Scott M. Pearson

Mars Hill College Biology Department Mars Hill North Carolina 28754 USA

(828) 689-1402 spearson@mhc.edu http://cwt33.ecology.uga.edu/piprofiles/pro_pearson.html Alan B. Smith

None Available None Available None Available None Available None Available USA

None Available None Available http://coweeta.ecology.uga.edu Monica G. Turner

University of Wisconsin Department of Zoology Birge Hall Madison Wisconsin 53706 USA

(608) 262-2592 mgt@mhub.zoology.wisc.edu http://cwt33.ecology.uga.edu/piprofiles/pro_turner.html The effects of disturbance, terrain shape, and soil chemistry on the diversity and abundance of cove forest herbs was studied in mesic forests. Herb communities were sampled using 250-400 m transects. These transects were placed in (a) highly disturbed, small patches of forest; (b) highly disturbed, large patches; and (c) relatively undisturbed, large patches. Herb diversity/abundance, terrain shape, and soil chemistry was sampled at a 10-m resolution. Species richness was greatest in the least disturbed sites in large patches. Disturbance negatively affected the coverage of old-growth indicator species, lilies, and mesophytic species. Differences in patch size, given the same level of disturbance, did not significantly affect the coverage of old-growth indicators and mesophytic species. Weedy species were most abundant in small patches. Disturbance had no significant effect on these weedy species in large patches. The abiotic factors having the greatest influence on coverage of cove and mesophytic species were: soil humic matter and soil pH. Terrain shape, soil cations, P and Ca were correlated with soil humic matter and pH. Herbaceous communities were sampled at sites have three levels of disturbance: low (no evidence of past disturbance or logged >1920), moderate (logged >1 time since 1870), high (previous agricultural use, woodland grazing and/or logging). There were 3, 6, and 4 sites at the low, moderate, and high disturbance levels, respectively. Each site was sampled using transect 250-400 m long, sampled every 2 m using a 0.5 m2 quadrat. In each quadrat, the count and percent coverage was recorded for each species. During analysis, five quadrats along a 10-m sections of the transects were summed. This 10-m data corresponds to the scale of soil and terrain shape measurements. Every 10 m along the transect, a soil sample was taken and a measure of terrain shape was calculated. The soil was taken from the top 10cm of soil (A horizon). These samples were analyzed for soil humic matter and chemical properties. Terrain shape was assessed by measuring the slope at eight points located 50 m from the transect at the cardinal and subcardinal directions. The sum of this slope provides an index of terrain shape (i.e., >0=concave terrain, less than 0=convex). Coweeta LTER land use herbaceous species land form soil chemistry soil carbon disturbance transect sampling Must adhere to the Coweeta LTER Data Policy (See http://coweeta.uga.edu/policies/data). http://coweeta.uga.edu/summaries/Csummary4013_b.html French Broad River Basin, Ivy Creek Watershed. No permanent plots. 1996-04-01 2005-01-01 Coweeta LTER Information Manager

Institute of Ecology University of Georgia Athens Georgia 30602 USA

(828) 524-2128 Ted Gragson

Institute of Ecology University of Georgia Athens Georgia 30602 USA

tgragson@earthlink.net principalInvestigator James Vose

Institute of Ecology University of Georgia Athens Georgia 30602 USA

jvose@fs.fed.us principalInvestigator Brian Kloeppel

Institute of Ecology University of Georgia Athens Georgia 30602 USA

kloeppel@sparc.ecology.uga.edu principalInvestigator The Coweeta LTER Research Program has evolved since 1980 from a site-based to a site- and region-based project examining the effects of disturbance and environmental gradients on biogeochemical cycling, and the underlying watershed ecosystem processes that regulate and respond to those cycles. The objective for the 2002-2008 research is to advance scientific understanding of the spatial, temporal, and decision-making components of land use and land-use change in the southern Appalachian Mountains over the last 200 years, and forecast patterns into the future 30 years. This will be accomplished by addressing ecological and socioeconomic aspects of land-use change while continuing long-term studies of environmental gradients and natural disturbance regimes. The result will be a more complete understanding of ecological dynamics in the southern Appalachian Mountains that makes possible the development of reasonable forecasts of its future ecological state. | The guiding hypothesis for the proposed research is that the frequency, intensity, and extent of land use represents human decision-making in response to socioeconomic and bio-geophysical conditions with consequences that cascade through ecosystems. The research activities are organized into three initiatives: (1) Characterization of the Socio-Natural Template, (2) Ecosystem Responses to the Socio-Natural Template, and (3) Forecasting Ecosystem Responses to Changes in the Socio-Natural Template. The integrated scientific research will provide both a description as well as an explanation of the underlying causes of land use and the consequences of land-use change for southern Appalachian ecosystems and society. It thus recognizes the complexity of land use as a process and the research needs as defined in the LTER Program and the broader scientific community. National Science Foundation. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in the material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. uid=cwt,o=lter,dc=ecoinformatics,dc=org all public read