Since 2002, I have led the Buell-Small Succession Study (BSS) – the longest continuous study of successional dynamics in existence. While the larger research group involved with this project has varied interests, I have primarily focused on using the long-term vegetation data to answer questions on the causes and consequences of exotic plant invasions. This work has been funded by the USDA and NSF and is in collaboration with Dr. Myla Aronson at Rutgers University. This study has provided a rich context for diverse studies of the ecology of lianas, the functional ecology of succession and the dynamics of species invasions. Current work is focusing on functional characterization of native and non-native species and on the phylogenetic patterns of community dynamics (in collaboration with Marc Cadotte, University of Toronto) and Shaopeng Li (East China Normal University).
The BSS is named for the project originators, Murray and Helen Buell of Rutgers University, and John Small of Douglas Women’s College (now a Campus of Rutgers). Spurred by the ideas of Frank Egler (whom they did not agree with) and the recent acquisition of the Hutcheson Memorial Forest, these researchers set out to document the patterns of succession in the Piedmont region of New Jersey starting in 1958. When Steward Pickett arrived on Rutgers’ campus in 1977, Helen handed the data off to him. Steward led the project until passing it off to me as I started at Eastern Illinois University.
This impressive length of data collection means that the full range of structural transitions from agricultural land to deciduous forest have occurred. The data set also contains critical information on the dynamics of several, regionally problematic invasive plants. The fields have experienced droughts, hurricanes, insect outbreaks and ice storms, all imposing their mark on the data.
