Stability and change in minerotrophic peatlands, Sierra Nevada of California and Nevada. Forest Service research paper (Final)
Minerotrophic peatlands or fens in California's Sierra Nevada are small wet meadows surrounded by mixed conifer forest. The dynamics of vegetation change at the meadow edge and the ages and development of fens were investigated, in the Sagehen Creek Basin near Truckee, California, through the use of radiocarbon dating of peat, pollen studies, examination of processes of peat development and accumulation, stand age analysis of trees around peatlands, and evaluation of tree-ring variation. These approaches were used to evaluate both short- and long-term changes. Fens varied in age from more than 8000 years to less than 1000 years old. Results suggest that overall fen development proceeds rapidly, with peat buildup dependent upon adequate moisture supply. During fen development trees repeatedly invade and retreat from the fen edges. The timing of invasions appear unrelated to events such as human disturbance and climatic change. Instead, changes are most likely to result from alterations in groundwater supply in interaction with tree establishment, longevity, and water uptake. Little evidence was found that accepted successional models which emphasize predictable and gradual vegetational development apply to fens in the Sagehen Basin.
- Research Organization:
- Forest Service, Berkeley, CA (USA). Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station
- OSTI ID:
- 6412696
- Report Number(s):
- PB-91-103903/XAB; FSRP-PSW-198
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
CALIFORNIA
COAL DEPOSITS
AGE ESTIMATION
CARBON 14
DEPOSITION
EVALUATION
FORESTS
GROUND WATER
HYDROLOGY
ISOTOPE DATING
MOISTURE
NEVADA
PEAT
PLANTS
POLLEN
PROGRESS REPORT
TIME DEPENDENCE
TREES
VARIATIONS
WETLANDS
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CARBON ISOTOPES
DOCUMENT TYPES
ECOSYSTEMS
ENERGY SOURCES
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
FEDERAL REGION IX
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GAMETES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GERM CELLS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
MINERAL RESOURCES
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEI
ORGANIC MATTER
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RADIOISOTOPES
RESOURCES
USA
WATER
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
011000* - Coal
Lignite
& Peat- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration