Interisland Variability of Dune Plant Community Structure on Virginia's Barrier Islands ...

• Main Author: Shafer, Justin K.
• Format: Thesis
• Language: unknown
• Published: Old Dominion University 2010
• Subjects: Barrier Islands; Hog Island; Smith Island
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.25777/yzfk-6j23; https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/biology_etds/274/

The barrier islands of the Virginia Coast Reserve LTER site provide an opportunity to study interisland variability of dune plant communities. My research focused on the variation in biomass and diversity of communities among islands and dune positions. Grassy dunes of young, intermediate and old age were sampled on Smith, Hog, and Parramore Islands. Aboveground biomass was obtained from harvest plots, and roots were extracted from cores. Data were collected on depth to groundwater and total soil nitrogen. Variation in mean aboveground biomass was evident among the islands with the highest values on Hog Island, followed by Smith, then Parramore Island. Results for belowground biomass were similar, except the highest values were on Smith Island and then Parramore Island. Aboveground biomass was greatest on intermediate dunes, followed by the older dunes. The young dunes, frequently disturbed by overwash, had the least. Patterns in belowground biomass were variable among the different age dunes, with ...