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Geomorphic and Ecologic Patterns After Fire Within GEOMORPHIC AND ECOLOGIC PATTERNS AFTER FIRE WITHIN THE ALPINE TREELINE ECOTONE, GLACIER NATIONAL PARK, MONTANA DISSERTATION Presented to the Graduate Council of Texas State University-San Marcos in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirments for the Degree Doctor of PHILOSOPHY by Melanie Brooke Stine, M.S. San Marcos, Texas May 2013 GEOMORPHIC AND ECOLOGIC PATTERNS AFTER FIRE WITHIN THE ALPINE TREELINE ECOTONE, GLACIER NATIONAL PARK, MONTANA Committee Members Approved: David R. Butler, Chair George P. Malanson Richard W. Dixon Philip W. Suckling Approved: J. Michael Willoughby Dean of the Graduate College COPYRIGHT by Melanie Brooke Stine 2013 FAIR USE AND AUTHOR’S PERMISSION STATEMENT Fair Use This work is protected by the Copyright Laws of the United States (Public Law 94-553, section 107). Consistent with fair use as defined in the Copyright Laws, brief quotations from this material are allowed with proper acknowledgment. Use of this material for financial gain without the author’s express written permission is not allowed. Duplication Permission As the copyright holder of this work I, Melanie Stine, authorize duplication of this work, in whole or in part, for educational or scholarly purposes only. DEDICATION I dedicate this dissertation to my parents, Donald and Sherry Stine. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First off, I acknowledge and thank my committee. Without their guidance and patience, this dissertation would not have been possible. Thanks to Dr. Suckling for stepping in and being willing to serve on my committee. Thanks to Dr. Dixon for answering my many questions and for his patient guidance. Thanks to Dr. Malanson for his input, guidance, and visiting my field sites. Special thanks to my advisor, Dr. Butler, for his seemingly endless patience, invaluable guidance throughout this process, and for introducing me to the beautiful Glacier National Park. His knowledge, understanding, and support were instrumental to the completion of this degree and dissertation. Thanks to the staff and faculty of the Department of Geography at Texas State University-San Marcos for their support. I greatly appreciate the assistance that I had in the field from Candice Luebberring, Taylor Christian, Anel Avila, Kate Macklin, Clayton Whitesides, and Carol Sawyer. Their endurance through such conditions as blowing ice pellets, visiting to the same locations over and over, dealing with a grizzly bear and mountain goat blocking the trail, and camping out in thunderstorms was greatly appreciated. vi I would also like to thank and acknowledge the unwavering support of my family, without whom I would not have been able to complete this dissertation. I am especially grateful for the importance that my parents have placed on my education throughout my life. A special thanks also to my fellow graduate students who made this process bearable and much more enjoyable and entertaining than it otherwise would have been. I would not have lasted in Texas without the support of many friends, particularly Najeda, Steve, Allison, Todd, Shea, Hilary, and Clayton. Lastly, I thank my longsuffering dog, Annie, who has indirectly endured almost six years of graduate school. I acknowledge the staff of Glacier National Park and thank them for their assistance and for allowing me to collect data within the Park. Financial assistance for my dissertation research was provided by Geological Society of America, the Association of American Geographers, the American Alpine Club, and the Ray and Marian Butler Scholarship. This manuscript was submitted on March 28, 2013. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................. viii LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................... xiii LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... xvi ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................... xxi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................1 Research objectives .........................................................................................................4 Significance.....................................................................................................................5 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ...........................................................................11 Global Climate Change and Fire...................................................................................11 Alpine Treeline Ecotone ...............................................................................................15 Definitions and Factors ............................................................................................15 Effects of Fire in the Alpine Treeline Ecotone ........................................................17 Geomorphic Effects of Fire ..........................................................................................22 Introduction ..............................................................................................................22 Soil ...........................................................................................................................25 Hydrophobicity ........................................................................................................26 Infiltration ................................................................................................................29 Nutrients ...................................................................................................................30 Organic Matter and Litter ........................................................................................32 Microbial and Faunal Activity .................................................................................33 Soil Temperature and Moisture ...............................................................................34 Weathering ...............................................................................................................35 Erosion .....................................................................................................................38 viii Surface Erosion ........................................................................................................39 Gully/rill Formation .................................................................................................48 Mass Movements .....................................................................................................48 Wind Erosion ...........................................................................................................51 Hydrology .....................................................................................................................52 Runoff ......................................................................................................................52 Streamflow ...............................................................................................................54 Sediment Loads and Channel Morphology..............................................................55 Large Woody Debris and Riparian Zones ...............................................................56 Pre-historic Fire ............................................................................................................57 Geomorphic and Topographic Influences on Fire ........................................................58 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................59 Theoretical Framework .................................................................................................61 Biogeomorphic Disturbance ....................................................................................61 Complexity Theory ..................................................................................................62 Multiple Causality ....................................................................................................63 Feedback Loops .......................................................................................................64 Spatial Pattern ..........................................................................................................66 Ecotone Dynamics ..............................................................................................66 Boundary Dynamics and Edge Effects ...............................................................68 Tree Succession and Seedling Establishment .....................................................68 CHAPTER 3: HYPOTHESES ...........................................................................................72 CHAPTER 4: METHODS .................................................................................................76 Study Area ....................................................................................................................76 Glacier National Park ...............................................................................................77 Climate .....................................................................................................................77
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