Hexastylis speciosa is a plant of mesic woodland communities, many of which have experienced habitat fragmentation and significant changes to watersheds

We propose to examine 2 populations of H. Speciosa in the oakmulgee district of talladega national forest in alabama. One site has experienced timber harvesting and watershed alteration within the last decade resulting in a drier local environment. The other site is relatively undisturbed. Our study would couple a demography study of the two plant populations with a dynamic study of the insect communities at the two sites that would attempt to link the insect communities to effects on hexastylis demographics. The contrast in the two sites would allow possible correlation of differences in insect communities associated with habitat disturbance to differential effects on the life stages of H. Speciosa including changes in pollination services, herbivory, and seedling recruitment. The study will consist of establishment of demography plots for hexastylis speciosa at each site coupled with synchronous collection and characterization of the insect communities. Plant demographic data will be collected every 6 weeks over the life of the project. The insect communities will also be characterized at the same frequency. Insect communities will be sampled through passive PIT fall traps that will be in place during the entire project. Visual observations and hand collection of other insects will be made simultaneous with the plant demographic collection. PIT fall traps will be serviced every 2 weeks. There will also be an intensive examination of the flowering period that will include tests for any selfing ability by the populations, potential pollinators and pollinator effectiveness. Hopefully these last tests will eliminate much of the confusionregarding hexastylis pollination. This project should complement proposed work in taxonomy and population genetics by establishing how biotic interactions influence plant population growth, providing more confidence in quantitative estimates of critical habitat for this species.