Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Differential Effects Of Understory And Overstory Gaps On Tree Regeneration, Brian Beckage, Brian D. Kloeppel, J. Alan Yeakley, Sharon F. Taylor, David C. Coleman

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Gaps in the forest canopy can increase the diversity of tree regeneration. Understory shrubs also compete with tree seedlings for limited resources and may depress tree recruitment. We compared effects of shrub removal and canopy windthrow gaps on seedling recruitment and understory resource levels. Shrub removal, with the canopy left intact, was associated with increased levels of understory light and soil moisture and coincided with increased species richness and diversity of tree regeneration compared to both control plots and canopy gaps. Canopy windthrow gaps, however, resulted in a more than 500 fold increase in soil nitrate concentrations, and seedling growth …