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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Roles Of Bryophytes In Forest Sustainability—Positive Or Negative?, Janice M. Glime Mar 2024

Roles Of Bryophytes In Forest Sustainability—Positive Or Negative?, Janice M. Glime

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 2

Bryophytes were traditionally ignored in most studies of forest ecosystem processes, or they were included with litter or soil. In the last few decades we have begun to understand their many roles that permit them to be ecosystem engineers. This review serves to pull together many scattered sources into a single source on the many contributions bryophytes can perform as ecosystem engineers and to support what several authors have already stressed: that bryophytes should not be treated as a single functional group. It puts bryophytes in perspective in terms of richness and biomass, then explores their roles as ecosystem engineers; …


Deconstructing The Mangrove Carbon Cycle: Gains, Transformation, And Losses, M. F. Adame, N. Cormier, P. Taillardat, N. Iram, A. Rovai, T. M. Sloey, E. S. Yando, J. F. Blanco-Libreros, M. Arnaud, T. Jennerjahn, C. E. Lovelock, D. Friess, G. M. S. Reithmaier, C. A. Buelow, S. M. Muhammad-Nor, R. R. Twilley, R. A. Ribeiro Jan 2024

Deconstructing The Mangrove Carbon Cycle: Gains, Transformation, And Losses, M. F. Adame, N. Cormier, P. Taillardat, N. Iram, A. Rovai, T. M. Sloey, E. S. Yando, J. F. Blanco-Libreros, M. Arnaud, T. Jennerjahn, C. E. Lovelock, D. Friess, G. M. S. Reithmaier, C. A. Buelow, S. M. Muhammad-Nor, R. R. Twilley, R. A. Ribeiro

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Mangroves are one of the most carbon-dense forests on the Earth and have been highlighted as key ecosystems for climate change mitigation and adaptation. Hundreds of studies have investigated how mangroves fix, transform, store, and export carbon. Here, we review and synthesize the previously known and emerging carbon pathways in mangroves, including gains (woody biomass accumulation, deadwood accumulation, soil carbon sequestration, root and litterfall production), transformations (food web transfer through herbivory, decomposition), and losses (respiration as CO2 and CH4, litterfall export, particulate and dissolved carbon export). We then review the technologies available to measure carbon fluxes in …


Biological Flora Of Coastal Freshwater And Brackish Marshes: Cladium Jamaicense Crantz, Richard Stalter, Robert I. Lonard Jul 2023

Biological Flora Of Coastal Freshwater And Brackish Marshes: Cladium Jamaicense Crantz, Richard Stalter, Robert I. Lonard

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Cladium jamaicense Crantz, also known as sawgrass, has a broad distributional range from the Atlantic coast of Virginia to Florida, to southern Texas, the Caribbean, and along the Atlantic coast of Mexico to Central America, and to Brazil. Cladium jamaicense typically occurs in oligotrophic sloughs and fresh and brackish marshes where optimal salinity values range from 0 to 3.5 ppt. This species is a long-lived perennial with a highly developed rhizome system with rhizomes up to 20 cm long and 2.5 to 10 mm in diameter. Asexual reproduction is common. Its fibrous root system comprises short dauciform roots characterized by …


Sustainability Practices In Aquaculture: Using Algae Turf Scrubber Biomass To Raise Black Soldier Flies As An Alternative Feed In Blue Tilapia, Oreochromis Aureus, Culture, Michelle C. Lowery Jan 2023

Sustainability Practices In Aquaculture: Using Algae Turf Scrubber Biomass To Raise Black Soldier Flies As An Alternative Feed In Blue Tilapia, Oreochromis Aureus, Culture, Michelle C. Lowery

