RESEARCH OVERVIEW
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Much of the ecological field work and research conducted by Dr. Kostel-Hughes and her students takes place in local urban and suburban temperate deciduous forests.
Most of their attention has been focused on non-native species, particularly earthworms that have invaded these forests.
EARTHWORMS
Dr. Kostel-Hughes and her students have begun conducting studies to follow-up on earlier research by other ecologists on earthworms in the NYC metropolitan area.
In addition to identifying and quantifying the earthworm species, Dr. Kostel-Hughes and her students are investigating some of the impacts of the changes wrought by these earthworms on other forest organisms, including invertebrates that live in leaf litter and both native and non-native plant species.
STUDENT RESEARCH
Some CNR students take part in this research as part of the Environmental Biology course, while other students are more deeply involved in this research through their participation in the Student-Faculty Research Scholarship or Honors Contracts and Independent Studies.