Impact of Soil Quality and Population Density on Growth and Survivorship of Prunus serotina (Black Cherry) Trees

Indianapolis, IN

The process of self-thinning occurs when plants in a monospecific stand achieve such high density and biomass that the increased biomass cannot be supported without a reduction in density. As a result, the mortality rate in the population increases. Our study site was a nearly monospecific and even-aged stand of Prunus serotina (Black Cherry trees) which grew in the back campus of Earlham College after the cessation of farming and subsequent mowing. Over the course of 30 years, many of the trees died and newcomers of a variety of species began to grow. The goal of this study was to understand what factors contribute to whether a particular individual lives or dies in a self-thinning situation and how community composition changes over time. Height, height of lowest living branch, and basal area were recorded for all trees in all plots semi-regularly. The 16 plots had varying densities and soil qualities. The species composition of the plots changed over the course of this study, from nearly monospecific plots of P. serotina in 1987 to a more diverse composition 2016. Our results suggest that the variation of these traits in the P. serotina trees present in 1987 had an impact on which trees survived to 2016, the final census year, and that density and soil quality together shape the survivorship and individual traits of the trees present.