@article {KNZ00410, title = {The effect of fire on gas exchange and aboveground production in Spartina pectinata wetlands}, journal = {Wetlands}, volume = {13}, year = {1993}, pages = {299 -303}, abstract = {Photosynthetic and growth responses ofSpartina pectinata were compared in annually and biennially burned wetlands in a northeastern Kansas tallgrass prairie. Photosynthetic CO2 uptake was consistently higher inSpartina pectinata in annually burned wetlands, and there was a seasonal difference in maximum photosynthetic rates. Plants in annually burned wetlands reached a maximum photosynthetic rate of 38.2 μmol m-2 s-1 in late spring, while maximum photosynthesis in plants of biennially burned wetlands was 28.6 μmol m-2 s-1 in late summer. Culm density in these wetlands was not affected by fire; however, aboveground biomass production, inflorescence density and plant height at anthesis were significantly greater in annually burned wetlands. These results indicate thatSpartina pectinata may be a fire-dependent species, with post-fire responses similar to the dominant grasses in tallgrass prairie as well as otherSpartina congeners.}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, fire, gas exchange, prairie wetlands, production, Spartina pectinata, tallgrass prairie}, doi = {10.1007/BF03161296}, author = {Johnson, S.R. and Alan K. Knapp} }