DeVito et al. 2024. Invasive maples exhibit longer fall phenology than native maples

By Olivia DeVito (primary author), Eamonn Doherty, Gina Cambareri, Katherine Escobar, Dr. Hanna Makowski*, and Dr. Allyson Jackson

*2024 guest lecturer, postdoctoral researcher at Black Rock Forest and Advanced Science Research Center at CUNY

Abstract

Invasive species expansion is a global problem that has economic and ecological consequences. While invasive species can degrade the quality of ecosystems, there has been increasing research regarding the integration of invasives. Our study examines the difference in autumnal phenology between invasive and native tree species. This research compared the phenology of the invasive Norway maples to native Red and Sugar maples at SUNY Purchase College. We found that Norway maples had longer fall phenology than both native species. Additionally, the Norway maples had longer fall phenology in both forest and edge ecosystems. Our research adds to the building evidence of potential invasive species benefits, which is particularly important in our changing environment.

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