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Since the 1980s, non-algal aquaculture has grown to encompass 49% of all seafood production in response to a growing human population and increased seafood demand (FAO, 2022). Hurdles exist to aquaculture sustainability, including dependence on wild sourced fishmeal (FM) and the impacts wastewater discharge. It takes 4-5 tons of wild forage fish to produce one ton of dry FM (Miles and Chapman, 2006) and as aquaculture is primarily conducted in earthen ponds and public open water bodies (FAO, 2022), finfish culture can have a high impact on the surrounding environment by discharging excess nutrients. This study used algae turf scrubber …


Factors Influencing Tree Growth In A Bottomland Hardwood Along The Green River In Kentucky, Caleb Miller May 2022

Factors Influencing Tree Growth In A Bottomland Hardwood Along The Green River In Kentucky, Caleb Miller

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

In bottomland hardwood forests, large fluctuations in moisture availability can lead to stress from both flooded and drought conditions. These forests can have a complex species composition with different water use and drought strategies. The bottomlands in which these species co-occur can have a complex spatial distribution of alluvial sediments due to the meandering and migration of river or stream channels, which may impact the hydrology, nutrient dynamics, and productivity. At Western Kentucky University's Green River Preserve, approximately 9 ha of bottomland hardwood forest were planted in 2006. Although these hardwoods have received equal amounts of sunlight, rainfall, and wind, …


Racial Health And Productivity Inequalities In The United States, Elissia Vecere Apr 2022

Racial Health And Productivity Inequalities In The United States, Elissia Vecere

Honors Theses

Across America, it is frequently seen that there are may differences by race in economic and social outcomes. This variability can be seen in judicial, social, and economic systems. The breakdown of economic systems presenting racial variability can be displayed via workplace statistics. There is a general discrepancy between the workplace statistics represented with Black and White employees. These differences frequently are blamed on the productivity and background education supplied by the employee upon being hired. However, the levels of variation across these two races varies minutely in comparison to the differences in wages supplied. When all factors are kept …


Responses Of Bouteloua Eriopoda And Soil Stability To Precipitation Extremes In Chihuahuan Desert Grassland, Laura Kay Sadorf Sep 2019

Responses Of Bouteloua Eriopoda And Soil Stability To Precipitation Extremes In Chihuahuan Desert Grassland, Laura Kay Sadorf

IdeaFest: Interdisciplinary Journal of Creative Works and Research from Cal Poly Humboldt

No abstract provided.


Habitat Characteristics And Nesting Ecology Of Golden Eagles In Arizona, Michele J. Losee Jan 2019

Habitat Characteristics And Nesting Ecology Of Golden Eagles In Arizona, Michele J. Losee

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) have a broad range globally and in general are well-studied. However, Arizona’s Golden Eagle population remained essentially unstudied until 2011, when Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) began nest surveys for cliff nesting Golden Eagles throughout the state. As a result of this data collection, the natural history of Arizona’s Golden Eagles is finally revealing itself. This dissertation outlined a reliable description of their nesting phenology that provides a framework for timing surveys and a baseline to monitor the effects of climate change on Golden Eagles. The mean date for egg-laying was February 14 and pairs …


Point Of View: The Sustainable Professor, Elizabeth S. Haswell Aug 2017

Point Of View: The Sustainable Professor, Elizabeth S. Haswell

Biology Faculty Publications & Presentations

Responsible agricultural practices provide a useful lens through which to consider the lives and careers of researchers.


Negative Density Dependence Mediates Biodiversity–Productivity Relationships Across Scales, Joseph A. Lamanna, R Travis Belote, Laura A. Burkle, Christopher P. Catano, Jonathan A. Myers Jul 2017

Negative Density Dependence Mediates Biodiversity–Productivity Relationships Across Scales, Joseph A. Lamanna, R Travis Belote, Laura A. Burkle, Christopher P. Catano, Jonathan A. Myers

