Pits and mounds forest ecology pdf

Pit mound microtopography in most forests ranges from strikingly visual examples fig. Pdf pit and mound topography and its influence on storage of. Masters, director of research tall timbers research station shortleaf pine pinus echinata occurs across a wider variety of climates, soils, topography, moisture regimes and fire regimes and thus community types, than any other. The toppling of trees forms mounds of disturbed sediment and pits from which the mound removes sediment, rocks, and organic matter. Soil respiration in forest ecosystems is an important part of the forest carbon c cycle. Vertical pitmounds distribution of uprooted norway spruce picea. Treefall pits and mounds, formed when trees are uprooted by wind, influence an exceptionally broad range of phenomena in forests, having impacts on vegetation composition, soil formation, erosion, and soil respiration, among other processes. Influence of microtopography and canopy species on spatial. The windthrow niche was then used by beech whose individuals preferentially chose mounds to grow, conserving hummocky microtopography. The result of spatial correlations between canopy gaps with pits and mounds confirmed that windthrows cause micro successions in fallen tree ecosystemscale correlated with gap phase dynamics in the forest communityscale. The mounds and pits had characteristic assemblages of species. The book begins with an overview chapter of basic ecological principles and terms, including sound explanations of succession, biodiversity, and biogeography.

The influence of macrotermi tinae in increasing certain soil nutrients in mounds compared to adjacent soils has been documented, but the links between litter harvesting by termites, soil fertility, and global c cycling have not been explored. Pdf treefall pits and mounds, buried seeds, and the. Forest ecology and management center for international. How can forest ecology deal with ecosystem complexity and the large spatial and temporal scales of forest ecosystems. These processes have implications for forest soil development and forest. Patcnes of lead grass and the presence of small flies mycetopnilidae hovering over ripe spore. Pit and mound microtopography is an important structural component of most forests, influencing soil processes and habitat diversity. Our findings suggested that in context of forest ecology, pits and mounds. The uprooted tree falls, and a pit forms in the forest floor where the root mass.

Elsevier forest ecology and management 126 2000 5160. Variations in local climate can be used to monitor and compare the effects of different management regimes jiquan chen 1 associate professor in the school of forestry and wood products, michigan technological university, houghton, mi 49931. Seedling emergence, survival and size in relation to light. These ideas are illustrated by the case study examples of the south boreal spruce forests of the central forest reserve russia. The effects of windthrow on forests at different spatial. A comparative study of soil disturbance from uprooted trees. Barton d clinton and corey r baker, catastrophic windthrow in the southern appalachians. Studying the variation patterns of soil respiration under acid rain conditions is critically important for understandi. Newly formed treefall pits on bci rapidly filled with soil at an average rate of 8 cmyr. Our findings suggested that in context of forest ecology, pits and mounds following windthrow events should be considered as an effective factor influencing soil features i. Our research goal was to better understand the disturbance frequencies in these ecosystems and establish the potential longevity of treethrow mounds.

Pit and mound microclimate moisture was highest in the pit 34% and lowest on the mound top 23%. In japan, trees growing on mounds are elevated relative to. We characterized pit and mound pm topography resulting from catastrophic wind in the coweeta basin, and located 48 pms across a variety of forest types. The windthrow niche was then used by beech, whose individuals preferentially chose mounds to grow, conserving the hummocky microtopography. In the case of protected areas, no change in forest cover does not necessarily imply that the mam. Investigations of catastrophic windthrow, and detailed studies of natural single and multiple tree windthrow, have been.

Sporocarps also fruit in rotten logs that have been invaded by roots of ectomycorrhizal hosts. Spatial positive correlation of canopy gaps with pits and mounds were observed with all distances. Disturbances and structural development of natural forest. Confirmation should come from the branching pattern of the edge trees. Canoco reference manual and canodraw for windows users guide. Robust prediction of treefall pit and mound sizes from tree. Effects of pits and mounds following windthrow events on soil. Biomass kg fig, 1, scatter plot of pit and mound dimensions and biomass of the fallen tree. Where pit and mound plots were formed by more than one stem of a species, biomass was summed for all trees. Deciphering the history of forest disturbance and its effects. In japan, trees growing on mounds are elevated relative to competing vegetation of the same cohort nakashizuka, 1989. Fire ecology and management of shortleaf pine ronald e. Forest ecology and management 259 2010 10761084 1077. Xs indicate approximate locations of the 21 sites from which 42 plots were sampled in this study.

