Woody Plant Regeneration in Four Floodplain Forests

Abstract

Between 1987 and 1990, we estimated seedfall and recorded age, growth, and survival of 10 933 tree and vine seedlings growing in the understories of four bottom land hardwood forests in South Carolina. The forests differed in flood frequency, soils, and vegetation structure but had a number of woody plant species in common. Several demographic processes were consistent for all four forests as well as for floodplain forests described in other published studies. Smaller seeded species had larger numbers of seeds dispersed, germinants, and established seedlings. Seed size, however, was not clearly related to seedling survival. Published rankings of shade and flood tolerances were also unrelated to survival, at least during the first growing season after germination. Seedling survival rates were least during the first growing season and greater in subsequent years. Within a growing season, early germinants had greater survival. For some species, survival was negatively related to basal area of neighboring conspecific adult trees. Some aspects of the regeneration process were more site specific. Within species, seedfall densities relative to adult tree abundance differed across forests by an order of magnitude. First—year seedling mortality rates were significantly affected by site and site x species interactions. Mortality in subsequent years was also significantly affected by site. Although the role of flooding in site—specific mortality was not clear, small elevation changes within flooded sites were correlated with changes in germination and survival for some species.