Date of Award
2013
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Biological Sciences
Committee Chair
Robert O. Lawton
Committee Member
Callie J. Schweitzer
Committee Member
Robert Griffin
Subject(s)
Plant ecology for Alabama., Phytogeography., Forest ecology--Alabama., Forest plants--Ecology--Alabama., Monte Sano State Park (Ala.)
Abstract
Monte Sano State Park lies on the edge of the Cumberland Plateau in northern Alabama. The forest is an oak-hickory forest on the tabletop of Monte Sano Mountain, but grades into mixed mesophytic forest along the mid-to-lower escarpment. The landscape was delineated into five categories based on underlying bedrock strata. Several measurements were used to analyze the species composition, diameter breast height (DBH) size class structure, and to determine if discrete communities of trees were present. Species composition varied and was a continuum and the forest was diverse by temperate standards. There were some differences in stand structure in the forest on different bedrock strata, as determined by comparisons of DBH size distributions; however, there were no distinct species associations in the forest. This study provides baseline data on species composition and forest structure for a protected and understudied forest in Madison County, Alabama.
Recommended Citation
Laliberte, Christopher, "Species composition and forest structure of Monte Sano Park, Huntsville, Alabama" (2013). Theses. 7.
https://louis.uah.edu/uah-theses/7