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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Assessment Of Arctic Grayling Re-Introduction Potential In The Big Manistee River, Michigan., Cameron Goble Jan 2017

Assessment Of Arctic Grayling Re-Introduction Potential In The Big Manistee River, Michigan., Cameron Goble

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Arctic Grayling Thymallus arcticus were once the dominant fluvial salmonid species in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. By the late 19th century most populations in the State had experienced drastic declines and by 1936 the species was declared extinct in Michigan. Beginning in 2011 the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians and Michigan Technological University partnered on research to determine the feasibility of re-establishing the species in the Big Manistee River watershed which was home to one of the last Arctic Grayling populations in the Lower Peninsula. The objectives of this research were to: A) assess abiotic habitat suitability for Arctic …


Associations Between Invasive Eurasian Watermilfoil And Littoral Fish And Invertebrate Communities In The Keweenaw Waterway Of Lake Superior, Carmen Leguizamon Jan 2017

Associations Between Invasive Eurasian Watermilfoil And Littoral Fish And Invertebrate Communities In The Keweenaw Waterway Of Lake Superior, Carmen Leguizamon

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The invasion of Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) can influence littoral zone communities within lakes. Its formation of dense mats at the water surface can suppress native macrophyte growth and impact fish diets and community structure, as well as invertebrate assemblages. However, in the colder waters of the upper Great Lakes region, Eurasian watermilfoil is patchily distributed and integrates more with the native macrophyte community. In order to identify the associations of invasive Eurasian watermilfoil and the littoral communities of the Keweenaw Waterway of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, we sampled invertebrates, fish, and macrophytes at sites that represented a gradient of Eurasian …


Characterization Of Ecological Water Stress In The U.S. Great Lakes Region Using A Geospatial Modeling Approach, Sara Alian Jan 2017

Characterization Of Ecological Water Stress In The U.S. Great Lakes Region Using A Geospatial Modeling Approach, Sara Alian

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Anthropocentric water resources management affects aquatic habitats by changing streamflow regime. Understanding the impacts of water withdrawal from different sources and consumption by various economic sectors at different spatial and temporal scales is key to characterizing ecologically harmful streamflow disturbances. To this end, we developed a generic, integrative framework to characterize catchment scale water stress at annual and monthly time scales. The framework accounts for spatially cumulative consumptive and non-consumptive use impacts and associated changes in flow due to depletion and return flow along the stream network. Application of the framework to the U.S. Great Lakes Region indicates that a …


The Spatial Ecology Of Gray Wolves In The Upper Peninsula Of Michigan, 1994–2013, Shawn O'Neil Jan 2017

The Spatial Ecology Of Gray Wolves In The Upper Peninsula Of Michigan, 1994–2013, Shawn O'Neil

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

All natural processes are dynamic in space and time. Establishing the links between spatiotemporal patterns and ecological processes is critical for improving our understanding of natural systems. Empirical data representing wildlife populations is accumulating and increasingly involves spatiotemporal components. Wildlife monitoring programs for threatened, endangered, or other species of interest often involve radio-tracking of a sample of individual animals combined with census data. Such data are valuable both for conservation and management of populations and for testing ecological theories about species distribution and what influences patterns over time. We used 20 years of radio telemetry and snow tracking data to …


Impacts To Biodiversity And Ecosystem Services From Bioenergy Development: A Pan American Experience, Colin Phifer Jan 2017

Impacts To Biodiversity And Ecosystem Services From Bioenergy Development: A Pan American Experience, Colin Phifer

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

As part of a broader project that evaluated the social and ecological sustainability of bioenergy, I studied the effects of bioenergy associated land-use change and management on native bees and birds in two bioenergy-producing countries, the United States and Argentina. In Argentina, I worked in Entre Ríos province where eucalyptus (Eucalyptus spp.) plantations are being planted. These fast-growing trees are replacing pasture and annual crops, the current dominant land use. I surveyed for native bees and birds in pastures/annual crops and large-scale eucalyptus plantations, as well as mixed-use farms and native espinal savannas. Both birds and bees declined in …


Neutral And Adaptive Genetic Variation In North American Hardwood Tree Species, Sudhir Khodwekar Jan 2017

Neutral And Adaptive Genetic Variation In North American Hardwood Tree Species, Sudhir Khodwekar

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

'Northern Hardwoods,’ are a characteristic composition of multiple tree species and a part of the rich and diverse northeastern forests. Hardwoods e.g. oaks (Quercus: Fagaceae and Sugar maple), serve as foundation species and offer ecological and economical gains to wildlife and humans. Most of the forest trees go through many biotic and abiotic stresses, for example climate change in their long life span. To overcome these threats and to adapt to changing conditions, tree species need to maintain variation especially in adaptive genes. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze genetic diversity within forest tree populations and take appropriate …