Honors Theses

Advisor

Ryan McEwan, Ph.D.

Department

Biology

Publication Date

4-2017

Document Type

Honors Thesis

Abstract

Lonicera maackii (Amur honeysuckle) invasion is extensive in forests across much of Ohio and the Midwest. Amur honeysuckle has been shown to influence headwater streams and its organisms, which depend on a certain water chemistry to survive. Little has been done to understand how honeysuckle affects water chemistry and nutrient cycling. As honeysuckle canopies prevent native organic matter from entering the streams below, while also adding its own organic matter that is high in nitrogen and phosphorus, and low in lignin, the amount and types of nutrients present in both forests and streams may be significantly altered. Over a one-year time period, five riparian stream sites were sampled and analyzed for a variety of chemical parameters. It was found that Amur honeysuckle does not have an effect on these chemical variables and does not follow a gradient of honeysuckle, as predicted. The effects from honeysuckle may be over shadowed by anthropogenic pollution and stream geology.

Permission Statement

This item is protected by copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code) and may only be used for noncommercial, educational, and scholarly purposes

Keywords

Undergraduate research

Disciplines

Biology | Life Sciences | Plant Sciences

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