David Vandermast
Associate Professor of Biology
Department: Biology
Email: dvandermast@elon.edu
Phone number: (336) 278-6171
Professional Expertise
Brief Biography
One of the things I enjoy most about working at Elon is guiding student research projects. My research is in plant ecology and I utlized Elon University Forest, parks and other lands within easy driving distance of Elon, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Below is a list of the students I have worked with since joining Elon as a full-time, tenure-track faculty member in 2006:
Akani Bey 2022-24
Jack Allen 2022-24
Chloe Stuart 2022-24
Ashlye Dullye 2021-23
Megan Green 2021-23
Robert Bullard 2021-22
Ashlyn Crain 2020-22
Hannah Durkin 2019-21
Maddie Turnau 2017-19
Kylie Roerhle 2017-19
Sophia Tesluk 2017-18
Elizabeth Barker 2014-17
Elisson Adrien. 2015-17
Curtis Hoffman. 2015-16
Brittany DiRienzo. 2015-16
Emily Ann Galloway. 2014-16
Elizabeth Barker. 2014-17
Sarah Gilley. 2014-2016
Molly Small. 2014-16
Catherine Cooke. 2014-16
Chloe Connolly. 2013-15
Marie Krider. 2013-2014
Meaghan Fabrycki. 2012-14
William Wollman. 2012-13
Jillian Kelly. 2012-2013
Lea Abel. 2012-2013
Chelsea Jacobs. 2012-2013
Jillian Pieciak. 2012-2014
Emily Neidhardt. 2011-2013
Patrick Ma. 2011-2012
Monika Hayleck. 2011-2012
Sarah Hoopes. 2011-2012
Kileigh Browning. 2011-2012
Lora Sigmon. 2010-2012
Kara Salpeter. 2010-2011
John Furniss. 2009-2011
Stephanie Matson 2009-2011
Julia Roberts 2008-10
Sarah Galliher, 2008-10
Alexandra Kay, 2008-09
Monica Poteat, 2008-09
Amy Young, 2008
Caroline Corbyons, 2006-07
Lucas Iacarella, 2006-07
News & Notes
Education
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Ph.D. Biology
Clemson University, MS Forestry.
Clemson University, BS Forest Resources
Ohio University, BBA, Finance
Employment History
Courses Taught
Bio 101 Topics in General Biology
Bio 355 Field Biology in Panama
COR 356IS Ecology and Economics in a Globalized Word, London, Fall 2018
GBL 103/203 Miami, FL: Ecology and Sustainability
BIo 231 Biodiversity
Bio 347 Dendrology
Bio 212/214 Population Biology
Bio 261 Introductory Seminar
ENS 111/113 Intro to Environmental Science
GST 314W Plants and Civilization
Leadership Positions
2015-17 Faculty co-chair of the Fac/Staff giving campaign
2015 Co-chair search for the Assistant Dean of Campus LIfe/Director of Residence Live
2015-16 Faculty Fellow for Living Learning Communities
2011-2015 Faculty Fellow for the Residential Campus
2008-10 Chair of the Academic Technology and Computing Committee
Research
I am a plant ecologist and my research seeks to understand pattern and process in ecological communities. I have research in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, along the Haw River in the North Carolina Piedmont, and in Elon Forest and other areas near Elon.
Below is a list of projects students have worked on with me at Elon:
- Peer-verification of carbon offset tree plantings
- Examining tree mortality in carbon offset plantings
- Mapping forest composition and structure in Elon University Forest
- Ethnobotanical uses of medicinal plants in Haiti
- Carbon storage in forests of varying ages
- Comparison of soil microbial communities in forests of varying ages in Elon University Forest
- Environmental correlates of forest composition and structure in Elon University Forest
- What characteristics define a "forest of continuity"?
- Edge effects and forest composition in Elon University Forest
- Winter photosynthesis in Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense)
- Effects of the winter storm of 2014 on composition and structure of Elon University Forest
- American beech sprount survivorship in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
- Environmental correlates of forest structure and composition on Elon University Forest
- Wintertime photosynthetic activity in semi-evergreen invasive species
- Tree mortality and replacement in Elon University Forest
- Effects of beaver herbivory on invasive species establishment on the Haw River
- Effects of beaver herbivory on forest composition along the Haw River
- Assessment of invasive plant species on Elon University Forest
- Kudzu management on Elon University Forest
- Seed longevity of eastern forest trees
- Geographical range and allelopathy in American beech trees
- Biological resources of Elon University Forest
- Diversity and abundance of bark epiphytes in high-elevation beech forests of Great Smoky Mountains National Park
- Ecological variation in the concentration of podophyllotoxin in mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum)
- Effect of two introduced disturbances, European wild boar (Sus scrofa) and beech bark disease, on the vernal flora of high-elevation beech forests in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
- Composition and structure of Haw River riparian forests: importance of the soil seed bank
- Spatial dimensions of plant invasion of Haw River floodplain forests
- Flame atomic absorption analysis of tree cores collected from high-elevation hardwood forests in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
- Experimental shading of a wintergreen plant, Crane-fly orchid (Tipularia discolor)
- Changes in spring ephemeral emergence and density due beech bark disease
- Temporal changes in the high-elevation deciduous forests of western Great Smoky Mountains National Park
- Patterns of woody succession in high-elevation beech forests affected by beech bark disease
- The effects of hog rooting on plant biodiversity in the high-elevation beech forests of Great Smoky Mountains National Park
- Maintenance of beech dominance in high-elevation beech gaps: could allelopathy be a cause?
