Above- and belowground biomass of S. alterniflora in elevational marsh planter experiments, Plum Island, MA, PIE LTER

Spartina is grown in experimental elevation planters placed in draining ponds on the salt marsh platform. The planters are constructed from PVC pipes of varying lengths. All of the PVC pipes are open at the bottom, and flush to the mudflat surface of the pond, resulting in the tops of the pipes being situated at various relative elevations within the tidal range. Plants growing in the shorter PVC pipes are flooded for a longer duration of each tidal cycle than plants growing in the taller PVC pipes. The growth response of S. alterniflora when exposed to different flood frequencies is monitored by monthly estimates of biomass (determined non-destructively from plant heights) and by destructive 'harvesting' of all above- and belowground plant material at the end of the growing season.米草属植物（Spartina）被种植于盐沼平台排水池塘内的高程实验种植槽中。该种植槽由不同长度的聚氯乙烯（PVC）管材搭建而成。所有PVC管材底部均为开口状态，且与池塘潮滩表面齐平，由此使得管材顶部处于潮差范围内的不同相对高程位置。相较于生长在较高PVC管材中的植株，种植于较短PVC管材内的米草在每个潮汐周期中遭受淹没的时长更长。针对互花米草（S. alterniflora）在不同淹没频率下的生长响应，本研究通过两种方式进行监测：一是每月通过植株高度进行非破坏性生物量估算，二是在生长季结束时破坏性‘收获’植株的全部地上与地下组织。