Biology Faculty Publications & Presentations

Regional species diversity generally increases with primary productivity whereas local diversity–productivity relationships are highly variable. This scale-dependence of the biodiversity–productivity relationship highlights the importance of understanding the mechanisms that govern variation in species composition among local communities, which is known as β-diversity. Hypotheses to explain changes in β-diversity with productivity invoke multiple mechanisms operating at local and regional scales, but the relative importance of these mechanisms is unknown. Here we show that changes in the strength of local density-dependent interactions within and among tree species explain changes in β-diversity across a subcontinental-productivity gradient. Stronger conspecific relative to …


Increased Productivity In Wet Years Drives A Decline In Ecosystem Stability With Nitrogen Additions In Arid Grasslands, Junfeng Wang, Johannes M.H. Knops, Chad E. Brassil, Chunsheng Mu Jan 2017

Increased Productivity In Wet Years Drives A Decline In Ecosystem Stability With Nitrogen Additions In Arid Grasslands, Junfeng Wang, Johannes M.H. Knops, Chad E. Brassil, Chunsheng Mu

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Adding nutrients to nutrient-limited ecosystems typically lowers plant diversity and decreases species asynchrony. Both, in turn, decrease the stability of productivity in the response to negative climate fluctuations such as droughts. However, most classic studies examining stability have been done in relatively wet grasslands dominated by perennial grasses. We examined how nutrient additions influence the stability of productivity to rainfall variability in an arid grassland with a mix of perennial and annual species. Of the nutrients, only nitrogen increased productivity, and only in wet years. In addition, only nitrogen decreased the stability of productivity. Thus, nutrient addition makes ecosystem productivity …


Variation In Stem Mortality Rates Determines Patterns Of Above-Ground Biomass In Amazonian Forests: Implications For Dynamic Global Vegetation Models, Michelle O. Johnson, David R. Galbraith, Manuel Gloor, Hannes De Deurwaerder, Matthieu Guimberteau, Anja Rammig, Kirsten Thonicke, Hans Verbeeck, Celso Von Randow, Bradley O. Christoffersen Apr 2016

Variation In Stem Mortality Rates Determines Patterns Of Above-Ground Biomass In Amazonian Forests: Implications For Dynamic Global Vegetation Models, Michelle O. Johnson, David R. Galbraith, Manuel Gloor, Hannes De Deurwaerder, Matthieu Guimberteau, Anja Rammig, Kirsten Thonicke, Hans Verbeeck, Celso Von Randow, Bradley O. Christoffersen

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Understanding the processes that determine above-ground biomass (AGB) in Amazonian forests is important for predicting the sensitivity of these ecosystems to environmental change and for designing and evaluating dynamic global vegetation models (DGVMs). AGB is determined by inputs from woody productivity [woody net primary productivity (NPP)] and the rate at which carbon is lost through tree mortality. Here, we test whether two direct metrics of tree mortality (the absolute rate of woody biomass loss and the rate of stem mortality) and/or woody NPP, control variation in AGB among 167 plots in intact forest across Amazonia. We then compare these relationships …


Plasma Carotenoid Concentrations Of Incubating American Kestrels (Falco Sparverius) Show Annual, Seasonal, And Individual Variation And Explain Reproductive Outcome, Elizabeth C. Sassani, Christeena Sevy, Erin H. Strasser, Alexandra M. Anderson, Julie A. Heath Mar 2016

Plasma Carotenoid Concentrations Of Incubating American Kestrels (Falco Sparverius) Show Annual, Seasonal, And Individual Variation And Explain Reproductive Outcome, Elizabeth C. Sassani, Christeena Sevy, Erin H. Strasser, Alexandra M. Anderson, Julie A. Heath

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

In wild birds, the proximate and ultimate factors that affect circulating carotenoid concentrations remain poorly understood. We studied variation in plasma carotenoid concentrations across several scales: annual, seasonal, pair, territory and individual, and evaluated whether plasma carotenoid concentrations explained reproductive outcome of wild American kestrels (Falco sparverius). We sampled plasma carotenoid concentrations of 99 female and 80 male incubating kestrels from April to June in 2008 to 2012. Plasma carotenoid concentrations were explained by an interaction between year and sex, date, and random effects for pair and individual identity. In general, plasma carotenoid concentrations of males were significantly …


