PI and his team used ropes to scale trees of primarily five species (ash, tulip poplar, red maple, white pine, and white oak) and describe fungi, myxomycetes (slimemolds), mosses, liverworts, lichens, and ferns from tree canopies and at different heights along the trunk. In addition to basic inventory work, they described a new species of slimemold and determined that slimemold diversity did not change with height on a tree, but did change with the pH of the bark. They found several species that had been rarely encountered in ground-based surveys to be quite common in the canopies. Some sites high in trees built up considerable soil, along with springtails and other soil-dwelling invertebrates.

PI aims to collect specimens of selected species of harvestmen/grand-daddy-long-legs (Opiliones) and centipedes (Chilopoda) to better understand their place in the arthropod tree of life. For almost two decades his laboratory has been working on the phylogenetic relationships of centipedes and harvestmen.

PI aims to collect specimens of selected species of harvestmen/grand-daddy-long-legs (Opiliones) and centipedes (Chilopoda) to better understand their place in the arthropod tree of life. For almost two decades his laboratory has been working on the phylogenetic relationships of centipedes and harvestmen.

Wildflower phenology data recorded from 13 plots of 2 meter square, at The Purchase area and near Chimneys Picnic Area. Most data involve species in bloom and number of blooms per species per square, but other phenophases are also recorded on flowering and non-flowering plants for most plots. Chimneys Picnic Area data extends back to 2000, Purchase data to 2011 (previously certified).

Wildflower phenology data recorded from 13 plots of 2 meter square, at The Purchase area and near Chimneys Picnic Area. Most data involve species in bloom and number of blooms per species per square, but other phenophases are also recorded on flowering and non-flowering plants for most plots. Chimneys Picnic Area data extends back to 2000, Purchase data to 2011 (previously certified).

Summary of proposed field methods and activities: Sampling Myriapods is a low-impact process. Collecting is done by turning over leaf piles with a millipede rake (see Means et al. 2015) to expose specimens at the soil-leaf interface. Rocks and logs are also rolled over to search for specimens. Leaf litter samples are sometimes taken and processed with a Berlese funnel to extract small-bodied individuals. After an area has been searched, logs and rocks are turned back over and leaves spread out to return the area to its pre-disturbed state. Numbers of Myriapods collected will range from 10-30 specimens, depending on quality of the habitat and success of the search. Both millipedes (Diplopoda) and centipedes (Chilopoda) will be collected, to contribute to related research on species groups by the Marek Lab. In the case of leaf litter samples, other incidental leaf litter arthropods including insects and spiders are collected as well, but not in numbers large enough to cause strains on the local populations.