PARENT SESSION
Oral Session #7: Disturbance in Forests: Fire, wind, and other.
Presiding: G. Murray
Monday, August 5. 8:00 AM to 11:30 AM. Cochise Meeting Room, TCC.
Long-term influences of Hurricane Hugo on liana community structure in an old-growth southeastern floodplain forest.
Allen, Bruce*,1, Sharitz, Rebecca1, 1 Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, UGA, Aiken, SC
ABSTRACT- Twelve growing seasons after Hurricane Hugo devastated portions of the old-growth floodplain forest of the Congaree Swamp National Monument in South Carolina, the liana communities have responded to the disturbance levels. Liana populations were studied across hydrologic and disturbance gradients. Ten 1-ha plots were established following the hurricane in 1989-90, and re-sampled 4, 8, and 12 growing seasons later. In heavily damaged bottomland hardwood forests, liana density initially decreased dramatically. Twelve years later, however, densities had increased to exceed pre-hurricane levels. In less disturbed bottomland hardwood forests, vine communities have been relatively stable with small increases in density for all species. In slough forests, liana densities initially dropped but showed signs of recovery twelve years after the disturbance. Liana diameter growth rates continue to reflect size- and species-specific differences. Liana mortality rates peaked at 10%/year from 1990-94 and stabilized at ~6%/yr from 1994-2002. This mortality rate is more than twice the rate of similar diameter subcanopy and canopy tree species.
KEY WORDS: Liana, southeastern floodplain forest, hurricane, response to disturbance