Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Land Use And Climate Change Impacts On The Hydrology Of The Upper Mara River Basin, Kenya: Results Of A Modeling Study To Support Better Resource Management, Liya M. Mango, Assefa M. Melesse, Michael E. Mcclain, Daniel Gann, S. G. Setegen

GIS Center

Some of the most valued natural and cultural landscapes on Earth lie in river basins that are poorly gauged and have incomplete historical climate and runoff records. The Mara River Basin of East Africa is such a basin. It hosts the internationally renowned Mara-Serengeti landscape as well as a rich mixture of indigenous cultures. The Mara River is the sole source of surface water to the landscape during the dry season and periods of drought. During recent years, the flow of the Mara River has become increasingly erratic, especially in the upper reaches, and resource managers are hampered by a …

Developing A Data-Driven Classification Of South Florida Plant Communities, Jay P. Sah, Michael S. Ross, Susana Stofella

SERC Research Reports

A comprehensive, broadly accepted vegetation classification is important for ecosystem management, particularly for planning and monitoring. South Florida vegetation classification systems that are currently in use were largely arrived at subjectively and intuitively with the involvement of experienced botanical observers and ecologists, but with little support in terms of quantitative field data. The need to develop a field data-driven classification of South Florida vegetation that builds on the ecological organization has been recognized by the National Park Service and vegetation practitioners in the region. The present work, funded by the National Park Service Inventory and Monitoring Program - South Florida/Caribbean …

A Geospatial Database Of Tree Islands Within The Mustang Corner Fire Incident Of 2008, Pablo L. Ruiz, Michael S. Ross, Jay P. Sah

SERC Research Reports

Fire, which affects community structure and composition at all trophic levels, is an integral component of the Everglades ecosystem (Wade et al. 1980; Lockwood et al. 2003). Without fire, the Everglades as we know it today would be a much different place. This is particularly true for the short-hydroperiod marl prairies that predominate on the eastern and western flanks of Shark River Slough, Everglades National Park (Figure 1). In general, fire in a tropical or sub-tropical grassland community favors the dominance of C4 grasses over C3 species (Roscoe et al. 2000; Briggs et al. 2005). Within this pyrogenic graminoid community …

Resampling Of Permanent Pine Rockland Vegetation Plots On Big Pine Key, Jay P. Sah, James R. Snyder, Michael S. Ross, Danielle Ogurcak

SERC Research Reports

The pine rocklands of South Florida are characterized by an herbaceous flora with many narrowly endemic taxa, a diverse shrub layer containing several palms and numerous tropical hardwoods, and an overstory of south Florida slash pine (Pinus elliottii var. densa). Fire has been considered as an important environmental factor for these ecosystems, since in the absence of fire these pine forests are replaced by dense hardwood communities, resulting in loss of the characteristic pineland herb flora. Hence, in the Florida Keys pine forests, prescribed fire has been used since the creation of the National Key Deer Refuge. However, such prescribed …

Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow Habitat – Vegetation Monitoring: Fy 2009 - Final Report, Jay P. Sah, Michael S. Ross, James R. Snyder, Pablo L. Ruiz, Susana Stofella, Nate Colbert, Erin Hanan, Lawrence Lopez, Michael Camp

SERC Research Reports

This document summarizes the activities that were accomplished in FY 2009 on the research project “Cape Sable seaside sparrow habitat – Vegetation Monitoring”, a collaborative effort among the US Army Corps of Engineers, Florida International University, and the US Geological Survey. The major activities in 2009 included field work, data analysis and presentations. The results of 2009 field work were presented at the 4th International Congress of Fire Ecology and Management, Savannah, GA from November 30 to Dec 5, 2009 and at the Cape Sable seaside sparrow (CSSS) Fire Meeting, held at the Krome Center, Homestead, FL on December 8, …

Everglades Ridge, Slough, And Tree Island Mosaics: Year 2 Annual Report, Michael S. Ross, James B. Heffernan, Jay P. Sah, Pablo L. Ruiz, Adam A. Spitzig, Ewan Isherwood

SERC Research Reports

Status and history of the Ridge-Slough Mosaic The Florida Everglades is a large subtropical wetland with diverse hydrologic, edaphic, and vegetative characteristics. Historically, a significant portion of this system was a slow moving river originating from the Kissimmee River floodplain, flowing into the vast but shallow Lake Okeechobee, and draining south-southwest over extensive peatlands into Florida Bay (McVoy 2011). Human-induced alterations to the hydrologic regime, including reduction, stabilization, and impoundment of water flow through diversion and compartmentalization of water via canals and levees have degraded pre-drainage vegetation patterns and microtopographic structure (Davis and Ogden 1994, Ogden 2005, McVoy 2011). The …

Survival And Growth Responses Of Eight Everglades Tree Species Along An Experimental Hydrological Gradient On Two Tree Island Types, Susana L. Stoffella, Michael S. Ross, Jay P. Sah, René M. Price, Pamela L. Sullivan, Eric A. Cline, Leonard J. Scinto

FCE LTER Journal Articles

Questions: How are the early survival and growth of seedlings of Everglades tree species planted in an experimental setting on artificial tree islands affected by hydrology and substrate type? What are the implications of these responses for broader tree island restoration efforts?

Location: Loxahatchee Impoundment Landscape Assessment (LILA), Boynton Beach, Florida, USA.

Methods: An experiment was designed to test hydrological and substrate effects on seedling growth and survivorship. Two islands – a peat and a limestone-core island representing two major types found in the Everglades – were constructed in four macrocosms. A mixture of eight tree species was planted on …