Plant Systematics, Conservation Biology, and Ethnobotany

09

Danelle Haake

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Danelle Haake

Restoration Ecologist, Litzsinger Road Ecology Center, MBG

Research Interests

• Water Quality
• Aquatic macroinvertebrates
• Invasive plant management
• Riparian forest ecology

Web Page: Litzsinger Road Ecology Center

Project: Invasive species impacts on tree seedling recruitment. Located in the heart of the St. Louis metropolitan area, just 10 miles west of downtown St. Louis, the 34-acre study Litzsinger Road Ecology Center (LREC) encompasses a rich variety of habitats including bottomland forest, restored prairie, and an urban creek. The LREC prairie was part of a larger prairie in pre-settlement times. The area was used for agriculture, but since 1988 it has been the site a prairie restoration effort through intensive planting of prairie species and annual burns. The riparian woodland at LREC is comprised of a diverse mix of mature tree species, including Acer negundo, Celtis occidentalis, Fraxinus pennsylvanica, Platanus occidentalis, Populus deltoides, Tilia americana, Ulmus americana, and Ulmus rubra. Many of these species are relatively short-lived and strong storms over the past three years have torn down numerous canopy trees. We are interested in determining what species are likely to replace the fallen trees in order to improve our ability to make stand-management decisions. In addition, the riparian woodlands at LREC are in various stages of restoration, ranging from areas still fully engulfed in invasive Lonicera maackii and Euonymus fortunei to areas that are largely restored in which we have successfully been able to reintroduce fire as a management tool. We would like to determine the ability of seedlings to grow under this range of conditions. The student will evaluate the number and diversity of seedlings in LREC woodland plots that have undergone varying degrees of invasive species control. The student will also analyze the dataset in order to assist us in answering these questions. 

Selected Publications

• Haake, Danelle M., Wilton, Tom, Krier, Ken, Stewart, Arthur J. and Cormier, Susan M. 2010. Causal Assessment of Biological Impairment in the Little Floyd River, Iowa, USA. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment, 16: 1, 116-148.
• Haake, Danelle. 2011. Water Quality in Deer Creek and its Tributaries: An analysis of samples collected by Stream Team 2760.
• Slagle, M.W., P.W. Sweeney, K.M. Hiser, and H. Wells-Sweeney. 2008. Vegetation Survey of Prairie Reconstructions at Litzsinger Road Ecology Center. Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conference 20: 225–232.

Danelle Haake Danelle Haake
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