Marsh Ecology Research Program (MERP): Belowground macrophyte production (MBG; 1980-1989) data

The Marsh Ecology Research Program (MERP) was a long-term interdisciplinary study on the ecology of prairie wetlands. A scientific team from a variety of disciplines (hydrology, plant ecology, invertebrate ecology, vertebrate ecology, nutrient dynamics, marsh management) was assembled to design and oversee a long-term experiment on the effects of water-level manipulation on northern prairie wetlands. Ten years of fieldwork (1980 -1989), combining a routine long-term monitoring program and a series of short-term studies, generated a wealth of new and diverse information on the ecology and function of prairie wetlands (Murkin, Batt, Caldwell, Kadlec and van der Valk, 2000). This data set includes belowground macrophyte production data, collected as part of the vegetation section of MERP.
Determination of aquatic macrophyte annual net primary production is vital to the understanding of the dynamics of freshwater marshes. Macrophyte biomass, both live and dead, is a major storage compartment for carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus in a marsh and a major potential energy and nutrient source for the faunal component of the marsh ecosystem. Macrophyte communities are also essential structural components of the habitat of both invertebrates and vertebrates. The major objective of the long-term monitoring of aquatic macrophytes was to determine the impact of the wet-dry cycle on macrophyte above and belowground net annual production. Standard harvest techniques were used because they were the most direct, simple and reliable techniques available for estimating net annual primary production of macrophytes per unit area (van der Valk, 1989).
In order to estimate net annual belowground macrophyte production, core samples of the belowground biomass were harvested in the late spring and in the fall. Shoot initiation early in the growing season depletes most of the belowground standing crop, and therefore spring sampling was done quickly (within 2 weeks) to capture this state. Underground biomass then reaches its seasonal maxima in the fall and was captured with the fall sampling. The resulting differences between the fall and spring standing crop biomass provided an estimate of net belowground macrophyte production (van der Valk, 1989).

For further information on the Marsh Ecology Research Program (MERP), please visit: http://www.ducks.ca/conserve/research/projects/merp/index.html

References:
Murkin, H.R., B.D.J. Batt, P.J. Caldwell, J.A. Kadlec and A.G. van der Valk. 2000a. Introduction to the Marsh Ecology Research Program. In Prairie Wetland Ecology: The Contribution of the Marsh Ecology Research Program. (Eds) H.R. Murkin, A.G. van der Valk and W.R. Clark. pp. 3-15. Ames: Iowa State University Press.
van der Valk, A. 1989. Macrophyte production. In Marsh Ecology Research Program: Long-term Monitoring Procedures Manual. (Eds.) E.J. Murkin and H.R. Murkin, pp. 23-29. Manitoba, Canada: Delta Waterfowl Research Station.

Resulting Publications on MERP vegetation data:
van der Valk, A.G., and C.H. Welling. 1988. The development of zonation in freshwater wetlands: an experimental approach. In Diversity and Pattern in Plant Communities. (Eds.) H.J. During, M.J.A. Werger, and H.J. Willems, pp.l45-158. The Hague, Netherlands: SPB Publishers.
van der Valk, A.G., C.H. Welling, and RL. Pederson. 1989. Vegetation change in a freshwater wetland: a test of a priori predictions. In Freshwater Wetlands and Wildlife. (Eds.) RR. Sharitz and J.W. Gibbons, pp.207-217. USDOE Symposium Series 61, Oak Ridge: USDOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information.
van der Valk, A.G. 1994. Effects of prolonged flooding on the distribution and biomass of emergent species along a freshwater wetland coenocline. Vegetatio 110: 185-196.
van der Valk, AG., L. Squires, and C.H. Welling. 1994. Identifying the impacts of an increase in water level on wetland vegetation undergoing succession. Ecological Applications 4:525-534.
van der Valk, A.G. 2000. Vegetation dynamics and models. In Prairie Wetland Ecology: The Contribution of the Marsh Ecology Research Program. (Eds.) H.R. Murkin, A.G. van der Valk, and W.R. Clark, pp. 37-54. Iowa: Iowa State University Press.
Welling, C.H., R.L. Pederson, and AG. van der Valk. 1988a. Recruitment from the seed bank and the development of zonation of emergent vegetation during drawdown in a prairie marsh. Journal of Ecology 76:483-496.
Welling, C.H., R.L. Pederson, and AG. van der Valk. 1988b. Temporal patterns in recruitment from the seed bank during drawdowns in a prairie wetland. Journal of Applied Ecology 25:999-1007.

