Open Access
How to translate text using browser tools
4 December 2014 Stand Structure and Acorn Production of the Island Scrub Oak (Quercus pacifica)
Mario B. Pesendorfer, Kathryn M. Langin, Brian Cohen, Zachary Principe, Scott A. Morrison, T. Scott Sillett
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

Island scrub oak (Quercus pacifica), a keystone chaparral species on Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, and Santa Catalina islands, provides habitat for a diverse assemblage of plant and animal species. The restoration of oak habitat is a management priority, but little is known about Q. pacifica stand structure and acorn production, 2 parameters that are important in the species' recovery. To investigate whether species interactions and abiotic conditions have an effect on stand structure and acorn production, we sampled within-stand densities, tree sizes, and acorns in the 3 island populations that have been exposed to different herbivores, seed predators, and climate conditions. Stand densities varied more within than between islands; but Santa Rosa, the coldest of the 3 islands, had smaller trees with smaller acorns than the other 2 islands. To quantify the temporal and spatial variation in acorn production on Santa Cruz Island, we conducted acorn counts at 2 spatial scales: (1) an island-wide survey of 200 trees along the east—west axis of the island (2008–2012) and (2) small-scale surveys within three 100-ha study plots (150 trees; 2009–2012). Acorn production varied strongly, both temporally and spatially, with little temporal synchrony and spatial autocorrelation. Trees at higher elevations produced more acorns, but the roles of temperature and precipitation were unclear in this relatively short study. To increase our understanding of the drivers of Q. pacifica acorn production, we propose that annual oak surveys be incorporated into a long-term monitoring program across the California Channel Islands.

© 2014
Mario B. Pesendorfer, Kathryn M. Langin, Brian Cohen, Zachary Principe, Scott A. Morrison, and T. Scott Sillett "Stand Structure and Acorn Production of the Island Scrub Oak (Quercus pacifica)," Monographs of the Western North American Naturalist 7(1), 246-259, (4 December 2014). https://doi.org/10.3398/042.007.0119
Received: 26 April 2013; Accepted: 9 April 2014; Published: 4 December 2014
Back to Top