The Effects of Roads on Vegetation Keaton Averill

Background ● Roads can often times result in fragmentation and loss of habitat species

Problem Question of Interest: ● ● Does the construction of roads affect the structure

Methods ● ● ● Three independent sites were tested ○ Subalpine Region #1 ○

Average Absolute Basal Area p= about 0. 4855 → 2 -Factor ANOVA p= about

Average Mean Distance p= about 0. 6746 → 2 -Factor ANOVA p= about 0.

Soil Results ● Uphill slopes → Sandy Loam ● Downhill slopes→ Silty Clay Loam

Discussion ● Hypothesis: Constructing roads in new (subalpine) regions, may lead to changes in

Conclusion ● Results from the research are inconclusive ○ Does not mean that there

Cites Johnston, F and S, Johnston. 2004. Impacts of Road Disturbance on Soil Properties

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The Effects of Roads on Vegetation Keaton Averill Vegetation Ecology 2018

Background ● Roads can often times result in fragmentation and loss of habitat species of an area. (Johnston and Johnston 2004) ● Road construction can be done with leaving a small impact on the environment afterwards. (Caliskan 2013)

Problem Question of Interest: ● ● Does the construction of roads affect the structure of vegetation of a region? How do roads affect the overall quality of an ecosystem? Including ground vegetation and soils. Null Hypothesis: Constructing roads in new (subalpine) regions will not show significant changes in vegetation frequency and soil texture. Alternative Hypothesis: Constructing roads in new (subalpine) regions will show significant changes in vegetation frequency and soil texture. ○ Predictions: ■ Decrease in vegetation frequency ■ Changes in soil composition

Methods ● ● ● Three independent sites were tested ○ Subalpine Region #1 ○ Rainbow Lakes ○ Brainard Lake Point Quarter, Daubenmire Plot, and Soil 2 - Factor ANOVA ○ Close/Far and Uphill/Downhill ■ Mean Distance ■ Absolute Basal Area

Methods

Average Absolute Basal Area p= about 0. 4855 → 2 -Factor ANOVA p= about 0. 3217 → 2 -Factor ANOVA

Average Mean Distance p= about 0. 6746 → 2 -Factor ANOVA p= about 0. 1224 → 2 -Factor ANOVA

Soil Results ● Uphill slopes → Sandy Loam ● Downhill slopes→ Silty Clay Loam ● Why the trend?

Discussion ● Hypothesis: Constructing roads in new (subalpine) regions, may lead to changes in vegetation frequency and soil texture. ○ Predictions: ■ Decrease in vegetation frequency ■ Change in soil composition ● My results do not support my hypothesis

Conclusion ● Results from the research are inconclusive ○ Does not mean that there won’t be a significant change in vegetation structure with the presence of roads. ● Further research would improve the quality of the study. ○ Before & After ○ More samples and locations

Cites Johnston, F and S, Johnston. 2004. Impacts of Road Disturbance on Soil Properties and on Exotic Plant Occurrence in Subalpine Areas of the Australian Alps. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research 36(2): 201 -207. http: //www. bioone. org/doi/abs/10. 1657/1523 -0430%282004%29036%5 B 0201%3 AIORDOS%5 D 2. 0. CO%3 B 2 Caliskan, E. 2013. Environmental impacts of forest road construction on mountainous terrain. Iranian Journal of Environmental Health Science and Engineering 10(1): 23. https: //www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pmc/articles/PMC 3627898/ Marzen, M, Thomas Ishloh, Joao L. M. P. del Lima, Wolfgang Fister and Johannes B. Ries. 2017. Impact of severe rain storms on soil erosion: Experimental evaluation of wind-driven rain and its implications for natural hazard management. Science the Total Environment 590 -591: 502513. https: //www. sciencedirect. com/science/article/pii/S 0048969717304461 https: //www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pmc/articles/PMC 3627898/ (pic)