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Plant and ant communities in the northern Everglades
Title
Plant and ant communities in the northern Everglades.
Creator
Carroll, Camille Darby., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Environmental Studies Program
Abstract/Description
I examined the impact of the exotic, invasive plant Old World climbing fern, Lygodium microphyllum (Cav.) R. Brown, on tree island plant and ant communities in the northern Everglades. I selected 15 tree islands representing four groups: non-Lygodium islands, islands with low levels of Lygodium, islands with high levels of Lygodium, and disturbed islands impacted by people. I used a variety of diversity indices to compare plant and ant data among habitats. The ant communities studied included...
Show moreI examined the impact of the exotic, invasive plant Old World climbing fern, Lygodium microphyllum (Cav.) R. Brown, on tree island plant and ant communities in the northern Everglades. I selected 15 tree islands representing four groups: non-Lygodium islands, islands with low levels of Lygodium, islands with high levels of Lygodium, and disturbed islands impacted by people. I used a variety of diversity indices to compare plant and ant data among habitats. The ant communities studied included native and exotic species typical of south Florida. Tree island plant communities were consistent with descriptions from previous studies. Plant species richness decreased with the level of L. microphyllum in the ground and midstory layers. Abundance of native plants decreased with level of L. microphyllum in the ground, midstory, and overstory layers. Lygodium microphyllum did not affect ant communities suggesting that although it negatively impacts plant communities it can provide habitat for ants.
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Date Issued
2009
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/186675
Subject Headings
Insect-plant relationships, Ants, Ecology, Wildlife conservation, Environmental conditions
Format
Document (PDF)
UNDERSTANDING CLIMATE RESILIENCE TO ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS: HOW A BROWARD COUNTY COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT HELPS TO COMPLETE THE PICTURE
Title
UNDERSTANDING CLIMATE RESILIENCE TO ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS: HOW A BROWARD COUNTY COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT HELPS TO COMPLETE THE PICTURE.
Creator
Huston, Bridget, Polsky, Colin, Florida Atlantic University, Environmental Studies Program, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Abstract/Description
Climate patterns over the past century served to amplify the frequency and intensity of environmental hazards, including flooding, wind and heat. While indicators like SoVi and BRIC begin to characterize how people and places fair against hazards, they can be limited in scope. Through the administration of household surveys, I investigate the usefulness of such indicators by examining the roles communication, infrastructure, institutional efforts, financial independence, knowledge, mobility...
Show moreClimate patterns over the past century served to amplify the frequency and intensity of environmental hazards, including flooding, wind and heat. While indicators like SoVi and BRIC begin to characterize how people and places fair against hazards, they can be limited in scope. Through the administration of household surveys, I investigate the usefulness of such indicators by examining the roles communication, infrastructure, institutional efforts, financial independence, knowledge, mobility and social capital play in producing resilience within the Estates of Fort Lauderdale Community in Dania Beach, FL. While results confirm BRIC’s Medium-High Resilience community classification, they push beyond Census data to pinpoint underlying resilience processes. Responses indicate community classification, they push beyond Census data to pinpoint underlying resilience processes. Responses indicate that place attachment and community connectedness encourage weather-related information sharing, limited experiences and skills impede weather preparedness and response actions, and weather preparedness and response experiences are associated with less evacuation than expected. Findings prove to be richer and more policy and program actionable.
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Date Issued
2020
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013474
Subject Headings
Environmental hazards, Climate, Household surveys, Resilience, Hazard mitigation
Format
Document (PDF)
USE OF STABLE ISOTOPES TO INFER FORAGING NICHE IN TWO MARINE TURTLE SPECIES: CHELONIA MYDAS AND ERETMOCHELYS IMBRICATA
Title
USE OF STABLE ISOTOPES TO INFER FORAGING NICHE IN TWO MARINE TURTLE SPECIES: CHELONIA MYDAS AND ERETMOCHELYS IMBRICATA.
Creator
Moorehouse, Melissa, Baldwin, John, Florida Atlantic University, Environmental Studies Program, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Abstract/Description
Stable isotope analysis is a powerful tool that can be used to describe a population’s foraging niche by identifying basal resource use, trophic feeding levels, environmental stability, seasonal ecological variation, important shifts in life history, ontogenetic shifts, intraspecific habitat use, and population dynamics. Describing these relationships in endangered marine turtle populations and their critical foraging grounds is essential for determining informed management decisions. This...
Show moreStable isotope analysis is a powerful tool that can be used to describe a population’s foraging niche by identifying basal resource use, trophic feeding levels, environmental stability, seasonal ecological variation, important shifts in life history, ontogenetic shifts, intraspecific habitat use, and population dynamics. Describing these relationships in endangered marine turtle populations and their critical foraging grounds is essential for determining informed management decisions. This study systematically describes the foraging niche of hawksbills Eretmochelys imbricata, and green turtles, Chelonia mydas in Buck Island Reef National Monument, U.S. Virgin Islands, a critical habitat for nesting and foraging. It assesses the relationships within and between the species in terms of overlap, annual and seasonal variation, and life history and feeding strategies within the community. Most importantly it describes these relationships with metrics that can be used in global comparisons or to measure change in local conditions.
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Date Issued
2020
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013456
Subject Headings
Stable isotopes, Stable isotopes--Analysis, Sea turtles--Ecology, Chelonia mydas, Eretmochelys imbricata
Format
Document (PDF)
LAWN MANAGEMENT FROM THE MESOSCALE: HOW COMMUNITIES SHAPE RESIDENTIAL LAWN CARE IN BALTIMORE CITY
Title
LAWN MANAGEMENT FROM THE MESOSCALE: HOW COMMUNITIES SHAPE RESIDENTIAL LAWN CARE IN BALTIMORE CITY.