Are We Missing Important Areas In Pelagic Marine Conservation? Redefining Conservation Hotspots In The Ocean, Dana K. Briscoe, Sara M. Maxwell, Raphael Kudela, Larry B. Crowder Jan 2016

Are We Missing Important Areas In Pelagic Marine Conservation? Redefining Conservation Hotspots In The Ocean, Dana K. Briscoe, Sara M. Maxwell, Raphael Kudela, Larry B. Crowder

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The protection of biodiversity is one of the most important goals in terrestrial and marine conservation. Marine conservation approaches have traditionally followed the example of terrestrial initiatives. However, patterns, processes, habitats, and threats differ greatly between the 2 systems - and even within the marine environment. As a result, there is still a lack of congruence as to how to best identify and prioritize conservation approaches moving from the static terrestrial and nearshore realm into a more fluid, 3-dimensional pelagic realm. To address this problem, we investigate how the conservation science literature has been used to inform and guide management …


The Influence Of Balanced And Imbalanced Resource Supply On Biodiversity–Functioning Relationship Across Ecosystems, Aleksandra M. Lewandowska, Antje Biermann, Elizabeth T. Borer, Miguel A. Cebrián-Piqueras, Steven A.J. Declerck, Luc De Meester, Ellen Van Donk, Lars Ganfeldt, Daniel S. Gruner, Nicole Hagenah, W. Stanley Harpole, Kevin P. Kirkman, Christopher A. Klausmeier, Michael Kleyer, Johannes M. H. Knops, Pieter Lemmens, Eric M. Lind, Elena Litchman, Jasmin Mantilla-Contreras, Koen Martens, Sandra Meier, Vanessa Minden, Joslin L. Moore, Harry Olde Venterink, Eric W. Seabloom, Ulrich Sommer, Maren Striebel, Anastasia Trenkamp, Juliane Trinogga, Jotaro Urabe, Wim Vyverman, Dedmer B. Van De Waal, Claire E. Widdicombe, Helmut Hillebrand Jan 2016

The Influence Of Balanced And Imbalanced Resource Supply On Biodiversity–Functioning Relationship Across Ecosystems, Aleksandra M. Lewandowska, Antje Biermann, Elizabeth T. Borer, Miguel A. Cebrián-Piqueras, Steven A.J. Declerck, Luc De Meester, Ellen Van Donk, Lars Ganfeldt, Daniel S. Gruner, Nicole Hagenah, W. Stanley Harpole, Kevin P. Kirkman, Christopher A. Klausmeier, Michael Kleyer, Johannes M. H. Knops, Pieter Lemmens, Eric M. Lind, Elena Litchman, Jasmin Mantilla-Contreras, Koen Martens, Sandra Meier, Vanessa Minden, Joslin L. Moore, Harry Olde Venterink, Eric W. Seabloom, Ulrich Sommer, Maren Striebel, Anastasia Trenkamp, Juliane Trinogga, Jotaro Urabe, Wim Vyverman, Dedmer B. Van De Waal, Claire E. Widdicombe, Helmut Hillebrand

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Numerous studies show that increasing species richness leads to higher ecosystem productivity. This effect is often attributed to more efficient portioning of multiple resources in communities with higher numbers of competing species, indicating the role of resource supply and stoichiometry for biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationships. Here, we merged theory on ecological stoichiometry with a framework of biodiversity–ecosystem functioning to understand how resource use transfers into primary production. We applied a structural equation model to define patterns of diversity– productivity relationships with respect to available resources. Meta-analysis was used to summarize the findings across ecosystem types ranging from aquatic ecosystems to grasslands …


Soil Nematodes And Their Prokaryotic Prey Along An Elevation Gradient In The Mojave Desert (Death Valley National Park, California, Usa), Amy M. Treonis, Kelsey Sutton, Brendan Kavanaugh, Archana Narla, Timothy Mcllarky, Jasmine Felder, Cecilia O'Leary, Megan Riley, Alyxandr Pikus, Sarah Thomas Oct 2012

