Dr. Michael Ross
Associate Research Scientist
Southeast Environmental Research Center and
Department of Environmental Studies
OE 234, Florida International University
Miami, FL 33199
Phone: 305-348-1420
Fax: 305-348-4096
Email: Michael.Ross@fiu.edu

Research Interests

Forest structure and development; interactive effects of hydrology, soil nutrient availability, disturbance, and environmental stress on wetland communities; ecology and management of fire in pine forests and prairies of the southeastern US and the Caribbean; ongoing responses of native plant communities and landscapes to global climate change and sea level rise.

Students

Hillary Cooley (M. Sc., ongoing) Palm fuel dynamics in fire-sustained pine forests in the Florida Keys. M. S. thesis, Department of Environmental Studies, Florida International University, Expected date of completion – Summer 2003.

Dave Reed (M. Sc., ongoing) Seed Germination and Growth of Four Wetland Tree Species in Response to Environmental Factors in Tree Islands of Northern Shark Slough, Everglades National Park.

Recent Publications

Soil-productivity relationships and organic matter turnover in dry tropical forests of the Florida Keys. M. S. Ross, C. L. Coultas, and Y. P. Hsieh. Plant and Soil (in press).

Variation of salinity in brackish-water lenses of two Florida keys. D. G. Meadows, J. P. Caballero, S. E. Kruse, H. L. Vacher, and M. S. Ross. Journal of Coastal Research (in press).

Vegetation:environment relationships and water management in Shark Slough, Everglades National Park. M. S. Ross, D. L. Reed, J. P. Sah, P. L. Ruiz, and M. T. Lewin. Wetlands Ecology and Management (in press).

Vegetation pattern and process in tree islands of the southern Everglades and adjacent areas. Armentano, T.V., D.T. Jones, M.S. Ross, and B.W. Gamble. Pp. 225-281 In: van der Valk, A. and Sklar, F. eds. Tree Islands of the Everglades Boston, MA: Kluwer Academic Publishers. 541 pp. 2002.

Multi-taxon analysis of the "white zone", a common ecotonal feature of South Florida coastal wetlands. M.S. Ross, E.E. Gaiser, J.F. Meeder, and M.T. Lewin. Pp. 205-238 In: The Everglades, Florida Bay, and Coral Reefs of the Florida Keys. J. W. Porter and K.G. Porter, eds. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, USA. 1064 pp. 2002.

Forest succession in tropical hardwood hammocks of the Florida Keys: effects of direct mortality from Hurricane Andrew. M.S. Ross, M. Carrington, L.J. Flynn, and P.L. Ruiz. Biotropica 33 (1): 23-33. 2001.

Estimating aboveground biomass and production in mangrove communities of Biscayne National Park, Florida. Ross, M.S., P.L. Ruiz, G.J. Telesnicki, and J.F. Meeder. Wetlands Ecology and Management. 9: 27-37. 2000.

Activities

As a result of the applied nature of my research, I've become involved in technical planning for the ecological components of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. In particular, I and others in my research group have worked hard to ensure that restoration for the coastal wetlands, and the long- and short-hydroperiod marshes of Everglades Park get on the right track and stay there.

Biography

I am a native Philadelphian who lived and worked in many parts of North America (Utah, Virginia, Alberta, Michigan, Vermont) before rediscovering a spring break haven I'd passed through in the Florida Keys many years before. I've since become enamored of the moist tropical feel of the South Florida evenings, learned to appreciate or tolerate the shock of the cool marsh water in the morning, and convinced myself I was here to stay. Now that I've bought a house in South Dade County and planted a tropical hardwood hammock, it's my pleasure to chill out on the back porch with a book and a beverage when my busy research schedule allows.