Understory vegetation indicators of anthropogenic disturbance in longleaf pine forests at Fort Benning,Georgia, USA |
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| Institution: | 1. Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6036, USA;2. Institute of Environmental Sciences, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45058, USA;3. Computer Science and Mathematics Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6038 USA;1. Department of Anatomy, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands;2. Department of Surgery, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands;3. Department of Pathology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands;1. Forest & Nature Lab, Department of Forest and Water Management, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, 9090 Melle-Gontrode, Belgium;2. Ecosystem Restoration and Intervention Ecology Research Group, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia;3. Institute of Silviculture, Department of Forest- and Soil Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Peter Jordan Straße 82, 1190 Vienna, Austria;4. Department of Ecological Modelling, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research—UFZ, Permoserstraße 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany;5. Computational and Applied Vegetation Ecology (CAVELab), Department of Applied Ecology and Environmental Biology, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium;1. Dept. of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, 400 Boggs Hall, 6823 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70118, USA;2. School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Saskatchewan, 117 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5C8, Canada;3. Division of Biology, Kansas State University, 307 Ackert Hall, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA;4. Dept. of Physical and Life Sciences, Nevada State College, 1125 Nevada State Drive, Henderson, NV 89002, USA;5. Dept. Biology, Austin Peay State University, Sundquist Science Complex, Room D216, P.O. Box 4718, Clarksville, TN 37044, USA |
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| Abstract: | Environmental indicators for longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) ecosystems need to include some measure of understory vegetation because of its responsiveness to disturbance and management practices. To examine the characteristics of understory species that distinguish between disturbances induced by military traffic, we randomly established transects in four training intensity categories (reference, light, moderate, and heavy) and in an area that had been remediated following intense disturbance at Fort Benning, GA. A total of 134 plant species occurred in these transects with the highest diversity (95 species) in light training areas and the lowest (16 species) in heavily disturbed plots. Forty-seven species were observed in only one of the five disturbance categories. The variability in understory vegetation cover among disturbance types was trimodal ranging from less than 5% cover for heavily disturbed areas to 67% cover for reference, light, and remediated areas. High variability in species diversity and lack of difference in understory cover led us to consider life-form and plant families as indicators of military disturbance. Life-form successfully distinguished between plots based on military disturbances. Species that are Phanerophytes (trees and shrubs) were the most frequent life-form encountered in sites that experienced light infantry training. Therophytes (annuals) were the least common life-form in reference and light training areas. Chamaephytes (plants with their buds slightly above ground) were the least frequent life-form in moderate and remediation sites. Heavy training sites supported no Chamaephytes or Hemicryptophytes (plants with dormant buds at ground level). The heavy, moderate, remediated, and reference sites were all dominated by Cryptophytes (plants with underground buds) possibly because of their ability to withstand both military disturbance and ground fires (the natural disturbance of longleaf pine forests). Analysis of soils collected from each transect revealed that depth of the A layer of soil was significantly higher in reference and light training areas which may explain the life-form distributions. In addition, the diversity of plant families and, in particular, the presence of grasses and composites were indicative of training and remediation history. These results are supported by prior analysis of life-form distribution subsequent to other disturbances and demonstrate the ability of life-form and plant families to distinguish between military disturbances in longleaf pine forests. |
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