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Future of Oak Forests- nitrogen dynamics associated with canopy tree loss

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Record Type: Research Project

Project Start Date: Jan. 1, 2010

Principal Investigators: Sarah Butler, Jerry Melillo, Matthew Munson, Katherine Pavlis, William Schuster

Description: The Future of Oak Forests study, led by a team of 13 faculty-level principal investigators, is the first direct, manipulative investigation of the cascades of impacts likely to follow from the loss of oaks, in advance of what may occur should they succumb to current and/or future threats. Oaks are a foundation taxon (a key species group) in northeastern forests, playing a vital role in the ecosystem. Using a species-removal technique, the study mimics the effects of pathogens, such as sudden oak death, in a series of experimental plots (some with all oaks girdled, some with half the oaks girdled, some with all non-oaks girdled, and controls).

Keyword: Climate Change, Ecosystems, Environmental Science, Forest Ecology, Plants, Research, Short-Term, Woody Plants (Trees and Shrubs)