Role of tree host identity in regulating the strength of facilitation cascades in tree- epiphyte communities of the southeastern US Dr. Brian R. Silliman Duke University

135 Duke Marine Lab Rd. Duke University Marine Lab Beaufort North Carolina 28516-9721 USA

brian.silliman@duke.edu https://nicholas.duke.edu/people/faculty/silliman https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6360-650X Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER Project

Dept. of Marine Sciences University of Georgia Athens Georgia 30602-3636 USA

gcelter@uga.edu https://gce-lter.marsci.uga.edu/ Dr. Brian R. Silliman Duke University

135 Duke Marine Lab Rd. Duke University Marine Lab Beaufort North Carolina 28516-9721 USA

brian.silliman@duke.edu https://nicholas.duke.edu/people/faculty/silliman https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6360-650X Principal investigator Dr. Christine Angelini University of Florida

Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences University of Florida Gainesville Florida 32611 USA

christine.angelini@essie.ufl.edu http://www.angeliniecologylab.com/the-lab.html https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6669-5269 Co-investigator 2026

The goal of this project are to investigate 1) how the abundance and size distribution of Tillandsia changes across different tree species, 2) understand whether differences in the growth rate of Tillandsia (Spanish moss) underlie these observed patterns in its distribution and abundance across different tree species and 3) assess how differences in Tillandsia abundance and clump size influence the abundance and diversity of arboreal arthropod communities.

dune forest biomass nutrients population density population diversity LTER NSF GCE epifauna insects other plants botany invertebrate ecology plant ecology population ecology terrestrial insect ecology Overall geographic extent of the research project -81.307978 -81.176185 31.536369 31.380150 2011-05-30 2011-12-15

NSF pre doctoral fellowship

estuary marsh complex Sapelo Island - Sapelo Island on the Southeast Georgia Coast -81.307978 -81.176185 31.536369 31.380150 Map (Google Earth KML/KMZ or map image) https://gce-lter.marsci.uga.edu/private/registration/files/maps/GCE-11-2011_Maps_Angelini_tree_study_2011.kmz

I set this experiment up at a few locations, reviewed with Dorset Hurley from DNR, where these different tree species (live oaks, sand oaks, laurel oaks, water oaks, sweet gum, holly, southern magnolia, cedar, slash pine and loblolly pine) are located: 31°23'24.09"N, 81°16'47.34"W and 31°23'25.92"N, 81°16'7.64"W (sand live oak and cedar) 31°23'41.04"N, 81°16'29.41"W (loblolly and live oaks) 31°23'40.30"N, 81°16'36.01"W (live oaks) 31°24'10.93"N, 81°16'32.18"W (holly and sweet gum site) 31°24'6.37"N, 81°16'40.83"W (southern magnolia) 31°24'36.42"N, 81°16'24.98"W (slash pine) 31°25'46.19"N, 81°16'27.30"W (water oak and laurel oak site)

I will be deploying flagging tape to mark trees, cable ties to attach Tillandsia transplants to trees and I will be deploying 'Tillandsia hangers'- basically wooded stakes that will be suspended from tree branches that I can use to drape Tillandsia over. Also, to track temperature and humidity in different tree canopies, I will be deploying thermocouple data loggers in one canopy of each species for 6 months (June through December)

Arthropods that live within the Tillandsia. I will be suction sampling 10 clumps of Tillandsia within each tree (10 trees of each of the 10 species) one time at the end of September.