

@mastersthesis {7020,
	title = {A floristic description of a neotropical coastal savanna in {Belize}},
	year = {2004},
	note = {1421086},
	school = {Miami University},
	type = {phdM.{S}.},
	address = {Ann Arbor},
	abstract = {The diverse graminoid-dominated savannas of Central America remain poorly described. I used percent cover and frequency along line transects and in quadrats to assess the flora, community structure, and environment of a hyperseasonal coastal savanna near Sapodilla Lagoon in Stann Creek District, Belize. The flora consisted of 193 angiosperms, 2 gymnosperms, and 6 pteridophytes, and was dominated by graminoids. Species with the highest importance values were Mesosetum filifolium, Paspalum pulchellum, Rhynchospora plumosa , and Rhynchospora barbata . Woody species were scattered in dense clusters throughout the savanna, and were divided into a tall tree layer, dominated by Pinus caribaea , and a tree-palm-shrub layer, dominated by Acoelorraphe wrightii and Byrsonima crassifolia . Several large A. wrightii -dominated vernal pools were scattered about the landscape marking locations where water breaks through the impenetrable sub-surface. Variation in species composition within the savanna, explored with Non-Metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMDS), correlated strongly with particular species ( A. wrightii and P. pulchellum ), topography, cation exchange capacity, and copper concentration. Quantitative comparisons with two other savannas studied in Belize show distinct differences in flora, structure, and dominance in spite of previously being classified as similar.},
	keywords = {0309:Botany, 0329:Ecology, Biological sciences, Botany, Ecology},
	url = {http://search.proquest.com/docview/305178048?accountid=14270},
	author = {Farruggia, Frank Thomas}
}
