Fern Understory as an Ecological Filter at Harvard Forest 1993-1995

We investigated the role of the fern understory as an ecological filter that influences the organization of the tree seedling bank in New England deciduous forests. The data files below summarize a series of field experiments conducted from 1993 to 1995 evaluating the response of seed germination and seedling growth and survival to experimental understory manipulation. These field studies involved three experimental manipulations of the fern understory: 1) removal of ferns 2) ferns tied back (to remove above-ground shading) 3) ferns left intact (control). These manipulations were established in 180 - 1m2 plots spanning six field sites and 2 different fern species (3 understory manipulations x 2 understory fern species x 6 sites x 5 replicates/site = 180 experimental plots).