Dissertation Research: "Impacts of Alliaria Petiolata Invasion on Nutrient Cycling in Southern New England Forests"

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The introduction of invasive plants can alter ecosystem function, decrease the biological diversity of native communities and reduce the ecosystem services provided. Alliaria petiolata is an aggressive invader of forest communities in the northeastern United States. The objective of this research is to examine the impacts of Alliaria on nutrient cycling and native plant diversity and growth. Alliaria produces secondary compounds which release organic cyanides upon degradation. These compounds may confer a competitive advantage to it by altering soil microbes or by influencing nutrient availability in other ways. The impacts on nutrient availability will be determined using litter decomposition experiments, analyses of microbial diversity and function, and assessments of nutrient dynamics in field and laboratory experiments. Native plant diversity and growth will be measured in field and greenhouse experiments. The broader impacts of this research include both new insights into the mechanisms by which invasive plants alter ecosystem function, as well as associated education and outreach activities.