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Woody Invasive Plant Species Occurrence And Abundance As, Jyoti Patnaik Dec 2007

Woody Invasive Plant Species Occurrence And Abundance As, Jyoti Patnaik

All Theses

The spread of invasive plants is one of the most challenging ecological problems in the 21st century, causing a $35 billion loss per year to the economy in the United states alone. More than 85% of woody invasive species were introduced originally for ornamental and landscape use. As a result, over the last few decades, perennial woody invaders have appeared in fence rows, rights-of-way, old fields, understories, and the canopies of eastern forests of the United States. Besides the information about the geographical distribution, general biological characteristics, and response to herbicides, very little information is available on the occurrence and …


Effects Of Season Of Fire On Red-Cockaded Woodpecker (Picoides Borealis) Reproduction And The Breeding Bird Community Of A Longleaf Pine Ecosystem, Sarah Lauerman Dec 2007

Effects Of Season Of Fire On Red-Cockaded Woodpecker (Picoides Borealis) Reproduction And The Breeding Bird Community Of A Longleaf Pine Ecosystem, Sarah Lauerman

All Theses

Fire is the most important management tool in restoring and maintaining the longleaf pine ecosystem but the effects of season of burning on fauna are not fully understood. Of particular concern is the community of birds which breed in the longleaf pine forest, several of which are endangered, threatened or species of concern. This study examined the effects of season of fire on the breeding bird community and a population of red-cockaded woodpeckers (RCW) at Brosnan Forest in Dorchester, South Carolina. Fifty-eight RCW territories received dormant or growing season fire over a five-year period from 2001 to 2005. Prior to …


Provisioning And Prey Quality In Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus Occidentalis) In Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, Elena Sachs Dec 2007

Provisioning And Prey Quality In Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus Occidentalis) In Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, Elena Sachs

All Theses

I examined parent and nestling behavior during early chick rearing in Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) nesting at a colony in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina during the 2006 breeding season. There were significant differences in the frequency of feeding, attendance, and chick aggression according to chick age, although the pattern differed among behaviors. The rate of adult feeding, chick feeding and adult attendance all decreased with chick age while chick aggressive behavior peaked when chicks were ca. 21 d post-hatch. I found that nests with at least one juvenile parent had a lower average clutch size, hatch rate, and number of …


Predicting The Growth Of Deciduous Tree Species In Response To Water Stress: Fvs-Bgc Model Parameterization, Application And Evaluation, Ying Wang Dec 2007

Predicting The Growth Of Deciduous Tree Species In Response To Water Stress: Fvs-Bgc Model Parameterization, Application And Evaluation, Ying Wang

All Theses

A hybrid model (FVS-BGC) that couples the process-model STAND-BGC to the empirically based forest vegetation simulator (FVS) was parameterized with comprehensive ecophysiological, site, and silvicultural data collected on Acer rubrum L. (A. rubrum), Paulownia elongata (P. elongata), Quercus nuttallii (Q. nuttallii), and Quercus phellos (Q. phellos) in 2006. A series of simulations provided of estimates species-specific carbon gain, growth, and yield under well-watered and water-stressed conditions. Simulations on a species-specific basis allowed assessment of drought effects on stand production and the ability of FVS-BGC to predict on a deciduous species basis. Under well watered conditions, FVS-BGC was able to predict …


Crop/Livestock Integration Effects On Soil Quality, Crop Production, And Soil Nitrogen Dynamics, Ellen B. Mallory Dec 2007

Crop/Livestock Integration Effects On Soil Quality, Crop Production, And Soil Nitrogen Dynamics, Ellen B. Mallory

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Regional integration of potato and dairy farms has developed in Maine through arrangements where manure, feed, and sometimes land, are exchanged between neighboring farms. The effects of integration on soil quality, crop production, nitrogen (N) cycling, and N loss were investigated in field and laboratory studies of contrasting amended (manure, compost, green manure, and supplemental fertilizer) and nonamended (fertilizer only) soil management systems within 2-year potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) rotations in the Maine Potato Cropping Systems Project (MPEP). Additionally, soil quality of 48 integrated and nonintegrated Maine potato and dairy farm fields was assessed. The MPEP’s amended soil system enhanced …


Sasajiscymnus Tsugae(Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) As A Biological Control For Hemlock Woolly Adelgid , Wess Klunk Aug 2007

Sasajiscymnus Tsugae(Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) As A Biological Control For Hemlock Woolly Adelgid , Wess Klunk

