Abstract
Abstract Previous work indicates that an evergreen shrub layer dominated by Rhododendron maximum L. and/or Kalmia latifolia L. is a critical component of Appalachian forests, potentially exerting control over forest structure and succession. Moreover, communities characterized by thickets of evergreen understory shrubs exhibit distinct patterning on the landscape associated with topographic gradients and disturbance. We compare distributions of R. maximum and K. latifolia in the warmer and drier Ridge and Valley physiographic province and on the cooler and wetter Allegheny Plateau of western Maryland and adjacent Pennsylvania and find that the relationships between community composition and the environment differ between these two physiographic provinces. Kalmia latifolia dominance is strongly associated with topographically dry locations and a history of gypsy moth defoliation, while R. maximum is associated with topographically wet positions in the Allegheny Plateau, but less so in the Ridge and Valley....
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