Apatite-P as an Indictor of Past Land Use

Dille, Kimberly

Apatite-P as an Indictor of Past Land Use

Persistent URL

http://hdl.handle.net/10456/40457

Author(s)

Dille, Kimberly

Date Issued

April 1, 2009

Abstract

Eutrophication is a growing problem in the US as a result of nonpoint source pollution caused by changes in land use. Apatite phosphorus (P) concentrations in soils, stream seston and lake sediments may reflect land use. Apatite P was on average 2.5 time higher in agricultural soil than forested soil for the six soil types tested and ranged from 1.2 to 176.3 μg P/g soil. Data from 13 second and third order streams indicate that apatite P is proportional to the total phosphorus and particulate phosphorus being exported by a the watersheds, 9.6 ±_0.4% of the streams total P and 15.2 ± 0.9% of particulate P. These percents could allow prediction to be made about historic lake P loads based on historic apatite loads. In two lake cores, apatite P accumulation rates increased at the time when farming in northwestem Pennsylvanian rapid increased.

Major

Biology

First Reader(s)

Ostrofsky, Milton L.