Southern Research Station

Title: Differential effects of understory and overstory gaps on tree regeneration

Author: Beckage, Brian; Kloppel, Brian D.; Yenkley, J. Alan; Taylor, Sharon F.; Coleman, David C.

Date: 2008

Source: Journal of The Torrey Botanical Society Volume 135: pp. 1-11

Description: Gaps in the forest canopy can increase the diversity of tree regeneration. Understory shrubs also compete with tree seedlings for limited resources and may depress tree recruitment We compared effects of shrub removal and canopy windthrow gups on seedling recruitment and understory resource levels. Shrub removal, with the canopy left intact, was associated with increased levels of understory light and soil moisture and coincided with increased species richness and diversity of tree regeneration compared 10 both control plots and canopy gaps.

Keywords: canopy gaps, Rhododendron, shrubs, species richness, tree seedling, understory gaps

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Citation

Beckage, Brian; Kloppel, Brian D.; Yenkley, J. Alan; Taylor, Sharon F.; Coleman, David C.  2008.  Differential effects of understory and overstory gaps on tree regeneration.   Journal of The Torrey Botanical Society Volume 135: pp. 1-11