short-term, deeper floods may also be important for seed transport among bottomland hardwood communities that are spatially separated or differ in species composition.
Abstract: The importance of hydrochory, or seed dispersal by water, to the regeneration of Taxodium distichum (bald cypress) and Nyssa aquatica (water tupelo) was examined in a forested floodplain of the Savannah River in South Carolina. Seedfall and dispersal by water were quantified for 2 yr using floating seed traps. Water depth, surface velocity, and flow direction were monitored over the same period. Seedfall for bald cypress and water tupelo occurred primarily from early fall throughout the winter, when water levels were rising in the swamp. Extended buoyancy periods for newly released seeds and fruits (bald cypress: 42 + 37 d; water tupelo: 85 ? 36 d) prolonged dispersal for both species. Flowing water transported experimentally released seeds long distances, but in a uniform direction, and concentrated them nonrandomly against logs, trees, knees, and other emergent substrates. An examination of the soil seed banks in five microsite types supported the results of the seed transport study. Lowest woody seed densities occurred in the open areas, and highest seed densities occurred in sediments adjacent to emergent substrates such as logs. Additionally, elevated water levels of 1-2 m caused by short-term, high-discharge floods scoured seeds of Nyssa sylvatica var. biflora, Quercus spp., Liquidambar styraciflua, Pinus taeda, and other species from adjacent bot- tomland hardwood communities and transported them into the bald cypress-water tupelo forest. We conclude that elevated water levels, which occur during late fall when seeds are released, influence the distribution of bald cypress and water tupelo seeds and their avail- ability for recruitment. Short-term, deeper floods may also be important for seed transport among bottomland hardwood communities that are spatially separated or differ in species composition.
306 citations
TL;DR: The significance of nutrient accumulation is that there was little or no net release of P, N, Ca, and Fe from autumn leaf fall until tree growth in the spring, and conservation and recycling of nutrients appear to be tight even in swamps open to flooding during tree dormancy.
Abstract: Weight loss from cellulose sheets was measured monthly at three sites (river, swamp floor, natural levee) of a North Carolina swamp forest dominated by Nyssa aquatica. Rates of loss were significantly different seasonally and between sites. Both temperature and moisture appeared to be important in controlling decomposition rates. For Nyssa leaves, dry weight decreased to 25% of original after 48 wk while twigs fell to 80Wo of original after 56 wk. Three modes of nutrient exchange were found: (1) accumulation of N, Ca, and Fe by both leaves and twigs, with stronger leaf accumula- tion of these elements; (2) strong leaf accumulation with rapid twig loss of P; and (3) losses by both leaves and twigs of K and Mg. Final atomic ratios of C:N and C:P were about 15:1 and 500:1, respectively, suggesting that P may be in short supply. The significance of nutrient accumulation is that there was little or no net release of P, N, Ca, and Fe from autumn leaf fall until tree growth in the spring. Conservation and recycling of nutrients appear to be tight even in swamps open to flooding during tree dormancy.
248 citations
TL;DR: Annual patterns in hydrology, phosphorus circulation, and sediment dynamics were studied in a southern Illinois, USA floodplain swamp dominated by bald cypress and swamp tupelo, corresponding to the rise in water level caused by beaver activity.
