PARENT SESSION
Oral Session # 15: Wetland Ecology I: The Everglades and Southern Wetlands.
Presiding: J Chick
Tuesday, August 5. 8:00 AM to 11:30 AM, SITCC Meeting Room 101.

Colonization and Establishment of Red Maple (Acer Rubrum) in a Southern Appalachian Wetland.

Warren, Robert^*,1, Rossell, Irene², Moorhead, Kevin², ¹ Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC² University of North Carolina at Asheville, Asheville, NC

ABSTRACT- Following a disturbance, there may be a recruitment window when conditions are optimal for the colonization and establishment of woody species. Research in terrestrial habitats has indicated that such a window for Acer rubrum establishment lasts approximately 1-14 years following a disturbance. The objective of this study was to investigate A. rubrum colonization and establishment in a southern Appalachian wetland by examining (1) the recruitment window for seedling colonization and (2) size and age dynamics in established stands. The study site was the Tulula Creek wetland complex, which includes both forested (dominated by A. rubrum) and early successional fen and floodplain habitats. The DBH and core age of understory and overstory trees were measured in 108 plots in three areas of the Tulula Creek wetland complex in 1994 and 2001 as part of a larger ecological study. The three areas were a cleared fen (open fen), forested fen (closed fen) and a cleared floodplain (open floodplain). A fourth site, a forested floodplain (closed floodplain), was sampled in 2001. Heights of A. rubrum seedlings were measured in 379 quadrats in the open floodplain in 1996 and 2001. Diameter and height distributions were compared with established distribution models in order to determine A. rubrum stand dynamics at the four sites. Results showed that recruitment continued (at a diminishing rate) at sites that were last cleared 7 years (open floodplain), 14 years (open fen) and approximately 30 years (closed fen) earlier. Seedling recruitment ceased after approximately 45 years of tree growth (closed floodplain). These results suggest that A. rubrum readily colonizes and becomes established in wetland habitats, and that the opportunity for its establishment may last longer in wetlands than in terrestrial systems.

Key words: Wetland ecology, Acer rubrum, Seedling recruitment