A Dynamic Analysis of Age in Sugar Maple Seedlings

Abstract

Age data from populations of sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) seedlings in southern Wisconsin were used to investigate two plant—population models: a negative exponential model and a power function model. A weighted death probability was calculated and compared to densities of potential germinants, and the influence of seed—crop numbers on stem density was analyzed. The power function model, implying a decreasing mortality rate as the seedling ages, is a good model for describing population dynamics of sugar maple seedlings. Seed crops and potentially viable seeds appear to have no effect on the numbers of stems remaining in the population after several years. However, the density of the initial input into the population system does affect the probability of a seedling surviving during its germination year.