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Biodiversity and ecosystem function are inter-related via several, sometimes non-linear pathways.
Understanding how biodiversity and ecosystem function relate is essential for making management decisions and predicting how function will be lost or retained as land degradation leads to forest lost and as reforestation projects work to restore forests. I am studying the relationship between species, diversity and function at a large-scale forest diversity experiment. BiodiversiTREE is a forest diversity experiment, led by John Parker, at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater, Maryland. Planted in 2013, it covers 19 hectares and has more than 20,000 trees. The experiment includes 16 species native to Maryland. |
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I am combining a large tree growth data set (yearly measurements of 500+ trees) with field surveys of leaf traits and observations of spider abundances and functional diversity, manipulative field experiments (litterbags) and herbivore feeding trials to better understand how tree species identity and functional diversity shape the community and ecosystem function of forests.
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How do trees grow? Understanding how diversity affects tree growth is important for predicting successional dynamics and ecosystem services, like carbon sequestration. A cohort of ~540 trees have been measured annually since 2016. We are examining tree height and multiple volume metrics to determine how tree species and plot diversity relate to tree growth and how tree height and volume are related. Thus far, it is clear that plot diversity alters tree shape. Trees in diverse plots are not as tall as trees in monoculture, but they are more voluminous than monoculture trees at equal height. |
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Collaborators: Karin Burghardt (UMD), Kelsey McGurrin (UMD), John Parker (SERC), Jamie Pullen (SERC)
Leaf litter decomposition at home and away, alone and in mixture
The litterbag experiment, started in Fall 2020, leverages the extensive tree trait data and looks at three key drivers of leaf litter decomposition: plot diversity, litter origin, and the role of invasive earthworms.
1. Plot diversity: will leaves decompose differently in monoculture plots compared to polyculture plots?
2. Litter origin: do leaves grown in plots with high species diversity decompose differently than conspecifics grown in monoculture?
3. Earthworms: by allowing earthworms (some of which are invasive) to access a subset of the leaf litter we can determine if they are preferentially feeding in these forest plots.
The litterbag experiment, started in Fall 2020, leverages the extensive tree trait data and looks at three key drivers of leaf litter decomposition: plot diversity, litter origin, and the role of invasive earthworms.
1. Plot diversity: will leaves decompose differently in monoculture plots compared to polyculture plots?
2. Litter origin: do leaves grown in plots with high species diversity decompose differently than conspecifics grown in monoculture?
3. Earthworms: by allowing earthworms (some of which are invasive) to access a subset of the leaf litter we can determine if they are preferentially feeding in these forest plots.
Collaborators: Karin Burghardt (UMD), John Parker (SERC)
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Tree species, diversity, architecture and spiders
Trees are important habitat for predator arthropods, including spiders. We used multi-year surveys of arboreal spiders to assess how tree species identity and tree diversity relates to spider abundance and diversity. We found that trees in diverse plots supported more spiders than trees in monoculture plots and that spiders showed stronger tree species preferences later in the summer. The full paper can be read in Ecology. |
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Collaborators: Karin Burghardt (UMD), Elizabeth Butz (UMD), John Parker (SERC)
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