Supporting literature on MERP vegetation data:
Cornwell, J.C., C. Neill, and J.C. Stevenson. 1995. Biogeochemical origin of Δ34S isotopic signatures in a prairie marsh. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 52: 1816-1820.
de Swart, E.O.A.M., A.G. van der Valk, KJ. Koehler, and A. Barendregt. 1994. Experimental evaluation of realized niche models for predicting responses of plant species to a change in environmental conditions. Journal of Vegetation Science 5:541-552.
Galinato, M.J., and A.G. van der Valk. 1986. Seed germination traits of annuals and emergents during drawdown in the Delta Marsh, Manitoba, Canada. Aquatic Botany 26:89-102.
McKee, K.L., I.A Mendelssohn, and D.M. Burdick. 1989. Effect of long-term flooding on root metabolic response in five freshwater marsh plant species: Canadian Journal of Botany 67:3446-3452.
Merendino, M.T., L.M. Smith, H.R. Murkin, and RL. Pederson. 1990. The response of prairie wetland vegetation to seasonality of drawdown. Wildlife Society Bulletin 18: 245-251.
Merendino, M.T., and L.M. Smith. 1991. Influence of drawdown date and subsequent reflood depth on wetland vegetation establishment. Wildlife Society Bulletin 19: 143-150.
Neckles, H.A., J.A. Nelson, and R.L. Pederson. 1985. Management of whitetop (Scholochloa festucacea) marshes for livestock forage and wildlife. Delta Waterfowl and Wetlands Research Station Technical Bulletin 1.
Neckles, H.A., and R.L. Wetzel. 1989. Effects of forage harvest in seasonally flooded prairie marshes: simulation model experiments. In Freshwater Wetlands and Wildlife. (Eds.) RR. Sharitz and J.W. Gibbons, pp.127-143. USDOE Symposium Series 61, Oak Ridge: USDOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information.
Neill. C. 1990. Effects of nutrients and water levels on emergent macrophyte biomass in a prairie marsh. Canadian Journal of Botany 68:1007-1014.
Neill, C 1990. Nutrient limitation of hardstem bulrush (Scirpus acutus Muhl.) in a Manitoba Interlake Region Marsh. Wetlands 10: 69-76.
Neill, C. 1990. Effects of nutrients and water levels on species composition in prairie whitetop (Scholochloa festucacea) marshes. Canadian Journal of Botany 68: 1015-1020.
Neill, C. 1992. Comparison of soil coring and ingrowth methods for measuring below ground production. Ecology 73:1918-1922.
Neill, C. 1992. Life history and population dynamics of whitetop (Scolochloa festucacea) shoots under different levels of flooding and nitrogen supply. Aquatic Botany 42: 241-252.
Neill, C. 1993. Growth and resource allocation of whitetop (Scolochloa festucacea) along a water depth gradient. Aquatic Botany 46:235-246.
Neill, C. 1993. Seasonal flooding, soil salinity and primary production in northern prairie marshes. Oecologia (Berl.) 95:499-505.
Neill, C. 1995. Seasonal flooding, nitrogen mineralization and nitrogen utilization in a prairie marsh. Biogeochemistry 30:171-189.
Neill, C., and J.C. Cornwell. 1992. Stable carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur isotopes in a prairie marsh food web. Wetlands 12:217-224.
Pederson, R.L. 1981. Seed bank characteristics of the Delta Marsh: applications for wetland management. In Selected Proceedings of the Midwest Conference on Wetland Values and Management. (Ed.) B. Richardson, pp.61-69. St. Paul: Minnesota Water Planning Board.
Pederson, R.L., and A.G. van der Valk. 1984. Vegetation change and seed banks in marshes: ecological and management implications. Transactions of the North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference 49:271-280.
Pederson, RL., and L.M. Smith. 1988. Implications of wetland seed bank research: a review of Great Basin and prairie marsh studies. In Interdisciplinary Approaches to Freshwater Wetlands Research. (Ed.) D.A. Wilcox, pp.81-95. East Lansing: Michigan State University Press.
Seabloom, E.W., K.A. Moloney, and A.G. van der Valk. Constraints on the establishment of plants along a fluctuating water-depth gradient. Ecology 82: 2216-2232.
Squires, L., and A.G. van der Valk. 1992. Water depth tolerances of the dominant emergent macrophytes of the Delta Marsh, Manitoba. Canadian Journal of Botany 70: 1860-1867.
van der Valk, A.G. 1981. Succession in wetlands: a Gleasonian approach. Ecology 62:688-696.
van der Valk, A.G. 1982. Succession in temperate North American wetlands. In Wetlands: Ecology and Management. (Eds.) B. Gopal, RE. Turner, R.G. Wetzel, and D.E Whigham, pp.169-179. Jaipur, India: National Institute of Ecology.
van der Valk, A.G.1986. The impact of litter and annual plants on recruitment of species from the seed bank of a lacustrine marsh. Aquatic Botany 24:13-26.
van der Valk, A.G. 1992. Establishment, colonization, and persistence. In Plant Succession: Theory and Prediction. (Eds.) D.C. Glenn-Lewin, R.K. Peet, and T.T. Veben, pp.60-102. New York: Chapman & Hall.
van der Valk, A.G. 1992. Response by wetland vegetation to a change in water level. Wetland Management and Restoration. Swedish Environmental Protection Agency Report 3492. (Eds.) C.M. Finlayson and T. Larsson, pp.7-16. Solna, Sweden: Swedish Environmental Protection Agency.
van der Valk, A.G., and L. Squires. 1992. Indicators of flooding derived from aerial photography in northern prairie wetlands. In Ecological Indicators: Volume 1. (Eds.) D.H. McKenzie, D.E. Hyatt, and V.J. McDonald, pp.593-602. London, •UK: Elsevier.
van der Valk, A.G., and R.L. Pederson. 1989. Seed banks and the management and restoration of natural vegetation. In The Ecology of Seed Banks. (Eds.) M.A. Leck, VT. Parker, and RL. Simpson, pp.329-346. New York: Academic Press.
van der Valk, A.G., R.L. Pederson, and C.B. Davis. 1992. Restoration and creation of freshwater wetlands using seed banks. Wetlands Ecology and Management 1:191-197.
van der Valk, A.G., L. Squires, and C.H. Welling. 1994. Identifying the impacts of an increase in water level on wetland vegetation undergoing succession. Ecological Applications 4:525-534.

