Abstract
In 2009, a common garden study involving Salix hookeriana (called “willows” from hereon) was initiated in which multiple clonal replicates were created and propagated for a total of 675 trees. Since 2009, numerous experiments and observations have been completed using the willows at the study site of Humboldt Bay Wildlife Refuge demonstrating that growth, phenology, and insect communities are influenced by genotype. Our study was aimed at understanding if senescence and mortality are correlated with both plant sex and genotype. In August of 2024, seven replicates from each of the ten genotypes in the experimental array were selected and the proportion of alive stems was measured. Tests that were used include an ANCOVA comparing biomass, sex, and genotype on proportion of stems alive, a linear regression comparing proportion of stems alive to biomass associated with genotype, and a chi-squared test comparing number of dead or alive trees versus plant sex. Ultimately, it was found that mortality and proportion of stems alive did not differ among sexes, however it did differ among genotypes. With this information, future studies are not only possible but highly probable.
Date
Spring 2025
Department
Biological Sciences
Concentration/Emphasis
Plant Ecology
Advisor/Professor
Erik Jules
Citation Style
APA
