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Arthropod Biodiversity Related to Plant Biodiversity in the Morgan Arboretum

INTRODUCTION Biodiversity is the measure of variation within living organisms at a population, community and ecosystem level. Biodiversity in a given area can be measured by calculating species richness, the number of different species within a given area, and species relative abundance, the evenness of individuals within a community. As the largest phylum in the […]
- The Relationship Between Beech Tree Size and Beech Drop Density
- Abundance of Poison Ivy Relative to Overstory Tree Species Diversity
- The Abundance of Bryophytes on Logs Versus Coniferous and Deciduous Trees in the Morgan Arboretum
- The Effect of Aboveground Vegetation on Earthworm Population Density
- Arthropod Diversity vs. Forest Type
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Mushrooms of the Morgan Arboretum
Fungi are multicellular organisms that live mainly in soils or on plant material. One of the main roles fungi play, especially in forest ecosystems, is the breakdown of organic matter on the forest floor. Fungi possess special qualities–like unique enzymes–which aid in the decomposition of organic material and hard to break down substances, such as […]

Determining the Ideal Forest Type for Turkey Tail Growth in the Morgan Arboretum
The wide variety of studies on turkey tail fungi have inspired our group to conduct our own project on them. Turkey tail fungi have been significantly studied for a variety of reasons, but we will be researching this fungal group for ecological purposes. Turkey tail fungi, Trametes versicolor, are primary decomposers on mainly dead logs, […]

Relationship between Fungi Abundance and Soil pH in the Morgan Arboretum
What are fungi? Fungi are a diverse and vast group of species that play a huge role in the cycling of organic matter and carbon. With an estimated million fungal species (Blackwell, 2011), these organisms can be found in most habitat (Microbiology Online, 2019). Though we are most familiar with mushrooms, the fruiting bodies of […]

Earthworms and Sugar Maple Saplings
Who would have thought that something so small would have such an impact on ecosystems? Lumbricus terrestris – the common earthworm – may not be as friendly as one might think. This species plays a major role in most ecosystems; in gardens and agricultural lands they are typically beneficial, but are they harming the iconic […]

Shelf fungi’s growth preference between standing dead and fallen dead trees
The shelf fungus, or Polyporaceae, is a species with a fruiting body, containing pores or tubes which, as its common name suggests, is shaped like a round tablet. That being said, they come in many forms, colours and shapes (see figures 1 to 3). In fact, about 1700 species of these wood-rotting organisms were recorded in […]

Invasive Earthworms Posing Possible Threat to Yellow Birch Tree Population
The decline in tree populations around the world has become an alarming issue, as they play an important role in ecosystems, as well as in the economy. In the Saint Lawrence Lowlands, Yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis), a uniquely golden yellow barked tree with a wintergreen essence, is an especially interesting species. Commercially, the yellow birch […]

Invertebrate Diversity in Coniferous and Deciduous Forests of the Morgan Arboretum
Background Information on Invertebrates Representing the most dominant species in the animal kingdom (Spelman, 2012), and the majority of species diversity in terrestrial, marine, and freshwater ecosystems (New and Yen, 1995), invertebrates play a major role in the sustenance and health of the communities they thrive in. Some prime examples of their importance include their role in pollination […]

Pileated Woodpeckers and Their Relationship with Beech Bark Disease Infected Trees
Introduction Since its introduction to North America in the late 1800’s (McLaughlin and Greifenhagen 2012), beech bark disease (BBD) has become a widespread health problem in forests across eastern North America, including the St. Lawrence Lowlands. It has devastating effects on American beech trees (Fagus grandifolia), drastically changing eastern forest compositions, as well as significantly […]

The Impact of Human Activity on Beech Bark Disease
Organisms Involved in Beech Bark Disease Beech Bark Disease (BBD) is responsible for the affliction of 50% of the North American beech tree population (Garnas, et al., 2011). The North American beech tree, Fagus grandifolia, is a deciduous shade tolerant tree native to its namesake (Zhang et al., 2015). Unique in its genus, this tree […]

The Effects of Beech Trees on Understory Diversity
Undergrowth, or the herbaceous layer, is made up of low-lying vegetation that grows below large trees. The competitive interactions between the dominant tree species and the herbaceous layer shape the characteristics of the forest and guide the developmental direction of the ecosystem over time (Gilliam, 2007). The herbaceous layer was assessed in the Morgan Arboretum […]