Abstract
We carried out a multiple-scale assessment of biotic resources within Natchez Trace State Forest (NTSF) in western Tennessee, focusing on the relation between biotic communities and seven previously developed ecological land types (ELT, based on topography and soils). We wanted to test the functional ability of ELTs for biodiversity stewardship. Woody and herbaceous flora as well as herpetofauna and avifauna communities had substantial differences between upland and lowland forests. However, none of the faunal communities distinguished among upland ELTs. In addition, herbaceous taxa also failed to distinguish upland ELTs. The results suggest the present use of ELTs at NTSF will not be a helpful guide to land stewardship focusing on biodiversity. The disturbance history of the Forest and the mobility of animals are given as potential explanations for a poor relationship between abiotic ELTs and the resident biota.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Allen, R. B., Hewitt, A. E. and Partridge, T. R.: 1995, 'Predicting land use suitability from vegetation and landform in depleted demiarid grassland, New Zealand', Landsc. Urban Plann. 32, 31–42.
Archambault, L.; Barnes, B. V. and Witter, J. A.: 1990, 'Landscape ecosystems of disturbed oak forests of southeastern Michigan, USA', Can. J. Forest Res. 20, 1570–1582.
Band, L. E. and Wood, E. F.: 1988, 'Strategies for large-scale distributed hydrological simulation', App. Math. Comput. 27, 23–37.
Beers, T. W., Dress, P. C. and Wensel, L. C.: 1966, 'Aspect transformation in productivity research', J. Forestry 64, 691–692.
Biondini, M. E., Mielke, P. W. and Berry, K. J.: 1988, 'Data dependent permutation for the analysis of ecological data', Vegetatio 75, 161–168.
Bryant, W. S., McComb, W. C. and Fralish, J. S.: 1993, 'Oak-hickory Forests (Western Mesophytic/Oak-Hickory forests)', in: W. H. Martin, S. G. Boyce and A. C. Echternacht (eds), Biodiversity of the Southeastern United States: Upland Terrestrial Communities, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., NY, pp. 143–202.
Burley, F. W.: 1988, 'Monitoring Biological Diversity for Setting Conservation Priorities', in: E. O. Wilson (ed.), Biodiversity, National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., pp. 227–230.
Christensen, N. L. and Peet, R. K.: 1984, 'Covergence during secondary forest succession', J. Ecol. 72, 25–36.
Close, D. M., Fralish, J. S. and Franklin, S. B.: 2002, 'The Climate, Soil, and Vegetation of Land Between the Lakes', in J. S. Fralish and E. W. Chester (eds), Land Between The Lakes, Kentucky and Tennessee: Four Decades of Tennessee Valley Authority Stewardship, Center for Field Biology, Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, TN, pp. 53–68.
Cody, M. L.: 1981, 'Habitat selection in birds: The roles of vegetation structure, competitors, and productivity', BioScience 3, 107–113.
Conroy, M. J. and Noon, B. R.: 1996, 'Mapping of species richness for conservation of biological diversity: Conceptual and methodological issues', Ecol. Appl. 6, 763–773.
De'ath, G.: 1999, 'Principal curves: a new technique for indirect and direct gradient analysis', Ecology 80, 2237–2253.
Debinsky, D. M. and Humphrey, P. S.: 1997, 'An integrated approach to biodiversity assessment', Nat. Areas J. 17, 355–365.
Duguay, J. P. and Wood, P. B.: 2002, 'Salamander abundance in regenerating forest stands on the Monongahela National Forest, West Virginia', Forest Sci. 48, 331–335.
Enge, K. M.: 1988, 'Herpetofaunal Drift-fence Survey of Steephead Ravines in the Apalachicola and Ochlockonee River Drainanges', Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Comm. Final Performance Report, Tallahassee, FL.
Feldhammer, G. A., Drickamer, L. C., Vessey, S. H. and Merritt, J. F.: 1999, Adaptation, Diversity, and Ecology: Mammals, WCB McGraw-Hill, New York, 563 pp.
