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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Climate Driven Range Shifts Of North American Small Mammals: Species’ Traits And Phylogenetic Influences, Katie Nehiba
Climate Driven Range Shifts Of North American Small Mammals: Species’ Traits And Phylogenetic Influences, Katie Nehiba
All NMU Master's Theses
Current anthropogenically-driven climate change is accelerating at an unprecedented rate. In response, species’ ranges may shift, tracking optimal climatic conditions. Species-specific differences may produce predictable differences in the extent of range shifts. I evaluated if patterns of predicted responses to climate change were strongly related to species’ taxonomic identities and/or ecological characteristics of species’ niches, elevation and precipitation. I evaluated differences in predicted range shifts in well-sampled small mammals that are restricted to North America: kangaroo rats, voles, chipmunks, and ground squirrels. I used species distribution modeling to develop predictions for the distributions of species under current and future climate …
Avian Foraging Response To Jack Pine (Pinus Banksiana) Volatile Chemicals, Katie Bjornen
Avian Foraging Response To Jack Pine (Pinus Banksiana) Volatile Chemicals, Katie Bjornen
All NMU Master's Theses
Birds benefit trees and other plants by removing herbivores that damage the plant and impede its growth. They can significantly increase the growth and biomass of the trees by foraging on the herbivores that harm plants, and the prey items eaten in turn benefits foraging birds by providing sustenance. This interaction becomes complex when tree volatile chemical communication is added. Trees regularly release volatile organic chemicals (referred to as VOCs) as part of metabolism. The particular VOCs released by a tree can depend on several factors, including water availability, time of year, and damage type (e.g., mechanical damage or insect …