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Neutron Radiography and Computed Tomography of Biological Systems at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory's High Flux Isotope Reactor
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Scale and strength oak-mesophyte interactions in a transitional oak-hickory forest
David Allen1, Christopher W Dick2,3, Ethan Strayer1
1Department of Biology, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT 05753.
Canadian Journal of Forest Research. Journal Canadien De La Recherche Forestiere
|December 4, 2018
Summary
Eastern North American forests are shifting from oaks to red maples and black cherries. Oaks struggle to recruit in shade, while maples and cherries thrive in canopy openings, driving forest composition changes.
Area of Science:
- Forest Ecology
- Plant Community Dynamics
- North American Silviculture
Background:
- Eastern North American forests are experiencing significant compositional shifts.
- Canopy oaks (Quercus spp.) are being replaced by mesic, shade-tolerant species like red maple (Acer rubrum).
- Novel climate, disturbance, and pest conditions are accelerating these changes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the successional patterns driving stand-level canopy oak replacement.
- To determine the spatial associations between oak and mesophyte recruitment and overstory individuals.
- To analyze the differential responses of oaks and mesophytes to canopy openings.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of long-term census data from a 23-hectare forest plot (2003, 2008, 2014).
- Spatial association analysis of seedling recruitment and overstory tree presence.
- Assessment of tree growth and survival in relation to canopy openings (dead overstory trees).
Main Results:
- Oak recruits showed negative spatial association with overstory red maples and black cherries (Prunus serotina).
- Mesophytic recruits were positively associated with overstory oaks.
- Canopy openings (dead trees) enhanced growth and survival of black cherries and red maples, but not oaks.
Conclusions:
- Red maples and black cherries are better adapted to utilize canopy openings and understory light conditions than oaks.
- Fine-scale competitive interactions are driving the replacement of canopy oaks across eastern North America.
- These findings highlight the ongoing transition in forest composition due to changing environmental conditions.
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