We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Variation in Soil and Forest Floor Characteristics Along Gradients of Ericaceous, Evergreen Shrub Cover in the Southern Appalachians.
- Authors
Horton, Jonathan L.; Clinton, Barton D.; Walker, John F.; Beier, Colin M.; Nilsen, Erik T.
- Abstract
Ericaceous shrubs can influence soil properties in many ecosystems. In this study, we examined how soil and forest floor properties vary among sites with different ericaceous evergreen shrub basal area in the southern Appalachian mountains. We randomly located plots along transects that included open understories and understories with varying amounts of Rhododendron maximum (rosebay rhododendron) and Kalmia latifolia (mountain laurel) at three sites. The three sites were a mid-elevation ridge, a low-elevation cove, and a high-elevation southwest-facing slope. Basal area of R. maximum was more correlated with soil properties of the forest floor than was K. latifolia. Increasing R. maximum basal area was correlated with increasing mass of lower quality litter and humus as indicated by higher C:N ratios. Moreover, this correlation supports oar prediction that understory evergreen shrubs may have considerable effect on rarest floor resource heterogeneity in mature stands.
- Subjects
SOUTHERN Appalachian Region; SOILS; FORESTS &; forestry; SHRUBS; BIOTIC communities; RHODODENDRON maximum; MOUNTAIN laurel
- Publication
Castanea, 2009, Vol 74, Issue 4, p340
- ISSN
0008-7475
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.2179/08-016R3.1