Metadata

• Name: Edward Castañeda-Moya 
• Organization: Florida International University
• Email: edwardcm@gmail.com

• Name: Caitlin Reisa 
• Email: creisa@fiu.edu

• Name: Vanessa Lundsten 
• Email: valundsten@gmail.com

Root productivity of riverine and scrub mangroves in the Florida Everglades: Mangrove root productivity in the shallow root zone (0-45 cm depth) was estimated at all Shark River (SRS-4, SRS-5, SRS-6, SRS-7) and Taylor River (TS/Ph-6, TS/Ph-7) sites in March-April 2024. Root productivity was estimated with the ingrowth core technique using the same sampling protocol previously published for the study area (Castañeda-Moya et al. 2011). Ingrowth cores (10.2 cm diameter x 45 cm length) were made of synthetic material (3 mm mesh) and filled with root-free commercial sphagnum peat moss. This material has similar soil properties (i.e., bulk density, organic matter content, total C and N) as mangrove peat in our study sites as previously reported by Castañeda-Moya et al. (2011). Ingrowth cores were installed in holes made out with a PVC coring device (10.2 cm diameter x 45 cm length). At each site, 8 ingrowth cores were deployed vertically into the soil to a depth of 45 cm and retrieved one year later (March-April 2024). After collection, ingrowth cores were processed individually and initially rinsed with water through a 1-mm screen mesh to remove soil particles and peat moss material. Live roots were separated manually based on their buoyancy, turgor, and color (Castañeda-Moya et al. 2011; Cormier et al. 2015; Medina-Calderon et al. 2021). Live roots were further sorted into three size diameter classes including fine (<2 mm), small (2-5 mm), and coarse (5-20 mm). Roots greater than 20 mm in diameter were not included in this study due to sampling limitations (i.e., core area). All root samples were oven-dried at 60°C to a constant mass and weighed. Root growth within each ingrowth core following one year of incubation was used to estimate annual root productivity (g m⁻² yr⁻¹) in the shallow root zone across all mangrove sites. This is an ongoing project with data collection occurring every 2-3 years after 2024. All data collection and processing were funded by FCE-LTER.

References:
Castañeda-Moya, E., R.R. Twilley, V.H. Rivera-Monroy, B.D. Marx, C. Coronado-Molina, and S.M.L. Ewe. 2011. Patterns of root dynamics in mangrove forests along environmental gradients in the Florida Coastal Everglades, USA. Ecosystems 14: 1178-1195. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-011-9473-3.
Cormier, N., R.R. Twilley, C.K. Ewel, and K.W. Krauss. 2015. Fine root productivity varies along nitrogen and phosphorus gradients in high-rainfall mangrove forests of Micronesia. Hydrobiologia 750, 69-87.
Medina-Calderon, J.H., J.E. Mancera-Pineda, E. Castañeda-Moya, and V.H. Rivera-Monroy. 2021. Hydroperiod and salinity interactions control mangrove root dynamics in a karstic oceanic island in the Caribbean Sea (San Andres, Colombia). Frontiers in Marine Science 7: 598132. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.598132.

Start Date:   2024
End Date:   2024

• Data Table:   Root productivity of mangrove forests in the Florida Coastal Everglades
  Attribute Name:

  SITENAME

  Attribute Label:

  SITENAME

  Attribute Definition:

  Study sites

  Storage Type:

  string

  Measurement Scale:

  SRS4= FCE LTER Shark River Slough site 4
  SRS5= FCE LTER Shark River Slough site 5
  SRS6= FCE LTER Shark River Slough site 6
  SRS7= FCE LTER Shark River Slough site 7
  TS/Ph6b= FCE LTER Taylor Slough site 6b
  TS/Ph7b= FCE LTER Taylor Slough site 7b
  

  Missing Value Code:

   

  
  

  Attribute Name:

  Method_collection

  Attribute Label:

  Method_collection

  Attribute Definition:

  Method of sampling and collection

  Storage Type:

  string

  Measurement Scale:

  text

  Missing Value Code:

   

  
  

  Attribute Name:

  Month

  Attribute Label:

  Month

  Attribute Definition:

  Calendar month of data collection

  Storage Type:

  float

  Measurement Scale:

  Units: dimensionless
  

  Number Type: integer

  Missing Value Code:

   

  
  

  Attribute Name:

  Year

  Attribute Label:

  Year

  Attribute Definition:

  Year of data collection

  Storage Type:

  dateTime

  Measurement Scale:

  Missing Value Code:

   

  
  

  Attribute Name:

  Plot_ID

  Attribute Label:

  Plot_ID

  Attribute Definition:

  Vegetation Plot

  Storage Type:

  float

  Measurement Scale:

  Units: number
  

  Number Type: real

  Missing Value Code:

   

  
  

  Attribute Name:

  Sampling_point

  Attribute Label:

  Sampling_point

  Attribute Definition:

  Sampling point

  Storage Type:

  string

  Measurement Scale:

  A= Sampling point A
  B= Sampling point B
  C= Sampling point C
  D= Sampling point D
  

  Missing Value Code:

   

  
  

  Attribute Name:

  Core_ID

  Attribute Label:

  Core_ID

  Attribute Definition:

  Core ID

  Storage Type:

  float

  Measurement Scale:

  Units: number
  

  Number Type: integer

  Missing Value Code:

   

  
  

  Attribute Name:

  Root_size

  Attribute Label:

  Root_size

  Attribute Definition:

  Root size diameter

  Storage Type:

  string

  Measurement Scale:

  <2mm= Root diameter <2 mm
  2-5mm= Root diameter between 2 mm and 5 mm
  >5mm= Root diameter >5 mm and ≤20 mm
  

  Missing Value Code:

   

  
  

  Attribute Name:

  Root_size_class

  Attribute Label:

  Root_size_class

  Attribute Definition:

  Root size class

  Storage Type:

  string

  Measurement Scale:

  Fine= Root diameter size class less than 2 mm
  Small= Root diameter size class between 2 mm and 5 mm
  Coarse= Root diameter size class >5 mm and ≤20 mm
  

  Missing Value Code:

   

  
  

  Attribute Name:

  Root_productivity

  Attribute Label:

  Root_productivity

  Attribute Definition:

  Root productivity rates

  Storage Type:

  float

  Measurement Scale:

  Units: gramPerMeterSquaredPerYear
  

  Precision: 0.1
  Number Type: real

  Missing Value Code:

  -9999.0 (Value will never be recorded)