FOOD-WEB AND FUNCTIONAL TRAIT COMMUNITY STRUCTURE OF PREDATOR ASSEMBLAGES IN PINE FORESTS UNDER DIFFERENT MANAGEMENT REGIMES

<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>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science - Forestry

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Forestry

Year dc:date.available

2021

Author dc:creator

• Adams, Connor

Contributors dc:contributor

• Christopher M. Schalk
• Daniel Saenz
• Kathryn R. Kidd

• disturbance
• forest management
• functional diversity
• food-webs
• ecological restoration
• Biodiversity
• Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/375

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarworks.sfasu.edu:etds-1395