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Litter Decomposition: Collaborative Multi-campus Project

Litter Decomposition: Collaborative Multi-campus Project. Karen Kuers Department of Forestry and Geology Sewanee: The University of the South ESA Annual Meeting: Montreal Aug. 2005. Why Multi-Campus Studies?. Promote interaction of faculty and students at different locations

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Litter Decomposition: Collaborative Multi-campus Project

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  1. Litter Decomposition:Collaborative Multi-campus Project Karen Kuers Department of Forestry and Geology Sewanee: The University of the SouthESA Annual Meeting: Montreal Aug. 2005

  2. Why Multi-Campus Studies? • Promote interaction of faculty and students at different locations • Compare results to other locations • Provide a larger context to student projects

  3. History • One project planned per year • 2002 - Stream Macro-invertebrate study • 2003/04 - Litter Decomposition Study • 2004/05 - Litter study repeated • 2005 - Acid deposition study

  4. My Objectives… • Preliminary set-up • The study itself • Current project status • Available online data and resources • Project strengths • What we learned……

  5. Preliminary Set-up • Key: Choose a project leader(s) • Leaders’ responsibilities: • Project design and written plan • Creation/Distribution of Data Forms • Set (negotiate) timetable • Send reminders • Collate data and disseminate (web or email)

  6. CAWS Litter Decomposition Study Led by Dr. Karen Kuers, Sewanee: The University of the South and Dr. Jeffrey Simmons, West Virginia Wesleyan College • The objectives of this study were to compare litter decomposition rates: • between two species (chestnut oak and red maple) • at two landscape positions (drainage and ridge) • in six different watersheds of the Southern Appalachians

  7. Other Variables of Interest Precipitation Air temperature Soil temperature Soil moisture Forest species composition Elevation

  8. Timetable Fall 2003 Site selection, acquire supplies, develop data sheets Dec. Install study Collect at 2 month intervals: Feb Apr June Aug Dec

  9. Timetable Fall 2003 Site selection, acquire supplies, develop data sheets Dec. Install study Collect at 2 month intervals: Feb Apr June Aug Dec Students in spring semester classes

  10. Forest Types Site Selection Flume Mixed Hardwoods (21 ha) Eastern White Pine (1.0 ha) Wet site Weather station Dry site Eastern White Pine (0.4 ha) Virginia Pine (0.6 ha)

  11. Supplies Collect leaves - fall 2003 Dry and press leaves Mail to other CAWS schools

  12. Split Creek Installation – Dec. 2003 Ridge Site At Installation: Position litter bags Take soil samples Inventory forest canopy Collect forest floor samples Install temperature sensors Drainage Site

  13. February Litter Collection-Wet Site Soil Sample in February 2004

  14. Forest Ecology Students Sorting Forest Floor Samples

  15. Mass determination: Leaves Wood Reproductive tissue

  16. Data Entry Statistical Analyses and Interpretation

  17. Presentation of the results at Sewanee’s science poster session

  18. Online Resources Web Pages….Project instructions (html) Downloads: Project Instructions (MSWord, pdf) Blank Data Sheets (Excel, pdf) Data sets, site maps, and graphs of completed project CAWS Watershed Procedures eManual)

  19. Project Strengths Data from multiple locations available for analysis and interpretation Use of new technology (data loggers and computer data download) Student interest heightened by simultaneous work by students at other locations Interaction of faculty in different disciplines Carry project data into second year of students

  20. Problem Areas Time involvement in set-up (project too complex?) Difficulty of “simultaneous” data collection Failure to meet planned timeline (too ambitious?) Initial design was incomplete (we were still learning)

  21. Lessons for Future Projects Willing “Project Leader” is essential Simplify Shorten time involvement or plan for use of data over a 2 year period Reasonable expectations Have data submission sheets prepared before project begins

  22. Questions or Comments?

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