Beverly Collins | Western Carolina University (original) (raw)

Papers by Beverly Collins

Forest Ecology and Management, 2006

We examined long-term impacts of mammalian herbivores and canopy gap characteristics on woody pla... more We examined long-term impacts of mammalian herbivores and canopy gap characteristics on woody plant establishment and growth within six size classes of canopy gaps created in 1994 in a southern bottomland hardwood forest. Woody stem composition (1996, 2004) and height (2004) were assessed in and out of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and swamp rabbit (Sylvilagus aquaticus aquaticus) exclosures in gap centers, and in additional plots in gap centers, edges, and beneath adjacent forest canopy. Herbivory did not influence vegetation patterns. Composition was more homogenous in 1996 than in 2004, both in gap centers, and along the gap center-forest understory gradient. Composition differed among gap sizes (oaks were more prevalent in larger gaps) and with distance from gap centers (wind-dispersed trees, wind-and animaldispersed trees, and oaks typified gap centers, gap edges, and forest understory, respectively). Seedlings and saplings were tallest in the smallest gaps and gap centers, intermediate on gap edges, and shortest in the forest. Maintaining low deer densities could continue to minimize mammalian herbivore effects on woody regeneration in this bottomland hardwood forest system. In addition, management for canopy openings in a variety of sizes could promote woody vegetation heterogeneity and regeneration of desirable tree species.

srs.fs.usda.gov

Species richness is highest in the Mid-South (856) and Coastal Plain (733), reflecting both the l... more Species richness is highest in the Mid-South (856) and Coastal Plain (733), reflecting both the large area of these subregions and the diversity of habitats within them. • The geography of species richness varies by taxa. Amphibians flourish in portions of the Piedmont and Appalachian-Cumberland highlands and across the Coastal Plain. Bird richness is highest along the coastal wetlands of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, mammal richness is highest in the Mid-South and Appalachian-Cumberland highlands, and reptile richness is highest across the southern portion of the region. • The South has 142 terrestrial vertebrate species considered to be of conservation concern (e.g., global conservation status rank of critically imperiled, imperiled, or vulnerable), 77 of which are listed as threatened or endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. More than 900 plant species are of concern, 141 of which are threatened or endangered. Threats to biodiversity are occurring throughout the region. • The proportion of species at risk varies among taxonomic groups: 46 percent of imperiled vertebrate species are amphibians, followed by reptiles (25 percent), mammals (16 percent), and birds (13 percent). The Coastal Plain (64) and Mid-South (55) lead in the numbers of imperiled vertebrate species, followed by the Appalachian-Cumberland highlands (31), Piedmont (29), and Mississippi Alluvial Valley (9). • Hotspots of vertebrate species of conservation concern include the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, Peninsular Florida, and Southern Gulf. Emerging areas of concern include sections within the Appalachian-Cumberland highlands

Canadian journal of botany, Jul 1, 1993

Coexistence of annual herbs Polygonum punctatum, a native, and Polygonum caespitosum, an immigran... more Coexistence of annual herbs Polygonum punctatum, a native, and Polygonum caespitosum, an immigrant, may result from (i) niche differentiation that reduces or avoids competition, (ii) competitive equivalence for shared resources, or (iii) interaction between a strong competitor and a species that tolerates competition. We investigated competitive interactions between the Polygonum congeners in a greenhouse experiment using plants grown from seed to seed set. Thinning profiles of monocultures were density dependent but did not differ between the species in monocultures. Biomass allocation to root, shoot, and racemes was not influenced by competition from conspecifics or congeners. Mature plant height and raceme production of both species were negatively affected by congener density; however, the species were not competitively equivalent. Polygonum caespitosum was suppressed into the shorter heights in mixture pots but produced more racemes at all but the greatest congener densities. Key words: competition, coexistence, annual herbs, immigrant.

