The+Effects+of+Multiflora+Rose+on+its+Surroundings

When the Multi flora Rose grows, it inhibits other types of plant life from growing. This means that an area with the Multi-Flora Rose will have less plant life then an area without the rose. The variables examined in this study include:presence or absence of the Multiflora Rose, light exposure above the plants, and location. We will test this at the Flat Rock Brook Nature Preserve by studying 2 square yard plots with Multiflora Rose and two square yard plots in the same vicinity without the rose bush. This should prove that the Multiflora Rose Bush blocks out light and indeed places a danger on native plant life. 1-Area with Multiflora Rose will have less light exposure above plants than area without Multiflora Rose.
 * Multi-Flora Rose, The Invasive Beauty**
 * Introduction:**
 * The two hypotheses are:**

2-Area with Multiflora Rose will contain less plant diversity than areas without it. This study is part of the D-E 11th grade science curriculum, which focuses on an ecological study of the Flat Rock Nature Preserve. This is a remarkable resource available to the students at D-E and the citizens of Englewood. Our class was assigned the problem of invasive plant species.Our invasive species was the Multiflora Rose. the Multiflora Rose is a perennial shrub with with thorns and arching stems, the Multiflora Rose flowers in May or June with fragrant pinkish-white flowers.Rose hips develop during the summer and remain on the plant throughout the winter. //Rosa Multiflora// came from its native habitat in the Far East (Japan, Korea, Eastern China) and was first introduced into the United States in 1866. It was first introduced into the West Coast from Asia but now it has a much wider distribution, within the Eastern half of the U.S. In the 1930s Multiflora Rose was widely used as an actual "living fence," to confine livestock and was perfect for hedges (Saturday Evening Post 1950). However its unstoppable growth was ultimately recognized as a problem first on pastures and unplowed lands, because it hampered cattle grazing. The Multiflora Rose is now officially recognized as a noxious weed in several states including New Jersey. Because this plant is so quick to adapt to various soils, moisture levels and lights conditions, it is found in many different types of habitats. It can flourish in dense woods, prairies, roadsides, and in open pastures. Light Probe - Vernier Lab-pro Pad Pencil Tablet with Logger Pro Plots of land with bush Plots of land without bush Yard sticks The researchers involved, Nicholas Sorensen and Jake Pearlstein, should contact the Flat Rock Brook park rangers office and arrange a meeting. The goal of is to obtain all known locations of the infestation and what the Nature preserve is doing to combat it, because the Multiflora Rose easily crowds out native plant species. The Multi-Flora Rose should be tested for invasiveness by doing few simple tests. The first step in this process is to measure out two similarly located plots of land, each being one square yard. The 2 plots should contain each, a single Multi-Flora Rose Bush and the other plots should be Multi-Flora Rose free. The variant light intensity should then be tested within the 2 plots overgrown with Multiflora Rose and the 2 plots without, using a light probe as well as eying the area out. The light probe is used to make sure the light exposure above the plants is recordable data. Once this reliability of the instrument is confirmed the next step is to ascertain that the plots are in fact comparable. The plots need to be juxtaposed to one another. Not to close but within a ten yard range. Next one must confirm that the land is on the same type slope as well as surrounded by similar types of trees. This will provide a constant at which to compare the plant life within the square yard plots of land. The next step will be measuring the light an inch from the ground in each plot. The light probe will be used once again to show the contrast in light allowed under the Rose shrubs and under the native plants. The plots without the Rose Bush will be measured as well as the plots with the Rose Bushes. After this using a notebook and a pen the plant life within each plot will counted and sketched. This process will be used for the plots in order to show the contrast of plant life in the plots with the Multi-Flora Rose Bushes and without. After this final step the only thing left will be to break down the data and see if the hypothesis was supported and confirmed.
 * Background:**
 * Materials:**
 * Methods**:

The areas threatened most by the Multiflora rose are the "Backyard Habitat" and the area marked by the lower red trail southwest of the Nature Center Building. **Results:**

Plot 1 : This was an area overgrown with Multiflora Rose and as a result had a variety of only 9 different plant species!
 * Diversity Counts from our 4 test plots:**

Plot 2 : The second plot with Multiflora Rose yielded a measly 5 species proving the dominance of the Multiflora Rose on its habitat against the native plant life.

Plot 3 : This plot without Multiflora Rose had tremendous diversity with 23 different plant species while being only 5 feet from plot 2.

Plot 4 : Plot 4 had 31 different types of plant life living happily with lots of sunlight unaffected by the terrible Multiflora Rose :)


 * Graphs of light levels from our 4 test plots :**

Graphs 1 and 2 : Display light levels from plots with the Multiflora Rose blocking out large amounts of light compared to other native species nearby as shown by graphs 3 and 4.


 * Plot 1: With Multiflora Rose**
 * Plot 2:** **With Multiflora Rose**


 * Plot 3:** **Without Multiflora Rose**

The graphs show the variable amount of light in the different plots of land. The light probe measured the levels of light per second falling on each plot and light was measured at one inch from the ground. In the graphs showing data collected from plots with the Multiflora Rose, light did not exceed a level of 0.2700 when the level of direct sunlight is equal to 1. In contrast, on the plots without Multiflora Rose, the light level ranged between 0.1247 and 0.2930 The results show that the Multiflora Rose is blocking out an unnatural amount of sunlight. This shrub is, therefore, not only an extremely resilient and adaptable invasive species but it is also highly dangerous to native plants that are nearby. Data from our tests of the 2 plots without Multiflora Rose had much higher light levels. Ranging from almost direct sunlight 0.9201 to 0.5163, a light level still higher than the one recorded for the plots with Multiflora Rose. The Multiflora Rose is a highly adaptable and tenacious invasive species. Its promotion as "a living fence" in the 1930s has turned out to be a terrible threat to native plant species in many parts of the United States. As explained by Ranger Mark at Flat Rock Brook, a combination of chemical and mechanical means are necessary to rid the Preserve of this plant and the park has received a grant from the State of New Jersey to control further spread of this species Bisbort, Alan. "Dandelions Pale next to These." //New York Times// 10/13/02. Craft, Ken. "The fence that mends itself" //Saturday Evening Post// 7/22/1950 Laycock, George. "Invasion of the Pasture-Snatcher." //Audubon// (Jan. 1985):22-25. Raver, Anne. "Plants that Won't Run Wild in the Woods." //New York Times// 9/28/2006. www.nps.gov http://www.flatrockbrook.org/features/trails.html http://ncartmuseum.org/museumpark/images/park/plants/Rose,%20Multiflora%20flower.jpg [|http://www.main.nc.us/graham/wildflowers/White/Multiflora%20Rose%202%20(Rosa%20multiflora)%20Rose%20Family.JPG] http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1238/536640427_987bbb1fb6.jpg?v=0 http://k43.pbase.com/o4/93/599593/1/61935375.fZkQoKwy._MG_686901.jpg
 * Plot 4:** **Without Multiflora Rose**
 * Discussion:**
 * Conclusion:**
 * References:**