Florida Mangroves vs. the Brazilian Pepper

ORLANDO, April 2004 -- Beginning this June, researchers from the UCF Department of Biology will begin studying the growth patterns of the Florida mangroves. This research is supported by a $40,000 grant from the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The project, entitled "Assessing and Modeling Mangrove Forest Dynamics along the Temperate-Subtropical Ecotone in Eastern Florida," will investigate the current and historic growth of the mangrove population, as well as, the spread of an competing, exotic species, the Brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius).

According to Associate Professor John F. Weishampel, one of the project's principal investigators, the Florida mangroves warrant this attention because they are a key part of the regional ecosystem. Although more research needs to be conducted, Weishampel believes that if the Brazilian pepper out-grows and replaces the mangroves, then the ecosystem would be negatively affected. "The mangrove is very important for fisheries," says Weishampel, "where the Brazilian pepper is really a noxious species." If the Brazilian pepper becomes too prolific, Weishampel predicts that fisheries and shellfish would be damaged.

Weishampel and his partners, co-principal investigator Associate Professor Linda Walters and graduate students Susan Leitholf and Melinda Donnelly, will begin the research this summer. They plan to set up a network of sensors that will range from the northern border of the Atlantic coast mangrove population-which falls within the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve-to as far south as Mosquito Lagoon. These sensors will primarily monitor the effects of temperature on the mangroves, which are cold-sensitive. In addition to the sensors, the team will use satellite imagery, aerial photography, and historic photos to observe the mangroves' dieback and recolonization patterns.

The team believes that the recent trend of mild winters will cause the mangrove population to expand northward. However, fewer freezes also benefit the Brazilian pepper, and it has proved to be a better invader than the mangrove species.

Weishampel, Walters, and Leitholf plan to monitor the mangroves and Brazilian peppers for two years. They intend to use the data to create a successional model that will predict future invasion patterns of the mangroves and Brazilian pepper. They will also create simulations of individual trees, and, ultimately, will formulate suggestions for maintaining the mangroves.

Professors Weishampel and Walters are faculty members at the University of Central Florida and are both part of the university's new Conservation Biology program. Susan Leitholf is a graduate student in the biology program; she intends to use this research project as part of her masters thesis. John Weishampel can be reached at jweisham@mail.ucf.edu, Linda Walters can be reached at ljwalter@pegasus.cc.ucf.edu, and Susan Leitholf can be reached at sueleitholf@cfl.rr.com.

DATE
April 2004

CONTACT
John Weishampel
Linda Walters
Susan Leitholf

DOWNLOADS
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LINKS
Biology Dept.
NOAA Website

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