THE APPLICATION OF THE ECOTONE CONCEPT IN DEFINING NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS FOR THE UPPER POTOMAC RIVER BASIN

The utility of the ecotone concept in nutrient management studies of t he Potomac River basin, a large USA watershed, is examined. The MAB hy pothesis suggesting that 'the influence of an ecotone or adjacent syst em is proportional to the length and scope of the interfaces' (Naiman et al., 1989) is the major focus of this paper. The land-riverine ecot one appears to have a major influence on the total nitrogen balance an d river export flux of nitrogen for the upper Potomac River basin. A m ethod of converting conventional areal flux units into linear flux rat es is suggested.