demitri_hill
Wilmington Soil Core
A soil core taken from a small long-leaf pine forest on UNCW's campus on February 15th. The forest where the soil core was retrieved underwent a prescribed burn in the spring of 2010. Due to this burn, the soil core is expected, and is shown, to have a relatively small o-horizon (organic) layer when compared to a soil core retrieved from a forest that was burned less recently. Prescribed burning of the long-leaf pine forests results in a decrease in depth of the organic layer of soil, but is necessary to eliminate any competition other plants, such as the loblolly pine, may pose to the long-leaf pine. There seems to be an absence of other soil layers that would be expected such as topsoil (soil layer A) or subsoil (soil layer B). If these layers are present they are diminished. A soil map of the Wilmington area indicates that the soil where this core was taken is mostly composed of Norfolk fine sand, which explains the abundance of sand in the core and lack of other layers. This also seems to be supported by the soil survey performed by New Hanover county in 1977, however due to a lack of general or specific soil maps in the report one cannot be certain. Long-leaf pine trees have a wide distribution, inhabiting both low-level wet, coastal regions as well as dry, mountainous regions in Alabama. This likely means that long-leaf pines can tolerate a variety of soils, however they are most common on the "Atlantic and Gulf Coastal plains. (Boyer, 1990)." Soils here are acidic, sandy, and infertile, which are preferred by the long-leaf pine, as bare-mineral soil is required for seeds to germinate. Wiregrass (Aristida Strica) also prefers this soil, primarily because of high saturation levels as well as the grass' reliance on intermittent burning.
(projects.ncsu.edu/project/dendrology/index/plantae/vascul...)
(www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_MANUSCRIPTS/north_carolina...)
(digital.lib.ecu.edu/viewer.aspx?pid=15946&n=1)
#UNCW #Ecology #bio366 #uncweteal #Sp2017 #image2 #February2017 #NC
Wilmington Soil Core
A soil core taken from a small long-leaf pine forest on UNCW's campus on February 15th. The forest where the soil core was retrieved underwent a prescribed burn in the spring of 2010. Due to this burn, the soil core is expected, and is shown, to have a relatively small o-horizon (organic) layer when compared to a soil core retrieved from a forest that was burned less recently. Prescribed burning of the long-leaf pine forests results in a decrease in depth of the organic layer of soil, but is necessary to eliminate any competition other plants, such as the loblolly pine, may pose to the long-leaf pine. There seems to be an absence of other soil layers that would be expected such as topsoil (soil layer A) or subsoil (soil layer B). If these layers are present they are diminished. A soil map of the Wilmington area indicates that the soil where this core was taken is mostly composed of Norfolk fine sand, which explains the abundance of sand in the core and lack of other layers. This also seems to be supported by the soil survey performed by New Hanover county in 1977, however due to a lack of general or specific soil maps in the report one cannot be certain. Long-leaf pine trees have a wide distribution, inhabiting both low-level wet, coastal regions as well as dry, mountainous regions in Alabama. This likely means that long-leaf pines can tolerate a variety of soils, however they are most common on the "Atlantic and Gulf Coastal plains. (Boyer, 1990)." Soils here are acidic, sandy, and infertile, which are preferred by the long-leaf pine, as bare-mineral soil is required for seeds to germinate. Wiregrass (Aristida Strica) also prefers this soil, primarily because of high saturation levels as well as the grass' reliance on intermittent burning.
(projects.ncsu.edu/project/dendrology/index/plantae/vascul...)
(www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_MANUSCRIPTS/north_carolina...)
(digital.lib.ecu.edu/viewer.aspx?pid=15946&n=1)
#UNCW #Ecology #bio366 #uncweteal #Sp2017 #image2 #February2017 #NC