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

入侵植物的引入可能会改变生态系统的功能，减少土著社区的生物多样性，并减少提供的生态系统服务。洋葱是一种侵袭美国东北部森林群落的侵略者。这项研究的目的是研究葱属植物对养分循环和本地植物多样性和生长的影响。洋葱产生次生化合物，降解后释放有机氰化物。这些化合物可能会通过改变土壤微生物或通过其他方式影响养分的可获得性，从而赋予它竞争优势。将通过凋落物分解实验、微生物多样性和功能分析以及田间和实验室实验中的养分动态评估来确定对养分有效性的影响。当地植物的多样性和生长将在田间和温室实验中进行测量。这项研究的更广泛影响包括对入侵植物改变生态系统功能的机制的新见解，以及相关的教育和推广活动。

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.