Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

2020

Ecology

Discipline
Institution
Publication
Publication Type

Articles 1 - 12 of 12

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

Black Vulture Conflict And Management In The United States: Damage Trends, Management Overview, And Research Needs, Bryan M. Kluever, Morgan B. Pfeiffer, Scott C. Barras, Brett G. Dunlap, Lee A. Humberg Dec 2020

Black Vulture Conflict And Management In The United States: Damage Trends, Management Overview, And Research Needs, Bryan M. Kluever, Morgan B. Pfeiffer, Scott C. Barras, Brett G. Dunlap, Lee A. Humberg

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Contrary to rapid declines of many vulture (Accipitridae, Cathartidea) species worldwide, black vulture (Coragyps atratus) populations are increasing and expanding their range in North America. Vultures exhibit complex behaviors and can adapt to any human-dominated landscape or land use. These traits, combined with population growth and range expansion, have contributed to increased human–vulture conflicts. Our goal was to summarize the current status and trends in human–black vulture conflicts (hereafter human–vulture conflicts), review available management strategies, identify knowledge gaps, and provide recommendations to enhance management and understanding of this species and the associated conflicts. We found human–vulture conflicts are …


Roles And Interaction Of Blow Flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) And Introduced Fire Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Solenopsis Invicta And S. Invicta X Richteri) In Carrion Decomposition In The Southeastern United States, Grant De Jong Nov 2020

Roles And Interaction Of Blow Flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) And Introduced Fire Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Solenopsis Invicta And S. Invicta X Richteri) In Carrion Decomposition In The Southeastern United States, Grant De Jong

Theses and Dissertations

Invasive fire ants (Solenopsis invicta and its hybrid with S. richteri) have been reported from carrion in the southeastern United States and are considered a part of the succession community. Alteration of ecological processes by fire ants could affect forensic interpretation of entomological data; therefore, I conducted studies to investigate the relative roles and interactions of fire ants and blow flies in carrion decomposition. The blow fly species composition in Mississippi has not been studied since 16 species were reported in 1983. Specimens from the Mississippi Entomological Museum were used to update the checklist of the blow flies of Mississippi …


Analyzing The Von Neumann Entropy Of Contact Networks, Thomas J. Brower Aug 2020

Analyzing The Von Neumann Entropy Of Contact Networks, Thomas J. Brower

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

When modeling the spread of disease, ecologists use ecological or contact networks to model how species interact with their environment and one another. The structure of these networks can vary widely depending on the study, where the nodes of a network can be defined as individuals, groups, or locations among other things. With this wide range of definition and with the difficulty of collecting samples, it is difficult to capture every factor of every population. Thus ecologists are limited to creating smaller networks that both fit their budget as well as what is reasonable within the population of interest. With …


Floodplain Forest Regeneration Dynamics In The Lower Mississippi River Alluvial Valley, Whitney Anne Kroschel Jul 2020

Floodplain Forest Regeneration Dynamics In The Lower Mississippi River Alluvial Valley, Whitney Anne Kroschel

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Floodplain forest species diversity is driven, in part, by variation in disturbance regime. Flood patterns create heterogeneity in microsite quality from small differences in elevation across a floodplain which, in turn, influence flood timing and duration. Differences in species’ regeneration niches in relation to hydrologic patterns can account for long-term coexistence of various species. In the past century floodplain forests have exhibited a wide range of changes in stand development and species composition as a result of altered hydrology in rivers and floodplains. I evaluated the role of regeneration in floodplain forest systems of the Lower Mississippi River Alluvial Valley …


Steppes And Grasslands In Morocco: Diversity, Functional Ecology And Socio-Economic Role, Mohammed Sghir Taleb, Jalal El Oualidi Mar 2020

Steppes And Grasslands In Morocco: Diversity, Functional Ecology And Socio-Economic Role, Mohammed Sghir Taleb, Jalal El Oualidi

IGC Proceedings (1993-2023)

With Morocco’s geographical situation (at the crossroads between Europe and Africa, the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean), its diverse climate and habitats supports a varied natural vegetation. The floristic richness of the country is related to the heterogeneity of biotypes. From the desert to the high mountains and the littoral to the continental borders, Morocco offers varied ecological conditions that support many different plant species. Steppes and grasslands are important parts of the main plant associations encountered in Morocco. They contain a wealth of flora, play important ecological roles and, from a socioeconomic perspective, are highly significant.


The Gut Microbiota Of A Wild American Black Bear (Ursus Americanus) Population, Sierra Gillman Mar 2020

The Gut Microbiota Of A Wild American Black Bear (Ursus Americanus) Population, Sierra Gillman

All NMU Master's Theses

The gut microbiome (GMB), the mutualistic microbial communities located in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), has co-evolved in vertebrates to perform micro-ecosystem services to facilitate physiological functions. Despite the key role of the GMB in host health, wildlife managers have been slow to consider the ramifications of anthropogenic pressures to wildlife-GMB diversity. For example, although diet is one of the most influential determinants of a host’s GMB, many wildlife agencies allow baiting with human-provisioned foods to facilitate the harvest of wildlife such as American black bear (Ursus americanus). Additionally, much of our knowledge of wildlife-GMB relationships is based on …


