Southern appalachian streams

Characterizing Hysteretic Water Quality in Southern Appalachian Streams

Water quality in mountain streams of the southern Appalachians varies seasonally and with storms. In an effort to validate Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for sediment in the Chattooga River Watershed (NE Georgia, NW South Carolina, and SW North Carolina), we studied four tributary streams over an eighteen-month period. Two of the streams had completely forested watersheds; one stream was a b...

Effects of agriculture on wood breakdown and microbial biofilm respiration in southern Appalachian streams

1. Agriculture causes high sediment, nutrient and light input to streams, which may affect rates of ecosystem processes, such as organic matter decay. In the southern Appalachians, socioeconomic trends over the past 50 years have caused widespread abandonment of farmland with subsequent reforestation. Physical and chemical properties of streams in these reforested areas may be returning to pre-...

Denitrification in sediments of headwater streams in the southern Appalachian Mountains, USA

Denitrification potential in sediments of headwater streams in the southern Appalachian Mountains, USA

Abstruct. We investigated variations in resource availability (NO,-N and labile organic C [=I) as determinants of potential denitrification in stream sediments in the southern Appalachian Mountains, USA. stream-water and sediments were sampled seasonally in 2 streams of contrasting NO,N availability, Noland Creek (high NO,-N) and Walker Branch (low NO,-N). Eight additional streams with varying ...

Response of stream-breeding salamander larvae to sediment deposition in southern Appalachian (U.S.A.) headwater streams

1. Increased fine sediment deposition is a prevalent threat to stream biodiversity and has been shown to impact stream-breeding salamanders negatively. However, their complex life histories make it difficult to determine which stage is affected. 2. We conducted field experiments from 26 August to 11 September 2010 and 11 October to 11 November 2010 in two southern Appalachian headwater streams ...