Recent Centuries of Vegetational Change in the Glaciated North-Eastern United States

1 Pollen data from 55 sediment cores show complex patterns of change in the vegetation of the north-eastern United States in recent centuries caused both directly and indirectly by human impact, as well as by climate change. 2 In the few centuries before European colonization, the abundance of Picea...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of ecology 1993-12, Vol.81 (4), p.647-664
Main Authors: Emily W. B. Russell, Davis, Ronald B., Anderson, R. Scott, Rhodes, Thomas E., Anderson, Dennis S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Applied ecology
Biological and medical sciences
Climate
Climate change
Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife
Ecology
Environmental degradation: ecosystems survey and restoration
Flowers & plants
Forest ecology
Forest service
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Hardwood forests
Hardwoods
Paleoclimatology
Pollen
Sediments
Taxa
Vegetation
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Summary:1 Pollen data from 55 sediment cores show complex patterns of change in the vegetation of the north-eastern United States in recent centuries caused both directly and indirectly by human impact, as well as by climate change. 2 In the few centuries before European colonization, the abundance of Picea increased and Tsuga canadensis and Fagus grandifolia decreased in the northern part of the region, possibly due to climate cooling. In the rest of the region the vegetation was fairly stable in the few centuries before European colonization. 3 After European colonization, the abundance of Betula increased throughout the region in response to forest disturbance, while Tsuga canadensis and F. grandifolia decreased, at least in part because of greatly increased fire frequency. The decrease in T. canadensis was also caused by cutting for the tanning industry. In addition to Betula, successional species included Castanea dentata in the south and Abies balsamea in the north. Both of these have been severely affected in the last century by disease or insect infestation, probably exacerbated by their increased population densities. 4 Sorting out the direct and indirect causes of fluctuations in these species provides valuable information for predicting the responses of vegetation to continuing human impact and possible future changes in climate.
ISSN:0022-0477
1365-2745
DOI:10.2307/2261663