Vascular plant community dynamics following hexazinone site preparation in the lower Coastal Plain

Abstract

Differential responses of vascular plant community compositions, diversities, and species-abundance distributions to hexazinone site preparation were evaluated on three 1-year-old clearcuts, each representing a point along a generalized edaphic gradient (xeric sandhill, mesic flatwoods, and hydric hammock). Foliar cover by species was sampled along four 20-m permanent line transects within each of three blocked replications of hexazinone treatments (0.0, 1.7, 3.4, and 6.8 kg/ha) at pretreatment and after the first and second growing seasons post-treatment. Cover by woody species decreased with increasing hexazinone rates on all sites (P < 0.05). Herbaceous vegetation recovered from first-season reductions to levels that did not vary with treatment (xeric sandhill and mesic flatwoods) or increased with increasing hexazinone rates (hydric hammock). Hexazinone tolerance by Gelsemiumsempervirens (L.) Ait.f. and Vaccinium spp. on the xeric sandhill and Ilexglabra (L.) Gray and G. sempervirens on the mesic flatwoods influenced diversity responses by woody and herbaceous vegetation. With increasing rates, herbaceous diversity decreased on the xeric sandhill, did not vary on the mesic flatwoods, and increased on the hydric hammock. Plant community responses to hexazinone were found to be functions of application rate, edaphic factors, adaptive strategies of resident species, and the presence or absence of hexazinone-tolerant species.