Disturbance and the rising tide: the challenge of biodiversity management on low‐island ecosystems

Ross, Michael S.; O’Brien, Joseph J.; Ford, R. Glenn; Zhang, Keqi; Morkill, Anne

doi:10.1890/070221

Cited by 103 publications

(96 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Populations of the endangered Key tree cactus (Pilosocereus robinii) have largely declined in the last decade as a result of increases in soil salinity [13] and due to high intensity and frequency of recent hurricane storm surges [14]. Hurricanes have particularly affected populations that reside below 1.4 m elevation because heavy rainfall and storm surges highly affect this species, which prefers lightly shaded, welldrained upland sites with little or no soil development [15].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ex-situ Seed Conservation of Endangered Key Tree Cactus (Pilosocereus robinii)

Maschinski¹

2013

J Biodivers Endanger Species

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Ex-situ seed collections are fundamental to the conservation of threatened and endangered plant species. We tested whether or not seeds of the U.S. endangered tree cactus, Pilosocereus robinii, withstand orthodox storage conditions of low humidity (25%RH) and freezing temperatures (-20°C). Mean final germination of fresh seeds and seeds stored under low humidity and low temperature for 1 and 28 weeks ranged from 92 to 96%. Mean final germination did not differ significantly across storage conditions. Seed germination rate exhibited small, but significant differences across storage conditions. Seeds stored under dry conditions of low humidity and ambient temperature germinated significantly faster than dry-stored seeds maintained at freezing temperatures and fresh seeds. Because orthodox methods of drying and freezing can be used to store seeds of Pilosocereus robinii, ex-situ seed banking can effectively assist the conservation and regeneration of this endangered species.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ex-situ Seed Conservation of Endangered Key Tree Cactus (Pilosocereus robinii)

Maschinski¹

2013

J Biodivers Endanger Species

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“…hurricanes and storm surges, tend to be the final event eliminating the relic adult community (Baldwin and Mendelssohn, 1998;Ross et al, 2009), allowing saplings from the new community to grow into the overstory. This creates what appears from above to be a rapid transition of a large land area that, in fact, occurred more slowly over time .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating plant community response to sea level rise and anthropogenic drying: Can life stage and competitive ability be used as indicators in guiding conservation actions?

Wendelberger¹

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“…In the lower Florida Keys, where elevations exceeding two meters are uncommon and where an increase in sea level of 23 cm has been documented over the past century (Key West Tide Gauge, NOAA), changes to coastal forests are already evident, and appear to be attributable to a combination of disturbance impacts and increases in sea level (Ross et al, 2009). The 20 th century increase in sea level is significant compared to the rate of 4 cm per 100 years observed for the previous 3000 years (Wanless et al, 1994).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of Disturbance and Freshwater Availability on Lower Florida Keys’ Coastal Forest Dynamics

Ogurcak¹

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th century has been attributed to a combination of sea level rise and hurricane storm surge impacts, but the interactions between these two disturbances leading to forest decline are not well understood. The goal of my research was to assess their effects over a period spanning more than two decades, and to examine the relationships between these press and pulse disturbances and freshwater availability in pine rockland, hardwood hammock, and supratidal scrub communities. Impacts and recovery from two storm surges, Hurricanes Georges (1998) and Wilma (2005), were assessed with satellite-derived vegetation indices and multiple change detection techniques. Impacts were greater at lower elevations, and in hardwood hammock, spectral signatures indicative of plant stress and productivity returned to predisturbance levels within a few years. In pine rockland, impacts were predominately related to Hurricane Wilma, however, a similar return to pre-disturbance conditions was absent, suggesting that trajectories of disturbance recovery differed between the two communities. Long-term monitoring of forest composition, structure, and groundwater salinity showed that compositional shifts in the low shrub stratum were associated with ix salinization of the freshwater resource attributable to sea level rise. Throughout the course of twelve months of climate and groundwater monitoring (2011)(2012), groundwater salinity generally decreased in response to large precipitation events.Modeling of geophysical data indicated that groundwater salinity was an important predictor of community type. Isotopic analysis of δ 18 O in plant stem water and foliar δ 13 C was used to determine temporal and spatial patterns in water use and plant stress in two community dominants, slash pine, Pinus elliottii var. densa, and buttonwood, Conocarpus erectus. Both species relied heavily on groundwater, and plant stress was related to increasing groundwater salinity. The results of this work suggest that the interaction of press and pulse disturbances drive changes in community composition by causing mortality of salt-sensitive species and altering the freshwater resource.x forests that require freshwater inhabit a unique position on low-elevation limestone islands as glycophyte-dominated forests located in close proximity to saline water.Coastal forests in the greater Caribbean basin are also subject to periodic disturbance from hurricanes and tropical storms, but which typically are not stand-replacing events (Brokaw and Walker, 1991;Yih et al., 1991;Bellingham et al., 1992). Collectively, these forests are high in species diversity , 2006). These conditions would favor a combination of disturbance, 2 drought, and salinity tolerant species, as groundwater salinity increases (Guha and Panday, 2012) and coastal forests are exposed more frequently to major storms, with shrinking recovery periods between such events (Lugo, 2000). Additionally, the interaction of press and pulse events will increase the likelihood of surface inundation by salt w...

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Disturbance and the rising tide: the challenge of biodiversity management on low‐island ecosystems

Cited by 103 publications

References 24 publications

Ex-situ Seed Conservation of Endangered Key Tree Cactus (Pilosocereus robinii)

Ex-situ Seed Conservation of Endangered Key Tree Cactus (Pilosocereus robinii)

Evaluating plant community response to sea level rise and anthropogenic drying: Can life stage and competitive ability be used as indicators in guiding conservation actions?

The Effect of Disturbance and Freshwater Availability on Lower Florida Keys’ Coastal Forest Dynamics

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