Flowers, R. L., Williams, L. D., Walker, D. D. and Phillips, J. A.: 1960, Soil Survey of Henderson County, Tennessee. Series 1954, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service, Washington, D.C.
Franklin, J.: 1995, 'Predictive vegetation mapping: geographic modeling of biospatial patterns in relation to environmental gradients', Progr. Phys. Geogr. 19, 494–519.
Franklin, S. B.: 1994, 'Late-Pleistocene and Holocene vegetation history of land between the lakes, Kentucky and Tennessee', Transact. Kentucky Acad. Sci. 55, 6–19.
Franklin, S. B. and Kupfer, J. S.: 'Forest communities of Natchez Trace State Forest, western Tennessee coastal plain', Castanea (in press).
Franklin, S. B., Robertson, P. A., Fralish, J. S. and Kettler, S. M.: 1993, 'Overstory vegetation and successional trends of land between the lakes',J. Veg. Sci. 4, 509–520.
Gilley, L. M.: 2002, 'Ecological Studies of Small mammals in temperate Deciduous Forest', M. S. Thesis, Department of Biology, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, 125 pp.
Hamel, P. B., Smith, W. P., Twedt, D. J., Woehr, J. R., Morris, E., Hamilton, R. B. and Cooper, R. J.: 1996, A Land Manager's Guide to Point Counts of Birds in the Southeast, USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, General Technical Report SO-120.
Hix, D. M. and Pearcy, J. N: 1997, 'Forest ecosystems of the Marietta Unit, Wayne National Forest, southeastern Ohio: Multifactor classification and analysis', Can. J. Forest Res. 27, 1117–1131.
Innes, J. L. and Koch, B.: 1998, 'Forest biodiversity and its assessment by remote sensing', Global Ecol. Biogeogr. Lett. 7, 397–419.
Jones, K. B.: 1986, 'Amphibians and Reptiles', in A. Y. Cooperrider, R. J. Boyd, and H. R. Stuart (eds), Inventory and Monitoring of Wildlife Habitat, U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management Service Center, Denver, CO, pp. 267–290.
Jones, K. B. and Riddle, B. R.: 1996, 'Regional Scale Monitoring of Biodiversity', in R. C. Szaro and D. W. Johnson (eds), Biodiversity in Managed Landscapes: Theory and Practice, Oxford University Press, NY, pp. 193–209.
Jongman, R. H. G., ter Braak, C. J. F. and van Tongeren, O. F. R.: 1987, Data Analysis in Community and Landscape Ecology, Pudoc, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Kaennel, M.: 1997, 'Biodiversity: a Diversity in Definition', in P. Bachmann, M. Köhl, and R. Päivinen (eds), Assessment of Biodiversity for Improved Forest Planning, Kluwer, Dordrecht, pp. 71–81.
Kennedy, M. L.: 1991, 'Annotated checklist of the mammals of Tennessee',J. Tennessee Acad. Sci. 66, 183–185.
Kotar, J., Kovach, J. and Locey, C. J.: 1988, 'Field Guide to Forest Habitat Types of Northern Wisconsin', Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison, WI.
Kunz, T. H. and Kurta, A.: 1988, 'Capture Methods and Holding Devices', in T. H. Kunz (ed.), Ecological and Behavioral Methods for the Study of Bats, Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C., USA.
Kupfer, J. A. and Franklin, S. B.: 2000, 'Evaluation of an ecological land type classification system, Natchez Trace State Forest, Western Tennessee, USA', Landsc. Urban Plann. 49, 179–190.
Leberg, P. L. and Kennedy, M. L.: 1987, 'Utilization of Scent-station Methodology to Assess Raccoon Abundance', Proceedings of the Annual Southeastern Conference of Fish and Wildlife Agencies 41, 394–403.
MacArthur, R. H. and MacArthur, J. W.: 1961, 'On bird species diversity', Ecology 42, 594–598.
