Effects of location on gender expression and size of the Tree of Heaven, Ailanthus altissima
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Authors
Brower, Steven
Issue Date
2011
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
Invasive species can be either beneficial or detrimental to a native environment.
Since there are no natural predators, there is less inhibiting the invasive species from
increasing the population exponentially. Understanding the sexual expression of the
invasive species can lead to great developments in hindering the effect on the natural
environment. This field study was conducted to observe the sexual expression of the
invasive species Ailanthus altissima, common name Tree of Heaven, and relate that to
size, neighborhood density, and location, either urban or rural. A total of 57 trees were
sampled and their flowers were examined under the microscope to determine the sexual expression. Previous literature suggests that A. altissima exhibits a polygamodioecious sexual expression. To determine this, the gender was recorded from all the flowers sampled, as well as the size, in the form of basal diameter, and the location and the rough neighborhood density. These were then compared against each other, in ANOVA tests, t-tests and chi square tests via SPSS, to determine if there were any patterns formed in nature between any of the measured characteristics. We showed that in Western Michigan there is an androdioecious sexual expression. We also found that there were significant differences in gender between larger and smaller trees, and also between the different locations (rural and urban). We found that the gender ratio between rural and urban environments were significantly different.
Description
v, 19 p.
Citation
Publisher
Kalamazoo College
License
U.S. copyright laws protect this material. Commercial use or distribution of this material is not permitted without prior written permission of the copyright holder.