Ecology of Red Maple Swamps in the Glaciated Northeast: A ...

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Cllapter 2. The Physical Environment Surf icial Geolloa Most of the unconsolidated geologic deposits covering the northeastern landscape were laid down during the Wisconsin continental glaciation (Flint 1971). Since the retreat of the glacier 12,000-18,000 years ago, glacial deposits, often referred to as drift, have been eroded, weathered, and, in some instances, buried by postglacial windblown (aeolian) or water-carried (alluvial) material. The physiographic diversity that is so characteristic of the glaciated Northeast results from highly varied preglacial bedrock-controlled topography, as well as glacial and postglacial erosion, transport, and deposition. This combination of geologic conditions and hydrology controls the size, distribution, and, to a large extent, the form and functions of northeastern wetlands. The influence of bedrock on wetlands is largely hydrologic (e.g., perching of groundwater) and chemical. While some wetlands in the region occur directly on bedrock, most red maple swamps have developed in unconsolidated surficial deposits. For this reason, we place major emphasis on surficial geology. The surficial geologic deposits of the glaciated Northeast can be broadly categorized as follows: A. Glacial deposits 1. Till 2. Stratified drift a. Glaciofluvial deposits b. Glaciolacustrine deposits c. Glaciomarine deposits B. Postglacial Deposits 1. Stream terrace deposits 2. Modern fluvial deposits (alluvium) 3. Aeolian deposits The origin and characteristics of the three principal types of surficial deposits-tiill, stratified drift, and alluvium-are outlined below; their relative positions on the landscape are illustrated in Fig. 2.1. Glaciomarine deposits, which include stratified drift laid down in ma- rineorestuarineenvironrnents;streamterracedeposits,which represent historic floodplains; and aeolian deposits, which consist of a thin mantle of fine sand or silt deposited by wind shortly after deglaciation, are of limited extent in the Northeast and thus are rarely associated with red maple swamps. Unless otherwise indicated, the following descriptions follow Flint (1971). Till Till is a heterogeneous mixture of particles, ranging in size from clay to boulders, that was laid down directly by the glacier as it moved or as it melted. Material deposited beneath the glacier is often fine grained and exceedingly compact due to the weight of the overlying ice. This "lodgement till" is commonly encountered as a dense, low-permeability soil layer. Till dropped during melting of the ice, often referred to as ablation till, is frequently lighter and thus more permeable. In general, however, the poor sorting of particles in till results in pemeabilities that are far lower than those found in most stratified drift depsits (Motts and OBrien 1981). Lodgement till typically exhibits hydraulic properties comparable to clay or bedrock. The thickness of till deposits in the Northeast ranges from a few meters, where b ehk is close to the surface, to tens of meters. Till and bedrock are generally exposed in topographically high areas of the landscape; in lowland areas, they are commonly buried beneath stratified drift or postglacial deposits. Stratified Drift This category of glacial deposits includes matepid laid down in glacial shams or lakes. Followlngmnaximum glacial advance. some 18 21,000 years ags in the Northeast, the ice hnt receded air pulses over several thousand years. As the glacier ~treaM, rnekwater issuing h m beneath the ie deposited stsatifid sediments in low areas of the lshndscape (ICokff 1974).
