Flow diagrams for plant succession in the middle Tennessee cedar glades

Elsie Quarterman's comprehensive study of cedar glade vegetation in the Inner Central (Nashville) Basin of Tennessee did not include flow diagrams for any of the multiple pathways of succession she described in her Ph.D. thesis (Quarterman 1948) or in her major publication on cedar glades (Quarterman 1950a). Thus, our primary objective was to construct conceptual models (flow diagrams) for the various (inferred) successional pathways from bare limestone bedrock to subclimax redcedar, preclimax oak-hickory and mixed hardwood forests, based primarily on Quarterman's study. A second objective was to discuss how other quantitative studies on cedar glade vegetation in the Inner Basin fit into Quarterman's schemes. These diagrams, along with how other studies correlate with them, will make it easier to interpret the interrelationships of the various plant communities (vegetation zones) in the middle Tennessee cedar glade vegetation complex and thus be an aid to conservation planning in the Nashville Basin.