Physical, chemical, and biological data for four wetland habitats in Canaan Valley, West Virginia

Abstract

This report contains data collected during 1992 as part of a project designed to identify microenvironmental factors affecting rates of denitrification in wetlands in Canaan Valley, West Virginia. Four wetland habitats were selected for the study--a moss-lichen wetland, a persistent emergent wetland, a scrub-shrub wetland, and a riverine wetland. Physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of each habitat were determined by field measurements and laboratory analyses. Samples were collected in March, June, August, and October. Sediment pH, temperature, and oxidation-reduction potential were measured in the field. Sediment samples were analyzed for concentrations of calcium, sodium, magnesium, potassium, nitrate and nitrite, ammonia, ammonia plus organic nitrogen, phosphorus, inorganic carbon, and total carbon. The most probable number of denitrifying bacteria was determined by a multiple-tube test. The dominant plant species were identified by plant-community analysis. The moss-lichen wetland was characterized by low pH (3.4 to 5.0) and small populations of denitrifying bacteria (70 to 400 per gram of wet soil). The scrub-shrub wetland was also acidic (pH 4.0 to 5.0), but supported larger numbers of denitrifying bacteria (510 to 11,000 per gram of wet soil). The number of denitrifying bacteria in the persistent emergent wetland exceeded 1,000,000 per gram of wet soil in early summer and pH in this habitat was higher (5.1 to 6.6) than in the bogs. Riverine wetland pH ranged from 5.4 to 6.9, and the number of denitrifying bacteria ranged from 200 to 11,000 per gram of wet soil.