Relationships among Vegetation, Surficial Geology and Soil Water Content at the Pocono Mesic Till Barrens

Eberhardt, Robert W.; Latham, Roger Earl

doi:10.2307/3088689

Cited by 15 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Of the environmental variables we examined, only soil temperature was significantly different between forest openings and the forest matrix at all three sites, meaning that canopy openness did not significantly influence other variables in the same way at each site. Although we did not measure all soil characteristics, our result is in agreement with studies by Eberhardt and Latham (2000) and Latham et al (1996) who showed that some barrens do not have soil characteristics different from adjacent forests but rather have other factors (most notably fire) that prevent forest openings from becoming encroached on by woody species, eventually becoming xeric forests. This similarity in abiotic characteristics also supports findings by Heikens and Robertson (1995), who postulate that barrens are early successional stages of xeric forests and that these two habitat types do not have different soil characteristics.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

What determines “suitable habitat” for metapopulation studies? An analysis of environmental gradients and species assemblages in xeric forest openings

DeLong

Gibson

2012

American J of Botany

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The distinction between suitable and unsuitable habitat for some plant species may depend on a few variables, which may not be consistent between sites. This distinction means that there are potentially more situations than previously thought that metapopulation and metacommunity theory may be capable of explaining, meaning that more systems can be studied using a metapopulation context than previously thought.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

What determines “suitable habitat” for metapopulation studies? An analysis of environmental gradients and species assemblages in xeric forest openings

DeLong

Gibson

2012

American J of Botany

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“…Latham et al (1996) found no difference between the barrens and forest in depth to seasonal high water table measured over 2 years with normal precipitation. Actual soil water content did not differ between barrens and adjacent forests during a later drought year (Eberhardt and Latham 2000). Although the Pocono till barrens soils appear to diverge from droughty character of the soils of most other barrens, the strong association of the Pocono barrens with soils formed in Illinoian-aged till suggests some soil control over vegetation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 84%

“…Recent research has focused on quantifying how the Pocono till barrens differ from neighboring forests and wetlands and exploring the relative importance of biotic and abiotic processes in influencing whether barrens or forest persist at a given location. Studies to date have investigated floristic patterns, plant species distributions, soil moisture, spatial and temporal dynamics of the barrens and adjacent forests, and plant nitrogen use (Thompson 1995;Latham et al 1996;Eberhardt and Latham 2000;Latham 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A biogeochemical analysis of the Pocono till barrens and adjacent hardwood forest underlain by Wisconsinan and Illinoian till in northeastern Pennsylvania

Wibiralske¹,

Latham²,

Johnson³

2004

Can. J. For. Res.

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We assessed soil and vegetation nutrient capital in the landscape mosaic of till barrens and hardwood forests on the Pocono Plateau in northeastern Pennsylvania. These shrublands, which contain an unusual abundance of rare species, occur primarily on Illinoian-aged glacial till, though some patches grow on Wisconsinan till. We hypothesized that barrens soil and vegetation contain smaller quantities of nutrients than forest soil and vegetation, and under the same vegetation, Illinoian till soils have a smaller nutrient content than Wisconsinan till soils. We measured pH, total C and N, and exchangeable Ca, Mg, K, and Al content of the soils and determined C, N, Ca, Mg, K, and P content of the vegetation. Litter and soil organic matter in the barrens have a higher C/N ratio than the forest. The Illinoian barrens Oa horizon is thicker and contains a greater quantity of exchangeable mineral nutrients than the other Oa horizons. Differences in vegetation nutrient capital strongly mirror differences in biomass. Our results show no strong association of parent material with soil or vegetation nutrient capital. Instead, they suggest that plant community characteristics, not soil nutrient availability, shape the landscape pattern of barrens and forest, particularly plant-driven positive feedbacks primarily involving fire frequency. We assessed soil and vegetation nutrient capital in the landscape mosaic of till barrens and hardwood forests on the Pocono Plateau in northeastern Pennsylvania. These shrublands, which contain an unusual abundance of rare species, occur primarily on Illinoian-aged glacial till, though some patches grow on Wisconsinan till. We hypothesized that barrens soil and vegetation contain smaller quantities of nutrients than forest soil and vegetation, and under the same vegetation, Illinoian till soils have a smaller nutrient content than Wisconsinan till soils. We measured pH, total C and N, and exchangeable Ca, Mg, K, and Al content of the soils and determined C, N, Ca, Mg, K, and P content of the vegetation. Litter and soil organic matter in the barrens have a higher C/N ratio than the forest. The Illinoian barrens Oa horizon is thicker and contains a greater quantity of exchangeable mineral nutrients than the other Oa horizons. Differences in vegetation nutrient capital strongly mirror differences in biomass. Our results show no strong association of parent material with soil or vegetation nutrient capital. Instead, they suggest that plant community characteristics, not soil nutrient availability, shape the landscape pattern of barrens and forest, particularly plant-driven positive feedbacks primarily involving fire frequency.Résumé : Nous avons évalué le stock de nutriments dans le sol et la végétation dans une mosaïque de paysage de tills improductifs et de forêts feuillues sur le Plateau Pocono dans le nord-est de la Pennsylvanie. Ces prairies boisées où on retrouve une abondance peu commune d'espèces rares occupent principalement le till glaciaire de l'Illinoien, bien que certains îlot...

