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Fragmentation of Florida scrub in an urban landscape

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Abstract

The Florida scrub community is considered a biodiversity hotspot due to the high degree of endemism and the number of species restricted to a few counties or fragments. Florida scrub habitat is officially listed as an imperiled ecoregion of global importance because it is a geographically restricted habitat with a high diversity of rare and endemic flora. This study examines landscape metrics and plant species richness of scrub in Pinellas County, which is the most densely populated county in Florida and once contained large areas of Florida scrub. Landscape metrics on scrub area, historic xeric upland area, naturally vegetated upland area within proximity, isolation indices, disturbance, and soils were collected for the 20 largest and best remaining fragments of scrub in Pinellas County from Geographic Information Systems map layers, Digital Ortho Quarter Quadrangles, and field validation. Landscape metrics were compared with three categories of species richness: scrub species richness, obligate scrub species richness, and richness of species listed as threatened or endangered. All categories of species richness in remaining Florida scrub fragments in Pinellas County were significantly associated with area of remaining scrub habitat. Site elevation was associated with obligate scrub species richness and degree of disturbance was associated with higher species richness for listed species. We conclude that large areas of scrub in higher elevated uplands and active management in the form of prescription burning will be needed to ensure the persistence of a number of endemic scrub specific species within remaining fragments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, University of Florida, P.O. Box 117315, 3141 Turlington Hall, Gainesville, FL, 32611-7315, USA

    Jaclyn M. Hall

  2. Department of Geography, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1524, USA

    Thomas W. Gillespie

  3. Ecological Consultants Inc., 5121 Ehrlich Road, Suite 103A, Tampa, FL, 33624, USA

    Donald Richardson

  4. Department of Geography, University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Ave., SOC 107, Tampa, FL, 33620, USA

    Steven Reader

Authors
  1. Jaclyn M. Hall
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  2. Thomas W. Gillespie
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  3. Donald Richardson
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  4. Steven Reader
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Hall, J.M., Gillespie, T.W., Richardson, D. et al. Fragmentation of Florida scrub in an urban landscape. Urban Ecosystems 6, 243–255 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:UECO.0000004825.51640.8b

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:UECO.0000004825.51640.8b

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