Diversity and Distribution of Plant Communities Related to Forest Fragment Size, Shape, Age, and Structure

Fuelling, Rachel R. M.S., Purdue University, May 2014. Diversity and Distribution of Plant Communities Related to Forest Fragment Size, Shape, Age, and Structure. Major Professor: Jordan M. Marshall. In the Midwest region of the United States, forested areas have been removed to make way for agriculture and development. In the southern Midwestern states, including Indiana, cultivated and pasture agriculture lands account for 80-90% of rural landscapes. The remaining forests have been fragmented into small, often privately owned, woodlots. Due to their size, these forests typically have a high edge to interior ratio, which creates a greater influence of the surrounding agricultural land matrix upon the forest itself. Fragmentation influences the species in these forests through the distance between, size, age since disturbance, and shape of the forest in addition to management. By quantifying the intensity of these factors on plant species, management strategies could be modified to improve the ecological function of the fragments. The objectives of this study were: 1) to identify the relationships between forest fragment and environment factors; 2) to test that fragmentation theory is applicable to