Document: WEI-3-82-1

Assessing the impact of the invasive tree Acer platanoides on forest communities.

FANG, W.*

SUNY at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY 11794-5245 USA ¹

Abstract:
I evaluated the impact of Norway maple Acer platanoides (AP) on forest communities by mapping forest vegetation in a 5,000 m² area along an invasion radient into a native mesic forest and carrying out a series of factorial field manipulative experiments. The mapping data showed that 1)AP is penetrating the native forest; and 2) AP density is negatively associated with diversity of native species and native seedling recruitment, and positively associated with two other exotic invasive species. Seedlings of 5 native species and 3 exotic species were transplanted under AP and its native congenitor Acer rubrum (AR). The effects of above and below-ground competition and litter effects were tested by girdling canopy trees, trenching, and removing litter. Results indicated that seedlings survive and grow better under AR than under AP, and survive and grow better under girdled AP trees than ungirdled ones (p<0.001). Four out of 5 native species grew better in trenched plots than untrenched plots, but the three exotic species were not affected by trenching. AP seedlings survive and grow significantly better than AR seedlings across all treatments. No litter effects were found.

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This abstract is being presented at: 8:00 AM in session:
Oral Session #2: Conservation Ecology.