- Analysis of the vegetative composition of hog-exclosures and control plots in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
- Biotic and environmental factors associated with invasive species success in Battle Park, Chapel Hill, N.C.
- Community diversity and habitat preference of medicinal plants in the Piedmont of North Carolina.
Current Projects
My research focuses on forest ecology and projects I work on are oriented towards the interests of the student. Some general topics I pursue are:
Carbon sequestration in trees
Secondary succession in North Carolina Piedmont forests
Land-use change and forest growth
Publications
Browning, K. and D.B. Vandermast. 2016, Beech bark disease reduces feral hog (Sus scrofa) rooting in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Southeastern Naturalist 15(4):660-680.
Poteat, M. and D.B. Vandermast. 2010. On the scarcity of red spruce (Picea rubens) and Fraser fir (Abies fraseri) in the beech gaps of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Journal of the North Carolina Academy of Science 76(3): 98-104.
Vandermast, D.B. 2008. Book Review of American Chestnut: The Life, Death, and Rebirth of a Perfect Tree by Susan Freinkel. American Scientist 96: 345-346.
Drake, J.M., E.E. Cleland, M.C. Horner-Devine, E. Fleischman, C. Bowles, M.D. Smith, K. Carney, S. Emery, J. Gramling, D.B. Vandermast, J.B. Grace. 2008. Do non-native plant species affect the shape of productivity-diversity relationships? American Midland Naturalist 159:55-66.
Fridley, J.D., D.B. Vandermast, D. Kuppinger, M. Manthey and R.K. Peet. 2007. On the measure of niche width: a co-occurrence based assessment of habitat generalists and specialists for trees of the Southeastern United States. Journal of Ecology 95(4): 707-722.
Cleland E.E., M.D. Smith, S.J. Andelman, C. Bowles, K. Carney, M.C. Horner-Devine, J. Drake, S. Emery, J. Gramling, D.B. Vandermast. 2004. Invasion in space and time: non-native species richness and relative abundance respond to interannual variation in productivity and diversity. Ecology Letters 7:947-957.
Vandermast, D.B., C.E. Moorman, K.R. Russell, D.H. Van Lear. 2004. Initial vegetative response to prescribed fire in some oak-hickory forests of the South Carolina Piedmont. Natural Areas Journal 24(3):216-222.
Vandermast, D.B., D.H. Van Lear, and B.D. Clinton. 2002. American chestnut as an allelopath in the southern Appalachians. Forest Ecology and Management 165 (1-3): 173-181.
Vandermast, D.B. and D.H. Van Lear. 2002. Riparian vegetation in the Southern Appalachian Mountains (USA) following chestnut blight. Forest Ecology and Management 155(1): 97-106.
Giencke, L., S. Keith, C.A. McCormick, A. Weakley, D.B. Vandermast, and P.S. White. 2010. Conservation Plan for Battle Park. North Carolina Botanical Garden, 359 pp.
Vandermast, D.B. 2005. Disturbance and long-term vegetation change in the high-elevation deciduous forests of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. 209 pp.
Vandermast, D.B. 2004. Seeing the Forest for the Trees. Great Smoky Mountains National Park Resource Management Newsletter 232, September 21, 2004.
Van Lear, D.H.; Vandermast, D.B.; Rivers, C.T.; Baker, T.T.; Hedman, C.W.; Clinton, B.D.; Waldrop, T.A. 2002. American Chestnut, Rhododendron, and the Future Of Appalachian Cove Forests Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS–48. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. Pp. 214-220.
Vandermast, D.B., and D.H. Van Lear. 1999. Vegetative composition of riparian forest once dominated by American chestnut. General Technical Report SRS-30. Asheville, N.C.: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station, 1999.
Parke, R. and D.B. Vandermast. 1999. American chestnut: The continuing story. Wild Earth 9(2): 23-27.
