Anthropogenic activities can alter natural disturbance regimes in ecosystems, and thereby affect the structure and function of biological diversity. As many of the world’s ecosystems are degraded beyond natural recovery, well-defined restoration goals are necessary to maintain the ecological processes that provide valuable ecosystem services. Utilizing taxonomic, functional, and food-web approaches, I investigated the impacts of forest management practices in structuring predator communities in two pine forest systems of eastern Texas. The results of this study indicate that the increased frequency of forest management practices such as prescribed fires and thinning operations encourages predator diversity while increasing functional and trophic redundancy within predator assemblages. Consequently, increased frequency of such activities may lead to greater stability and resilience in pine-forest ecosystems. My research enhances the understanding of the influence of anthropogenic disturbances in terrestrial ecosystems, and highlights the importance of ecological restoration that incorporates a multi-dimensional approach to meet desired restoration goals and ensure the health of pine ecosystems.
","abstract_html":"<p>Anthropogenic activities can alter natural disturbance regimes in ecosystems, and thereby affect the structure and function of biological diversity. As many of the world’s ecosystems are degraded beyond natural recovery, well-defined restoration goals are necessary to maintain the ecological processes that provide valuable ecosystem services. Utilizing taxonomic, functional, and food-web approaches, I investigated the impacts of forest management practices in structuring predator communities in two pine forest systems of eastern Texas. The results of this study indicate that the increased frequency of forest management practices such as prescribed fires and thinning operations encourages predator diversity while increasing functional and trophic redundancy within predator assemblages. Consequently, increased frequency of such activities may lead to greater stability and resilience in pine-forest ecosystems. My research enhances the understanding of the influence of anthropogenic disturbances in terrestrial ecosystems, and highlights the importance of ecological restoration that incorporates a multi-dimensional approach to meet desired restoration goals and ensure the health of pine ecosystems.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Adams, Connor"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science - Forestry","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Forestry","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Christopher M. Schalk","Daniel Saenz","Kathryn R. Kidd"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2021,"date_issued":"2021-05-08T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2021-05-08T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:30:30Z","subjects":["disturbance","forest management","functional diversity","food-webs","ecological restoration","Biodiversity","Ecology and Evolutionary Biology"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/375","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Christopher M. Schalk","Daniel Saenz","Kathryn R. Kidd"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Adams, Connor"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2023-05-04T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Forestry"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science - Forestry"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["disturbance","forest management","functional diversity","food-webs","ecological restoration","Biodiversity","Ecology and Evolutionary Biology"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/375"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Anthropogenic activities can alter natural disturbance regimes in ecosystems, and thereby affect the structure and function of biological diversity. As many of the world’s ecosystems are degraded beyond natural recovery, well-defined restoration goals are necessary to maintain the ecological processes that provide valuable ecosystem services. Utilizing taxonomic, functional, and food-web approaches, I investigated the impacts of forest management practices in structuring predator communities in two pine forest systems of eastern Texas. The results of this study indicate that the increased frequency of forest management practices such as prescribed fires and thinning operations encourages predator diversity while increasing functional and trophic redundancy within predator assemblages. Consequently, increased frequency of such activities may lead to greater stability and resilience in pine-forest ecosystems. My research enhances the understanding of the influence of anthropogenic disturbances in terrestrial ecosystems, and highlights the importance of ecological restoration that incorporates a multi-dimensional approach to meet desired restoration goals and ensure the health of pine ecosystems.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["FOOD-WEB AND FUNCTIONAL TRAIT COMMUNITY STRUCTURE OF PREDATOR ASSEMBLAGES IN PINE FORESTS UNDER DIFFERENT MANAGEMENT REGIMES"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Christopher M. Schalk","Daniel Saenz","Kathryn R. Kidd"],"dc:creator":["Adams, Connor"],"dc:date.available":["2023-05-04T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Anthropogenic activities can alter natural disturbance regimes in ecosystems, and thereby affect the structure and function of biological diversity. As many of the world’s ecosystems are degraded beyond natural recovery, well-defined restoration goals are necessary to maintain the ecological processes that provide valuable ecosystem services. Utilizing taxonomic, functional, and food-web approaches, I investigated the impacts of forest management practices in structuring predator communities in two pine forest systems of eastern Texas. The results of this study indicate that the increased frequency of forest management practices such as prescribed fires and thinning operations encourages predator diversity while increasing functional and trophic redundancy within predator assemblages. Consequently, increased frequency of such activities may lead to greater stability and resilience in pine-forest ecosystems. My research enhances the understanding of the influence of anthropogenic disturbances in terrestrial ecosystems, and highlights the importance of ecological restoration that incorporates a multi-dimensional approach to meet desired restoration goals and ensure the health of pine ecosystems.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/375"],"dc:subject":["disturbance","forest management","functional diversity","food-webs","ecological restoration","Biodiversity","Ecology and Evolutionary Biology"],"dc:title":["FOOD-WEB AND FUNCTIONAL TRAIT COMMUNITY STRUCTURE OF PREDATOR ASSEMBLAGES IN PINE FORESTS UNDER DIFFERENT MANAGEMENT REGIMES"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Forestry"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science - Forestry"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:30:30Z"}