For our final College of Arts & Sciences student feature, Alyssa Young spoke with the Graduate School about her involvement in restoration practices for the Longleaf Pine Savannas – an important and biodiverse ecosystem. Alyssa is studying Environmental Health Science in the UNCG Biology Department. In anticipation of her third year in the PhD program, Alyssa discussed her research, the process of collecting data samples in the North Carolina Longleaf Pine Savannas, and her post-graduate long-term goals.
Introduction
Alyssa earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from UNCG in 2014. From there, she decided to remain with the program, and she graduated with a Master of Science degree in 2019. But after having such an exemplary experience with the department, and to further her own research with Dr. Sally Koerner, Alyssa continued her academic path here at UNCG as a PhD candidate.
Her research involves collecting data from the North Carolina Longleaf Pine Savannas. Alyssa explained that the inherent beauty of healthy and productive Longleaf Pine Savannas inspired her to pursue a research path in which she explored restoration practices for degraded ecosystems. She chose Environmental Health Science because she understands the importance of restoring biodiversity and improving the overall health of our Earth, and the program at UNCG offered her an opportunity to advance her academic career.
Alyssa’s current interests are aimed at informing and improving Longleaf Pine Savanna restoration practices. She explained that ecological restoration aims to repair ecosystems that have been damaged or destroyed. In particular, Alyssa studies the symbiotic relationship between legumes – the fruits and seeds of a plant family called Fabaceae – and their symbionts which are able to provide nitrogen to the plants of the Longleaf Pine Savannas and potentially improve restoration success and encourage biodiversity.
“Being in nature has always been a calming force in my life and its complexity and interconnectedness is fascinating to me. That is why I chose this path, so I could try to better understand our natural world,” she said.
NC Longleaf Pine Savannas
Primarily located in the eastern part of North Carolina, the savannas are home to several endangered wildlife species and are considered one of the world’s most diverse ecosystems. Furthermore, North Carolina’s Longleaf Pine Savannas are an important part of the state’s history: “The North Carolina state tree is the longleaf pine tree, the UNC Tarheels got their name from the naval stores industry that utilized longleaf pine trees, and our state toast begins with ‘Here’s to the land of the longleaf pine,” she explained.
Alyssa also discussed the importance of fire and burning practices to the maintenance of the Longleaf Pine Savannas because the ecosystem relies on regular fire to remain healthy and active. At the same time, there has long been a wide-spread belief that fires are bad for the environment. Unfortunately, fire suppression has managed to bring more harm than good to this important ecosystem.
For hundreds of years, Alyssa told the Graduate School that the overstory pine tree – the longleaf pine – has been exploited and cut down from the surrounding overhead canopy. This has a direct impact on the understory plant community – located at the bottom of the forest floor where all plant diversity is found – which has been disturbed due to this exploitation.
“This is what has led to the degradation of the longleaf pine ecosystem, and as a NC native and researcher, I am dedicated to restoring this beautiful and diverse ecosystem,” she said.
To further understand these restoration practices, Alyssa described the process of visiting her field sites in Hoffman, North Carolina where she collects data and other important samples. She discussed her process as a series of steps:
- First, Alyssa identifies all of the plant species that are present in the area surrounding her defined plots.
- Next, she records different measurements, including the amount of available light over her sites, the temperature and moisture levels, and the nitrogen content in the soil.
- Then, she measures each study legume before digging them up out of the ground. After they’ve been collected, Alyssa removes the root nodules – the small structures on the roots where the bacteria live – and places them into incubation chambers with acetylene gas.
- Finally, Alyssa brings her plants, soil and gas samples, and nodules back to the lab at UNCG for further analyses and DNA testing.
The Conservation Message
The importance of human intervention to preserving our ecosystems is a recurring theme in Alyssa’s research. She stresses that ecosystems such as the Longleaf Pine Savannas will continue to suffer without our help, and the planet itself cannot survive the losses of these systems that provide our world with important services. For example, maintaining the water and other nutrient cycles.
These ecosystems also help store large amounts of carbon – the leading greenhouse gas emitted through human activities. If we lose the ecosystems that help regulate carbon in the atmosphere, then climate change will only continue to worsen. To conserve these important ecosystems and restore the ones that have been degraded will help us combat both climate change and global warming.
For Alyssa, this message is a significant motivator in her research. She understands the necessity of identifying best practices in restoring ecosystems such as the Longleaf Pine Savannas. In studying legumes and their symbionts – both of which are essential in providing nitrogen to the Longleaf Pine Savanna plants – Alyssa hopes to increase diversity and productivity and improve restoration success.
“If we can understand the complexities of these relationships, we can utilize them in restoration practices,” she explained.
But to best utilize these conservation practices, Alyssa stressed the importance of everyone’s contributions to make a difference: “Scientists and land managers studying and restoring these ecosystems need to engage with the community to spread this important message. Disseminating our research findings to the local communities we serve can inspire passion for these ecosystems, and if these local communities can help make a difference, we can ultimately see results on a global scale,” she said.
Ultimately, Alyssa hopes that her research can serve as an important tool in the hands of restoration practitioners and private landowners for the conservation of the once dominant longleaf pine ecosystem that is native to the southeastern part of the United States. Even North Carolina’s culture was shaped by this ecosystem, and Alyssa believes that it is important to restore and conserve this biodiverse ecosystem as a member of the community.
Finally, Alyssa addressed her long-term goals which include finishing her PhD program and continuing on as a post-doctoral researcher dedicated to the conservation of the Longleaf Pine Savannas! After graduate school, Alyssa is open to either a position in academia as a professor and researcher, or serving in a position where she can work closely with state and federal agencies. “I want to continue to make a difference to our environment and inspire the next generation of young scientists,” she said.
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