In the case of community management, no change in forest cover may imply a reduction in socioeconomic bene. The uprooted tree falls, and a pit forms in the forest floor where the root mass and associated soil matrix used to be. Treethrow featureshad volumesofroughly214225m3ha,andon average. Treefall pits and mounds, buried seeds, and the importance. Species in nonhemlock areas had patchy distributions in the forest community. Microtopography and ecology of pitmound structures in. Forest ecology and management vol 126, issue 1, pages 1. Conclusions glossary bibliography biographical sketch summary forest ecology is the study of forest ecosystems.

At a spatial scale relevant to seedlings, resource congruence was greater in the undisturbed forest than in the experimental blowdown, primarily because of the effects of blowdown on light levels. Lenart ea2010 forest ecology management request pdf. However, the presence of trees makes forest ecosystems and their study unique in numerous ways. Sites of uprooted trees in puerto rico and colorado were examined 1 to compare areas and volumes of mounds and pits relative to tree size, 2 to compare areas and volumes of mounds and pits formed during. The influence of the resultant pitmound microtopography on understorey herb distribution is largely due to microclimatic and microtopographic variation. Here, we compare forest regeneration in stands having recent partial. Species richness and total density and cover of plants in each microsite were constant over the growing season. Untitled msu department of geography michigan state university. Microsite and elevational influences on early forest. In mature forest on barro colorado island bci, republic of panama, 0. Disturbances and structural development of natural forest ecosystems with silvicultural implications, using douglas.

For example, treefall pits and mounds are known to have plant species composition with more pioneer species than nearby undisturbed soil. Pit and mound microrelief resultant microsites from trees uprooted by windthrow. Ecology of north america will serve as a good introductory text for students interested in the ecology of the continent. Salvage logging after windthrow alters microsite diversity. Microclimate in forest ecosystem and landscape ecology. We compare a simulated hurricane experiment initiated in 1990 in secondgrowth forest the pulldown and an oldgrowth forest that was blown down by a hurricane in 1938 pisgah to examine differences in pitmound microtopography and ecology between secondgrowth and oldgrowth forest. Publications usda forest service southern research station. Within a site, the forest floor area covered by pitmound structures produced by an uprooting event decreases over time, as mounds erode and pits fill. Most studies of wind disturbance that consider microsites have focussed on differential seedling establishment and survival between pits and mounds. Termites, particularly the mound building, fungus growing macrotermitinae, reach densities of up to 400 termites m.

However, the forest affected was a planted norway spruce monoculture, introduced and managed at least till the beginning of 20 th century, not a natural forest. Thereafter, a longterm ecological study was performed in several. For both species, mortality was consistently lower, and seedlings of both species grew better in both. Pit and mounds are small, persistent microtopographical features that present themselves after a disturbance event occurs and uproots trees via windthrow. Treefall pits and mounds, buried seeds, and the importance of soil disturbance to pioneer trees on barro colorado island, panama article pdf available in ecology 645. Forest ecology and management michigan state university. In the second situation, mounds and pits would most likely be absent from both sites, suggesting that the rocks came from. Spatial correlation of pit and mound topography with canopy.

The pits and mounds created by uprooted trees often increase or maintain tree species diversity by supporting species that are rare in undamaged forest peterson et al. Microtopography and ecology of pitmound structures in second. Treefall pits and mounds, buried seeds, and the importance of. However, the affected forest was a planted norway spruce monoculture, introduced and managed until at least the beginning of the 20 th century, and not a natural forest. Catastrophic windthrow in the southern appalachians. At pisgah, fewer, larger mounds comprised a similar areal. Thus, forest ecology is a highly diverse and important branch of ecological study. A tree throw or tree hole is a bowlshaped cavity or depression created in the subsoil by a tree they are formed either by the long term presence and growth of tree roots or when a large tree is blown over or has its stump pulled out which tears out a quantity of soil along with the roots. Mounds facilitate regeneration of lightseeded and browsesensitive.