Bryophyte Community Response to Prescribed Fire and Thinning in Mixed-Oak Forests of the Unglaciated Allegheny Plateau
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| Language: | English |
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Ohio University / OhioLINK
2013
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| Online Access: | http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1357589299 |
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ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-ohiou13575892992021-08-03T05:20:09Z Bryophyte Community Response to Prescribed Fire and Thinning in Mixed-Oak Forests of the Unglaciated Allegheny Plateau Wiley, John J., Jr. Botany Conservation Ecology Environmental Science Environmental Studies Experiments Forestry Plant Biology Plant Sciences Statistics bryophyte forest fire thinning oak ANOVA substrate CWD moisture Ohio Silvicultural treatments are applied to forests to meet a variety of management objectives including timber production and wildlife habitat management. However, such methods may also profoundly affect other non-timber forest resources and negatively impact biodiversity. Modern forest science has largely neglected the role of forest management activities on bryophytes; thus, we have little insight as to how bryophyte communities respond to stand level treatments. The goal of this investigation was to explore changes in mixed-oak forest bryophyte communities associated with the common silvicultural methods of prescribed fire and thinning. Study sites were within the design of the USDA Forest Service Fire and Fire Surrogate (FFS) Research Program located in three southeastern Ohio forests. Each of these forests contain four treatments: untreated control, prescribed fire only, thinning only, and combined prescribed fire and thinning. Bryophyte occurrence and associated environmental variables were estimated in five 2 × 5 m quadrats along nine linear transects stratified by an integrated moisture index (IMI) in each treatment. I found a total of 116 bryophyte taxa (97 mosses, 19 liverworts). Of these, only 65 were found in more than 5% of the transects. Burning in xeric sites clearly altered bryophyte community richness and composition as burned sites had a 50% 4 reduction in mean richness and a disproportionate decrease in corticolous species. Mesic moisture conditions appear to mitigate species loss and community change. Thinning strongly altered woody substrate availability; however, the increased availability of these substrates did not significantly alter the bryophyte community in relation to their abundance. The use of fire on xeric sites may have a profound long-term negative impact on bryophyte diversity. Thinning may have a multi-decadal legacy effect on bryophyte species that does not appear to significantly degrade the bryophyte community. 2013-06-17 English text Ohio University / OhioLINK http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1357589299 http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1357589299 unrestricted This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws. |
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NDLTD |
| language |
English |
| sources |
NDLTD |
| topic |
Botany Conservation Ecology Environmental Science Environmental Studies Experiments Forestry Plant Biology Plant Sciences Statistics bryophyte forest fire thinning oak ANOVA substrate CWD moisture Ohio |
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Botany Conservation Ecology Environmental Science Environmental Studies Experiments Forestry Plant Biology Plant Sciences Statistics bryophyte forest fire thinning oak ANOVA substrate CWD moisture Ohio Wiley, John J., Jr. Bryophyte Community Response to Prescribed Fire and Thinning in Mixed-Oak Forests of the Unglaciated Allegheny Plateau |
| author |
Wiley, John J., Jr. |
| author_facet |
Wiley, John J., Jr. |
| author_sort |
Wiley, John J., Jr. |
| title |
Bryophyte Community Response to Prescribed Fire and Thinning in Mixed-Oak Forests of the Unglaciated Allegheny Plateau |
| title_short |
Bryophyte Community Response to Prescribed Fire and Thinning in Mixed-Oak Forests of the Unglaciated Allegheny Plateau |
| title_full |
Bryophyte Community Response to Prescribed Fire and Thinning in Mixed-Oak Forests of the Unglaciated Allegheny Plateau |
| title_fullStr |
Bryophyte Community Response to Prescribed Fire and Thinning in Mixed-Oak Forests of the Unglaciated Allegheny Plateau |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Bryophyte Community Response to Prescribed Fire and Thinning in Mixed-Oak Forests of the Unglaciated Allegheny Plateau |
| title_sort |
bryophyte community response to prescribed fire and thinning in mixed-oak forests of the unglaciated allegheny plateau |
| publisher |
Ohio University / OhioLINK |
| publishDate |
2013 |
| url |
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1357589299 |
| work_keys_str_mv |
AT wileyjohnjjr bryophytecommunityresponsetoprescribedfireandthinninginmixedoakforestsoftheunglaciatedalleghenyplateau |
| _version_ |
1719418689774682112 |