Monthly Vegetation and Invertebrate Population Monitoring near the Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER Flux Tower

Permanent study plots were established in a Spartina alterniflora-dominated marsh in the vicinity of the Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER Flux Tower to provide measurements of plant biomass and invertebrate population density over time for comparison with marsh-atmospheric CO2 exchange. Six replicate plots were randomly placed within each of three height zones of Spartina alterniflora (i.e. short, medium and tall Spartina). Beginning in June 2013, surveys were conducted approximately monthly to determine abundance of Littoraria irrorata, Prokelisia marginata, and grasshoppers in each plot. Plant species, stem density, height, and flowering status were also measured in each of the plots, and biomass was calculated using allometric relationships between plant height, flowering status and mass from plant clipping studies. During these surveys, destructive core sampling was also performed in the proximity of the plots (n = 2 per zone) to measure above and below ground biomass for each Spartina zone.