Assessing the Influence of Physical Factors and Human-Related Disturbances on Forested Wetland Communities in Georgia
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2020
Publication Title
Southeastern Naturalist
Abstract
Forested wetlands act as buffers between human civilization and aquatic ecosystems, providing numerous services. Due to widespread human influence, most existing forested wetlands are secondary forests. This study investigated 3 forested wetlands in the Oconee basin in middle Georgia to assess the influence of physical factors and anthropogenic disturbances on the tree composition. Our analyses revealed that the northernmost wetland had experienced the most recent major anthropogenic disturbance based on the dominance of an early successional species. The southernmost site, a floodplain forest, was the most diverse due to the short flooding durations that support a larger suite of species. The middle site was the least diverse but had the largest trees and total basal area.
Department
Biological and Environmental Sciences
Volume Number
19
Issue Number
2
First Page
363
Last Page
379
DOI
10.1656/058.019.0218
Recommended Citation
Forte, J., Mutiti, C., & Mutiti, S. (2020). Assessing the Influence of Physical Factors and Human-Related Disturbances on Forested Wetland Communities in Georgia. Southeastern Naturalist, 19(2), 363-379.
Comments
© 2020 Southeastern Naturalist.