Standing left to right, Bill Van Auken, professor; Janis Bush,
senior lecturer; Ade Santiago, student; Aaron Richter, student;
John Karges, Nature Conservancy of Texas. Students sitting,
Ricardo Gomez, Crystal Gerrity and Amanda Burger.
UTSA science researchers study rare West Texas trees
(Sept. 17, 2002)--University of Texas at San Antonio science professor Bill
Van Auken, senior lecturer Janis Bush and five undergraduate biology
students traveled to the Davis Mountains in West Texas to study the tree species
known as the quaking aspen.
Although the quaking aspen is widespread throughout most of North America,
its distribution in Texas is limited to the Guadalupe, Chisos and Davis Mountains.
Van Auken and Bush hope to describe the few populations of aspen in the Davis
Mountains Preserve, owned by the Nature Conservancy of Texas. From their data,
they will be able to determine the density and size of the trees, associated
plant species, average soil depth, slope angle and aspect, as well as estimate
the age of the stands.
The common name of this tree is taken from the collective "quaking"
movement of the leaves, which may be caused even by a mild breeze. In autumn
the leaves turn a beautiful yellow or orange-yellow. This species spreads
readily from root sprouts or by seeds and may quickly cover forested areas
which have been stripped of land by man or fire.
In West Texas, the quaking aspen appears to be a relic of the mountain areas. Early pioneers used the tree's bark as a remedy for fevers and as a treatment for scurvy.
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UTSA science researchers study rare West Texas trees
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© The University of Texas at San Antonio, 2002