You are here
Harvard Forest REU Symposium Abstract 2018
- Title: Incidence of Camponotus species among the four dominant tree species at Harvard Forest
- Author: Grace G Duah (Muhlenberg College)
- Abstract:
The rapid death of Eastern Hemlocks is attributed to the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA), a non-native insect species that is indigenous to Japan. Many factors contribute to the spread of HWA, for example the dispersal behavior of HWA. Foundation tree species such as eastern hemlocks have anatomical and physiological characteristics that shape the forest community and structure. Ants (Hymenoptera Formicidae) are good forest bioindicators because they are very sensitive to ecological changes. This study design sampled for ants under the four main species of trees within the Mega-plot a 35-hectare plot which contains both ‘hardwoods’ and ‘softwoods’. We sampled in a concentrated plot within the mega-plot with dimensions of 20 x 320m. Additionally we selected for living trees that are greater than 10cm in diameter at breast height. We analyzed the data to see if there are differences in the occurrence of Camponotus species amount the four selected tree species. Furthermore, we did a Nested-Anova to calculate the effect of tree type. Additionally, we calculated the effect of Quadrant number (Tree location) nested in tree type (coniferous or deciduous). By studying the changes in the ecosystem, risk management strategist can predict the outcome of similarly scenarios and how to possibly prevent them.
- Research Category: Biodiversity Studies
