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introduction to the Abacoa Greenway
Title
An introduction to the Abacoa Greenway.
Creator
Blubaugh, Carmen., Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
Abstract/Description
Greenways are corridors of relatively intact natural vegetation through otherwise disturbed habitat that typically connect larger protected natural areas. The establishment of greenway systems throughout the United States is a testament to the increasing recognition of the necessity to incorporate wild areas within urban and other disturbed landscapes for the sake of biological sustainability and the emotional welfare of human residents. In my thesis, I examine a local greenway in Jupiter,...
Show moreGreenways are corridors of relatively intact natural vegetation through otherwise disturbed habitat that typically connect larger protected natural areas. The establishment of greenway systems throughout the United States is a testament to the increasing recognition of the necessity to incorporate wild areas within urban and other disturbed landscapes for the sake of biological sustainability and the emotional welfare of human residents. In my thesis, I examine a local greenway in Jupiter, Florida, the Abacoa Greenway, which is both product and component of the greenway movement, a recent and revolutionary phenomenon in urban planning. I evaluate the greenway's ecology, the specific functions it serves, and its significance within the broader realm of environmental ethics. The primary protected habitats are a mixture of scrubby pine flatwoods and shallow wetland basins. The flatwoods provide important habitats for numerous native species, including the gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) and the many commensal species that live in the tortoises' burrows. The shallow wetland basins also serve a number of purposes, including a surface water management system. As a whole, the greenway is an important resource for human recreation and environmental education, including scholarly research by students and faculty at Florida Atlantic University. It serves as important link between people and nature in an urban setting where they might otherwise be completely estranged.
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Date Issued
2006
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/11594
Subject Headings
Greenways, Biological diversity conservation, Government policy, Nature conservation, Government policy, Ecology
Format
Document (PDF)
effects of reduction mowing on gopher tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus)
Title
The effects of reduction mowing on gopher tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus).
Creator
Del Signore, Vincent., Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
Abstract/Description
The gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) is endemic to the Southeast United States, where its populations are declining primarily due to habitat loss. Gopher tortoises prefer habitats with open sunny spots for nesting and basking. Fire is a normal element in gopher tortoise habitat, and when natural fires are suppressed, habitats may become too overgrown. To maintain the open spaces, some land managers use reduction mowing of vegetation. I studied gopher tortoises in the Abacoa Greenway...
Show moreThe gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) is endemic to the Southeast United States, where its populations are declining primarily due to habitat loss. Gopher tortoises prefer habitats with open sunny spots for nesting and basking. Fire is a normal element in gopher tortoise habitat, and when natural fires are suppressed, habitats may become too overgrown. To maintain the open spaces, some land managers use reduction mowing of vegetation. I studied gopher tortoises in the Abacoa Greenway reserve, established to protect the tortoises in a residential area of Jupiter, Florida, and I examined how reduction mowing influences tortoise activity. I evaluated the distribution of burrows throughout the study site by flagging the burrows both before and after extensive reduction mowing took place in the greenway. Statistical comparison between new burrows found within the interior as compared to the periphery both before and after the mowing reveal a significant relationship between both variables. These results suggest that the tortoises utilize newly mowed areas as preferred substrate for new burrows.
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Date Issued
2007
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/40270
Subject Headings
Gopher tortoise, Ecology, Greenways, Niche (Ecology), Adaptation (Biology), Environmental impact analysis, Prescribed burning
Format
Document (PDF)
Anurans of Abacoa
Title
Anurans of Abacoa.
Creator
Vuong, Wei Mien., Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
Abstract/Description
The construction of Abacoa included an attempt to conserve the wildlife in a Greenway, a set of habitats separated from the residential and commercial areas. All of the wetlandswith in Abacoa represent artificially constructed ponds, canals, and streams first created from 1998-2004. The present study focuses on the anuran (i.e., frog and toad) populations and looks at the number of different species that have naturally colonized six differnet sites around Abacoa. Each of these sites varies in...
Show moreThe construction of Abacoa included an attempt to conserve the wildlife in a Greenway, a set of habitats separated from the residential and commercial areas. All of the wetlandswith in Abacoa represent artificially constructed ponds, canals, and streams first created from 1998-2004. The present study focuses on the anuran (i.e., frog and toad) populations and looks at the number of different species that have naturally colonized six differnet sites around Abacoa. Each of these sites varies in qualities that may affect the probability of breeding in that section. The quality of water is known to be less ideal as the water flows away from the headwaters and mixes with water from other sources. This study aims to determine which anuran species are found at each of these sites after nearly a decade of colonization, and how both anuran diversity and abundance correlates with water and habitat quality.
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Date Issued
2012
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3359327
Subject Headings
Wildlife conservation, Amphibian populations, Restoration ecology, Anura, Habitat, Amphibians, Ecology, Amphibians, Conservation
Format
Document (PDF)