Relationship of understory diversity to soil nitrogen, topographic variation, and stand age in an eastern oak forest, USA

Small, Christine J.; McCarthy, Brian C.

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2005.06.004

Cited by 94 publications

(57 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…Positive and negative association of vascular plant species with site quality also has been observed in other forests too (Warner and Harper, 1972;Small and McCarthy, 2005). In Tierra del Fuego, site quality of the stands is mainly determined by abiotic factors (e.g., soil nutrient contents, soil drainage and depth, slope, aspect, topography and wind exposure) (Martínez Pastur et al, 1997), which influence both overstory structure and understory diversity (Martínez Pastur et al, 2002).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Site quality influence over understory plant diversity in old-growth and harvested Nothofagus pumilio forests

2013

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Aim of study: The effects and interactions of shelterwood forest harvesting and site qualities over understory plant species diversity and composition were compared among primary and harvested Nothofagus pumilio forests.Area of study: Tierra del Fuego (Argentina), on three pure conditions (one and six year-old harvested, and primary without previous harvesting forests) and three site qualities (high, medium and low).Material and Methods: Understory richness and cover (%) were registered in five replicates of 1 hectare each per treatment. Taxonomic species were classified in categories (groups, origin and life forms). Two-way ANOVAs and multivariate analyses were conducted.Main results: Shelterwood harvesting and site quality significantly influenced understory cover and richness, which allow the introduction of native and exotic species and increasing of dicot and monocot covers. In dicots, monocots, exotics and total groups, higher richness and covers were related to time. Meanwhile, cover reached similar high values in all site qualities on dicot, native and total groups. On the other hand, monocot and exotic richness and cover remain similar in primary and recently harvested forests, and greatly increased in old harvested forests. Mosses and ferns were among the most sensitive groups.Research highlights: Impacts of shelterwood cut depend on site quality of the stands and time since harvesting occurs. For this, different site quality stands should received differential attention in the development of conservation strategies, as well as variations in the shelterwood implementation (as irregularity and patchiness) should be considered to better promote understory plant species conservation inside managed areas.Key words: plant species conservation; years after harvesting; forest management; Tierra del Fuego.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Site quality influence over understory plant diversity in old-growth and harvested Nothofagus pumilio forests

2013

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“…A significant relationship has been found between overstory tree species and herbaceous community composition both locally (Crozier and Boerner 1984) and at the scale of forest stands (Brewer 1980;Whitney and Foster 1988;Ford et al 2000;Gilliam and Roberts 2003b). Herb distributions have been related to microtopography and soil fertility (Bratton 1976;Thompson 1980;Hutchinson et al 1999;Small and McCarthy 2005). Understanding of the relationship between resource gradients and herbaceous community patterns is still being developed (Tyler 1989;Small and McCarthy 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Herb distributions have been related to microtopography and soil fertility (Bratton 1976;Thompson 1980;Hutchinson et al 1999;Small and McCarthy 2005). Understanding of the relationship between resource gradients and herbaceous community patterns is still being developed (Tyler 1989;Small and McCarthy 2005). Species composition in the herb layer is also dynamic across the growing season (Bratton 1976;Small and McCarthy 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamics, diversity, and resource gradient relationships in the herbaceous layer of an old-growth Appalachian forest

McEwan

Müller

2011

Plant Ecol

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The ecological drivers of herbaceous layer composition and diversity in deciduous forests of eastern North America are imperfectly understood. We analyzed the herbaceous layer, across the growing season, in a central Appalachian old-growth forest to examine dynamics, diversity, and relationships to resource gradients. We found clear variation in herb species composition over the growing season. We identified intermingled resource gradients, including soil nutrients, light availability, and topography, that were related to herbaceous composition. We found that herb layer diversity was different among previously identified tree communities, but was not variable over the growing season. We identified a unimodal relationship between diversity and productivity in the herb flora that held throughout the growing season despite changing composition and levels of productivity. Diversity and distributions in the herbaceous community of our study site are linked to a complex of resource gradients.

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“…The diversity indices were calculated separately to different life forms: trees, shrubs, saplings, seedlings and herbs. Indices were used as following (Pitkanen 1998;Krebs 2001;Nagendra 2002;Nangendo et al 2002;Small and Arctan: measured as an angle in radians n i : basal area for over-storey species and is coverage for the under-storey of the ith species in the sampling plot n j : basal area for over-storey species and is coverage for the under-storey of the jth species in the sampling plot S: total number of species in the entire sample Numbers of species per plot was taken as a measure of species richness (S) (Timilsina et al 2007). Data were calculated in Ecological Methodology software (Krebs 2001).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plant diversity in natural forest of Guilan Rural Heritage Museum in Iran

Abedi

Pourbabaei

2010

Biodiversitas

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Abedi R, Pourbabaei H (2010) Plant diversity in natural forest of Guilan Rural Heritage Museum in . The aim of this study was to determine plant species diversity in Guilan Rural Heritage Museum in Iran. Eighty nine sampling plots were sampled based on systematic random method. Data analysis was carried out using diversity indices of richness, diversity (Shannon-Wiener, Simpson, Mc Arthur's (N 1 ) and Hill's (N 2 ) and Smith and Wilson's evenness index (E var ). Results indicated that Rosaceae and Labiatae families have the highest number of species. Quercus castaneifolia and Ruscus hyrcanus were the most dominant woody plants for class of tree and shrub, respectively. Carex divolsa and Viola odorata were dominant herbaceous species. Herbaceous layer had the highest richness, evenness and diversity. Mc Arthur's N 1 index had the highest value among diversity indices.

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Relationship of understory diversity to soil nitrogen, topographic variation, and stand age in an eastern oak forest, USA

Cited by 94 publications

References 65 publications

Site quality influence over understory plant diversity in old-growth and harvested Nothofagus pumilio forests

Site quality influence over understory plant diversity in old-growth and harvested Nothofagus pumilio forests

Dynamics, diversity, and resource gradient relationships in the herbaceous layer of an old-growth Appalachian forest

Plant diversity in natural forest of Guilan Rural Heritage Museum in Iran

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