沼泽生态学研究计划（Marsh Ecology Research Program, MERP）是一项针对草原湿地生态的长期跨学科研究项目。由多学科背景的科研团队（涵盖水文学、植物生态学、无脊椎动物生态学、脊椎动物生态学、营养动态学及沼泽管理学）组建而成，旨在设计并监管一项关于水位调控对北部草原湿地影响的长期实验。1980年至1989年的十年野外工作中，研究结合常规长期监测计划与一系列短期研究，获取了大量关于草原湿地生态特征与生态功能的新颖多元的研究数据（Murkin、Batt、Caldwell、Kadlec与van der Valk，2000）。本数据集包含作为MERP植被研究组成部分所收集的大型地下植物生产力数据。

水生大型植物（aquatic macrophyte）年净初级生产力的测定，是解析淡水沼泽生态动态的核心关键。大型植物的活体与枯死生物量，既是沼泽生态系统中碳、氮、磷的主要储存库，同时也是沼泽动物群落的核心潜在能量与营养供给来源。大型植物群落亦是无脊椎动物与脊椎动物栖息地的关键结构组成部分。本次水生大型植物长期监测的核心目标，是明确干湿循环对大型植物地上与地下年净生产力的影响。研究采用标准收获法，因其为当前可获取的、估算单位面积大型植物年净初级生产力最为直接、简便且可靠的技术手段（van der Valk，1989）。

为估算大型植物地下年净生产力，科研人员于春末与秋季采集地下生物量岩心样本。生长季早期的芽萌发会消耗绝大多数地下现存生物量，因此春季采样需在两周内快速完成，以精准捕捉该初始状态。地下生物量会在秋季达到季节峰值，秋季采样即可捕获该峰值状态。通过秋季与春季现存生物量的差值，即可估算大型植物地下净生产力（van der Valk，1989）。

如需获取沼泽生态学研究计划（MERP）的更多信息，请访问：http://www.ducks.ca/conserve/research/projects/merp/index.html

