Nature withstands, even benefits from storms

[SoCalDem]

http://www.news-press.com/news/weather/hurricane/stories/040816hurr-wildlife.html


Nature withstands, even benefits from storms


By BYRON STOUT, [e-mail]
Published by news-press.com on August 16, 2004


Wildlife and environmental experts weren’t worried about Hurricane Charley.

They didn’t suggest for a minute that the fierce storm might not blow local woodlands asunder. But they noted hurricanes are a natural force, and nature not only deals with such things, it can benefit from them.


Florida Gulf Coast University professor Win Everham did his doctoral dissertation on the environmental impacts of Category 4 Hurricane Hugo that slammed Puerto Rico in 1989. “One of the things we see in wind-disturbed forests is that exotic species often are more negatively impacted than native species. The native species are more adapted. “It wouldn’t surprise me if a lot of Australian pines went down, and very few oaks,” Everham predicted. Everham will find out if a 2-1/2-acre plot of woods he has been monitoring on the FGCU campus for eight years was affected by Hurricane Charley.

He and his students just finished a detailed survey of the vegetation, from canopy to understory, that will tell them exactly what sort of impacts — such as the before and after levels of light penetration — the storm wrought. Wildlife managers and caregivers also weren’t particularly concerned about Charley early on. “Wildlife is pretty much geared to deal with the weather. Fortunately we’re not still in the real crush of baby bird season,” said Anita Pinder, director of operations at the center for the Care and Rehabilitation of Wildlife on Sanibel, said of potential damage. “There will be some, but over the years we’ve found wildlife just kind of hunker down and stay out of trouble.”

Mike Kemmerer, lead biologist at the Babcock/Webb Wildlife Management Area in Charlotte County, said sheetflow from heavy rains likely already had wiped out the second hatch of ground-nesting quail in the 100-square-mile tract of palmetto and pine flatwoods.

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“Hurricanes can be major events that can shape the plant and animal community of an area. Depending on the severity of the storm, you can have a minimal change to something very major.”

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“After a hurricane, trees put all their energy into new seed, to take advantage of new ground,” Everham found in his Caribbean studies. That was a good thing for endangered parrots that were greatly feared for, but actually prospered from increased fruit production in post-Hugo Puerto Rico.

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“I don’t want to make anybody feel bad, but I’m kind of excited,” the scientist said of his chance to learn more about ecosystem responses to hurricanes.

[Kanary]

1. That's definitely true about native vs exotic species

Native species evolved with the environmental elements, while exotic species didn't, and will be vulnerable to aspects they are not prepared for.

Unfortunately, in the western US, it's different with wildfires. While native species evolved with fire, and even need fires to survive., because of over a century of suppression of fire, wildfires now are so much more intense that they actually sterilize the soil.

As bad as a hurricane is for people, it's beneficial to the land.

Thanks for the good article -- I'm not familiar with that part of the country, and this was instructive.

Kanary