Fig. 22. &~lrit~ve Irtndtici~pe yosttions of the prtnrlpa]. typru of sux+finnl geologic deposits (modified after Morrissey 1:@'7). (;leoic>fluvIai IJepcr~sit~ drposit.q. C:l:3ciol;ic~~strine deposits arc gexlerallly of Stsnt,ified rntrtr~riiils tlclw)sitcd by flowiiqz inrltlow lxmticvtbility, although highly permeable hori- WI~~L&**PN, cifI~w in c~xltaci with the iw (ice co~ltacf zoris lnay CK'CII~ (Mot19 ad 073rien 1981). Where dt'~xAqit8) or ~ x~yo~~d fik;e ~fl~rgh]. of fh~ glilcicr (pmg1eeiofluvi;tl alld glaciolacustrie deposits are laid glac.iid (iqx)~it~), an3 ~ ~~frmd f~ as dnciofluvid dt)- down mom o r less cant4?1n~mrm1musly a11d i11 close ~xlsih. ttwticlca siiz rrrkci tht~ degs(~9 of .sorting of mxwintion, they me often refed ta as a nlorphogJ;.tciofli~vinl depqit-s are Iargely a fUnd,iorl d logical s~q~x?r~cc (Koteff 1974). Several such sets:u~s- ~xjrt ciistilncc. nxkrl c%rlergy lcvcls irl the dcpit iond qt.lenc*.s IXL~~Y 1x3 laid down dwing deglaciation in a c~rvirrm~~rit~xd Izlrtvrnl cfcposits laid dowrl t~~~itt*r sortrbcl ;~nd lx~xxnc. fitlcr 'I%c silt, sanci, and gravel deposited by modern ~,rp~il?(~d with II~CJY~RN~I~~ dishxl(v~ ~K)IZ~ gl~~iili streams, either in the channels or on their floodfrtatt. 1 k r . r ~ of ~ . tii~~ir xjn-tirlg and cu>;lrma tr.xturc., plains during ovc~rbiurk flooding, are collectively miairy gllt~i~fitl~id dc~~x>sits I~AVP high p~rnlt>i.it>~lity, rcfrrrcd to as alluvium. On surficial geology maps, zxaztl wlki*~t st~fi~i~t~f fFiickli~c~s,q(~s wclxr, as in d ~ y thrse dcpsits typically appear orlly along large, pmeglilci~li vd;llclys, tlrtt ric~~x~sits c~.u,l?,.;titllt~> *i\c~uifm-s law-gradient yerenriial streams; along small capfible of a.npj,E~irx rrniilicipal wells (Mrzt'is md streams, alluvium is commonly discontjlluous or f)%Pien 1981). too thin or x l m ) tct ~ be mapped. k%dirne~~ta3 depositcad in the standiilg water of glacial I&- ge11e~'dly irre mierred b as glaciolactxat rirrt. depcrsits. These depits include fie sand, silt, md clay that settle out of the water ~IWIII, as well as coarser materid that is deposited by currents flawbg down the face of lake deitiiu. Till hp+fsomrnelt& bhrb of glacial ice may dso be inco~por~kt ixr thew I-Iydrogeslogic Settings; of Red fk2apf.e Swamps Red s~lapl~ swamps wur in many different locations an the Iax~ciscape, from small, isolated basins it1 till or gIncioflrsvial deposits to extensive wetland complexes on glaciolacustrine deposits, and from
Page 2 and 3: Technical IIbpg~rt Series U.S. Fish
Page 5 and 6: Preface In many areas of the glacia
Page 7 and 8: Acer rubrum (red maple) diagnostic
Page 9 and 10: Zone 111 . St . Lawrence Valley and
Page 11 and 12: Fig . 3.7. Red maple swap with unde
Page 13 and 14: Table 4.5. Flood tolerance of trees
Page 15 and 16: Chapter I. Introduction Wetland kbr
Page 17 and 18: Regional Setting throughout the gla
Page 19 and 20: C-J Spruce-Fa Beech-Birch-Maple Mit
Page 21 and 22: Fig. 1.4. The range of red maple (a
Page 23: ~ b 1.5, h fircort~ of Wet landc Ir
Page 27 and 28: egional groundwakr table by the roc
Page 29 and 30: y e~rr~mtrtm~~,irzst ion. Cat~t,inu
Page 31 and 32: inflow^ Outflows OF SWQ SWI Fig. 25
Page 33 and 34: Fig, 23.6,Soasonally flmded red map
Page 35 and 36: Fig. 27. Water levels in six mode I
Page 37 and 38: The duration of soil saturation has
Page 39 and 40: Organic soils are always very poorl
Page 41 and 42: Chapter 3. The Plant Community The
Page 43 and 44: .dar02f 'B Xi? s%u?mma -?sway+xqq p
Page 47 and 48: Community S tructare Red maple swam
Page 49 and 50: suggesta a strong correlation betwe
Page 51 and 52: Table 3.2. Stmtuml chumcteristics o
Page 53 and 54: Table 3.3. Continued. "- -- - Speci
Page 55 and 56: Table __ 3.3. _ Continued ._.lll.__
Page 57 and 58: Table 3.3. Continued. . * - __.. ^.
