Biology Commons^™

Facilitative And Competitive Tradeoffs Between Morella Cerifera Seedlings And Coastal Grasses, Michael N. Sinclair

Theses and Dissertations

Morella cerifera is a rapidly expanding native shrub on the Virginia barrier islands which displaces other native coastal species and may interrupt normal sediment dynamics. Barrier islands are considered stressful environments with low nutrients, high solar load, and frequent drought and salt exposure; facilitation often dominates in stressful environments according to the Stress Gradient Hypothesis. The objective of this project was to understand the importance of species interactions with grasses on the growth and physiology of M. cerifera at the seedling life stage through both field and lab experiments. Grasses provided ~1.3°C insulation to shrubs during winter freeze events and …