Predicting Dynamics of Forested Landscapes from Individual- based Models of Tree Performance

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9729245 Kobe Numerous studies in vegetation ecology have focused on the delineation and description of forest communities, often in relation to soil attributed. However, relatively few studies have explained variation in species composition from the more mechanistic perspective of how tree species vary in performance in response to resource availability, as supplied by different forest community types. Furthermore, among-site variation in species interactions and subsequent influence on community composition remain little explored. The objectives of the research established with this Postdoctoral Fellowship Starter Grant are to (1) characterize the resource-dependent growth of juveniles of five dominant tree species in different ecological land types in a landscape of northern hardwoods forest, and (2) evaluate if variation in sapling growth predicts the dominant canopy tree species under specified resource conditions. The study's emphasis is on saplings because of their importance in influencing forest community dynamics. The chosen species (Quercus alba, Q. rubra, Acer rubrum, A. saccharum, Pinus strobus) span a range of shade tolerances and mature-tree associations with soil properties, and thus, provide the variation necessary to address the objectives of this research. Ultimately, this type of information can provide a more mechanistic understanding of species-habitat relationships which can provide better predictions of the response of forested landscapes to human intervention.