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“…Common mammalian species in the study area included black bear ( Ursus americanus ), white‐tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ), coyote ( Canis latrans ), bobcat ( Lynx rufus ), eastern cottontail ( Sylvilagus floridanus ), and red squirrel ( Tamiasciurus hudsonicus ). This area was dominated by scrub oak ( Quercus ilicifolia )‐pitch pine ( Pinus rigida ) barrens, which occur on glacial mesic till soils rather than the xeric sandy soils commonly associated with barrens communities (Latham et al , Eberhardt and Latham ). The vegetative community of this area pre‐dates European settlement in Pennsylvania and has historically relied on high‐severity fires to maintain the vegetation structure (Latham et al ).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Snowshoe hare multi‐level habitat use in a fire‐adapted ecosystem

Gigliotti

Jones²,

Lovallo³

et al. 2017

J Wildl Manag

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Prescribed burning has the potential to improve habitat for species that depend on pyric ecosystems or other early successional vegetation types. For species that occupy diverse plant communities over the extent of their range, response to disturbances such as fire might vary based on post-disturbance vegetation dynamics among plant communities. Although responses of snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus) to fire have been studied in conifer-dominated forests in northern parts of the species' range, there is a lack of information on snowshoe hare habitat use in fire-dependent communities in southern parts of their range. We used global positioning system (GPS) and very high frequency (VHF) radio-collars to monitor the habitat use of 32 snowshoe hares in a scrub-oak (Quercus ilicifolia)-pitch pine (Pinus rigida) barrens complex in northeastern Pennsylvania where prescribed fire has been used for habitat restoration. The area contained stands that underwent prescribed burning 1-6 years prior to our study. Also, we investigated fine-scale determinants of habitat use within stands. We found that regardless of season, hares did not select for areas that had been burned within 6 years prior. Hares primarily used stands of older scrub oak, conifer, or hardwoods, which contained dense understory vegetation and canopy cover. Hare habitat use also was positively associated with stand edges. Our results suggest that hares do not respond to prescribed burning of scrub oak in the short-term. In addition, by focusing on structural determinants of habitat use, rather than broad-scale characteristics such as stand type, management strategies for snowshoe hares can be adapted over the extent of their range despite the multitude of different land cover types across which the species occurs.

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Relationships among Vegetation, Surficial Geology and Soil Water Content at the Pocono Mesic Till Barrens

Cited by 15 publications

References 13 publications

What determines “suitable habitat” for metapopulation studies? An analysis of environmental gradients and species assemblages in xeric forest openings

What determines “suitable habitat” for metapopulation studies? An analysis of environmental gradients and species assemblages in xeric forest openings

A biogeochemical analysis of the Pocono till barrens and adjacent hardwood forest underlain by Wisconsinan and Illinoian till in northeastern Pennsylvania

Snowshoe hare multi‐level habitat use in a fire‐adapted ecosystem

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