IMPACTS OF BIODIVERSITY ON FOREST SEDIMENT EROSION

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: MCINTIRE-STENNIS
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 0232737
• Project Start Date: Oct 1, 2012
• Project End Date: Sep 30, 2016
• Program Code: [(N/A)]- (N/A)

Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
(N/A)
ANN ARBOR,MI 48109

Performing Department
Resource Ecology & Management

Non Technical Summary
I will conduct interdisciplinary research that will determine how plant biodiversity influences rates of sediment erosion from forests. Soil erosion is a pervasive environmental problem that not only threatens our forestry resources, but also has a major impact on water quality in the Great Lakes. This research will help us manage forests and their diversity more effectively to reduce erosion from forested watersheds into the Great Lakes.

Animal Health Component

(N/A)

Research Effort Categories

Basic

(N/A)

Applied

(N/A)

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
133	0199	1070	15%
133	0199	2050	10%
133	0399	1070	15%
133	0399	2050	10%
136	0199	1070	15%
136	0199	2050	10%
136	0399	1070	15%
136	0399	2050	10%

Knowledge Area
133 - Pollution Prevention and Mitigation; 136 - Conservation of Biological Diversity;

Subject Of Investigation
0199 - Soil and land, general; 0399 - Watersheds and river basins, general;

Field Of Science
2050 - Hydrology; 1070 - Ecology;

Keywords

erosion

forest

biodiversity

Goals / Objectives
The proposed interdisciplinary research will test the influence of riparian plant biodiversity on the physical processes that control streambank erosion. In this project, I will collaborate with Dr. Theresa Thompson, a professor of Biological Systems Engineering at Virginia Tech University - an engineer who studies the effect of vegetation the physical forces that cause streambank erosion and published pioneering papers on the topic; and Dr. Daniel Allen, a Postdoctoral Fellow in my lab. We will test the following hypotheses: H1) The biodiversity of plant communities increases the density, biomass, and 3-dimensional complexity of soil rooting systems. Because plant species vary in root morphologies, when more plant species are present there will be a more spatially complex root system in the soil. Moreover, plant biodiversity increases root biomass and density because of complementary interspecific interactions. Thus, more diverse plant communities will have a denser and more complex rooting system. H2) Plant community biodiversity will decrease the erosion of stream banks. Plant roots reduce erosion of stream banks in two ways. First, fine roots bind soil particles together, increasing the resistance of soils to fluvial erosion. Second, large roots increase the shear strength of stream banks through mechanical reinforcement, increasing stream bank stability and reducing geotechnical erosion. Therefore, if rooting systems of diverse plant communities are greater in density, biomass, and compexity; then a more diverse plant community will have a greater ability to decrease streambank erosion.

Project Methods
Flume Experiment:I will construct flumes at the University of Michigan Matthaei Botanical Gardens, 20 flumes that are 1.22 m wide and 4.88 m long. I will manipulate vegetation using 3 different plant species that are similar in size but vary in root morphologies and the ability to fix nitrogen, and make good species to use as tree mimics (trees with deep tap-roots, trees with shallow roots, and nitrogen-fixing trees). I will manipulate these three species into four diversity treatments, 3 single-species "monocultures" and 1 three-species "polyculture." Each flume will be filled with non-cohesive sandy soil and seeded at densities observed in the field. I will cut a straight, single-thread channel through the center of the flume. Before entering the stream channel, water will pass through an entrance chamber to ensure that fully developed, turbulent uniform flow enters the channel. I will quantify root density and complexity of each treatment in situ using a root scanner. Scanning tubes (n = 6) will be installed throughout each flume, and I will use scanned images to analyze root densities and complexity. I will also take sediment cores to analyze for overall root biomass. The experimental bankfull floods will last for 1 day, and eroded soil in the collecting tank will be sampled at regular intervals throughout the day. Comparative Field Study: This comparative field study will use historical aerial photographs to measure migration rates of stream channels, and sample bank vegetation to investigate how plant biodiversity influences erosion rates of stream banks. Historical photos can be acquired from federal agencies (including the United States Department of Agriculture, the United States Geological Survey, the National Forest Service, National Park Service, and the National Archives). Fortunately, with the Hiawatha, Huron, Manistee and Ottawa National Forests located in Michigan, historical photographs of these forests should be easily obtained and thus will make for ideal study sties. I will analyze aerial photographs to find at least 30 field sites in Michigan forests that meet the following conditions: 1) historical photographs that cover over a long-time span (>50 years); 2) few temporal changes in riparian vegetation composition; and 3) bank heights of less than 2 meters. Aerial photos will be scanned at high resolution for geo-referencing to at least 8 ground control points. Planform channel geometries (arcs and polygons) will be overlain to measure lateral migration rates of channels for each time period at each site to calculate average annual migration rates. Vegetation will be surveyed at each site in a 20-m wide plot along the length of the eroding bank, and all vegetation (trees, shrubs, and grasses) will be sampled in a random-stratified block design (n = 20 sample blocks) within each plot. Roots will be sampled by taking soil cores in increments to a depth of 1 meter in every sample block.

