The proposed research investigates the relationship of vascular plant species in abandoned agricultural wetlands to factors of the physical/chemical environment by analyzing their respective spatial patterns. Large areas of forested peatlands have been cleared for agriculture in the Lake States and in New York. These wetland ecosystems undergo extreme alterations upon drainage, clearing, and cultivation, until eventually abandoned. Currently, state and federal regulatory agencies and the muckfarming industry debate whether abandoned mucklands are irreversibly altered or revert to naturally functioning systems. Although much information exists on old-field and forest succession, no studies have investigated successional patterns in abandoned agricultural wetlands. In 1991, investigations of abandoned mucklands in Oswego County were initiated. Examination of photographic records and preliminary field surveys have revealed large variation in species response to mucklands abandoned for different lengths of time. Measured or observed variability in surface water depth soil solution pH, marl sublayer features, calcium ion concentration, and soil profile characteristics further indicates nonhomogeneity. Recognition of spatial heterogeneity of plant distributions is fundamental to understanding processes of succession. Patterns and trends will be identified and quantified by using a combination of geostatistical and geographic information systems (GIS) techniques.
