Abstract
Revegetation is described for a portion of a Taxodium distichum-Nyssa aquatica (bald cypress-water tupelo) forested wetland in South Carolina. Thermal effluent from nuclear production reactors from 1954 to 1968 eliminated most of the original vegetation from the study area. Vegetation in disturbed and adjacent undisturbed areas was sampled in 1981 and 1985 using permanent plots. Herbs invaded rapidly throughout the disturbed portion of the wetland after thermal discharge ceased. Shrubs (Salix spp. and Cephalanthus occidentalis) followed soon thereafter, and have gradually occupied more of the area. Taxodium and Nyssa regeneration is rare because of the inability of seedlings of these species to compete with the dense cover of herbs and shrubs. Species composition is correlated with water depth, substrate type, and severity of disturbance. Because of substrate diversity, several successional mechanisms may account for the revegetation patterns.
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Abbreviations
- DCA:
-
Detrended Correspondence Analysis
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Dunn, C.P., Sharitz, R.R. Revegetation of a Taxodium-Nyssa forested wetland following complete vegetation destruction. Vegetatio 72, 151–157 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00039836
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00039836