{"id":{"repo_id":"mo-state","oai_identifier":"oai:bearworks.missouristate.edu:theses-2315"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/mo-state/oai:bearworks.missouristate.edu:theses-2315","repository":{"repo_id":"mo-state","name":"Missouri State University","base_url":"https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/do/oai/"},"display":{"title":"Prescribed Fire Effects on Woodland Structure, Light Levels and Understory Plant Communities in Missouri Oak-Hickory Woodlands","abstract":"Prescribed fire is a tool used to manage oak-hickory woodlands for wildlife habitat. This study examined how prescribed fire affected woodland structure and how this structure alters transmittance of light within Drury-Mincy Conservation Area, (Taney County, Missouri). Sampling occurred in twenty 0.1 ha plots established in 2007. Plots represented: unburned degraded woodlands that were not burned since the mid twentieth century (n = 6), recently burned degraded woodlands that were prescribed fire in 2000, 2003, and 2008 (n = 6), and open woodlands that have been burned since the 1980s and were used as a \"reference” (n = 8). Principal component analysis indicated that most of the variance in these sample woodland areas was accounted for by the proportion of understory graminoids, understory species richness, and slope. There was a significant difference in light levels between burned and unburned woodlands. This study also examined if canopy closure provides a representative measure of the light available to understory plant populations because canopy closure measured with a concave spherical densiometer is often used as a surrogate for light measures. There was a significant linear relationship between canopy closure and transmittance of photosynthetically active radiation. In addition, both of these variables were positively correlated with species richness and Shannon's diversity index.","abstract_html":"Prescribed fire is a tool used to manage oak-hickory woodlands for wildlife habitat. This study examined how prescribed fire affected woodland structure and how this structure alters transmittance of light within Drury-Mincy Conservation Area, (Taney County, Missouri). Sampling occurred in twenty 0.1 ha plots established in 2007. Plots represented: unburned degraded woodlands that were not burned since the mid twentieth century (n = 6), recently burned degraded woodlands that were prescribed fire in 2000, 2003, and 2008 (n = 6), and open woodlands that have been burned since the 1980s and were used as a "reference” (n = 8). Principal component analysis indicated that most of the variance in these sample woodland areas was accounted for by the proportion of understory graminoids, understory species richness, and slope. There was a significant difference in light levels between burned and unburned woodlands. This study also examined if canopy closure provides a representative measure of the light available to understory plant populations because canopy closure measured with a concave spherical densiometer is often used as a surrogate for light measures. There was a significant linear relationship between canopy closure and transmittance of photosynthetically active radiation. In addition, both of these variables were positively correlated with species richness and Shannon's diversity index.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Gehringer, Rebecca"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science in Biology","degree_level":"Masters","degree_discipline":"Biology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Alexander Wait"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2012,"date_issued":"2012-12-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2012-12-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:16:23Z","subjects":["fire","species richness","PAR transmittance","canopy cover","densiometer","Biology"],"languages":[],"rights":["© Rebecca Gehringer"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/1314","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Alexander Wait"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Gehringer, Rebecca"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Biology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Masters"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science in Biology"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["fire","species richness","PAR transmittance","canopy cover","densiometer","Biology"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["© Rebecca Gehringer"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/1314"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Prescribed fire is a tool used to manage oak-hickory woodlands for wildlife habitat. This study examined how prescribed fire affected woodland structure and how this structure alters transmittance of light within Drury-Mincy Conservation Area, (Taney County, Missouri). Sampling occurred in twenty 0.1 ha plots established in 2007. Plots represented: unburned degraded woodlands that were not burned since the mid twentieth century (n = 6), recently burned degraded woodlands that were prescribed fire in 2000, 2003, and 2008 (n = 6), and open woodlands that have been burned since the 1980s and were used as a \"reference” (n = 8). Principal component analysis indicated that most of the variance in these sample woodland areas was accounted for by the proportion of understory graminoids, understory species richness, and slope. There was a significant difference in light levels between burned and unburned woodlands. This study also examined if canopy closure provides a representative measure of the light available to understory plant populations because canopy closure measured with a concave spherical densiometer is often used as a surrogate for light measures. There was a significant linear relationship between canopy closure and transmittance of photosynthetically active radiation. In addition, both of these variables were positively correlated with species richness and Shannon's diversity index."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Prescribed Fire Effects on Woodland Structure, Light Levels and Understory Plant Communities in Missouri Oak-Hickory Woodlands"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Alexander Wait"],"dc:creator":["Gehringer, Rebecca"],"dc:description.abstract":["Prescribed fire is a tool used to manage oak-hickory woodlands for wildlife habitat. This study examined how prescribed fire affected woodland structure and how this structure alters transmittance of light within Drury-Mincy Conservation Area, (Taney County, Missouri). Sampling occurred in twenty 0.1 ha plots established in 2007. Plots represented: unburned degraded woodlands that were not burned since the mid twentieth century (n = 6), recently burned degraded woodlands that were prescribed fire in 2000, 2003, and 2008 (n = 6), and open woodlands that have been burned since the 1980s and were used as a \"reference” (n = 8). Principal component analysis indicated that most of the variance in these sample woodland areas was accounted for by the proportion of understory graminoids, understory species richness, and slope. There was a significant difference in light levels between burned and unburned woodlands. This study also examined if canopy closure provides a representative measure of the light available to understory plant populations because canopy closure measured with a concave spherical densiometer is often used as a surrogate for light measures. There was a significant linear relationship between canopy closure and transmittance of photosynthetically active radiation. In addition, both of these variables were positively correlated with species richness and Shannon's diversity index."],"dc:identifier":["https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/1314"],"dc:rights":["© Rebecca Gehringer"],"dc:subject":["fire","species richness","PAR transmittance","canopy cover","densiometer","Biology"],"dc:title":["Prescribed Fire Effects on Woodland Structure, Light Levels and Understory Plant Communities in Missouri Oak-Hickory Woodlands"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Biology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Masters"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science in Biology"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:16:23Z"}