All Theses

To better understand the tritrophic interaction involving Sasajiscymnus tsugae Sasaji and McClure, hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae Annand (HWA)), and Tsuga (hemlock) tree hosts, an experiment was designed to determine the fitness of S. tsugae while feeding on HWA infesting either eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis (L.) (Carriere)) or Carolina hemlock (T. caroliniana (Engelmann)). The predator in this interaction is S. tsugae, a possible biological control agent for HWA. In the eastern United States, preliminary work on S. tsugae for potential as a biological control agent for HWA was started in 1995. It was determined that S. tsugae was a promising …


Evaluation Of Conservation Management Practices For Northern Bobwhites And Shrub-Scrub Songbirds, William Heaton Aug 2007

Evaluation Of Conservation Management Practices For Northern Bobwhites And Shrub-Scrub Songbirds, William Heaton

All Theses

ABSTRACT We evaluated the effect of early-successional habitat management practices on vegetation structure and composition, shrub-scrub songbird nesting, wintering songbird habitat use, and Northern Bobwhite habitat use in the lower Coastal Plain of South Carolina. The response of vegetation was measured for 18 different disturbance treatments at the end of each growing season from 2000 to 2006. The response of vegetation to disturbance was different among treatments. However, similarities existed between burn and disk treatments with the same season and frequency. We found 76 shrub-scrub songbird nests during the 2005 and 2006 nesting seasons. Painted buntings, indigo buntings, and blue …


Controlling Kudzu (Pueraria Montana) In Riparian Zones And High Risk Areas, Casey Newton Aug 2007

Controlling Kudzu (Pueraria Montana) In Riparian Zones And High Risk Areas, Casey Newton

All Theses

The effects of polyethylene sheeting as a thermal covering to eradicate kudzu were investigated on an area within the Clemson University Experimental Forest in Clemson, South Carolina on a Cecil clay loam. In 2005, the highest reduction of live root crowns was observed in the complete season treatment (covered for the entire growing season) with a reduction of 42% of live root crowns compared to control (no covering) plots. The next most effective was the one-week treatment (covered for one week, uncovered for one week, then repeated throughout the growing season) that reduced root crowns by 35%. The least effective …


Using Avifauna For Ecological Assessment In Streamside Management Zones Implemented By Forestry Best Management Practices, Keenan Adams Aug 2007

Using Avifauna For Ecological Assessment In Streamside Management Zones Implemented By Forestry Best Management Practices, Keenan Adams

All Theses

Riparian ecosystems provide many ecological functions critical to both aquatic and terrestrial vertebrates. Anecdotal field observations indicate that upland forest harvesting may affect riparian ecosystem functions, yet the relationship has not been well documented, especially for wildlife. As part of the collaborative Dry Creek watershed study at International Paper's Southlands Forest in Decatur County, Georgia, I evaluated the effects of Best Management Practices (BMP) timber harvesting on avian communities occupying riparian corridors/streamside management zones (SMZs) in headwater streams of the Gulf Coastal Plain of Georgia. Using repeated visits to established line transects, data were collected during the breeding seasons from …


Determining The Efficacy Of A Commercially Available Post-Thaw Bovine Semen Sexing Kit, Erin Curry Aug 2007

Determining The Efficacy Of A Commercially Available Post-Thaw Bovine Semen Sexing Kit, Erin Curry

All Theses

Swaying the bovine sex ratio is beneficial because dairy heifers are significantly more valuable than bull calves, whereas in the beef industry, bull calves are more desirable than females. Currently, there is no inexpensive, reliable, effective method for commercially separating X- and Y- bearing sperm. The objective of these experiments was to determine the efficacy of a commercially available post-thaw bovine semen sexing kit, HeiferPlusTM, which claims to sway the sex ratio in favor of female calves.
Three trials included the insemination of hyperstimulated cows with Control or HeiferPlusTM treated semen, non-surgical embryo collection on Day 7, and a novel …


Potential Impacts Of Meeting Renewable Portfolio And Fuel Standards On The Economy Of Tennessee, Kateryna Goychuk Aug 2007

Potential Impacts Of Meeting Renewable Portfolio And Fuel Standards On The Economy Of Tennessee, Kateryna Goychuk

Masters Theses

The primary objective of this study was to estimate how adopting a Renewable Portfolio (RPS) and Renewable Fuel Standards (RFS) would impact the economy of the State of Tennessee. This was accomplished by 1) developing representative state level RPS and RFS scenarios, 2) projecting Tennessee’s renewable energy capacity requirements under these scenarios, 3) identifying representative technologies and associated costs for renewable energy generation, and 4) evaluating decreases in economic activity in non-renewable technologies, such as coal or petroleum, in the state. The economic (output, employment, value-added) impacts were obtained using the IMPLAN, input-output model. Results showed that under the assumptions …


