Vegetation Type and Decomposition Priming Mediate Brackish Marsh Carbon Accumulation Under Interacting Facets of Global Change

Rietl, Anthony J.; Megonigal, J. Patrick; Herbert, Ellen R.; Kirwan, Matthew L.

doi:10.1029/2020gl092051

Vegetation Type and Decomposition Priming Mediate Brackish Marsh Carbon Accumulation Under Interacting Facets of Global Change

Journal Article · Tue Apr 13 00:00:00 EDT 2021 · Geophysical Research Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/2020gl092051· OSTI ID:1775348

^[1]; ^[2]; Herbert, Ellen R. ^[3]; ^[4]

Virginia Inst. of Marine Science, Gloucester Point, VA (United States); California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, West Sacramento, CA (United States); Virginia Institute of Marine Science
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, MD (United States)
Virginia Inst. of Marine Science, Gloucester Point, VA (United States); Ducks Unlimited, Memphis, TN (United States)
Virginia Inst. of Marine Science, Gloucester Point, VA (United States)

Coastal wetland carbon pools are globally important, but their response to interacting facets of global change remain unclear. Numerical models neglect species-specific vegetation responses to sea level rise (SLR) and elevated CO₂ (eCO₂) that are observed in field experiments, while field experiments cannot address the long-term feedbacks between flooding and soil growth that models show are important. Here, we present a novel numerical model of marsh carbon accumulation parameterized with empirical observations from a long-running eCO₂ experiment in an organic rich, brackish marsh. Model results indicate that eCO₂ and SLR interact synergistically to increase soil carbon burial, driven by shifts in plant community composition and soil volume expansion. Furthermore, newly parameterized interactions between plant biomass and decomposition (i.e. soil priming) reduce the impact of eCO₂ on marsh survival, and by inference, the impact of eCO₂ on soil carbon accumulation.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Virginia Inst. of Marine Science, Gloucester Point, VA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER); National Science Foundation CAREER Program

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0019110; SC0014413

OSTI ID:: 1775348

Journal Information:: Geophysical Research Letters, Journal Name: Geophysical Research Letters Journal Issue: 8 Vol. 48; ISSN 0094-8276

Publisher:: American Geophysical UnionCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

References (62)

