Abstract
This study explores the relationship between the invasive shrub European buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) on invertebrate diversity in Northwestern College’s forest near Alton, IA. We performed pitfall sampling in June 2020 and found invertebrate richness and abundance to be nonsignificantly lower in high-density buckthorn plots than in treatment plots where buckthorn had been removed. We also found no relationship between buckthorn density and invertebrate diversity. Data from this study will supplement the data collected over the past 15 years to determine whether any seasonal or long-term trends in invertebrate diversity have been occurring since buckthorn were first removed from parts of the forest in 2005.
Included in
European Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) Density Impact on Invertebrate Diversity in a Floodplain Forest in Sioux County, IA
This study explores the relationship between the invasive shrub European buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) on invertebrate diversity in Northwestern College’s forest near Alton, IA. We performed pitfall sampling in June 2020 and found invertebrate richness and abundance to be nonsignificantly lower in high-density buckthorn plots than in treatment plots where buckthorn had been removed. We also found no relationship between buckthorn density and invertebrate diversity. Data from this study will supplement the data collected over the past 15 years to determine whether any seasonal or long-term trends in invertebrate diversity have been occurring since buckthorn were first removed from parts of the forest in 2005.