invasive plant cover and density following emerald ash borer-induced mortality in southern ontario forests
abstract
the emerald ash borer has caused widespread ash mortality in eastern north
american forests, where forest managers are also facing challenges due to invasions of
undesirable exotic plant species. this study aims to explore relationships between the
two phenomena based on existing evidence that disturbance caused by insect pests may
facilitate invasive plant colonization. the presence of invasive species was analyzed in
the context of ash mortality following emerald ash borer infestation in four forests in the
region of waterloo in ontario. multivariate analysis with generalized linear models
was used to detect relationships between invasive plants and various environmental
variables. significant relationships with invasive plant cover and density are found for
decline in ash basal area, ash mortality occurrence, change in total basal area, current
basal area, canopy closure, regeneration density, and tree species composition. potential
effects of competitive exclusion and site richness on invasive plant species are
discussed.
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- undergraduate theses [325]