Plant richness and composition in hardwood forest understories vary along an acidic deposition and soil-chemical gradient in the northeastern United States
ATMOSPHERIC NITROGEN DEPOSITION
; SUGAR MAPLE
; HERBACEOUS LAYER
; ADIRONDACK MOUNTAINS
; SPECIES RICHNESS
; CALCIUM LOSS
; VEGETATION
; DIVERSITY
; CLIMATE
; ACIDIFICATION
WOS学科分类:
Agronomy
; Plant Sciences
; Soil Science
WOS研究方向:
Agriculture
; Plant Sciences
英文摘要:
AimsA century of atmospheric deposition of sulfur and nitrogen has acidified soils and undermined the health and recruitment of foundational tree species in the northeastern US. However, effects of acidic deposition on the forest understory plant communities of this region are poorly documented. We investigated how forest understory plant species composition and richness varied across gradients of acidic deposition and soil acidity in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State.MethodsWe surveyed understory vegetation and soils in hardwood forests on 20 small watersheds and built models of community composition and richness as functions of soil chemistry, nitrogen and sulfur deposition, and other environmental variables.ResultsCommunity composition varied significantly with gradients of acidic deposition, soil acidity, and base cation availability (63% variance explained). Several species increased with soil acidity while others decreased. Understory plant richness decreased significantly with increasing soil acidity (r=0.60). The best multivariate regression model to predict richness (p<0.001, adjusted-R-2=0.60) reflected positive effects of pH and carbon-to-nitrogen ratio (C:N).ConclusionsThe relationship we found between understory plant communities and a soil-chemical gradient, suggests that soil acidification can reduce diversity and alter the composition of these communities in northern hardwood forests exposed to acidic deposition.
1.SUNY Syracuse, Dept Environm & Forest Biol, Coll Environm Sci & Forestry, 1 Forestry Dr,246 Illick Hall, Syracuse, NY 13210 USA 2.US Geol Survey, New York Water Sci Ctr, Troy, NY USA 3.E&S Environm Chem Inc, Corvallis, OR USA
Recommended Citation:
Zarfos, Michael R.,Dovciak, Martin,Lawrence, Gregory B.,et al. Plant richness and composition in hardwood forest understories vary along an acidic deposition and soil-chemical gradient in the northeastern United States[J]. PLANT AND SOIL,2019-01-01,438(1-2):461-477