Hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) is an invasive insect that has spread its way through most of the east-coast of the United States infecting and killing hemlock trees. The fluid-feeding insect extracts carbohydrates and disrupts water movement at the base of the needles, slowly killing the hemlock trees. The insect is indirectly disrupting the biogeochemical cycle of nutrients in soil, soil water, and surface water. Hemlock tree infection with HWA changes the ecosystem composition and alters the nutrient exchange processes by decreasing tree productivity and causing tree death. Many previous studies have investigated the biological and ecological impacts; however, few studies examined the chemical impact of this invasion. The goal of this study is to determine the change in nutrient composition of soil and surface water samples at HWA infected, uninfected, and chemically treated sites. The study focuses on comparing nutrient and metal cation mobility at two state parks in central New York State. In Mine Kill State Park, three sampling sites were chosen: an uninfected, an HWA infected, and an infected site recently treated with insecticides. This approach allows direct comparison of the effect of hemlock productivity decline and mortality on soil and surface water chemistry, as all other environmental parameters are very similar. In addition, to obtain baseline information, an uninfected hemlock dominated plot was chosen in the Robert V. Riddell State Park. Water samples were collected from soil water samplers installed at varying depths between one and two feet and from first order streams running through the hemlock plot. Field parameters such as temperature, pH, electrical conductivity and turbidity were measured on-site. Cation concentrations were quantified using atomic absorption spectrometry. Preliminary results indicate an increase in solute transport at the site infected with HWA as a result of decreased photosynthetic rate of the hemlock trees.

Indirect effects of hemlock woolly adelgid on metal nutrient content of soil water

251st National Meeting (2016)

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