Checklist of the vascular plants of Powdermill Nature Reserve, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania

Utech, Frederick H.

doi:10.5962/bhl.title.127437

Cited by 9 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Data were collected at Powdermill Nature Reserve (PNR), a c . 900‐ha reserve located in southwestern Pennsylvania (Westmoreland County; 40°09′S, 79°16′W) in the eastern U.S.A. PNR is a mixed mesophytic temperate forest dominated primarily by Acer rubrum L., Acer saccharum Marshall and Liriodendron tulipifera L. (see Murphy et al., ; Utech, for details of species composition). The area is mostly forested with elevation ranging from 392 to 647 m (see Appendix , Figure S1).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Above‐ground biomass is driven by mass‐ratio effects and stand structural attributes in a temperate deciduous forest

et al. 2017

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1. Forest ecosystems are critical for the global regulation of carbon (C), a substantial portion of which is stored in above-ground biomass (AGB). While it is well understood that taxonomic and functional composition, stand structure and environmental gradients influence spatial variation in AGB, the relative strengths of these drivers at landscape scales have not been investigated in temperate forests. Furthermore, when biodiversity enhances C storage, it is unclear whether it is through mass-ratio effects (i.e. the dominant trait in communities regulates AGB) or through niche complementarity (i.e. increased AGB due to interspecific resource partitioning).2. To address these mechanisms, we analysed data from a census of 28,262 adult trees sampled across 900 ha of temperate deciduous forest in southwestern Pennsylvania. We used data on four key plant functional traits to determine if (1) there is a positive relationship between species diversity and AGB and (2) whether this is due to mass-ratio effects or niche complementarity. We also sought to (3) identify the physical stand structural attributes and topographic variables that influence AGB across this landscape.3. We found AGB was positively related to species richness and negatively related to species evenness, albeit weakly, while functional diversity indices had neutral effects. Above-ground biomass was enhanced in communities dominated by traits related to greater maximum tree height, deeper minimum rooting depths and larger seeds. Most importantly, areas with high AGB were dominated by Acer saccharum and Liriodendron tulipifera. Overall, these results support mass-ratio effects, with little evidence for niche complementarity. Synthesis.Stand structure, topography, and species and functional composition, but not taxonomic or functional diversity, were found to be key drivers of aboveground biomass at landscape scales (<900 ha) in this temperate deciduous forest.Our findings suggest that simultaneously managing for both high diversity andfor above-ground carbon storage may prove challenging in some forest systems.Our results further indicate that the impact of tree biodiversity loss on aboveground carbon stocks will depend greatly on the identity of the species that are lost. | Journal of EcologyFOTIS eT al. SUPPORTING INFORMATIONAdditional Supporting Information may be found online in the supporting information tab for this article.How to cite this article: Fotis AT, Murphy SJ, Ricart RD, et al.Above-ground biomass is driven by mass-ratio effects and stand structural attributes in a temperate deciduous forest.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Above‐ground biomass is driven by mass‐ratio effects and stand structural attributes in a temperate deciduous forest

et al. 2017

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“…Our sampling design resulted in 290 individual seedlings from 20 species. These species represent a good representation of the overall PNR tree community, as well as the general composition of western Pennsylvanian forests (Appendix S1; Utech ; Murphy et al. ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tree seedling richness, but not neighborhood composition, influences insect herbivory in a temperate deciduous forest community

Murphy

Comita

2016

Ecology and Evolution

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Insect herbivores can serve as important regulators of plant dynamics, but their impacts in temperate forest understories have received minimal attention at local scales. Here, we test several related hypotheses about the influence of plant neighborhood composition on insect leaf damage in southwestern Pennsylvania, USA. Using data on seedlings and adult trees sampled at 36 sites over an approximately 900 ha area, we tested for the effects of total plant density, rarefied species richness (i.e., resource concentration and dietary‐mixing hypotheses), conspecific density (i.e., Janzen–Connell hypothesis), and heterospecific density (i.e., herd‐immunity hypothesis), on the proportion of leaf tissue removed from 290 seedlings of 20 species. We also tested for the effects of generic‐ and familial‐level neighborhoods. Our results showed that the proportion of leaf tissue removed ranged from zero to just under 50% across individuals, but was generally quite low (<2%). Using linear mixed models, we found a significant negative relationship between insect damage and rarefied species richness, but no relationship with neighborhood density or composition. In addition, leaf damage had no significant effect on subsequent seedling growth or survival, likely due to the low levels of damage experienced by most individuals. Our results provide some support for the resource concentration hypothesis, but suggest a limited role for insect herbivores in driving local‐scale seedling dynamics in temperate forest understories.

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“…We compiled data on the timing of migration from bird banding records collected from autumn 1961 through spring 2006 at Powdermill Nature Reserve (PNR), a field station operated by Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Westmoreland Co., PA, USA (elevation 400 m; 40°10′N, 79°16′W). The 10 ha banding site is characterized by small fields, marshland, and low scrub habitats (Utech, 1999). The PNR station operates 5–6 days per week year‐round; during spring and autumn migration there are about 35 12 m mist nests (30 and 36 mm mesh) in use each day.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variable shifts in spring and autumn migration phenology in North American songbirds associated with climate change

Buskirk

Mulvihill

Leberman

2009

Global Change Biology

168

128

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Monitoring studies find that the timing of spring bird migration has advanced in recent decades, especially in Europe. Results for autumn migration have been mixed. Using data from Powdermill Nature Reserve, a banding station in western Pennsylvania, USA, we report an analysis of migratory timing in 78 songbird species from 1961 to 2006. Spring migration became significantly earlier over the 46-year period, and autumn migration showed no overall change. There was much variation among species in phenological change, especially in autumn. Change in timing was unrelated to summer range (local vs. northern breeders) or the number of broods per year, but autumn migration became earlier in neotropical migrants and later in short-distance migrants. The migratory period for many species lengthened because late phases of migration remained unchanged or grew later as early phases became earlier. There was a negative correlation between spring and autumn in long-term change, and this caused dramatic adjustments in the amount of time between migrations: the intermigratory periods of 10 species increased or decreased by 415 days. Year-to-year changes in timing were correlated with local temperature (detrended) and, in autumn, with a regional climate index (detrended North Atlantic Oscillation). These results illustrate a complex and dynamic annual cycle in songbirds, with responses to climate change differing among species and migration seasons.

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Checklist of the vascular plants of Powdermill Nature Reserve, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania

Cited by 9 publications

References 23 publications

Above‐ground biomass is driven by mass‐ratio effects and stand structural attributes in a temperate deciduous forest

Above‐ground biomass is driven by mass‐ratio effects and stand structural attributes in a temperate deciduous forest

Tree seedling richness, but not neighborhood composition, influences insect herbivory in a temperate deciduous forest community

Variable shifts in spring and autumn migration phenology in North American songbirds associated with climate change

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