To compare adjacent post oak flatwoods and barrens communities in south-western Indiana, we used vegetational, environmental and fire history data in multivariate analyses. Barrens had greater dominance by post oak and lower tree species richness, but variation in tree species composition was not strongly related to soil moisture, litter depth or other environmental gradients measured. Tree growth has been slow and variable, with little difference between the barrens and flatwoods. Barrens and flatwoods differ in herb species composition, but with considerable overlap. In the barrens, herbaceous vegetation composition was correlated with tree basal area, litter depth and soil moisture; in the flatwoods, it was correlated with soil moisture and microelevation. The barrens and flatwoods differed only slightly but significantly in environment: barrens soils were drier in June 1986 than flatwoods soils. Data from fire-scarred trees show no clear evidence of differences in frequency or extent of fire between the flatwoods and barrens. Multistemmed post oaks in the barrens indicate that past cutting may have contributed to these openings within the closed canopy flatwoods matrix.
The American Midland Naturalist has been published for 90 years by the University of Notre Dame. The connotations of Midland and Naturalist have broadened and its geographic coverage now includes North America with occasional articles from other continents. The old image of naturalist has changed and the journal publishes what Charles Elton aptly termed "scientific natural history" including field and experimental biology. Its significance and breadth of coverage are evident in that the American Midland Naturalist is among the most frequently cited journals in publications on ecology, mammalogy, herpetology, ornithology, ichthyology, parasitology, aquatic and invertebrate biology and other biological disciplines.
Simultaneously an international center for Catholic thought, a teaching-focused liberal arts college, and a dynamic hub for research and scholarship, the College of Arts and Letters at the University of Notre Dame provides its students with an education that fuels their passion for learning while preparing them to make a difference in the world. The largest and oldest college in the university, Arts and Letters houses the divisions of the arts, humanities, and social sciences. It encompasses 21 departments, more than 40 undergraduate and graduate degree programs, and a variety of interdisciplinary centers. Approximately 2,500 undergraduates and 750 graduate students pursue degrees through Arts and Letters programs; students from throughout Notre Dame enroll in thought-provoking Arts and Letters courses.
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The American Midland Naturalist
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