Life Sciences Commons^™

Decay Rates And Nutrient Dynamics In Confines And Nonconfined Leaf Litter In The Great Dismal Swamp, R. Frederick K. Yates

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

This study was designed to quantitatively compare decay rates and nutrient dynamics by the confined and unconfined litter techniques in a seasonally flooded swamp. In this study both methods indicated the same order of decay rates among sites (cedar>maple-gum>cypress> mixed hardwood), but the unconfined method showed faster decay rates at all sites. As in two years of previous data collection, the stands exhibiting some seasonal flooding showed greater decay rates than the mixed hardwood stand which was not inundated. Nutrient dynamics were not different between litter bag and leaf pack methods.

This study included a preliminary investigation of …

Vegetation Responses To Prescribed Burning In A Mixed-Conifer Woodland, Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, California, Bradford D. Martin

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study reports the results of light intensity prescribed burning on the vegetation of 3 jeffrey pine-black oak woodland sites in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, California. The 1.2 ha, 85 ha, and 6 ha burn plots were measured for tree and shrub density and basal area 6 months, 1% years, and 2 years following burning for the 3 sites respectively. Each burn site measured was compared against equivalent unburned control plots to help assess the effects of the burning. Density of saplings, seedlings, and herbaceous vegetation was also determined for the woodland understories. Dominance and relative dominance of herbaceous ground …