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2012 Autumn | Natural Science & Restoration, Sustainability

Understudied Shrubs Receive Attention from Determined Ecologists

Student(s):

Katie Hogan

Program or Department(s):

  • Program on the Environment
  • University of Washington

Site supervisor(s):

James Lutz

Partner(s):

  • Yosemite Forest Dynamics Plot

Faculty advisor(s):

James Lutz, School of Environmental & Forest Sciences, University of Washington

I participated in the first collection of shrub data during the annual Yosemite Forest Dynamics Plot survey. In addition to the old-growth forest mortality and in-growth survey conducted in the sixty-five acre plot in Yosemite National Park, the team learned a newly developed protocol for collecting shrub specimen. Using the data collected in the field, I explored the relationships between attributes of the species in question. The purpose of this study is to calculate biomass for shrub species throughout the plot, which will provide insight into compositional patterns for shrubs and inform future forest management strategies.