Combining environmentally dependent and independent analyses of witness tree data in east-central Alabama

2002 ◽  
Vol 32 (11) ◽  
pp. 2060-2075 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryan A Black ◽  
H Thomas Foster ◽  
Marc D Abrams

We reconstructed pre-European settlement forest composition across 13 000 km2 of east-central Alabama using 43 610 witness trees recorded in the original Public Land Surveys. First, we interpolated the witness tree data to estimate broad-scale vegetation patterns. Next, we conducted species–site analysis on landforms, an approach that was dependent on underlying environmental variables yet better resolved fine-scale vegetation patterns. East-central Alabama was dominated by three community types: oak–hickory across the Piedmont physiographic province and valleys of the Ridge and Valley province, pine – blackjack oak on the Coastal Plain province and ridges of the Ridge and Valley province, and white oak – mixed mesophytic in stream valleys and floodplains. Witness tree concentration (trees/km2) was highly uniform across much of the study area. However, there was an unusually low concentration of witness trees in the southwestern corner of the study area, and an unusually high concentration in stream valleys. Another irregularity was the inability of surveyors to distinguish black oak and red oak. Overall, the interpolations provided an unbiased, yet broad-scale estimate of forest composition, while the species–landform analysis greatly increased resolution of forest cover despite the subjectivity of defining environmental variables a priori.

2008 ◽  
Vol 38 (5) ◽  
pp. 1159-1183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mélanie Aubé

The goal of this investigation was to characterize the pre-European settlement forest composition of the Miramichi River watershed using witness trees to contribute to the definition of a baseline for assessing changes over time in the Acadian forest. The witness tree data were stratified by ecoregion and by ecosite, for the portions of the watershed that are in the Northern Uplands, Continental Lowlands, and Eastern Lowlands ecoregions of New Brunswick, as well as by riparian and inland forest; and pre-settlement forest composition (1787–1847) was compared with current forest composition (1998–2000). The witness tree data constitute evidence that a distinctive riparian forest existed before European settlement and that the difference between riparian and inland forest has lessened. They show that the proportions of Betula spp., Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carrière, Ulmus americana L., and Thuja occidentalis L. have decreased; that the proportion of Acer spp. has increased and that Picea spp. and Abies balsamea (L.) Mill. var. balsamea have maintained their overall dominance of the forest in number of individuals, and have increased it on at least 50% of the watershed area.


1996 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc D. Abrams ◽  
Deanna M. McCay

Witness tree data from 1780–1856 for the Monongahela National Forest in eastern West Virginia were analyzed with respect to physiographic unit (Ridge and Valley versus Allegheny Mountains) and landform, and compared with present-day forest composition. Contingency table analysis and standardized residuals were used to quantify the preference or avoidance of common tree species with various landforms. Pre-European settlement forests in the Ridge and Valley were dominated by mixed oak (Quercusalba L., Quercusprinus L., Quercusvelutina Lam. and Quercusrubra L.), Pinus spp., Castaneadentata (Marsh.) Borkh., and Carya on ridge sites and Q. alba, Acersaccharum Marsh., Pinus, Tiliaamericana L., and Tsugacanadensis (L.) Carr. on valley floors. The original forests in the Allegheny Mountains were dominated by Fagusgrandifolia Ehrh., T. canadensis, A. saccharum, Acerrubrum L., Betula spp., and Pinus, with predominantly Fagus–Tsuga–Pinus forests on mountain tops and Tsuga–Acer–Betula forests on valley floors. Compared with the presettlement era, present-day forests on both physiographic units lack overstory C. dentata and have decreased Pinus and (or) Q. alba. Species that have increased substantially following Euro-American settlement include Q. prinus, Q. rubra, Quercuscoccinea Muenchh., and A. rubrum in the Ridge and Valley and Prunusserotina Ehrh., A. rubrum, and Betula spp. in the Allegheny Mountains. These dramatic changes in forest composition were attributed to the chestnut blight (caused by Endothiaparasitica (Murrill) P.J. Anderson & H.W. Anderson), widespread logging, intensive wildfires, and more recently, fire exclusion.


