{"id":109593,"date":"2026-06-22T16:34:26","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T16:34:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/?p=109593"},"modified":"2026-06-22T16:34:27","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T16:34:27","slug":"uri-researcher-studies-an-overlooked-trees-secret-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2026\/06\/uri-researcher-studies-an-overlooked-trees-secret-life\/","title":{"rendered":"溏心vlog免费B站 researcher studies an overlooked tree’s secret life"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 June 22, 2026 \u2013 Despite being one of the most common forest trees along the East Coast, the black cherry’s reproductive biology remains surprisingly understudied. Primarily valued for its wood, much of what scientists know about its pollinators comes from research conducted more than 60 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ren Johnson, a Ph.D. student in biological sciences at the 溏心vlog免费B站 working alongside Professor of Biological Sciences Evan Preisser in 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Preisser Lab<\/a>, is using canopy surveys, pollinator trapping, and experimental studies to investigate how black cherry trees are pollinated and whether they can reproduce without insect visitors.<\/p>\n\n\n

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By studying pollinators high in the canopy, Johnson hopes to answer long-standing questions about black cherry trees and their role in Northeastern forests. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

This summer Johnson is joined by Alyssa Kruger, a CELS Summer Research Fellow and double major in molecular biology and wildlife conservation biology at 溏心vlog免费B站, as well as Chloe Dyehouse, a Smith College student who is working on the project as an NSF EPSCoR SURF<\/a> research fellow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The last tree to bloom<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Black cherry is one of the last trees in Northeastern forests to flower, and that timing raises an intriguing question. While bees are still present in forests, many tend to forage in meadows and other open habitats once the tree canopy closes and flowering plants become scarce on the forest floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Understanding which insects visit these flowers and whether those visits are enough to support reproduction could help researchers better understand the ecology of both black cherry trees and native pollinators.<\/p>\n\n\n

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In May and June, the black cherry produces dangling clusters of small white flowers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Johnson and her team redesigned earlier experiments \u2014 some of the only published work on black cherry pollination \u2014 using bagged and unbagged branches distributed throughout the canopy. Some treatments exclude insects and wind-blown pollen, while others serve as controls, allowing researchers to compare fruit production at the end of the season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taking research to the canopy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The work takes Johnson and her team nearly 30 feet in the air. With assistance from the University’s facilities department, the research team rented a boom lift for the flowering season. Johnson, who is now certified to operate the equipment, moves the lift from tree to tree to observe pollinators directly in the canopy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elevated vantage point allows the team to catch insects visiting flowers with hand nets and identify which species are actively interacting with black cherry blossoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, a researcher on the ground is surveying pollinators at lower heights, so conditions match across canopy and understory.<\/p>\n\n\n

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溏心vlog免费B站 researchers catch insects to identify which species are interacting with black cherry blossoms. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The project relies on a simple but effective tool: painted Solo cups filled with soapy water and suspended at different heights in the forest. The brightly colored cups act as pan traps, capturing insects over a 24-hour period. After collection, specimens are preserved and identified in the lab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Combined with direct observations, the traps help researchers distinguish between insects present in the canopy and those likely interacting with black cherry flowers. \u201cJust because something went in this yellow cup doesn\u2019t mean it was going to visit the black cherry,\u201d Johnson noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Implications for forest health<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The findings could have implications beyond basic ecology. The black cherry reproduces both through seeds and vegetative sprouting from cut stumps. While sprouting allows existing trees to persist, seed production is essential for colonizing new areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf they are doing all their reproduction vegetatively, it means they probably can\u2019t colonize new places quickly,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cAnd then what does that mean for regrowing forests?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Johnson plans to continue the research next year, completing the two field seasons typically needed for publication. The study could help scientists better understand both black cherry reproduction and how pollinators use forest canopies during a critical period of the growing season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Johnson, the work has deepened her appreciation for a tree that often goes unnoticed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBlack cherry is a labor of love,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wondering how to spot a black cherry tree in your backyard? If you have woods behind your house, there\u2019s a good chance black cherry is already there! On older trees, the bark looks dark and flaky, often described as looking like \u201cburnt cornflakes.\u201d Leaves are simple, oval, and grow alternately along the twig. In spring, look for small pink \u201cstipules\u201d (tiny leaf-like structures) at the base of the leaves; they\u2019re especially noticeable early in the season. In late May or early June, black cherry produces dangling clusters of small white flowers high in the canopy. It\u2019s one of the last canopy trees to bloom, flowering after maples and oaks have already finished. (Caution: poison ivy often grows nearby at the base of these trees.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This story was written by Anna Gray in the College of the Environment and Life Sciences.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 June 22, 2026 \u2013 Despite being one of the most common forest trees along the East Coast, the black cherry’s reproductive biology remains surprisingly understudied. Primarily valued for its wood, much of what scientists know about its pollinators comes from research conducted more than 60 years ago. Ren Johnson, a Ph.D. student […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":109594,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[5,1914,1905,1915],"class_list":["post-109593","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives","tag-college-of-the-environment-and-life-sciences","tag-graduate","tag-research","tag-undergraduate"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109593","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=109593"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109593\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":109599,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109593\/revisions\/109599"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/109594"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=109593"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=109593"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=109593"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}