# Presentation: 065304

## Biogeography of Invasive Plants in Mid-Atlantic Region:  Integration of Hyperspectral Imagery with Physiological Plant Ecology

**Biogeography of Invasive Plants in Mid-Atlantic Region:  Integration of Hyperspectral Imagery with Physiological Plant Ecology**
- Kristy Garnet
- School of Computational Sciences
- George Mason University
- Fairfax, VA

## Overview

-    A.  Introduction
- 	 1.  Vegetation mapping
- 	 2.  Physiological ecology
-    B.  Objectives
-    C.  Invasive species
- 	 1.  *Microstegium vimineum *(Trinius)
- 	 2.  *Phragmites australis *(Cav.)

## Biogeographical Vegetation Mapping

- 38.7222° Lat, -77.3071° Long38.7226° Lat, -77.0323° Long38.5461° Lat, -77.0323° Long38.5457° Lat, -77.3063° Long

- A True Color Composite

- LandSat 7

- Study Site – Springfield, VA

## Biogeographical Vegetation Mapping (cont.)

## Physiological Plant Ecology

-   net CO2 assimilation
-   transpiration
-   growth rates
-   stomatal physiology
-   leaf transmission
-    & absorbance
-   phenology

**Physiological Plant Ecology**

## Physiological Plant Ecology (cont.)

## Objectives

- 1.  Develop standardized protocol for *in situ *
-      signature collections for ecologically dominant
-      species
- 2.  Develop signature library
- 3.  Investigate phenological patterns of signature
-      variance for a subset of species
- 4.  Investigate effects of major ecological
-      stressors on signatures (e.g., nitrogen, drought,
-      ozone, temperature)

## Signature Library Development

-  Forest canopy dominants

| Scientific Name | Common Name |
| --- | --- |
| Acer rubrum L. | Red Maple |
| Liquidambar styraciflua L. | Sweet Gum |
| Liriodendron tulipfera L. | Tulip poplar |
| Pinus virginiana Miller | Virginia Pine |
| Quercus alba L. | White Oak |
| Quercus nigra L. | Water Oak |
| Quercus phellos L. | Willow Oak |
| Quercus prinus L. | Chestnut Oak |

## Signature Library Development (cont.)

**Signature Library Development (cont.)**

| Scientific Name | Common Name |
| --- | --- |
| Betula lenta L. | Cherry Birch |
| Carya glabra (Miller) Sweet | Pignut Hickory |
| Cornus florida L. | Flowering Dogwood |
| Illex opaca Aiton | American Holly |
| Juniperus virginiana L. | Red Cedar |
| Magnolia macrophylla
Michaux | Umbrella Tree |
| Plantanus occidentalis L. | Sycamore |
| Quercus lyrata Walt. | Overcup Oak |
| Rhus typhina L. | Staghorn Sumac |

## Signature Library Development (cont.)

**Signature Library Development (cont.)**

| Scientific Name | Common Name |
| --- | --- |
| Ailanthus altissima Desf. | Tree of Heaven |
| Festuca rubra L. | Red Fescue |
| Lespedeza sp. Michaux | Lespedeza |
| Lonicera japonica Thurnberg | Japanese Honeysuckle |
| Microstegium vimineum (Trinius) A. Camas | Microstegium |
| Paulownia tomentosa (Thunberg) Steudel | Princess Tree |
| Phragmites australis (Cav.) | Phragmites |
| Polygonum perfollatum L. | Mile-a-Minute |

## Target Invasive Species

-   *Microstegium* *vimineum*
- sprawling annual grass
- flowers August – October
- seeds September – December
- alluvial floodplain; flood tolerant
- shade & light tolerant
- introduced in 1919 – TN
- established in 16 states; NY to TX
- monoculture

## Microstegium vimineum

## Target Invasive Species (cont.)

- 2.  *Phragmites* *australis*
- clonal grass
- woody hollow culms; 6 m
- perennial monocot
- flowers mid-summer
- seeds fall – winter; germination – spring
- Atlantic coast; freshwater & brackish tidal wetlands
- aggressive genotype introduced in 1800s
- established throughout U.S.

## Phragmites australis

## Objectives

- 1.  Develop standardized protocol for *in situ *
-      signature collections for ecologically dominant
-      species
- 2.  Develop signature library
- 3.  Investigate phenological patterns of signature
-      variance for a subset of species
- 4.  Investigate effects of major ecological
-      stressors on signatures (e.g., nitrogen, drought,
-      ozone, temperature)