Composition of Canyon-Slope Woodlands in Zoar Valley, Western New York, as Associated with Slope Orientation and Elevation

Composition of Canyon-Slope Woodlands in Zoar Valley, Western New York, as Associated with Slope Orientation and Elevation

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Catterlin, Richard
Language:English
Published: Youngstown State University / OhioLINK 2010
Subjects:
Biology
Ecology
Tree community composition
Slope orientation and elevation
Riparian
Zoar Valley
Online Access:http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ysu1290094544
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spelling ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-ysu12900945442021-08-03T06:17:54Z Composition of Canyon-Slope Woodlands in Zoar Valley, Western New York, as Associated with Slope Orientation and Elevation Catterlin, Richard Biology Ecology Tree community composition Slope orientation and elevation Riparian Zoar Valley The 11 km long and 50-140 m deep Zoar Valley Canyon in western New York State represents a nearly undisturbed riparian ecosystem. Forest composition and age structure have previously been studied on riverside floodplains and raised terraces, but the slopes above were heretofore unexplored. The present study aimed to catalogue tree species distributions on 20-60 degree slopes that also tend to be solidly forested. Two major objectives were to evaluate the influence on forest composition of north vs. south slope orientation and elevation above the river bed. Additionally, multivariate Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMDS) ordination was used to assess the relative roles of different slope communities in providing colonizers to the lower elevation fluvial landforms. A clinometer and laser range finder were used to measure slope angles and elevations of safe vantage points and of individual trees. Trees were identified to species and classified as understory, midstory, canopy, and emergent. South-facing slopes >40 m above the river supported xeric canopies, often <10 m in height, dominated by <i>Quercus rubra, Q. prinus</i>, and <i>Pinus resinosa</i> (57-93% of trees collectively). In contrast, north-facing slopes supported >30 m tall mesic canopies (<i>Acer saccharum, Fagus grandifolia, Tsuga canadensis, Fraxinus americana, Liriodendron tulipifera</i>) across their entire vertical profiles. Eastern hemlock was notably more abundant on mesic north‐facing slopes than on terraces below (27-48% vs. 2-27%, respectively), especially above 40 m where it comprised 42-58% of trees. Ordination results suggest xeric communities play little role in floodplain/terrace colonization (communities were widely separated in ordination space), but that mesic slopes have variable influence on the flats below. 2010-11-18 English text Youngstown State University / OhioLINK http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ysu1290094544 http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ysu1290094544 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.
collection NDLTD
language English
sources NDLTD
topic Biology
Ecology
Tree community composition
Slope orientation and elevation
Riparian
Zoar Valley
spellingShingle Biology
Ecology
Tree community composition
Slope orientation and elevation
Riparian
Zoar Valley
Catterlin, Richard
Composition of Canyon-Slope Woodlands in Zoar Valley, Western New York, as Associated with Slope Orientation and Elevation
author Catterlin, Richard
author_facet Catterlin, Richard
author_sort Catterlin, Richard
title Composition of Canyon-Slope Woodlands in Zoar Valley, Western New York, as Associated with Slope Orientation and Elevation
title_short Composition of Canyon-Slope Woodlands in Zoar Valley, Western New York, as Associated with Slope Orientation and Elevation
title_full Composition of Canyon-Slope Woodlands in Zoar Valley, Western New York, as Associated with Slope Orientation and Elevation
title_fullStr Composition of Canyon-Slope Woodlands in Zoar Valley, Western New York, as Associated with Slope Orientation and Elevation
title_full_unstemmed Composition of Canyon-Slope Woodlands in Zoar Valley, Western New York, as Associated with Slope Orientation and Elevation
title_sort composition of canyon-slope woodlands in zoar valley, western new york, as associated with slope orientation and elevation
publisher Youngstown State University / OhioLINK
publishDate 2010
url http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ysu1290094544
work_keys_str_mv AT catterlinrichard compositionofcanyonslopewoodlandsinzoarvalleywesternnewyorkasassociatedwithslopeorientationandelevation
_version_ 1719434314696884224

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