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Analysis of Kissimmee River floodplain seed dispersal for vegetation community restoration
Title
Analysis of Kissimmee River floodplain seed dispersal for vegetation community restoration.
Creator
Mezza, Garren., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Center for Environmental Studies
Abstract/Description
This research examined the influence of hydrochory (seed dispersal via water), anemochory (seed dispersal via wind), and zoochory (seed dispersal by animals) on the re-establishment of the important floodplain vegetation communities of the Kissimmee River floodplain. Fifty-eight seed species were identified from 19,849 and 43, 894 seeds trapped in hydrochory traps in sites north and south of Oak Creek, respectively. Seeds trapped by anemochory were measurable but were found to be far less...
Show moreThis research examined the influence of hydrochory (seed dispersal via water), anemochory (seed dispersal via wind), and zoochory (seed dispersal by animals) on the re-establishment of the important floodplain vegetation communities of the Kissimmee River floodplain. Fifty-eight seed species were identified from 19,849 and 43, 894 seeds trapped in hydrochory traps in sites north and south of Oak Creek, respectively. Seeds trapped by anemochory were measurable but were found to be far less important than hydrochory, while results showed no evidence of zoochory .... A number of interafting factors, e.g. hydrology, lack of remnants, seed phenology, etc. are limiting the dispersal of broadleaf marsh species north of Oak Creek, delaying range, expansion, and further community restoration.
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Date Issued
2012
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3358754
Subject Headings
Seeds, Dispersal, Floodplain ecology, Wetland restoration
Format
Document (PDF)
Effects of freshwater discharges and habitat architecture on oyster reef community development and diversity
Title
Effects of freshwater discharges and habitat architecture on oyster reef community development and diversity.
Creator
Salewski, Elizabeth a., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Center for Environmental Studies
Abstract/Description
Oyster reefs support diverse estuarine communities and food webs. Factors controlling oyster reef community development were studied on restored reefs in the St. Lucie Estuary. Freshwater discharges create stresses that cause oyster mortality, habitat loss and reduction in reef community diversity. Using structural equation modeling, it was demonstrated that salinity, turbidity, and chlorophyll-a gradients influence oysters and some reef invertebrate species, but did not support the...
Show moreOyster reefs support diverse estuarine communities and food webs. Factors controlling oyster reef community development were studied on restored reefs in the St. Lucie Estuary. Freshwater discharges create stresses that cause oyster mortality, habitat loss and reduction in reef community diversity. Using structural equation modeling, it was demonstrated that salinity, turbidity, and chlorophyll-a gradients influence oysters and some reef invertebrate species, but did not support the predictions of the Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis. In contrast, diversity and species richness were greatest at low stress sites. A field experiment showed that topographic relief and architectural complexity enhanced colonization and growth of reef-building species (e.g.oysters and mussels). The relief by complexity interaction had a higher order, synergistic effect on oyster abundance. When considered separately, increasing relief further enhanced dominant sessile taxa (cirripeds and ascideans) ; while, increasing complexity supported greater species richness and the abundance of cirripeds.
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Date Issued
2012
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3355881
Subject Headings
American oyster, Reef ecology, Habitat conservation, Predation (Biology)
Format
Document (PDF)
Estimating the vulnerability of Everglades peat to combustion
Title
Estimating the vulnerability of Everglades peat to combustion.
Creator
Johnson, James., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Center for Environmental Studies
Abstract/Description
Fire occurrences in the Everglades have increased since hydrologic alterations began, yet the vulnerability of Everglades peat to combustion during wildfires has yet to be determined. Natural fire regimes help maintain ecosystem functions and services and disruptions of natural disturbance regimes can have detrimental impacts, jeopardizing ecosystem health. Severe peat combustion can destroy native vegetation, alter microtopography, and release large amounts of stored carbon into the...
Show moreFire occurrences in the Everglades have increased since hydrologic alterations began, yet the vulnerability of Everglades peat to combustion during wildfires has yet to be determined. Natural fire regimes help maintain ecosystem functions and services and disruptions of natural disturbance regimes can have detrimental impacts, jeopardizing ecosystem health. Severe peat combustion can destroy native vegetation, alter microtopography, and release large amounts of stored carbon into the atmosphere. To create a better understanding of the mechanistic controls on Everglades ground fires, the soil's physical properties within several sites of Water Conservation Area 3 and how changes in water table affect these physical characteristics were determined. Areas disturbed by hydrologic alterations contain higher mineral content and therefore require lower water content to combust when compared to preserved regions. Changes in water tables have a significant effect on soil moisture and lower water tables drastically increase the vulnerability of a region.
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Date Issued
2012
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3358594
Subject Headings
Ecological engineering, Conservation of natural resources, Fire ecology, Ecology
Format
Document (PDF)
Passive acoustics as a monitoring tool for evaluating oyster reef restoration
Title
Passive acoustics as a monitoring tool for evaluating oyster reef restoration.
Creator
Zenil Becerra, Hilde P., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Center for Environmental Studies
Abstract/Description
Oyster reefs are biodiverse communities that provide many ecological and commercial benefits. However, oyster reefs have declined around the world from human activities. Oyster reef restoration programs have begun to limit some of the decline, but the need for determining the success of a program has been problematic. Passive acoustic techniques can use naturally occurring sounds produced by organisms to assess biodiversity. Passive acoustics was utilized to compare the sounds in natural and...
Show moreOyster reefs are biodiverse communities that provide many ecological and commercial benefits. However, oyster reefs have declined around the world from human activities. Oyster reef restoration programs have begun to limit some of the decline, but the need for determining the success of a program has been problematic. Passive acoustic techniques can use naturally occurring sounds produced by organisms to assess biodiversity. Passive acoustics was utilized to compare the sounds in natural and restored oyster reefs, with special attention on snapping shrimp (Alpheus spp.) snap sounds, in the St. Lucie Estuary, Florida over a one year period. Season, estuary region, habitat and day period had an effect on sound production. Passive acoustic monitoring of snapping shrimp sound production may be a useful non-destructive technique for monitoring the progress of oyster reef restoration projects once further correlations are established between environmental effects and sound production.
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Date Issued
2012
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3352882
Subject Headings
American oyster, Ecosystem management, Restoration ecology, Aquatic ecology, Underwater acoustics
Format
Document (PDF)
Phosphorus limitation in reef macroalgae of South Florida
Title
Phosphorus limitation in reef macroalgae of South Florida.
Creator
Kehler, Courtney., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Center for Environmental Studies
Abstract/Description
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.
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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)