My first professional position was as a Wildlife Technician
with the US Forest Service in the Cascade Mountians of Oregon. This
experience helped me develop an interest in forest ecosystems and the
role trees play in creating their environments. My dissertation focused
on the impact of hurricanes on forests in the Caribbean, specifically
the Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico. Part of that study involved
quantifying, and modeling, changes in the vertical structure which led
to an interest in tree climbing and research in forest canopies. In Florida,
my interst in forest has focused on the role of invasive exotic plants.
My study sites typically include a large gridded plot to quantify spatial
patterns of change.
Possible student projects
- projects within our established 1 ha plots: on campus and on CREW
lands
- forest litter and nutrient dynamics
- work in the forest canopy: decribing communities or quantifying
abiotic gradients
- examining the role of disturbance on forest ecosystems
- examining the impact of exotic species on forest ecosystems
Previous student projects
- The impact of Melaleuca quinquenervia on the growth of
Pinus elliottii. James W. Grimes. 2001.
- The effects of habitat fragmentation on frog populations on the
FGCU campus. Tina Mayfield. 2003
- Preliminary study of epihyte communities. Tim Ragsdale. 2004
- Differential decompositon rates of Melaleuca quinquenervia
infested foreset ecosystems. Meaghen Gerrity. 2004
Current projects
- On-going monitoirng of our longterm forest dynacmis plots
- Fire dynamics on campus
Past projects and manuscripts
Brokaw, N., S. Fraver, J.S. Grear, J. Thompson, J.K. Zimmerman, E.M. Everham
III, R. Waide, S.P. Hubbell, and R.B. Foster. Disturbance and canopy structure
in two Tropical forests. In E. Losos and E. Leigh Jr. (eds.) Forest Diversity
and Dynamism. The University of Chicago Press. In Press.
Brokaw, N., J. Thompson, J.K. Zimmerman, E.M. Everham III, R. Waide, and
D. Schafer. Luquillo forest dynamics plot, Puerto Rico, United States. In
E. Losos and E. Leigh Jr. (eds.)Forest Diversity and Dynamism. The University
of Chicago Press. In Press.
Thompson, J., N. Brokaw, J.K. Zimmerman, R.B. Waide, E.M. Everham III,
D.J. Lodge, C.M. Taylor, D. Garcia-Montiel, and M. Fluet. 2002. Land
Use History, Environment, and Tree Composition in a Tropical Forest. Ecological
Applications: 12(5): 1344-1363.
Click
here to view the abstract
Myster, R.W. and E.M. Everham III. 1999. Germination cues across the disturbance
regime in the Puerto Rican rainforest. Tropical Ecology. 40(1):89-98.
Everham, E.M. III, R.W. Myster, and E. VanDeGenachte. 1996. Effects of
light, moisture and temperature on germination of five tree species in
the tropical montane forest of Puerto Rico.
American Journal of Botany
. 83(8): 1063-1068.
Everham, E.M., III., and N.V.L. Brokaw. 1996. Forest damage and recovery
from catastrophic wind. Botanical Review. 62(2): 113-185.
Click here to view the abstract
Everham, E.M., III. 1996. Spatial patterns of hurricane disturbance to
a 16 hectare plot in the Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico. Inside
CTFS. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.
Everham, E.M., III. 1996.
Hurricane
Disturbance and Recovery: an Empirical and Simulation Study of Vegetation
Dynamics in the Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico. Ph.D. Thesis. State
University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Syracuse.
Zimmerman, J.K. E.M. Everham III, R.B. Waide, D.J. Lodge, C.M. Taylor,
and N.V.L. Brokaw. 1994. Responses of tree species to hurricane winds in
a 16 ha plot of low montane forest in Puerto Rico: implications for tropical
tree life histories.
Journal of Ecology 82: 911-922.
Web Links
FGCU Campus Ecosystem Model Website -
www.fgcu.edu/cas/cem/index.html
Plot Studies:
HabitatNet - About HabitatNet -
www.sprise.com/shs/habitatnet/About.htm
SI/Monitoring and Assessment of Biodiversity -
www.si.edu/simab/simabmain.htm
SI/MAB's MEthodlogy for plots -
www.si.edu/simab/establishingbioplots.htm
Related Research:
TAME Melaleuca -
grove.ufl.edu/~pinerosm/tame/
Save Florida's Native Bromeliads -
savebromeliads.ifas.ufl.edu
Tropical Research Sites:
Luquillo LTER Home Page -
sunceer.upr.clu.edu
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute -
www.stri.org
Professional Organizations:
ESA Homepage -
www.esa.org
Association for Tropical Biology -
atb.botany.ufl.edu
Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) -
www.ser.org
The Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) -
conbio.net/scb/
International Society of Arboriculture -
www.isa-arbor.com
Other Sites:
TERRA: The Earth Restoration and Reforestation Alliance
-
www.championtrees.org/indexx.htm
American Forests: THE NATIONAL REGISTER of BIG TREES 2000-01.
Forestry Suppliers, Inc. 800-647-5368 -
www.forestry-suppliers.com/
The National Arbor Day Foundation -
www.arborday.org.
Tree Climbing USA -
www.treeclimbingusa.com
Treeclimbing.COM / Everything in the World about Tree
Climbing -
www.treeclimbing.com
Other research interests:
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