Vandermast, D.B. 1999. Antipredator behavior of Elaphe obsoleta. Herpetological Review 30(3): 169.
Vandermast, D.B. 1999. Riparian forest recovery in the southern Appalachians following the chestnut blight. M.S. Thesis, Clemson University, Clemson, S.C. 96 pp.
Presentations
Hamel, JA, ter Hofstede, H, and D Vandermast. 2019. Assessing student learning in study abroad field biology courses with embedded research experiences. Celebration of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). Elon University, Elon NC. Poster.
Roehrle, K. and D. Vandermast. 2019. Analysis of tree mortality in carbon offset plantings in central NC. 80th Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Memphis, TN.
Turnau, M. and D. Vandermast. 2019. Evaluation of secondary successional changes in Elon University Forest following the ice storm of March 2014. 80th Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Memphis, TN.
Tesluk, S. and D. Vandermast. 2018. Soil characteristics and abundances of seeded prairie species in central North Carolina. 79th, Myrtle Beach, SC.
Vandermast, D. 2017. Secondary Succession on an Old Farmstead: Lessons from Elon University Forest. Invited talk at Western Carolina University.
Barker, E. and D. Vandermast. 2017. Establishment of a Piedmont Prairie by disking and seeding. 78th Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Montgomery, AL.
Small, M. and D. Vandermast. 2016. Environmental correlates of forest composition and structure on Elon University Forest. 77th Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Concord, NC.
Gilley, S. and D. Vandermast. 2016. Carbon sequestration and changes in tree biomass on Elon University Forest. 77th Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Concord, NC.
DiRienzo, B. and D. Vandermast. 2016. Mapping biologically significant species on Elon University Forest. 77th Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Concord, NC.
Connolly, C. and D. Vandermast 2015. The effects of a winter ice storm on the composition and structure of Elon University Forest. 76th Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Chattanooga, TN
Fabrycki, M. and D. Vandermast. 2014. Patterns of sapling abundance support the presence of a “forest of continuity” on Elon University Forest. 75th Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Spartanburg, S.C.
Pieciak, J. and D. Vandermast. 2014. A comparison of seed longevity of eastern tree species in seeds of varying ages. 75th Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Spartanburg, S.C.
Wollman, W. and D. Vandermast 2013. Beaver-caused tree mortality and the establishment of invasive plant species along the Haw River. 74th Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Athens, GA.
Kelly, J. and D. Vandermast. 2013. Effects of beaver herbivory on forest composition along the Haw River, central Piedmont of North Carolina. 74th Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Athens, GA.
Abel, L. and D. Vandermast. 2013. Assessment of invasive plant species threat on Elon University Forest. 74th Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Athens, GA.
Jacobs, C. and D. Vandermast. 2013. Control of Kudzu (Pueraria lobata) on Elon University Forest. 74th Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Athens, GA.
Neidhardt, E. and D. Vandermast. 2013. Geographic variation in the allelopathic potential of American beech (Fagus grandifolia). 74th Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Athens, GA.
Ma, P*, R. Kirk, and D. Vandermast. 2012. Land-use history and the composition and structure of Elon University Forest, a successional hardwood forest in the North Carolina Piedmont. 73rd Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Athens, GA.
Browning, K*, and D. Vandermast. 2012. An interaction between European wild boar (Sus scrofa) and beech bark disease in the high-elevation beech gaps of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 73rd Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Athens, GA.
Hayleck, M*, and D. Vandermast. 2012. Impact of beech bark disease on epiphyte diversity and cover in high-elevation beech gaps in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 73rd Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Athens, GA.
Hoopes, S*, and D. Vandermast. 2012. The effect of geographic range and seasonality on concentration of podophyllotoxin in Podophyllum peltatum. 73rd Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Athens, GA.
Sigmon, L*, and D. Vandermast. 2012. Composition of the soil seedbank in a highly altered riparian forest in the central Piedmont of North Carolina. 73rd Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Athens, GA.
Salpeter, K*, P. Ma*, and D. Vandermast. 2011. Evidence for biotic resistance to invasion across spatial scales in riparian forest vegetation. 72nd Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Huntsville, AL.
Sigmon, L*, P. Ma*, and D. Vandermast. 2011. The structure and composition of deciduous riparian buffers along the Haw River. 72nd Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Huntsville, AL.
Furniss, J*, and D. Vandermast. 2011. Atmospheric pollution and tree core chemistry in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 72nd Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Huntsville, AL.
Matson, S*, and D. Vandermast. 2011. Effects of experimental shading on a wintergreen perennial, Crane-fly orchid (Tipularia discolor) in the Piedmont of North Carolina. 72nd Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Huntsville, AL.