Soil Nematodes And Their Prokaryotic Prey Along An Elevation Gradient In The Mojave Desert (Death Valley National Park, California, Usa), Amy M. Treonis, Kelsey Sutton, Brendan Kavanaugh, Archana Narla, Timothy Mcllarky, Jasmine Felder, Cecilia O'Leary, Megan Riley, Alyxandr Pikus, Sarah Thomas

Biology Faculty Publications

We characterized soil communities in the Mojave Desert across an elevation gradient. Our goal was to test the hypothesis that as soil quality improved with increasing elevation (due to increased productivity), the diversity of soil prokaryotes and nematodes would also increase. Soil organic matter and soil moisture content increased with elevation as predicted. Soil salinity did not correlate to elevation, but was highest at a mid-gradient, alluvial site. Soil nematode density, community trophic structure, and diversity did not show patterns related to elevation. Similar results were obtained for diversity of bacteria and archaea. Relationships between soil properties, nematode communities, and …


Environmental Correlates Of Breeding In The Crested Caracara (Caracara Cheriway), Joan L. Morrison, Kyle E. Pias, Jonathan B. Cohen, Daniel H. Catlin Oct 2009

Environmental Correlates Of Breeding In The Crested Caracara (Caracara Cheriway), Joan L. Morrison, Kyle E. Pias, Jonathan B. Cohen, Daniel H. Catlin

Faculty Scholarship

We evaluated the influence of weather on reproduction of the Crested Caracara (Caracara cheriway) in an agricultural landscape in south-central Florida. We used a mixed logistic-regression modeling approach within an information-theoretic framework to examine the influence of total rainfall, rainfall frequency, and temperature on the number of breeding pairs, timing of breeding, nest success, and productivity of Crested Caracaras during 1994–2000. The best models indicated an influence of rainfall frequency and laying period on reproduction. More individuals nested and more pairs nested earlier during years with more frequent rainfall in late summer and early fall. Pairs that nested …


Response Of Eelgrass Zostera Marina To Co2 Enrichment: Possible Impacts Of Climate Change And Potential For Remediation Of Coastal Habitats, Sherry L. Palacios, Richard C. Zimmerman Jan 2007

Response Of Eelgrass Zostera Marina To Co2 Enrichment: Possible Impacts Of Climate Change And Potential For Remediation Of Coastal Habitats, Sherry L. Palacios, Richard C. Zimmerman

OES Faculty Publications

Projected increases in dissolved aqueous concentrations of carbon dioxide [CO2(aq)] may have significant impacts on photosynthesis Of CO2-limited organisms such as seagrasses. Short-term CO2(aq) enrichment increases photosynthetic rates and reduces light requirements for growth and survival of individual eelgrass Zostera marina L. shoots growing in the laboratory under artificial light regimes for at least 45 d. This study examined the effects of long-term CO2(aq) enrichment on the performance of eelgrass growing under natural light-replete (33% surface irradiance) and light-limited (5% surface irradiance) conditions for a period of 1 yr. Eelgrass shoots were grown at …


Environmental Correlates Of Nesting Success In Red-Shouldered Hawks, Joan L. Morrison, Michael Mcmillian, Jonathan B. Cohen, Daniel H. Catlin Jan 2007

Environmental Correlates Of Nesting Success In Red-Shouldered Hawks, Joan L. Morrison, Michael Mcmillian, Jonathan B. Cohen, Daniel H. Catlin

Faculty Scholarship

We evaluated the influence of weather on reproduction of the Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) in an agricultural landscape in south-central Florida where we found relatively high densities of successfully nesting hawks. We used a generalized linear modeling approach within an information-theoretic framework to examine the influence of total rainfall, rainfall frequency, and temperature on the timing of nesting, nesting success, and productivity of hawks during 1995-2000. The best models indicated an influence of rainfall frequency and laying period on hawk reproduction. During years with less frequent rainfall in the summer and fall months prior to the beginning of the breeding …


