Variation in Shrub Phenology Between Native and Invasive Species in an Urban Woodlot
Abstract
Shrub species, both invasive and native, are an important component of temperate deciduous forest ecosystems but are an often-overlooked and under-studied functional group. Shrubs tend to leaf-out earlier than trees in spring and retain their leaves later in autumn thus extending the overall growing season and the carbon uptake period of the forest ecosystem. In this study, a range of 5-native and 3-invasive shrub species were identified in a deciduous urban woodlot, and the phenology was monitored over a 3-year period on the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee USA campus. The aim of this work was to determine any variation in the timing (DOY) and duration (days) of key spring (bud-open, leaf-out, full-leaf unfolded) and autumn (leaf color, leaf fall) phenophases between native and invasive species. Preliminary results revealed interesting findings with buckthorn Rhamnus cathartica (an alien invasive species) consistently leafing out later than most native species (wild currant Ribes americanum, maple leaf viburnum Viburnum acerifolium and nannyberry Viburnum lentago) and taking longer to reach full-leaf unfolded. These results will help understand how invasive shrub species may gain a competitive advantage over native shrubs and may help inform future conservation management plans.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019AGUFM.B13M2656R
- Keywords:
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- 0439 Ecosystems;
- structure and dynamics;
- BIOGEOSCIENCES;
- 0480 Remote sensing;
- BIOGEOSCIENCES;
- 1605 Abrupt/rapid climate change;
- GLOBAL CHANGE;
- 6620 Science policy;
- POLICY SCIENCES & PUBLIC ISSUES