Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Riparian Ecosystem Response To Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (Adelges Tsugae) Induced Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga Canadensis) Mortality In The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Usa, Misty Dawn Huddleston

Doctoral Dissertations

An invasive insect, hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA), has initiated widespread hemlock decline and mortality in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP). Riparian hemlock mortality impacts on vegetative and aquatic systems of first-order, headwater streams were evaluated. Reference sites for this study were representative of the best available conditions within the GSMNP, with initial stages of HWA presence. Impacted sites were defined as areas with over 90 percent hemlock mortality. Impacted streams had decreased canopy coverage and increased light availability. Residual red maple, yellow birch, and sweet birch capitalized on the loss of hemlock, with increases in relative basal area …