Student Research Reports
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The impact of hemiparasite mistletoe on the survival of the school park
Organization(s):OS Ivana Kukuljevica
Country:Croatia
Student(s):Ana Funtak, Leonarda Sudar, Paola Vragolović
Grade Level:Middle School (grades 6-8, ages 11-14)
GLOBE Teacher:Lidija Tivanovac
Contributors:
Report Type(s):International Virtual Science Symposium Report
Protocols:Biometry (including Tree Height)
Presentation Poster:
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Optional Badges:I am a Data Scientist, I make an Impact
Language(s):Croatian
Date Submitted:03/07/2020
Ivan Kukuljević Elementary School in Belišće is surrounded by a school park that can be the basis for upbringing and education of children, so it is important to know more about it and preserve it. This research focused on studying the impact of hemiparasite mistletoe on the number of trees in the school park. The hypotheses were: 1. the number of trees infected with the mistletoe will increase during the research period, 2. the infected species belong to the deciduous tree, 3. the tall trees and the ones with larger chest diameter will have a greater number of mistletoe shrubs. To test the hypotheses, field research was carried out in the park by counting trees and mistletoe shrubs on infected trees, and the height and circumference of the trees were measured according to GLOBE protocols. The research was conducted twice, in 1. period from 1 December 2014 to 10 February 2015 and 2. period from 1. 12. 2018.- 10. 2. 2019. In the second period the number of infected trees increased, and the total number of trees decreased. The infected tree species are deciduous: maple, lime and acacia. Trees with a larger chest diameter have larger number of mistletoe shrubs, while the influence of the tree height on the number of shrubs we have not proved by research. From the results we can conclude that the mistletoe affects the number of trees in the park and should be combated by cutting branches and planting more resistant tree species.