Tree Canopy Biodiversity in an Urban Forestry Setting on Nova Southeastern University's Main Campus
Abstract
Nova Southeastern University's (NSU) 314-acre main campus has many lush green spaces comprised of native, landscape, and educational garden areas. Understanding the biodiversity of the canopy and the overall composition of native and invasive species is important for measuring ecological health of the urban ecosystem, and to guide responsible grounds management practices. As the environment and landscape at NSU develops, it is important to keep records of these environmental changes over time. The purpose of the research is to investigate the biodiversity of the campus' green spaces and document the native species on campus. 10 zones were randomly selected from a previously generated map of campus that divided the campus into 39 zones for the purpose of documenting landscape hurricane preparedness. Within each of the 5 zones photos of the leaves and bark, as well as coordinates of each of the individual trees were documented. The resulting sample set of data can be applied in future studies looking at how biodiversity has changed over the years for the university. This could also create a blueprint for future biodiversity studies as NSU’s infrastructure continues to develop. On a larger scale data will serve as a baseline for future studies and allow for comparisons to other schools participating in the Tree Campus Higher Education Program.
Faculty Sponsors
Dr. Paul Arena
Project Type
Event
Location
Alvin Sherman Library
Start Date
4-6-2022 12:00 PM
End Date
4-7-2022 5:00 PM
Tree Canopy Biodiversity in an Urban Forestry Setting on Nova Southeastern University's Main Campus
Alvin Sherman Library
Nova Southeastern University's (NSU) 314-acre main campus has many lush green spaces comprised of native, landscape, and educational garden areas. Understanding the biodiversity of the canopy and the overall composition of native and invasive species is important for measuring ecological health of the urban ecosystem, and to guide responsible grounds management practices. As the environment and landscape at NSU develops, it is important to keep records of these environmental changes over time. The purpose of the research is to investigate the biodiversity of the campus' green spaces and document the native species on campus. 10 zones were randomly selected from a previously generated map of campus that divided the campus into 39 zones for the purpose of documenting landscape hurricane preparedness. Within each of the 5 zones photos of the leaves and bark, as well as coordinates of each of the individual trees were documented. The resulting sample set of data can be applied in future studies looking at how biodiversity has changed over the years for the university. This could also create a blueprint for future biodiversity studies as NSU’s infrastructure continues to develop. On a larger scale data will serve as a baseline for future studies and allow for comparisons to other schools participating in the Tree Campus Higher Education Program.
