| Abstract Detail
Ecological Section Rushford, Jennifer L. [1], Martine, Christopher T. [2], Herron, Patrick M. [3], Leicht-Young, Stacey A. [4], Latimer, Andrew M. [3]. The value of Specific Leaf Area (SLA) for predicting future woody invaders in New England. The ability to predict the likelihood that an exotic plant species will become invasive is considered a valuable tool in preventing new invasions. Some success has been achieved in developing statistical models that incorporate the biological characteristics of potential invaders within a predictive framework. Specific leaf area (SLA) is generally underused in this regard, though it can have an influence on the potential for an introduced plant species to survive and thrive in a new habitat. High SLA may promote invasiveness in an introduced species by conferring advantages in photosynthetic potential and shade tolerance. This study compiles published SLA measurements for a large group of woody exotic plant species available in the nursery trade in New England, and explores the correlation between high SLA and invasive status in that region. SLA data were analyzed independently and in combination with a previously-published dataset comprised of 28 biological/ecological characters for 248 exotic woody plant species.
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1 - State University of New York College at Plattsburgh, Biological Sciences, 101 Broad Street, Plattsburgh, NY, 12901, USA
2 - State University of New York College at Plattsburgh, Biological Sciences, 101 Broad Street, Plattsburgh, NY, 12901
3 - University of Connecticut, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 75 North Eagleville Road, U-3043, Storrs, Connecticut, 062693043, USA
4 - USGS Great Lakes Science Center, Lake Michigan Ecological Research Station, 1100 North Mineral Springs Road, Porter, IN, 46304, USA
Keywords:
Invasive Species
specific leaf area
prediction
New England.
Presentation Type: Poster:Posters for Sections
Session: P
Location: Ball Room & Party Room/SUB
Date: Monday, July 28th, 2008
Time: 12:30 PM
Number: PEC022
Abstract ID:444 |