Abstract: Annual patterns in hydrology, phosphorus circulation, and sediment dynamics were studied in a southern Illinois, USA floodplain swamp dominated by bald cypress (Taxodium disti- chum) and swamp tupelo (Nyssa aquatica). The study emphasized the swamp's interactions with the adjacent river. For the year, major inputs of water to the swamp were throughfall (74.3 cm) and runoff (69.4 cm) with minor contributions due to groundwater (21.6 cm). Outflows were by evapo- transpiration (72.3 cm), surface outflow (56.5 cm), and groundwater (21.0 cm), with the latter two draining primarily to the river. A flood occurred during the study period, passing 1.6 x 107 m3 of river water over the swamp and depositing 0.06 cm of sediments. An annual phosphorus budget was developed for the swamp from field measurements. The greatest input of phosphorus to the swamp was 3.6 g P.m-2 yr-1, due to deposition of high-phosphorus sediments during the flood. This was 10 times greater than the outflow of phosphorus to the river, 0.34 g P.m-2 yr-', and 26 times greater than the throughfall input of 0.14 g P.m-2 yr-1. Total tree uptake from sediments was estimated to be 0.87 g P.m-2 yr-t of which 0.77 g P.m-2 yr-t returns as litterfall to the swamp sediments. Duckweed productivity was estimated to take 3.3 g P.m-2 yr-t from the water column and deposit this in the sediments during die-off. For the period 1937-1967, cypress growth, based on tree ring analyses, was closely correlated with several measures of flooding frequency and magnitude, all obtained from past river data. Tree ring data prior to 1937 showed poor correlation with flooding, probably because of logging activity. Cypress growth has decreased dramatically in recent years, corresponding to the rise in water level caused by beaver activity.
234 citations
TL;DR: Comparison of productivity data from several southeastern swamps indicate that flowing water regimes tend to result in the highest swamp forest productivity.
Abstract: hardwood site (BLH) and 500 g dry wt/m2 for a baldcypress-water tupelo site (CT). Litter-fall was 574 g dry wt/m2/yr for BLH and 620 g dry wt/m2/yr for CT. Harvest samples within the two plots yielded 200 g dry wt/m2 and 20 g dry wt/m2 for BLH and CT, respectively. Minimum net primary production was calculated as the sum of the three: 1574 g dry wt/m2/ yr for BLH and 1140 g dry wt/m2/yr for CT. Maximum estimates of herbaceous production and insect consumption were made by using values from the literature. Estimated total net primary productivity was 1733 g dry wt/m2/yr for BLH and 1516 g dry wt/m2/yr for CT. Tree composition was determined by the point-centered quarter method. Relative frequency, relative density, absolute density, relative dominance, and importance value (IV) were calculated for the tree species along each transect. In the bottomland hardwood area many woody species exist with Acer rubrum var. drummondii (IV = 23.9) and Nyssa aquatica (IV = 18.4) the most dominant. In the baldcypress-water tupelo area, fewer woody species exist and Taxodium distichum (IV - 39.2) and N. aquatica (IV = 37.6) dominated. Comparison of productivity data from several southeastern swamps indicate that flowing water regimes tend to result in the highest swamp forest productivity.
229 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, tree cores from Bald cypress, tupelo, and loblolly pine were collected and analyzed by headspace gas chromatography to determine whether tree-core analysis could be used to delineate shallow groundwater contamination by chlorinated ethenes.
Abstract: The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether tree-core analysis could be used to delineate shallow groundwater contamination by chlorinated ethenes. Analysis of tree cores from bald cypress [Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich], tupelo (Nyssa aquatica L.), sweet gum (Liquidambar stryaciflua L.), oak (Quercus spp.), sycamore (Platanus occidentalis L.), and loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) growing over shallow groundwater contaminated with cis-1,2-dichloroethene (cDCE) and trichloroethene (TCE) showed that those compounds also were present in the trees. The cores were collected and analyzed by headspace gas chromatography. Bald cypress, tupelo, and loblolly pine contained the highest concentrations of TCE, with lesser amounts in nearby oak and sweet gum. The concentrations of cDCE and TCE in various trees appeared to reflect the configuration of the chlorinated-solvent groundwater contamination plume. Bald cypress cores collected along 18.6-m vertical transects of the same trunks showed that TCE concentrations decline by 30--70% with trunk height. The ability of the tested trees to take up cDCE and TCE make tree coring a potentially cost-effective and simple approach to optimizing well placement at this site.
143 citations
Related Topics (5)
Performance Metrics
| Year | Papers |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2017 | 2 |
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2015 | 4 |