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Event Type
Research Presentation
Academic Department
Environmental Studies
Location
Dana Science Building, 2nd floor
Start Date
14-4-2023 1:30 PM
End Date
14-4-2023 3:00 PM
Description
With field assistance from Talibah Beckwith, Megan Pickell, and Chloe Riederich
Under the direction of Dr. Renee Godard
Tropical rainforests are some of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the world and currently face high rates of deforestation. More than 50% of Ecuador is forested with primary (undisturbed by humans), secondary (recovering from human disturbance), and tree plantations. In our study, we sampled understory plants along seven transects in a primary and seven transects in a secondary forest. For 10 plants on each transect, we noted the presence or absence of plant characteristics associated with: 1.) high moisture environments (drip tips, waxy cuticles), 2.) low light conditions (leaf area, leaf fenestration), and 3.) predator reduction (hairy stems, thorns, red/purple undersides, leaf variegation). The prevalence of assessed characteristics did not differ between understory plants in the primary and secondary forests, except that understory plants in the secondary forests were more likely to possess leaves with red/purple pigmentation in the undersurface of their leaves. Common understory plant adaptations were drip tips and waxy cuticles (adaptations to high moisture environments), while adaptations to reduce predation and those to low light conditions were much less common. Our overall goal was to see if understory characteristics changed with a changing forest environment that has more or less of the optimal resources for growth. The data we found from our study leads us to insight on the typical understory plant characteristics in primary and secondary tropical rainforest in Ecuador.
Characteristics of Understory Vegetation in a Primary and Secondary Tropical Rainforest in Ecuador
Dana Science Building, 2nd floor
With field assistance from Talibah Beckwith, Megan Pickell, and Chloe Riederich
Under the direction of Dr. Renee Godard
Tropical rainforests are some of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the world and currently face high rates of deforestation. More than 50% of Ecuador is forested with primary (undisturbed by humans), secondary (recovering from human disturbance), and tree plantations. In our study, we sampled understory plants along seven transects in a primary and seven transects in a secondary forest. For 10 plants on each transect, we noted the presence or absence of plant characteristics associated with: 1.) high moisture environments (drip tips, waxy cuticles), 2.) low light conditions (leaf area, leaf fenestration), and 3.) predator reduction (hairy stems, thorns, red/purple undersides, leaf variegation). The prevalence of assessed characteristics did not differ between understory plants in the primary and secondary forests, except that understory plants in the secondary forests were more likely to possess leaves with red/purple pigmentation in the undersurface of their leaves. Common understory plant adaptations were drip tips and waxy cuticles (adaptations to high moisture environments), while adaptations to reduce predation and those to low light conditions were much less common. Our overall goal was to see if understory characteristics changed with a changing forest environment that has more or less of the optimal resources for growth. The data we found from our study leads us to insight on the typical understory plant characteristics in primary and secondary tropical rainforest in Ecuador.