Record Details
Ecology of the Salix and Populus species of the Crooked River National Grassland
ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | Ecology of the Salix and Populus species of the Crooked River National Grassland |
| Names |
Busse, Kathryn Grace
(creator) Kauffman, J. Boone (advisor) |
| Date Issued | 1988-12-20 (iso8601) |
| Note | Graduation date: 1989 |
| Abstract | Riparian communities dominated by members of the Salicaceae (Salix lasiandra, S. lutea, S. lemmonii, Populus trichocarpa, P. tremuloides and S. exiqua) were studied at the Crooked River National Grassland in central Oregon. The objectives of this study were to examine the relationships between the Salix and Populus species and microsite to identify the principal environmental gradients that may determine the distribution of these species. One hundred twenty five stands of riparian vegetation dominated by the above members of the Salicaceae were intensively sampled. A predetermined set of physical variables were collected to characterize their habitats. These variables included surface soils, stream characteristics, vegetative characteristics, and other physiographic variables. Canonical discriminant function analysis was used to separate the Salix and Populus species based on the set of 19 environmental variables stratified according to size class (i.e. sapling, intermediate and decadent). The Salicaceae, as a family, occupy specific habitats in terms of surface soil characterisitics. The Salicaceae require surface soils which have a mean pH of 7.3, a mean macroporosity of 27.08%, a mean sand content of 53.42%, a mean organic matter content of 6.0%, a mean coarse material content of 28.59%, and a mean organic horizon of 0.58 cm. The remaining physical variables change for each species. The variables which most readily separated the species were stream gradient and average stand distance from the wetted channel. These two variables represented an environmental gradient of depth to an effective water table in relation to headwater versus valley-bottom stream systems. P. tremuloides and S. lemmonii occupy areas of steep stream gradient (headwater areas) and deep water tables (more xeric microsites). Conversely, S. lasiandra, S. lutea, S. exiqua and P. trichocarpa occupy areas of lesser stream gradient (valley bottoms) and higher water tables (more mesic microsites). |
| Genre | Thesis/Dissertation |
| Topic | Salicaceae |
| Identifier | http://hdl.handle.net/1957/39148 |
