The Effects of a Golf Course on Leaf Litter Breakdown Rates in a Georgia Piedmont Stream
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Author(s)
MacGregor, R. Gilmore
Herbert, Susan
Meyer, Judy L.
Armbrust, Kevin
Advisor(s)
Editor(s)
Hatcher, Kathryn J.
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Abstract
Golf courses apply heavy loads of
fertilizer and a variety of pesticides, including fungicides, herbicides, and insecticides, to maintain both impeccable greens and aesthetically pleasing
fairways and fringes. The primary purpose of this study is to determine if these practices have an impact upon leaf litter breakdown rates in a stream draining a suburban Atlanta golf course. Liriodendron tulipifera
leaf packs were placed in a reference reach upstream of
the golf course and in a study reach, just below a tributary draining a green. Mass of leaf material remaining in leaf packs was determined incrementally,
and the logarithmic leaf breakdown rate (k) was
calculated for each reach. Fine sediment accumulation in packs, and concentrations of NO₃, NH₄, soluble reactive phosphorous (SRP), chlorothalonil, and its metabolite in the water were measured. Similar leaf breakdown rates were found for each reach, although
the study reach had somewhat higher concentrations of
NO₃₋N and OH-chlorothalonil.
Sponsor
Sponsored and Organized by: U.S. Geological Survey, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Natural Resources Conservation Service, The University of Georgia, Georgia State University, Georgia Institute of Technology
Date
2001-03
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Resource Type
Text
Resource Subtype
Proceedings