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

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fibers. The diber content of sapric material &r mbbh is less than one-sixth of the soil volume. Hemic mahrial is intermediate in fiber content between fibric and sapric materials. Generally, the proportion of organic material in a wetland soil is debrmined by soil temperature and the duration of anaerobic conditions, both of which regulate microbial decomposition rates (Bowden 1987). In red maple swamps, where soil saturation is seasonal, anaerobic conditions wcur near the soil surface during only a portion of the growing season; organic matter is more readily decomposed during aerobic periods. As a result, the organic material in the soils of red maple swamps is predominantly sapric (well decomposed) or, less commonly, hemic (moderately well decomposed). Often, sapric and hemic horizons alternate in the same soil profile (Lowry 19&1), suggesting that a swamp's water regime may shift over time. Hydric Soil Drainage Classes As noted previously, swamp soils also can be distinguished by drainage class. Descriptions of the basic soil draCnage classes appear in Table 2.4. In the glaciated Northeast, hydric soils include (1) very poorly drained and p rly drained soils where the water table lies within 15-45 cm of the surface for more than 2 weeks during the growing season, the minimum depending on soil texture and permeability; ((2) somewhat p rly drained soils that have a water table within 15 cm of the surface for more than 2 weeks during the growing season; and (3) soils that are hquently ponded or flooded for at least 7 consecutive days during the growing season W.S. Soil Conservation Service 1991). As indicated earlier, northeastern red maple swamps have primarily very poorly drained or poorly drained soils. Very poorly drained soils typically mur in seasonally flooded basins, although they are sometimes found on slopes where groundwater inflow keeps the soil wet for extended periods during the growing season. Pborly drained soils are saturated seasonally, but seldom have standing surface water. A red maple swamp with both of these soil drainage classes is shown in Fig. 2.9. Soil Type and Wetland Setting Unless the natural hydrology of a swamp has been altered, its soil type (organic or mineral) is usually a direct indication of relative site wetness. Fig. 29. Seasonally saturated red maple swamp containing poorly drained Cforeground) and very poorly drained (midgmuncl) soils. These wetlands are common along upland drainageways throughout the glaciated Northeast.
Organic soils are always very poorly drained, Hutton 1972). Mottling and gleyinig are most ob- V~OW while mineral soils may occur in any drainage in silty or clayey soils such as tho- that elass. As is the case with plant community compo- develop from till, glaci01acust;rine deposits, or d- sition, the organic matter content of a soil changes luvium. Mineral horizons that develop from ~~tinuo~rsly dong a moisture gradient. The wet- glaciofluvial material are usually relatively bat red maple swamps frequently have peat coarse. While mottling is not often apparent in depths exceeding 1 m; depths of more than 6 m smdy soils, organic matter may accumulate imhave been recorded m. A. Niering, Connecticut mediately below low-chroma horizons from which allege, New London, personal communication). it has been leached by water table fluctuation, Carlisle muck, a Typic Modisaprist with at least marking the position of the low-water table. 1.3 m of organic material, is one of the most com- In Rhode Island, Sokoloski (1989) found that the mon soil series in red maple swamps throughout presence of pale brown mottles (chroma 53) within the Northeast. Swamps with organic soils most 30-40 cm of the mineral soil surface was a useful often occupy well-defined basins in the lowest indicator of the upland limit of red maple swamps areas of the landscape, where they are fed by the in sandy soils. Comprehensive field criteria for regional graundwabr system, as well as by sur- distinguishing wetland soils from upland soils are face runoff and streaxnflow in some cases. Cold air described in the Federul Manual for Identifiing Brainage inta suck wetlands from surrounding and Delineating Jurisdictional Wetlands (Federal upEarxd areas also contributes to reduced organic Interagency Committee for Wetland Delineation matter decompositior~ rates. Swamps with min- 1989). era1 soila generally occur at the edge of organic ~wamps, on stream floodplains, or on hillsides Base Status and pH wtlero soil moisture is depleted earlier in the sum- Throughout most of the glaciated Northeast, the mer by evijlpcltr&rrlspiration. Poorly drained rninsoils of red maple swamps are acidic and low in aral soil8 ustmijllly have surface organic matter available plant nutrients. Anaerobic decomposition acewnulnt.ionra of les~ than 20 cm; very poorly of organic material creates organic acids that may draixrt;d n~heral soils may have up tx, 40 cm. lower soil pH. The pH of wetland soils may be PFtysica 1 and Morpholagic Properties neutral or alkaline in areas with high base saturation, where groundwater carries calcium and mag- Below the organic Itlyer in swamp soils there nesium from the surrounding landscape to the wetis ofbxr a dark gray or black highly organic min- land. (Base saturation is the percentage of a soil's era1 horizon, followcd by increasingly lighter cation exchange capacity that is saturated with "I~w-~hron~~" ilorizo~ls, sorne of which also may exchangeable bases such as calcium and magnec~ntaiutr oranp or yellow "high-chroma" mottles sium.) Most of the glaciated Northeast is charac- (Tirmer and Venoman 19871. Mottles are streaks, terized by bedrock and surficial deposits with low sph, or bXstcEles differelit in color from the pre- baae content. These materials do not provide sufdamitlant color of the aaiI matrix. Pernlttnoxlt or ficient quantities of calcium and magnesium to saturation often produces bright-gray groundwater to neutralize or markedly raise the a>r blue-p~ly. "gIsyod" horizons, whereas alternat- base content of the soils in red maple swamps. imlg saturation and aeration, caused by water Figure 2.10 identifies the major areas in the table fluctuation, produces mottles. The depth to Northeast with high base saturation; these are gleyin~ or mottlixxg is one of the prinlary criteria the areas most likely to have alkaline wetland for tahe identificatiotl of bokh soil drainage classes soils. Occasionally, even where wetland soils (Table 2.4) and hydpic soils @ederal Interagency form directly over calcareous materials such as Committee for Wetland Delineation 1989). limestone or marl, the organic surface horizons The texture of mineral horizons may vary may be acidic (hlalecki et al. 1983; Paratley and widely, from clay to coarse sand, depnding 011 the Fahey 1986). In such cases, mineral-poor layers of the surficial deposit; from which the soil become functionally isolated from mineral-rich formed. In some swamps, organic deposits are layers below, thereby affecting nutrient avail- ~rt.derlain by marl (calcium carbonat&) layers that ability and the floristic composition of the plant weere ori(ginally deposited in freshwater. lakes (see community.
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 and 24: ~ b 1.5, h fircort~ of Wet landc Ir
Page 25 and 26: Fig. 22. &~lrit~ve Irtndtici~pe yos
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: The duration of soil saturation has
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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