Academic Journal

Hydrologic Perturbation Is a Key Driver of Tree Mortality in Bottomland Hardwood Wetland Forests of North Carolina, USA.

التفاصيل البيبلوغرافية
العنوان: Hydrologic Perturbation Is a Key Driver of Tree Mortality in Bottomland Hardwood Wetland Forests of North Carolina, USA.
المؤلفون: Aguilos, Maricar, Carter, Cameron, Middlebrough, Brandon, Bulluck, James, Webb, Jackson, Brannum, Katie, Watts, John Oliver, Lobeira, Margaux, Sun, Ge, McNulty, Steve, King, John
المصدر: Forests (19994907); Jan2025, Vol. 16 Issue 1, p39, 15p
مصطلحات موضوعية: TREE mortality, LEAF area index, HARDWOOD forests, STRUCTURAL equation modeling, WATER table
مستخلص: Bottomland hardwood wetland forests along the Atlantic Coast of the United States have been changing over time; this change has been exceptionally apparent in the last two decades. Tree mortality is one of the most visually striking changes occurring in these coastal forests today. Using 2009–2019 tree mortality data from a bottomland hardwood forest monitored for long-term flux studies in North Carolina, we evaluated species composition and tree mortality trends and partitioned variance among hydrologic (e.g., sea level rise (SLR), groundwater table depth), biological (leaf area index (LAI)), and climatic (solar radiation and air temperature) variables affecting tree mortality. Results showed that the tree mortality rate rose from 1.64% in 2009 to 45.82% over 10 years. Tree mortality was primarily explained by a structural equation model (SEM) with R2 estimates indicating the importance of hydrologic (R2 = 0.65), biological (R2 = 0.37), and climatic (R2 = 0.10) variables. Prolonged inundation, SLR, and other stressors drove the early stages of 'ghost forest' formation in a formerly healthy forested wetland relatively far inland from the nearest coastline. This study contributes to a growing understanding of widespread coastal ecosystem transition as the continental margin adjusts to rising sea levels, which needs to be accounted for in ecosystem modeling frameworks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Forests (19994907) is the property of MDPI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
قاعدة البيانات: Complementary Index
الوصف
تدمد:19994907
DOI:10.3390/f16010039