Self-organized spatial patterning of microtopographic features is a trademark
characteristic of the Everglades landscape. Anthropogenic modifications to Everglades’
hydrology have reduced and degraded pattern, where ridges occur at higher elevations
and spread into open water sloughs under dryer conditions. Wildfire is an important
ecological force in the central Everglades and may maintain ridge-slough patterning
through reducing ridge size and complexity, and thus preserve habitat heterogeneity. To
investigate fire as a patterning mechanism in the central Everglades I examined the shape
complexity and area distribution of ridges along a chronosequence of time since fire.
Shape complexity did not change following fire, but small and large ridges became more
prominent and eventually spread as time since fire increased, suggesting fire may
maintain ridge area distribution. Documentation of fires’ effect on ridge size will inform
ecosystem and conceptual models detailing the complex interactions that maintain the
Everglades ridge-slough patterning. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2016. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fau.edu/oai:fau.digital.flvc.org:fau_33669 |
| Contributors | Dombrowski, Jacob (author), Benscoter, Brian (Thesis advisor), Florida Atlantic University (Degree grantor), Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Biological Sciences |
| Publisher | Florida Atlantic University |
| Source Sets | Florida Atlantic University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation, Text |
| Format | 49 p., application/pdf |
| Rights | Copyright © is held by the author, with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder., http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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