OOS 31 - Ecological Consequences of Eastern Forest Pests

Thursday, August 11, 2016: 1:30 PM-5:00 PM
315, Ft Lauderdale Convention Center
Organizer:
Mark D. Norris, Stevenson University
Co-organizer:
Charles E. Flower, University of Illinois at Chicago
Moderator:
Miquel A. Gonzalez-Meler, University of Illinois at Chicago
It has been suggested that pests and pathogens currently represent one of the greatest threats to forests of the eastern United States. The number of forest pests has been rising steadily and most genera of common eastern trees are host to exotic pests. It has become clear that forest pests will substantially alter the forest composition, structure, and functioning of impacted stands; however, it seems as if the majority of literature on the ecology of these pests currently spreading through the region has focused narrowly on the populations of the pests (e.g. life cycle, growth, dispersal, and management) or that of the host (e.g. mortality/survivorship and management) while much less research has emphasized broader ecological consequences of these pests. This may be due in part to the relatively recent introduction of pests such as emerald ash borer and the Asian longhorned beetle and the paucity of data on the pests from their home range. In the past few years, an increasing amount of research has been undertaken to explore the impacts of forest pests on the forest community including the soil microbial community or cascading effects on small mammals or birds. Likewise, we are gaining a richer understanding of the ecosystem-scale consequences of pests including forest productivity, nutrient dynamics, and hydrology. In many of the eastern forests that are threatened or infested with pests, the loss of the host species population is likely to result in a substantially altered ecosystem, especially for foundation species, such that novel ecosystems may develop, perhaps linked to an invasional meltdown where other exotic species benefit from the increased availability of resources. In this session, our goal is to bring together ecologists from a variety of study systems to explore the broad consequences of several different pests in consideration of the status and conservation of forests of the eastern US as well as the development of novel ecosystems. We will review the status of eastern forests, then explore case studies of different pests including hemlock wooly adelgid, emerald ash borer, beech bark disease, and the gypsy moth, and how these pests influence different aspects of community composition (forest floor, soil, vertebrates) and ecosystem functioning (C and nutrient dynamics and hydrology) over a variety of spatial scales (local to regional).
1:30 PM
 Ripples in the pond: Consequences of major invasive forest pests
Deborah G. McCullough, Michigan State University
1:50 PM
 Direct and indirect impacts of emerald ash borer on forest successional dynamics and non-host species
Charles E. Flower, University of Illinois at Chicago; Kathleen S. Knight, USDA Forest Service; Kyle C. Costilow, Ohio State University; Lawrence C. Long, Ohio State University; Joanne Rebbeck, US Forest Service Northern Research Station; Christopher J. Whelan, University of Illinois at Chicago; Joel S. Brown, University of Illinois at Chicago; Michael Ricketts, University of Illinois at Chicago; Miquel A. González-Meler, University of Illinois at Chicago
2:10 PM
 Canopy water use efficiency before, during and after gypsy moth attack in an upland forest in the New Jersey Pine Barrens
Karina VR Schafer, Rutgers University Newark; Diane Radwanski, Rutgers University Newark; Kenneth L. Clark, USDA Forest Service; Tomer Duman, Rutgers University Newark
2:30 PM
3:00 PM Cancelled
 Contrasting impacts of gypsy moth and southern pine beetle in oak and pine dominated forests in the mid-Atlantic region
Kenneth L. Clark, USDA Forest Service; Carissa Aoki, Dartmouth College; Matthew P. Ayres, Dartmouth College
3:20 PM
 Development of novel ecosystems following simulated emerald ash borer outbreak in ash-dominated forests
Mark D. Norris, Stevenson University; Rebecca L. Bernacki, SUNY Brockport
3:40 PM
 Does defoliation of native forests by a nonnative insect facilitate invasion of nonnative plants more than defoliation by a native insect?
Marina Golivets, University of Vermont; Christopher W. Woodall, USDA Forest Service; Kimberly F. Wallin, University of Vermont
4:20 PM
 Driving changes: Exploring the influence of emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) on the diversity of forest ground flora
Benjamin J. Dolan, The University of Findlay; Jason S. Kilgore, Washington and Jefferson College
4:40 PM
 Long-term impacts of forest pests on carbon and nitrogen dynamics
Katherine F. Crowley, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies; Gary M. Lovett, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies; Mary A. Arthur, University of Kentucky; Kathleen C. Weathers, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies