Spatial variability of soil properties in cypress domes surrounded by different land uses

• Published in: Wetlands (Wilmington, N.C.) Vol. 28; no. 2; pp. 411 - 422
• Main Authors: Cohen, Matthew J., Dunne, Edmond J., Bruland, Gregory L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 1313 Dolley Madison Boulevard, Suite 402, McLean, Virginia, USA 22101 The Society of Wetland Scientists 01.06.2008; Springer Netherlands; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Anthropogenic factors; biogeochemistry; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Coastal Sciences; Coefficient of variation; Cupressus; Domes; Ecology; Environmental Management; forest communities; Freshwater & Marine Ecology; geostatistics; Human impact; Human influences; Hydrogeology; isolated wetlands; Land use; Landscape Ecology; Life Sciences; lowland forests; Monte Carlo simulation; Nutrient concentrations; Nutrient content; Organic matter; Organic phosphorus; Pasture; phosphorus; Plantations; Regular Submissions; Sampling; sampling intensity; simulation models; Soil chemistry; Soil organic matter; Soil pH; Soil properties; Soils; spatial structure; spatial variation; Taxodium distichum var. imbricarium; Urban areas; variability; wetland soils; Wetlands; Florida; USA, Florida; geostatistics; spatial structure; sampling intensity; variability; biogeochemistry; Monte Carlo simulation; isolated wetlands
• ISSN: 0277-5212; 1943-6246
• DOI: 10.1672/06-182.1

Anthropogenic activities affect self-organization in wetlands, in turn affecting spatial patterns of soil properties such as pH, nutrient concentrations, and soil organic matter content. To better understand the effects of anthropogenic disturbance in wetlands, we examined soil patterns in wetlands subject to a gradient of human impact. Four cypress domes in north Florida representing reference/unmanaged, forest plantation, improved pasture, and urban land uses were sampled (n  =  60 site−1) for soil pH, organic matter (OM), and total phosphorus (TP). Mean values varied significantly both within and among sites, with low pH, SOM, and TP at minimally impacted and plantation sites, and high values at pasture and urban sites. Within-site variability was large for SOM and TP in all sites (average coefficient of variation  =  48% and 62%, respectively), and small for pH (average CV  =  7%). Strong radial patterns for SOM and TP in minimally impacted and plantation sites were observed. In contrast, at pasture and urban sites linear/quadratic trends in pH were observed. We quantified spatial patterns by soil property for each site, observing significant structure (long range, low nugget:sill) for TP and SOM in minimally impacted and forest plantation sites. We infer a transition from endogenous to exogenous drivers with increasing anthropogenic influence. Our findings indicate that, for pH, a small number of samples (n < 3 for characterization within 10% of true mean) are needed, while more (n  =  11–33) are needed for SOM and TP; sampling density requirements increase with the scale of spatial structure. Our results allow the definition of the necessary sampling intensity and design to achieve effective monitoring.