BIOL 300 Laboratory – The Dixie Project

BIOL 300 Laboratory – The Dixie Project

Spring 2006

Background:

Dixie Plantation is an 800-acre property owned by the College of Charleston Foundation and committed to support the education of our students. The property was willed to the Foundation by John Henry Dick, an artist, who died in 1995. Much of the property was vegetated by a dense stand of young (probably post-Hugo, 1989) loblolly pine, with scattered hardwoods and larger pines. About 500 acres of the property was selectively logged in the late summer and fall of 2004 to remove the larger loblolly pines. During this process, much of the targeted area was effectively heavily thinned, and some areas were essentially clearcut.

The logging generated a lot of controversy amongst people who care about Dixie Plantation, and many folks consider that the ecological function of the forest at Dixie was degraded by the thinning. Another line of reasoning suggests that the dense loblolly forest was not ecologically viable, and that thinning the trees will allow the development of a more diverse and ecologically functional community, and perhaps a return to the now rare and threatened longleaf pine based plant communities that dominated the coastal plain prior to European colonization.

One thing that became clear to me over the past year is that Dixie has experienced several types of plant communities, and remnants of these remain in the seedbank. There is clearly a ruderal seed bank, doubtless the result of past soil disturbance events such as logging or hurricanes. There are also seedbanks from longleaf communities and from bottomland and other hardwood communities. These forest communities overlap in space, but not in time (except during transition periods). For instance, there are old longleaf pine stumps adjacent to live American elms (a bottomland species) in the wetter areas. Longleaf is a fire adapted community, while hardwoods are typically not at all fire tolerant. Both communities can exist on the same ground, but not at the same time. The soils at Dixie are capable of supporting outstanding longleaf pine communities, but clearly will also support hardwood communities. Right now, Dixie is in transition. Currently it is dominated by ruderal species. With fire maintenance it could be restored to longleaf. Without fire, the hardwood communities will re-develop.

Last spring my botany students installed permanent plots to conduct research to compare ecological function in clearcut and thinned areas at Dixie. Their projects included monitoring vegetation; removing ruderals and monitoring remaining vegetation; comparing soil moisture and temperature; and comparing microorganism communities. Our intention was to set up projects that future botany classes could continue to monitor. One little glitch is that the plant communities are not well enough emerged by the time classes end in April for meaningful analysis. I am hoping to switch to teaching botany in the fall so that we can continue to monitor the vegetation changes.

This spring, you will have a choice of projects. You can develop a field project based on the guidelines below, or you can conduct a literature based project based on the guidelines below. Each team will have to decide as a group which type of project they will do. Consensus is key. You will work in teams of 4, based on your interests.

Field Research Project Guidelines:

Your team will work together to research an idea, design and propose an experiment, conduct the experiment, analyze the data, and prepare both written and PowerPoint project reports. At least one member of each group should have a vehicle, as you will probably need to make independent trips to Dixie Plantation, which is located about 15 miles south of Charleston.

During our first lab meeting you will form groups and choose a project idea. Each group will work as a team to review the relevant primary literature, develop the research idea, and design an experiment. You may use 2 of the 4 subplots in our permanent plots (the other 2 are reserved for long-term vegetation monitoring), or you may choose to use a different experimental design. You should discuss this with me before you settle on a design, especially since there may be several teams that want to use the permanent plots – if so, we’ll need to coordinate activities.

On 27 January you will turn in a project outline that details your research idea and planned analyses. On 27 February you will turn in a project draft that includes a literature review, statement of hypotheses, experimental design, preliminary results (if appropriate), proposed statistical analyses, and timeline. Be certain that your experiment can be conducted, analyzed and reported in about 2 months.

