%0 Journal Article %J Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Science %D 1988 %T Hydrologic and riparian influences on the import and storage of coarse particulate organic matter in a prairie stream %A Gurtz, M.E. %A Marzolf, G.R. %A Killingbeck, K.T. %A Smith, D.L. %A McArthur, J.V. %K gallery forest %X

The hydrologic regime and zonation of riparian vegetation influenced the quantity and quality of coarse particulate organic matter (CPOM; greater than 1 mm) stored in the channel and upper bank of a prairie stream. In a 5.4 km intermittent reach of the South Branch of Kings Creek on Konza Prairie, Kansas, total annual import was lowest in headwater reaches and increased downstream. Total storage of benthic CPOM in the dry channel on the bank before the flow period was highest in the fourth- and fifth-order gallery forest zone (999 g ash-free dry mass.m-2) and less in upstream reaches (320-341 g.m-2). These longitudinal patterns of CPOM annual import and storage (before the flow period) were opposite those predicted by the river continuum concept for streams draining forested regions. Following flow, headwater channels had more CPOM (291 g.m-2) than downstream reaches. On the bank, storage was always highest in downstream reaches. Composition of CPOM both in the channel and on the bank varied with changes in riparian vegetation; grass tissues dominated in headwater channels, while wood and leaves of trees and shrubs were more abundant downstream. During the flow period, storage of CPOM increased only in headwater channels, where retention was high despite the lack of woody debris. In this intermittent prairie stream, benthic CPOM may not contribute consistently to the terrestrial/aquatic linkages that are suggested in the river continuum concept because of (1) a paucity of large CPOM sources (e.g. trees, shrubs) in the upper reaches and (2) a hydrologic regime that reduces the amount , as well as the predictability, of stored CPOM. The biota of prairie streams must have opportunistic food gathering and reproductive strategies to take advantage of variable food resources in a flow environment that is itself very unpredictable

%B Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Science %V 45 %P 655 -665 %G eng %M KNZ00179 %R 10.1139/f88-079 %0 Journal Article %J The Southwestern Naturalist %D 1988 %T Microhabitat distribution of two Quercus (Fagaceae ) species in relation to soil differences within a Kansas gallery Forest %A Killingbeck, K.T. %K gallery forest %X

The primary objective of this paper is to explore the relationship between microhabitat distributions of these two gallery forest oak species and the soils on which they grow. Data are from collections and observations made within an extensive gallery forest on the Konza Prairie Research Natural Area in northeastern Kansas (96o35'W, 39o05'N). This forest borders King's Creek and is supported by fertile soils developed from deposited alluvium, the origins of which were the adjacent Udic Ustoll prairie soils. The forest overstory is dominated by hackberry (Celtis occidentalis L., 260 stems/ha) and contains five times more Q. macrocarpa stems, and seven times more Q. macrocarpa basal area than Q. muhlenbergii (48 to 10 stems/ha; 10.8 to 1.5 m2/ha) Although Q. mulhenbergii is clearly less dominant than Q. macrocarpa in the forest overall, Q. mulhenbergii completely dominates patches within the forest mosaic

%B The Southwestern Naturalist %V 33 %P 244 -246 %G eng %M KNZ00193 %R 10.2307/3671906 %0 Journal Article %J The American Midland Naturalist %D 1986 %T Litterfall dynamics and element use efficiency in a Kansas gallery forest %A Killingbeck, K.T. %K litterfall %X

Transfers of biomass and 10 elements in the litterfall of a deciduous gallery forest were studied on the Konza Prairie Research Natural Area in eastern Kansas. Mean annual litterfall was 694 g m-2year-1 and was composed on 70% leaves, 19% woody litter and 11% reproductive tissues. Importance Values were not useful in accurately predicting the relative contributions of individual species to total litterfall. Leaf litter contained more Ca, Mg, K, Na, Mn, Cu, Fe, Zn, P and N than woody litter and reproductive tissues combined. The allocation of biomass to a specific tissue type and/or species was often very different from the corresponding allocation of elements, indicating that biomass/element allocation patterns are not inextricably linked at the individual or community level. Leaf litterfall occurred predominantly in the autumn (88%), but the majority of element transfers from woody litter and reproductive tissues took place during the remainder of the year, thus partially offsetting the extreme pulsed deposition patterns dictated by leaf litterfall alone. Efficiencies of Ca and P use were extremely low, whereas N use efficiency was moderate compared to other forest types. This, coupled with additional information on autumnal element resorption and demand:availability quotients, suggested that N may be the most limiting element in many gallery forest ecosystems. Within the Konza gallery forest, subdominant species were mush less efficient at using Mg, K, P and N than the dominant species

%B The American Midland Naturalist %V 116 %P 180 -189 %G eng %M KNZ00117 %R 10.2307/2425950 %0 Journal Article %J Ecology %D 1985 %T Autumnal resorption and accretion of trace metals in gallery forest trees %A Killingbeck, K.T. %X

