Date of Award
5-2024
Degree Type
Honors College Thesis
Academic Program
Biological Sciences BS
Department
Biological Sciences
First Advisor
Micheal Davis, Ph.D.
Advisor Department
Biological Sciences
Abstract
The longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) ecosystem, characterized by its namesake pine species and diverse community of understory vegetation, is a hotspot of biodiversity in the southeastern United States. The longleaf pine savanna is differentiated from other longleaf systems through the combination its unique assemblage of herbaceous understory vegetation, wide-open canopy, and distinct hydrogeological composition. Longleaf pine ecosystems, including savannas, are facing significant decline from their historic range due to anthropogenic interference including fire suppression, habitat fragmentation, deforestation, and the introduction of invasive species such as cogongrass (Imperita cylindrica).
Cogongrass, a nonnative grass species introduced to the US in the 1920s, poses a significant threat to longleaf pine savannas. Its rapid spread and competitive soil nutrient uptake allow cogongrass to disrupt ecosystem composition by altering the natural fire regime, changing the makeup of the soil biota, and, ultimately, outcompeting native plant species within longleaf pine ecosystems.
This study aimed to investigate the impact of cogongrass invasion on the soil fungal biomass and the carbon and nitrogen availability within the soil in a longleaf pine savanna. Soil samples were collected both from patches of cogongrass and cogongrass-free areas within a longleaf pine savanna to be analyzed for ergosterol content and carbon and nitrogen levels as measures of fungal biomass and nutrient availability within the soil, respectively. Although an equipment malfunction prevented the analysis of ergosterol samples, and thus, an assessment of fungal biomass, analysis of soil carbon and nitrogen content displayed an increase in carbon and nitrogen within cogongrass patches compared to soils free of cogongrass.
Copyright
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Recommended Citation
Werneth, Jordan, "Effects of Cogongrass Invasion on Soil Biota and Nutrient Loads in a Longleaf Pine Savanna" (2024). Honors Theses. 957.
https://aquila.usm.edu/honors_theses/957