Nutrient inputs from the leaf decay of Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers in the water level fluctuation zone of a Three Gorges tributary

Abstract

Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers (C. dactylon) is one of the dominant plants in the water level fluctuation (WLF) zone of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) tributaries. However, the leaves of C. dactylon can decay to increase the inputs of nutrients under flood inundation, increasing the risk of eutrophication in the TGR tributaries. Nutrient inputs from the leaf decay of C. dactylon in three interfaces, namely, water-sediment (WS), water-C. dactylon (WC) and water-sediment-C. dactylon (W-S-C), were estimated in a 180 d inundation experiment. The results showed that the kinetic processes of total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) and total dissolved phosphorus (TDP) input accorded with the power function equation: y = axb for the WS, WC and W-S-C interfaces (R2s > 0.72, p < 0.001). The cumulative TDN input from leaf decay of C. dactylon in the WC interface was 506.44 mg N kg−1 of biomass, which was significantly higher than that in the W-S-C interface with 422.24 mg N kg−1 of biomass (p < 0.05). However, no significant differences in TDP input were found between the WC and W-S-C interfaces (p > 0.05). The total amounts of TDN and TDP inputs at the 165–175 m altitude were 21,688.81 and 13,121.68 kg year−1, respectively, which were approximately 3.17 times those from the 145–155 m altitude of the WLF zone. The amounts of TDN and TDP inputs from the leaves of C. dactylon for the whole WLF zone were 49,261.65 and 29,803.17 kg year−1, respectively, which were 0.1 and 2.7 times the annual permissible discharge amount of pollutants calculated from a municipal wastewater treatment plant with the peak flow of 60,000 m3/d according to Class I (A) of the Wastewater Discharge Standard (GB18918-2002) in China. Thus, the aboveground part of this perennial herb should be harvested in a timely manner before reflooding, especially at the higher altitudes of the WLF zone to decrease eutrophication risk.