Progress 10/01/12 to 09/30/16

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audiences of this research are land managers, practitioners, and the scientific community. Results of our workhave been presented a the Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting in 2014, and for invited seminars at 7 different academicinstitutions. Five manuscripts from thisresearch project have been published, and a finalmanuscript is in prep for submission in May, 2017. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project trained 7 undergraduate research assistants, one PhD student, and one postdoc at the interface of ecology and geology. The former postdoc and PhD student are now Assistant Professors at research universities, and four of the seven undergraduates are in graduate school in STEM programs. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The project led to 5 peer-reviewed papers in top journals, with one additional paper in submision. In addition, nearly 10 presentations at conferences and university departments seminars have occurred. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? We completed a set of laboratory and greenhouse experiments in which we quantified how various species of plants and invertebrates impact sediment erosion and bank migration in stream channels. In addition, we completed a complimentary set of field surveys that correlated historical rates of migration for 3 rivers in Michigan to the composition and diversity of native riparian plant species. We found that organisms both large and small have major impacts on sediment erosion and bank stability in streams, and that both the composition of species, as well as the variety of species in a stream control erosion rates. We have subsequently created mathematical models that predict erosion rates as a function of the organisms that live in a stream to help forecast unnatural rates of sedimentation.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Allen, D. C., B. J. Cardinale, and T. Wynn-Thompson. 2014. Toward a better integration of ecological principles into ecogeoscience research. BioScience, 64:444454.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Albertson, L., L. S. Sklar, and B. J. Cardinale. 2014. Non-additive increases in sediment stability are generated by macroinvertebrate species interactions in laboratory streams. PLoS One, 9:e103417.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Albertson, L. K., L. S. Sklar, P. Pontau, M. Dow, and B. J. Cardinale. 2014. A mechanistic model linking insect (Hydropsychidae) silk nets to incipient sediment motion in gravel-bedded streams. J. Geophysical Research, 19:1833-1852.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Allen, D. C., B. J. Cardinale, and T. Wynn-Thompson. 2016. Plant biodiversity effects in reducing fluvial erosion are limited to low species richness. Ecology, 97:17-24.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Submitted Year Published: 2017 Citation: Allen, D. C., T. Wynn-Thompson, D. A. Kopp, B. J. Cardinale. Riparian plant biodiversity reduces stream channel migration rates. Ecology, submitted.

Progress 10/01/13 to 09/30/14

Outputs
Target Audience: The target audiences of this research are land managers, practitioners, and the scientific community. Results of our work have been presented a the Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting in 2014, and for invited seminars at 7 different academic institutions.Two manuscripts related to this research project have been published. We have an additional manuscript submitted to the Journal of Ecology, and are currently prepping a final manuscript to be submitted for publication this summer. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Three training objectives were identified as part of this project for Daniel Allen, postdoctoral researcher, advised by Dr. Cardinale: 1) to receive training in select aspects of engineering (including fluid mechanics and sediment transport) and select aspects of biology (including biodiversity and coexistence theory) 2) to learn to publish proficiently and present research at meetings 3) to learn how to mentor graduate and undergraduate students TRAINING AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES The following activities were taken to accomplish the above training objectives: Training Objective 1: In the Fall of 2012, Allen conducted an independent study with Dr. Tess Thompson, an Associate Professor at the Department of Biosystems Engineering at Virginia Tech, to receive training in fluid mechanics and sediment transport. Allen read chapters from "Introduction to Fluid Mechanics" by William S. Janna, 4th Edition each week. They met via Skype to discuss the readings for approximately one hour per week. Topics included: Fundamental Concepts of Fluid Mechanics, Fluid Statics, Basic Equations of Fluid Mechanics, Dimensional Analysis and Dynamic Similitude, Flow in Closed Conduits, Flow over Immersed Bodies, Flow in Open Channels, Measurements in Fluid Mechanics, The Navier-Stokes Equations, Inviscid Flow, and Boundary-Layer Flow. Each skype discussion comprised of reviewing the concepts and equations in each chapter, and discussing how they related to sediment transport in streams. Throughout the duration of the fellowship (April 2012 through February 2014), Allen met weekly with Dr. Bradley Cardinale. In these meetings Allen received training in biodiversity and coexistence theory by discussing recent papers and research ideas related to the research activities of the fellowship. On some occasions Allen also gained experience in reviewing scientific papers for peer-reviewed journals with Dr. Cardinale, which also contributed to his training in biodiversity and coexistence theory. Training Objective II: To learn how to publish proficiently and present research at meetings, Allen has written one manuscript on results from the greenhouse experiment that will be submitted for publication in the near future, and presented those results at the Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting co-hosted by the Society for Freshwater Science. Allen is currently in the process of writing a second manuscript as well that covers the results of the field study. Training Objective 3: To learn how to mentor undergraduate and graduate students, Allen worked with Dr. Cardinale to mentor other graduate and undergraduate students in the Cardinale Lab, and directly mentored graduate and undergraduate students who worked on the research activities in this fellowship. These students included: Graduate Students: Josh Sims, Jesse Antuma, Joel DeBoer (MS students in the School of Natural Resources and Environment). Undergraduate Students: Couryn Beleck, Jake Kornfield, Kelly McClure, Paul Parent, Charlotte Wilson, Charles Zhou (undergraduates in the School of Natural Resources and Environment). Allen also trained two technicians, who were both recent graduates with Bachelor's degrees interested in graduate school: Technicians: Chase Baldwin and Tom Bierman. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Results have been disseminated to communities of interest in a presentation at a scientific meeting, the 2014 Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting co-hosted by the Society for Freshwater Science. We have published two papers related to this research in scientific journals, one more is in review, and another is in prep to be submitted. We have presented these results at invited seminars at 7 different academic and research institutions. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? During the next reporting period Allen and Cardinale will submit the manuscript from the field study for publication. Hopefully the one in review detailing results from the greenhouse experiment will be published.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? We completed a 2-year greenhouse experiment as well as a field experiment in the summer of 2013. In the greenhouse experiment we found support for both hypotheses. However, the biodiversity effect was limited to only low levels of species richness - that is, after a few species were added the effects of additional species diminished. We are preparing a manuscript to submit detailing the results of this experiment. These results were also presented at the 2014 Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting co-hosted by the Society for Freshwater Science. In addition, we are in the process of analyzing data from the field experiment, and are preparing a manuscript to submit from that project as well.

