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EFFECTS OF DENSITY ON REPRODUCTION, AND DEMOGRAPHIC STRUCTURES OF AMERICAN GINSENG (Panax quinquefolius L.) POPULATIONS IN OHIO

Shahi, Dhan P
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1168292705

Abstract Details

2007, Master of Science (MS), Bowling Green State University, Biological Sciences.
Panax quinquefolius, a perennial understory herb has been extensively harvested and traded for more than 300 years. Due to high demand for herbal medicine, the loss of natural populations has increased. Although studies on effects of harvesting on sustainability of natural populations of American ginseng exist, the effect of density and small scale variation in eco-environmental factors on reproduction is unknown. Filling this knowledge gap will help understand factors determining reproductive success, and will facilitate conservation and management of this rare species. The first part of this study uses two years of data collected from two populations located at Knox Woods Nature Preserve, Knox County, Ohio to examine demography and population growth under two assumptions (alive vs. dead for missing individuals) for high and low seed production. Population projection assuming missing plants were dormant produced growth rates larger than 1 for both levels of seed production, but growth rates were smaller than 1 when missing plants were assumed dead. In the second part, the effect of absolute density and nearest neighbor distance on flower and fruit production was examined by linear regression analysis. Absolute density had a weak effect within 1m radius concentric rings only for fruit set in 2006, whereas nearest neighbor distance had weak, but significant effects on fruit set and fruit production for both nearest neighbor distance (NND) and average distances of three nearest neighbors (3NND) for 2006, and in 2005 only for fruit production for NND and flower production for 3NND. These results suggest that the effect of density is small and variable relative to other factors. The third part of this study examined the influence of eco-environmental factors on reproduction for one season of data (2006). The best model predicting height, the best representative of plant size, reveals strong influences of Ca, Mg, K, Shade and pH on vegetative growth, whereas the models for fruit set and total fruit production showed significant influences of NO3-N, NH4-N, K and Mg, with the addition of P and Cu for fruit set models alone. This research indicates that specific nutrient factors influence the reproductive success of American ginseng.
Helen Michaels (Advisor)
114 p.
American ginseng; Demographic study; Eco-environmental effect; density effect.

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Citations

  • Shahi, D. P. (2007). EFFECTS OF DENSITY ON REPRODUCTION, AND DEMOGRAPHIC STRUCTURES OF AMERICAN GINSENG (Panax quinquefolius L.) POPULATIONS IN OHIO [Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1168292705

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Shahi, Dhan. EFFECTS OF DENSITY ON REPRODUCTION, AND DEMOGRAPHIC STRUCTURES OF AMERICAN GINSENG (Panax quinquefolius L.) POPULATIONS IN OHIO. 2007. Bowling Green State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1168292705.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Shahi, Dhan. "EFFECTS OF DENSITY ON REPRODUCTION, AND DEMOGRAPHIC STRUCTURES OF AMERICAN GINSENG (Panax quinquefolius L.) POPULATIONS IN OHIO." Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University, 2007. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1168292705

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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This open access ETD is published by Bowling Green State University and OhioLINK.