Assessing The Sustainability Of Agricultural Systems, Laura L. Kramar Aug 2007

Assessing The Sustainability Of Agricultural Systems, Laura L. Kramar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This work constructs and tests a comparative technique that can be used to determine the ability of agricultural systems to meet multiple objectives of sustainability. Assessments are based on an agricultural system's ability to maintain five system stocks that represent environmental capital, social capital, human capital, physical capital, and financial capital. The capital stocks are measured as stock objectives, which are decomposed as indicators to calculate agricultural system scores. An examination of the complexity of agro-ecosystems and the multiple equilibria produced by balancing multiple objectives is used to explain the alternative criteria used in this comparative technique to evaluate agricultural …


Developing Environmental Education, Nature-Based Tourism, And Outdoor Recreation Initiatives On A Solid Waste Management Site In Conway, South Carolina, David Dantzler May 2007

Developing Environmental Education, Nature-Based Tourism, And Outdoor Recreation Initiatives On A Solid Waste Management Site In Conway, South Carolina, David Dantzler

All Theses

The Horry County South Carolina Solid Waste Authority wanted to create a space that could serve the duties of the landfill and as an environmental education and recreation facility on a tract of land they own. Several areas of minimal ecological importance are used as sorting facilities for storm debris and cap dirt excavation areas for use on the active landfill. The remainder of the tract is planned for the development of an environmental education, nature-based tourism, and outdoor recreation center. A natural resources management plan was produced to promote and protect the ecological diversity of the tract. A geographic …


In Vitro Liquid Culture Systems Of Scutellaria Species, Ayse Tascan May 2007

In Vitro Liquid Culture Systems Of Scutellaria Species, Ayse Tascan

All Theses

In vitro culture of three Scutellaria species (S. lateriflora, S. costaricana and S. baicalensis) compared growth on different culture systems; agar and liquid cultures; stationary (LS), agitated (LA) and floating paper (FP). Fresh (FW), dry (DW), % dry weight (%DW=DW/FW), multiplication ratio (MR) and, sucrose, media and water use were compared. LA and LS plantlets were more hyperhydric, had more biomass, except S. baicalensis in LS, and less MR compared to agar and FP plantlets. A second experiment was conducted comparing liquid, agar and polyester fiber matrixes at different initial media volumes-30 mL and 20 mL. Plantlets from fiber had …


Landscape Scale Correlates Of Fox Squirrel (Sciurus Niger) Presence , Kristin Meehan May 2007

Landscape Scale Correlates Of Fox Squirrel (Sciurus Niger) Presence , Kristin Meehan

All Theses

Although declining throughout the southeast, fox squirrel (Sciurus niger) populations are found on some golf courses in rapidly developing coastal South Carolina. This study used 2001 National Landcover Database data to investigate the relationship between fox squirrel presence on golf courses and landscape-scale habitat features. Results indicated that the best predictor of fox squirrel presence on a course was the presence of a fox squirrel population on the nearest neighbor course, regardless of distance. Course age and the total area of undeveloped features on the course were the best predictors of fox squirrel presence on golf courses without …


Analysis Of The Impact Of Fish Imports On Domestic Crawfish Prices And Economic Welfare Using Inverse Demand Systems, Young-Jae Lee Jan 2007

Analysis Of The Impact Of Fish Imports On Domestic Crawfish Prices And Economic Welfare Using Inverse Demand Systems, Young-Jae Lee

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study is mainly intended to determine quantitatively the economic effects of crawfish imports on the domestic crawfish industry. Inverse demand systems are used to estimate the price and scale flexibility as an indicator for the effects of imports on crawfish domestic price. A variety of algebraic forms for empirical consumer allocation models have been developed. Economic theory, however, does not provide the necessary fundamental criteria to choose ex ante among the alternative specifications. Bartern (1993) and Brown, Lee, and Seale (1995) examined a family of inverse demand systems, showing that the integrated demand system, in its own right, has …


An Hedonic Analysis Of Southwestern Louisiana Wetland Prices Using Gis, Baifu Xu Jan 2007

