Vegetative Study at the Duck Field Research Facility, Duck, North Carolina.

Abstract

A vegetative study was conducted at the Duck Field Research Facility of the Army Coastal Engineering Research Center. A vegetation map was prepared using aerial infrared photographs and ground-truth surveys. Eleven different plant communities were delimited. Adequate stratified random sampling of these communities produced frequency and biomass data for 10 of the communities and frequency and density data for the eleventh community. Biomass data were obtained using the clip quadrat method. Ordination techniques confirmed the distinctiveness of the foredune, wetland, oceanside shrub, sound-side shrub, and sound-side disturbed communities. The remaining 6 communities were floristically similar but quantitatively distinct. Two of these latter communities appear natural while the remaining 4 are manmade. The natural communities were designated low dune grass and oceanside intershrub communities. The beachgrass and bitter panicum communities were deliberately established; the spurge-sandgrass and sandgrass-buttonweed communities were affected by sandgrass planting and fertilization. Permanent plots were located and mapped in each community type. Floristic collections revealed a flora of approximately 178 species in 132 genera representing 58 families.

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 01, 1976
Accession Number
ADA025178

Entities

People

  • Gerald F. Levy

Organizations

  • Old Dominion University

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Coastal Engineering
  • Communities
  • Engineering
  • Frequency
  • North Carolina
  • Photographs
  • Planting
  • Plants
  • Research Facilities
  • Sampling
  • Statistical Sampling

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Coastal and Marine Engineering/Sediment Transport/Hydraulic Engineering
  • Wetland-Land-Environmental Management.