RADFORD – Radford University biology professors Christine Small and Karen Francl and fourteen undergraduate biology students researched vegetation and small animal conservation and natural resource management this summer.

This research was primarily conducted at RU’s Selu Conservancy where students carried out a series of ecologically-based natural history projects.

Under the direction of Francl, research was carried out over four weeks and was devoted to trapping and inventorying small mammals, reptiles and amphibians. The goals of these surveys were to document species presence and relative abundance at Selu Conservancy, and to detect any rare or endangered species on the property.  This information provides baseline data for future summer research, as well as for vertebrate-based field courses.

Under the direction of Small, students spent an additional four weeks completing detailed vegetation and habitat assessments and learning to identify species of trees, shrubs and wildflowers at Selu. With these surveys, students measured landscape characteristics such as topography, soil fertility and light penetration through the forest canopy.

A major goal was to document the distribution of non-native invasive plants at the Conservancy.  Biologists have come to recognize invasive species as a major threat to biological diversity.  Although Selu is a protected natural area, this site is experiencing significant losses of diversity due to invasive species.  Student researchers assessed the impacts of these invasive species on native forests and grasslands and worked to establish management recommendations to mitigate their threat.

Laboratory studies associated with each of these projects were conducted at RU, including preservation of collected animal and plant specimens for museum and teaching collections, analysis of soil chemical and physical properties and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping of sampling locations and invasive plant species across the study area.  Small and Francl plan to continue research on these projects during the 2007-2008 school year.

Small and Francl plan to continue this research in the 2007-2008 school year.

In addition to this research at Selu, two additional research projects were initiated in collaboration with the U.S.D.A. Forest Service.

The first was a field experiment in the George Washington National Forest focusing on sustainable harvesting of black cohosh, a medicinal plant native to the Appalachian Mountains. The roots of this plant are harvested from the wild for commercial sale and use in hormone-replacement therapy.  Because the impacts of wild harvest of this plant are not understood, populations are being monitored to determine sustainable harvesting levels for populations of this local plant.

The second project was conducted in the Jefferson National Forest, studying the effects of prescribed fire on small mammal, bird and vegetation communities. Students spent three weeks at a 125-acre forested tract in Bland County, which was broken into three parcels that were burned in spring 2002, 2004 or 2007, respectively. Data collected from this project will help the Forest Service understand short and long term plant and animal response to fire as a management tool in this region.

The following students were participants in these summer research projects: Michael Baisey of Chase City; Andrea Helton of Marion; William (DD) Munsey of Radford; Georgeanne Lavery of Radford; Gretchen Urban of Kilmarnock; Derrick Matthews; John Verbeck of New York ; Michael Adkins of Big Stone Gap; Beth Meyer of Boones Mill; Matt Fischer of Fincastle; Franklin Elimbi of Buea, Cameroon; Matt Lyerly of Radford; Kelle Urban of Kilmarnock and Natalie Franciose of Oak Harbor, Wash.

These students were supported by course credit and/or research stipends made possible by RU faculty summer scholarship grants.

For more information about this research, visit www.radford.edu/~biol-web/BioIndex.html

IN THE PHOTOS ABOVE:
-- Top -- Biology student Gretchen Urban and a box turtle captured and released during the animal survey at Selu.
-- Middle -- Michael Baisey and Derrick Mathews replanting black cohosh during the sustainable harvesting study with the Forest Service in the George Washington National Forest.
-- Bottom -- Baisey holding a rat snake, another of the animals collected and released during the surveys.