Plant Disturbance Ecology : The Process and the Response

Disturbance ecology continues to be an active area of research, having undergone advances in many areas in recent years. One emerging direction is the increased coupling of physical and ecological processes, in which disturbances are increasingly traced back to mechanisms that cause the disturbances themselves, such as earth surface processes, mesoscale, and larger meteorological processes, and the ecological effects of interest are increasingly physiological. Plant Disturbance Ecology, 2nd Edition encourages movement away from the informal, conceptual approach traditionally used in defining natural disturbances and clearly presents how scientists can use a multitude of approaches in plant disturbance ecology. This edition includes nine revised chapters from the first edition, as well new, more comprehensive chapters on fire disturbance and beaver disturbance. Edited by leading experts in the field, __Plant Disturbance Ecology,__ 2nd Edition is an essential resource for scientists interested in understanding plant disturbance and ecological processes. Front Cover Plant Disturbance Ecology: The Process and the Response Copyright Dedication Contents Contributors Preface of the first edition Preface of the second edition Chapter One: Disturbance and succession Introduction to the second edition Introduction to the first edition Disturbance as the nemesis of succession The chronosequence basis of succession Coupling disturbance and vegetation processes Conclusion References Chapter Two: The turbulent wind in plant and forest canopies Introduction Notation The structure of the atmospheric boundary layer over land Characteristics of turbulent flow in and above plant canopies Velocity moments Length and time scales Large Eddy structure in canopy turbulence A dynamic model for the large eddies-The mixing layer hypothesis The plane-mixing layer The canopy-mixing layer analogy Effects of topography and heterogeneity Flow over hills Canopies on hills Forest edges and clearings Implications of this velocity structure for canopy disturbance Windthrow and crop lodging Spread of spores and pathogens Fire Summary References Chapter Three: Thunderstorm downbursts: Windstorms and blowdowns Introduction Convective storms and downbursts Vertical equation of motion Climatology Downdrafts, mesocyclones, and outflows Microbursts Large-scale systems Examples Climate variability Summary References Chapter Four: Wind disturbance in forests: The process of wind created gaps, tree overturning, and stem breakage Introduction Risk of wind damage Wind loading ``Roughness ́ ́ method ``Turning moment coefficient (TMC) ́ ́ method Resistance to breakage Resistance to overturning Applied force Weather systems and their influence on regional differences in wind climate Temporal variability in the occurrence of strong winds Spatial variability related to topography Spatial variability related to the nature of the ground surface Wind distribution within a forest stand Influence of tree crown Influence of tree bending and dynamics Resistive force Stem Roots Direct consequences Consequences at wind speeds below critical (applied resistive forces) Dose/response relationships Nature and distribution of disturbance Subsequent impact of windthrow, stem breakage, and gap/patch formation Tree scale impacts Gap/patch scale impacts Landscape scale impacts Feedbacks to likelihood and character of subsequent disturbance Summary and conclusions Process and response Further challenges to understanding wind and tree process/response interactions Appendix Glossary and definitions Acknowledgments References Chapter Five: Meteorological conditions associated with ice storm damage to forests Introduction Synoptic conditions for freezing rain Climatology of freezing rain in Canada Meteorological evolution of Ice Storm 98 Brief description of synoptic evolution Role of North Atlantic Oscillation and El Niño-Southern Oscillation Possible changes in ice storm frequency under a warming climate Summary References Chapter Six: The effect of icing events on the death and regeneration of North American trees Introduction The biomechanics of branch breakage during ice events with and without wind Ice accretion on branches Effect of wind on the ice-laden branch Effect of gravity on the ice-laden branch Complications Predictions based on this biomechanical exercise Ice measurements in the field A review of the literature on tree damage due to icing events Types of damage in relation to tree size Other factors influencing icing damage to trees Branching architecture Species identity Crown asymmetry (proximity to edge or slope angle) Position of the tree in the canopy The population consequences of major ice events Experimental icing General considerations Tree level experiments Ecosystem response to ice storm disturbance: The Hubbard Brook Ice Storm Experiment References Chapter Seven: Coastal dune succession and the reality of dune processes Introduction Traditional dune succession hypothesis Problems with the dune succession hypothesis Chronosequence assumptions Data collection techniques Species replacement Soil development and colonization constraints Physical and biotic disturbances Process-response alternative to traditional succession hypothesis Sand transport and sand budgets Coupling sand budgets and vegetation distribution Coevolution of topography and vegetation Conclusion Acknowledgments References Chapter Eight: Fluvial geomorphic disturbances and life-history traits of riparian tree species Introduction Geomorphic classification of riparian zones and disturbance regimes in a catchment Headwater streams (03rd order streams) Braided Rivers on alluvial fan (45th order streams) Low-gradient meandering rivers (6th or higher order streams) Disturbance, reliability of regeneration habitat and life history of dominant tree species Headwater streams Braided rivers on alluvial fans Low gradient meandering rivers Concluding remarks Acknowledgments References Chapter Nine: Water level changes in ponds and lakes: The hydrological processes Introduction Water balance Water balance equation Precipitation Evapotranspiration Groundwater exchange Surface water input and output Storage and basin morphometry