Effects of Environmental Variation and Non-point Source (NPS) Nutrient Pollution on Aquatic Plant Communities in Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (WBNERR), AL

摘要

This study was designed to investigate non-point source nutrient pollution and its influences on submerged aquatic plant community structure and biological invasion in the Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (WBNERR). A monthly vegetation survey was conducted to document plant abundance and changes in community structure; physicochemical data and water samples were collected on a bi-monthly basis to monitor environmental conditions (i.e., pH, salinity, dissolved oxygen, light intensity, and attenuation) and water column nutrient (NO 2 − /NO 3 − and NH 4 + ) and chlorophyll a concentrations. A total of seven submerged aquatic species were identified at the WBNERR with the occurrence of only one non-native species (Hydrilla verticillata). Statistical analyses suggest that water column nitrogen concentrations along with variations in dissolved oxygen (0.6–11.5 mg L−1), light attenuation, pH (5.6–8.6), and temperature (11–33°C) play key roles in determining the aquatic plant abundance and distribution in the WBNERR.