Vegetation dynamics and human disturbance on Isle Royale: Implications of the General Land Office Survey
Myers JR and Cole KL. 1997. Vegetation dynamics and human disturbance on Isle Royale: Implications of the General Land Office Survey. Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America. 78(4):290
Data from the 1847 General Land Office (GLO) survey of Isle Royale was transferred into a geographical information system (GIS) and compared to other GIS themes. Spatial patterns of tree distribution were tested for relation to physical parameters such as soil type, elevation, and distance from water. Deciduous forests of yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis) and sugar maple (Acer saccharum) were correlated to elevation and soil type. Spruce (Picea spp.) was more abundant adjacent to Lake Superior. Significant differences in the relative abundances of meander-point trees and section-corner trees were linked to species ecology and surveyor bias. The data show few major changes in the tree canopy species over the last 150 years. The low density of white and red pine (Pinus strobus and P. resinosa) and the isolated location of the island made logging difficult and impacts were localized. Several minor differences resulted from the effects of fires. Other differences have causes apparently related to long-term successional changes operating in the absence of fire. Pollen and charcoal analyses support the conclusion from the GLO data that tree-species abundance and distribution on Isle Royale have undergone little change over the past 150 years.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Myers, James; Cole, Kenneth
- Units
- ISRO
- Keywords
- Ecology, Global Change, Human Impacts, Plant Studies, Population Dynamics, Vegetation Change