Download Effects of Mowing on Native Plant Biodiversity Along the Rivers of

Effects of Mowing on Native Plant Biodiversity Along the Rivers of Broome
County, NY
Michael Voorhees, Mark Blumler
Floodplain Biodiversity studies:
•Floodplain management has always focused on
environmental issues such as flood control; however,
there was very little thought given to biodiversity.
Since there seems to be a gap in the literature for this region the
following questions will be addressed:
•What effects does mowing have on the distribution and
diversity of plant life within the floodplains of Broome County?
•Why are the floodplains and levees mowed so frequently?
•If the biodiversity in the region is negatively effected by the
mowing policies, what can be done to remedy the problem?
The biodiversity along the river was studied using two different
methods.
•The first is 300 random points in a plot to see the variety
of plant species that are present.
•The second, transects were run down the width of the
plot to study the zonation and species abundance.
•Comparisons will be done of both native and non-native
species within the study areas.
The research is investigating three aspects of biodiversity:
•Whether or not native biodiversity will be higher in areas where
mowing is not occurring as frequently.
•If there will be a higher non-native biodiversity in areas where
mowing is occurring frequently.
•Total Biodiversity will also be investigated.
Binghamton University Urban Ecosystem Initiative