[PDF] Mapping And Monitoring Plant Communities In The Coastal Plain Of North Carolina A Basis For Conservation Planning eBook

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Publisher :
Page : pages
File Size : 23,90 MB
Release : 2004
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The most effective tool for conservation of biodiversity is high quality information on the extent and status of species and their habitats. To guide that conservation, the National Gap Analysis Program (GAP) has been working to develop thematically rich land cover that can be used to assess the conservation status of native plant communities and as a basis for modeling the predicted distributions of species. In this research our goal was to integrate methods for developing a high quality land cover map using change detection, as the basis for monitoring plant communities and species habitats over time. We mapped the Ecological Systems of the Onslow Bight, NC using Landsat TM satellite imagery and ancillary datasets (e.g., soils). We tested the application of decision tree modeling for mapping 6 forested systems and used image objects map managed evergreen stands. A total of 42 land cover classes were mapped with an overall accuracy of 77% and a kappa statistic of .75. We then mapped the amount and type of land cover change between 1992 and 2001 using Change Vector Analysis. Change was mapped on 13% of the landscape, with an overall accuracy of 95% and a kappa statistic of .75. Using the 1992 and 2001 land cover maps we modeled the predicted distribution of 141 vertebrate species for both dates. The species had been identified by either the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission in their State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP, 125 species) or by Partners in Flight (PIF, 40 species) as priority species in need of conservation action. We quantified change between the two dates and provide summaries by species and agency list. Finally we quantified the overlap in the hotspots for the predicted distributions and the existing conservation network. Sixty-eight percent of the existing managed lands in the Onslow Bight co-occur with hotspot areas for SWAP and PIF, while only 44% of the landscape met those criteria.

Author : Michael P Schafale
Publisher :
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 14,48 MB
Release : 2024-06
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781469683898

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The North Carolina Natural Heritage Program's Classification of the Natural Communities, now in its fourth edition, is intended as a reference book describing the state's biodiversity at the community and ecosystem levels. It describes natural patterns of organisms that typically co-occur together in a particular kind of environment. The classification draws on years of use and data collection by North Carolina's Natural Heritage Program, the extensive vegetation plot data of the Carolina Vegetation Survey, and the National Vegetation Classification. The classification units are intended for detailed conservation planning at the natural community level, for representing the diversity of ecological function, for characterizing the habitats of species, and for contributing to the conservation of the myriad species that are too poorly known to track individually. The 343 community subtypes are grouped into types and are nested within 30 broader ecological themes that have been recognized in North Carolina for decades, retaining continuity with previous editions. Material to aid in identification of the communities includes concept statements, dichotomous keys, and descriptions of the distinctions from closely related communities. Extensive descriptions of each community and each theme include sections on physical settings, soils, hydrology, vegetation, range, abundance, and ecological dynamics, using scientific nomenclature and terminology. Crosswalks to the National Vegetation Classification and to NatureServe's ecological systems and listings of rare plant and animal species associated with each community provide additional functionality. While technical in style--mostly providing scientific names instead of common names--this book can offer the educated layperson and scientist alike an expanded appreciation of the diversity of natural settings in North Carolina. It is expected to remain a primary reference for years to come. An electronic (pdf) version of this book is available for download from the North Carolina Natural Heritage Program at https: //www.ncnhp.org.

Author : B. W. Wells
Publisher : UNC Press Books
Page : 1307 pages
File Size : 27,3 MB
Release : 2015-12-01
Category : Nature
ISBN : 146962592X

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For seventy years, The Natural Gardens of North Carolina has been a must-read volume for anyone interested in wildflowers, native plants, ecology, or conservation in the state. This handsome revised edition features new line drawings and color photographs, an appendix that updates the botanical nomenclature, an introduction that focuses on B. W. Wells and his passion for the state's landscape, and an afterword that discusses the continuing relevance of Wells's ideas. One of the first scientists to write and lecture about ecology, Wells introduced North Carolinians to the extraordinary tapestry of "natural gardens," or plant communities, within the state's borders back in 1932. His purpose was to help readers understand a plant within its community--a pioneering concept at the time--and to promote conservation. Moving from the Atlantic coast westward, Wells identifies eleven major natural gardens: the sand dune community, salt marsh, freshwater marsh, swamp forest, aquatic vegetation, evergreen shrub bog (or pocosin), grass-sedge bog (or savanna), sandhill, old-field community, upland forest, and high mountain spruce-fir forest. He devotes the first part of his book to a general account of the vegetation and habitats of each community and then identifies and describes the wildflowers found there.

Author : Paul E. Hosier
Publisher : UNC Press Books
Page : 908 pages
File Size : 47,67 MB
Release : 2018-06-13
Category : Nature
ISBN : 1469641445

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This accessibly written and authoritative guide updates the beloved and much-used 1970s classic Seacoast Plants of the Carolinas. In this completely reimagined book, Paul E. Hosier provides a rich, new reference guide to plant life in the coastal zone of the Carolinas for nature lovers, gardeners, landscapers, students, and community leaders. Features include: * Detailed profiles of more than 200 plants, with color photographs and information about identification, value to wildlife, relationship to natural communities, propagation, and landscape use. * Background on coastal plant communities, including the effects of invasive species and the benefits of using native plants in landscaping. * A section on the effects of climate change on the coast and its plants. * A list of natural areas and preserves open to visitors interested in observing native plants in the coastal Carolinas. * A glossary that includes plant names and scientific terms. With a special emphasis on the benefits of conserving and landscaping with native plants, this guide belongs on the shelf of every resident and visitor to the coasts of the Carolinas.