Dissertation Research: The Pattern and Process of Invasion Colonization and Establishment of Woody Plants Into Old Fields

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Woody plants are important structural components of old fields, which come to dominate and define much of community structure during succession. The presence and stature of trees in old fields can affect persistence or invasion of other species in the community. In spite of their importance, however, the controls on invasion and performance of the initial woody colonizers are little known. This study will exploit a long and detailed data base on succession in order to analyze temporal and spatial patterns of invasion of old fields by woody plants. In order to understand these patterns, field experiments to investigate mechanisms operating at the regeneration phase of the life cycle will be performed. The relative role of seed predation, seedling herbivory, and plant-plant interactions in regulating woody plant populations in old fields will be determined. The integration of pattern and process is critical to an understanding of ecological communities. It is especially powerful in this study because both the long-term pattern and the process occur at the same site.