Plant Succession on Abandoned Farm Land in the Vicinity of New Orleans, Louisiana
Bonck J and Penfound WT. 1945. Plant Succession on Abandoned Farm Land in the Vicinity of New Orleans, Louisiana. The American Midland Naturalist. 33(2):520-529
The purpose of this study was to determine plant succession on abandoned fields in the vicinity of New Orleans. The following stages of plant succession for the area were identified: Annual weed stage; Perennial weed stage; and Shrub stage. Plots plowed in autumn have annuals such as Lamium amplexicaule and Alsine media as pioneers. Plots plowed in winter have Melilotus and Medicago as pioneers. From the second year onward after abandonment, shrubs increase in size and density until shrub stage is established at 10 years post abandonment. After 25 years, a field has the appearance of a young forest. Table 1: Successional march of communities on abandoned agricultural lands in the vicinity of New Orleans. Table 2: The annual weedy vegetation of fields plowed in October, November, or December (41 species listed). Table 5: A comparison of the relative importance of species in the shrub community in the thirteenth and twenty-fifth year after the fields were abandoned.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Bonck, Juanda; Penfound, W
- Units
- JELA
- Keywords
- New Orleans area LA, Plant Studies, Succession, Vegetation