2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (7) ◽  
pp. 1214-1226 ◽  
Author(s):  
L.A. Venier ◽  
J.L. Pearce

We examined a landbird community and its relationship to environmental variables within the boreal forest in north–central Ontario to evaluate its potential usefulness as an indicator of sustainable forest management. Our study had two components. First, we compared bird assemblages in mature forest stands inside Pukaskwa National Park (n = 17) with similar forested stands in a logged landscape (n = 18) over 3 years. We found significant separation of sites in the two treatments based on an ANOSIM (analogue of the standard univariate one-way ANOVA test) of the bird communities (R = 0.238, p < 0.001). We identified four significant indicators of the park landscape (bay-breasted warbler ( Dendroica castanea (Wilson, 1810)), black-throated green warbler ( Dendroica virens (J.F. Gmelin, 1789)), ovenbird ( Seiurus aurocapillus (L., 1766)), and red-eyed vireo ( Vireo olivaceus (L., 1766))) and five indicators of the logged landscape (black-backed woodpecker ( Picoides arcticus (Swainson, 1832)), brown creeper ( Certhia americana Bonaparte, 1838), winter wren ( Troglodytes troglodytes (L., 1758)), white-throated sparrow ( Zonotrichia albicollis (J.F. Gmelin, 1789)), and yellow-bellied sapsucker ( Sphyrapicus varius (L., 1776))). Some relationships were attributable to differences in vegetation, whereas other differences were attributable to the landscape context. Second, we used generalized additive models to examine the relationship of individual species with four sets of environmental data (understorey floristics, forest structure, overstorey composition, and landscape context) using the 35 sites noted above and 18 additional mature forest sites in the logged landscape (n = 53). We found that all four types of variables were frequently included in the best model based on Akaike's information criterion (AIC) (structure in 23 models, landscape in 20 models, overstorey in 19 models, and understorey in 15 models). We discuss our results in terms of their implications to forest management and note that our ability to map habitat for forest birds is substantially compromised by the lack of good spatial estimates of environmental variables that describe bird habitat.


Soil Research ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 51 (8) ◽  
pp. 738 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynne M. Macdonald ◽  
Tim Herrmann ◽  
Jeffrey A. Baldock

Identifying drivers of variation in soil organic carbon (OC) at a regional scale is often hampered by a lack of historical management information. Focusing on red-brown-earth soils (Chromosol) under dryland agriculture in the Mid-North and Eyre Peninsula of South Australia, our aims were 2-fold: (i) to provide a baseline of soil OC stocks (0.3 m) and OC fractions (mid-infrared predictions of particulate, humus, and resistant OC in 0.1 m samples) in cropping and crop-pasture systems; and (ii) to evaluate whether the inclusion of management-based indices could assist in explaining regional-level variation in OC stocks and fractions. Soil OC stocks in both regions varied ~20 Mg ha–1, with higher OC stocks in the Mid-North (38 Mg ha–1) than the Eyre Peninsula (29.1 Mg ha–1). The humus OC fraction was the dominant fraction, while the particulate OC was the most variable. Environmental variables only partially explained soil OC variability, with vapour pressure deficit (VPD) offering the greatest potential and likely acting as an integrator of temperature and moisture on plant growth and decomposition processes. Differences between broad-scale cropping and crop–pasture systems were limited. In the Mid-North, variability in soil OC stocks and fractions was high, and could not be explained by environmental or management variables. Higher soil OC concentrations (0.1 m) in the Eyre Peninsula cropping than crop–pasture soils were largely accounted for in the particulate OC fraction and are therefore unlikely to represent a long-term stable OC pool. Use of the management data in index format added some explanatory power to the variability in OC stocks over the main environmental variables (VPD, slope) within the Eyre Peninsula cropping soils only. In the wider context, the management data were useful in interpreting differences between regional findings and highlighted difficulties in using uninformed, broad-scale management categories.


2009 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 122-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin A. Sands ◽  
Marc D. Abrams

Abstract In a 2004 clearcut of a former even-aged oak (Quercus) forest, we examined the number and maximum height of stump sprouts for three oak species in east-central Pennsylvania. The greatest number of sprouts was produced by black oak (Quercus velutina) and chestnut oak (Q.montana) as compared with white oak (Q. alba). Logistic regression showed that diameter of stumps was a significant factor in determining the probability of sprouting for black oak, and an inverse relationship between stump diameter and the number of sprouts per stump was foundfor all three species. The number of white oak sprouts peaked in the 10‐20-cm diameter class and declined on larger stumps. The number of black oak sprouts peaked in the 20‐50-cm classes, and trees in the 70‐80-cm class produced the fewest sprouts. The mean annual growthof the tallest sprout on each stump was greater for black oak and chestnut oak than white oak.


