DECOMPOSITION RESEARCH PROJECT FOR EREN ESA WORKSHOP 2011

By Carolyn Thomas and Tracy Gartner August 2011 Outline

Objectives Novelty and Justifications Required Materials Methods Outline (cont.)

 Methods  Preparing the litterbags  Installing the litterbags  Gathering Metadata  Soil characteristics  General Vegetation characteristics  Collecting the Litter bags  Calculations Objectives

 Develop and test integrative protocols that will unite aquatic and terrestrial decomposition

 Identify the threshold of invasive abundance necessary to affect ecosystem processes (as defined by mass loss/ decomposition, and changes in C, N, P, and Ca dynamics) Novelty and Justifications

 While there are many experiments that have examined decomposition in aquatic or terrestrial systems, methods tend to vary between these two types of ecosystems and there have been few attempts to link these interacting environments. Other questions?

 We may combine the Decomposition. project with the RBAST project in the 2nd phase.  may limit some site choice, so perhaps not mandatory?

 Suggest your pairings  Walnut and Ailanthus, privet and mountain laurel, others?

 Send ideas of pairings of species (native & invasive) we will add more pairs, as long as we have enough sites that will be using both pairings to make the results valid or robust enough for stats. Required Materials:

 130 pre-assembled litterbags (made and distributed to each experimental site);

 Leaves collected in the fall for native and invasive plants

 260 steel landscape staples

 130 numbered aluminum tags

 Flags or Flagging Required Materials: cont.)

 Top loading balance, accurate to 0.001 g

 Drying oven

 Latex gloves (wear these every time you have any contact with the leaf litter)

 Fishing line Species Choice:

 Both have broad distribution, so will meet EREN distribution and phenology  similar growth forms (compound leaves, long leaflets)  similar habitats (forest edges, prairies, clearings, disturbed sites, old fields, fencerows, roadsides, require full sun, prefer drier soil)  similar taxonomy (both in Order Sapindales (Ailanthus = Simaroubaceae; Rhus = Anacardiaceae) *note: Ailanthus in it’s own small Family, so not possible to select from same Family Native = Rhus glabra (smooth sumac) Native in 40/50 states and 2 Canadian provinces. http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=RHGL Native: Rhus glabra (smooth sumac) and Rhus typhina (staghorn sumac)

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=RHTY Invasive = Ailanthus altissima (tree of heaven) Introduced in 48/50 states and most Canadian provinces Invasive: Ailanthus altissima tree of heaven http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=AIAL Other species proposed:

 Invasive Lonicera mackii (bush honeysuckle) and native Viburnum prunifolium (black-haw)

 Invasive Rosa multiflora (multiflora rose) and native Rubus occidentalis (black raspberry)

 Pines, Norway and sugar maple and American beech and Garlic mustard (phenology of leaf drop?) Methods

 Preparing the Litterbags

 Installing the Litter Bags

 Gathering MetaData

 Soil Characteristics

 General Vegetation Variables

 Collecting the Litter Bags

 Calculations Project Timeline:

 We will work on time estimates for students and scientists for each step in process.  We presented methods in June 2011, presenting now here at ESA.  Leaf litter gathering – October/November, 2011  Litterbag stuffing – November/December, 2011  Litterbag deployment – December 2011, hopefully before 1st snow.  Litterbag collection – at 3 time points, with A/T overlapping (2012) Leaf Bag Collection Questions and suggestions? Acknowledgements

 EREN: NSF Research Coordination Networks Undergraduate Biology Education (#DBI-0955344)

 EREN Colleagues:  http://erenweb.org/about/leadership-committee/