| Abstract Detail
Ecological Section McKnight, Karl [1], Burnham, Mark [1], Quinn, Caitlin [1], Gerritsen, Alida [1]. A contribution towards understanding northern hardwood forest Carex ecology. To better understand the autecology and synecology of 15 species of northern hardwood forest sedges we sampled 181 plots located in northern New York. Sedge abundance was compared with incident light, canopy cover, soil chemical nutrients, soil moisture and depth, proximity to trees, and cover of herbaceous and bryophyte species. When compared with plots having sedges, plots not having sedges were found to have more soil phosphorus, potassium, organic matter, higher cation exchange capacity, lower pH, and higher soil moisture. Plots having Eastern Hemlock near or in the plots also had fewer sedges. The nine most abundant sedges, C. arctata, C. communis, C. debilis, C. gracillima. C. intumescens, C. laxiculmis, C. leptonervia, C. novae-angliae, and C. pedunculata differed enough in our measurements of the chemical, soil, light and biotic parameters so as to be easily distinguishable in standard statistical ordinations such as non-metric multidimensional scaling. C. communis and C. novae-angliae were found to be the most generalist species of the nine common sedges. Closely related species within sections Hymenochlaenae and Acrocystis were also distinguishable by our ordinations. Plots having sedges only were easily distinguishable from plots having grasses only for most of the soil and light measures we collected.
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1 - St. Lawrence University, Biology Department, St. Lawrence University, Park Street, Canton, New York, 13617, U.S.A.
Keywords:
Carex
ecology
Sedge
northern hardwood forest
ordination
habitat characterization
soil nutrients
incident light.
Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for BSA Sections
Session: 14
Location: Wasatch B/Cliff Lodge - Level C
Date: Monday, July 27th, 2009
Time: 11:15 AM
Number: 14005
Abstract ID:568 |
