The effect of glacial history on tree species composition in Northern Michigan.

Abstract

This study looks at the tree species composition of northern Michigan forests. We focused on how composition differed in proportion and diversity with relation to what type of glacial formation the stand is located. We expected to find higher diversity and similar composition on moraines and drumlins as they have more nutrient rich soil and are in general, more hospitable to the needs of plant life. Outwash plains and eskers, being nutrient-poor and containing significant amounts of gravel (respectively), were not expected to support as much diversity and/or number of species. We discovered, to our surprise, that while drumlins conformed to the predictions, moraines were lowest in both species richness and diversity. Outwash plains were, surprisingly, able to support a fairly diverse community of trees while eskers were more diverse than expected but still low in relation to the other features. Tree species composition did differ significantly enough between formations to the point of indication the formation type by the tree species present.