NDLI: Functional Role of the Herbaceous Layer in Eastern Deciduous Forest Ecosystems

Content Provider	Springer Nature Link
Author	Elliott, Katherine J. Vose, James M. Kepp, Jennifer D. Clinton, Barton D. Kloeppel, Brian D.
Copyright Year	2014
Abstract	The importance of the herbaceous layer in regulating ecosystem processes in deciduous forests is generally unknown. We use a manipulative study in a rich, mesophytic cove forest in the southern Appalachians to test the following hypotheses: (i) the herbaceous functional group (HFG) in mesophytic coves accelerates carbon and nutrient cycling, (ii) high litter quality input and rapid nutrient turnover associated with HFG will have a positive effect on overstory tree growth, and (iii) the HFG regulates tree regeneration with negative effects on seedling establishment due to competition for resources. We established treatment plots in a mesic, cove-hardwoods forest and removed the herbaceous flora (HR, removed twice per year) or added herbaceous organic material (OMA, once per year) for comparison to a no removal (NR) reference for a total of 14 years. The OMA treatment stimulated soil N-mineralization and increased litterfall mass and N content. OMA N-mineralization rates were more than two times greater than both the NR and HR treatments; however, we did not detect significant differences in soil CO2 efflux among treatments. Higher overstory litterfall mass and N in the OMA treatment plots indicated that overstory trees were benefiting from the enhanced soil N-mineralization. Higher overstory leaf mass and N suggests an important linkage between HR and aboveground net primary production even though this did not translate into greater tree basal area increment. We found an increase in regeneration of all tree species with HFG removal, and the response was particularly evident for Acer rubrum seedlings.
Starting Page	221
Ending Page	236
Page Count	16
File Format	PDF
ISSN	14329840
Journal	Ecosystems
Volume Number	18
Issue Number	2
e-ISSN	14350629
Language	English
Publisher	Springer US
Publisher Date	2014-11-15
Publisher Place	Boston
Access Restriction	One Nation One Subscription (ONOS)
Subject Keyword	functional group mesophytic cove tree growth litterfall forest floor soil CO2 efflux N-mineralization Ecology Plant Sciences Zoology Environmental Management Geoecology/Natural Processes Hydrology/Water Resources
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Ecology Environmental Chemistry Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

Sl.	Authority	Responsibilities	Communication Details
1	Ministry of Education (GoI), Department of Higher Education	Sanctioning Authority	https://www.education.gov.in/ict-initiatives
2	Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	Host Institute of the Project: The host institute of the project is responsible for providing infrastructure support and hosting the project	https://www.iitkgp.ac.in
3	National Digital Library of India Office, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	The administrative and infrastructural headquarters of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in
4	Project PI / Joint PI	Principal Investigator and Joint Principal Investigators of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in Prof. Saswat Chakrabarti will be added soon
5	Website/Portal (Helpdesk)	Queries regarding NDLI and its services	support@ndl.gov.in
6	Contents and Copyright Issues	Queries related to content curation and copyright issues	content@ndl.gov.in
7	National Digital Library of India Club (NDLI Club)	Queries related to NDLI Club formation, support, user awareness program, seminar/symposium, collaboration, social media, promotion, and outreach	clubsupport@ndl.gov.in
8	Digital Preservation Centre (DPC)	Assistance with digitizing and archiving copyright-free printed books	dpc@ndl.gov.in
9	IDR Setup or Support	Queries related to establishment and support of Institutional Digital Repository (IDR) and IDR workshops	idr@ndl.gov.in

Above- and Belowground Net Primary Production in a Temperate Mixed Deciduous Forest

Control of Nitrification by Tree Species in a Common-Garden Experiment

The Impact of Invasive Earthworms on Soil Respiration and Soil Carbon Within Temperate Hardwood Forests

Soil Moisture Alters the Response of Soil Organic Carbon Mineralization to Litter Addition

Herbaceous Understorey: An Overlooked Player in Forest Landscape Dynamics?

The Contribution of Litterfall to Net Primary Production During Secondary Succession in the Boreal Forest

Responses of Soil, Heterotrophic, and Autotrophic Respiration to Experimental Open-Field Soil Warming in a Cool-Temperate Deciduous Forest

Gross Nitrogen Dynamics in the Mycorrhizosphere of an Organic Forest Soil

Radiocarbon-Based Partitioning of Soil Respiration in an Old-Growth Coniferous Forest

Functional Role of the Herbaceous Layer in Eastern Deciduous Forest Ecosystems

Similar Documents

Above- and Belowground Net Primary Production in a Temperate Mixed Deciduous Forest

Control of Nitrification by Tree Species in a Common-Garden Experiment

The Impact of Invasive Earthworms on Soil Respiration and Soil Carbon Within Temperate Hardwood Forests

Soil Moisture Alters the Response of Soil Organic Carbon Mineralization to Litter Addition

Herbaceous Understorey: An Overlooked Player in Forest Landscape Dynamics?

The Contribution of Litterfall to Net Primary Production During Secondary Succession in the Boreal Forest

Responses of Soil, Heterotrophic, and Autotrophic Respiration to Experimental Open-Field Soil Warming in a Cool-Temperate Deciduous Forest

Gross Nitrogen Dynamics in the Mycorrhizosphere of an Organic Forest Soil

Radiocarbon-Based Partitioning of Soil Respiration in an Old-Growth Coniferous Forest

Functional Role of the Herbaceous Layer in Eastern Deciduous Forest Ecosystems