The Ecology of Atlantic White Cedar Wetlands: a Community Profile
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The ecology of Atlantic white cedar wetlands: a community profile Item Type monograph Authors Laderman, Aimlee D.; Brody, Michael; Pendleton , Edward Publisher U.S. Department of Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, National Wetlands Research Center Download date 29/09/2021 17:20:30 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/1834/25505 Biological Report 85(7.21) July 1989 THE ECOLOGY OF ATLANTIC WHITE CEDAR WETLANDS: A COMMUNITY PROFILE CUPRESSUS THYOIDES. L Fish and Wildlife Service U.S. Department of the interior Cover credit: Sprague, Sgt. Charles. 1896. The Siiva of North America. Vol. X. Houghton Mifflin, Boston. Biological Report 85(7.21) July 1989 THE ECOLOGY OF ATLANTIC WHITE CEDAR WETLANDS: A COMMUNITY PROFILE by Aimlee D. Laderman Marine Biological Laboratory Woods Hole, MA 02543 Project Officers Michael Brody Edward Pendleton National Wetlands Research Center U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1010 Gause Boulevard Slidell, LA 70458 Prepared for U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Research and Development National Wetlands Research Center Washington, DC 20240 The mention of trade names does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use by the Federal Government. Library of Congress Cahlqing-in-Publication Dutu Laderman, Airnlee D. The ecology of Atlantic white cedar wetlands. (Biological report ; 85(7.21) "October 1988 Bibliography: p. Supt. of Docs. no.: 149.89/2:85(7.21) 1. Wetland ecology-Atlantic States. 2. Atlantic white cedar--Atlantic States. I. Brody, Michael. 11. Pendleton, Edward C. Ill. National Wetlands Research Center. IV. Title. V. Series: Biological report (Washington, D.C.) ; 85-7.21. QH104.5.AWl-34 1988 574.5'26325'097 88-600399 This report may be cited as: Laderman, A.D. 1989. The ecology of the Atlantic white cedar wetlands: a community profile. U.S. Fish Wtldl. Serv. Biol. Rep. 85(7.21). 114 pp. PREFACE This monograph on the ecology of Atlantic white cedar wetlands is one of a series of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service profiles of important freshwater wetland ecosystems of the United States. The purpose of the profile is to describe the extent, components, functioning, history, and treatment of these wetlands. It is intended to provide a useful reference to relevant scientific information and a synthesis of the available literature. Theworld range of Atlantic white cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides) is limited to a ribbon of freshwater wetlands within 200 km of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States, extending from mid-Maine to mid-Florida and Mississippi. Often in inaccessible sites and difficult to traverse, cedar wetlands contain distinctive suites of plant species. Highly valued as commercial timber since the early days of European colonization of the continent, the cedar and its habitat are rapidly disappearing. This profile describes the Atlantic white cedar and the bogs and swamps it dominates or codominates throughout its range, discussing interrelationships with other habitats, putative origins and migration patterns, substrate biogeochemistry, associated plant and animal species (with attention to those that are rare, endangered, or threatened regionally or nationally), and impacts of both natural and anthropogenic distur- bance. Research needs for each area are outlined. Chapters are devoted to the practices and problems of harvest and management, and to an examination of a large preserve recently acquired by the USFWS, the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina. CONVERSION FACTORS Metric to U.S. Customary Multiply To Obtain millimeters (mm) inches centimeters (cm) inches meters (m) feet meters (m) fathoms kilometers (km) statute miles kilometers (km) nautical miles square meters (m2) square feet square kilometers (km2) square miles hectares (ha) acres liters (I) gallons cubic meters (m3) cubic feet cubic meters (m3) acre-feet milligrams (mg) ounces grams (g) ounces kilograms (kg) pounds metric tons (t) pounds metric tons (t) short tons kilocalories (kcal) British thermal units Celsius degrees (OC) Fahrenheit degrees U.S. Customary to Metric inches millimeters inches centimeters feet (it) meters fathoms meters statute miles (mi) kilometers nautical miles (nmi) kilometers square feet (ft2) square meters square miles (mi2) square kilometers acres hectares gallons (gal) liters cubic feet (ft3) cubic meters acre-feet cubic meters ounces (02) milligrams ounces (02) grams pounds (Ib) kilograms pounds (Ib) metric tons short tons (ton) metric tons British thermal units ptu) kilocalories Fahrenheit degrees ( F) Celsius degrees CONTENTS ea9tl. PREFACE ................................................... iii CONVERSION FACTORS........................................... iv FIGURES ................................................... TABLES ............................................VIIV! ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...........................................viii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 General Features .......................................... 1 1.2 Classif~cation ............................................ 2 1.3 Relationshi with Adjacent Habitats ................................ 2 1.4 Origins ancf~i~rationof Chamaecyparis fhyories Forests .................... 4 CHAPTER 2 REGIONAL OVERVIEW 2.1 Introduction ............................................10 2.2 Glaciated Northeast .........................................10 2.3 The North Coastal Plain ...................................... 16 2.4 Virginia and the Carolinas .................................... 19 2.5 ~uni~erswamps of the southeast .................................22 CHAPTER 3 CHAMAECYPARIS THYOIDES: LIFE HISTORY AND ECOLOGY 3.1 Morpholo y ............................................. 26 3.2 Silvical ~aits............................................ 27 CHAPTER 4 STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF THE SUBSTRATE 4.1 Hdroloy .............................................. 30 4.2 dter~Remistty .......................................... 31 4.3 Soils .................................................32 4.4 Production and Decom osition .................................. 33 4.5 Soil and plant Tissue cRmis3 .................................. 33 4.6 Interactions; Research Need ..................................34 CHAPTER 5 BIOLOGICAL COMPONENTS OF ATLANTIC WHITE CEDAR WETLANDS 5.1 Adaptations to the Wetland Environment ............................. 36 5.2 Flora .................................................36 5.3 Fauna ..............................................37 5.4 Fiesearch ~eeds ..........................................45 CHAPTER 6 MANAGEMENT AND HARVEST 6.1 Impacts of Disturbance ....................................... 46 6.2 Management ............................................ 52 6.3 Commercial Use .......................................... 54 6.4 Management Guidelines ...................................... 57 6.5 The Federal Role .......................................... 61 6.6 Research Requirements ...................................... 61 CHAPTER 7 A CASE STUDY: ATLANTIC WHITE CEDAR WETLANDS IN DARE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA by J.H. Moore and A.D. Laderman 7.1 Overview .............................................. 67 7.2 Physical Characteristics ...................................... 70 7.3 Vegetation .............................................. 72 7.4 Fauna ................................................ 76 7.5 Management Problems and Options ................................ 78 REFERENCES ................. APPENDIXES: A ~ssociatedFlora: A Distribution Checklist by A.D. Laderman and D.B. Ward .......... 91 B Associated Fauna ..........................................108 C Hydric Soils .............................................11 0 D Personal Communications and Acknowledgments: Reference ..................111 FIGURES Number w Distrlb@i~n0fChamaecyperis~hy~id~s.............................. Atlantic wh#e cedar habitats in the palustrine system ........................ Atlanticwhtte cedar habkats in the d'verine system ......................... Cumloden Swamp. Falmouth, ~~ssachusefis............................ Origlnsof glacial kettleand outwash cedarwetlands ........................ 5 Originsof backswamp cedarwetlands ...............................5 Atlantic whhe cedar logs in expos& freshwater peat underlying a salt marsh a.a........ 6 AtlanticwhHecdarmigrationroutes ................................8 Macrofossil sediment stratigraphy in glaciated cedar wetlands ..................9 Distribution of glacial moraines an& ice readvance localities in Northeastern United States ... 11 Distribution of Chamaecyparis thyoides in towns of the glaciated Northeastern United States . 12 Vegetation of the Hackensack Meadows 1819 - 1896 ....................... 17 Atlantic white cedar in the Delmarva ................................ 18 Presettlsment range of Atlantic white cedar in the Carolinas ................... 19 Location of Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge .................... 20 Section and plan viws of a Qrollrra bay with Atlantic white cedars ...............23 Atlantic white cedar In southeastern United States ........................24 Cedar bordering a Florida sand-bottom creek .......................... 25 Morphology of Chermaecyparis thyoides .............................28 Radial annual growth curves of Atlantic white cedar ....................... 29 Water levels in six Rhoda Island cdar swamps .......................... 31 Substrate cross; section through a bog formerly dominated by Chamaecyparis thyoides .... 33 Flow diagram of cedar wetland dynamics .............................35