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Friedel, C. (2000) Starthistle density in burned vs. unburned area. Independent project paper for Bio 138 (Ecology and Evolution of Plants), Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University

Year Published: 2000
Abstract: 

In the summer of 1999, the management of Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve conducted a small controlled burn in a grassland area where the invasive annual Centaurea solstitialis, the yellow starthistle, had established a population. The goal of the burn was to investigate the natural role of fire in the California grassland, and to investigate the relative effect of fire on native versus non-native species. Almost one year later, differences in plant composition and growth form between adjacent burned and unburned areas are quite evident from even a quick and superficial examination. Earilier investigations in this class hinted at increased species richness and species diversity in the burned area compared to the unburned area. The unburned area seems to be overwhelmingly dominated by C. solstitialis and an abundance of dead biomass from the annuals of previous years. The burned area is characterized by an absence of dead biomass and an increased number of plant species. In this lab, an effort was made to quantify absolute density of C. solstitialis in burned vs. unburned areas in order to see if the invasive was actually more successful compared to other species. My hypothesis, based on simple observation, was that there is no actual difference in density between the two populations. Height was also measured as another rough estimate of success.

Article ID: 
393