The relationship between winter minimum temperatures and spring phenology in a Southern Appalachian Cove

Abstract

SummaryWinter minimum temperatures were recorded at four sites in Station Cove, a forested flat-bottomed ravine in the southern Appalachians of South Carolina, U.S.A. Unlike minimum temperatures found in frost hollows, cove minima were warmer than those found outside of the cove. Within the cove, minimum temperatures at study sites in the narrow, gorge4ike western portion near a 20 m high cascade were warmer than those in the broader, eastern portion. Additionally, minimum temperatures near the ground were warmer than those at 1.4 m height above the surface. Selected springflowering plant species bloomed earlier in the western portion of the cove, while for the same plant species, within cove flowering dates were 2 to 3 weeks earlier than those outside of the cove. Station Cove, therefore, appears to harbor a microclimate that allows for much earlier flowering and leafing out of plant species in spring than does the surrounding region. ZusammenfassungDer

Biogeographic origin, taxonomic status, and conservation biology of Asplenium monanthes L. in the southeastern United States

“…All microclimate studies reviewed supported this phenomenon. Gaddy et al ( 1984) measured winter temperatures in a cove (cf. gorge) near the Carolinas' Jocassee gorges in which A. monanthes is found. The steepest part of the cove had minimum temperatures an average 2.65° C warmer than the flatter mouth of the cove on clear nights.…”