Plant-soil interactions in salt marsh environments: Experimental evidence from electrical resistivity tomography in the Venice Lagoon: PLANT-SOIL INTERACTIONS IN SALT-MARSH Boaga, Jacopo; D'Alpaos, Andrea; Cassiani, Giorgio Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 41, Issue 17 https://doi.org/10.1002/2014GL060983	journal	September 2014
Plant-soil interactions in salt marsh environments: Experimental evidence from electrical resistivity tomography in the Venice Lagoon: PLANT-SOIL INTERACTIONS IN SALT-MARSH Boaga, Jacopo; D'Alpaos, Andrea; Cassiani, Giorgio Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 41, Issue 17 https://doi.org/10.1002/2014gl060983	journal	September 2014
Contributions of organic and inorganic matter to sediment volume and accretion in tidal wetlands at steady state: SEDIMENT BULK DENSITY AND IGNITION LOSS Morris, James T.; Barber, Donald C.; Callaway, John C. Earth's Future, Vol. 4, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1002/2015EF000334	journal	April 2016
Contributions of organic and inorganic matter to sediment volume and accretion in tidal wetlands at steady state: SEDIMENT BULK DENSITY AND IGNITION LOSS Morris, James T.; Barber, Donald C.; Callaway, John C. Earth's Future, Vol. 4, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1002/2015ef000334	journal	April 2016
The ecological significance of plasticity in root weight ratio in response to nitrogen: Opinion Reynolds, H. L.; D'Antonio, C. Plant and Soil, Vol. 185, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02257566	journal	March 1996
The ecological significance of plasticity in root weight ratio in response to nitrogen: Opinion Reynolds, H. L.; D'Antonio, C. Plant and Soil, Vol. 185, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1007/bf02257566	journal	March 1996
Response of Plant Productivity to Experimental Flooding in a Stable and a Submerging Marsh Kirwan, Matthew L.; Guntenspergen, Glenn R. Ecosystems, Vol. 18, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-015-9870-0	journal	May 2015
Soil carbon saturation: concept, evidence and evaluation Stewart, Catherine E.; Paustian, Keith; Conant, Richard T. Biogeochemistry, Vol. 86, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-007-9140-0	journal	August 2007
The Charisma of Coastal Ecosystems: Addressing the Imbalance Duarte, Carlos M.; Dennison, William C.; Orth, Robert J. W. Estuaries and Coasts, Vol. 31, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-008-9038-7	journal	February 2008
A comparative analysis of the CO2 and water vapor responses of two Spartina species from Georgia coastal marshes Giurgevich, John R.; Dunn, E. Lloyd Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, Vol. 12, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0302-3524(81)80082-5	journal	May 1981
Carbon sequestration in wetland dominated coastal systems—a global sink of rapidly diminishing magnitude Hopkinson, Charles S.; Cai, Wei-Jun; Hu, Xinping Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, Vol. 4, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2012.03.005	journal	May 2012
Impact of dynamic feedbacks between sedimentation, sea-level rise, and biomass production on near-surface marsh stratigraphy and carbon accumulation Mudd, Simon M.; Howell, Susan M.; Morris, James T. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, Vol. 82, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2009.01.028	journal	April 2009
Salt marsh ecosystem restructuring enhances elevation resilience and carbon storage during accelerating relative sea-level rise Gonneea, Meagan Eagle; Maio, Christopher V.; Kroeger, Kevin D. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, Vol. 217 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2018.11.003	journal	February 2019
What do we need to assess the sustainability of the tidal salt marsh carbon sink? Chmura, Gail L. Ocean & Coastal Management, Vol. 83 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2011.09.006	journal	October 2013
A comparative analysis of the CO2 and water vapor responses of two Spartina species from Georgia coastal marshes Giurgevich, John R.; Dunn, E. Lloyd Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, Vol. 12, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1016/s0302-3524(81)80082-5	journal	May 1981
Spatial organization and ecohydrological interactions in oxygen-limited vegetation ecosystems: OXYGEN-LIMITED VEGETATION Marani, Marco; Silvestri, Sonia; Belluco, Enrica Water Resources Research, Vol. 42, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1029/2005WR004582	journal	May 2006
Spatial organization and ecohydrological interactions in oxygen-limited vegetation ecosystems: OXYGEN-LIMITED VEGETATION Marani, Marco; Silvestri, Sonia; Belluco, Enrica Water Resources Research, Vol. 42, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1029/2005wr004582	journal	May 2006
Landscape evolution in tidal embayments: Modeling the interplay of erosion, sedimentation, and vegetation dynamics D'Alpaos, Andrea; Lanzoni, Stefano; Marani, Marco Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 112, Issue F1 https://doi.org/10.1029/2006JF000537	journal	January 2007
Landscape evolution in tidal embayments: Modeling the interplay of erosion, sedimentation, and vegetation dynamics D'Alpaos, Andrea; Lanzoni, Stefano; Marani, Marco Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 112, Issue F1 https://doi.org/10.1029/2006jf000537	journal	January 2007
Biologically-controlled multiple equilibria of tidal landforms and the fate of the Venice lagoon Marani, Marco; D'Alpaos, Andrea; Lanzoni, Stefano Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 34, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1029/2007GL030178	journal	January 2007
Biologically-controlled multiple equilibria of tidal landforms and the fate of the Venice lagoon Marani, Marco; D'Alpaos, Andrea; Lanzoni, Stefano Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 34, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1029/2007gl030178	journal	January 2007
