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Journal article
The University of West Florida campus ecosystem study: effects of persistent canopy openings on a chronically fire-excluded longleaf pine ecosystem
Urban ecosystems, Vol.28(2), p.19
04/01/2025
Web of Science ID: WOS:001402111500001
Abstract
Power line rights-of-way (ROWs), which are extensive throughout the United States, create persistent canopy openings in forest stands. We utilized a ROW running north/south through mixed longleaf pine (Pinus palustris)/hardwood stands to examine impacts of persistent canopy openings on stand structure and composition, light availability to the understory, and soil texture and fertility, addressing the following questions: (1) how does light vary with respect to the persistent canopy opening? (2) what differences are there in structure and composition of forest stands relative to the ROW? (3) how does light availability to the forest interior vary between sites? (4) how does soil vary between sites? Sampling was carried out on the campus of the University of West Florida (UWF), Pensacola, Florida, within each of three sample sites: west of the ROW (“West”), east of the ROW (“East”), and adjacent to the East area (“Control”). Spatio-temporal patterns of light contrasted sharply between stands west versus east of the ROW, creating an asymmetry in light regimes. All sample sites had low densities of large pines and numerous stems of hardwoods, particularly southern evergreen oaks (Quercus spp.). In contrast to the Control site, wherein longleaf pine had highest importance value (IV), sand laurel oak (Q. hemisphaerica) had highest IVs in stands adjacent to the ROW. Light and silt content of the soil were negatively related across the three sites. Canonical correspondence analysis suggests a sharp contrast in overall species composition between West and East sites, suggesting that the asymmetry of light drives asymmetry of forest composition.
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Details
- Title
- The University of West Florida campus ecosystem study: effects of persistent canopy openings on a chronically fire-excluded longleaf pine ecosystem
- Publication Details
- Urban ecosystems, Vol.28(2), p.19
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publisher
- Springer US
- Number of pages
- 9
- Grant note
- UWF Office of Undergraduate Research
We thank the UWF Office of Undergraduate Research for financial support via the Summer Undergraduate Research Program. We also thank William A. Lundgren and Jacob W. Hardin for assistance in the field. Finally, we thank the extensive time and effort of two anonymous reviewers whose comments, suggestions, and perspectives led to substantial improvements to our manuscript.
- Copyright
- © 2025, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature
- Identifiers
- WOS:001402111500001; 99380600642606600
- Academic Unit
- Earth and Environmental Sciences; Hal Marcus College of Science and Engineering
- Language
- English