Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Wildwood/Kraemer Lake County Park Observational Study: The Effects Of Fragmentation On Old-Growth Forest Species, Rhonda H. Zimmerman

Culminating Projects in Biology

Habitat fragmentation generates forest fragments with increased ratio of "edge". This "edge effect" alters the natural community. Old growth forests support deep forest communities which rely on the closed canopy for survival, often indicators of healthy old growth communities. Putative old growth forest patches were identified in Wildwood Park and St. John’s Arboretum/University. One study objective was to collect baseline data on flora and fauna in Wildwood to confirm the presence of old-growth patches. The main ecological goal of the study was to determine if bird and plant communities exhibited patterns consistent with the operating assumption of 50 acre old-growth …