Gary M. Lovett
Institute of Ecosystem Studies
 Collaborators:
Gary M. Lovett, Institute of Ecosystem Studies
Kathleen C. Weathers, Institute of Ecosystem Studies
Mary A. Arthur, University of Kentucky
Ross D. Fitzhugh, University of Illinois
Jacob Griffin, Institute of Ecosystem Studies (Graduate Student)
Brent Mellen, Institute of Ecosystem Studies (Research Assistant)
Jessica Hancock, University of Kentucky (Research Assistant)
The beech bark disease is caused by a combination of a scale insect and a fungus, which was introduced to North America from Europe. The insect penetrates the bark of the trees to feed, and the tiny holes it leaves behind allow the fungus to become established. One infected with the fungus, most trees die. The disease affects nearly every beech tree in the Catskills, and it is especially prevalent in the mid-elevation forests (Griffin et al 2003). One of the effects of the disease may a reduction in the Catskill's beech population; resulting in an increase in beech's major competitor, sugar maple. We are working on a study of stands that span a gradient- from healthy mixed beech-maple forest to stands where once-dominant beech trees have succumbed to beech bark disease and been replaced by maples. One of our recent findings in this study is that, as the percentage sugar maple in the stands increases across this gradient, the amount of nitrification (nitrate production) also increases (see graph below).
This project is the subject of current research. One paper has been published so far, and others are in preparation.
|
