LanguageTerm (authority = ISO 639-3:2007); (type = text)
English
Abstract (type = abstract)
Climate change is modifying weather patterns, including the frequency and intensity of storms. The ecological consequences of these storms have primarily been studied for warm weather storms, such as hurricanes. During the winter of 2017-18, New Jersey experienced an increase in snowstorms. These storms caused significant tree damage, mostly consisting of broken branches and limbs. For the NJ Pinelands, this produced an atypical environment. The increased fine woody debris (FWD) altered the forest floor, increasing its habitat complexity. I tested the hypothesis that a forest floor with increased FWD would result in increased ground dwelling arthropod abundance and diversity, with potential shifts in composition. I conducted a field experiment in the NJ Pinelands with varying levels of FWD (removal, control, & addition treatments). Carnivores were ~50-60% less abundant in removal plots than in control and addition plots, respectively. Carnivores also had significantly different composition in addition plots compared to all other plots, with Staphylinid beetles and spiders contributing the most to differences among plots. Similarly, ant species composition was significantly shifted in addition plots compared to other plots and ant diversity was 56% higher in addition plots than it was in control plots. Prenolepis imparis, Tapinoma sessile, and Crematogaster lineolata contributed the most to differences among plots. In contrast, detritivores had significantly higher abundance in plots with FWD removed than in control and addition plots. Detritivore composition was also most distinct in removal plots with Collembola contributing the most to differences among plots. These changes in arthropod communities in the NJ Pinelands could lead to altered ecosystem services they provide, including soil turnover, decomposition and seed dispersal. The results found in this study broadly implicate the effect of climate change on the NJ Pinelands Reserve.
Subject (authority = RUETD)
Topic
Biology
Subject (authority = LCSH)
Topic
Arthropoda -- New Jersey -- Pine Barrens
RelatedItem (type = host)
TitleInfo
Title
Rutgers University Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Identifier (type = RULIB)
ETD
Identifier
ETD_10504
PhysicalDescription
Form (authority = gmd)
InternetMediaType
application/pdf
InternetMediaType
text/xml
Extent
1 online resource (v, 20 pages)
Note (type = degree)
M.S.
Note (type = bibliography)
Includes bibliographical references
RelatedItem (type = host)
TitleInfo
Title
Camden Graduate School Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Identifier (type = local)
rucore10005600001
Location
PhysicalLocation (authority = marcorg); (displayLabel = Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey)
I hereby grant to the Rutgers University Libraries and to my school the non-exclusive right to archive, reproduce and distribute my thesis or dissertation, in whole or in part, and/or my abstract, in whole or in part, in and from an electronic format, subject to the release date subsequently stipulated in this submittal form and approved by my school. I represent and stipulate that the thesis or dissertation and its abstract are my original work, that they do not infringe or violate any rights of others, and that I make these grants as the sole owner of the rights to my thesis or dissertation and its abstract. I represent that I have obtained written permissions, when necessary, from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis or dissertation and will supply copies of such upon request by my school. I acknowledge that RU ETD and my school will not distribute my thesis or dissertation or its abstract if, in their reasonable judgment, they believe all such rights have not been secured. I acknowledge that I retain ownership rights to the copyright of my work. I also retain the right to use all or part of this thesis or dissertation in future works, such as articles or books.