Nutrient Loss Following Phragmites australis Removal in Controlled Soil Mesocosms

Mechanisms to remove Common reed (Phragmites australis) typically include a combination of herbicide applications and mechanical cutting or plowing of the soil. The objective of this study was to remove P. australis by various mechanisms and measure the subsequent short-term release of nutrients via simulated rain events. Three rain events of similar duration and intensity were conducted on a control subset and three treatments (above and belowground biomass removal, herbicide application, and basal cut) of soil mesocosms (n?=?6) that were designed to export excess water as either surface runoff or leachate through the soil profile. The dominant pathway for soluble reactive phosphorus (p?<?0.001) and ammonium (p?<?0.001) export were surface runoff while nitrate (p?<?0.001) was leached through the soil profile. More nitrate was exported in the vegetation removal treatments (i.e., biomass removal, herbicide, and basal cut) than the control (p?<?0.001) while more soluble reactive phosphorus was exported in the herbicide and basal cut treatment compared to the control (p?=?0.010). In regards to ammonium, a higher export was observed in the herbicide treatment compared to the control, biomass removal, and basal cut treatments (p?<?0.001). We attribute the higher amount of ammonium export in the herbicide treatment to the fact that the glyphosate herbicide used was in an isopropylamine salt form. After examining pre- and postmanipulation soil cores, there was a larger decrease in extractable ammonium in the control and all treatments compared to soil extractable nitrate, which displayed a smaller decrease and in some treatments actually increased during the course of the experiment. Ultimately, in this study, we observed a strong potential for nitrogen biogeochemistry to occur and the removal of vegetation-enhanced nutrient export.