Creator
Meltzer, Hallee, Polsky, Colin, Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Environmental Studies Program
Abstract/Description
Traditional lawn care for suburban American households merits examination from both ecological and social perspectives. Such practices have potentially detrimental consequences on human and natural systems that will continue to grow with urbanization. Consequently, further characterization of the complex, multiscale processes in which lawn management decisions are rooted could enhance methods for encouraging the adoption of alternatives to industrialized lawn care. This study conceptualizes...
Show moreTraditional lawn care for suburban American households merits examination from both ecological and social perspectives. Such practices have potentially detrimental consequences on human and natural systems that will continue to grow with urbanization. Consequently, further characterization of the complex, multiscale processes in which lawn management decisions are rooted could enhance methods for encouraging the adoption of alternatives to industrialized lawn care. This study conceptualizes mesoscale, or neighborhood-level, influences on watering, fertilizing, and mowing practices in Baltimore city, through a modified grounded theory analysis of key informant interviews in Mount Washington, Westfield, and Park Circle. This study finds that mesoscale processes play a significant role in the residential lawn care of these neighborhoods. The applicable processes vary by the community’s social cohesion and tenets. As socioeconomic status and social cohesion increases within the study area, the influence of informal authority in residential lawn care increases. Results demonstrate potential policy implications.
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Date Issued
2019
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013333
Subject Headings
Lawn care industry, Baltimore City (Md ), Neighborhoods, Lawns
Format
Document (PDF)
MEATBALL MEMORIES IN THE MODERN KITCHEN: ITALIAN AMERICANS NAVIGATING CULTURAL IDEALS WITHIN THE SOUTH FLORIDA FOOD LANDSCAPE
Title
MEATBALL MEMORIES IN THE MODERN KITCHEN: ITALIAN AMERICANS NAVIGATING CULTURAL IDEALS WITHIN THE SOUTH FLORIDA FOOD LANDSCAPE.
Creator
Leoce, Daniele, Fadiman, Maria, Florida Atlantic University, Environmental Studies Program, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Abstract/Description
Many Italians characterize their food culture as respectful of tradition, favoring fresh, regional ingredients, prioritizing commensality and the group identity, and treating food as an aesthetic good. Many describe American food culture as one of speed and convenience, favoring quantity over quality, nurturing independence, and regarding food merely as a material good. Through in-depth interviews with a group of Italian Americans, this research explores the intersection between Italian and...
Show moreMany Italians characterize their food culture as respectful of tradition, favoring fresh, regional ingredients, prioritizing commensality and the group identity, and treating food as an aesthetic good. Many describe American food culture as one of speed and convenience, favoring quantity over quality, nurturing independence, and regarding food merely as a material good. Through in-depth interviews with a group of Italian Americans, this research explores the intersection between Italian and American food cultures, questioning how Italian Americans living in South Florida construct identity given the influence of the modern food system. Participants demonstrate that while a dichotomy exists between Italian cultural ideals and the reality of everyday life in the South Florida food system, many Italian Americans find ways to incorporate traditional culture into their modern lives. The results of this research offer perspective on the spaces where ethnic groups access the cultural value of food in an increasingly modern world.
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Date Issued
2020
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013503
Subject Headings
Food cultures in America, Italian Americans--Food, Florida, Americans--Food
Format
Document (PDF)
IMPORTANCE OF FRESHWATER PREY FOR NESTING WHITE IBIS EUDOCIMUS ALBUS IN SOUTHERN FLORIDA WETLANDS
Title
IMPORTANCE OF FRESHWATER PREY FOR NESTING WHITE IBIS EUDOCIMUS ALBUS IN SOUTHERN FLORIDA WETLANDS.
Creator
Cocoves, Tasso C., Dorn, Nathan, Florida Atlantic University, Environmental Studies Program, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Abstract/Description
Avian reproduction is generally resource dependent, and resource availability can vary through time and space. Wading birds breeding activity in southern Florida wetlands is limited by availability of aquatic prey, which is largely influenced by seasonal hydrodynamics. Restoration of natural hydrologic patterns is expected to increase populations and return breeding activity in the southern Everglades, but which prey support successful breeding at coastal colonies is unknown. To address this,...
Show moreAvian reproduction is generally resource dependent, and resource availability can vary through time and space. Wading birds breeding activity in southern Florida wetlands is limited by availability of aquatic prey, which is largely influenced by seasonal hydrodynamics. Restoration of natural hydrologic patterns is expected to increase populations and return breeding activity in the southern Everglades, but which prey support successful breeding at coastal colonies is unknown. To address this, I examined prey use of nesting White Ibis (Eudocimus albus) at coastal colonies in Everglades National Park (ENP) in a two-year observational study. I also examined ibis diets at nesting colonies located in three regions of the Everglades to better understand regional variation in trophic support of ibis reproduction. I found that crayfish and fish were used extensively in ENP in a year with exceptional ibis breeding activity, and I provide evidence that lengthened hydroperiods in higher elevation marl prairies may enhance crayfish production and availability in the southern Everglades. I found that crayfish were the most important prey type in all regions of the Everglades when reproductive effort was highest. These results add to the growing body of evidence that crayfish are important prey for ibis reproductive success in all parts of the Everglades, and suggest that increasing water flowing into the southern Everglades may incite greater nesting at historic colony locations. With this knowledge we can forecast how wading birds, and more generally wetlands of southern Florida, will respond to a changing environment and potential restoration scenarios.
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Date Issued
2019
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013367
Subject Headings
Eudocimus albus, White ibis, Birds--Reproduction, Nest building, Crayfish, Wetland hydrology, Everglades National Park (Fla)
Format
Document (PDF)