9701088 Clark Issues related to management and the potential change in forest structure due to climate change demand increased knowledge of the basic biology underlying forest dynamics. Theoretical studies have demonstrated the potential for variations in life history strategy to explain both the co-existence of species in forest communities and the patterns of forest stand development. Validation of such studies have been hampered by lack of species specific field data. The PIs seek to explore whether the level of variation actually seen in the field for two life history parameters, growth and mortality, can explain compositional differences observed between forest types. To these ends, the PIs are using tree ring data to derive species specific functions relating growth and size class and growth and mortality for tree species growing in five types of southern Appalachian forests. Simple models will be used to explore the implications of observed variations in growth and mortality for forest stand development.
