DOI
https://doi.org/10.25772/N793-E209
Defense Date
2014
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science
Department
Biology
First Advisor
Donald Young
Abstract
Patterns of the expansion of woody cover into grasslands on barrier islands of the Virginia coast were investigated. Seed dispersal of the dominant shrub Morella spp., was sampled deploying seed traps (n = 82) throughout a landscape under shrub encroachment pressure on Hog Island, VA. Traps were placed underneath: fruiting Morella, non-fruiting Morella, co-occurring species (Iva frutescens and Baccharis halimifolia) and in grass land, (no shrub cover). Environmental filters that act upon dispersed seeds and subsequently determine establishment patterns were also investigated. Dispersal distribution throughout the encroachment zone was leptokurtic and dispersal among cover types suggest co-occurring shrub species facilitate dispersal by functioning as bird perches. Interaction of biotic and abiotic factors mediate a complex process of establishment by influencing dispersal, germination and seedling survival to ultimately determine distribution patterns of woody plants in coastal environments.
Rights
© The Author
Is Part Of
VCU University Archives
Is Part Of
VCU Theses and Dissertations
Date of Submission
May 2014