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Abstract Detail



Ecology

Irick, Zach [1], John, Shelton [2], Estes, Dwayne [3].

Vascular flora and plant communities of riverscour habitats in Little River Canyon National Preserve, Cherokee and DeKalb Counties, Alabama.

A floristic inventory of the riverscour flora of Little River Canyon National Preserve (LRCNP) is currently underway. LRCNP is located in Cherokee and Dekalb counties, Alabama in the Cumberland Plateau physiographic province. Little River is one of the longest mountainous rivers in the Plateau with its headwaters originating atop Lookout Mountain in Georgia; it flows southwest into Alabama and descends into the Ridge and Valley, draining into the Coosa River. Riverscours are riparian communities associated with rocky or sandy substrates along high-gradient sections within Little River Canyon. Mechanical scouring from periodic high velocity flash flooding, drought stress, and intolerance to inundation of water are major factors that limit woody encroachment, preventing conversion to forest habitat. The objectives of this study are to document the vascular flora of riverscours at LRCNP by collecting voucher specimens and classifying the natural communities. Additionally, species of conservation concern and invasive species are being mapped and quantitative data are being recorded to estimate population vigor and size. Two preliminary collecting trips were made in October of 2016, resulting in 252 collections representing 153 species, 52 families, and 111 genera. Six species of conservation concern were documented during the fall of 2016 season including: Bigelowia nuttallii, Coreopsis pulchra, Diervilla rivularis, Fothergilla major, Helianthus longifolius, and Rudbeckia heliopsidi. Future directions will include systematic exploration of Little River to collect voucher specimens, the collection of quantitative data from vegetation plots, and comparison to other recently completed riverscour surveys from the Cumberland Plateau.


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1 - Austin Peay State University, Center of Excellence for Field Biology, 601 College Street, Clarksville, TN, 37044, USA
2 - University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Biology, Geology, and Environmental Science, 615 McCallie Avenue, Chattanooga, TN, 37403, United States
3 - Botanical Research Institute of Texas, 1700 University Drive, Forth Worth, TX, 76107, United States

Keywords:
Plant community analysis
floristics.

Presentation Type: Poster
Session: P, Ecology
Location: Exhibit Hall/Omni Hotel
Date: Monday, June 26th, 2017
Time: 5:30 PM This poster will be presented at 6:15 pm. The Poster Session runs from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm. Posters with odd poster numbers are presented at 5:30 pm, and posters with even poster numbers are presented at 6:15 pm.
Number: PEC008
Abstract ID:217
Candidate for Awards:None


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