Ecological Studies Of An Abyssal Nodule Province To Inform The Management Of Deep-Sea Mining, Kirsty Alexandra Mcquaid Jan 2020

Ecological Studies Of An Abyssal Nodule Province To Inform The Management Of Deep-Sea Mining, Kirsty Alexandra Mcquaid

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

The abyssal environment remains one of the most poorly studied parts of the planet. While predominantly an environment dominated by soft sediments, some abyssal regions are known to harbour potato-sized, rock-like formations known as polymetallic nodules. These nodule provinces are now the subject of exploration by nations and their nominated contractors keen to develop a new deep-sea mining industry. This new industry has the potential for large-scale environmental impacts, but at present these impacts are difficult to predict, and therefore mitigate, as a result of the lack of ecological data and scientific understanding of these areas. The studies carried out …


Land Use Influences Along Elevation Gradient On Macroinvertebrate Communities, Brittany Sprout Jan 2020

Land Use Influences Along Elevation Gradient On Macroinvertebrate Communities, Brittany Sprout

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Land use activities have caused disturbances that affect the quality of freshwater ecosystems worldwide. How the influences of land use along an environmental gradient and the associated environmental variables that may influence stream diversity and function is unclear. We address these issues by studying biodiversity, abundance, and functional diversity of macroinvertebrates across different land types along a gradient in Colorado, USA. We also address how diversity may change along an elevation gradient by analyzing previously published macroinvertebrate research. We found evidence that land use and disturbance are stronger explanations of changes in macroinvertebrate communities, rather than elevation. Functional trait patterns …


Causes Of Variable Jarrah (Eucalyptus Marginata) And Marri (Corymbia Calophylla) Seedling Density At Establishment Following Bauxite Mining In The Northern Jarrah Forest Of Western Australia, Tai White-Toney Jan 2020

Causes Of Variable Jarrah (Eucalyptus Marginata) And Marri (Corymbia Calophylla) Seedling Density At Establishment Following Bauxite Mining In The Northern Jarrah Forest Of Western Australia, Tai White-Toney

Theses

Seedling densities at establishment of jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata D. Don ex Sm.) and marri (Corymbia calophylla (Lindl). K. D. Hill & L. A. S. Johnson) following bauxite mining in the Northern Jarrah Forest of south-western Australia are variable and few factors explored during 40 years of field studies have explained this variability. This study explored establishment within the framework of limitation due to amount of seed supply and number of suitable microsites for establishment. First, relationships were identified between seedling establishment densities on 654 mine sites restored between 1998 and 2017 and restoration practices (seed and fertiliser application rates), climate …


Composition Of Dung Beetle Communities In A Tropical Montane Forest Alters The Rate Of Dung Removal More Than Species Diversity Alone, Elizabeth A. Engle Jan 2020

Composition Of Dung Beetle Communities In A Tropical Montane Forest Alters The Rate Of Dung Removal More Than Species Diversity Alone, Elizabeth A. Engle

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Dung beetles provide key ecological functions by degrading and recycling dung. I used experimentally-assembled communities to examine the role of species richness, community biomass, species diversity, species identity, and community composition in dung removal, using Ateuchus chrysopyge, Copris nubilosis, Onothophagus cyanellus, and Dichotomius satanas. I hypothesized: (1) that as species richness, biomass, and diversity increases within a community, dung removal increases; and (2) species are not functionally equivalent, so community composition should influence dung removal rates. As species richness, biomass, and diversity of experimentally-assembled communities increased, the proportion of dung removed also increased. Also, the four species in this study …


Is Context Dependency Imperative To Understanding The Impacts Of Invasive Plants?, Brendan B. Haile Jan 2020

Is Context Dependency Imperative To Understanding The Impacts Of Invasive Plants?, Brendan B. Haile

Masters Theses

Introduced exotic species have a tendency to become invasive and impact local biological communities. Invasions often impact community attributes such as cover and species richness, but these factors may also regulate patterns of invasion. In such cases, impacts may be dependent on the invasion context. We used data from the Buell-Small Succession Study, a long-term permanent plot study in the piedmont region of New Jersey, to document context dependency in invasion. To do this, we analyzed the factors that affected the colonization and growth of four invasive species, Alliaria petiolata, Lonicera japonica, Microstegium vimineum and Rosa multiflora, as well …


Black Vulture Conflict And Management In The United States: Damage Trends, Management Overview, And Research Needs, Bryan M. Kluever, Morgan Pfeiffer, Scott C. Barras, Brett Dunlap, Lee A. Humberg Jan 2020

Black Vulture Conflict And Management In The United States: Damage Trends, Management Overview, And Research Needs, Bryan M. Kluever, Morgan Pfeiffer, Scott C. Barras, Brett Dunlap, Lee A. Humberg

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Contrary to rapid declines of many vulture (Accipitridae, Cathartidea) species worldwide, black vulture (Coragyps atratus) populations are increasing and expanding their range in North America. Vultures exhibit complex behaviors and can adapt to any human-dominated landscape or land use. These traits, combined with population growth and range expansion, have contributed to increased human–vulture conflicts. Our goal was to summarize the current status and trends in human–black vulture conflicts (hereafter human– vulture conflicts), review available management strategies, identify knowledge gaps, and provide recommendations to enhance management and understanding of this species and the associated conflicts. We found human–vulture conflicts …