| Spatial distribution of understory vegetation in tree canopy gaps of the Pacific Northwest | |
Abstract/OtherAbstract
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Graduation date: 1999, Presentation date: 1999-02-12, Understory vegetation in artificially created tree canopy gaps in the Pacific Northwest was studied to determine 1) variation in understory vegetation cover between gap edges and gap centers, as well as between control and treatment plots, 2) spatial patterns of biomass and difference in biomass patterns among plots, 3) individual species responses to gap creation and 4) the relationships between species dominance and diversity by site and treatment. Data were collected in 1990 and 1997 in 16 plots (two controls and two treatments at each of four study sites: the H. J. Andrews Experimental Forest and Martha Creek, Panther Creek, and Trout Creek in the Wind River Experimental Forest). Two of the sites are oldgrowth stands (250-500 years old), while the other two sites are mature stands (90- 150 years old). Six growing seasons after gap creation, average percent cover of understory vegetation was greater within gaps than at gap edges. Vegetation cover had increased significantly in all artificial gaps, and it had increased more in gaps than in controls. Vegetation cover increased more at Martha Creek, a mature stand, than at H. J. Andrews and Trout Creek, the two old-growth stands, or at Panther Creek, a mature stand. Understory biomass increased more in gaps than in controls and the amount of increase varied by site. Initial understory biomass was highest in Panther Creek and Martha Creek, but the magnitude of biomass increase was greatest in Trout Creek and H. J. Andrews. Biomass patterns in 1990 and 1997 were more patchy in old-growth stands than in mature stands. Vegetation cover of most understory species increased from 1990 to 1997 in artificial gaps, but species' responses were often site specific. In some cases, species with advantageous dispersal mechanisms (such as rhizomes, stolons, or clonal growth, e.g. Rubus ursinus, or Acer cinncinatum) increased in cover and biomass more than species without such advantageous dispersal mechanisms. Cover of weedy species such as Epilobium angustfolium and Lactuca muralis increased dramatically (up to 25 times) in artificial gaps, but weedy species represented less than two percent of the total average cover in 1997. Species dominance and diversity did not respond consistently following gap creation. Species dominance was relatively high (species with highest dominance was 30 g/m2) and diversity relatively low (38 species) at Martha Creek, a mature stand, whereas species dominance was low and diversity high at H. J. Andrews (9 g/m2, 51 species), an old-growth site. Panther Creek, a mature stand, and Trout Creek, an old growth stand, had intermediate dominance and high diversity (17 g/m2, 57 species at Panther Creek and 18 g/m2, 41 species at Trout Creek)., Master files scanned at 600 ppi (256 Grayscale) using Capture Perfect 3.0 on a Canon DR-9080C in TIF format. PDF derivative scanned at 300 ppi (256 B&W), using Capture Perfect 3.0, on a Canon DR-9080C. CVista PdfCompressor 4.0 was used for pdf compression and textual OCR. |
Authors
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London, Sharon Gail |
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Contributors
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Jones, Julia Allen |
Publication Detail
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Publisher : - Type : Thesis Format : - |
Date Detail
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2008-11-17, 2008-11-17, 1999-02-12 |
Subject
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Understory plants -- Northwest, Pacific, Forest ecology -- Northwest, Pacific |
Coverage
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Relation
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Source
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Copyright Information
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Other Details
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Languages : en_US |
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