Understory Vegetation Responses to Rapid Canopy Loss

Woodlands in the Great Lakes region are threatened by an unprecedented number of disturbances from multiple fronts of global change. Ecosystem functions and plant and animal populations are continuously being altered by a series of inter-related stressors such as the ongoing invasion of non-native plants and invertebrates, escalating nutrient inundation, and habitat fragmentation and isolation. Coupled with these escalating abiotic and biotic changes, many woodlands in the region are still reeling from recent and rapid losses of canopy cover caused by large scale mortality events such as that brought on by the advent of the emerald ash borer.

Examining how understory plant communities have responded to rapid canopy loss events, such as the emerald ash borer impact on ash tree species, is crucial for their conservation and restoration. We will address these questions by compiling pre- and post-canopy loss vegetation data from sites across the Great Lakes region and identifying the magnitude and direction of compositional changes in understory plant communities. The results of this project will allow practitioners to better understand what to expect after future losses to the canopy of dominant tree species and highlight ways to anticipate and mediate negative changes in understory composition.