Community Ecology at Blanche Novak Sanctuary

On the 5 of September, 2013, the John Carroll University BL 435/535 class embarked on a surveying field trip at Blanche Novak Sanctuary.  The preserve is part of the Audubon Society of Greater Cleveland and is located in Portage County, Ohio, near the city of Aurora.  As a former farm, much of the preserve is in various stages of succession.  Along the trail from the parking lot to our study site, the spread of exotic invasive plant species was evident.  Multiflora rose, (Rosa multiflora) and buckthorn (Rhamnus frangula), two of the most problematic weeds in Ohio, were both found throughout open fields and forests.  The Rhamnus was particularly problematic, creating a dense thicket of undergrowth in large sections of forest, making it nearly impossible for recruitment of other forest species.

Study Site

The sampling location for our study was located in an open field near the bird blind and wetland at the end of the main trail.  Most of the vegetation is herbaceous with occasional examples of sparse woody vegetation likely kept in check by occasional mowing.  

The quadrat method was used for vegetative sampling.  This method uses a one square meter quadrat constructed from PVC pipe.  When the quadrat is randomly placed in locations along a straight transect, area vegetation can be quantified in a relatively short amount of time.  For this study, we used a recording method in which only presence or absence of a species was noted for each quadrat.

Quadrat

For each species found in our survey areas, we prepared a voucher specimen.  A voucher specimen is often used by botanists to confirm (or to make) their plant identifications from the field.  Voucher specimens are then deposited in local herbaria to serve as a record of species found during the study.  In order to prepare a voucher specimen, a representative of the species is removed from the soil and placed on a plant press in between newspaper, blotter paper, and cardboard.  This allows the plant to maintain its floral and vegetative features for an indefinite amount of time when proper care is given.  Among the most common species surveyed were the bird’s foot-trefoil (Lotus corniculata) and Queen Anne’s lace (Daucus carota).  Data will later be analyzed for diversity and evenness.  

Daucus carota

 For map and park directions/information: http://clevelandaudubon.org/sanct_Novak.htm

For more information on preparing voucher specimens: http://www.ipaw.org/mapping/voucherhandout.pdf



Written by: Jaylan Craig
                  Danny Dlugos