Sumter National Forest Final Report - NatureServe

Classification Comments: On the Bankhead National Forest, this community was observed on previously farmed alluvial terracesalong medium-sized streams. The canopy of this forest is dominated by Pinus taeda with Liriodendron tulipifera, Liquidambarstyraciflua, and Nyssa sylvatica also present in the canopy. Midstory components include Nyssa sylvatica, Magnolia macrophylla,Carpinus caroliniana, and Ostrya virginiana. Shrubs include Hamamelis virginiana, Lindera benzoin, and Asimina parviflora. Joneset al. (1981a) describe an old-growth stand at the Boiling Springs Natural Area at the DOE Savannah River Plant (upper coastal plain,Barnwell County, South Carolina) as a "loblolly pine-bottomland hardwood stand" which has a "senescent upperstory" composed ofPinus taeda and Liriodendron tulipifera. In contrast, the analysis of common forest types at the Savannah River Plant by Jones et al.(1981b) and Jones and Churchill (1987) includes floodplain vegetation dominated by Pinus taeda and Liquidambar styraciflua.CONSERVATION RANKING & RARE SPECIESGRank: GNA (modified/managed) (2002-8-19): This is a successional forest composed of species native to the southeastern UnitedStates; it is not of conservation concern and does not receive a conservation status rank.High-ranked species: No informationELEMENT DISTRIBUTIONRange: This association is known from the Cumberland Plateau, Piedmont, South Atlantic Coastal Plain, and Chesapeake BayLowlands. It is also probably found in the East Gulf Coastal Plain and Upper East Gulf Coastal Plain.Subnations: AL, GA, NC, SC, VATNC Ecoregions: 43:P, 50:C, 52:C, 53:P, 56:C, 57:P, 58:?USFS Ecoregions: 231Aa:CCC, 231Ae:CCC, 231Af:CCC, 231An:CCC, 231Ao:CCP, 231Cd:CCC, 232Br:CCCFederal Lands: DOE (Savannah River Site); NPS (Kennesaw Mountain, Little River Canyon?); USFS (Bankhead, Oconee?,Sumter, Uwharrie)ELEMENT SOURCESReferences: Allard 1990, Eyre 1980, Jones and Churchill 1987, Jones et al. 1981a, Jones et al. 1981b, NatureServe Ecology -Southeastern U.S. unpubl. data, Nelson 1986, Peet et al. unpubl. data 2002, Southeastern Ecology Working Group n.d., USFS 1988,Weakley et al. 1998RIVERWEED HERBACEOUS VEGETATIONELEMENT IDENTIFIERSNVC association: Podostemum ceratophyllum Herbaceous VegetationDatabase Code: CEGL004331Formation: Permanently flooded temperate or subpolar hydromorphic-rooted vegetation (V.C.2.N.a)Alliance: Podostemum ceratophyllum Permanently Flooded Herbaceous Alliance (A.1752)ELEMENT CONCEPTSummary: This association represents essentially monospecific beds of Podostemum ceratophyllum, although some algae may alsobe present. This submersed vegetation forms a low mat or crust attached to rocks in moderately fast- to fast-flowing water. Typicalhabitat for this association in the Central Appalachians and related areas includes rocky surfaces of streambeds and riverbeds inmature drainage systems where the streams have cut down to rock and the floodplain is relatively narrow, or on dams. It tends to beassociated with higher pH streams which cut through diabase, limestone or calcareous shales.Environment: This association includes vegetation of shoals in rocky streambeds and riverbeds in mature drainage systems wherethe streams have cut down to rock, and the floodplain is relatively narrow; or on dams in moderately fast- to fast-flowing water. Ittends to be associated with higher pH streams which cut through diabase, limestone or calcareous shales. In the Piedmont region andpossibly elsewhere, the occurrence of macrophytic vegetation may be limited by unstable sediments, moderate to high gradients, andlarge variations in stream flow (Mulholland and Lenat 1992). Podostemum is one of the few vascular plants present in Piedmontstreams and rivers.Vegetation: This vegetation is almost always a monospecific community dominated by Podostemum ceratophyllum with no othervascular plants present; some Rhodophyta (red algae) may be present.Dynamics: Podostemum appears to require relatively stable streamflow to accumulate significant biomass; at high nutrient levelsfilamentous green algae may outcompete it (Mulholland and Lenat 1992). Dense beds of this vegetation may serve as importantsubstratum for a variety of invertebrates and other aquatic species (Nelson and Scott 1962). At least one rare species of snail of thePiedmont drainages, Somatogyrus virginicus, appears to be very closely tied to the occurrence of good beds of Podostemum (B.Adams pers. comm.). Although it is not clear whether the snail is actually dependent on Podostemum, it could be that Podostemum isjust a good habitat indicator.Similar Associations:Related Concepts:• Mountain river (Wharton 1978) ?• Open Water/Aquatic Bed Veg., Mountain Stream (Ambrose 1990a) B• River-weed shallow shore (CAP pers. comm. 1998) ?Vegetation of Sumter National Forest April 30 2004Copyright © 2004 NatureServe99