The Habitat Preference of The Invasive Common Buckthorn in West Holland Sub-watershed, Ontario

Abstract

The project objective is to examine the habitat preference of the invasive common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) in West Holland Sub-watershed located in the Lake Simcoe Watershed in Ontario. Filed data from monitoring plots, dispersed throughout the West Holland, were collected as part of the natural cover monitoring in the watershed during the summer of 2017. In my capstone project, I will 1) examine the possible plot characteristics that are related to common buckthorn presence; 2) explore whether and how common buckthorn abundance is related to the plot characteristics and disturbance; 3) determine the relationship between common buckthorn and other plants in the plot; and 4) give recommendations regard to current common buckthorn issue. This research can improve the knowledge of the invasive common buckthorn in Lake Simcoe Watershed, which is crucial because the non-native common buckthorn is distributed extensively across southern Ontario.