Multidecadal shifts in forest plant diversity and community composition across glacial landforms in northern lower Michigan, USA

Ricart, Raleigh D.; Pearsall, Douglas R.; Curtis, Peter S.

doi:10.1139/cjfr-2019-0138

Title: Multidecadal shifts in forest plant diversity and community composition across glacial landforms in northern lower Michigan, USA

Journal Article · Sat Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 2020 · Canadian Journal of Forest Research

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfr-2019-0138· OSTI ID:1801716

Ricart, Raleigh D. ^[1]; Pearsall, Douglas R. ^[2]; Curtis, Peter S. ^[1]

Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, 318 W. 12th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210-1293, USA.
The Nature Conservancy, 101 E. César E. Chávez Avenue, Lansing, MI 48906, USA.

Understanding how plant community assemblage is affected by spatial and temporal patterns is crucial to understanding forest ecosystem responses to disturbance, including future climate change. In this article, we tracked how diversity and composition are distributed through space and time in a midsuccessional mixed hardwood forest in northern lower Michigan, United States. This region’s geographically and abiotically distinct glacial landforms influence both the spatial and temporal dynamics of its forest communities. Vegetation sampling plots (n = 87) were established at the University of Michigan Biological Station in 1990 and resampled in 2015. Vegetation in the overstory, sapling, and groundcover layers was censused. Abiotic variables, including elevation, pH, and soil nutrients, were measured in a subset of plots (n = 40). There were strong differences in diversity and community composition among glacial landforms, with the moraine having a 31% greater species richness in the groundcover layer compared with those of the other glacial landforms. Surprisingly, plant communities across all three vegetation layers showed little change over the 25-year period, and we found no evidence of differences in successional rates among glacial landforms. Our findings indicate that glacial landforms have a large influence on the production and maintenance of local plant diversity and community composition in this area and suggest that successional dynamics may manifest themselves over much longer time periods in these northern biomes.

Cite

Export

Save

Research Organization:: The Ohio State Univ., Columbus, OH (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC)

DOE Contract Number:: SC0006708

OSTI ID:: 1801716

Journal Information:: Canadian Journal of Forest Research, Vol. 50, Issue 2; ISSN 0045-5067

Publisher:: Canadian Science Publishing

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

References (59)