An Hedonic Analysis Of Southwestern Louisiana Wetland Prices Using Gis, Baifu Xu

LSU Master's Theses

Louisiana is the beneficiary of more than 30% of the U.S. coastal wetlands, but the state’s wetland loss accounts for about 90% of the total throughout the continental United States. The Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act of 1990 and the $1.9 billion that has recently been dedicated by Congress for coastal restoration activities will certainly aid in restoration efforts. However, these dedicated funds are but a small fraction of the total monies that will be required to maintain/restore Louisiana’s degraded wetlands. Recent estimates suggest restoration activities will cost, at a minimum, about $14 billion. The research, based on …


Analysis Of Trade On El Salvador Post Dollarization, Jorge Raul Rivera Jan 2007

Analysis Of Trade On El Salvador Post Dollarization, Jorge Raul Rivera

LSU Master's Theses

Dollarization has been suggested as an option for emerging economies. This policy might, among other goals, promote trade between a country adopting the dollar and the United States. Recent research suggests that adopting a common currency increases bilateral trade. Those findings have been widely critiqued for the lack of consistency over different currencies specially the case of dollarization. This thesis is primarily concerned with the impact of dollarization in El Salvador regarding bilateral trade flows. Utilizing the framework of the Gravity Model, bilateral trade flows for 13 trading partners of El Salvador were examined. This study found that dollarization has …


An Analysis Of The Processor Preferences For The Adoption Of Potential Crawfish Peeling Machines, Darius J. Lewis Jan 2007

An Analysis Of The Processor Preferences For The Adoption Of Potential Crawfish Peeling Machines, Darius J. Lewis

LSU Master's Theses

Over the past decade, the peeling segment of the Louisiana crawfish industry has faced the challenge of remaining competitive in an increasingly global market. Since the mid-1990’s, there has been escalated discussion among Louisiana crawfish processors on the need for a crawfish peeling machine. The International Trade Commission determined that the U.S. crawfish industry had been “materially injured” by the imported tailmeat and ruled China was, in fact, dumping crawfish in the U.S. by selling below fair market value in the host country. The development of a suitable crawfish peeling machine could potentially increase production and lower cost of production, …


Spatial Econometric Analysis Of Agglomeration Economies Associated With The Geographical Distribution Of The U.S. Biotech Industry, Pramod Reddy Sambidi Jan 2007

Spatial Econometric Analysis Of Agglomeration Economies Associated With The Geographical Distribution Of The U.S. Biotech Industry, Pramod Reddy Sambidi

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation analyzed spatial agglomeration economies associated with the geographical distribution of the U.S. biotech industry. Three location issues associated with the biotech industry were addressed in the study. The first study utilized a Bayesian spatial tobit model and examined the overall and regional differences in factors affecting the location of the U.S. biotech industry. The second study examined the inter- and intra-industry spatial association of biotech related research and development (R&D) and testing facilities across all contiguous U.S. counties employing a Spatial Two-Stage Least Squares model. Finally, the interdependence between different subsectors of the U.S. biotech industry was analyzed …


Analyzing The Cost Of Harvesting And The Economic Structure Of Florida Grouper Fishery, I. Cristian Nedelea Jan 2007

Analyzing The Cost Of Harvesting And The Economic Structure Of Florida Grouper Fishery, I. Cristian Nedelea

LSU Master's Theses

This study uses a translog cost function to investigate the technical and economic relationships present among a sample of Florida grouper longline vessels. The existence of jointness-in-inputs and non-separability between inputs and outputs suggests that resource management should be based on multiproduct production theory, and that explicit recognition of the economic interactions among species should be incorporated in any regulatory process. The cross-price elasticities of input demands showed substitution relationships between input pairs, implying that imposed regulation on the single input will be compensated for by increases in the other inputs. Furthermore, model results showed apparently substantial economies of scope, …


Record-Keeping Systems Adoption By Louisiana Dairy Farmers, Elisabeth Grisham Jan 2007

Record-Keeping Systems Adoption By Louisiana Dairy Farmers, Elisabeth Grisham

LSU Master's Theses

Fifty Louisiana dairy farmers were interviewed to gather production amounts, costs of production, management techniques, technologies adopted, and demographic information. These data were used to analyze what record-keeping systems the farmers were adopting and to what extent the systems were being used. Logit, ordered probit, negative binomial regression, OLS regression, and double hurdle models were used to determine adoption and intensity. In this study, age was found to decrease the probability that a farmer would believe their computer was not at all useful and also of limited usefulness, while increasing the probability that a farmer would believe the computer was …


Modeling The Eu-Us Cereal Trade - The Post 'Agenda 2000' Analysis, Sachin Chintawar Jan 2007

Modeling The Eu-Us Cereal Trade - The Post 'Agenda 2000' Analysis, Sachin Chintawar

