The Long-Term Effects of Exurbanization on Stream Health and Salamander Communties in the Southeast Appalachian Mountains
Weaver N. 2016. The Long-Term Effects of Exurbanization on Stream Health and Salamander Communties in the Southeast Appalachian Mountains. National Park Service
The southern Appalachian Mountains have experienced a large population growth over the past 30 years. Land use practices are shifting and forests are being converted into residential land. The majority of development has been low density, suburban land, especially in the Southeast and is often near highly biodiverse areas. Streams and riparian areas may be severely degraded by conversion of rural land to urban land. The long-term effects of urbanization in the southeastern Appalachian Mountains are not well known and even less is known with respect to stream salamander response to urbanization. PI seeks to determine if streams disturbed for exurban housing will eventually rehabilitate to conditions more similar to the undisturbed sites, or if they will remain degraded in the long-term. Streams in the park represent an undisturbed condition. Sampled streams were all in the Tremont area, at Dorsey Branch, Lone Branch, Bull Branch and Ashley Branch, sampled three times each during the summer of 2015.
- Type
- Generic Dataset
- Authors
- Weaver, Nathaniel
- Date of Issue
- 2016-10-11
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- GRSM
- Keywords
- APHN, Appalachian Highlands Network, Ashley Bra, Bull Branch, Dorsey Branch, exurbanization, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, GRSM, Lone Branch, Origin:External, salamander communities, SER, Southeast Region, stream health, StudyID:GRSM-01177, Tremont
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Amphibians and Reptiles