1998 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 203-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
James E. Johnson ◽  
Gary W. Miller ◽  
John E. Baumgras ◽  
Cynthia D. West

Abstract Partial cutting to develop two-age stands is a relatively new practice in the central Appalachian region, and forest managers need quantitative information in order to evaluate how well it meets management objectives. Typically, this practice leaves a residual overstory of 10 to 40 ft² per ac of basal area and leads to regeneration of desirable shade-intolerant species which comprise the second age class. In this study we evaluated residual tree quality and regeneration 2 to 5 yr after cutting in 20 stands on the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia. Tree grades were not significantly affected by the cutting. The largest grade reductions, due primarily to epicormic branching and logging wounds, occurred with large white oak sawtimber (11%) and white ash small sawtimber (10%). Epicormic branching following the cut was greatest for white oaks in the suppressed and intermediate crown classes. Across all species, the trees in the lower crown classes produced the greatest number of epicormic branches. Overall, epicormic branching on the 16 ft butt logs of dominant and codominant trees was low. For white oak (Quercus alba), 64% of these trees produced no epicormic branches. But 75% of yellow-poplars (Liriodendron tulipifera), 82% of black cherries (Prunus serotina), 78% of northern red oaks (Quercus rubra), and 89% of white ashes (Fraxinus americana) produced no epicormic branches on butt logs. Logging wounds occurred on 45% of the residual trees across the 20 stands, but 21% had large wounds over 100 in². Regeneration of both shade-intolerant and tolerant species was prolific following the cutting. Total numbers of tree seedlings and sprouts ranged from 8,217 stems/ac in the mixed oak stands of the Ridge and Valley Province to 30,845 stems/ac in the beech-cherry-maple stands in the Allegheny Mountains. The birches, primarily sweet birch (Betula lenta), comprised the most abundant species across the study area, but species composition varied depending on forest cover type. Regeneration numbers were lowest in the mixed oak stands in the Ridge and Valley Province. North. J. Appl. For. 15(4):203-210.


2017 ◽  
Vol 93 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikołaj Kokociński ◽  
Ilona Gągała ◽  
Iwona Jasser ◽  
Jūratė Karosienė ◽  
Jūratė Kasperovičienė ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Currie ◽  
Cloé Pétrin ◽  
Véronique Boucher-Lalonde

2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 01-08 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Max Barbosa Oliveira Junior ◽  
Helena Soares Ramos Cabette ◽  
Nelson Silva Pinto ◽  
Leandro Juen

A teoria do Paradoxo do Plâncton postula que ambientes que apresentam flutuações temporais periódicas apresentariam alta diversidade de espécie, uma vez que essas flutuações impediriam a ocorrência da exclusão competitiva. Este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a variação da comunidade de Odonata adulto na Bacia do Rio Suiá-Miçú, testando a hipótese de que locais que apresentam variáveis ambientais com maiores amplitudes de variação possuiriam maiores riquezas de espécies. Foram amostrados 11 corpos d´água, em uma área de transição Cerrado-Floresta Amazônica na região centro-leste do estado de Mato Grosso, Brasil. As variáveis ambientais avaliadas foram integridade ambiental (HII) e amplitude de variação do pH, condutividade, temperatura do ar, temperatura da água, oxigênio dissolvido, amônia, fósforo e Mg+. Foram coletados 2.144 espécimes, distribuídos em oito famílias, 41 gêneros e 78 espécies. Nossa hipótese não foi corroborada, uma vez que a regressão múltipla entre a riqueza estimada de espécie de Anisoptera e Zygoptera e a amplitude de variação dos fatores físico-químicos não foi significativa para nenhuma das variáveis analisadas, assim como para o HII. Nossos resultados sugerem que as variações na comunidade de Odonata em córregos não podem ser explicadas pelo Paradoxo do Plâncton. Acreditamos que este resultado pode ter ocorrido principalmente devido às baixas variações nas condições ambientais analisadas, ação de outros processos locais, como a competição e predação, ou por diferenças ecofisiológicas, resultado da variação de tamanho corporal e da capacidade de termorregulação dos adultos na ordem estudada. Variations in Odonata (Insecta) Community in Streams may be Predicted by the Plankton Paradox? Explaining Species Richness by Environmental Variability Abstract. The theory of Plankton Paradox postulates that environments that exhibit regular temporal fluctuations would present a high diversity of species, since such fluctuations would prevent the occurrence of competitive exclusion. This work aimed evaluate variations in adult Odonata community in catchment of River Suiá-Miçú, testing the hypothesis that sites with environmental variables with the largest amplitude of variation would present the highest species richness. Were sampled 11 water bodies in an area of transition Cerrado-Amazon Forest in east-central Mato Grosso state, Brazil. Environmental variables evaluated were: environmental integrity (HII) and range of variation of pH, conductivity, air temperature, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, ammonia, phosphorus and Mg+. Were collected 2.144 specimens, distributed in eight families, 41 genera and 78 species. Our hypothesis was not confirmed, since the multiple regression analysis performed between the estimated kind of richness Anisoptera and Zygoptera with range of variation of physical-chemical was not significant for any of the eight variables, as well as for HII. Our results suggest that variations in the community of Odonata in streams cannot be explained by Plankton Paradox. We believe that this result may have occurred due mainly to the low variations in environmental conditions discussed, action of other local processes such as competition and predation or differences ecophysiological result of body size variation and capacity of thermoregulation in the order of the adults studied.


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