Sigmon*, Lora, Patrick Ma*, and D. Vandermast. 2011. The structure and composition of deciduous riparian buffers along the Haw River. 2011 North Carolina Academy of Sciences annual meeting, Elon, NC.
Vandermast, D. 2010. Twenty-four years (1985-2009) of demographic changes in the high-elevation beech forests of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 71st Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Asheville, NC.
Poteat*, Monica, and D. Vandermast. 2010. Inhibition of germination and growth as an explanation for the scarcity of red spruce (Picea rubens) and Fraser fir (Abies fraseri) in the beech gaps of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 71st Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Asheville, NC.
Galliher*, Sarah, and D. Vandermast. 2010. The effect of beech bark disease on the abundance and diversity of spring ephemeral herbs in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 71st Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Asheville, NC.
Roberts*, Julia, and D. Vandermast. 2009. The composition and structure of beech gaps in Great Smoky Mountains National Park 15 years after beech bark disease infestation. 70th annual meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Birmingham, AL.
Galliher*, Sarah and D. Vandermast. 2009. Effects of Beech Bark Disease on Regeneration of High Elevation Beech Forests in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 70th annual meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Birmingham, AL.
Kay*, Alexandra, and D. Vandermast. 2009. 30 years of European wild boar (Sus scrofa) rooting on herbaceous plant diversity in beech gap forests of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 70th annual meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Birmingham, AL.
Vandermast, D.B. 2008. Temporal trends in diameter, basal area, and aboveground biomass in the high-elevation beech forests of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Great Smoky Mountains National Park Science Colloquium, Gatlinburg, TN. (invited presentation)
Corbyons*, Caroline, and David Vandermast. 2007. Biotic resistance to invasion across spatial scales: does evidence from North Carolina Piedmont forests support theory? 68th Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Columbia, SC.
Iacarella*, Lucas, and David Vandermast. 2007. Does North Carolina contain a cornucopia of medicinal plants? 68th Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Columbia, SC.
Vandermast, D.B., M.A. Jenkins, and P.S. White. 2004. Tree population and community change over 25 years in the high-elevation deciduous forests of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina and Tennessee. 89th Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America, Portland, OR.
Vandermast, D.B., M.A. Jenkins, and P.S. White. 2004. Soil chemical and environmental correlates of long-term vegetation change in the high-elevation hardwood forests of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 65th Annual Meeting of Southeastern Biologists, Memphis, TN.
Vandermast, D.B., J.D. Fridley, D. Kuppinger and R.K. Peet. 2003. Assessment of species habitat specialization of Southeastern trees using large-extent co-occurrence data. 88th Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America, Savannah, GA.
Fridley, J.D, J. Gramling, T. Jobe, J.A. Kaplan, M. McKnight, A. Senft, D.B. Vandermast, and R.K. Peet. 2003. Fine-scale species-area relationships of the vascular flora of the Southeast. 88th Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America, Savannah, GA.
Vandermast, D.B. and P.S. White. 2003. Long-term vegetation change in high-elevation beech forests of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Abstracts of the 64th Annual Meeting of Southeastern Biologists, Washington, DC. Southeastern Biology 50:166.
Vandermast, D.B. 2002. Effects of an introduced pathogen in a monodominant forest: beech bark disease in high-elevation beech forests of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Abstracts of the 63rd Annual Meeting of Southeastern Biologists, Boone, NC. Southeastern Biology 49:212.
Vandermast, D.B. and D.H. Van Lear. 1999. Riparian forest recovery in the southern Appalachians following chestnut blight. Proceedings of the 2nd Annual Forest Ecology Seminar, Orono, ME.
Vandermast, D.B. and D.H. Van Lear. 1999. Vegetative composition of riparian forest once dominated by American chestnut. Proceedings of the 10th Biennial Southern Silvicultural Research Conference, Shreveport, LA.
Professional Activities
2020-Presented Next Level Conversation as an expert on the Offset Network at Higher Education Climate Leadership Summit in Atlanta, GA
2019-20 Sustainability Faculty Scholar
2018-ongoing member of Offset Network Peer Review Committee
2015-ongoing Chair of the Quarterman-Keever Award committee (an award of the Southeastern Chapter of the Ecological Society of America)
2010-2016 Chair of Southeast Chapter of the Ecological Society of America
Peer reviewer for texbooks and scientific paper submissions for several journals
Service Activities
2016-ongoing Biology Scholarship Committee
2015 FANS (Faculty Assisting New Students)
2013-ongoing Undergraduate Research Program Advisory Committee
2008 - ongoing. Kernodle Center advisor for fall and spring alternative breaks trips including Turtle Island (in excess of 8 times) and a spring break sustainable agriculture trip to Walker Farms in Georgia.
Advisor to numerous student organzations, including Sierra Club and STEM and ECF learning communities