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Patricia A. Flebbe |
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Academic Interests:
Landscape ecology; regional resource analysis and modeling; coldwater stream ecology; salmonid ecology; watershed ecosystem ecology.
Awards
USDA Forest Service, Certificate of Merit, November, 1998
Recent Activities:
Wayah Riparian Zone Project (US Forest Service 2003-present)
Best management practices for forestry often specify protection of streamside management zones (SMZs) of a given width for protection of stream ecosystems. This multiple-investigator study is intended to study riparian and stream function in mountain headwater streams and riparian zones of North Carolina, comparing function in systems with differing SMZ widths. My research is concerned with changes to stream temperature and other aspects of stream processes.
Development of a Hypertext Encyclopedia of southern Appalachian forest ecosystems (US Forest Service 1999-present)
Considerable research has been conducted on forest ecosystems in the southern Appalachians, which requires synthesis and integration for delivery to a diverse set of users. Since 1999, I have been working with other Forest Service research scientists and the Southern Region Extension Forestry office to develop a web-based hypertext, a knowledge-based system that allows us to synthesize and integrate knowledge in a non-linear way, as opposed to the traditional linear approach of the written word. The hypertext may be viewed at: http://zope.forestencyclopedia.net/; however, at various times this site may not be fully accessible due to ongoing work.
Wine Spring Creek Ecosystem Management Demonstration Project (US Forest Service 1993-2003)
This study is part of a large multiple-investigator project to devise and test ecosystem management procedures for whole watersheds in the southern Appalachians. Pilot aquatic studies have been conducted to determine watershed and baseline levels of primary, secondary, and trout production in the streams. In 1997, large woody debris was added to three experimental sections and current research is evaluating physical and biological responses, including trout movement, growth, and production. In the future, other stream habitat manipulations will be tested.
Using GIS to construct a regional inventory of trout streams and determine possible changes due to acidification and global change (US Forest Service 1996-2004)
A regional scale inventory of trout streams in the southern Appalachians constructed from site level information would be extremely costly because it would require cooperation of thousands of owners and multiple jurisdictions. As an alternative, this research takes a top down approach to such an inventory, using Geographic Information System technology. Such a regional inventory can then be used for analysis of regional scale agents of change. In particular, this study will 1) develop a regional analysis of impacts of acidification on trout streams, based acidic deposition and geologic sensitivity; and 2) develop a regional prediction of changes to trout stream distribution and fragmentation that may result from global climate change predictions.
Southern Appalachian Assessment of Aquatic Resources
I participated in this large, multiple agency regional assessment during 1995-96 as the lead expert on biological and ecological aspects of aquatic resources. The overall effort, sponsored by the Southern Appalachian Man and the Biosphere program, produced five reports and a 3 Gigabyte CD-ROM geographic information system database. The assessment is being used by federal agencies, local communities, and special interest groups to plan land managment and resource conservation activities.
Regional Variability in Distribution and Abundance of Salmonids (US Forest Service, 1988-1994).
Abundance of salmonids in headwater streams across a multiple state region varies considerably from stream to stream. Of the total regional variation, most occurs at the level of adjacent streams. Additional variability is found at even smaller scales, among individual pools and riffles. This study is also designed to link trout distribution and abundance patterns with stream, watershed, and landscape habitat characteristics at scales from pools and riffles to the region.
Selected Recent Publications:
Kennard, D.K., H.M. Rauscher, P.A. Flebbe, D.L. Schmoldt, W.G. Hubbard, J.B. Jordin, and W. Milnor. 2003. The Encyclopedia of Southern Appalachian Forest Ecosystems: A Prototype of an Online Scientific Knowledge Management System. For IUFRO Decision Support and Knowledge Management Conference, Vienna, Austria. CD-ROM proceedings.
Flebbe, P.A., and J.A. Herrig. 2000. Patterns of aquatic species imperilment in the southern Appalachians: an evaluation of regional databases. Environmental Management.
Flebbe, P.A. 1999. Trout use of woody debris and habitat in Wine Spring Creek, North Carolina. Forest Ecology and Management 114: 367-376.
Argent, D.G. and P.A. Flebbe. 1999. Fine sediment effects on brook trout eggs in laboratory streams. Fisheries Research 39: 253-262.
Flebbe, P. A., and C. A. Dolloff. 1995. Trout use of woody debris and habitat in Appalachian wilderness streams of North Carolina. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 15: 579-590.
Flebbe, P. A. 1994. A regional view of the margin: salmonid abundance
and distribution in the southern Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina
and Virginia. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 123:657-667.
Last updated October 28, 2003