Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Date of Graduation
Spring 2018
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science (BS)
Department
Department of Biology
Advisor(s)
Heather P. Griscom
Patrice Ludwig
Michael Renfroe
Abstract
Approximately two thirds of St. John is National Park territory. However, the land has been threatened with tourism and development, greatly impacting island biodiversity. One species that may become extinct due to this degradation is Solanum conocarpum. S. conocarpum is a rare shrub, endemic to the dry tropical forests of St. John, USVI. This plant is a species of conservation concern and is one of very few native and endemic plants on this island. Very little is known about the ecology and reproduction of S. conocarpum. Most plants are found on the southern half of the island. Recent observations have indicated that the greatest threat may be lack of regeneration, possibly due to suboptimal habitat conditions. This study investigated the ecology of S. conocarpum in order to begin identifying optimal areas for reintroduction. Results showed that plant growth and reproduction differed significantly between five known populations. Some populations were more negatively affected by herbivory than other populations but this was not due to differences in secondary compounds (cyanogenic glycosides). The population closest to the shoreline (Nanny Point) had the greatest number of individuals and largest size (diameter) but also had the lowest survival due to the hurricanes in 2017. We conclude that sites further away from the shoreline and of western aspect (similar to Reef Bay) are optimal locations for Solanum conocarpum reintroduction.
Recommended Citation
Rogers, Cecilia, "Investigating the ecology of a rare species on St. John, Usvi: Reintroducing Solanum conocarpum in light of climate change" (2018). Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019. 571.
https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/honors201019/571
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Botany Commons, Environmental Health Commons, Forest Biology Commons, Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons, Other Forestry and Forest Sciences Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Population Biology Commons, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons
