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Plant and ant communities in the northern Everglades

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Date Issued:
2009
Summary:
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 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.
Title: Plant and ant communities in the northern Everglades.
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Name(s): Carroll, Camille Darby.
Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Environmental Studies Program
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Date Issued: 2009
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Physical Form: electronic
Extent: xii, 84 p. : ill.
Language(s): English
Summary: 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 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.
Identifier: 319157152 (oclc), 186675 (digitool), FADT186675 (IID), fau:2890 (fedora)
Note(s): by Camille Darby Carroll.
Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2009.
Includes bibliography.
Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2009. Mode of access: World Wide Web.
Subject(s): Insect-plant relationships -- Florida -- Everglades
Ants -- Ecology
Wildlife conservation -- Florida -- Everglades
Everglades (Fla.) -- Environmental conditions
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/186675
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU