Floodplain Biodiversity studies:

1. Effects of Mowing on Native Plant Biodiversity Along the Rivers of Broome County, NYMichael 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