Wm. Ford et al., Stand-age, stand characteristics, and landform effects on understory herbaceous communities in southern Appalachian cove-hardwoods, BIOL CONSER, 93(2), 2000, pp. 237-246
We surveyed cove-hardwood stands aged 15, 25, 50 and greater than or equal
to 85 years in the southern Appalachian Mountains of northern Georgia to as
sess the effects of stand-age, stand characteristics, and landform on under
story herbaceous communities from April to September 1995. Of 69 species an
d/or genera of spring-late summer herbaceous flora recorded, only four spec
ies' abundances differed among stand-ages surveyed. Disporum lanuginosum wa
s more abundant in older stands than in younger stands. Tiarella cordifolia
was absent in 25-year-old stands, but common in 15, 50, and greater than o
r equal to 85-year-old stands, and Lysimachia quadrifolia and Potentilla ca
nadensis were more common in 25-year-old stands than in older stands and 15
-year-old stands. Species richness, diversity, and evenness values did not
differ by stand-age. Stand characteristics and landform variables that were
related to herb species richness, diversity, and evenness values included
stand basal area, mean percent canopy cover, extent of connected cove habit
at, and area of cove habitat within 1 km radius of surveyed stands. Our res
ults indicate that landscape measures such as patch size or extent of simil
ar habitat, and connectivity to other suitable patches or habitats may be i
mportant considerations for assessing understory herbaceous community recov
ery following disturbances such as forest management activities. Published
by Elsevier Science Ltd.