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The Productivity and Sustainability of Southern Forest Ecosystems in a Changing Environment pp 741–752Cite as

Global Change and Disturbance in Southern Forest Ecosystems

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Part of the book series: Ecological Studies ((ECOLSTUD,volume 128))

Abstract

Global change is apt to introduce a variety of perturbations in forests of the southern United States (Figure 40.1). The consequences will vary depending upon characteristics of the perturbations and the ecosystem. Perturbations of high intensity but low frequency (e.g., fires, hurricanes, and regional epidemics of southern pine beetles) can “result in the sudden mortality of biomass in a community” and be described as disturbances (Huston 1994). At the other extreme, perturbations of low intensity but high frequency (e.g., changes in average temperature, elevated carbon dioxide (CO2), and atmospheric nitrogen deposition) tend to exert sustained but low intensity pressures on ecosystems and are sottletimes referred to as “stress” (Underwood, 1989; Winner, 1994; Milchunas and Lauenroth, 1995), but the effects are not necessarily negative (Teskey, see Chapter 8).

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Authors
  1. Matthew P. Ayres
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  2. Gregory A. Reams
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. ManTech Environmental Technology, Inc., Raleigh, NC, 27606, USA

    Robert A. Mickler

  2. USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station, Raleigh, NC, 27606, USA

    Susan Fox

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Ayres, M.P., Reams, G.A. (1998). Global Change and Disturbance in Southern Forest Ecosystems. In: Mickler, R.A., Fox, S. (eds) The Productivity and Sustainability of Southern Forest Ecosystems in a Changing Environment. Ecological Studies, vol 128. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-2178-4_40

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-2178-4_40

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-7446-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4612-2178-4

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