Grassland Diversity And Productivity: The Interplay Of Resource Availability And Propagule Pools, Bryan L. Foster, Timothy L. Dickson Jan 2004

Grassland Diversity And Productivity: The Interplay Of Resource Availability And Propagule Pools, Bryan L. Foster, Timothy L. Dickson

Biology Faculty Publications

Processes operating at multiple spatial scales govern the structure and functioning of ecological communities. We conducted a resource manipulation and propagule addition experiment in grassland to evaluate the interaction of local resource availability and propagule pools in governing local-scale plant colonization, biodiversity, and above-ground productivity. The availabilities of establishment microsites and water were manipulated in field plots for two years through the application of experimental soil disturbances and irrigation, respectively. Resource manipulations led to increased invasibility of the community, as predicted by the theory of fluctuating resources. Rates of colonization,enhanced by the sowing of 32 grassland species, increased plant diversity …


The Effects Of Some Plant Materials On The Growth And Productivity Ofpleurotus Floridafovose, Abdunnasır Yildiz Jan 1999

The Effects Of Some Plant Materials On The Growth And Productivity Ofpleurotus Floridafovose, Abdunnasır Yildiz

Turkish Journal of Biology

In this study, the soybean, sorghum, peanut and wheat straw were used as culture media for Pleurotus florida. The shortest period for mycelium growth on soybean straw was 10.8 days; basidiocarp formation period, the first, second and third harvesting periods were determined as; 28.2, 33.6, 47.2 and 63.8, days respectively as the shortes periods found with peonut straw; 23.2, 59.5, 63.5, 75.2 and 94.0 days respectively, as the longest periods found with sorghum straw. The fresh mushroom yield obtained with 100 g material (70 % moisture) at first, second, third harvesting periods and total yield was 11.2, 7.7, 4.8 and …


The Effect Of Some Plant Materials On The Grwth And Productivity Ofpleurotus Ostreatus (Jacq. Ex. Fr.) Kum. Var. Salignus (Pers. Ex. Fr.)Konr. Et Maubl., Abdunnasır Yildiz, Ramazan Demi̇r Jan 1998

The Effect Of Some Plant Materials On The Grwth And Productivity Ofpleurotus Ostreatus (Jacq. Ex. Fr.) Kum. Var. Salignus (Pers. Ex. Fr.)Konr. Et Maubl., Abdunnasır Yildiz, Ramazan Demi̇r

Turkish Journal of Biology

In this study, the soybean, sorghum, peanut and wheat straw were used as culture media for Pleurotus ostreatus var. salignus. Mycellium growth period, basidiocarp formation period anda first, second, third and fourth harvesting periods were determined as; 10.0, 24.3, 28.6 38.6, 47.3 and 58.6 days respectively as the shortest periods found with peanut straw; and 22.6, 52.6, 56.6, 68.6, 73.6 and 88.6 days respectively, as the longest periods found with sorghum straw. The fresh mushroom yield obtained with 100 g material (70 % moisture) at first, second, third and fourth harwesting periods and total yield was 8.6, 8.1, 4.8, 3.4 …


Biological And Chemical Evaluation Of The Aquatic Environment Of Selected Undeveloped Kentucky Lake Embayments, Marshall Gordon, Morgan E. Sisk Dec 1976

Biological And Chemical Evaluation Of The Aquatic Environment Of Selected Undeveloped Kentucky Lake Embayments, Marshall Gordon, Morgan E. Sisk

KWRRI Research Reports

This report describes research involving biological and chemical analysis of two undeveloped embayments on Kentucky Lake, namely Anderson and Vickers Bays. Field and laboratory studies were made to assess current biotic standing crops, limnological conditions, levels of inorganic and organic pollutants in the embayments.