参考文献：
Murkin, H.R.、B.D.J. Batt、P.J. Caldwell、J.A. Kadlec与A.G. van der Valk，2000a。《沼泽生态学研究计划导论》。收录于《草原湿地生态：沼泽生态学研究计划的贡献》（H.R. Murkin、A.G. van der Valk与W.R. Clark 编），第3-15页。埃姆斯：爱荷华州立大学出版社。
van der Valk, A.，1989。《大型植物生产力》。收录于《沼泽生态学研究计划：长期监测操作手册》（E.J. Murkin与H.R. Murkin 编），第23-29页。加拿大曼尼托巴省：德尔塔水禽研究站。

基于MERP植被数据的已发表成果：
van der Valk, A.G.与C.H. Welling，1988。《淡水湿地带状分布的形成：一种实验方法》。收录于《植物群落的多样性与格局》（H.J. During、M.J.A. Werger与H.J. Willems 编），第145-158页。荷兰海牙：SPB出版社。
van der Valk, A.G.、C.H. Welling与R.L. Pederson，1989。《淡水湿地的植被变化：先验预测的检验》。收录于《淡水湿地与野生动物》（R.R. Sharitz与J.W. Gibbons 编），第207-217页。USDOE研讨会系列61，橡树岭：美国能源部科学技术信息办公室。
van der Valk, A.G.，1994。《持续淹水对淡水湿地群落连续体上挺水植物物种分布与生物量的影响》。《Vegetatio》，110：185-196。
van der Valk, A.G.、L. Squires与C.H. Welling，1994。《识别水位上升对经历演替的湿地植被的影响》。《Ecological Applications》，4：525-534。
van der Valk, A.G.，2000。《植被动态与模型》。收录于《草原湿地生态：沼泽生态学研究计划的贡献》（H.R. Murkin、A.G. van der Valk与W.R. Clark 编），第37-54页。艾奥瓦州：爱荷华州立大学出版社。
Welling, C.H.、R.L. Pederson与A.G. van der Valk，1988a。《草原沼泽退水期种子库招募与挺水植被带状分布的形成》。《Journal of Ecology》，76：483-496。
Welling, C.H.、R.L. Pederson与A.G. van der Valk，1988b。《草原湿地退水期种子库招募的时间格局》。《Journal of Applied Ecology》，25：999-1007。

