Biology Ph.D. Dissertations
Title
A Multiscale Spatial Analysis of Oak Openings Plant Diversity with Implications for Conservation and Management
Date of Award
2012
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Department
Biological Sciences
First Advisor
Karen V. Root
Second Advisor
Enrique Gomezdelcampo (Committee Member)
Third Advisor
Helen J. Michaels (Committee Member)
Fourth Advisor
Jeffrey G. Miner (Committee Member)
Fifth Advisor
Robert K. Vincent (Committee Member)
Abstract
Oak savannas of the Midwestern U.S. are among the most imperiled North American plant communities. The 478-km2 Oak Openings region of Northwestern Ohio is one of the few landscape-scale savanna systems remaining in the Midwest. Despite conversion of large portions of the Oak Openings for human land uses, the region still supports high levels of floristic diversity. However, regional patterns of Oak Openings plant diversity within the modern landscape are not well understood. My research objectives were 1) to determine the current extent and distribution of Oak Openings plant communities, 2) to quantify multiscale patterns of plant species richness within the context of the surrounding landscape, and 3) to build predictive species distribution models of rare plants to evaluate regional patterns in habitat suitability. First, using multi-seasonal Landsat images, I determined that
Recommended Citation
Schetter, Timothy, "A Multiscale Spatial Analysis of Oak Openings Plant Diversity with Implications for Conservation and Management" (2012). Biology Ph.D. Dissertations. 51.
https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/bio_diss/51