Volume 79 - Issue 3 (Sept 2014)

ABSTRACT Cloud immersion experienced by high-elevation rock outcrop plants reduces the leaf-to-air vapor pressure deficit (VPD), decreasing transpirational water loss. Frequent cloud immersion might ameliorate water stress in shallow-soil outcrop communities, increasing water use efficiency and growth. Current climate pattern predictions propose that Southern Appalachian cloud immersion frequency will decrease, potentially increasing water stress in rock outcrop plant populations. In this experiment, outcrop specialists Hydatica petiolaris (cliff saxifrage) and Solidago simulans (granite dome goldenrod) were grown in microcosms simulating current, reduced, and absent cloud immersion. Maximum photosynthetic rates, light saturation point and water use efficiency (WUE) increased, and transpiration decreased with decreasing immersion duration. Root mass, root-to-shoot ratio, and specific leaf mass were greatest in the reduced immersion treatment. Simulating nonimmersed abiotic conditions while measuring gas exchange in a leaf cuvette resulted in higher VPD, photosynthetic rate, transpiration, and lower WUE across treatments. Results indicate acclimation in response to immersion duration for some physiological parameters, suggesting the ability of these plants to adapt to changing climatic conditions. Further experimentation is needed to determine the effects of reduced cloud immersion on plant fitness.

Young mixed hardwood forest communities that colonized abandoned croplands during the late 19th century in northern Florida were typically winter burned annually after pine saplings could survive fire. Hardwood trees persisted as coppice that grew from root crowns within grassy undergrowth. This plant community changed little thereafter, except for the continued growth of pine trees. An 8.64-ha tract of this community was inventoried in 1966, from which fire was permanently excluded thereafter. This tract, called NB66, was reinventoried in 2010 to document maturation of the plant community and to identify the contributing causes that controlled ecological development. Hardwood coppice that was released from fire grew to form a nearly continuous canopy averaging 19.7 m high after 44 years. Many older pines died and disintegrated without causing canopy gaps. Prior to 19th century plantation agriculture, the original vegetation consisted of shortleaf pine-oak-hickory (SPOH) woodland, which intergraded with longleaf pine savanna on sandier soils. These species occur at NB66 but the forest remains dominated by native offsite species, which are aggressively reproducing. These offsite species formerly occurred in less elevated landscape positions in association with magnolia-beech and bottomland hardwood forests. Frequently burned old-field pineland adjacent to NB66 has remained stable indicating that no factors other than fire exclusion caused release of hardwoods from their ‘‘fire trap.’’ There was no trend toward recovery of the original SPOH community, and forest development is postulated on the basis of mesophication processes. Recruitment of new species—both woody and herbaceous—since 1966 was modest; most remain uncommon.

ABSTRACT The forest communities of northeastern Pennsylvania are diverse due to variation in climate, geologic history, soil types, and topography. This research specifically surveyed the forest communities of the Bear Creek region of southeastern Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to document the current forest community composition and to compare the forests of today to the last known forest survey in this area completed by Donahue in the early 1950s; and (b) to propose explanations for the differences observed between the two survey periods. The upland forest community surveyed by Donahue was dominated by red maple (Acer rubrum) and oaks (Quercus alba and Quercus rubra), with these three species accounting for 78.4% of all stems recorded. In contrast, the contemporary upland forest is now dominated by oaks (Q. alba and Q. rubra), with a subdominant layer composed of Acer saccharum, A. rubrum, and Sassafras albidum. In the lowland, wetter forest communities, Tsuga canadensis was the dominant species at both time periods; however, in the 1950’s, Fagus grandifolia was an important subdominant species, but by 2010, this species was not recorded in this forest type at Bear Creek. There has been a shift in the forests at Bear Creek in the 6 decades since Donahue’s survey. In that time, beech bark disease was reported in Pennsylvania, and deer browsing was noted as having a major impact on tree regeneration.

