The research contained in this document characterizes environmental niches of bottomland hardwood (BLH) plant species, focusing on how gradients in light availability and flooding shape understory composition and exploring a potential trade-off between shade and flood tolerance. Field surveys demonstrated that small canopy gaps in BLH forest support shade-tolerant tree seedlings and increase understory plant diversity, but suppress shade-intolerant hardwoods such as oaks and hickories. A complementary greenhouse study demonstrated that two oak species exhibited similar responses to the experimental imposition of shading, flooding, and a combination of both. Both species responded to shading by a reduction in dark respiration rate, light compensation point, and height growth rate. Both species responded to flooding by increasing diameter growth rate, but only when not subject to shade. Together, these findings contribute to a broader understanding of the ecological factors that shape species’ distributions within BLH forests.
","abstract_html":"<p>The research contained in this document characterizes environmental niches of bottomland hardwood (BLH) plant species, focusing on how gradients in light availability and flooding shape understory composition and exploring a potential trade-off between shade and flood tolerance. Field surveys demonstrated that small canopy gaps in BLH forest support shade-tolerant tree seedlings and increase understory plant diversity, but suppress shade-intolerant hardwoods such as oaks and hickories. A complementary greenhouse study demonstrated that two oak species exhibited similar responses to the experimental imposition of shading, flooding, and a combination of both. Both species responded to shading by a reduction in dark respiration rate, light compensation point, and height growth rate. Both species responded to flooding by increasing diameter growth rate, but only when not subject to shade. Together, these findings contribute to a broader understanding of the ecological factors that shape species’ distributions within BLH forests.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Albrecht, Clifton F"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy - Forestry","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Forestry","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Dr. K. Rebecca Kidd","Dr. Jeremy Stovall","Dr. Brian Oswald"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2024,"date_issued":"2024-12-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2024-12-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:30:45Z","subjects":["bottomland","gap","regeneration","hardwood","understory","trade-off","Forest Biology"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/583","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Dr. K. Rebecca Kidd","Dr. Jeremy Stovall","Dr. Brian Oswald"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Albrecht, Clifton F"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2026-12-13T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Forestry"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Philosophy - Forestry"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["bottomland","gap","regeneration","hardwood","understory","trade-off","Forest Biology"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/583"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The research contained in this document characterizes environmental niches of bottomland hardwood (BLH) plant species, focusing on how gradients in light availability and flooding shape understory composition and exploring a potential trade-off between shade and flood tolerance. Field surveys demonstrated that small canopy gaps in BLH forest support shade-tolerant tree seedlings and increase understory plant diversity, but suppress shade-intolerant hardwoods such as oaks and hickories. A complementary greenhouse study demonstrated that two oak species exhibited similar responses to the experimental imposition of shading, flooding, and a combination of both. Both species responded to shading by a reduction in dark respiration rate, light compensation point, and height growth rate. Both species responded to flooding by increasing diameter growth rate, but only when not subject to shade. Together, these findings contribute to a broader understanding of the ecological factors that shape species’ distributions within BLH forests.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Regeneration Niche in Bottomland Hardwood Forests: Tree and Herbaceous Communities Along Interacting Gradients of Flood and Light in East Texas Floodplains"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Dr. K. Rebecca Kidd","Dr. Jeremy Stovall","Dr. Brian Oswald"],"dc:creator":["Albrecht, Clifton F"],"dc:date.available":["2026-12-13T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The research contained in this document characterizes environmental niches of bottomland hardwood (BLH) plant species, focusing on how gradients in light availability and flooding shape understory composition and exploring a potential trade-off between shade and flood tolerance. Field surveys demonstrated that small canopy gaps in BLH forest support shade-tolerant tree seedlings and increase understory plant diversity, but suppress shade-intolerant hardwoods such as oaks and hickories. A complementary greenhouse study demonstrated that two oak species exhibited similar responses to the experimental imposition of shading, flooding, and a combination of both. Both species responded to shading by a reduction in dark respiration rate, light compensation point, and height growth rate. Both species responded to flooding by increasing diameter growth rate, but only when not subject to shade. Together, these findings contribute to a broader understanding of the ecological factors that shape species’ distributions within BLH forests.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/583"],"dc:subject":["bottomland","gap","regeneration","hardwood","understory","trade-off","Forest Biology"],"dc:title":["The Regeneration Niche in Bottomland Hardwood Forests: Tree and Herbaceous Communities Along Interacting Gradients of Flood and Light in East Texas Floodplains"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Forestry"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Philosophy - Forestry"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:30:45Z"}