Date of Award

5-2025

Document Type

Access Controlled Thesis

Department

Biology

First Advisor

Andrea Dávalos

Abstract

Invasive species such as jumping worms and M. vimineum and an overabundance of white-tailed deer are stressors on native species and their environment. Our research focuses on the root architecture of Solidago flexicaulis, collected from seven sites in the Catskill mountains. It is expected that the combined presence of jumping worms and white-tailed deer will impact the root architecture. After three years of growth, the roots were separated from the above ground biomass and then washed and stored in an ethanol solution. The roots were scanned using an EPSON scanner and then analyzed using the program RhizoVision Explorer v2.0.3. The different variables of root architecture observed were the total length of the roots, the branching frequency, and the average root diameter, and how these factors gave insight into the plant’s health. White-tailed deer had a negative impact on several measures of the root architecture of Solidago flexicaulis—root length, branching frequency, and the average root diameter. Jumping worm abundance caused a positive impact on root length in fenced plots and a negative impact in open plots. The interactions between deer presence and worm abundance on root length and on average root diameter suggest that the impact of worm abundance is amplified when deer, another stressor, are present. Our research helps guide future decisions regarding invasive and overabundant species and how to handle their populations when considering native species.

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