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  • 2023 Forest Composition Data at the University of Michigan Biological Station, Pellston, MI
  • Menna, Angela; Field Technician; Virginia Commonwealth University
    McClain, Erin-Darby; Field Technician; Virginia Commonwealth University
    Sunil, Sona; Research Experience for Undergraduates; Virginia Commonwealth University
    Johnson, Ariel; PhD Student; Virginia Commonwealth University
  • 2024-01-08
  • Menna, A., E. McClain, S. Sunil, and A. Johnson. 2024. 2023 Forest Composition Data at the University of Michigan Biological Station, Pellston, MI ver 1. Environmental Data Initiative. https://doi.org/DOI_PLACE_HOLDER (Accessed 2024-12-28).

  • In many forests worldwide, insect disturbances are increasing, impacting plant community composition and forest structure. However, the extent to which these changes in community composition and structure influence the amount of C stored annually in plant biomass, or net primary production (NPP), remains poorly understood. We examined whether plant community composition, structural change, and NPP respond similarly to increasing disturbance severity and to the treatment types preferentially affecting large and small diameter trees. This knowledge is vital to management and modeling when trying to make inferences about the structural and functional response of forested ecosystems to various levels of disturbance caused by insects. The Forest Resilience Threshold Experiment (FoRTE) is a replicated study of disturbance type and severity using stem-girdling to achieve four levels of gross defoliation from 0% (control) to 85%. Utilizing five years of leaf litter, seedling, and portable canopy LiDAR data, we analyzed relationships between community composition, structure and NPP across disturbance severity. Our results 5-years after the initiation of the girdling disturbance shows that mid-successional Fagus and Acer species dominate seedling and sapling composition, irrespective of disturbance severities. In contrast, the canopy was predominantly occupied by Acer and Populus species, surpassing Quercus and Fagus. Despite the prediction that high canopy mortality would foster an environment favorable to early successional species, their expected dominance didn’t manifest in any of the plots. NPP exhibited high resistance to disturbance across the gradient of disturbance severity, regardless of compositional changes and level of tree mortality. This suggests a decoupling between composition and production following altered functional responses to disturbance. As we manage forests for greater stability in the face of increasing disturbance and intensifying climate change, our analysis suggests that C cycling stability may be possible despite substantial community compositional changes.

  • N: 45.56      S: 45.56      E: 84.68      W: 84.68
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  • DOI PLACE HOLDER
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