Patterns and controls of ecosystem function in longleaf pine - wiregrass savannas. I. Aboveground net primary productivity

Mitchell, Robert J.; Kirkman, L. Katherine; Pecot, Stephen D.; Wilson, Carlos A.; Palik, Brian J.; Boring, Lindsay R.

doi:10.1139/cjfr-29-6-743

Cited by 42 publications

(77 citation statements)

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“…Among these pine forest ecosystems, pine flatwoods are characterized by dry, sandy, nutrientpoor soils and a frequent fire-regime (every 3-10 years). Site moisture availability largely controls the productivity of these ecosystems [31] and the dominant canopy species [32]. The mesic pine flatwoods in southern peninsular Florida are dominated by Pinus elliottii Engelm.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydrological and climatic responses of Pinus elliottii var. densa in mesic pine flatwoods Florida, USA

Ford

Brooks

2003

Ann. For. Sci.

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-Pinus elliottii Engelm. var. densa Little & Dorman is the only native sub-tropical pine in the US and is now restricted to an estimated 4.5% of its original area. To understand how this species might respond to changing environments, we examine the relationship between two hydrologic variables and growth of three stands of P. elliottii var. densa occurring along a hydrologic gradient using tree-ring records. The two variables were a short-term indicator of water status, precipitation minus potential evapotranspiration (P-PET), and a long-term indicator of water status, runoff (R). Growth at all sites was positively correlated to current growing season P-PET and R, and strongly, negatively correlated with previous winter R. The positive correlation with spring R was greater in the site with the deepest water table than in sites with shallower water tables. We discuss the potential for root dynamics to explain the relationships between growth and R.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydrological and climatic responses of Pinus elliottii var. densa in mesic pine flatwoods Florida, USA

Ford

Brooks

2003

Ann. For. Sci.

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“…The JJERC is an 11,000 ha reserve located within the Plains and Wiregrass Plains subsections of the Lower Coastal Plain and Flatwoods section. The center has extensive stands of second-growth longleaf pine, and has been managed with low intensity, dormant-season prescribed fires for the past~75 years [21]. The stands used for this study are approximately 90 years in age and were naturally regenerated.…”

Section: Study Sitesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The poorly drained sites occur on upland terraces with soils classified as Aquic Arenic Kandiudults. These soils are sandy loam over sandy clay loam or clay on nearly level slopes with a water holding capacity of 40 cm water m´1 soil [21]. An argillic horizon is present within 50 cm of the soil surface.…”

Section: Study Sitesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The excessively well-drained sites occur on upland sand ridges of undulating slopes of 3%-4% and have deep, sandy soils, with no argillic horizon, i.e., no significant accumulation of clay is found within 300 cm of the surface. These soils are Typic Quartzipsamments with a water-holding capacity (in the upper 300 cm) of~18 cm water m´1 of soil [21]. Hereafter, we refer to the moderately poorly drained site as mesic and excessively well-drained site as xeric.…”

Section: Study Sitesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…)-dominated forests within the Southeastern United States (SEUS), to better understand their carbon dynamics [18][19][20]. The longleaf pine forest is an excellent example of how placement of a stand within the landscape has led to variation in structure and function, particularly when influenced by water limitations [21][22][23][24]. Soil water holding capacity has been shown to be the primary variable that controls net primary production (NPP) within the longleaf ecosystem [21], and was linked to plant rooting zones and access to the water table [23,25].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Carbon Dynamics of Pinus palustris Ecosystems Following Drought

Starr

Staudhammer

Wiesner

et al. 2016

Forests

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Drought can affect forest structure and function at various spatial and temporal scales. Forest response and recovery from drought may be a result of position within landscape. Longleaf pine forests in the United States have been observed to reduce their carbon sequestration capacity during drought. We collected eddy covariance data at the ends of an edaphic longleaf pine gradient (xeric and mesic sites) over seven years; two years of normal rainfall were followed by 2.5 years of drought, then 2.5 years of normal or slightly above-average rainfall. Drought played a significant role in reducing the physiological capacity of the sites and was compounded when prescribed fire occurred during the same periods. The mesic site has a 40% greater basal area then the xeric site, which accounts for its larger sequestration capacity; however, both sites show the same range of variance in fluxes over the course of the study. Following drought, both sites became carbon sinks. However, the xeric site had a longer carry-over effect and never returned to pre-drought function. Although this study encompassed seven years, we argue that longer studies with greater spatial variance must be undertaken to develop a more comprehensive understanding of forest response to changing climate.

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The path back: oaks (Quercusspp.) facilitate longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) seedling establishment in xeric sites

et al. 2016

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Mitchell. 2016. The path back: oaks (Quercus spp.) facilitate longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) seedling establishment in xeric sites. Ecosphere 7(6):e01361. 10.1002/ecs2.1361Abstract. Understanding plant-plant facilitation is critical for predicting how plant community function will respond to changing disturbance and climate. In longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) ecosystems of the southeastern United States, understanding processes that affect pine reproduction is imperative for conservation efforts that aim to maintain ecosystem resilience across its wide geographic range and edaphic gradients. Variation in wildland fire and plant-plant interactions may be overlooked in "coarse filter" restoration management, where actions are often prescribed over a variety of ecological conditions with an assumed outcome. For example, hardwood reduction techniques are commonly deemed necessary for ecological restoration of longleaf pine ecosystems, as hardwoods are presumed competitors with longleaf pine seedlings. Natural regeneration dynamics are difficult to test experimentally given the infrequent and irregular mast seed events of the longleaf pine. Using a long-term, large-scale restoration experiment and a long-term monitoring data site at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida (USA), this study explores the influence of native fire-intolerant oaks on longleaf regeneration. We test for historical observations of hardwood facilitation against the null hypothesis of competitive exclusion. Our results provide evidence of hardwood facilitation on newly germinated longleaf pine seedlings (<2 yr old) after two mast seeding events (1996, 2011). Using regression-tree and Kaplan-Meier survival analyses, we found that deciduous oak midstory density was the most significant variable associated with longleaf pine seedling survival rates in the first 2 yr after germination. We found that as few as 43 oak midstory stems ha −1 were sufficient to facilitate seedling survival, but as many as 1400 stems ha −1 maintained facilitation without competitive exclusion of seedlings. We found that 1.5-yr-old pine seedlings were more moisture stressed under more open canopy conditions when compared to those immediately adjacent to a midstory oak canopy. Recognition that deciduous oaks are important facilitators of longleaf seedling establishment on xeric sites represents a significant departure from conventional wisdom and current management practices that has largely focused on competitive exclusion. This points to a critical role of a deciduous oak midstory of moderate densities for long-term ecosystem resilience in xeric longleaf pine ecosystems in light of climate uncertainty.

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Patterns and controls of ecosystem function in longleaf pine - wiregrass savannas. I. Aboveground net primary productivity

Cited by 42 publications

References 0 publications

Hydrological and climatic responses of Pinus elliottii var. densa in mesic pine flatwoods Florida, USA

Hydrological and climatic responses of Pinus elliottii var. densa in mesic pine flatwoods Florida, USA

Carbon Dynamics of Pinus palustris Ecosystems Following Drought

The path back: oaks (Quercusspp.) facilitate longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) seedling establishment in xeric sites

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