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Contribution Of Lianas To Plant Area Index And Canopy Structure In A Panamanian Forest, Maria Elizabeth Rodriguez-Ronderos
Contribution Of Lianas To Plant Area Index And Canopy Structure In A Panamanian Forest, Maria Elizabeth Rodriguez-Ronderos
Theses and Dissertations
Lianas are an important component of tropical forests, where they reduce tree growth, fecundity and survival. Competition for light among plants may be intense; however the amount of light that lianas intercept is poorly understood. We used a large-scale liana removal experiment to quantify light interception by lianas in a Panamanian secondary forest. We measured the change in plant area index (PAI) and forest structure six weeks after cutting lianas in eight 80x80 m plots and in eight control plots, and then annually for four years. We used ground-based LiDAR to measure the 3-dimensional canopy structure before cutting lianas and …
Evolution And Ecology Of Two Iconic Australian Clades: The Meliphagidae (Birds) And The Hakeinae (Plants), Eliot Trimarchi Miller
Evolution And Ecology Of Two Iconic Australian Clades: The Meliphagidae (Birds) And The Hakeinae (Plants), Eliot Trimarchi Miller
Dissertations
The first part of this dissertation explores the evolution of two iconic groups of species through Australian climate space: the Meliphagidae, or honeyeaters, which are primarily nectar-feeding birds, and the Hakeinae, a section of the plant family Proteaceae. Both groups are inferred to have had their origins in Gondwanan rainforests that were widespread across Australia 45 million years ago and then diversified into more arid environments as the continent’s climate became more arid. Accordingly, dry environments are inhabited by closely related (phylogenetically clustered) sets of species, although, in contrast to the honeyeaters, Hakeinae communities are characterized by more localized diversification. …
Wolf-Cougar Co-Occurrence In The Central Canadian Rocky Mountains, Ellen Brandell
Wolf-Cougar Co-Occurrence In The Central Canadian Rocky Mountains, Ellen Brandell
Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts
Cougars and wolves are top carnivores that influence the dynamics of an ecosystem, including prey behavior and dynamics, and interspecific competition. Studies about the interactions between wolves and cougars typically find wolves are dominant competitors to cougars. We examined single-species, single-season occupancy models and co-occurrence models of wolves and cougars in the Central Canadian Rocky Mountains to understand interactions between these two species on a grand landscape. Data was collected from 2012-2013 using remote wildlife cameras and separated into seasons. Naïve occupancy estimates were larger for wolves in both seasons, but both species had smaller ranges in winter. There were …