Publication Date
2011
Document Type
Thesis
Committee Members
Thomas Rooney (Committee Member), James Runkle (Advisor), John Stireman (Committee Member)
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Abstract
Low reproductive output has been shown in small, isolated populations of plants, and spring wildflowers in forest fragments may show a similar pattern. The goal of this study is to determine the impact of forest fragmentation on the reproductive success of three wildflowers: Cardamine concatenata, Delphinium tricorne, and Dicentra cucullaria. A secondary goal was to determine the impact of forest fragmentation on bumblebees (Bombus spp.) since they are important spring pollinators. Correlations and stepwise regression were used to determine the effects of forest fragment size on the reproductive success of each wildflower species, and also on the abundance and diversity of bumblebees. Delphinium tricorne was the only species that showed a strong significant increase in reproductive success as forest fragment size increased. The abundance and diversity of bumblebees was not significantly related to forest fragment size, but the reproductive success of Delphinium tricorne was significantly related to the abundance of bumblebees.
Page Count
64
Department or Program
Department of Biological Sciences
Year Degree Awarded
2011
Copyright
Copyright 2011, all rights reserved. This open access ETD is published by Wright State University and OhioLINK.