Climate variability has a stabilizing effect on the coexistence of prairie grasses Adler, P. B.; HilleRisLambers, J.; Kyriakidis, P. C. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 103, Issue 34 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0600599103	journal	August 2006
Conserving the Stage: Climate Change and the Geophysical Underpinnings of Species Diversity Anderson, Mark G.; Ferree, Charles E. PLoS ONE, Vol. 5, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0011554	journal	July 2010
PERMANOVA, ANOSIM, and the Mantel test in the face of heterogeneous dispersions: What null hypothesis are you testing? Anderson, Marti J.; Walsh, Daniel C. I. Ecological Monographs, Vol. 83, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1890/12-2010.1	journal	November 2013
Multivariate dispersion as a measure of beta diversity Anderson, Marti J.; Ellingsen, Kari E.; McArdle, Brian H. Ecology Letters, Vol. 9, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2006.00926.x	journal	June 2006
Case studies of conservation plans that incorporate geodiversity: Geodiversity in Conservation Planning Anderson, M. G.; Comer, P. J.; Beier, P. Conservation Biology, Vol. 29, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12503	journal	April 2015
A manual colorimetric procedure for measuring ammonium nitrogen in soil and plant Kjeldahl digests Baethgen, W. E.; Alley, M. M. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis, Vol. 20, Issue 9-10 https://doi.org/10.1080/00103628909368129	journal	May 1989
Influence of tree species on understory vegetation diversity and mechanisms involved—A critical review for temperate and boreal forests Barbier, Stéphane; Gosselin, Frédéric; Balandier, Philippe Forest Ecology and Management, Vol. 254, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2007.09.038	journal	January 2008
A Recalibration of the Hydrometer Method for Making Mechanical Analysis of Soils1 Bouyoucos, George John Agronomy Journal, Vol. 43, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.2134/agronj1951.00021962004300090005x	journal	January 1951
The Influence of Geomorphological Heterogeneity on Biodiversity I. A Patch-Scale Perspective Burnett, Michael R.; August, Peter V.; Brown, James H. Conservation Biology, Vol. 12, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.1998.96238.x	journal	April 1998
Patterns of plant community structure within and among primary and second-growth northern hardwood forest stands Burton, Julia I.; Zenner, Eric K.; Frelich, Lee E. Forest Ecology and Management, Vol. 258, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2009.09.012	journal	November 2009
Thirty Years of Compositional Change in an Old-Growth Temperate Forest: The Role of Topographic Gradients in Oak-Maple Dynamics Chapman, Julia I.; McEwan, Ryan W. PLOS ONE, Vol. 11, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0160238	journal	July 2016
Beta-Diversity in Tropical Forest Trees Condit, R. Science, Vol. 295, Issue 5555 https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1066854	journal	January 2002
Mechanisms of Succession in Natural Communities and Their Role in Community Stability and Organization Connell, Joseph H.; Slatyer, Ralph O. The American Naturalist, Vol. 111, Issue 982 https://doi.org/10.1086/283241	journal	November 1977
Regional and local patterns in plant species richness with respect to resource availability Cornwell, William K.; Grubb, Peter J. Oikos, Vol. 100, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1034/j.1600-0706.2003.11697.x	journal	March 2003
Development of Tree Regeneration in Fern-dominated Forest Understories After Reduction of Deer Browsing de la Cretaz, Avril L.; Kelty, Matthew J. Restoration Ecology, Vol. 10, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1526-100X.2002.02037.x	journal	June 2002
Response of overstory and understory vegetation 37 years after prescribed burning in an aspen-dominated forest in northern Minnesota, USA – A case study Dhar, A.; Baker, C. D.; Massicotte, H. B. Plant Biosystems - An International Journal Dealing with all Aspects of Plant Biology, Vol. 152, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1080/11263504.2016.1255265	journal	November 2016
Rates and Mechanisms of Subalpine Forest Succession Along an Environmental Gradient Donnegan, J. A.; Rebertus, A. J. Ecology, Vol. 80, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1890/0012-9658(1999)080[1370:RAMOSF]2.0.CO;2	journal	June 1999
Climate change effects on northern Great Lake (USA) forests: A case for preserving diversity Duveneck, Matthew J.; Scheller, Robert M.; White, Mark A. Ecosphere, Vol. 5, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1890/ES13-00370.1	journal	February 2014
Early successional plant community dynamics on a reclaimed oil sands mine in comparison with natural boreal forest communities Errington, Ruth C.; Pinno, Bradley D. Écoscience, Vol. 22, Issue 2-4 https://doi.org/10.1080/11956860.2016.1169385	journal	October 2015
Pattern and process in neotropical secondary rain forests: the first 100 years of succession Finegan, Bryan Trends in Ecology & Evolution, Vol. 11, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1016/0169-5347(96)81090-1	journal	March 1996
Climate and interrelated tree regeneration drivers in mixed temperate–boreal forests Fisichelli, Nicholas A.; Frelich, Lee E.; Reich, Peter B. Landscape Ecology, Vol. 28, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-012-9827-z	journal	November 2012
