Document: TOD-3-40-43

Spatial distribution of vernal herb in Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

JOBE, R.T.* ¹, A.J.MEIER ¹ and S.P.BRATTON ²

Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Kentucky 42101 USA ¹
Whitworth College, Spokane, Washington 99251 USA ²

Abstract:
The spatial distribution of herbs and the probability of co-occurrence of species are important when considering the impact of disturbance on herb populations. The experimental design consisted of 19 mutually exclusive transects of varying lengths. Observational units of each transect were 90m by 90m quadrats joined pair-wise. A total of 869 quadrats were assessed. For each quadrat, presence or absence for each of 23 herb species was recorded. Analysis against a null hypothesis that herbs occurred randomly throughout the study site revealed that clumping was present in the distribution of the herb species. Extreme significance was shown for most herbs including, Caulophyllum thalictroides and Podophyllum peltatum. Also, relationships in the probability of co-occurrence for pairs of species were found. Analysis suggests that herb populations are naturally clumped. Some pairs of showing co-occurrence were Caulophyllum thalictroides by Dicentra cucullaria, Trillium erectum by Erythronium americanum, and Anemonella thalictroides by Carex plantaginea. The evidence suggests that vernal herbs exhibit clumped distributions and that some pairs co-occur.

Keywords: herbs, Great Smoky Mountains, spatial distribution

This abstract is being presented at: 9:30 AM in session:
Oral Session #59: Plant Communities: Vegetative Analysis.