Publications

• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting - Society for Freshwater Science, 2014, Portland Oregon
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Allen, D. C., B. J. Cardinale, and T. Wynn-Thompson. 2014. Towards a better integration of ecological principles into interdisciplinary ecogeoscience research. BioScience 64: 444-454.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2014 Citation: Albertson, L. K., and D. C. Allen. 2014. Meta-analysis: Organism size, abundance, behavior, and hydraulic energy shape biotic effects on sediment transport in streams. Ecology, in press.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2015 Citation: Allen, D. C., B. J. Cardinale, and T. Wynn-Thompson. Effect of plant biodiversity in reducing streambank erosion is limited to low species richness. Journal of Ecology
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Other Year Published: 2015 Citation: Allen, D. C., B. J. Cardinale, and T. Wynn-Thompson. Relationships between riparian woody plant biodiversity and stream migration rates. In prep for J. Applied Ecology

Progress 10/01/12 to 09/30/13

Outputs
Target Audience: Nothing Reported Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? This project helped with the training of one postdoctoral fellow - Daniel Allen - who now is an Assistant Professor at Arizona State University. The project also trained two full-time field technicians and several undergraduate research assistants who helped with the lab experiments. Two of these students performed independent, honors-based research. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? We presently have one publication in press, and two additional peer-reviewed publications that are in preparation. In addition, we have presented the results in seminars at four top university's or conferences Allen, D. C.,B. J. Cardinale, and T. Wynn-Thompson. Integrating ecological principles into interdisciplinary ecogeoscience research.BioScience,65(4):1-10. Departmental seminar. Cardinale, B. J. 2012. Biodiversity, Extinction, and their Impacts on Humanity. Stanford University, Department of Biology seminar series. Departmental seminar. Cardinale, B. J. 2012. Biodiversity loss and its impact on humanity. University of Southern California, Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies seminar series. Departmental seminar. Cardinale, B. J. 2012. Biodiversity and the functioning of ecosystems. Grand Valley State University, Annis Water Resources Institute seminar series. Symposium address. Cardinale, B. J. 2012. Biodiversity, Extinction, and their Impacts on Humanity. Planet under Pressure Conference, London, UK. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? The goal for the 2014-2015 periods is to complete the processing of samples and data analyses of the field-based comparative survey. We still have several months of root sample processing to complete, and still need to complete data analyses that match results of our biological samples to historical photos of channel migration. We should be able to move towards publication and presentation of this second study by late fall 2014.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? This grant funded two projects: 1. A lab-based flume experiment to determine how plant diversity impacts soil erosion through propagation of roots. This experiment took almost two years, and was successfully completed in Aug 2013 when we used a jet-erosion hydrologic sampler to measure the critical shear stress required to erode soils from 400 experimental plots that had been established with different numbers of native herbaceous vegetation at the Univ. of Michigan's Matthaei Botanical Garden. All data have now been collected, all biological root samples have been processed, and we are finalizing data analyses to prepare for publication. 2. A comparative field study that sampled tree diversity and rooting depth complexity along 16 riparian corridors in Michigan's Manistee National Forest. The goal is to determine whether tree diversity corresponds to historic rates of sediment erosion and channel migration in streams that traverse Michigan's forests. The sampling for this project is now complete; however, we still have several months of root sample processing to complete, and still need to complete data analyses that match results of our biological samples to historical photos of channel migration.

Publications