Ecological Analysis and Simulation Models of Landscape Patterns in Mangrove Forest Development and Soil Characteristics Along the Shark River Estuary, Florida
Chen R. 1996. Ecological Analysis and Simulation Models of Landscape Patterns in Mangrove Forest Development and Soil Characteristics Along the Shark River Estuary, Florida. University of Southwestern Louisiana
The goal of this research is to determine the landscape and temporal patterns of mangrove forest development following large-scale disturbance and the environmental variables controlling these patterns along an estuary in south Florida. To do this, both ecological surveys and model simulations of forest structure and soil characteristics are integrated in a study of mangrove wetlands in the Shark River estuary. More than 60,000 ha of mangroves in southwest Florida form one of the most extensive mangrove wetlands in the Gulf of Mexico (Davis 1940, Smith et al. 1994). The continuous distribution of mangrove forests in this broad coastal region represents a land-margin landscape gradient from marine to freshwater environments.
- Type
- Academic
- Authors
- Chen, Ronghua
- Date of Issue
- 1996
- Publisher
- University of Southwestern Louisiana
- Units
- SFCN
- Keywords
- Dissertation, Nitrogen, Nutrient, Phosphorous, Regeneration, Salinity, spatial gradients, Water characteristics