The importance of being coupled: Stable states and catastrophic shifts in tidal biomorphodynamics Marani, Marco; D'Alpaos, Andrea; Lanzoni, Stefano Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 115, Issue F4 https://doi.org/10.1029/2009JF001600	journal	January 2010
The importance of being coupled: Stable states and catastrophic shifts in tidal biomorphodynamics Marani, Marco; D'Alpaos, Andrea; Lanzoni, Stefano Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 115, Issue F4 https://doi.org/10.1029/2009jf001600	journal	January 2010
Limits on the adaptability of coastal marshes to rising sea level: ECOGEOMORPHIC LIMITS TO WETLAND SURVIVAL Kirwan, Matthew L.; Guntenspergen, Glenn R.; D'Alpaos, Andrea Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 37, Issue 23 https://doi.org/10.1029/2010GL045489	journal	December 2010
Limits on the adaptability of coastal marshes to rising sea level: ECOGEOMORPHIC LIMITS TO WETLAND SURVIVAL Kirwan, Matthew L.; Guntenspergen, Glenn R.; D'Alpaos, Andrea Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 37, Issue 23 https://doi.org/10.1029/2010gl045489	journal	December 2010
Lateral Marsh Edge Erosion as a Source of Sediments for Vertical Marsh Accretion Hopkinson, Charles S.; Morris, James T.; Fagherazzi, Sergio Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, Vol. 123, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1029/2017JG004358	journal	August 2018
Flooding Alters Plant-Mediated Carbon Cycling Independently of Elevated Atmospheric CO ₂ Concentrations Jones, Scott F.; Stagg, Camille L.; Krauss, Ken W. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, Vol. 123, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1029/2017JG004369	journal	June 2018
Lateral Marsh Edge Erosion as a Source of Sediments for Vertical Marsh Accretion Hopkinson, Charles S.; Morris, James T.; Fagherazzi, Sergio Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, Vol. 123, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1029/2017jg004358	journal	August 2018
Flooding Alters Plant-Mediated Carbon Cycling Independently of Elevated Atmospheric CO ₂ Concentrations Jones, Scott F.; Stagg, Camille L.; Krauss, Ken W. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, Vol. 123, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1029/2017jg004369	journal	June 2018
Terrestrial ecosystem carbon dynamics and climate feedbacks Heimann, Martin; Reichstein, Markus Nature, Vol. 451, Issue 7176 https://doi.org/10.1038/nature06591	journal	January 2008
Response of salt-marsh carbon accumulation to climate change Kirwan, Matthew L.; Mudd, Simon M. Nature, Vol. 489, Issue 7417 https://doi.org/10.1038/nature11440	journal	September 2012
Tidal wetland stability in the face of human impacts and sea-level rise Kirwan, Matthew L.; Megonigal, J. Patrick Nature, Vol. 504, Issue 7478 https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12856	journal	December 2013
Tidal wetland resilience to sea level rise increases their carbon sequestration capacity in United States Wang, Faming; Lu, Xiaoliang; Sanders, Christian J. Nature Communications, Vol. 10, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-13294-z	journal	November 2019
Author Correction: Tidal wetland resilience to sea level rise increases their carbon sequestration capacity in United States Wang, Faming; Lu, Xiaoliang; Sanders, Christian J. Nature Communications, Vol. 10, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-13800-3	journal	December 2019
Nitrogen status regulates morphological adaptation of marsh plants to elevated CO2 Lu, Meng; Herbert, Ellen R.; Langley, J. Adam Nature Climate Change, Vol. 9, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-019-0582-x	journal	September 2019
Global-change controls on soil-carbon accumulation and loss in coastal vegetated ecosystems Spivak, Amanda C.; Sanderman, Jonathan; Bowen, Jennifer L. Nature Geoscience, Vol. 12, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-019-0435-2	journal	August 2019
Wetland carbon storage controlled by millennial-scale variation in relative sea-level rise Rogers, Kerrylee; Kelleway, Jeffrey J.; Saintilan, Neil Nature, Vol. 567, Issue 7746 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-0951-7	journal	March 2019
Accuracy and Precision of Tidal Wetland Soil Carbon Mapping in the Conterminous United States Holmquist, James R.; Windham-Myers, Lisamarie; Bliss, Norman Scientific Reports, Vol. 8, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-26948-7	journal	June 2018
Author Correction: Accuracy and Precision of Tidal Wetland Soil Carbon Mapping in the Conterminous United States Holmquist, James R.; Windham-Myers, Lisamarie; Bliss, Norman Scientific Reports, Vol. 8, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-33283-4	journal	October 2018
Global patterns of root turnover for terrestrial ecosystems: RESEARCH Root turnover in terrestrial ecosystems Gill, Richard A.; Jackson, Robert B. New Phytologist, Vol. 147, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1469-8137.2000.00681.x	journal	July 2000
Elevated CO2 stimulates marsh elevation gain, counterbalancing sea-level rise Langley, J. A.; McKee, K. L.; Cahoon, D. R. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 106, Issue 15 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0807695106	journal	March 2009
Spatial response of coastal marshes to increased atmospheric CO ₂ Ratliff, Katherine M.; Braswell, Anna E.; Marani, Marco Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 112, Issue 51 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1516286112	journal	December 2015
A Shoot:Root Partitioning Model Reynolds, J. F.; Thornley, J. H. M. Annals of Botany, Vol. 49, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.aob.a086286	journal	May 1982
Root: shoot ratio as a balance between nitrogen productivity and photosynthesis ÅGren, G. I.; Ingestad, T. Plant, Cell & Environment, Vol. 10, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-3040.ep11604105	journal	September 1987