Forest Ecology and Management, Aug 1, 2004

Species flood and shade tolerances are commonly used to explain regeneration and distribution of ... more Species flood and shade tolerances are commonly used to explain regeneration and distribution of canopy trees in bottomland hardwood forests. Restoration planning and management decisions for these highly threatened forests often match canopy species to site conditions based on published tolerance ratings. We identified 'regeneration strategies' by combining flood and shade-tolerance ratings with plant colonization traits, specifically seed size and dispersal mode, and asked if they predict field regeneration patterns of floodplain canopy species. From the literature, we identified four groups of species with theoretically similar regeneration strategies. We then used empirical evidence from three floodplain datasets to test whether the a priori groups were useful predictors of regeneration responses to gradients in canopy openness, flooding, and distance from forest edge. Species with different published tolerance levels overlapped substantially; minimum and maximum positions along each gradient overlapped, and the medians alone were useful in the empirical tests of three of the four defined strategy groups. Predicted responses for the strategy groups and fidelity of species to the groups were not always met over flooding or canopy openness and distance-to-seed-source gradients in the field. However, responses of species within the groups, and the groups themselves, suggest that flood and shade tolerances are coarse filters, or that they filter species establishment following a dispersal filter on species colonization. Thus, regeneration strategies based on a suite of characters related to colonization and species sorting over elevation and canopy openness heterogeneity have implications for BLH management and restoration. More empirical work is needed to evaluate the full range of species responses to multiple environmental gradients.

Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club, 1993

... Vines are often associated with heterogeneous light habi-tats such as gaps, forest margins, o... more ... Vines are often associated with heterogeneous light habi-tats such as gaps, forest margins, or canopy ir-regularities indicative of old gaps (Castellanos 1991; Hegarty and ... For example, Mones-tera seedlings are positively skototropic, or dark-seeking (Strong and Ray 1975). ...

The p,:",blic report.ing. b!Jrden for this collection of infof':Tlation is e~ti~ated to averc~ge ... more The p,:",blic report.ing. b!Jrden for this collection of infof':Tlation is e~ti~ated to averc~ge 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, atherm~an~maln.tamlng the~ata needed,~nd completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggesllons for reducing the burden, to Department of Defense, Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports (0704-01881, 1215 Jefferson DaVIS Highway, SUlle 1204, Arhngton, VA. 22202-4302 .. Respondents should be aware that notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall be subject to any penalty for falhng to comply wIth a collectIon of information If It does not display a currently valid OMS control number. This research evaluated effects of military training activities and forest management for the federally endangered red-cockaded woodpecker (RCW) on the sustainability of Fall Line sandhills plant communities and associated threatened, endangered and sensitive (TES) plant species. The primary goals were to identify current management conditions for the sandhills communities on military installations and other federal lands, to assess tradeoffs and potential conflicts among species habitat sensitivities, and to provide recommendations to optimize land management objectives. The overall objectives were: (1) at the landscape scale, to assess whether military training and forest management oflongleafpine woodlands to promote RCW habitat (single species management) are appropriate for managing sandhills communities; and (2) at the species level, to determine how combinations of forest management and training activities affect individual TES species, including rare sandhills plants.

Abstract : SERDP Ecosystem Management Project (SEMP) was initiated in 1998 by the Strategic Envir... more Abstract : SERDP Ecosystem Management Project (SEMP) was initiated in 1998 by the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP), after a 1997 workshop on Department of Defense ecosystem management challenges. After the workshop, SERDP allocated initial funding to a new project, titled the SERDP Ecosystem Management Project, designated as CS-1114, which changed in mid-2005 to SI-1114. SERDP funded five ecological studies under the guidance of SEMP (SERDP Ecosystem Management Project). Three of the studies focused on identify-ing ecological indicators that reflected training-caused disturbance. Two studies attempted to characterize state-transition thresholds that could be attributed to combined training and land management impacts. This report summarizes the findings and recommendations of these studies with regard to : (1) Potential Application, (2) Disturbance Threshold and Indicators, (3) Stream and Water Quality, and (4) Threatened, Endangered, and At-Risk species.

Annals of Botany, Jun 1, 1988

Managing Forest Ecosystems, 2011

Well-managed forests and woodlands are a renewable resource, producing essential raw material wit... more Well-managed forests and woodlands are a renewable resource, producing essential raw material with minimum waste and energy use. Rich in habitat and species diversity, forests may contribute to increased ecosystem stability. They can absorb the effects of unwanted deposition and other disturbances and protect neighbouring ecosystems by maintaining stable nutrient and energy cycles and by preventing soil degradation and erosion. They provide much-needed recreation and their continued existence contributes to stabilizing rural communities. Forests are managed for timber production and species, habitat and process conservation. A subtle shift from multiple-use management to ecosystems management is being observed and the new ecological perspective of multi-functional forest management is based on the principles of ecosystem diversity, stability and elasticity, and the dynamic equilibrium of primary and secondary production. Making full use of new technology is one of the challenges facing forest management today. Resource information must be obtained with a limited budget. This requires better timing of resource assessment activities and improved use of multiple data sources. Sound ecosystems management, like any other management activity, relies on effective forecasting and operational control.

Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 2004

Floodplain forests are subject to frequent windstorms, which create canopy gaps and microtopograp... more Floodplain forests are subject to frequent windstorms, which create canopy gaps and microtopographic heterogeneity. Forest regeneration may be enhanced when light and microtopographic conditions are both favorable, but slower growing canopy species may still require multiple disturbance events to reach the canopy. In 2001, we revisited a cohort of Quercus michauxii Nutt. seedlings planted in 1995 on pitmound microsites that were constructed in and around canopy gaps to determine patterns of seedling persistence and investigate the effects of canopy openness and microtopography on seedling survival and growth. After 7 years, canopy openness in gap centers had decreased to levels that did not differ from levels in forest canopy. Seedling height and maximum root depth were greatest in gap centers, where light was initially greater but seedling growth rates declined over time. Soil moisture was greater in pits, where establishment and survival were very low. Roots of some seedlings rea...

Notes, 2007

All Treesearch publications were written or produced by Forest Service personnel and are in the p... more All Treesearch publications were written or produced by Forest Service personnel and are in the public domain. ... Author: Collins, Beverly; Hyatt, Philip E.; Trani, Margaret K. ... Source: In: Trani, Margaret K.; Ford, W. Mark; Chapman, Brian R., eds. The land manager's guide ...

Background/Question/Methods In Southern Appalachian forests, myrmecochory, or ant-mediated seed d... more Background/Question/Methods In Southern Appalachian forests, myrmecochory, or ant-mediated seed dispersal, is a diffuse mutualism between more than 42 plant species and ants of the genus Aphaenogaster. Myrmecochores produce lipid-rich appendages on their seeds called elaiosomes, a reward that attracts Aphaenogaster ants and facilitates dispersal. Myrmecochorous species vary in the timing of seed set, which generally occurs between March and September depending on species. Accordingly, forests with higher myrmecochore species diversity may provide a more continuous source of elaiosomes, which could affect foraging and nesting behavior. I compared myrmecochore abundance and diversity among young, middle-aged, and mature forests at nine sites in western North Carolina, and tested for correlations between herb community characteristics and Aphaenogaster foraging behavior, nest colonization, and elaiosome availability. I examined colonization of artificial ant nests paired with bait stat...

Southeastern Naturalist, 2006

... For their help with this research, we thank: Don Imm, Lisa Duncan, James Mason, Marlon Smith,... more ... For their help with this research, we thank: Don Imm, Lisa Duncan, James Mason, Marlon Smith, Erin Kough, Thomas Lee, Mary Harper, Jason Baxley, Aaron Campbell, Linda Lee, Leslie Zorn, Aubree McArthur, Aaron Knowles, and the natural ... CrossRef. Christensen, NL 1988. ...

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, a... more JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

Journal of Vegetation Science, 2001

Early old-field succession provides a model system for examining vegetation response to disturban... more Early old-field succession provides a model system for examining vegetation response to disturbance frequency and intensity within a manageable time scale. Disturbance frequency and intensity can interact with colonization and competition to influence relative abundance of earlier and later successional species and determine, respectively, how often and how far succession can be reset. We tested the joint effects of disturbance frequency and intensity on vegetation response (species richness, abundance, canopy structure) during the first six years of succession by clipping the dominant species (D) or all species (T) in spring and fall of each year (S), once per year in summer (Y1), each two years in summer (Y2), or each four years in summer (Y4). Vegetation response reflected disturbance effects on expansion of a later monospecific dominant perennial herb, Solidago altissima, and persistence of the early, richer flora of annuals. A more abundant and taller top Solidago canopy developed on plots clipped each 2 yr or less frequently. Plots clipped yearly or seasonally were richer, but had less abundant, shorter, and differently stratified canopy. Disturbance mediated the relative abundance of early and later successional species; however, frequency and intensity effects were not completely congruent. Persistence of a richer early successional flora increased through the most frequent disturbance (S), and was magnified by disturbance intensity. Disturbance as extreme as clipping all vegetation twice yearly did not cause a drop in species richness, but maintained the early successional community over the first six years of succession. We conclude that clipping disturbance influenced the rate of succession, but the early community could rebound through the range of disturbance frequency and intensity tested.