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(1 - 9 of 9)
- Title
- Effects of a severe winter on invasive green iguanas (Iguana iguana).
- Creator
- Campbell, Ashley B., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Biological Sciences
- Abstract/Description
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The green iguana (Iguana iguana) is an herbivorous lizard native to South America and is invasive in south Florida. The severe weather in January 2010 negatively impacted many species and significantly reduced the green iguana population, specifically adult females and juveniles of both sexes. Fifteen adult iguanas from two locations in Palm Beach County were tagged and had blood drawn for blood chemistry and HPLC steroid hormone analysis. Individuals were tracked for home range/territory...
Show moreThe green iguana (Iguana iguana) is an herbivorous lizard native to South America and is invasive in south Florida. The severe weather in January 2010 negatively impacted many species and significantly reduced the green iguana population, specifically adult females and juveniles of both sexes. Fifteen adult iguanas from two locations in Palm Beach County were tagged and had blood drawn for blood chemistry and HPLC steroid hormone analysis. Individuals were tracked for home range/territory analysis and behavioral observations. Blood chemistry values of cold-stunned individuals showed abnormal values similar to those reported in cold-stunned sea turtles. Territoriality and breeding behaviors, including nesting and head-bob displays, decreased or ceased during the following months. Steroid hormone concentrations were detected by HPLC and were not consistent with results from RIA studies in the literature.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2011
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3174507
- Subject Headings
- Weather, Environmental aspects, Adaptation (Biology), Climate changes, Environmental aspects, Conservation biology
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Effects of prescribed burning on native and exotic herpetofauna in Florida pine flatwoods in Savannas Preserve State Park.
- Creator
- Goethel, Carrie Ann., Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
- Abstract/Description
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Florida's pine flatwoods are pyrogenic ecosystems that require frequent fires to regenerate the herbaceous layer and suppress crowding vegetation. Human development has hindered these natural fires and consequently affected the herpetofauna (amphibian and reptile) species. Anthropogenic encroachment, in addition to fire suppression, has also provided ideal habitats for invasive species within native environments. Exotic species are often found in developed areas around buildings and roads,...
Show moreFlorida's pine flatwoods are pyrogenic ecosystems that require frequent fires to regenerate the herbaceous layer and suppress crowding vegetation. Human development has hindered these natural fires and consequently affected the herpetofauna (amphibian and reptile) species. Anthropogenic encroachment, in addition to fire suppression, has also provided ideal habitats for invasive species within native environments. Exotic species are often found in developed areas around buildings and roads, and it is likely this pattern continues into the park. This eight-month coverboard survey focuses on the effects various fires may have on herpetofauna in the area and explores the level of intrusion exotic species exhibit within the communities. Minimal differences among herpetofauna composition between transects were found. However, a convincing percentage of exotic species were found only within the first ten meters of the transects while all native species were at least 25 meters into a transect.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2007
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/11611
- Subject Headings
- Prescribed burning, Environmental aspects, Reptiles, Habitat, Scrub pine, Ecology, Savannas Preserve State Park (Fla.), Wildlife conservation
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Farfield modeling of the Boynton Inlet plume using sulfur hexafluoride as tracer.
- Creator
- Pire-Schmidt, Joaquin., College of Engineering and Computer Science, Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatics Engineering
- Abstract/Description
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The analysis and modeling of the coastal farfield behavior of inlet discharge plumes is the key to understanding the fate of pollutants discharged into the ocean. These plumes disperse in chaotic and unpredictable patterns. Theoretical models are based on the average conditions and calibrated to the results of tracer studies. Data and models for freshwater discharges in coastal ocean systems are limited because of the lack of adequate tracers. On February, 2007, a tracer study was conducted...
Show moreThe analysis and modeling of the coastal farfield behavior of inlet discharge plumes is the key to understanding the fate of pollutants discharged into the ocean. These plumes disperse in chaotic and unpredictable patterns. Theoretical models are based on the average conditions and calibrated to the results of tracer studies. Data and models for freshwater discharges in coastal ocean systems are limited because of the lack of adequate tracers. On February, 2007, a tracer study was conducted on the Boynton Inlet, Florida, using sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) tracer. The objective of this study is to provide methods of analysis for the sample data collected during the experiment. The detected tracer concentrated in a bolus that migrated north of the inlet at velocities lower than predicted by the current data. The plume was successfully modeled with a Gaussian plume model, with 90% of the SF6 predictions having less than 4.6 pptr error.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2009
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/186771
- Subject Headings
- Plumes (Fluid dynamics), Water, Pollution, Sedimentation and deposition, Environmental aspects, Pollution, Mathematical models
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- An illustrated guide to the Abacoa Greenway.
- Creator
- McKee, Kelley., Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
- Abstract/Description
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The Abacoa community enjoys the unique social, economic, environmental, and aesthetic benefits of a 267-acre greenway system. The Abacoa greenway provides habitat for the threatened gopher tortoise and other endemic wildlife, and a system for water management. I am collaborating with Dr. Jon Moore to develop an educational field guide to the Abacoa greenway. For my part, I am developing the body text and contributing scientific illustrations of select flora and fauna species. The content of...
