Detailed Description
Title
Effects of Black Locust Removal on Soil Nutrient Concentrations in the Albany Pine Bush Preserve
Department(s)
Biology
Creator(s)
DiCerbo, Joanna Kathryn (Author)
Advisor(s)
Date of Original
2024-06-01
Description
Efforts to restore native biodiversity often include the removal of invasive species. However, the process of removing unwanted species can have unintended effects. We studied how the removal of one exotic species, Robinia pseudoacacia (black locust trees), during efforts to restore native pine barren ecosystems at the Albany Pine Bush Preserve may affect soil conditions. We hypothesized that tree removal would mix soil layers and disrupt the normal gradient of soil resources with depth. Specifically, nutrients would redistribute from surface depths to deeper ones. To investigate this, we collected soil core samples from the same locations before and after black locust removal. Each soil core was sampled sequentially to a depth of 50cm, then analyzed for carbon and nitrogen content. We found that the soil samples before restoration had higher concentrations of carbon and nitrogen in the surface layer of soil compared to the deeper layers, whereas after restoration there was an even distribution of nutrients throughout the soil profile. With further analysis, we also discovered that the shallower depths were losing nutrients while the deeper depths were gaining nutrients by using delta values for both carbon and nitrogen content before and after restoration. These results indicate that tree removal has the unintended consequence of altering soil chemistry, which could slow recovery of native species following tree removal. To address this issue, restoration methods that minimize soil disturbances should be considered for future efforts.
Publisher of Digital Record
Union College Schaffer Library Digital Projects
Language
English
Subject headings
Geographic Names