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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Effects Of Short-Term Soil Conditioning By Cheatgrass And Western Wheatgrass, James J. O'Connor, Janet S. Prevey
Effects Of Short-Term Soil Conditioning By Cheatgrass And Western Wheatgrass, James J. O'Connor, Janet S. Prevey
The Prairie Naturalist
The exotic grass Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass) is a ubiquitous invader in the western USA. Cheatgrass is a proficient competitor, frequently displacing native plants, forming monotypic stands and reducing biodiversity in ecosystems it invades. Our experiment tested whether short-term soil modification by cheatgrass and a predominant native grass, Pascopyrum smithii (western wheatgrass), affected subsequent growth of both species. We compared productivity of cheatgrass and western wheatgrass by harvesting aboveground biomass of plants grown in either cheatgrass- or western wheatgrass-conditioned soils over two simulated growing seasons. Results indicated that cheatgrass soils do not inhibit the productivity of the native grass, but do …
Sediment Loss Of Santa Rosa Island Slopes: An Erosional Study, Michael Perez
Sediment Loss Of Santa Rosa Island Slopes: An Erosional Study, Michael Perez
STAR Program Research Presentations
Ranching began on Santa Rosa Island in the 1840’s, consequently introducing nonnative megafauna that put novel selective grazing pressures on endemic plant species. Their movement patterns also altered sediment integrity as the land was denuded of any stabilizing vegetation. Dense groves of island oak (Q. tomentella) are known to aid in sediment deposition and retention. The groves also function to collect water during periods of intense fog that are common to the island. This experiment sought to quantify the volume of sediment that has been lost on a south facing slope in the middle of the island that …
Rooted In Hell: Predicting Invasion Rates Of Phragmites Australis, Rachel Nydegger, Jacob P. Duncan, James A. Powell
Rooted In Hell: Predicting Invasion Rates Of Phragmites Australis, Rachel Nydegger, Jacob P. Duncan, James A. Powell
Browse All Undergraduate research
Across the estuaries of the east coast and wetlands of the Great Lakes, the invasive grass Phragmites australis outcompetes other vegetation and destroys local ecosystems. Because its roots are tolerant to salinity that other plants find hellish, Phragmites invasions begin with vegetative spread of genetic clones in brackish marshlands. This plant can grow over three meters tall at densities of 50 stems/m2, provides poor wildlife habitat, and is very difficult to eradicate.
A discrete life stage model on a yearly time step captures seed survivorship in a seed bank, sexual and asexual recruitment into a juvenile age class, and differential …
The Characterization Of A Vital Wisconsin Waterway: A Biological Assessment Of The Lower Fox River From 2006-2014, Emily L. Kiehnau
The Characterization Of A Vital Wisconsin Waterway: A Biological Assessment Of The Lower Fox River From 2006-2014, Emily L. Kiehnau
Lawrence University Honors Projects
The Lower Fox River has historically been used as a navigational crossroads, a waste disposal system, and source of hydroelectric power. Over the years, heavy use of the river has negatively affected water quality and the overall health of the system. Unhealthy rivers cannot function properly. Biological assessment based on animal surveys are often used to determine river health. I used data from the Lawrence University and Fox River Navigational System Authority invasive species-monitoring project to explore how the distribution of animals in the Fox River has changed over time and across locations. Monitoring surveys have taken place between June …
Background Paper On Systematics, Invasive Species Advisory Committee
Background Paper On Systematics, Invasive Species Advisory Committee
National Invasive Species Council
The Invasive Species Advisory Committee (ISAC) makes recommendations to the Federal government agencies that have an invasive species portfolio. This systematics recommendation strives to motivate action in the agencies that have been identified in the Situation Report as the agencies with systematics capabilities in the Federal government.
The USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and the Smithsonian Institution are repositories of a large amount of the systematics collections and human capabilities for systematics essential work on invasive species. Conducting the Survey of their systematics capabilities and needs is urgent. The Survey will describe actions in research, specimen-based collections, a biodiversity informatics …
Likelihood Of Marine Pest Introduction To The Indian Ocean Territories, Justin I. Mcdonald, Samantha D. Bridgwood, Mathew Hourston
Likelihood Of Marine Pest Introduction To The Indian Ocean Territories, Justin I. Mcdonald, Samantha D. Bridgwood, Mathew Hourston
Fisheries research reports
The introduction of new species to environments in which they did not evolve has been widely recognised as one of the top five threats to marine ecosystem function and to biodiversity (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005).
European Frogbit (Hydrocharis Morsus-Ranae) In The Champlain/Adirondack Region: Recent Inferences, Chris Martine, Stephen Langdon, Timothy Shearman, Casey Binggeli, Timothy B. Mihuc
European Frogbit (Hydrocharis Morsus-Ranae) In The Champlain/Adirondack Region: Recent Inferences, Chris Martine, Stephen Langdon, Timothy Shearman, Casey Binggeli, Timothy B. Mihuc
Faculty Journal Articles
As part of its north-south movement following introduction to Canada, Hydrocharis morsus-ranae L. (Hydrocharitaceae) has recently become established in slow-moving waters of the Champlain/Adirondack region of the northeastern US. The species is present on both the New York and Vermont shores of Lake Champlain and, so far, at a single location in the interior of the Adirondack Park. The southernmost Champlain/Adirondack occurrence is in the Champlain Canal south of Whitehall, NY (L. Eichler, Darrin Freshwater Institute, pers. comm.), within 25 miles of the Hudson River watershed—a population first recorded around 2006. Entry into the Hudson watershed, whether from the canal …