Impact of large mammal herbivory on the federally threatened plant, Scutellaria montana chapm (large-flowered skullcap) at a millitary training site, Catoosa County, Georgia

Scutellaria montana Chapm. (Large-flowered skullcap) is a federally listed species endemic to a few counties in northwestern Georgia and southeastern Tennessee. A large population of this species is housed within the Tennessee Army National Guard Volunteer Training Site (VTS) in Catoosa County, GA. To investigate the impacts of large mammal herbivores on this species at the VTS, an exclosure experiment was conducted in the field during 2011 and 2012. Results indicate that deer are not negatively impacting S. montana at the individual or population levels, but and after the second season, it was apparent that the white PVC pipe used to construct the exclosure frames attracted deer to plants that were accessible within one of the treatments. Results indicated that deer may also play a positive, indirect role through thinning by reducing resource competition between S. montana and other understory vegetation. During 2012, I investigated the effects of disturbances associated with prescribed burning and canopy thinning on impacts of herbivory to S. montana. Results did not indicate a significant effect of these disturbances, either singularly or combined, on the impacts of herbivory to S. montana. Results are considered preliminary because this research was conducted only during one study season and there were no replicates of treatments. Regarding management of S. montana populations at the VTS, it was concluded that current herbivory levels are not threatening the continued existence of S. montana there.

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Author dc:creator

• Benson, Andrea Renee

Contributors dc:contributor

• Boyd, Jennifer N.
• Shaw, Joey; Guadin, Timothy
• College of Arts and Sciences

• Botany
• Environmental management
• Scutellaria

Licence

• https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en

Language dc:language

English, eng

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/1

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholar.utc.edu:theses-1000