Forest Floor Dynamics in Even‐Aged Northern Hardwood Stands

Snyder, Kent E.; Harter, Robert D.

doi:10.2136/sssaj1987.03615995005100050052x

Cited by 8 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Following an initial decline after disturbance, surface organic matter should increase with stand age on all sites as biomass accumulates and litterfall increases (Olson 1963;Bormann & Likens 1979;Snyder & Harter 1987). Boose (1986) and Cooper (1981) found this pattern on similar dry-mesic sites from the same study area as ours.…”

Section: Disturbance-soil Nutrient Relationshipssupporting

confidence: 67%

Disturbance effects on herbaceous layer vegetation and soil nutrients in Populus forests of northern lower Michigan

Roberts

Gilliam

1995

J Vegetation Science

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Abstract. Recent disturbance models have identified changes in resource availability as factors that control plant community response. Soil nutrient resources typically are assumed to change following forest disturbance, usually with nutrient availablity increasing initially and subsequently decreasing through later stages of succession. We examined the effects of disturbance (clearcut harvesting with a brief recovery period) on soil organic matter, pH and extractable soil nutrients in successional aspen forests of northern lower Michigan to determine relationships of these variables to changes in herbaceous layer vegetation. Two site types were identified: drymesic (glacial outwash sands, low in organic matter) and mesic (calcareous clay till, high in organic matter). Extractable nutrient concentrations were 1.5 to 3 times higher in the A1 horizon of mesic sites than those of dry‐mesic sites. Soil pH and cations increased after disturbance on mesic sites, but not on dry‐mesic sites. Patterns of change with disturbance were less pronounced in lower horizons on both site types. Herblayer species diversity increased after disturbance on mesic sites, but with decreases in the importance of shade‐tolerant tree species and Maianthemum canadense. Species characteristic of open habitats (e.g. Pteridium aquilinum, Rubus spp., Fragaria virginiana, and Diervilla lonicera), increased in importance. Soil factors, species composition and diversity on dry‐mesic sites changed little after disturbance, with Pteridium aquilinum and ericaceous species remaining dominant in both mature (55–82 yr) and disturbed (≤ 15 yr) stands. These results suggest that soil nutrient resources do not always change through secondary succession and that patterns of change can be distinctly site‐dependent. Disturbance response patterns in the herbaceous layer of these aspen forests are also site‐dependent.

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Section: Disturbance-soil Nutrient Relationshipssupporting

confidence: 67%

Disturbance effects on herbaceous layer vegetation and soil nutrients in Populus forests of northern lower Michigan

Roberts

Gilliam

1995

J Vegetation Science

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“…These results initiated numerous field measurements and model simulations of this effect. Some reports failed to demonstrate the same dynamics (Hendrickson and others 1989; Schiffman and Johnson 1989), and others repeated the effect (Federer 1984;Snyder and Harter 1987;Mattson and Smith 1993; Johnson and others 1995), principally among northern hardwoods. Differences among most results were usually in the extent or timing of the minimum in forest floor mass.…”

Section: Effects Of Disturbancementioning

confidence: 98%