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Wetland Diversity In A Disturbance-Maintained Landscape: Effects Of Fire And A Fire Surrogate On Aquatic Amphibian Survival And Species Depauperateness., Joyce Klaus
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Disturbance is one of the central concepts explaining how diversity arises and is perpetuated in ecological time. A good model system for testing hypotheses related to disturbance is the longleaf pine ecosystem in the southeastern U.S. because in this ecosystem frequent, low-severity fires acts as a disturbance that maintains a unique vegetation structure and high species richness. Vegetation structure influences animal distributions; in fire-dependent ecosystems many animals rely on open-structured, fire-maintained vegetation but shrubs and trees encroach into fire-dependent ecosystems where fire has been excluded. Prescribed burning and mechanical removal are commonly used as restoration tools to control encroachment. To …
Disturbance-Based Management And Plant Species Change In Massachusetts Sandplain Heathlands Over The Past Two Decades, Kirsten Martin
Disturbance-Based Management And Plant Species Change In Massachusetts Sandplain Heathlands Over The Past Two Decades, Kirsten Martin
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Massachusetts sandplain heathlands are habitats of conservation concern, harboring many rare plant species and providing habitat for animals that depend on openlands. These heathlands are threatened by human development, shrub encroachment in the absence of disturbance, and potentially increasing soil nutrient levels. Sandplain heathlands are managed with prescribed fire, in order to maintain their open structure and maintain species diversity. In order to assess how past management was correlated with species change, I used a data set that spanned twenty years from three different heathlands in Massachusetts. I looked for correlations between management and species change. Correlations between species change …
Landcover Change And Population Dynamics Of Florida Scrub-Jays And Florida Grasshopper Sparrows, David Breininger
Landcover Change And Population Dynamics Of Florida Scrub-Jays And Florida Grasshopper Sparrows, David Breininger
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
I confronted empirical habitat data (1994-2004) and population data (1988-2005) with ecological theory on habitat dynamics, recruitment, survival, and dispersal to develop predictive relationships between landcover variation and population dynamics. I focus on Florida Scrub-Jays, although one chapter presents a model for the potential influence of habitat restoration on viability of the Florida Grasshopper Sparrow. Both species are unique to Florida landscapes that are dominated by shrubs and grasses and maintained by frequent fires. Both species are declining, even in protected areas, despite their protected status. I mapped habitat for both species using grid polygon cells to quantify population potential …