Geologic and Edaphic Factors Influencing Susceptibility of Forest Soils to Environmental Change

Abstract

There is great diversity in the structure and function of the northern forest across the 20-state portion of the United States considered in this book. The interplay of many factors accounts for the mosaic of ecological regimes across the region. In particular, climate, physiography, geology, and soils influence dominance and distribution of vegetation communities across the region. This chapter provides a review of the ecology of the northern forest, emphasizing the role of geology and soils.The chapter begins with descriptive material reviewing the physiography, bedrock geology, and soils of the various provinces that constitute the northern forest. The distribution of vegetation communities and the role of climate, while of prime importance in defining the ecology of the region, are given limited coverage here as these are discussed more thoroughly elsewhere in this volume (see Chapters 1 and 3). However, to the extent that climate and vegetation are important soil-forming factors (Jenny, 1941), their characteristics in each province are summarized here. As the historical vegetation, which developed prior to large-scale anthropogenic alterations of the landscape in the last 150 years, is more

Test of soil extractants for their suitability in predicting Ca/Sr ratios in leaves and stems of sugar maple seedlings

“…Calcium availability is limited in acidic soils, especially those that are base poor (Bailey 2000). This has been particularly problematic for sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.)…”

Partitioning of the source of leaf calcium of American beech and sugar maple using leaf Ca/Sr ratios: a predominantly surficial but variable depth of Ca uptake

“…The importance of the mineral soil for maple Ca nutrition is supported by the fact that maple forests in northeastern USA undergoing decline were found to occur primarily on sites with low Ca availability in the B horizon (Bailey et al 2004). The bulk chemistry and mineralogy of a soil is therefore key in determining its long-term ability to withstand acidic deposition and to supply base cations such as Ca (Bailey 2000). With the relative ability of the different soil horizons to supply Ca being site and species specific, the partitioning of Ca uptake by horizon could provide a mechanistic explanation for the increase in American beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.)…”

Can the eastern red‐backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus) persist in an acidified landscape?

“…Intraspecific variation has been reported for survival and development of amphibian embryos to acidic waters including Ambystoma maculatum and L. sylvaticus (Cook , and reviewed in Pierce ); these studies provide evidence that environmental acidity may act as a selective pressure in local species evolution. Natural soil acidity varies widely across the northeastern United States due to local geological conditions and topography (Bailey ), which may set the stage for geographic variation in the acid tolerance of generalist amphibian species.…”

“…We investigated whether P. cinereus is sensitive to acidic soils in northern hardwood forests by evaluating the hypothesis that this species' abundance, body condition, and adult body size would decrease as soil pH decreased (i.e., as acidity increases). A gradient design incorporating 34 upland hardwood forests was used to represent the breadth of regional variation in soil acidity of northern hardwood forests, which ranges from base‐rich to naturally acidic and anthropogenically acidified soils (Bailey , Driscoll et al. ).…”