Ecological Factors Controlling Nineteenth-Century Forest Vegetation of the Great Lakes Basin
Dlutkowski S and Stottlemyer R. 1988. Ecological Factors Controlling Nineteenth-Century Forest Vegetation of the Great Lakes Basin. Research Report No. 31. Michigan Technological University, Department of Biological Sciences. Houghton, MI
The Great Lakes basin is a major ecotone. Plant distribution is determined by climate while local variation is due to edaphic factors. Actual species occurrence is a function of site factors such as microclimate, plant dispersal, chance, symbionts, and competition. The objective of this study is to quantify the extent of major forest species during presetlement time (before 1850 ), and identify the major ecological factors responsible for their distribution. Methods which have traditionally been employed to assess this question include General Land Office surveys, lake/bog sediment analyses, intensive quantification of living and dead plant matter, historical records, and combinations of these methods. The use of General Land Office survey data to quantitatively assess historical vegetation patterns has been minimal, but if combined with climate and soils data it could yield potentially valuable regional results. Definitive results from paleoecological study remain limited by the relatively low number of sites assessed and what can be interpreted from the results. The study of mechanisms operating over time at the local level has been minimal. Such study, especially if integrated with climate and soils data, probably has the most potential in explaining present and past plant occurrences in national parks. Several additional potentially valuable study proposals are outlined.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Dlutkowski, Susan; Stottlemyer, Robert
- Date of Issue
- 1988-03
- Publisher
- Michigan Technological University, Department of Biological Sciences
- Units
- APIS , INDU , ISRO , VOYA
- Keywords
- Ecology, GLO (General Land Office), Great Lakes, Paleoenvironment, Plant Communities, presettlement, Research & Studies, Vegetation Change