Abstract Detail

Ecological Section

Hackett , Rachel A [1], Karbowski, Hillary M [1], Monfils, Anna K.  [2].

Diversity of prairie fens: relative influence of site- and landscape-level variables.

Prairie fen wetlands are one of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the temperate region. Throughout their limited range in the glaciated Upper Midwest, conservation and restoration efforts are underway to preserve biodiversity and hydrological functions of these threatened systems. Scientific studies are still needed to inform conservation planning and restoration. This study was designed to investigate the potential relationships of site- and landscape-level factors with prairie fen plant diversity, using plant diversity as a proxy for overall ecosystem health. Total, native, and exotic species richness, Shannon’s Diversity Index, exotic relative abundance, coefficient of conservatism, and Floristic Quality Index were calculated for the plant diversity data at each of 19 sites. Explanatory variables of water and soil chemistry, area, perimeter-area ratio, and land cover at four spatial levels (i.e. 100m, 500m, 1000m, watershed) were used to develop generalized linear models. We used Akaike’s Information Criterion to select best-approximating models from our candidate sets. Area was found in all acceptable averaged models, land cover at the watershed scale in both species richness models, and water and soil chemistry in the native species richness and Shannon’s Diversity Index models. Our study indicates site size and less developed/impervious land cover at the watershed scale differentiate prairie fens with higher diversity and less exotic species.

1 - Central Michigan University, Department Of Biology, Brooks Hall 217, Mount Pleasant, MI, 48859, USA
2 - Central Michigan University, 180 Brooks Hall, Mount Pleasant, MI, 48859, USA

Keywords:
biodiversity
prairie fen
wetland
landscape
vegetation
water
soil
Onagraceae
species richness.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Sections
Session: 47
Location: Clearwater/Grove
Date: Tuesday, July 29th, 2014
Time: 3:00 PM
Number: 47005
Abstract ID:360
Candidate for Awards:None