Forest Composition and Structure onGlade-forming Limestones in Middle Tennessee

• Within a successional context, the vegetation associated with the cedar gladeecosystem in middle Tennessee develops from bare limestone bedrock to subclimax redcedar,preclimax oak-hickory, and climax mixed hardwood forests. Studies on the composition andstructure of forests associated with cedar glade–forming limestones (Lebanon, Ridley) are rare.We sampled the canopy and understory of six forest stands in middle Tennessee on theselimestones. Observed number of canopy species was 14–24 across stands; estimated richnesswas greater by 1–3 species (bootstrap) or 3–6 species (first-order jackknife) than observedrichness. With the exception of Ailanthus altissima in one stand, all other canopy species werenative. Juniperus virginiana, Fraxinus americana, Carya ovata, and Quercus muehlenbergii wereprimary canopy components in 4 or 6 stands, and C. glabra, Q. shumardii, Ulmus alata, F.quadrangulata, Q. alba, and Q. velutina in 2–3 stands. When we included stands from apreviously published study (most on the non-glade Carters Limestone) with our data, aprincipal components analysis identified three groups with the axes approximating a moisturebedrockgradient and a time-successional gradient. An examination of regeneration in ourstands predicts that (1) mesophytes and/or fire-sensitive species (Acer saccharum, Fraxinus spp.,Celtis spp.) will increase and (2) xerophytes and/or fire-adapted species (Quercus spp., Caryaspp.) will decrease. Altogether, our results strongly suggest that the oak-hickory stage shown insuccessional outlines of vegetation development associated with the cedar glade ecosystem maynot occur in its current state in the future.

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Biologi -- Ekologi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Biological Sciences -- Ecology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Cedar glades

Central Basin

maple

oak-hickory forest

regeneration

species accumulation curves

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