The Forest Habitat of the University of Kansas Natural History Reservation

The study documents the vegetation history, structure, and dynamics of a midwestern forest and adjoining fields on a natural-history reservation. It describes species composition and spatial patterns, documents a post-agricultural invasion of tree seedlings dominated by pioneer taxa such as elm, honey locust, boxelder, dogwood, walnut, osage orange, and crab-apple, and notes the scarcity of climax oaks and hickories among recruits. The authors analyze variation by slope and soil, quantify seedling densities and mortality, assess the roles of herbaceous competition and livestock in seed dispersal and establishment, and summarize animal associates, annotated species lists, and management-relevant conclusions.