Runoff and Stream Water Chemistry Responses to Simulated Emerald Ash
Borer Invasion in Black Ash Wetlands in Northern Michigan
Abstract
Black ash (Fraxinus nigra Marsh) is the dominant hardwood species in
many northern forested wetlands, especially in the Great Lakes Region.
Black ash is subject to extremely high rates of mortality following the
infestation of Emerald ash borer (EAB, Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire).
Our research expands upon previous work examining the hydrologic impacts
of EAB on black ash wetlands by examining changes in baseflow and
response to precipitation using a paired watershed design. To simulate
anticipated long-term impacts, all ash stems greater than or equal to
2.54 cm in diameter at breast height were felled and left on site. We
hypothesize that 1) the treatment watershed will become more responsive
to rainfall events and have higher water yield relative to pre-treatment
conditions; and 2) chemical (dissolved organic carbon (DOC), total
dissolved nitrogen (TDN), chloride, and sulfate) and isotopic (2H and
18O) tracers in stream water will show a reduced wetland water signature
relative to precipitation and local upland groundwater. During the
two-year pre-treatment period we observed median water yield to rainfall
ratios of 0.033 and 0.022 on an event basis in the control and treatment
watersheds, respectively. During the four-year post-treatment period the
ratio was 0.013 (-62.3%) for the control watershed and 0.018 (-17.1%)
for the treatment watershed. We did not observe an increase in treatment
watershed responsiveness relative to the pre-treatment period as
expected. However, we did observe a significantly smaller reduction in
responsiveness in the treatment watershed relative to the control.
Climatic differences and a shift in hydrologic regime in the pre- and
post-treatment periods are the likely explanation for the decreased
responsiveness of both watersheds to rainfall. Results also show that
the relationship between DOC and TDN concentrations in stream water and
wetland water were weaker following the treatment. The slope of the
relationship between stream water and both wetland surface water and
soil pore water in the treatment watershed was reduced by approximately
60% for both DOC and TDN. The relationship did not significantly change
within the control watershed. These findings suggest that the loss of
black ash will lead to greater responsiveness to rainfall events
relative to undisturbed wetlands.