Abstract
Percent cover of seven forage species utilized by bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) was determined before thinning and 2 and 4 years after thinning a 35-year-old loblolly pine-hardwood stand. Combinations of three loblolly pine (15, 18, and 21 m2/ha) and three hardwood (0, 3.5, and 7 m2/ha) basal areas were replicated three times. Percent cover was determined for American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana), blackberry (Rubus spp.), tick trefoil (Desmodium spp.), lespedeza (Lespedeza spp.), panic grass (Panicum spp.), yellow wood sorrel (Oxalis stricta), and three-seeded mercury (Acalypha spp.). Percent cover of American beautyberry and blackberry increased with time. Tick trefoil and panic grass were negatively related to time after thinning. However, lespedeza, yellow wood sorrel, and three-seeded mercury were not influenced significantly by time after thinning. Blackberry and panic grass were negatively related to pine basal area, while all other plant species were not affected. Three-seeded mercury was the only species not negatively related to hardwood basal area. Canopy cover and relative light intensity in the understory demonstrated an inverse relationship.
Recommended Citation
Peitz, David G.; Tappe, Philip A.; and Shelton, Michael G.
(1997)
"Effects of Retained Pine and Hardwood Basal Areas on Percent Cover of Plants Utilized by Bobwhite Quail,"
Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science: Vol. 51, Article 23.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol51/iss1/23