Show moreThe Abacoa community enjoys the unique social, economic, environmental, and aesthetic benefits of a 267-acre greenway system. The Abacoa greenway provides habitat for the threatened gopher tortoise and other endemic wildlife, and a system for water management. I am collaborating with Dr. Jon Moore to develop an educational field guide to the Abacoa greenway. For my part, I am developing the body text and contributing scientific illustrations of select flora and fauna species. The content of the guide will be drawn from the compilation of research and materials herein. My research essay explores the various aspects of the greenway, including the history of the site, the social and environmental significance of the greenway, gopher tortoise conservation, the ecology of pine flatwoods and wet lands ecosystems, and ongoing greenway management. The subsequent section provides tables listing greenway species. In the final section, select species are featured in a series of captioned illustrations.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2008
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/77677, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FADT77677
- Subject Headings
- Greenways, Description and travel, Greenways, Environmental aspects
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- The impacts of harmful algal blooms on a Florida reef fish community.
- Creator
- Baumberger, Rex E., Jr., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Biology
- Abstract/Description
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Coral reefs worldwide are threatened by many environmental disturbances including harmful algal blooms (HABs) which have been increasing on Florida coasts over the past decade. Research has mainly focused on HAB identification, percent cover and other effects on the benthos but the relationship of HABs with upper trophic levels has received less attention. To study this relationship, a two-year investigation on a 10-m deep reef off of Hallandale Beach, was conducted. Stationary fish census...
Show moreCoral reefs worldwide are threatened by many environmental disturbances including harmful algal blooms (HABs) which have been increasing on Florida coasts over the past decade. Research has mainly focused on HAB identification, percent cover and other effects on the benthos but the relationship of HABs with upper trophic levels has received less attention. To study this relationship, a two-year investigation on a 10-m deep reef off of Hallandale Beach, was conducted. Stationary fish census coupled with benthic transect videos were conducted quarterly between April 2005-July 2007. A significant correlation between Lyngbya sp. blooms and alterations in fish assemblages was observed. Lyngbya had a negative interaction with fish species and abundance; additionally, HAB sample periods were significantly different from low algal abundance periods. Blooms of Dictyota sp. had no measurable relationship with the fish assemblage indicating HABs may have variable impacts on fishes depending on family, species and chemistry of the algae.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2008
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/186286
- Subject Headings
- Toxic algae, Environmental aspects, Algal blooms, Environmental aspects, Water quality biological assessment, Coral reef ecology
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Influences of climate variability and change on precipitation characteristics and extremes.
- Creator
- Goly, Aneesh, College of Engineering and Computer Science, Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatics Engineering
- Abstract/Description
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This study focuses on two main broad areas of active research on climate: climate variability and climate change and their implications on regional precipitation characteristics. All the analysis is carried out for a climate change-sensitive region, the state of Florida, USA. The focus of the climate variability analysis is to evaluate the influence of individual and coupled phases (cool and warm) of Atlantic multidecadal oscillation (AMO) and El Niäno southern oscillation (ENSO) on regional...
Show moreThis study focuses on two main broad areas of active research on climate: climate variability and climate change and their implications on regional precipitation characteristics. All the analysis is carried out for a climate change-sensitive region, the state of Florida, USA. The focus of the climate variability analysis is to evaluate the influence of individual and coupled phases (cool and warm) of Atlantic multidecadal oscillation (AMO) and El Niäno southern oscillation (ENSO) on regional precipitation characteristics. The two oscillations in cool and warm phases modulate each other which have implications on flood control and water supply in the region. Extreme precipitation indices, temporal distribution of rainfall within extreme storm events, dry and wet spell transitions and antecedent conditions preceding extremes are evaluated. Kernel density estimates using Gaussian kernel for distribution-free comparative analysis and bootstrap sampling-based confidence intervals are used to compare warm and cool phases of different lengths. Depth-duration-frequency (DDF) curves are also developed using generalized extreme value (GEV) distributions characterizing the extremes. ... This study also introduces new approaches to optimally select the predictor variables which help in modeling regional precipitation and further provides a mechanism to select an optimum spatial resolution to downscale the precipitation projections. New methods for correcting the biases in monthly downscaled precipitation projections are proposed, developed and evaluated in this study. The methods include bias corrections in an optimization framework using various objective functions, hybrid methods based on universal function approximation and new variants.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/3362383
- Subject Headings
- Climatic changes, Environmental aspects, Global temperature changes, Environmental aspects, Precipitation (Meteorology), Measurement, Bootstrap (Statistics)
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- A methodology to assess the feasibility for light rail transit in a low to medium density environment via geographic information systems and image interpretation.
