Document Type
Thesis
Degree
Master of Science (MS)
Major/Program
Biology
First Advisor's Name
Todd Crowl
First Advisor's Committee Title
Committee chair
Second Advisor's Name
Daniel Gann
Second Advisor's Committee Title
Committee member
Third Advisor's Name
Michael Ross
Third Advisor's Committee Title
Committee member
Keywords
fire resilience, climate change, remote sensing, landsat, machine learning, Florida Everglades, pinelands, hammocks, normalized difference vegetation index, spectroscopy
Date of Defense
5-15-2023
Abstract
In fire dependent ecosystems, regular disturbance by fire is critical for maintaining diversity, ecosystem function, and landscape resilience. Changes in management have altered the way ecosystems respond to fire, and climate change is predicted to complicate future fire regimes. An assessment of ecosystem response to different fire regimes is necessary to understand the capacity of ecosystems to cope with regime change. This research determined how fire history influences post-fire vegetation recovery time in Everglades upland ecosystems. Leveraging fire history data, satellite imagery, and long-term climate data, I provided a landscape-scale assessment of recovery under varying fire history scenarios and climatic conditions. I found that recovery time varied with time since fire and total fires, though droughts and extreme precipitation had little influence on recovery time. This research provides a framework for studying recovery in southeastern ecosystems where fire management is critical for ecosystem function and resilience.
Identifier
FIDC011144
ORCID
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3960-4840
Recommended Citation
McLeod, Madeline Grace, "Fire History and Climate Drive Patterns of Post-Fire Recovery in Subtropical Fire-Dependent Upland Ecosystems" (2023). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 5431.
https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/5431
Included in
Climate Commons, Data Science Commons, Forest Biology Commons, Forest Management Commons, Multivariate Analysis Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Natural Resources Management and Policy Commons, Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons, Other Environmental Sciences Commons, Other Forestry and Forest Sciences Commons, Statistical Models Commons, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons
Rights Statement
In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).