In most cases, the primary experimental treatment will be thinning of the forest canopy, i.e., most of you will not be imposing any additional experimental treatments. Your literature review should be extensive, including at least 20 sources from the primary literature, and should provide both background and support for your research idea. Secondary and web sources are encouraged in addition to the 20 minimum primary sources. When you write the literature review and experimental methods sections, do not treat your sources sequentially! Develop an outline of what you want to explain and review, and consolidate information from various sources to support your statements. Cite your sources using standard scientific citation format, and include a literature cited page. Edit your proposal rigorously for grammar, syntax and organization. Be precise and concise. Keep in mind that your draft proposal will form the backbone of your final paper, which is due on 12 April. Project PowerPoint reports will also be presented in lab on 12 April. These should be short (10-15 minutes, including time for questions) and should be presented by the entire team.

Field Project Ideas:

Here are some ideas that I have thought of – you are certainly not limited to this list, and I encourage you and your team to think up additional ideas. Also, some projects might incorporate several ideas. We will discuss these ideas throughout the afternoon, and by the end of our first lab each field team will have a project topic.

The impact of soil and abiotic changes on ecological function:

Literature Based Project Guidelines:

Your team will work together to either prepare an ecological restoration proposal, or prepare a proposal to turn Dixie into a first-rate research station. The College has committed considerable funds to begin the development of this research station, but plans are still in progress. Your ideas can actually be a very valuable contribution to the planning process. I am the Biology Department’s Dixie liaison, and I’m also on the Dixie planning committee, and the committee that will be searching for the new position of Director for Dixie – I will see that your ideas are moved forward to these committees, and from there to the College administration.

If you choose to develop a restoration plan, you will write a detailed plan based on the community or communities your plan will promote and on the current vegetation, soils and topography at the site. Your paper will need to address the restoration goals as well as the steps necessary for long term implementation.

If you choose to develop a research station plan you will need to incorporate all potential campus and community user groups into your plan, and include ideas on landscape management. There are several good models; I would suggest you start by looking at the University of Virginia’s Blandy Experimental Farm. The College already has a basic long-term plan for Dixie. I can get you a copy of this plan, or at least a look at it. Your plan would need to work within the already fixed parameters.

During our first lab meeting you will form groups and choose a project idea. Each group will work as a team to review the relevant primary literature, develop your ideas, and design your project.

On 27 January you will turn in a project outline that details your proposal ideas and goals. On 27 February you will turn in a project draft that includes a literature review, statement of goals and a draft of your proposal ideas.

Your literature review should be extensive, including at least 20 sources from the primary literature, and should provide both background and support for your ideas. Secondary and web sources are encouraged in addition to the 20 minimum primary sources. When you write the literature review do not treat your sources sequentially! Develop an outline of what you want to explain and review, and consolidate information from various sources to support your statements. Cite your sources using standard scientific citation format, and include a literature cited page. Edit your draft rigorously for grammar, syntax and organization. Be precise and concise. Keep in mind that your draft proposal will form the backbone of your final paper, which is due on 12 April. Project PowerPoint reports will also be presented in lab on 12 April. These should be short (10-15 minutes, including time for questions) and should be presented by the entire team.

Project Grades and Schedule:

You will be graded on this project as a team. All team members will do their fair share of the work. If problems arise, inform me immediately! The project will be a significant component of your lab grade, and will account for 25% of your total course grade:

Your written project will be graded based on the following criteria:

EXECUTION

· Clear writing style

· Logical organization of paragraphs

· Logical organization of sentences within paragraphs

· Grammar and spelling

· Overall

CONTENT

· Introduction of project

· Quality of literature review and number of references

· Quality and depth of experimental design, or the goals of your proposal

· Quality and depth of data analysis and interpretation, or the plans to implement your proposal

· Overall

Your PowerPoint presentation will be graded based on the following criteria:

EXECUTION

· Clear presentation style and polish

· Quality of PowerPoint presentation

· Logical organization of material

· Grammar

· Response to questions

CONTENT

· Introduction of project

· Explanation of background literature

· Explanation of hypotheses and methods, or the goals of your proposal

· Explanation and evaluation of results, or the plans to implement your proposal

· Overall

Grade Distribution:

Outline – 10%

Draft – 25%

Final Project Report – 50%

PowerPoint Presentation – 15%

Important Dates:

27 January – outlines due

27 February – drafts due

12 April – final papers due, PowerPoint presentations in lab