FIFTEEN YEARS OF PLANT COMMUNITY DYNAMICS DURING A NORTHWEST OHIO OAK SAVANNA RESTORATION

摘要: Midwest oak savanna communities are noted for their unusual plant assemblages, but these have been reduced by more than 98% because of changing land uses and conversion to closed-canopy forests. We initiated an ongoing 15-year experiment in 1988 restore a 40-ha black (Quercus velutina) applying burn treatments that historically maintained this vegetation type. Groundlayer composition changed significantly both the treatment control, with exhibiting slight increases herbs such as wild lupine (Lupinus perennis) hairy puccoon (Lithospermum caroliniense), which species requiring greater insolation. Burn differentially affected different community characteristics during period, some sapling density decreasing other like richness remaining comparatively unchanged. Oak overstory was not treatments, reductions 33-50% needed consistency presettlement structure enhance diversity sunny shady microsites characteristic savannas. Results support continuation experimental restoration savanna, indicate further research is clarify long-term patterns temporal change vegetation.