MERP植被数据相关辅助文献：
Cornwell, J.C.、C. Neill与J.C. Stevenson，1995。《草原沼泽中Δ34S同位素特征的生物地球化学起源》。《Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences》，52：1816-1820。
de Swart, E.O.A.M.、A.G. van der Valk、K.J. Koehler与A. Barendregt，1994。《预测植物物种对环境变化响应的现实生态位模型的实验验证》。《Journal of Vegetation Science》，5：541-552。
Galinato, M.J.与A.G. van der Valk，1986。《加拿大曼尼托巴省德尔塔沼泽退水期一年生植物与挺水植物的种子萌发特性》。《Aquatic Botany》，26：89-102。
McKee, K.L.、I.A. Mendelssohn与D.M. Burdick，1989。《长期淹水对五种淡水沼泽植物根系代谢响应的影响》。《Canadian Journal of Botany》，67：3446-3452。
Merendino, M.T.、L.M. Smith、H.R. Murkin与R.L. Pederson，1990。《草原湿地植被对退水季节的响应》。《Wildlife Society Bulletin》，18：245-251。
Merendino, M.T.与L.M. Smith，1991。《退水日期及后续回灌深度对湿地植被定植的影响》。《Wildlife Society Bulletin》，19：143-150。
Neckles, H.A.、J.A. Nelson与R.L. Pederson，1985。《为家畜饲料与野生动物管理的白顶莎草（Scholochloa festucacea）沼泽》。德尔塔水禽与湿地研究站技术简报1。
Neckles, H.A.与R.L. Wetzel，1989。《季节性淹水草原沼泽的草料收获效应：模拟模型实验》。收录于《淡水湿地与野生动物》（R.R. Sharitz与J.W. Gibbons 编），第127-143页。USDOE研讨会系列61，橡树岭：美国能源部科学技术信息办公室。
Neill, C.，1990。《营养与水位对草原沼泽挺水植物生物量的影响》。《Canadian Journal of Botany》，68：1007-1014。
Neill, C.，1990。《曼尼托巴省湖间区沼泽中硬茎藨草（Scirpus acutus Muhl.）的营养限制》。《Wetlands》，10：69-76。
Neill, C.，1990。《营养与水位对草原白顶莎草（Scholochloa festucacea）沼泽物种组成的影响》。《Canadian Journal of Botany》，68：1015-1020。
Neill, C.，1992。《测量地下生产力的土壤钻孔法与内生长法的比较》。《Ecology》，73：1918-1922。
Neill, C.，1992。《不同淹水与氮供应水平下白顶莎草（Scolochloa festucacea）的生活史与种群动态》。《Aquatic Botany》，42：241-252。
Neill, C.，1993。《白顶莎草（Scolochloa festucacea）沿水深梯度的生长与资源分配》。《Aquatic Botany》，46：235-246。
Neill, C.，1993。《北部草原沼泽的季节性淹水、土壤盐度与初级生产力》。《Oecologia (Berl.)》，95：499-505。
Neill, C.，1995。《草原沼泽的季节性淹水、氮矿化与氮利用》。《Biogeochemistry》，30：171-189。
Neill, C.与J.C. Cornwell，1992。《草原沼泽食物网中的稳定碳、氮与硫同位素》。《Wetlands》，12：217-224。
Pederson, R.L.，1981。《德尔塔沼泽的种子库特征：湿地管理应用》。收录于《中西部湿地价值与管理会议精选论文集》（B. Richardson 编），第61-69页。圣保罗：明尼苏达州水资源规划委员会。
Pederson, R.L.与A.G. van der Valk，1984。《沼泽的植被变化与种子库：生态学与管理意义》。《北美野生动物与自然资源会议汇刊》，49：271-280。
Pederson, R.L.与L.M. Smith，1988。《湿地种子库研究的启示：大盆地与草原沼泽研究综述》。收录于《淡水湿地研究的跨学科方法》（D.A. Wilcox 编），第81-95页。东兰辛：密歇根州立大学出版社。
Seabloom, E.W.、K.A. Moloney与A.G. van der Valk。《沿波动水深梯度的植物定植限制因素》。《Ecology》，82：2216-2232。
Squires, L.与A.G. van der Valk，1992。《曼尼托巴省德尔塔沼泽优势挺水大型植物的水深耐受性》。《Canadian Journal of Botany》，70：1860-1867。
van der Valk, A.G.，1981。《湿地演替：一种格莱松式途径》。《Ecology》，62：688-696。
van der Valk, A.G.，1982。《北美温带湿地的演替》。收录于《湿地：生态与管理》（B. Gopal、R.E. Turner、R.G. Wetzel与D.E. Whigham 编），第169-179页。印度斋浦尔：国家生态研究所。
van der Valk, A.G.，1986。《枯落物与一年生植物对湖沼沼泽种子库物种招募的影响》。《Aquatic Botany》，24：13-26。
van der Valk, A.G.，1992。《定植、定殖与存续》。收录于《植物演替：理论与预测》（D.C. Glenn-Lewin、R.K. Peet与T.T. Veblen 编），第60-102页。纽约：Chapman & Hall出版社。
van der Valk, A.G.，1992。《湿地植被对水位变化的响应》。收录于《湿地管理与修复》（瑞典环境保护局报告3492）（C.M. Finlayson与T. Larsson 编），第7-16页。索尔纳：瑞典环境保护局。
van der Valk, A.G.与L. Squires，1992。《基于航空摄影的北部草原湿地淹水指标》。收录于《生态指标：第1卷》（D.H. McKenzie、D.E. Hyatt与V.J. McDonald 编），第593-602页。英国伦敦：Elsevier出版社。
van der Valk, A.G.与R.L. Pederson，1989。《种子库与自然植被的管理与修复》。收录于《种子库生态学》（M.A. Leck、V.T. Parker与R.L. Simpson 编），第329-346页。纽约：学术出版社。
van der Valk, A.G.、R.L. Pederson与C.B. Davis，1992。《利用种子库修复与重建淡水湿地》。《Wetlands Ecology and Management》，1：191-197。
van der Valk, A.G.、L. Squires与C.H. Welling，1994。《识别水位上升对经历演替的湿地植被的影响》。《Ecological Applications》，4：525-534。