Tree Canopy Biodiversity in an Urban Forestry Setting on Nova Southeastern University's Main Campus
Abstract
Urban forests are important for the mitigation of flooding and dissipation of heat-island effects, resulting in the offset of energy costs for urban areas. An analysis of tree canopy biodiversity at Nova Southeastern University’s (NSU’s) main campus was done to create a baseline of tree biodiversity and study how landscape management can become more sustainable. In 2022, 10 of the 36 zones, from a 2017 hurricane damage assessment map of NSU, were surveyed. In 2023, an additional 10 zones were surveyed, totaling 1,458 trees. The precise location of each tree was plotted on TreePlotter and the diversity data was analyzed with PrimerV7. TreePlotter data was transferred to ArcGIS to depict the concentration of species and the variation in Shannon-Weiner diversity per zone, using a semitransparent 3D surface map. The overall Shannon-Weiner diversity value was 2.066915, indicating low biodiversity of campus trees. The value for Simpson’s diversity, 0.83343, indicated a diverse spread of species on campus. To reflect the multi-disciplinary nature of this work, Bray-Curtis similarity analyses tested for factors influencing tree location. The only significant difference was between border and interior zones (P-value = 0.0001). A similarity percentage analysis showed which species contributed to that result, allowing the separate functions of trees in bordering zones and interior zones to be studied more closely. As NSU participates in the Tree Campus program founded by the Arbor Day Foundation, these results are crucial to the continuation and expansion of planting trees that enhance the overall health of ecosystems and urban living.
Faculty Sponsors
Dr. Thomas Wuerzer, Dr. Jeffrey Hoch
Project Type
Event
Location
Alvin Sherman Library
Start Date
4-5-2023 12:00 PM
End Date
4-6-2023 4:00 PM
Tree Canopy Biodiversity in an Urban Forestry Setting on Nova Southeastern University's Main Campus
Alvin Sherman Library
Urban forests are important for the mitigation of flooding and dissipation of heat-island effects, resulting in the offset of energy costs for urban areas. An analysis of tree canopy biodiversity at Nova Southeastern University’s (NSU’s) main campus was done to create a baseline of tree biodiversity and study how landscape management can become more sustainable. In 2022, 10 of the 36 zones, from a 2017 hurricane damage assessment map of NSU, were surveyed. In 2023, an additional 10 zones were surveyed, totaling 1,458 trees. The precise location of each tree was plotted on TreePlotter and the diversity data was analyzed with PrimerV7. TreePlotter data was transferred to ArcGIS to depict the concentration of species and the variation in Shannon-Weiner diversity per zone, using a semitransparent 3D surface map. The overall Shannon-Weiner diversity value was 2.066915, indicating low biodiversity of campus trees. The value for Simpson’s diversity, 0.83343, indicated a diverse spread of species on campus. To reflect the multi-disciplinary nature of this work, Bray-Curtis similarity analyses tested for factors influencing tree location. The only significant difference was between border and interior zones (P-value = 0.0001). A similarity percentage analysis showed which species contributed to that result, allowing the separate functions of trees in bordering zones and interior zones to be studied more closely. As NSU participates in the Tree Campus program founded by the Arbor Day Foundation, these results are crucial to the continuation and expansion of planting trees that enhance the overall health of ecosystems and urban living.
