Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Population Ecology Of A Caribbean Epiphyte Trichocentrum Undulatum (Orchidaceae): Defining Habitat And The Effects Of Herbivory And Hurricanes At Its Peripheral And Core Range, Haydee Borrero

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Population ecology studies are central to species conservation. My dissertation focused on the Florida state-listed endangered orchid, Trichocentrum undulatum at its northern-most range in the Everglades National Park (ENP), Florida and multiple populations throughout its core range in Cuba. Through surveying populations of T. undulatum across this range from 2013-2021, I made a new reporting on the occurrence of a specialized insect herbivore, Melanagromyza miamensis in Cuba (Chapter 1). This flower-crippling herbivore was previously known only in the ENP. With this discovery I assess the intensity and impacts of this herbivore, as well as others on T. undulatum across the …

Sea Level Rise Impact Assessment Tool – A Web-Based Application For Community Resilience In Coral Gables, Florida, Levente Juhasz, Hartwig H. Hochmair, Sheyla Aguilar De Santana, Zhaohui J. Fu

GIS Center

No abstract provided.

Models Describing The Sea Level Rise In Key West, Florida, Karm-Ervin Jean

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lately, we have been noticing an unusual rise in the sea level near many Floridian cities. By 2060, scientists believe that the sea level in the city of Key West will reach between 22.86 to 60.96 centimeters (Strauss et al. 2012). The consequences of sea level rise are unpleasant by gradually tearing away our beaches and natural resources, destroying our homes and businesses, etc. Definitively, a continual increase of the sea level will affect everyone either directly or indirectly.

In this study, the sea level measurements of four Floridian coastal cities (including Key West) are collected in order to describe …

Hydrologic Controls Of Coastal Groundwater Discharge In Southern Taylor Slough, Everglades National Park, Florida, Edward Linden

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project empirically determined the controls of groundwater discharge potential and surface water chemistry in southern Taylor Slough, Everglades National Park, Florida. Potential for groundwater discharge was calculated as the difference in equivalent freshwater stage between groundwater and surface water on a daily basis for two sites (upland and coastal) along southern Taylor Slough. Upstream water stages were shown to vary most similarly to the timing of groundwater discharge potential in coastal Taylor Slough. Surface water major ion chemistry did not apparently change as a result of groundwater discharge potential. Surface water major ion chemistry at the coastal site was …

Assessment Of The Occurrence And Potential Risks Of Antibiotics And Their Metabolites In South Florida Waters Using Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry, Venkata Reddy Panditi

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An automated on-line SPE-LC-MS/MS method was developed for the quantitation of multiple classes of antibiotics in environmental waters. High sensitivity in the low ng/L range was accomplished by using large volume injections with 10-mL of sample. Positive confirmation of analytes was achieved using two selected reaction monitoring (SRM) transitions per antibiotic and quantitation was performed using an internal standard approach. Samples were extracted using online solid phase extraction, then using column switching technique; extracted samples were immediately passed through liquid chromatography and analyzed by tandem mass spectrometry. The total run time per each sample was 20 min. The statistically calculated …

Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow Habitat Monitoring And Assessment - 2010 Final Report, Jay P. Sah, Michael S. Ross, Pablo L. Ruiz, James R. Snyder, Diana Rodriguez, W.T. Hilton

SERC Research Reports

For the last two decades, the Cape Sable seaside sparrow (CSSS), a federally endangered species, has been a pivot point for water management operations in the Everglades, primarily because a decline in sparrow population in the early 1990s was attributed in part to managementinduced alterations in hydrologic regimes. With a goal of understanding the response of landscape-level processes to hydrological restoration and its interaction with fire, a study intended to monitor vegetation structure and composition throughout the marl prairie landscape has been conducted since 2003 with funding from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). In the first three years (2003-2005), …

Monitoring Of Tree Island Conditions In The Southern Everglades: The Effects Of Hurricanes And Hydrology On The Status And Population Dynamics Of Sixteen Tropical Hardwood Hammock Tree Islands, Pablo L. Ruiz, Jay P. Sah, Michael S. Ross, Diana L. Rodriguez, Allison M. Lambert

SERC Research Reports

In 2005 we began a multi-year intensive monitoring and assessment study of tropical hardwood hammocks within two distinct hydrologic regions in Everglades National Park, under funding from the CERP Monitoring and Assessment Program. In serving as an Annual Report for 2010, this document, reports in detail on the population dynamics and status of tropical hardwood hammocks in Shark Slough and adjacent marl prairies during a 4-year period between 2005 and 2009. 2005-09 was a period that saw a marked drawdown in marsh water levels (July 2006 - July 2008), and an active hurricane season in 2005 with two hurricanes, Hurricane …

Assessment Of Submerged Vegetation As Indicators Of Irgarol Contamination, Melissa V. Fernandez

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Irgarol 1051 is a common antifoulant toxic to certain marine organisms. Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) are exposed to this herbicide when it leaches into the marine environment from painted structures, making SAVs ideal candidates to function as sentinel indicator of contamination. In the initial stage of this study, Coconut Grove and Key Largo Harbor were assessed for environmental exposure to Irgarol. Water, sediment and SAVs were collected, the latter two subject to automated solid phase extraction, and all samples analyzed by GC/MS-SIM for Irgarol and its metabolite, M1. Of the vegetation analyzed, Halodule and Syringodium had the highest capacity to …

Woody Plant Invasion Into The Freshwater Marl Prairie Habitat Of The Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow: Final Report, Erin Hanan, Michael Ross, Jay Sah, Pablo L. Ruiz, Susana Stofella, Nilesh Timilsina, David Jones, Jose Espinar, Rachel King

SERC Research Reports

In the fall of 2005, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services (USFWS) contracted with Florida International University (FIU) to study the physical and biological drivers underlying the distribution of woody plant species in the marl prairie habitat of the Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow (CSSS). This report presents what we have learned about woody plant encroachment based on studies carried out during the period 2006-2008. The freshwater marl prairie habitat currently occupied by the Cape Sable seaside sparrow (CSSS; Ammodramus maritimus mirabilis) is a dynamic mosaic comprised of species-rich grassland communities and tree islands of various sizes, densities and compositions. Landscape heterogeneity …

Investigation Into Possible Causes Of Elevated Ozone Concentrations In Miami, Florida, Dale E. Aspy

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ozone readings which exceeded the National Ambient Air Quality Standard of 120 ppbv were recorded in Miami, Florida during 1978 and 1980. Similar elevated concentrations of ozone extended across upper Florida and into the Southeastern portion of the United States. It is concluded that tropospheric transport of ozone into the Miami area occurs. This conclusion is supported by lead analyses of atmospheric samples taken in Miami and by isentropic trajectories. Six case studies are presented. In all cases transport of ozone into Florida appears to occur. In only four of the cases does this result in elevated ozone levels in …