Spatial dynamics of primary forest succession along the Glacier Bay chronosequence
Weishampel JF and Shugart HH. 1994. Spatial dynamics of primary forest succession along the Glacier Bay chronosequence. Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America. 75(2):244
Within-sere spatial patterns representing three stages of post-glacial primary succession of an Alaskan coastal forest were analyzed. Cartesian coordinates of each stem > 1 cm dbh were recorded from a 2.56 ha ~80 yr, Sitka alder/willow spp./black cottonwood plot, a 4.0 ha ~220 yr Sitka spruce/western hemlock plot, and four, 1.0 ha >500 yr hemlock/spruce plots. The resulting stem maps were examined in terms of intra- and inter- group (e.g., species, size-class, mortality status) spatial relationships measured respectively with standard univariate and bivariate point pattern analysis techniques. Canopy dominant stems for all seral stages were the only group to exhibit random or uniform distributions across a range of scales (i.e., 1-20 m). Interspecific correlations among primary species were positive for the ~80 and ~220 yr seres at the majority of observed scales implying periods of facilitation and coalescence. But, interspecific correlation between the primary species for the >500 yr plots was significantly negative at 3 m suggesting spruce exclusion as hemlock patches coalesce. Negative correlations between recently invading/living understory and established species/canopy dominant stems as well as a positive correlation between canopy dominant and dead understory stems at scales of overstory crown widths (<7 m) correspond to gap-dynamic theory.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Weishampel, John; Shugart, Herman
- Units
- GLBA
- Keywords
- Glacier Bay National Park AK, Plant Studies, Succession