ABSTRACT Penstemon tubaeflorus is a North American prairie forb of conservation concern. Protocols for seed germination and transplant production involving fertilization are needed for conservation purposes. Our objectives were to compare techniques for breaking seed dormancy and increasing germination, and to investigate fertilizer on growth of Penstemon tubaeflorus. Seed treatments were hickory smoke seasoning solution (1:10, 1:100, 1:500, and 1:1,000), light vs. dark, prairie plant ash solution (2, 4, 8, and 16 g/L), and cold moist stratification (1 or 2 mo at 48C). Seeds were germinated in Petri dishes in germination chambers and counted for 21 d. For hickory solutions, 1:100 had the highest germination (51%), and seeds germinated in light, but not in the dark. For ash solutions, 8 g/L (6%) and control (4%) germinations were higher than 2 g/L with 4 g/L and 16 g/L being intermediate. Germination increased for both stratification durations (37%) compared to control (2%). For fertilizer studies, seeds were planted in soilless mix with no fertilizer, liquid fertilizer (20–20–20 at 1.25 g/L water), or solid fertilizer (14–14–14 slow release at 14.6 g/L mix) in growth chambers. After 7 wk, shoot fresh mass, leaf number, leaf area, crown diameter, root length, and shoot dry mass were measured. Seedling growth was greatest with solid fertilizer compared to control and liquid fertilizer, which were similar. Overall, hickory solution at 1:100 with light produced the highest percent germination among all treatments, and solid fertilizer was most effective for transplant development. These findings are useful for management or restoration of P. tubaeflorus populations.

Systematics—Lisa E. Wallace and Christopher H. Doffitt
Ecological—Donald G. Ruch, Byron G. Torke, Kemuel S. Badger, John E. Taylor, Benjamin R. Hess, and Paul E. Rothrock

The Richard and Minnie Windler Award recognizes the authors of the best systematic botany paper published in Castanea during the previous year. For 2013, authors of two papers were selected as winners: Lisa E. Wallace and Christopher H. Doffitt for their work entitled ‘‘Genetic Structure of the Mesic Forest-Adapted Herbs Trillium cuneatum and Trillium stamineum (Melanthiaceae) in the South-Central United States’’ (Castanea 78[2]:154–162) and Donald G. Ruch, Byron G. Torke, Kemuel S. Badger, John E. Taylor, Benjamin R. Hess, and Paul E. Rothrock for their work entitled ‘‘The Vascular Flora and Vegetational Communities of Cabin Creek Raised Bog, Randolph County, Indiana’’ (Castanea 78[4]:290–311; Figure 1).

Wallace and Doffitt’s project was undertaken to determine if landscape features, such as large rivers or prairies, influence the genetic structure of Trillium at a local scale. Trillium, which is represented by a number of endemics in the southeastern United States, has limited seed dispersal and exhibits localized genetic structure. Because many of these species are restricted to mesic forest habitats, their discontinuous distribution combined with their life history provides a great opportunity to study past geographic changes and provides insight into how future events may contribute to evolutionary diversification.

Lisa Wallace is Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Mississippi State University. Her research focuses on population genetics and phylogenetics, and she is one of the leaders of Project Magnolia grandiFLORA, which aims to produce a checklist, atlas, and online herbarium specimen data for Mississippi. Christopher Doffitt is a Ph.D. candidate at Mississippi State University, studying the relationships and diversification of Amsonia (Apocynaceae).

Ruch, Torke, Badger, Taylor, Hess, and Rothrock’s study of Cabin Creek Raised Bog, a National Natural Landmark, spanned eight years and was an outgrowth of the authors’ interests in wetlands, conservation biology, and the biodiversity of east-central Indiana. Their paper provides not only a checklist of vascular plant species from the site, but also a detailed site history, comparisons to other floras, vegetation analyses, and notes on rare species and communities.

