NJ Natural Heritage Program, NJDEP Division of Parks and Forestry, Office of Natural Lands Management, 22 S. Clinton Ave, Plaza Bldg 4, Fl. 4, PO Box 404 Trenton, NJ, 08625-0404
N. of intersection of Duck Pond Road and Dove Island Road, off of Duck Pond Rd. (now a handicap path for Swartswood SP). Transect located between large Sycamore hollow at base on W shore to double ash on E shore.
GPS readings for other 3 plot corners: 1-NW) 41.06607, -74.8215; 2-SW) 41.06606, -74.82148; 3-SE) 41.0661, -74.82144
Shape
Rectangular
Area
10
m²
Permanence
permanent plot
Layout Narrative
Plot is 2 x 5 m, ~12-14 m on the N side of the transect.
Environment Fields:
Elevation
150.6
m
Slope Aspect
135
º
Slope Gradient
4
º
Topographic Position
Basin floor
Landscape Narrative
General Landscape Description: The area is best characterized as a karst terrain with ridges and valleys that are forested and scattered sinkhole depressions amongst the ridges. Some of the sinkholes are large enough to have several topographic levels - terraced, the lowest in the ponds, middle terrrace supporting floodplain forest, and the upper slopes with calcareous forest (mature and successional).
Soil Texture: Mineral - silty clay loam
Environmental Comments: Zone occurs at upper pondshore around entire pond. On the W shore, this zone is somewhat patchy - areas where there is more Aster or Panicum, and areas in dense Boltonia, as well as areas of just Mentha.
Hydrological Influence: sinkhole
Known Land Use History: farming (stone wall across pond)
Overall Taxon Cover Values are Automatically Calculated?
no
Plot Quality Fields:
Plot Validation Level
(1) occurrence plot: sufficient for determining type occurrence
Overall Plot Vegetation Fields:
Dominant Stratum
Herb
Growthform1 Type
Herbs
Growthform1 Cover
95
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Community Type: calcareous sinkhole pond
Community Description: Calcareous pondshore of long sinkhole pond with distinct zonation. The upper band of the pondshore is dominated by Boltonia asteroides asteroides, Mentha arvensis, Cyperus strigosus and Aster racemosus. The lower pondshore is dominated by Cyperus strigosus (with Panicum capillare and Boltonia present in the upper edge of the zone). The center of the pond (lowest elevation) is pure marl and is unvegetated (or sparse Cyperus and Polygonum amphibium), with dried Potamogeton gramineus.
Evidence of Community Processes: Water marks, matted vegetation, marl formation.
Other associated species present but not in plot: Asclepias incarnata, Potamogeton gramineus.
Water snake, beetles, snails are present.
