| Abstract Detail
Ecological Section Morgan, Eric [1]. Analyzing change in an urban New York Cityforest, species loss, invasions and methods of analysis. Over the past forty years the forests of New York City have undergone drastic changes, showing species losses, an increase in invasive species and a significant change in the composition of many tree species. Recent studies examining the flora and forest composition of two large urban forests in Queens County, New York are presented here, with a comparison of the present analysis with several prior studies performed over the previous four decades. These results show drastic species losses of more than 40% in several groups, the introduction of numerous invasive plant species and significant changes to the forest canopy tree species composition. Species such as Cornus florida have shown significant drops in importance, while more southerly species such as Liquidambar styraciflua have shown significant increases in importance. These results can be attributed to many potential factors including higher human population density, plant disease, competition from invasives, and a changing climate. To assess such changes, a modification of the traditional importance value is discussed, allowing significance to be applied to the data. Broader Impacts:
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1 - Farmingdale State College, Biology, 2350 Broadhollow Rd, Farmingdale , NY, 11735, USA
Keywords:
urban ecology
succession
Forest Inventory and Analysis.
Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Sections
Session: 10
Location: Ascot/Riverside Hilton
Date: Monday, July 29th, 2013
Time: 2:00 PM
Number: 10003
Abstract ID:928
Candidate for Awards:None |