Aspen Association in Northern Lower Michigan Gates, Frank C. Botanical Gazette, Vol. 90, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1086/334099	journal	November 1930
Measuring Nutrient Availability in Arctic Soils Using Ion Exchange Resins: A Field Test Giblin, A. E.; Laundre, J. A.; Nadelhoffer, K. J. Soil Science Society of America Journal, Vol. 58, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj1994.03615995005800040021x	journal	January 1994
Neutrality, niches, and dispersal in a temperate forest understory Gilbert, B.; Lechowicz, M. J. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 101, Issue 20 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0400814101	journal	May 2004
Invasibility and Abiotic Gradients: the Positive Correlation Between Native and Exotic Plant Diversity Gilbert, Benjamin; Lechowicz, Martin J. Ecology, Vol. 86, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.1890/04-09997	journal	July 2005
The Ecological Significance of the Herbaceous Layer in Temperate Forest Ecosystems Gilliam, Frank S. BioScience, Vol. 57, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.1641/B571007	journal	November 2007
Influence of Flooding and Landform Properties on Riparian Plant Communities in an Old-Growth Northern Hardwood Watershed Goebel, P. Charles; Pregitzer, Kurt S.; Palik, Brian J. Wetlands, Vol. 32, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-012-0300-1	journal	April 2012
The legacy of harvest and fire on ecosystem carbon storage in a north temperate forest Gough, Christopher M.; Vogel, Christoph S.; Harrold, Katherine H. Global Change Biology, Vol. 13, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2007.01406.x	journal	September 2007
Wood net primary production resilience in an unmanaged forest transitioning from early to middle succession Gough, Christopher M.; Vogel, Christoph S.; Hardiman, Brady Forest Ecology and Management, Vol. 260, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2010.03.027	journal	June 2010
Canopy closure exerts weak controls on understory dynamics: a 30-year study of overstory–understory interactions Halpern, Charles B.; Lutz, James A. Ecological Monographs, Vol. 83, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1890/12-1696.1	journal	May 2013
The role of canopy structural complexity in wood net primary production of a maturing northern deciduous forest Hardiman, Brady S.; Bohrer, Gil; Gough, Christopher M. Ecology, Vol. 92, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1890/10-2192.1	journal	September 2011
Fire, Logging, and Overstory Affect Understory Abundance, Diversity, and Composition in Boreal Forest Hart, Stephen A.; Chen, Han Y. H. Ecological Monographs, Vol. 78, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1890/06-2140.1	journal	February 2008
A General Hypothesis of Species Diversity Huston, Michael The American Naturalist, Vol. 113, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1086/283366	journal	January 1979
Soil nutrients influence spatial distributions of tropical tree species John, Robert; Dalling, James W.; Harms, Kyle E. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 104, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0604666104	journal	January 2007
Testing the assumptions of chronosequences in succession Johnson, Edward A.; Miyanishi, Kiyoko Ecology Letters, Vol. 11, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2008.01173.x	journal	May 2008
Ground-layer plant community responses to even-age and uneven-age silvicultural treatments in Wisconsin northern hardwood forests Kern, Christel C.; Palik, Brian J.; Strong, Terry F. Forest Ecology and Management, Vol. 230, Issue 1-3 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2006.03.034	journal	July 2006
Assessing the scale-specific importance of niches and other spatial processes on beta diversity: a case study from a temperate forest Laliberté, Etienne; Paquette, Alain; Legendre, Pierre Oecologia, Vol. 159, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-008-1214-8	journal	November 2008
Using the Landscape Ecosystem Approach to Assess Species and Ecosystem Diversity Lapin, Marc; Barnes, Burton V. Conservation Biology, Vol. 9, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1523-1739.1995.9051134.x-i1	journal	October 1995
Ecologically meaningful transformations for ordination of species data Legendre, Pierre; Gallagher, Eugene D. Oecologia, Vol. 129, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1007/s004420100716	journal	October 2001
Plant species diversity and environmental heterogeneity: spatial scale and competing hypotheses Lundholm, Jeremy T. Journal of Vegetation Science, Vol. 20, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1654-1103.2009.05577.x	journal	June 2009
What is the Observed Relationship Between Species Richness and Productivity? Mittelbach, Gary G.; Steiner, Christopher F.; Scheiner, Samuel M. Ecology, Vol. 82, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1890/0012-9658(2001)082[2381:WITORB]2.0.CO;2	journal	September 2001
Effects of soil fertility and land-use on forest succession in Amazônia Moran, Emilio F.; Brondizio, Eduardo S.; Tucker, Joanna M. Forest Ecology and Management, Vol. 139, Issue 1-3 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-1127(99)00337-0	journal	December 2000
Temporal change in the herbaceous understory community of an old-growth forest: from seasons to decades Murphy, Stephen J.; McCarthy, Brian C. Plant Ecology, Vol. 215, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-013-0291-x	journal	January 2014
