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Harvard Forest REU Symposium Abstract 2013

  • Title: Understory on Prospect Hill in the Harvard Forest Affects Carbon Sink Development
  • Author: Sophie G Bandurski (Smith College)
  • Abstract:

    The role of the understory vegetation in carbon sequestration in northern latitude forests currently lacks a complete understanding. Studies involving carbon fluxes and stocks tend to exclude the understory since it is often considered to have an insignificant contribution to carbon sink dynamics. I investigated differences in photosynthetic rate of the understory vegetation across Prospect Hill in the Harvard Forest. I sampled thirty-three permanent plots using the Li-Cor 6400XT to measure the photosynthetic rate of nine dominant non-woody understory species. The plots differed in land use history (cultivated, improved pasture, rough pasture, woodlot), soil drainage (well-drained, moderately well-drained, poorly drained, very poorly drained and somewhat excessively drained), and species composition. Leaf tissue samples were analyzed for percent carbon and percent nitrogen from a subset of twenty plots. I predict that photosynthetic values for all species will be highest on woodlot sites and well-drained soil with Aralia nudicaulis demonstrating the highest photosynthetic rates and Coptis trifolia showing the lowest photosynthetic rates. Additionally, in terms of soil drainage, I predict that the results will show the highest photosynthetic rates for Dennstaedtia punctilobula and the lowest photosynthetic rates for Gaultheria procumbens. The results from this preliminary study indicate that understory vegetation has potential to significantly contribute to the development of the carbon sink in the Harvard Forest and warrants future investigation. Understanding the physiology of the understory is key to knowing more about the forest ecosystem carbon dynamic, especially given future predictions of global climate change.

  • Research Category: Physiological Ecology, Population Dynamics, and Species Interactions

  • Figures:
    • Abstract Collage.jpg