| Marshes in the Prairie Pothole Region typically have closed drainage systems with high levels of infiltration, CaCO3, and evapotranspiration. Tilled marsh systems with open drainage have sediment build up, limited infiltration, and more runoff. The research sites for this study were prairie vegetation on till landscapes with numerous marshes that had been drained for cropland for 90 years. The prairie and marsh landscape had been restored in 1992. The objectives of this study were (1) to find the major source of variation among soluble ions, including phosphorus, through the investigation of soil type, profile depth, research site, and landscape position and (2) to determine the relationship between soils and landscape in relationship to water, soil distribution of CaCO3, and phosphorus. Soil profiles were collected from three restored marsh landscapes. Principal component analysis (PCA) r-mode was performed. Soil properties selected for the study were pH, EC, HCO3, Cl, SO4, Ca, Mg, Na, K, NO3, NaHCO 3 extractable phosphorus, water soluble phosphorus, total dissolved solids, sodium absorption ratio, calcium carbonate equivalent, organic matter, total carbon, sand, and clay. Three independent variables were tested (research site, landscape position, and profile depth). Graphical distributions of soil, water, and plant chemistries; soil texture; soil horizonation; water table levels; and flownet analysis were used in making the conclusions. PCA revealed three major components that accounted for the majority of variation in the data in order of importance: soluble ions, OM and NaHCO3 extractable P, and soil texture. Saturation indices for the soil data suggest that the majority of total P in the environment is insoluble. The entire landscape is highly fertile from many years of farming and the highly fertile nature of the calcareous, sulfatic till. The permeability of the fine-textured soils is surprisingly high. Soils formed with a high water table, and the restoration has been surprisingly successful in returning these soils to almost original physical condition despite the 90 years of farming. |
