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Avian Habitat Relationships In The Mojave Desert, Matthew Eugene Hamilton
Avian Habitat Relationships In The Mojave Desert, Matthew Eugene Hamilton
UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations
The relationship between bird community composition and plant community composition and structure was studied over three years (1994-1996) in a variety of Mojave Desert habitat types. This study addressed two fundamental questions: what plant community characteristics are statistically related to bird species diversity and the density of individual bird species, and what is the affect of neighboring habitat on bird species composition? Three habitat types were surveyed, Larrea scrub, Larrea scrub with Yucca and Opuntia, and Coleogyne scrub with Yucca. Bird species richness varied from 1 to 10 species, with the Coleogyne sites having the most species and the Larrea …
Rodent Effects On Shrubs In A Mojave Desert Shrub Community, Steven Schuyler Vrooman
Rodent Effects On Shrubs In A Mojave Desert Shrub Community, Steven Schuyler Vrooman
UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations
The mounds created by many species of Dipodomys (kangaroo rats) are long-term modifications of the the soil chemical and physical environment which have been shown to increase both the diversity and abundance of annuals in the deserts of the Southwestern United States. I characterized shrub distribution and soil parameters on and off rodent mounds in a Coleogyne ramosissima community in Lucky Strike Canyon near Las Vegas, Nevada and performed several experiments to investigate rodent effects on seedlings and seeds of C. ramosissima. Rodent mounds were found to be long-term modifications of the soil physical and chemical environment which support a …
Plant Physiology And Competition In A Mojave Desert Riparian Ecosystem: Proximate Solutions To Ultimate Questions, James Ray Cleverly
Plant Physiology And Competition In A Mojave Desert Riparian Ecosystem: Proximate Solutions To Ultimate Questions, James Ray Cleverly
UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations
The distribution and abundance patterns of species are of primary interest in ecology, and the interactions between an organism and its abiotic and biotic environment provide a basis for a better understanding of the mechanisms by which distribution and abundance patterns are governed. Physiological ecology provides an ideal platform for integrating the effects of both biotic and abiotic influences upon species performance, thus conferring a process-oriented insight into ecological patterns. This dissertation considers the physiological characteristics that may be related to Mojave Desert floodplain domination by Tamarix ramosissima, an exotic invasive riparian plant; Four woody riparian species---Tamarix ramosissima, Salix exigua, …
Reproductive And Growth Responses Of Mojave Desert Plants To A Changing Climate, Travis E Huxman
Reproductive And Growth Responses Of Mojave Desert Plants To A Changing Climate, Travis E Huxman
UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations
Global change may impact terrestrial ecosystems through effects on the regenerative capacities of plants. Changes in energy allocation to reproduction, as a result of increasing CO2, changing temperature or precipitation, could shift the ecological and evolutionary factors that control plant distributions and species interactions. These changes in energy allocation to reproduction are manifested as seed number, viability and mass change. We conducted a meta-analysis of results from a number of different elevated CO2 experiments with the goal of determining patterns of reproductive response across a large number of species and functional types. In addition, we performed a number of experimental …