Influence of light and soil moisture on Sierran mixed-conifer understory communities North, Malcolm; Oakley, Brian; Fiegener, Rob Plant Ecology, Vol. 177, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-005-2270-3	journal	March 2005
Variation Partitioning of Species data Matrices: Estimation and Comparison of Fractions Peres-Neto, Pedro R.; Legendre, Pierre; Dray, Stéphane Ecology, Vol. 87, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.1890/0012-9658(2006)87[2614:VPOSDM]2.0.CO;2	journal	October 2006
The use of ground flora to indicate edaphic factors in upland ecosystems of the McCormick Experimental Forest, Upper Michigan Pregitzer, Kurt S.; Barnes, Burton V. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, Vol. 12, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1139/x82-100	journal	September 1982
Relationship of Topography to Soils and Vegetation in an Upper Michigan Ecosystem Pregitzer, Kurt S.; Barnes, Burton V.; Lemme, Gary D. Soil Science Society of America Journal, Vol. 47, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj1983.03615995004700010024x	journal	January 1983
Succession and management of tropical dry forests in the Americas: Review and new perspectives Quesada, Mauricio; Sanchez-Azofeifa, G. Arturo; Alvarez-Añorve, Mariana Forest Ecology and Management, Vol. 258, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2009.06.023	journal	September 2009
Vegetation Succession Pattern and Diversity Changes in a Glacier Valley, Central Alps, Austria Raffl, C.; Mallaun, M.; Mayer, R. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research, Vol. 38, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1657/1523-0430(2006)38[421:VSPADC]2.0.CO;2	journal	August 2006
Response of the herbaceous layer to natural disturbance in North American forests Roberts, Mark R. Canadian Journal of Botany, Vol. 82, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1139/b04-091	journal	September 2004
On the formation of dense understory layers in forests worldwide: consequences and implications for forest dynamics, biodiversity, and succession Royo, Alejandro A.; Carson, Walter P. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, Vol. 36, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1139/x06-025	journal	June 2006
Homogenization of northern U.S. Great Lakes forests due to land use Schulte, Lisa A.; Mladenoff, David J.; Crow, Thomas R. Landscape Ecology, Vol. 22, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-007-9095-5	journal	April 2007
Plant coexistence and the niche Silvertown, J. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, Vol. 19, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2004.09.003	journal	November 2004
Modelling niche and neutral dynamics: on the ecological interpretation of variation partitioning results Tuomisto, Hanna; Ruokolainen, Lasse; Ruokolainen, Kalle Ecography, Vol. 35, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0587.2012.07339.x	journal	March 2012
Homogenization of forest plant communities and weakening of species?environment relationships via agricultural land use Vellend, Mark; Verheyen, Kris; Flinn, Kathryn M. Journal of Ecology, Vol. 95, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2745.2007.01233.x	journal	May 2007
Dynamics in Late-Successional Hemlock–Hardwood Forests over Three Decades Woods, Kerry D. Ecology, Vol. 81, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1890/0012-9658(2000)081[0110:DILSHH]2.0.CO;2	journal	January 2000
Losses in understory diversity over three decades in an old-growth cool-temperate forest in Michigan, USA Woods, Kerry D.; Hicks, David J.; Schultz, Jan Canadian Journal of Forest Research, Vol. 42, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1139/x2012-006	journal	March 2012
Seven decades of change in forest structure and composition in Pinus resinosa forests in northern Minnesota, USA: Comparing managed and unmanaged conditions Young, Brian D.; D'Amato, Anthony W.; Kern, Christel C. Forest Ecology and Management, Vol. 395 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2017.04.003	journal	July 2017
Landscape variation in nitrogen mineralization and nitrification Zak, Donald R.; Pregitzer, Kurt S.; Host, George E. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, Vol. 16, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1139/x86-223	journal	December 1986

Similar Records

Spatial patterns of forest composition, successional pathways, and biomass production among landscape ecosystems of northwestern Lower Michigan

Thesis/Dissertation · Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1987 · OSTI ID:1801716

Host, G E

Understory plant communities show resistance to drought, hurricanes, and experimental warming in a wet tropical forest

Journal Article · Wed Jul 27 00:00:00 EDT 2022 · Frontiers in Forests and Global Change · OSTI ID:1801716

Alonso-Rodríguez, Aura M.; Wood, Tana E.; Torres-Díaz, Jamarys; +3 more

Ecological effects of pipeline construction through deciduous forested wetlands, Midland County, Michigan

Technical Report · Mon Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1991 · OSTI ID:1801716

Zellmer, S D; Rastorfer, J R; Van Dyke, G D

Related Subjects

Forestry

Title: Multidecadal shifts in forest plant diversity and community composition across glacial landforms in northern lower Michigan, USA

Citation Formats

References (59)

Similar Records

Related Subjects