Jeane Reeves Research Grant Program
Reports from Recipients
2009
Attracting Native Pollinators to Your Garden: A Two Year Study on Stokes Aster, Stokesia laevis GNPS provided $300 in 2009 to Dr. Kim Pickens And Dr. Sherry.
"This project would not have been possible without the support of the Georgia Native Plant Society. You have given our students a wonderful opportunity to conduct research, as well as to become aware of the importance of native plants in the landscape." Dr. Dawn Sherry and Dr. Kim Pickens
Funding this small project has done a lot for the cause of native plants at Macon State College, by introducing customers to a local native plant nursery, involving students and introducing two teachers to the Cullowhee Conference, which advocates getting native plants into the landscape. GNPS may not have chapters statewide however the Jeane Reaves Research Grant Program has a statewide impact.
Georgia Orchid Initiative: Field surveys for the rare species Platanthera chapmanii, Calopogon multiflorus, and Pteroglossaspis ecristata. The Georgia Native Plant Society funded the research in 2009 for $400. The interim report is available in PDF format.
2008
Impacts of Laurel Wilt Disease on Redbay (Persea borbonia) Population Structure and Forest Communities in the Coastal Plain of Georgia, USA GNPS provided $750 in 2008 to Kimberly Spiegel.
When Laurel Wilt Disease (LWD) first surfaced it appeared to be a totally deadly disease to the redbay populations however any species in the Laurel family is at risk from this fungus disease including sassafras, spicebush, federally endangered pondspice and the commercial avocado. Kimberley Spiegel's research created a baseline for future research and touched upon a glimmer of hope, that if effective fungicides can be found to kill laurel wilt disease, the species may be able to recover. Hopefully, since an commercial fruit is also at risk more effort may be put into controlling this disease. The Georgia Native Plant Society is pleased we could help fund this research.
2005
GNPS agreed to help Dr. Gary Wade, UGA Department of Horticulture (CAES) on a project, to update and develop an online publication of an out-of-print CES publication "Native Plants for Georgia Gardens", during Ed McDowell's tenure as GNPS president. The publication covers the whole state and contains 134 large and small trees, shrubs and woody vines. (The original publication covered 83 trees, shrubs and woody vines.)
GNPS gave UGA a $1500 grant in 2005 to help defray the cost of a part-time program assistant to edit the huge number of images. She spent many hours getting the images ready for online publication via PhotoShop Software. The grant came at a critical time in the publication schedule. Ed and Elaine Nash, with Dr. Wade and Brenda Beckman, Georgia Master Gardener, spent four years editing the publication and gathering images.
The publication earned top honors, an Extension Communications Award, from the American Society of Horticultural Science at their southern region meeting February 2, 2009 in Atlanta. The publication was the result of a two-year collaboration between UGA faculty and members of the Georgia Native Plant Society. The free 140-page publication with over 400 color photos can be found on the internet at Native Plants for Georgia: Trees, Shrubs and Woody Vines.
In June 2005, GNPS awarded a research grant to Lee Echols, a University of Georgia graduate student, for surveying a recently discovered rare plant community in central Georgia. Blackland prairies are a globally imperiled, rare plant community for which no formal studies had been done; the Georgia Department of Natural Resources expressed interest in the prairies' protection and restoration. The objective of the study was to thoroughly document a floristic inventory and quantitative analysis of prairie vegetation thereby providing a baseline for blackland prairie conservation. These lands are now called "Chalk Prairies" to reflect the underlying geology. Other botanical entities contributed to this study also.
The poster below is a visual summary of Lee Echols' findings. His thesis compared the vegetation and underlying geologic similarities and differences of prairies in Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas in much greater detail.