Donald Ruch is Professor in the Department of Biology at Ball State University. His research focuses on the vascular flora and plant communities of east-central Indiana and the systematics of Pilobolaceae (Zygomycota). Byron Torke was a professor of Biology at Ball State University, where his research focused on aquatic organisms and systems. He passed away in 2012. Kemuel Badger is Chair of the Department of Biology at Ball State University. His research focuses on plant ecology and conservation biology. John Taylor is the Land Manager for the Field Station and Environmental Education Center of Ball State University. Ben Hess is an ecological resource specialist in the Indianapolis office of Cardno JFNew, an ecological consulting and restoration firm. Paul Rothrock is professor of Earth and Environmental Science and Biology at Taylor University and specializes in the flora of the Midwest and the genus Carex. He is the author of the recent book entitled Sedges of Indiana and the Adjacent States: The Non-Carex Species (Indiana Academy of Science).

Dr. Thomas Wentworth, Professor of Plant Biology at the North Carolina State University, received the Elizabeth Ann Bartholomew Award on 4 April 2014 at the annual meeting of the Southern Appalachian Botanical Society (SABS), held in Spartanburg, South Carolina. This annual award honors the memory of Elizabeth Ann Bartholomew’s untiring and unselfish service to SABS, professional botanists, students, and the public. The highest honor given by the Society, this award is presented to individuals who have distinguished themselves in professional and public service that advances our knowledge of the world of plants and their scientific, cultural, and aesthetic values. Dr. Wentworth fits right into the ideals that Betty set. He has years of dedicated service in teaching and professional service toward the betterment of botany and ecology of the southeastern United States.

‘‘Tom’’ has more than 30 years of classroom teaching experience. He has taught numerous courses, including his most well-known ecology and plant community ecology courses at North Carolina State University and at Highlands Biological Station. He has also developed a course in Multivariate Analysis of Community Data. Tom has mentored over 35 graduate students and numerous undergraduate students. Many students, in their supporting letters, write of his enthusiasm and passion for teaching. In addition, Tom has received numerous awards at North Carolina State University, including serving as a Senior Ethics Fellow, and his receipt of the Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Professor, Outstanding Faculty Adviser Award, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Outstanding Graduate Instructor Award, and Outstanding Teacher Award.

Tom’s research has spanned many years. His publications range from high profile to important regional journals in plant ecology on diverse topics, including classification, community structure, autecological response, fire ecology, hydrology, soil science, restoration, and even estuarine ecology. Tom is one of the founding scientists for the Carolina Vegetation Survey, a collaborative project with other ecologists to study the natural vegetation of the Carolinas, which has become one of his most well-known research endeavors. The project has been in progress for over 25 years and has resulted in delineation of many plant communities in the Carolinas. Project sites have ranged from the mountains to the coastal plain. As a result, the research has produced an exhaustive and comprehensive dataset that has greatly enhanced our understanding of the flora and natural communities of the Carolinas, and has set a standard for data collection that is widely used.

Recently, Tom Wentworth and Stephanie Jeffries have been working on a book that shares their knowledge of the southern mountains with an even broader audience. Titled Exploring Southern Appalachian Forests: An Ecological Guide to 30 Great Hikes in the Carolinas, Georgia, Tennessee, and Virginia, the book will take readers on 30 guided hikes around Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia, teaching them to see natural communities through an ecological lens. The book will be published this fall by the University of North Carolina Press as part of the Southern Gateway Guides.

Dr. Wentworth has a special dedication to Highlands Biological Station where he has taught his course Forest Ecosystems of the Southern Appalachians for many years. In addition, he has conducted research in the Highlands area. Tom has served as the station’s chair of the Board of Directors and the Board of Scientific Advisors.

Tom’s record of service to scientific organizations also is exemplary. He is Past President (2010– 2011) of the Association of Southeastern Biologists. He has served as Chair and Member of the Odum Award Committee of the Southeastern Chapter of the Ecological Society of America, and as Member of the Board of Directors for the Organization for Tropical Studies. For many years he served as Business Manager of the North American Section of the International Association for Vegetation Science. Both the North Carolina Botanical Garden and the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust have recognized his distinguished work in ecology and botany.

In summary, Tom’s long and distinguished record of service to science, education, and to the public are worthy of recognition by way of the SABS’ highest honor—the Elizabeth Ann Bartholomew Award. —Charles N. Horn, Professor of Biology, Newberry College