|
|
- Info
Patterns and determinants of edge vegetation of a midwestern forest preserve
| Author: |
Kupfer, John |
| Date: |
1996 |
| Periodical: |
Physical Geography. V.H. Winston & Son, Inc. |
| Abstract: |
To discern the effects of edge age, orientation, and adjacent vegetation structure on forest-edge composition, I surveyed and compared woody species composition in the forest interior and in edges located along roads encircling and bisecting Hueston Woods Nature Preserve, an old-growth beech-maple forest in southwestern Ohio. Among-habitat comparisons of species importance values and stem size-class distributions, coupled with the results of a DCA ordination, indicated compositional differences between: (1) edge and interior stands and (2) edges bordering young (35 years) open edges and older (> 60 years) closed edges. Compositional changes corresponded to an assumed microclimatic gradient based on the structure of the adjacent vegetation. Specifically, open edges were dominated by shade-intolerant and highly shade-intolerant species in almost ail size classes; closed edges lacked highly intolerant species, but contained a number of shade-intolerant species (e.g. Prunus serotina; Fraxinus americana); interior stands were composed almost exclusively of shade-tolerant species. Size-class distributions according to shade-tolerance classes highlighted the importance of edge age: the older edges contained a high percentage of canopy-level shade-intolerant individuals that apparently were able to exploit the higher light conditions following edge creation. Edge composition was not correlated with edge orientation, however, perhaps because of other confounding factors such as site-specific hydrologic factors and random establishment patterns. |
|
