Department of Plant and Soil Sciences

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https://udspace.udel.edu/handle/19716/24268

The Department of Plant and Soil Sciences has excellent teaching, research, and outreach programs in the areas of plant biology (cellular, genetics, genomics, microbial, molecular and physiology), agronomy (including pathology, soil management, and weed science), horticulture (sustainable landscapes, fruits, and vegetables), landscape architecture, and environmental soil sciences (biogeochemistry, hydrology, and plant-soil interactions). We have a distinguished faculty, known nationally and internationally for their research and outreach, and within the University of Delaware for their excellence in teaching, advising, and mentoring students.

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Browsing Department of Plant and Soil Sciences by Author "Addy, Kelly"

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    Nitrogen Sinks or Sources? Denitrification and Nitrogen Removal Potential in Riparian Legacy Sediment Terraces Affected by Milldams
    (Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, 2022-09-19) Peck, Erin K.; Inamdar, Shreeram; Sherman, Melissa; Hripto, Johanna; Peipoch, Marc; Gold, Arthur J.; Addy, Kelly
    Riparian zones are key ecotones that buffer aquatic ecosystems through removal of nitrogen (N) via processes such as denitrification. However, how dams alter riparian N cycling and buffering capacity is poorly understood. Here, we hypothesized that elevated groundwater and anoxia due to the backup of stream water above milldams may enhance denitrification. We assessed denitrification rates (using denitrification enzyme assays) and potential controlling factors in riparian sediments at various depths upstream and downstream of two relict U.S. mid-Atlantic milldams. Denitrification was not significantly different between upstream and downstream, although was greater per river km upstream considering deeper and wider geometries. Further, denitrification typically occurred in hydrologically variable shallow sediments where nitrate-N and organic matter were most concentrated. At depths below 1 m, both denitrification and nitrate-N decreased while ammonium-N concentrations substantially increased, indicating suppression of ammonium consumption or dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium. These results suggest that denitrification occurs where dynamic groundwater levels result in higher rates of nitrification and mineralization, while another N process that produces ammonium-N competes with denitrification for limited nitrate-N at deeper, more stagnant/poorly mixed depths. Ultimately, while it is unclear whether relict milldams are sources of N, limited denitrification rates indicate that they are not always effective sinks; thus, milldam removal—especially accompanied by removal of ammonium-N rich legacy sediments—may improve riparian N buffering. Plain Language Summary: Floodplains adjacent to rivers are important ecosystems that provide valuable services including nutrient removal, especially nitrogen, from stream water. Because nitrogen is a major polluter of coastal waters, river floodplains are increasingly being restored as part of watershed best management practices. For example, millions of dollars are being spent annually in the Chesapeake Bay to install 900 miles of riparian buffers and on other watershed practices to mitigate nutrient pollution. However, the impact of small, colonial-era milldams on floodplain nitrogen mitigation is poorly understood, despite >14,000 such structures still present across streams of the eastern United States. We studied the impact of two small milldams (Roller mill on Chiques Creek, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and Cooch mill on Christiana River, Newark, Delaware) on the ability of floodplains to remove or store nitrogen. We found that the stagnant water that accumulates behind milldams restricts floodplains from effectively removing nitrogen and may actually cause the accumulation of nitrogen. Whether accumulated nitrogen is released back into streams is unknown but concerning. Removal of dams would likely improve many ecosystem services of both streams and floodplains, with minimal consequences for the nitrogen mitigation abilities of these ecosystems. Key Points: Riparian denitrification rates are similar above and below milldams but deeper, wider upstream zones result in more nitrogen removal Denitrification rates peak in shallow sediments of riparian areas above milldams with higher hydrologic variability Stagnant hydrologic conditions upstream of milldams promote nitrogen processes that result in ammonium accumulation at deep sediment depths
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    Saturated, Suffocated, and Salty: Human Legacies Produce Hot Spots of Nitrogen in Riparian Zones
    (Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, 2022-12-09) Inamdar, Shreeram P.; Peck, Erin K.; Peipoch, Marc; Gold, Arthur J.; Sherman, Melissa; Hripto, Johanna; Groffman, Peter M.; Trammell, Tara L. E.; Merritts, Dorothy J.; Addy, Kelly; Lewis, Evan; Walter, Robert C.; Kan, Jinjun
    The compounding effects of anthropogenic legacies for environmental pollution are significant, but not well understood. Here, we show that centennial-scale legacies of milldams and decadal-scale legacies of road salt salinization interact in unexpected ways to produce hot spots of nitrogen (N) in riparian zones. Riparian groundwater and stream water concentrations upstream of two mid-Atlantic (Pennsylvania and Delaware) milldams, 2.4 and 4 m tall, were sampled over a 2 year period. Clay and silt-rich legacy sediments with low hydraulic conductivity, stagnant and poorly mixed hydrologic conditions, and persistent hypoxia in riparian sediments upstream of milldams produced a unique biogeochemical gradient with nitrate removal via denitrification at the upland riparian edge and ammonium-N accumulation in near-stream sediments and groundwaters. Riparian groundwater ammonium-N concentrations upstream of the milldams ranged from 0.006 to 30.6 mgN L−1 while soil-bound values were 0.11–456 mg kg−1. We attribute the elevated ammonium concentrations to ammonification with suppression of nitrification and/or dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA). Sodium inputs to riparian groundwater (25–1,504 mg L−1) from road salts may further enhance DNRA and ammonium production and displace sorbed soil ammonium-N into groundwaters. This study suggests that legacies of milldams and road salts may undercut the N buffering capacity of riparian zones and need to be considered in riparian buffer assessments, watershed management plans, and dam removal decisions. Given the widespread existence of dams and other barriers and the ubiquitous use of road salt, the potential for this synergistic N pollution is significant. Plain Language Summary: Human activities can combine to exacerbate environmental pollution. We studied the effects of milldams and road salt runoff on nitrogen (N) pollution in streamside/riparian soil and groundwaters in Pennsylvania (Chiques Creek) and Delaware (Christina River). While nitrate-N concentrations in groundwaters and soils were low, ammonium-N concentrations for both sites were unexpectedly high. We attributed the high groundwater ammonium concentrations to processes of ammonification and/or dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium that occurred under stagnant and persistently reducing riparian groundwater conditions. Road salt runoff inputs from an interstate highway above the Christina River site likely exacerbated the groundwater ammonium concentrations because of sodium displacement of ammonium-N from sediment surfaces into solution. We suggest that dam removals could enhance the natural variability in groundwater, induce nitrification-denitrification removal of N, and thus mitigate N pollution in riparian zones. Greater consideration needs to be given to environmental impacts of human legacies in watershed management. Key Points: - The coupled effects of anthropogenic legacies for nitrogen dynamics are not well understood - Ammonium-N may accumulate in riparian groundwater and sediments upstream of milldams due to stagnant, poorly mixed, and reducing conditions - Road salt salinization may further enhance the concentrations of ammonium in riparian groundwaters