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Abstract Detail


Ecophysiology

Brown, K.J. [1], Polgar, Sarah [1], Fitch, Holly [1].

Race to the top: Ailanthus altissima sapling growth rates outpace native Ohio hardwoods.

Ailanthus altissima (Tree of Heaven, AIAL), an invasive tree distributed throughout most of the United States, threatens rare community types at the Edge of Appalachia Nature Conservancy preserve in Adams County, Ohio. Previous research indicated that seedling establishment and juvenile growth rates of AIAL, while substantial, were limited by light availability. However, comparisons of AIAL growth rates with those of native tree species are limited. Understanding interspecific competition in height growth between native and invasive species allows us to estimate the magnitude and rates of invasive dominance. Our main questions were: (1) Do height growth rates of AIAL vs. native saplings respond differently to increasing amounts of canopy openness? (2) How do soil properties and canopy structure influence AIAL sapling growth and biomass? In 2006, 20×50 m plots were placed in 12 AIAL populations and 12 randomly-selected control plots. Sapling density was measured in 3 subplots. In the AIAL plots, ten AIAL saplings were harvested to determine: annual growth rate of main stem, age, diameter, and dry biomass. Native sapling growth rates for 9 species were determined in situ for 5 saplings within each plot. AIAL sapling density was 583 stems ha -1. The mean sapling growth rate from 2002-2006 for AIAL saplings was 41.42 cm*yr-1. The fastest-growing native hardwood species (Liriodendron tulipifera and Sassafras albidum) had much lower growth rates than AIAL (16.67 cm and 15.72 cm, respectively). Yearly means for slower-growing native hardwoods ranged between 6.27 and 13.08 cm of mean annual growth. These results will be evaluated with data on leaf area index, soil properties, and site history to assist the Nature Conservancy with their management efforts of AIAL, in order to understand what factors are contributing to the intensity of the AIAL invasion at the Edge of Appalachia.


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1 - Ohio University, Environmental and Plant Biology, 315 Porter Hall, Athens, OH, 45701, USA

Keywords:
Ailanthus
invasive
sapling
growth rate
biomass
allometry
competition.

Presentation Type: Poster:Posters for Topics
Session: P
Location: Exhibit Hall (Northeast, Southwest & Southeast)/Hilton
Date: Sunday, July 8th, 2007
Time: 8:00 AM
Number: P69011
Abstract ID:2080


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