ON THE VERGE: A DESIGN FRAMEWORK USING LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY AND EDGE DESIGN PRINCIPLES TO RECONNECT HABITATS AND DIVERSIFY VEGETATION IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS

Abstract

Pollinators are a crucial part of our ecosystem providing benefits for plant reproduction, plant diversity and agricultural crops. Pollinator habitats are constantly under threat due to human activity including pesticide use, land use change and development, pollution, and climate change. With an increase of development there is also a decrease in connectivity between natural habitats which causes habitat fragmentation and a loss of pollinators. This thesis suggests that by using landscape ecology principles and other research, a design framework that provides 1) connectivity between existing natural areas, and 2) increasing vegetation community diversity will lead to increased quantity and quality of pollinator habitat and thus more overall pollinators. This design framework is demonstrated in a case study in Hidalgo County, Texas in the Rio Grande River basin.