PDF version that can be enlarged for easier reading
You can right-click and choose View Image to see a slightly larger version of the graphic below
![[ Chalk Prairie Poster ]](images/2005_Lee_Echols_Chalk_Prairie_Poster.jpg)
Vascular Plant Flora of the Remnant Blackland Prairies in Oaky Woods Wildlife Management Area, Houston County, Georgia by S. Lee Echols and Wendy B. Zomlefer. This Final Report was published in Castenea, the Journal of the Southern Appalachian Botanical Society. Part of this report compares the soil and plant communities to the blackland prairies of the Gulf Coastal Plain. The article is presented with permission of the publisher.
Michael Wayne Morris of Troy University and John Williams, Maggie Pschandl, and Renee' Van Cleave of North Georgia College & State University
Burks Mountain ultramafic woodland is located in the lower Piedmont of Georgia in close proximity to the Savannah River. Three monadnocks support xeric herb-dominated barrens intermixed with pine-oak woodlands over circumneutral soils that are generally high in magnesium and low in calcium. Both mesic and hydric habitats are present downslope from the barrens. Thirteen collecting trips were made at regular intervals during the growing season from September 2005 to October 2006 in this floristic survey. A total of 481 species of vascular plants were documented and include 12 pteridophytes, 4 gymnosperms, and 465 angiosperms. The largest families present are Poaceae, Asteraceae, Cyperaceae, and Fabaceae, with 71, 65, 37, and 34 species, respectively. Bouteloua curtipendula, Clematis ochroleuca, Marshallia ramosa, Paronychia virginica, and Pediomelum piedmontanum are listed as species of special concern in Georgia; and an additional seven taxa, including Asclepias viridiflora, Platanthera lacera, and Stenaria nigricans are on the state watch list. Only 7.7% of the species recorded are regarded as exotic, indicating that growing conditions here are harsh for most vascular plants. This project was funded by a grant from the Georgia Native Plant Society.
by Cheryl Marie McCormick (Under the Direction of C. Ronald Carroll)
The Georgia Native Plant Society awarded Ms. McCormick $1000 toward her Ph.D thesis in 2005. The thesis was completed in 2007 with abstract of its objectives listed below:
ABSTRACTManaging pernicious invasive plant species is an essential component of maintaining biodiversity and restoring natural ecosystem structure and function. Chinese tallow (Sapium sebiferum L. Roxb.) is recognized as one of the most aggressive invaders of southeastern US wetland and coastal habitats. However, effective management of S. sebiferum is often obstructed by a lack of scientific information for management strategies, conflicting objectives, and a paucity of funding.
The first chapter is a comprehensive management plan for S. sebiferum, and includes a description of the biology and ecology of S. sebiferum and its history in the southeastern US. It provides a comprehensive overview of treatment methods for the species, including each method's advantages and disadvantages, timing, and case studies involving management of S. sebiferum on public lands.
In Chapter Two, I analyze the effects of feral hog (Sus scrofa L.) rooting behavior on S. sebiferum seedling recruitment and survivorship in island vs. mainland habitats as a function of hog density. I discuss the implications of tallow population regulation by hogs, and associated challenges to agencies mandated to eliminate both of these deleterious exotic species. My analysis indicates that at high densities of feral hogs such as occur on Ossabaw Island, feral hog rooting significantly increases the mortality of Chinese tallow seedlings; whereas at low densities such as occur in mainland ecosystems, there is little impact.
In Chapter Three, I present a scientific approach for prioritizing management objectives through the application of generalized linear models to predict seed crop quality based on morphological seed traits in 16 populations of S. sebiferum in mainland, coastal, and island habitats in south Georgia, USA. Based on analyses of generalized linear models (GLMs), I conclude that the use of such models to accurately predict seed crop quality of S. sebiferum populations is an ineffective tool for assisting land managers in developing priorities for tallow control. However, this technique does appear to be useful in identifying very high- and low-priority populations for management. The goal of this body of research is to merge sound science with judicious management strategies, resulting in effective conservation practices.
2002
Funding was provided for a study, by Kathy Aleric, on the propagation and seed ecology of the federally endangered shrub, Lindera melissifolia, commonly known as Pondberry. Kathy submitted the following report on her findings.