Date of Award

8-1-2013

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Organizational Unit

College of Natual Science and Mathematics

First Advisor

Anna A. Sher, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Martin F. Quigley

Third Advisor

Shannon M. Murphy

Fourth Advisor

Rebecca L. Powell

Fifth Advisor

Maria M. Calbi

Keywords

Saltcedar, Tamarisk, Tamarix spp

Abstract

Removal of Tamarix spp. (a.k.a. tamarisk, saltcedar, Athel) invasion is often involved in restoration of Western, riparian habitat; however monitoring of vegetation after removal is often neglected and thus opportunity for adaptive management lost. To address this need, I have conducted three and half years of monitoring vegetation response after invasive Tamarix removal in twenty-five sites on the East and Western Colorado, starting fall 2009. I am also comparing six different methodologies: Point intercept, line transect, nearest neighbor, meter-square quadrats, nested Whittaker plots, and densitometer with the objective of developing monitoring protocols that can be used by scientists and land managers alike. This project is in collaboration with Branson Trinchera Conservation District (BTCD), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB), US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

My intent is that this monitoring project will help to answer the controversial questions about the ecological impact of Tamarix removal, including testing the prediction that removal of Tamarix will increase native cover, and that an increase in the cover and diversity of desirable species will also prevent secondary invasion of introduced and noxious species. Overall, the project will help to better understand the ecological impact of the invasive species on the invaded native habitat and whether or not restoration efforts are valuable.

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Rights Holder

Hisham Nagi El Waer

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Format

application/pdf

Language

ar

File Size

107 p.

Discipline

Biology, Conservation biology, Plant biology

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