LSU Master's Theses

Significant changes in attitudes toward farm policy and trade have occurred within the European Union and the United States in the past decade. Trade negotiations under the General Agreement on Tariff and Trade (GATT) specifically the Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) and later under the Doha Round of the World Trade Organization (WTO) have bought about considerable changes in the market structure in the cereals trade. Bilateral trade has further been impacted by the cessation of concession treaties like the Blair House Accord that expired at the end of the 2004 marketing year (WTO). Domestic budget pressures in the United States …


Liability, Institutions, And Determinants Of Landowner Access Policies For Fee-Based Recreation On Private Lands, James Emery Henderson Jan 2007

Liability, Institutions, And Determinants Of Landowner Access Policies For Fee-Based Recreation On Private Lands, James Emery Henderson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Landowners in the Lower Mississippi Valley or Delta may be willing to consider alternative land uses for some acreage, particularly for marginal agricultural lands. Recreational hunting, fishing, and wildlife watching opportunities on private land for public use may be a possible way to provide income to landowners and restore marginal lands as a contributor to the local economy. Previous studies have identified that landowners often chose not to engage in recreational leasing due to liability concerns. Thus, an institutional change that reduces liability risk to landowners may increase the amount of private land available for public recreation and reduce transaction …


An Economic Evaluation Of Sugarcane Combine Harvester Costs And Optimal Harvest Schedules For Louisiana, Francis Gil Barker Jan 2007

An Economic Evaluation Of Sugarcane Combine Harvester Costs And Optimal Harvest Schedules For Louisiana, Francis Gil Barker

LSU Master's Theses

Rising production costs, primarily associated with increasing fuel and fertilizer prices, combined with a relatively flat to slightly declining market price trend, have significantly reduced profit margins from sugarcane production in Louisiana over the past few years. Harvest operations are one area in which growers can have considerable influence on costs per unit. Estimation of current sugarcane harvest costs as well as economic evaluation of the impact of various factors on the performance and cost of this production phase are important to growers in conducting these harvest operations as efficiently and cost effectively as possible. The general objective of this …


An Analysis Of The World Shrimp Market And The Impact Of An Increasing Import Base On The Gulf Of Mexico Dockside Price, Pawan Poudel Jan 2007

An Analysis Of The World Shrimp Market And The Impact Of An Increasing Import Base On The Gulf Of Mexico Dockside Price, Pawan Poudel

LSU Master's Theses

As a result of increased cultured activities, the world shrimp market has been expanded significantly during the past two decades. Because the growth in world supply has exceeded that of growth in demand, the deflated world shrimp price has fallen significantly since the mid-1980s. While a large producer of shrimp (primarily in the Gulf of Mexico), the United States is also the world’s largest importer. In general, the Gulf of Mexico dockside price is determined by the world export price and, as such, the Gulf of Mexico price has fallen sharply in recent years. This study quantifies the impact on …


Best Management Practices Adoption Rates And Alternative Land Usage Among Southwest Louisiana Rice Producers, Heidi Landry Jan 2007

Best Management Practices Adoption Rates And Alternative Land Usage Among Southwest Louisiana Rice Producers, Heidi Landry

LSU Master's Theses

The EPA has identified agriculture to be a major contributor of nonpoint source water pollution. The production of rice poses two major water quality issues: the application of a large amount of water that is held on the field for long periods of time during the growing season and the disposal of that water at a later time in the production cycle. Louisiana has developed the voluntary adoption of Best Management Practices (BMPs). These practices have been promoted through educational programs such as the Master Farmer program. This program, developed by the LSU AgCenter, targets conservation practices that are both …


Evaluation Of The Nutritional Quality Of Twelve Species Of Grass Tolerant To Salt And Drought In Function To Their Dry Matter Accumulation Curve In The Tamborada Region, Julio César Bustamante Alavi Jan 2007

Evaluation Of The Nutritional Quality Of Twelve Species Of Grass Tolerant To Salt And Drought In Function To Their Dry Matter Accumulation Curve In The Tamborada Region, Julio César Bustamante Alavi

Theses and Dissertations

Currently, livestock production in the Andean highlands of Bolivia is done with low food efficiency due to the free range grazing system. This in turn leads to nutritional deficiencies. Therefore, it is necessary to substitute these grass species for others that fulfill nutritional requirements. Our main objective was to determine the species of grass with the best nutritional quality. Of the 12 species, only 11 were analyzed because the species Didtichlis stricta did not germinate. Five monthly samples were taken after the cut (ddc) at the following intervals: 50, 81, 112, 141, and 176 days. These samples were analyzed in …