Drivers of secondary succession rates across temperate latitudes of the Eastern USA: climate, soils, and species pools

Abstract

Climate change is widely expected to induce large shifts in the geographic distribution of plant communities, but early successional ecosystems may be less sensitive to broad-scale climatic trends because they are driven by interactions between species that are only indirectly related to temperature and rainfall. Building on a biogeographic analysis of secondary succession rates across the Eastern Deciduous Forest (EDF) of North America, we describe an experimental study designed to quantify the relative extent to which climate, soil properties, and geographic species pools drive variation in woody colonization rates of old fields across the EDF. Using a network of five sites of varying soil fertility spanning a latitudinal gradient from central New York to northern Florida, we added seeds of nine woody pioneer species to recently tilled old fields and monitored first-year growth and survivorship. Results suggest seedlings of southern woody pioneer species are better able to quickly establish in fields after abandonment, regardless of climate regime. Sites of lower soil fertility also exhibited faster rates of seedling growth, likely due to the slower development of the successional herbaceous community. We suggest that climate plays a relatively minor role in community dynamics at the onset of secondary succession, and that site edaphic conditions are a stronger determinant of the rate at which ecosystems develop to a woody-dominated state. More experimental research is necessary to determine the nature of the herbaceous-woody competitive interface and its sensitivity to environmental conditions.

Does succession run towards potential natural vegetation? An analysis across seres

“…). The same factors may influence the rate of succession towards the climax, which may vary geographically (Fridley & Wright ). Despite these limitations, it is practical to consider an endpoint to which succession proceeds, and on a time scale of a few centuries we can consider an endpoint that changes relatively little, especially in its dominant species (cf.…”

“…; Wright & Fridley ; Prévosto et al. ; Fridley & Wright ). The use of different sampling methods makes cross‐study comparisons difficult (Prach & Řehounková ).…”

Plant community and soil conditions individually affect soil microbial community assembly in experimental mesocosms

“…These treatments consisted of a gradient of four soil textures (100% topsoil; 75:25 topsoil: sand; 50:50 topsoil: sand; and 25:75 topsoil: sand), representing the range in soil texture and fertility observed across the latitudinal gradient (Fridley and Wright, 2012). Topsoil was sourced from local commercial sources, due to transportation limitations, and so there were site differences in macro‐ and micronutrient availability.…”

“…The vegetation treatments were chosen to emulate two stages in old‐field succession and included native plants present along the latitudinal gradient (Fridley and Wright, 2012). Bunchgrasses were started from locally collected seed in a greenhouse and then shipped as plugs to all sites.…”

Impacts of Climate Change on Vegetation Distribution No. 2 - Climate Change Induced Vegetation Shifts in the New World

“…According to Wright and Fridley (2010), fields of the Northeast may favour herbaceous persistence due to more fertile soils, cooler temperatures and early successional species pools. Fridley and Wright (2012) concluded that early successional ecosystems may be less sensitive to broad-scale climatic trends because they are driven by interactions between species that are only indirectly related to temperature and rainfall. According to their results, seedlings of southern woody pioneer species are better able to quickly establish in fields after abandonment, regardless of climate regime.…”