Effects of meteorological fluctuations Case study-Northern prairie wetlands and lakes Overview of prairie wetlands Effects of upland vegetation and land use Riparian vegetation Wetland size, pond permanence, and salinity Prairie lakes Conclusions References Chapter Ten: Development of post-disturbance vegetation in prairie wetlands Introduction Wet-dry cycles Marsh ecology research program Coenocline development: Same pre- and post-disturbance water levels Coenocline development: Different pre- and post-disturbance water levels Models of coenocline development Conclusions References Chapter Eleven: Modeling fire effects on plants: From organs to ecosystems Introduction History of fire behavior and effects research Fundamentals of combustion and heat transfer Chemistry of combustion Physics of heat transfer Conduction Convection Radiation Modeling fire behavior HIGRAD/FIRETEC Wildland-urban interface Fire Dynamics Simulator (WFDS) Fire effects on plants Fire effects on roots Root heating models Fire effects on stems The cambium necrosis hypothesis The xylem dysfunction hypothesis Reduced xylem hydraulic conductivity due to air seed cavitation Reduced xylem hydraulic conductivity due to conduit wall deformation Stem heating models Fire effects on crowns Crown heating models Linking stem and crown injuries to whole plant functioning Scaling fire effects from individuals to ecosystems Spatially-explicit individual-based simulations Metabolic scaling theory (MST) Conclusion Acknowledgments References Chapter Twelve: Insect defoliators as periodic disturbances in northern forest ecosystems Introduction Defoliating insects as a distinct class of forest disturbance Insects compared to fire Outbreaks as regionally synchronized population oscillations Foliage-grazers versus other forest insects The process of insect disturbance Impact of herbivory Interaction with other agents Defoliators cause selective disturbance Overview of insect population dynamics Host tolerance Modeling herbivore impact: Empirical versus process approach Patterns of disturbance Spatial patterns Temporal patterns Population dynamics of foliage-grazers Case studies Forest tent caterpillar, Malacosoma disstria (Hübner) Jack pine budworm, Choristoneura pinus pinus freeman Spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana (Clem) Western Spruce Budworm, Choristoneura occidentalis Freeman Summary A tritrophic model of cycle induction Model formulation Model behavior Model summary Spatial implementation Spatial synchronization Synchronizing mechanisms Synchrony versus synchronization Amplitude modulation, outbreak trends, and environmental change Conclusion Acknowledgments References Chapter Thirteen: Revisiting the relationship between spruce budworm outbreaks and forest dynamics over the Holocene in E 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Introduction History of spruce budworm outbreaks over the past 8000years Dendrochronological data Macrofossil versus microfossil analysis Macrofossils A new innovative microfossil analysis based on lepidopteran wing scales Variation in the temporal and spatial dynamics of outbreaks: Reflection on changes in forest structure as driven by fire an ... Twentieth-century outbreaks Comparing 20th-century and 19th-century outbreaks The forest structure in relation to fire, insect outbreaks, and climate Predicting the next outbreaks References Chapter Fourteen: Beaver as agents of plant disturbance Introduction Beaver Physical processes impacted by beaver Beaver dams Hydrological processes influenced by beaver dams Geomorphic processes influenced by beaver dams Beaver disturbance impacts on individual plants, populations, and communities Dietary needs and forage preferences Beaver foraging behavior Foraging effects on plants Effects of beaver ecosystem engineering activities on plant communities Beaver response to other disturbance agents Forest fire Forest harvesting Streamflow regulation Agriculture Surface mining Urbanization Literature classification Conclusion Acknowledgments References Index Back Cover Disturbance ecology continues to be an active area of research, having undergone advances in many areas in recent years. One emerging direction is the increased coupling of physical and ecological processes, in which disturbances are increasingly traced back to mechanisms that cause the disturbances themselves, such as earth surface processes, mesoscale, and larger meteorological processes, and the ecological effects of interest are increasingly physiological. Plant Disturbance Ecology, 2nd Edition encourages movement away from the informal, conceptual approach traditionally used in defining natural disturbances and clearly presents how scientists can use a multitude of approaches in plant disturbance ecology. This edition includes nine revised chapters from the first edition, as well new, more comprehensive chapters on fire disturbance and beaver disturbance. Edited by leading experts in the field, Plant Disturbance Ecology, 2nd Edition is an essential resource for scientists interested in understanding plant disturbance and ecological processes. Advances understanding of natural disturbances by combining geophysical and ecological processes Provides a framework for collaboration between geophysical scientists and ecologists studying natural disturbances Includes fully updated research with 5 new chapters and revision of 11 chapters from the first edition This edition is fully updated and clearly presents how scientists can use a multitude of approaches in plant disturbance ecology. Chapters on fire and beavers from the previous edition were combined into more extensive and inclusive chapters covering disturbance. There are new chapters on windstorms, droughts, and tree uprooting. All chapters from the first edition have been updated to include the latest research. Edited and written by leading experts in the field, this second edition is an essential resource for scientists interested in understanding plant disturbance and ecological processes. Disturbance ecology is still an active area of research and there have been many advances in new areas. One emerging direction in disturbance studies is the increased coupling of physical and ecological processes, and not just their forcing