Organisms of the Hubbard Brook Valley, New Hampshire
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United States Department of Organisms of the Agriculture Forest Service Hubbard Brook Valley, Northeastern New Hampshire Research Station General Technical Report NE-257 Abstract Lists the organisms, both plant and animal, that have been identified by scientists engaged in multidisciplinary ecological research in the Hubbard Brook Valley, New Hampshire, during the past three decades. The Valley encompasses the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, Mirror Lake, and other areas within the White Mountain region of Grafton County. The species lists included in this report are relatively complete for vascular plants, amphibians, birds, fish, mammals, phytoplankton, and zooplankton, and partially complete for insects, molluscs, and nonvascular plants. The Compilers RICHARD T. HOLMES is professor of environmental biology and professor of biological sciences with the Department of Biological Sciences at Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire. GENE E. LIKENS is director and president of the Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, New York. Manuscript received for publication 12 January 1998 Published by: For additional copies: USDA FOREST SERVICE USDA Forest Service 5 RADNOR CORP CTR SUITE 200 Publications Distribution RADNOR PA 19087-4585 359 Main Road Delaware, OH 43015 March 1999 Fax: (740)368-0152 Visit our homepage at: http://www.fs.fed.us/ne Contents Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 1 Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study ........................................................................................... 1 Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest ....................................................................................... 1 Mirror Lake .............................................................................................................................. 2 Organisms of Forested Watersheds, including Streams and Wetlands, of Hubbard Brook Valley ................................................................................................... 3 Bryophytes .............................................................................................................................. 3 Liverworts ......................................................................................................................... 3 Mosses ............................................................................................................................. 3 Vascular Plants ....................................................................................................................... 6 Pteridophytes .................................................................................................................... 6 Gymnosperms .................................................................................................................. 7 Angiosperms .................................................................................................................... 8 Insects ...................................................................................................................................14 Molluscs .................................................................................................................................17 Other Invertebrates ................................................................................................................17 Fish ........................................................................................................................................17 Amphibians ............................................................................................................................17 Reptiles ..................................................................................................................................17 Birds .......................................................................................................................................18 Mammals ...............................................................................................................................20 Organisms in Mirror Lake .............................................................................................................21 Hydrophytes ...........................................................................................................................21 Epipelic Algae ........................................................................................................................22 Phytoplankton ........................................................................................................................22 Benthic Micro- and Macroinvertebrates ..................................................................................27 Zooplankton ...........................................................................................................................29 Fish ........................................................................................................................................30 Amphibians ............................................................................................................................30 Reptiles ..................................................................................................................................30 Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................................31 References ...................................................................................................................................31 Appendix: Primary Sources for the Organisms Listed in This Report ............................................32 Organisms of the Hubbard Brook Valley, New Hampshire Compiled by: Richard T. Holmes and Gene E. Likens Introduction This report lists the organisms, both plant and animal, that America as well as one of the longest quantitative records of are found within the Hubbard Brook Valley in New bird population abundance in northeastern forests. Hampshire.1 The species lists are relatively complete for vascular plants, amphibians, birds, fish, mammals, Since 1955, research at the HBEF has resulted in more than photoplankton, and zooplankton, and partially complete for 1,300 published papers as well as numerous books and insects, molluscs, and nonvascular plants. The Hubbard monographs. During the last four decades, hundreds of Brook Valley consists of the watershed of Hubbard Brook, students have been trained in ecology and ecosystem from its junction with the Pemigewasset River to its science at Hubbard Brook. As of 1998, this training has headwaters within the White Mountains. The Valley is produced 65 doctoral dissertations, 34 master’s theses, and situated within the townships of Thornton and Woodstock in 22 undergraduate honors theses. Grafton County. This area consists primarily of the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, Mirror Lake, and several private Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest landholdings. The 3,160-ha Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest (43o56’N The organisms included in this report are divided into latitude, 71o45’W longitude) ranges in elevation from 222 to species that inhabit the forested watersheds, including 1,015 m. The climate is humid-continental with short, cool streams and wetlands, of Hubbard Brook Valley and those summers and long, cold winters. The average monthly that are found in nearby Mirror Lake. In several instances, temperature is 19oC in July and -9oC in January. There are the same species are found in both regions. Sources for the about 140 frost-free days; the growing season for trees species listed are identified in the References sections and/ extends from the end of May until mid-October. The average or the Appendix. minimum daily relative humidity is about 60 percent; average annual precipitation is 139 cm with a winter snowpack of Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study 1.5 m. The Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest (Fig. 1), the bowl- The bedrock of the HBEF consists of granitic rocks of the shaped drainage area of Hubbard Brook, was established in Kinsman Granodionite Formation in the western portion and 1955 by the USDA Forest Service as a major center for highly metamorphosed sedimentary rocks of the Rangeley hydrologic research in New England. In 1963, the scope of Formation in the eastern portion. Soils are primarily this research was expanded with the initiation of the spodosols developed in acidic glacial till. A common soil Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study, which pioneered the use type is the Becket series, a well-drained sandly loam; depth of small watersheds in multidisciplinary studies of northern to bedrock ranges from 0 to 3 m. hardwood forest ecosystems. In addition to monitoring long- term trends in atmospheric and streamwater conditions, Within the HBEF are nine small watersheds (12 to 76 ha) scientists are examining chemical and meteorological data equipped with stream gaging stations and precipitation to determine the status of and trends in dry deposition, air collectors that are used to study the movement of water and quality, and the biota of northern hardwood ecosystems. chemicals through this ecosystem. This equipment also is used in studies of the impact of human disturbances such as The Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study, which includes forest cutting, air pollution, changes in land use, animal cooperative studies by researchers with the Forest Service populations, and climate. The HBEF contains