Martin, W. H.: 1992, 'Characteristics of old-growth mixed mesophytic forests', Natural Areas J. 12, 127–135.
McCune, B. and Mefford, M. J.: 1997, PC-ORD: Multivariate Analysis of Ecological Data, Version 3.0, MjM Software Design, Gleneden Beach, Oregon, USA.
Miller, R. A., Hardeman, W. D. and Fullerton, D. S. (comps.): 1966, Geology Map of Tennessee, West Sheet. Nashville, TN, Tennessee Division of Geology, Nashville. Scale 1:250,000.
Minchin, P. R.: 1987, 'Simulation of multidimensional community patterns: towards a comprehensive model', Vegetatio 71, 145–156.
Moore, C. L., Clement, A. B., Dagnan, D. C. and Jackson, W. C.: 1984, Soil Survey of Carroll County, Tennessee, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service, Washington, D.C.
Noss, R. F.: 1987, 'From plant communities to landscapes in conservation inventories: a look at the nature conservatory (USA)', Biol. Conserv. 41, 11–37.
Noss, R. L.: 1995, Saving Nature's Legacy, Island Press, Covelo, CA.
Oliver, C. D.: 1981, 'Forest development in North America following disturbances', Forest Ecol. Manage. 3, 153–168.
Quarterman, E. and Keever, C.: 1962, 'Southern mixed hardwood forest: Climax in the Southeastern coastal plain, U.S.A.', Ecol. Monogr. 32, 167–185.
Rowe, J. S. and Sheard, J. W.: 1981, 'Ecological land classification: a survey approach', Environ. Manage. 5, 451–464.
Schwartz, C. W. and Schwartz, E. R.: 2001, The Wild Mammals of Missouri, Department of Environment and Conservation, Columbia, MO, 368 pp.
Scott, J. M., Davis, F., Csuti, B., Noss, R., Butterfield, B., Groves, C., Anderson, H., Caicco, S., D'Erichia, F., Edwards, T. C., Ulliman, J. and Wright, R. G.: 1993, 'Gap analysis: a geographic approach to protection of biological diversity', Wildlife Monogr. 123.
Semlitsch, R. D. and Ryan, T. J.: 1999, 'Migration, Amphibians', in Encyclopedia of Reproduction, Academic Press, pp. 221-227.
Smalley, G. W.: 1991, 'Classification and Evaluation of Forest Sites on the Natchez Trace State Forest, State Resort Park, and Wildlife Management Area in West Tennessee', USDA For. Serv. Gen. Tech. Rep. SO-85, New Orleans, LA.
Smalley, G. W., Sharber, L. B. and Gregoray, J. C.: 1996, 'Ecological land classification as a basic theme for the management of wildlands in Tennessee: a start', Environ. Monit. Assess. 39, 579–588.
Smith, M-L.: 1995, 'Community and edaphic analysis of upland northern hardwood communities, central Vermont, USA', Forest Ecol. Manage. 72, 235–249.
Smith, R. L.: 1996, Ecology and Field Biology, 5th edition, Harper Collins Publishers Inc., New York.
Snyder, D.: 1991, Birds of Land Between the Lakes, Vaughn Printing: Nashville, Tennessee.
Soberón, J., Lorente, J. and Benitez, H.: 1996, 'An international view of national biological surveys', Ann. Missouri Botan. Gardens 83, 562–573.
Vale, T. R., Parker, A. J. and Parker, K. C.: 1982, 'Bird communities and vegetation structure in the United States', Ann. Assoc. Amer. Geographers 72, 120–130.
Zonneveld, I. S.: 1995, Landscape Ecology, SPB Academic, Amsterdam.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Franklin, S.B., Kupfer, J.A., Grubaugh, J.W. et al. Biotic Diversity of Natchez Trace State Forest, Western Tennessee. Environ Monit Assess 93, 30–54 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:EMAS.0000016790.87572.2a
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:EMAS.0000016790.87572.2a