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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Soil Properties Affect Establishment Of Invasive Species, Celastrus Orbiculatus, In A Lower Hudson River Riparian Ecosystem, Shabana Hoosein Hoosein
Soil Properties Affect Establishment Of Invasive Species, Celastrus Orbiculatus, In A Lower Hudson River Riparian Ecosystem, Shabana Hoosein Hoosein
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
The Hudson River Estuary has been colonized by numerous terrestrial invasive plant species, due in part to its history of anthropogenic and natural disturbance riparian dynamics. This study investigates the spatial patterns of a widespread invasion by Oriental (or Asiatic) bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus Thunb.) in Schodack Island State Park, Rensselaer and Columbia Counties. The Park is home to rare species and communities, several of which are threatened by the encroachment of bittersweet. Bittersweet populations were mapped and surveyed on a fixed grid throughout the island, to determine distribution patterns. Stem densities were approximately 50% higher in sites with dredged material …
Experimental Studies Of The Multitrophic Effects Of Anti-Herbivore Defense In Three Pine Barrens Shrub Species, Elizabeth R. Coffey
Experimental Studies Of The Multitrophic Effects Of Anti-Herbivore Defense In Three Pine Barrens Shrub Species, Elizabeth R. Coffey
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
Plants produce numerous chemical defense compounds in response to herbivory. Induced chemical defenses potentially influence soil dynamics by changing the nutrient ratio of the leaves, which are seasonally shed and contribute to the soil, or by affecting the detritus community through leaching of chemicals in the root zone. Manual clipping was utilized in this study to induce chemical compounds with the goal of examining the secondary effects of induced plant defenses. I removed 25% of the mass of fifteen plants of three different plant species in the Albany Pine Bush annually for two consecutive years. I then compared the soil …