Autumnal resorption and accretion of copper (Cu), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), and manganese (Mn) were measured in the foliage of five gallery forest tree species on the Konza Prairie Research Natural Area. Presenescence and postabscission leaves from five trees each of Quercus macrocarpa, Q. muehlenbergii, Fraxinus pennsylvanica, Celtis occidentalis, and Ulmus rubra were sampled. Three species resorbed 19, 25, and 26%, respectively, of their presenescence foliar Zn, and one species resorbed 35% of its presenescence foliar Fe. This validates the prediction made by Whittaker et al. in 1979 that Zn and Fe are withdrawn from the senescing foliage of at least some deciduous species. Net accretions of Cu (43, 44, 69%), Fe (35, 40%), and Mn (19, 57%) occurred during the same period. The two oak species were responsible for most of the resorption, while the three non-oak species accounted for all of the significant accretions. Such well-defined differences in element conservation may influence interspecific competition by accentuating, or compensating for, species differences in element uptake ability and element use effficiency. Demand: availability ratios proved useful in predicting the likelihood that a given element would be conserved through resorption. Key words: copper; gallery forest; iron; Konza Prairie; manganese; nutrient conservation; resorption; senescence; trace metals; tree foliage; zinc

%B Ecology %V 66 %P 283 -286 %G eng %M KNZ0087 %R 10.2307/1941329 %0 Journal Article %J The Southwestern Naturalist %D 1984 %T Direct measurement of allochthonous litter accumulation in a tallgrass prairie stream %A Killingbeck, K.T. %K tallgrass prairie %X

Species living in lotic ecosystems are often dependent on the deposition of organic litter from surrounding terrestrial ecosystems for a large portion of their energy requirements. These same species may also be influenced by significant amounts of organic compounds and inorganic elements that are released into the water during the decomposition of allochthonous litter. Litter transfer into streams is usually estimated with catchment collectors located outside of the stream. The termination of flow in a tallgrass prairie stream in 1978 provided the opportunity to directly measure allochthonous litter accumulation in that stream channel. The objectives of this study were to document direct litter accumulation in the stream channel, and to compare this to vertical deposition of litter in the adjoining gallery forest

%B The Southwestern Naturalist %V 29 %P 357 -358 %G eng %M KNZ0064 %0 Journal Article %J The American Midland Naturalist %D 1984 %T Nitrogen and phosphorus resorption dynamics of five tree species in a Kansas gallery forest %A Killingbeck, K.T. %K insect %X

The foliar nitrogen and phosphorus contents of 25 gallery forest trees on the Konza Prairie Research Natural Area were measured 1 month before and immediately after autumnal abscission in 1979. Leaves from five trees each of bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa), chinquapin oak (Q. muhlenbergii), green ash (Fraxinus pensylvanica), hackberry (Celtis occidentalis) and red elm (Ulmus rubra), ranging in diameter from 3-77 cm, were sampled. Total leaf contents varied from 47-219 micrograms nitrogen cm-2 and 4.3-23.8 micrograms phosphorus cm-2. Pre- to postabscission decreases of nitrogen and phosphorus were statisticaly significant in all species except red elm. Mean foliar nitrogen decreases varied from 13.2-54.2% among species and followed the order, chinquapin oak> bur oak> hackberry> green ash> red elm. Mean foliar phosphorus decreases varied from 7.9-36.7% and followed the order, buk oak> chinquapin oak> green ash> hackberry> red elm. Phosphorus reductions were much lower than reductions reported for other hardwood forests in the United States. This may be a function of the availability of soil phosphorus at the various sites. Tree age and diameter were positively correlated with the magnitude of nitrogen reductions. However, stepwise regression models based on all species combined indicated that age and diameter accounted for little of the variance in nitrogen decreases. The measured reductions in foliar nitrogen and phosphorus were not caused by leaching or insect herbivory, but rather were the result of biologically controlled nutrient resorption

%B The American Midland Naturalist %V 111 %P 155 -164 %G eng %M KNZ0063 %R 10.2307/2425554 %0 Journal Article %J Ecology %D 1982 %T Chemical changes in tree leaves during decomposition in a tallgrass prairie stream %A Killingbeck, K.T. %A Smith, D.L. %A Marzolf, G.R. %K decomposition %K leaf %K prairie %K stream %K tallgrass %X

As part of an investigation into the movement patterns of elements in a prairie watershed, we performed preliminary leaf pack experiments in which the concentrations of 10 elements were measured in undecomposed gallery forest litterfall, and in the same litterfall as it decomposed in the adjacent tallgrass prairie stream. What we report here are the patterns of concentration change in these 10 elements for three dominant gallery forest tree species during 16 weeks of in-stream decomposition

%B Ecology %V 63 %P 585 -589 %G eng %M KNZ0033 %R 10.2307/1938976 %0 Journal Article %J Kansas Water Resources Research Institute Contribution No %D 1982 %T Organic matter loading and processing in a pristine stream draining a tallgrass prairie/riparian forest watershed %A Gurtz, M.E. %A Marzolf, G.R. %A Killingbeck, K.T. %A Smith, D.L. %A McArthur, J.V. %K organic matter %K prairie %K stream %K tallgrass %X

The means by which organic matter enters and leaves streams and the rates at which it does so are significant determinants of water quality. This report documents the import, storage, decomposition, and export of organic matter in a prairie stream from natural sources in a watershed on the Konza Prairie Research Natural Area that contains no human activity other than ecological research. This prairie stream has features that differ from streams in forested watersheds. During this one-year study, the headwater channels were ephemeral and drained watersheds vegetated by grasses rather than trees. They received less organic matter from the watershed but retained a larger fraction of it. Intermittent third and fourth order channels flowed through riparian gallery forest in the lower portions of the watershed and received more organic matter than headwater channels. They retained less of it during the period of flow (i.e., more was exported during storm flows) so in situ decomposition was reduced. These exports represent pulses of organic matter loading downstream

%B Kansas Water Resources Research Institute Contribution No %V 230 %P 1 -78 %G eng %M KNZ0030