Cornus florida L. Mortality and Understory Composition Changes in Western Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Abstract

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Genetic structure and post‐glacial expansion ofCornus floridaL. (Cornaceae): integrative evidence from phylogeography, population demographic history, and species distribution modeling

“…Comparing diseased and non-diseased populations Dogwood anthracnose has heavily impacted natural populations of C. florida, causing high levels of die-off in some areas, e.g., 80% and 69% decreases in population density in oakhickory and oak-pine forests, but 94% in acid cove forests and 92% in typic cove and alluvial forests (Sherald et al, 1996;Rossell et al, 2001;Jenkins & White, 2002). In this study, we tested whether or not populations with the disease symptoms present were genetically differentiated from those with the symptoms absent.…”

“…Infected smaller trees die in 2-3 years. As a result, C. florida in some local forests of the southern Appalachian Mountain region were reported to have experienced a 48%-98% decline in density due to death of mostly small trees or seedlings (Sherald et al, 1996;Hiers & Evans, 1997;Jenkins & White, 2002).A recent study of several nuclear microsatellite loci on the current populations reported a gene diversity (He) of 0.68, but no significant differences between infected and uninfected populations (Hadziabdic et al, 2010). The study also found little population genetic structure in C. florida.…”

Documentation of Significant Losses inCornus floridaL. Populations throughout the Appalachian Ecoregion

“…Dogwood mortality is extensive following local colonization by D. destructiva [1,6,[20][21][22]. While many studies have quantified local losses of dogwood [6,10,11,[20][21][22] specifically attributed to D. destructiva, few, if any, studies have quantified large-scale losses across entire ecoregions.…”

“…Dogwood is one of the most common understory trees in North America and is an important member of the Eastern deciduous forest that has been and is currently threatened by an imported fungus [1,2]. Extensive dogwood mortality throughout the east and particularly the Appalachian ecoregion has been attributed to the fungus Discula destructiva Redlin (Dogwood anthracnose) [3][4][5].…”

An Assessment of Flowering Dogwood (<i>Cornus florida</i> L.) Decline in the Eastern United States

“…Cornus florida L. (flowering dogwood) is widely distributed across the eastern landscape of the United States (US) and is one of the most common understory trees in North America (Jenkins & White, 2002). Little (1971) describes the C. florida geographical distribution as covering the majority of the Eastern US from northern Florida and the Gulf Coast to southern Michigan and New England and extending as far west as eastern Oklahoma and eastern Texas.…”