- Creator
- Kennard, Dylan., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Geosciences
- Abstract/Description
-
The world currently has more people living in cities than in rural areas. In the United States this is no exception, and as a result government policy is focusing on the supply of 'green' jobs that help repair and expand its infrastructure in an attempt to help curb non-renewable resource use. The expansion of public transportation throughout the country is one facet of the multi-pronged US government policy. In the tri-county area of South Florida (Palm Beach County, Broward County, and...
Show moreThe world currently has more people living in cities than in rural areas. In the United States this is no exception, and as a result government policy is focusing on the supply of 'green' jobs that help repair and expand its infrastructure in an attempt to help curb non-renewable resource use. The expansion of public transportation throughout the country is one facet of the multi-pronged US government policy. In the tri-county area of South Florida (Palm Beach County, Broward County, and Miami-Dade County) a research study known as the South Florida East Coast Corridor Transit Analysis (SFECCTA) entered Phase 2 in January 2009. This study looks at incorporating the FEC freight corridor which transverses the downtown areas of 47 cities into a major North- South commuter system. This system would also supplement the existing commuter Tri- Rail corridor. The proposed methodology in this manuscript attempts to address the issue of providing an adaptable, efficient and convenient public transportation in a low to medium density environment where the automobile is the preferred mode of travel. Emphasis is placed on connecting existing origin and destination locations in and around the greater West Palm Beach metropolitan area in Palm Beach County, FL. The goal of the methodology is to establish potential routes that will connect high amounts of residence to places of social interaction, consumption, employment, and the proposed SFECCTA regional transportation system with Light Rail Transit as the end goal. As a result the proposed corridors focus on creating dedicated and shared right of ways that already exist via the road network. The discussion and conclusion provide methodology successes, improvements, and economic development recommendations.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2009
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/369192
- Subject Headings
- Railroads, Local and light, Environmental aspects, Railroads, Planning, City planning, Environmental aspects, Sustainable development
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Oranges and inlets: an environmental history of Florida's Indian River Lagoon.
- Creator
- Osborn, Nathaniel, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of History
- Abstract/Description
-
Nineteenth century settlers in Florida's Indian River Lagoon (IRL) region created an isolated fringe culture wholly dependent on the instable hydrological forces of the shallow lagoon system. These settlers were among the first to construct a built environment market by the dredging and filling that would define much of the twentieth century Sunshine State. There has been no period when the liminal IRL ecosystem was not without shifting barrier islands and dramatically varying salinity levels...
Show moreNineteenth century settlers in Florida's Indian River Lagoon (IRL) region created an isolated fringe culture wholly dependent on the instable hydrological forces of the shallow lagoon system. These settlers were among the first to construct a built environment market by the dredging and filling that would define much of the twentieth century Sunshine State. There has been no period when the liminal IRL ecosystem was not without shifting barrier islands and dramatically varying salinity levels due primarily to the oceanic interchange following the opening and closing of natural inlets. This paper suggests that attempts to "restore" the lagoon will necessarily declare an arbitrary historical form to be normative for the system. The first and last chapters provide an overview of the system's origins and recent history, while the core of the paper focuses on human-environment interaction of the lagoon in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3355868
- Subject Headings
- History, Environmental aspects, History, Environmental aspects
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Phosphorus limitation in reef macroalgae of South Florida.
- Creator
- Kehler, Courtney., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Center for Environmental Studies
- Abstract/Description
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Nitrogen (N) has traditionally been regarded as the primary limiting nutrient to algal growth in marine coastal waters, but recent studies suggest that phosphorus (P) can be limiting in carbonate-rich environments. To better understand the importance of P. alkaline phosphatase activity (APA) was measured in reef macroalgae in seven counties of south Florida ; several significant trends emerged : 1) APA decreased geographically from the highest values in Dada>Monroe>Palm Beach>St. Lucie...
Show moreNitrogen (N) has traditionally been regarded as the primary limiting nutrient to algal growth in marine coastal waters, but recent studies suggest that phosphorus (P) can be limiting in carbonate-rich environments. To better understand the importance of P. alkaline phosphatase activity (APA) was measured in reef macroalgae in seven counties of south Florida ; several significant trends emerged : 1) APA decreased geographically from the highest values in Dada>Monroe>Palm Beach>St. Lucie>Broward>Martin>Lee counties 2) APA varied temporally with increasing nutrient-rich runoff in the wet season 3) APA varied due to taxonomic division Phaeophyta>Rhodophyta>Chlorophyta 4) Nutrient enrichment experiments demonstrated that increased N-enrichment enhanced P-limitation while increased P decreased P-limitation. These results suggest that high APA observed in carbonate-rich waters of Dade County and low APA in Broward County resulted from high nutrient inputs associated with anthropogenic nutrient pollution.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3358598
- Subject Headings
- Nitrogen, Environmental aspects, Coral reef ecology, Coral reef biology, Marine algae, Physiology, Algal communities, Physiology
- Format
- Document (PDF)
