INVASIVE LIANA HEDERA HELIX (ENGLISH IVY) IMPACTS ON ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND NUTRIENT CYCLING IN BALTIMORE FOREST PATCHES

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dc.contributor.advisorPavao-Zuckerman, Mitchell Aen_US
dc.contributor.authorShdaimah, Eladen_US
dc.contributor.departmentEnvironmental Science and Technologyen_US
dc.contributor.publisherDigital Repository at the University of Marylanden_US
dc.contributor.publisherUniversity of Maryland (College Park, Md.)en_US
dc.date.accessioned2024-02-14T06:55:53Z
dc.date.available2024-02-14T06:55:53Z
dc.date.issued2023en_US
dc.description.abstractThe effects of invasive plants on forest ecology and nutrient cycling are highly variable and poorly understood. Many studies have found that species and location make each plant invasion unique. Thus, studying invasive plants on the species and local level is necessary to understand how they impact ecosystems and how to manage them. Ninety-four percent of forest patches in Baltimore contain invasive plants. Hedera helix is one of the most prominent. My study explores how different characteristics and intensities of H. helix invasion impact ecology and nutrient cycling in Baltimore forest patches. I analyzed canopy structure, litter properties, soil properties, and steps of C and N cycling in forest patch plots. I compared findings across the invasion characteristics: presence, canopy invasion intensity, and ground cover presence. My study revealed that invasion characteristics and location strongly influence the impact of H. helix on Baltimore forest patch plots. The presence of ground cover appeared to be dictated by soil hydrology, which varied by location. Invaded plots with ground cover had significantly altered soil properties, increased soil respiration rates (2.86 times greater than control plots, p = 0.047), and may have increased decomposition rates. These differences in C cycling metrics appear to be driven by altered soil temperature, structure, and chemistry (i.e., 1.62 times more TN than control plots, p = 0.022). Canopy invasions may have caused tree loss and altered canopy structure, which indicate potentially negative consequences for forest patch ecology in the future. pH may have been higher in the presence of H. helix (1.17 times higher pH than control plots, p = 0.090). Several ecological characteristics and nutrient cycling variables may have also been more variable in the presence of H. helix. No significant differences were detected in N cycling due to invasion. These findings can help Baltimore forest patch managers to assess problematic H. helix invasions and allocate resources to control it when necessary. They also lay out further groundwork for plant invasion research, demonstrating the necessity of species-specific, location-specific studies.en_US
dc.identifierhttps://doi.org/10.13016/dhyx-qge9
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/31787
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolledUrban forestryen_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolledEcologyen_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolledEnvironmental scienceen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledBaltimoreen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledEcosystem Servicesen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledHedera helixen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledInvasive Plantsen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledNutrient Cyclingen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledUrban Forest Patchen_US
dc.titleINVASIVE LIANA HEDERA HELIX (ENGLISH IVY) IMPACTS ON ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND NUTRIENT CYCLING IN BALTIMORE FOREST PATCHESen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US

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