Relationship of Vegetation Layers to Soils in Southeastern Wisconsin Forested Wetlands

Abstract
For 15 floodplain and basin forests in southeastern Wisconsin, polar ordination and rank correlation suggested that different soil factors regulate the species composition of each vegetation layer. Composition of the tree layer was significantly correlated with pH, % organic matter and Mg concentration in the soil. Density of stems in the woody understory was more strongly related to canopy openings and to stand type (floodplain and basin) than to soil variables. Herbaceous understory composition was correlated significantly to soil variables (% OM and Mg). Because different site factors regulate the composition of different layers, models of stand-environment relationships should be based on data from all layers.