Vegetation Dynamics of an Old-growth Mixed Mesophytic Forest in Southeastern Ohio, USA

Documenting change in the composition and structure of forest communities is important for understanding the distribution and abundances of natural resources, carbon pools, and species. Here, results are presented from the second sampling effort at Dysart Woods, an old-growth, mixed-mesophytic remnant tract in southeastern Ohio. In 2011, trees, saplings, shrubs, herbs, and soils were sampled in permanent plots established in 1996, allowing a direct fifteen–year comparison. Mortality and recruitment rates revealed that while most species at Dysart Woods are decreasing in abundance, sugar maple and American beech are rapidly increasing in importance, as is the invasive Alliaria petiolata. This shift in composition may be due to beech and sugar maple showing little negative responses to neighbors, and/or reflect increasing pressures that old-growth forests face from invasives. Such findings have considerable implications for the future of Dysart Woods, and developing appropriate management techniques may be required to preserve its integrity.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MS)

Level thesis:degree_level

masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Environmental and Plant Biology (Arts and Sciences)

Grantor dc:publisher

Ohio University

Year dc:date

2012

Author dc:creator

• Murphy, Stephen J.

Contributors dc:contributor

• McCarthy, Brian

• Botany
• Ecology
• Forestry
• Dysart Woods
• old-growth forest
• long-term monitoring
• Fagus grandifolia
• Acer saccharum
• Logistic Regression
• Ripley's K

Statement dc:rights

• unrestricted
• This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws.

Language dc:language

English

Repository record dc:identifier

http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1350941088

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:etd.ohiolink.edu:ohiou1350941088