Vegetation Dynamics of the Forest Edge -- Trends in Space and Successional Time

• DOI: 10.2307/2261391
• Publication Date: 2006-06-17T16:45:04Z
• Authors: Glenn R. Matlack
• Keywords: Microclimate

Forest herbs, shrubs, and tree seedlings were censused at five distances from human-generated edges 14 sites in south-eastern Pennsylvania northern Delaware, USA. varied orientation the degree of canopy closure, allowing comparisons vegetation by aspect successional stage. Soil depth pH measured sampling points a subset sites; microclimate data available parallel study. Edge-related pattern was observed overall species composition, distributions 15 individual species. At recently created forest edges, abundances correlated with steep climatic gradients. Although most edge-orientated clustered ≤ 5 m edge, some consistently reached peak densities up to 40 m, greatest distance surveyed (...)