Tidal marsh plant responses to elevated CO ₂ , nitrogen fertilization, and sea level rise Adam Langley, J.; Mozdzer, Thomas J.; Shepard, Katherine A. Global Change Biology, Vol. 19, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12147	journal	February 2013
Rising sea level, temperature, and precipitation impact plant and ecosystem responses to elevated CO ₂ on a Chesapeake Bay wetland: review of a 28-year study Drake, Bert G. Global Change Biology, Vol. 20, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12631	journal	June 2014
Plants mediate soil organic matter decomposition in response to sea level rise Mueller, Peter; Jensen, Kai; Megonigal, James Patrick Global Change Biology, Vol. 22, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13082	journal	December 2015
The effects of elevated CO ₂ and eutrophication on surface elevation gain in a European salt marsh Reef, Ruth; Spencer, Tom; Mӧller, Iris Global Change Biology, Vol. 23, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13396	journal	July 2016
An invasive wetland grass primes deep soil carbon pools Bernal, Blanca; Megonigal, J. Patrick; Mozdzer, Thomas J. Global Change Biology, Vol. 23, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13539	journal	November 2016
Long-term organic carbon sequestration in tidal marsh sediments is dominated by old-aged allochthonous inputs in a macrotidal estuary Van de Broek, Marijn; Vandendriessche, Caroline; Poppelmonde, Dries Global Change Biology, Vol. 24, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14089	journal	March 2018
An oxygen-mediated positive feedback between elevated carbon dioxide and soil organic matter decomposition in a simulated anaerobic wetland Wolf, Amelia A.; Drake, Bert G.; Erickson, John E. Global Change Biology, Vol. 13, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2007.01407.x	journal	September 2007
Faster Decomposition Under Increased Atmospheric CO2 Limits Soil Carbon Storage van Groenigen, K. J.; Qi, X.; Osenberg, C. W. Science, Vol. 344, Issue 6183 https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1249534	journal	April 2014
Responses of Coastal Wetlands to Rising sea Level Morris, James T.; Sundareshwar, P. V.; Nietch, Christopher T. Ecology, Vol. 83, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.1890/0012-9658(2002)083[2869:ROCWTR]2.0.CO;2	journal	October 2002
Responses of Coastal Wetlands to Rising sea Level Morris, James T.; Sundareshwar, P. V.; Nietch, Christopher T. Ecology, Vol. 83, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.1890/0012-9658(2002)083[2869:rocwtr]2.0.co;2	journal	October 2002
A blueprint for blue carbon: toward an improved understanding of the role of vegetated coastal habitats in sequestering CO ₂ Mcleod, Elizabeth; Chmura, Gail L.; Bouillon, Steven Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, Vol. 9, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.1890/110004	journal	January 2011
A Mechanistic, Numerical Model of Sedimentation, Mineralization, and Decomposition for Marsh Sediments Morris, James T.; Bowden, William B. Soil Science Society of America Journal, Vol. 50, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj1986.03615995005000010019x	journal	January 1986
Soil Carbon Saturation Controls Labile and Stable Carbon Pool Dynamics Gulde, S.; Chung, H.; Amelung, W. Soil Science Society of America Journal, Vol. 72, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2007.0251	journal	January 2008
Loss on Ignition and Kjeldahl Digestion for Estimating Organic Carbon and Total Nitrogen in Estuarine Marsh Soils: Calibration with Dry Combustion Craft, C. B.; Seneca, E. D.; Broome, S. W. Estuaries, Vol. 14, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.2307/1351691	journal	June 1991
Elevated Atmospheric CO2 Effects on Belowground Processes in C3 and C4 Estuarine Marsh Communities Curtis, Peter S.; Balduman, Lisa M.; Drake, Bert G. Ecology, Vol. 71, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.2307/1937608	journal	October 1990
Influence of Oxygen and Sulfide Concentration on Nitrogen Uptake Kinetics in Spartina Alterniflora Bradley, Paul M.; Morris, James T. Ecology, Vol. 71, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.2307/1940267	journal	February 1990
Tidal marsh biomass field plot and remote sensing datasets for six regions in the conterminous United States Byrd, Kristin B.; Ballanti, Laurel; Thomas, Nathan U.S. Geological Survey https://doi.org/10.5066/f77943k8	dataset	January 2017
Tidal marsh biomass field plot and remote sensing datasets for six regions in the conterminous United States (ver. 2.0, June 2020) Byrd, Kristin B.; Ballanti, Laurel R.; Nguyen, Dung K. U.S. Geological Survey https://doi.org/10.5066/p90pg34s	dataset	January 2020

Similar Records

Increased salinity decreases annual gross primary productivity at a Northern California brackish tidal marsh

Journal Article · Wed Mar 08 23:00:00 EST 2023 · Environmental Research Letters · OSTI ID:2422075

Impact of Coastal Marsh Eco‐Geomorphologic Change on Saltwater Intrusion Under Future Sea Level Rise

Journal Article · Wed May 25 00:00:00 EDT 2022 · Water Resources Research · OSTI ID:1870046

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
accretion
climate
decomposition
productivity
soil
wetland

Dataset: 1999 CO2xCommunity Experiment Belowground Biomass Megonigal, Patrick; Holmquist, James https://doi.org/10.25573/serc.13073249 The current record is supplemented by this dataset	dataset	January 2021
1999 CO2xCommunity Deep Root Biomass Megonigal, Patrick; Holmquist, James https://doi.org/10.25573/serc.13073249.v1 The current record is supplemented by this dataset	dataset	January 2021

Vegetation Type and Decomposition Priming Mediate Brackish Marsh Carbon Accumulation Under Interacting Facets of Global Change

Citation Formats

References (62)

Linked Research (2)

Similar Records

Related Subjects