Quantitative data on trees, saplings and tree seedlings were taken from 60 acc~~tably homogeneous upland stands on a wide variety of geological substrata and topographic pos1~1ons th=oughout northern New Jersey, partly to test the applicability of a unidimensional co~tmuum m a ~eterog~neous environment. The strong negative correlation between stand al~ttude and contmuum mdex could not be ascribed to altitude alone because rich calcareous smls were _found at low altitudes while poor, shallow soils from more resistant rocks were found at htgher elevati~:ms. Species diversity was greatest in forests on limestone substrata. Although Qu~rcus spectes were found as Ieading species in 54 of the 60 stands, sapling data sho~ed that m these forests ~s a whole succession is leading from dominance by oaks to dom~nance. by Tsuga canadensts or by Acer saccharum, the association between these two spectes bemg. weak. Though useful as a tool for the study of vegetation, a linear continuum ~as no_t apphcab!e to the fo:ests of northern New Jersey; they appear to conform to a pluri-?u~enstonal contmuum. It 1s concluded that the Clementsian concept of climax, as a process, 1s m no way degraded by the concept of the continuum, either linear or pluridimensional.
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