Community Ecology, Soil and Microbial EcologyEcological integrity of forests
In progress
Question
What factors contribute to the integrity of forests, including belowground communities, and can restoration to the belowground communities improve the forest quality?
Project Summary
Global change phenomena are imminent and substantial threats to biodiversity. Such threats include invasive species, global warming, land use history, and predator decline and are often induced or exacerbated by humans. To date, most studies on how these phenomena influence ecosystems have focused on aboveground communities. We know far less about how global change phenomena influence belowground organisms. To investigate this question, scientists at HF&G have studied how agricultural land use history, invasive species, and deer herbivory have altered soil fungi and bacteria. Current research is focused on how restoring these belowground communities can help to reestablish plant communities that have also been affected by these global change phenomena.
Keywords
restoration, soil amendment, forest, wildflowers, soil chemistry, deer herbivory, soil
In the Field
Measuring plants in a high quality forest.
Measuring plants in a low quality forest.
Soil profile from a high quality forest.
Soil profile from a low quality forest.
Squirrel corn growing in a high quality forest.
Team
Select Publications
- Paolucci A, ESJ Rauschert, SR Carrino-Kyker, and DJ Burke. 2021. Root fungal communities associated with better performance of an invasive spring ephemeral. Biological Invasions 23: 181-192. DOI: 10.1007/s10530-020-02364-9
- Heberling JM, and DJ Burke. 2019. Utilizing herbarium specimens to quantify historical mycorrhizal communities. Applications in Plant Sciences 7: e1223. DOI: 10.1002/aps3.1223
- Burke DJ, SR Carrino-Kyker, A Hoke, S Cassidy, L Bialic-Murphy, and S Kalisz. 2018. Deer and invasive plant removal alters mycorrhizal fungal communities and soil chemistry: Evidence from a long-term field experiment. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 128: 13-21. 10.1016/j.soilbio.2018.09.031
- Burke DJ, C Knisely, ML Watson, SR Carrino-Kyker, and RL Mauk. 2016. The effects of agricultural history on forest ecological integrity as determined by a rapid forest assessment method. Forest Ecology and Management 378: 1–13. DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2016.07.004
- Burke DJ, and CR Chan. 2010. Effects of the invasive plant garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) on bacterial communities in a northern hardwood forest soil. Canadian Journal of Microbiology 56: 81-86. DOI: 10.1139/w09-100
- Burke DJ. 2008. Effects of Alliaria petiolata (Brassicaceae – garlic mustard) on mycorrhizal colonization and community structure in three herbaceous plants in a mixed deciduous forest. American Journal of Botany 95: 1416-1425. DOI: 10.3732/ajb.0800184
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0038071710004839?via%3Dihub
- Burke DJ, MN Weintraub, CR Hewins, and S Kalisz. 2011. Relationship between soil enzyme activities, nutrient cycling and soil fungal communities in a northern hardwood forest. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 43: 795-803. DOI: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2010.12.014
Here’s more to explore
Landscape plant breeding
Whether in an old growth forest or an urban street, plants benefit our physical and mental well-beings and provide countless ecosystem services. Unfortunately, not all plants are well-adapted to human... more
Rhododendron collection curation
Rhododendrons have a storied history, both locally and across the world, and they have thrilled gardeners for centuries. The genus contains roughly one thousand wild-occurring species, and man-made selections number... more
Forest management and restoration
We are exploring best practices in forest management in northeast Ohio, and beyond. Since 2018, scientists and conservation staff at the Holden Arboretum have partnered with area scientists and land... more
Global warming shifts plant phenology
We are exploring how spring phenologies are shifting with the changing climate in the Holden Arboretum’s Bole Woods. In this citizen science project, volunteers have been monitoring spring leaf out... more
Community assembly in a warmer world
When a plant community develops anew (community assembly) the order in which species arrive can shape what that community will ultimately look like. In general, arriving early can be beneficial,... more
Invasive plant species
Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana) is a conifer species native to the Eastern United States, where this attractive tree has long-been a popular choice for landscaping. But out West in... more
Physiology of urban and rural trees in NE Ohio
As urban areas expand, native forest fragments are becoming surrounded by pavement and cement, exposing them to higher temperatures, elevated CO2, higher light availability and pollution. We rely on urban... more
Local adaptation to climate in Rhododendron minus
Plant species are distinct types which we recognize by their unique leaf and flower traits, but how do different species evolve? One way this can occur is when populations of... more
Leaf and flower heat tolerance of cold hardy Rhododendron species
While Rhododendron are well-adapted to cold climates, owing to changes in climate, heat stress is becoming a major factor limiting Rhododendron production. The way plants allocate resources, i.e. the economics... more
Soil ecology of urban environments
Urbanization has a substantial impact on natural ecosystems where only certain plant or animal species can thrive in areas that have high amounts of development and chemical pollution from human... more
Forest pathogens and tree health
When given the proper environmental conditions and susceptible hosts, pathogens can do significant damage to forests. Forest pathogens are usually microscopic and include fungi, bacteria, viruses, and invertebrates. Because they... more
Diversity of soil fungi and microbes
Holden is conducting research into the effects of soil physical and chemical properties on the diversity and function of soil microbes in these forests. more
