JOHNSON, PAUL D.* AND JOHN M. SCHMIDT. Department of Biology, Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC 29733. - Colonization of cleared patches of hardwood forest bordering a Southeastern piedmont prairie remnant.
There is a growing interest in the preservation of prairie communities
as they become increasingly rare. We investigated the impact of
removing woody vegetation on four 10 by 10 m quadrats of secondary
hardwood forest bordering a common prairie site. Light, soil
moisture, and soil nutrient measurements in the cleared quadrats were
compared to four adjacent forest and four common prairie quadrats of
the same size. Specimens of all vascular plants within the study area
and a surrounding 10 meter wide buffer zone were collected and
identified. The effect of proximity to the common prairie was
investigated by examining four 10 by 1 m transects, within both
cleared and forested quadrats, at intervals of 1 m, 2 m, 4 m, and 8 m
from the prairie's edge. A parallel study looked at the effect of
proximity to the prairie on the seedbank. The prairie quadrats were
more diverse than either the cleared or forested quadrats and were
floristically similar to the tallgrass prairies of the Midwest and
barrens of the Southeast. The cleared plots and the seedbank were
dominated by early successional species although some prairie
colonization and limited forest species invasion occurred. There were
significant differences between and within the forest, prairie, and
cleared plots in terms of light, soil moisture, and soil mineral
content, indicating substantial environmental heterogeneity. Clearing
produced a cascade of edaphic changes that may contribute to the
restoration of historical prairies now competing with hardwoods.
Key words: conservation, environmental heterogeniety, prairie, seedbank