Page 59 and 60: Zone I II III TV C" Drppnmriad* sp.
Page 61 and 62: on Long Island, pin oak, swamp whit
Page 63 and 64: fern moea (?ki.c&inz &limfulum), an
Page 65 and 66: countered (Table 3.3). The herb lay
Page 67 and 68: ~akareous Seepage Swamps England si
Page 69 and 70: and globeflower are. listed in four
Page 71 and 72: was the most likely reason for diff
Page 73 and 74: kvei fluctuation during the gmwing
Page 75 and 76:
Table 4.2. .Rektit.e ~bmchnce w Q)
Page 77 and 78:
difficuit to delineate in many inst
Page 79 and 80:
in the librature btlx>~ithe moi~ttl
Page 81 and 82:
Origin. an$ Relationship to Water R
Page 83 and 84:
Influence on Swamp Vegetation Flori
Page 85 and 86:
taka wpra-x li)wcir, t raac* df~rla
Page 87 and 88:
dwuL 4.3 6.3. C ~ ~ ~ strisk- P C I
Page 89 and 90:
Chapter 5. Ecosystem Processes Irr
Page 91 and 92:
- 0 2 E E 0l *" C 8 g 00 - c_ m 3 -
Page 93 and 94:
Ehnzdoltf (IWj wm mmht~nt, rru@w on
Page 95 and 96:
1976; I">irwia RE& vari iier Vdk 18
Page 97 and 98:
Xletritus Exprort and 'sod Chain Su
Page 99:
Chapter 6. Wetland Dynamics Most no
Page 102 and 103:
since forested wetland is the endpo
Page 104 and 105:
kettle bogs, lakes, or large rivers
Page 106 and 107:
mmdwakr depression wetlands. Becaus
Page 108 and 109:
(Mniotila varia), regularly breed i
Page 110 and 111:
EXusbtand arid Eddleman (1Y30) quan
Page 112 and 113:
census results. Twenty-five (40%) o
Page 114 and 115:
elated to avian richness and abunda
Page 116 and 117:
Fig. 7.6. Wood duck (Aix sponsa). T
Page 118 and 119:
Table 7.5. Small-mammal communities
Page 120 and 121:
ing the latter years of flowage occ
Page 122 and 123:
Chapter 8. Values, Impacts, and Man
Page 124 and 125:
of the bordering upland. Both studi
Page 126 and 127:
Fig. 8.1. ST folia) in pel fer. .bu
Page 128 and 129:
Table 8.1. Emrnpks ofgmss loss rate
Page 130 and 131:
Fig. 8.3. Southern New England red
Page 132 and 133:
Fig. 8.4. Electric utility lines pa
Page 134 and 135:
e expected to cause more drastic fl
Page 136 and 137:
and enhancement has been a highly c
Page 138 and 139:
y capturing sediment, reducing nutr
Page 140 and 141:
M.R.S.A., Sect. 480.A). Research by
Page 142 and 143:
Broadfoot, W. M., and H. L. Willist
Page 144 and 145:
Fefer, S. I. 1980. me palushe syste
Page 146 and 147:
Jordan, R J. 1978. Glacial geology
Page 148 and 149:
Xew Hampshire Xatural Areas Program
Page 150 and 151:
Ren MAPLE SWAMR 137 Smith, H. 1984.
Page 152 and 153:
Appendix A. Sources of Floristic Da
Page 154 and 155:
Appendix B. Plants of Special Conce
Page 156 and 157:
Appendix B. Continued Species d Car
Page 158 and 159:
Appendix C. Vertebrates That Have B
Page 160 and 161:
Mourning warbler ... Nashville warb
Page 162 and 163:
Appendix D. Vertebrates of Special
Page 164 and 165:
~tnte"and ronsewat ion stat ilu' d
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