The Terrestrial Biota of the Lower Ohio River.

Abstract

Plant and animal communities living on the floodplain adjacent to the Lower Ohio River (River Miles 938 to 976) were surveyed during the summer of 1980 to (1) determine the species composition, (2) document the occurrence of any rare or unusual species, and (3) assess the susceptibility of these communities to alterations in river levels. The study zone was confined to areas within 0.5 miles of the river or to an elevation of 350 feet mean sea level (msl), whichever was less. Within the study area, vegetation was surveyed using a total of 20 line transects, 10 on each side of the river. The overstory was sampled using a wedge prism technique. The total number of each species was determined, and the basal area, relative dominance, and relative frequency of each species were calculated. Understory vegetation and herbaceous plants were also recorded, and their abundance was assessed. Species composition was similar on each side of the river. Small mammals were assessed using 0.25-hectare grids (50 meters on a side). Each grid contained 25 trapping stations placed at 12.5-meter intervals. One snap trap and one pitfall trap were set at each trapping station.

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 05, 1980
Accession Number
ADA110420

Entities

People

  • Greg Seegert

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Altitude
  • Communities
  • Elevation
  • Frequency
  • Intervals
  • Ohio River
  • Plants
  • Rivers
  • Sea Level
  • Vegetation

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Geodesy
  • Riverine Ecology
  • Wetland-Land-Environmental Management.