Vegetation and Soil Pattern in a Mesophytic Forest at Ithaca, New York

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Abstract
Vegetation and soil were sampled intensively in a 2 ha area of McGowan''s woods, a rich, mixed deciduous forest at Ithaca, New York. The main vegetation gradient was caused by moisture differences associated with a variation of 3 m in elevation, and Tsuga canadensis abundane caused a secondary gradient. The moisture gradient was accompanied by gradients in soil nutrients, pH and texture; also the vegetation gradient caused the mineral content of leaf litter to change. Hence, the "moisture", gradient is a complex gradient, with numerous variables changing together. Ordination, particularly reciprocal averaging, was effective for analyzing these data. Correlation coefficients and canonical correlation analysis were less useful. McGowan''s woods is exceptionally rich in species, probably because of disturbances. Its preponderance of phanerophytes and hemicryptophytes resembles southern or mid-temperate mesophytic forests.