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Functional Role of the Herbaceous Layer in Eastern Deciduous Forest Ecosystems

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Abstract

The importance of the herbaceous layer in regulating ecosystem processes in deciduous forests is generally unknown. We use a manipulative study in a rich, mesophytic cove forest in the southern Appalachians to test the following hypotheses: (i) the herbaceous functional group (HFG) in mesophytic coves accelerates carbon and nutrient cycling, (ii) high litter quality input and rapid nutrient turnover associated with HFG will have a positive effect on overstory tree growth, and (iii) the HFG regulates tree regeneration with negative effects on seedling establishment due to competition for resources. We established treatment plots in a mesic, cove-hardwoods forest and removed the herbaceous flora (HR, removed twice per year) or added herbaceous organic material (OMA, once per year) for comparison to a no removal (NR) reference for a total of 14 years. The OMA treatment stimulated soil N-mineralization and increased litterfall mass and N content. OMA N-mineralization rates were more than two times greater than both the NR and HR treatments; however, we did not detect significant differences in soil CO2 efflux among treatments. Higher overstory litterfall mass and N in the OMA treatment plots indicated that overstory trees were benefiting from the enhanced soil N-mineralization. Higher overstory leaf mass and N suggests an important linkage between HR and aboveground net primary production even though this did not translate into greater tree basal area increment. We found an increase in regeneration of all tree species with HFG removal, and the response was particularly evident for Acer rubrum seedlings.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Patsy Clinton and Chris Sobek for assistance in field sampling and Cindi Brown and Carol Harper for chemical analyses of plant and soil samples. We also thank Drs. Chris Oishi, Jennifer Fraterrigo, and Chelcy Miniat and two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments on this manuscript. This research was funded by USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory, and the Coweeta LTER Project funded by National Science Foundation grants DEB-9632854 and DEB-0218001. The use of trade or firm names in this publication is for reader information and does not imply endorsement by the U.S Department of Agriculture of any product or service.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Center for Forest Watershed Research, Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory, 3160 Coweeta Lab Rd., Otto, North Carolina, 28763, USA

    Katherine J. Elliott, Jennifer D. Knoepp & Barton D. Clinton

  2. USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Center for Integrated Forest Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, 27695, USA

    James M. Vose

  3. Department of Geosciences and Natural Resources, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, North Carolina, 28723, USA

    Brian D. Kloeppel

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  1. Katherine J. Elliott
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  2. James M. Vose
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  3. Jennifer D. Knoepp
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Correspondence to Katherine J. Elliott.

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KJE and JMV conceived the study, designed the experiment, and wrote the paper. KJE performed the analyses. KJE, JMV, JDK, BDC, and BDK performed the research. KJE, JMV, and JDK contributed to discussions and editing.

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Elliott, K.J., Vose, J.M., Knoepp, J.D. et al. Functional Role of the Herbaceous Layer in Eastern Deciduous Forest Ecosystems. Ecosystems 18, 221–236 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-014-9825-x

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