Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Spatial Clustering And Ecological Crowding Of Valley Oak (Quercus Lobata, Née) Associated With Shifts In Recruitment Establishment Sites In Southern California, James J. Hayes, Shannon Donnelly

Geography and Geology Faculty Publications

Premise of research. Valley oak (Quercus lobata, Née) has received much attention due to concerns about regeneration failure and, more recently, compositional and structural community changes associated with this foundation species. Changes in the structure and spatial distribution of valley oak stands, as examined in this article, are likely affecting ecological processes and interactions throughout communities where it is found.

Methodology. We used quadrat-based methods of spatial analysis, Morisita’s index of aggregation (IM), and a derived index (IMr ) to examine patterns of clustering, intensity of crowding, and changes in the probability of crowding as the definition of crowding (stems/area) …

A Resilience-Based Approach To The Conservation Of Valley Oak In A Southern California Landscape, James J. Hayes, Shannon Donnelly

Geography and Geology Faculty Publications

Conservation thinking will benefit from the incorporation of a resilience perspective of landscapes as social-ecological systems that are continually changing due to both internal dynamics and in response to external factors such as a changing climate. The examination of two valley oak stands in Southern California provides an example of the necessity of this systems perspective where each stand is responding differently as a result of interactions with other parts of the landscape. One stand is experiencing regeneration failure similar to other stands across the state, and is exhibiting shifts in spatial pattern as a response to changing conditions. A …