Secondary succession: A survey of plant species composition, species richness, and species divirsity at the University of Michigan Biological Station burn plots.

Abstract

The study was performed to see if species composition, species richness, and species diversity was different among plots of different ages and different successional stages. The study consisted of three plots that were clear cut and then burned at different times. The first plot was cut and burned in 1911, the second was cut and burned in 1948, and the third one was cut and burned in 1980. We randomly selected the starting points for 3 belt transects. We laid the transects on a north south compass heading. The transects were 5 m apart. The quadrates were 1 m2 in size and 3m apart. To reduce edge affects we measured in 10 m from all sides of the plot. We identified and recorded the abundance of all the species of plants that we found in our quadrates. We found that species composition changed over time. The woody vegetation went from bigtooth aspen (Populus grandidentata) dominated to red maple (Acer rubrum), white pine (Pinus strobus), and red oak (Quercus rubra) dominated. Species richness did differ among the plots. It reached a peak in the 1948 plot. The species diversity differed only when the 1948 plot was compared to the 1911 plot and the 1980 plot. As time increased from when a disturbance occurred, the composition of the area goes thru a series of changes with different species becoming dominant at different times and the abundance of the species and number of species will reach a peak after a period of time and then decrease.