Abstract
A total of 2314 trees was sampled from 170 randomly located plots to investigate ecological community relationships and species similarities of the vegetation covering the 12 000 ha Sipsey Wilderness in Alabama. Thirty-two tree species, 14 vegetation types and 10 landtypes were identified. Within each plot, the species were ranked based on their basal area to determine the relative importance of the species. A variety of species including white oak ( Quercus alba L.), post oak ( Quercus stellata Wangenh.), chestnut oak ( Quercus prinus L.), northern red oak ( Quercus rubra L.), red maple ( Acer rubrum L.), sugar maple ( Acer saccharum Marsh.), loblolly pine ( Pinus taeda L.), virginia pine ( Pinus virginiana Mill.), pignut hickory ( Carya glabra Sweet) and yellow poplar ( Liriodendron tulipifera L.) were important species differentiating the ecological communities. Percent basal area (BA%) of each species in the plots was also computed. The vegetation-types and landtypes were characterized by average ranks and BA% of the species. Relationships between the vegetation-types were examined by cluster analysis.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have