Life Sciences Commons^™

The Ivory-Billed Woodpecker In Mississippi?, Stephen J. Dinsmore

Stephen J Dinsmore

In April the environmental community received a real surprise--the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, long thought to be extinct, had apparently been rediscovered in Arkansas! As the news unfolded, the world learned that a team of researchers had been tracking at least one woodpecker, a lone male, for more than a year in the Cache River region of east-central Arkansas. The rediscovery of a bird presumed extinct for more than 60 years subsequently galvanized the environmental community and garnered much-needed support for the preservation of the Southeast's remaining old growth bottomland forests and endangered species recovery.

Waterfowl Abundance And Distribution In The Mississippi Delta, Stephen J. Dinsmore, Aaron T. Pearse, Richard M. Kaminski, Kenneth J. Reinecke

Stephen J Dinsmore

During mornings of empty skies, a duck hunter has plenty of time to ponder the question, "Where are all the ducks?" Invariable, the distraught hunter arrives at an unhappy conclusion: the ducks are not going to show up, so they must be elsewhere. The typical progression of an unsuccessful morning of hunting leads to multiple explanations as to why there weren't any ducks, such as mild winter temperatures in and north of Mississippi, not enough rain to attract ducks, too much rain and the ducks are scattered, the region doesn't have enough food to attract and hold ducks, the ducks …

Who Believes What? Clearing Up Confusion Over Intelligent Design And Young-Earth Creationism, Marcus R. Ross

Marcus R. Ross

The question of what differentiates young-Earth creationism (YEC) from Intelligent Design (ID) has resulted in inaccurate and confusing terminology, and hinders both understanding and dialogue. Though both YEC and ID groups have drawn distinctions between themselves, previous attempts to classify design-based positions on origins have been unable to adequately resolve their relationships. The Nested Hierarchy of Design, a multiple-character classification system, categorizes teleological positions according to the strength of claims regarding the reality, detectability, source, method, and timing of design, and results in an accurate and robust classification of numerous positions. This method avoids the philosophical and theological pitfalls of …

Education About The Environment Discover Mojave Programs, Public Lands Institute

Presentations (PLI Education)

Increases people’s knowledge and awareness about the environment and associated challenges, develops the necessary skills and expertise to address the challenges, and fosters attitudes, motivations, and commitments to make informed decisions and take responsible action” (UNESCO, Tbilisi Declaration, 1978)

Assessing “Discover Mojave” Instrument Development And Analysis, Lori Olafson, Gregory Schraw, Jeanne A. Klockow

Reports (DM)

We developed a comprehensive assessment plan and tested the curriculum to determine whether hands-on outdoor recreation events promote knowledge, attitudes, and performance among at-risk urban children. Knowledge, attitude, and performance assessments were developed, refined and conducted through various stages based on cultural and language barriers as well a variety of age groups participating within the events. Findings revealed that knowledge, attitudes, and performance increased substantially as a result of participating in the outdoor recreation events. We conclude that the implementation and assessment of the program is strong. We also make several recommendations for future programs.

Regional Open Space & Trails Workgroup Presentation, Public Lands Institute

Presentations (PLI)

The Public Lands Institute is dedicated to strengthening the national fabric that is essential for the protection, conservation, and management of public lands.

Oliver Ranch Science School Complex & Wild Horse And Burro Facility: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending September 30, 2005, Margaret N. Rees

Oliver Ranch Project

Executive Summary

Activity highlights during the first quarter of Year Two include the following actions toward task agreement deliverables:

• Agenda and minutes prepared and distributed for three core group meetings
• Wild horse and burro curriculum completed and vetted through local, regional, and national levels
• Historical curriculum completed and ready for review by core group
• Two RRDLC PowerPoint presentations coordinated, written, and illustrated by Public Lands Institute staff for BLM presentations to the Clark County School District Executive Cabinet and the Board of Trustees.
• RRDLC informational handouts provided to community members, teachers, and students at Joshua Jubilee community event and Clark …

Oliver Ranch Science School Complex & Wild Horse And Burro Facility: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending December 31, 2005, Margaret N. Rees

Oliver Ranch Project

Executive Summary

Activity highlights during the first quarter of Year Two include the following actions toward task agreement deliverables:

• Agenda and minutes prepared and distributed for two core group meetings
• Historical curriculum 100% completed
• Cultural curriculum 100% completed
• Night sky curriculum 50% completed
• Green Building curriculum 25% completed
• Communications/Outreach Plan revised and prioritized
• RRDLC newsletter under final review by BLM state office

Oliver Ranch Science School Complex & Wild Horse And Burro Facility: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending March 31, 2005, Margaret N. Rees

Oliver Ranch Project

Assist in project coordination between numerous stakeholders such as the Clark County School System, Desert Research Institute, Community College of Southern Nevada, UNR Cooperative Extension, Nevada State College, local museums, state parks, non-profit organizations, federal agencies, and the public to ensure appropriate educational curricular activities and venues are provided for in the conceptual design of the School and the Wild Horse and Burro facility where appropriate as well as assist in the NEPA process as needed. The activities will be conducted at least in part by university faculty, staff and students as part of the university’s research, teaching, and service …

Oliver Ranch Science School Complex & Wild Horse And Burro Facility: Annual Progress Report, Year Ending June 30, 2005, Margaret N. Rees

Oliver Ranch Project

Assist in project coordination between numerous stakeholders such as the Clark County School System, Desert Research Institute, Community College of Southern Nevada, UNR Cooperative Extension, Nevada State College, local museums, state parks, non-profit organizations, federal agencies, and the public to ensure appropriate educational curricular activities and venues are provided for in the conceptual design of the School and the Wild Horse and Burro facility where appropriate as well as assist in the NEPA process as needed. The activities will be conducted at least in part by university faculty, staff and students as part of the university’s research, teaching, and service …

Water Element Of The Las Vegas 2020 Master Plan, City Of Las Vegas, Nevada

Publications (WR)

Development in the city of Las Vegas is guided by the goals, objectives and policies outlined in the 2020 Master Plan, and elements of the Plan such as the Public Safety Element, which contain goals and policies designed to protect and enhance groundwater drainage. Additionally, the city of Las Vegas Strategic Plan has the following goals, strategies, and performance measures:

Goal: Encourage conservation and optimization of natural resources.

Strategy: Identify appropriate water conservation strategies and priorities.

Strategy: Explore best development and urban design practices for environmental stewardship, energy and water conservation, and efficient use of the land.

Performance Measure: Adoption …

Home Range And Behavior Of The Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus Horridus), Jennifer P. Adams

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Seventeen timber rattlesnakes were surgically implanted with radio transmitters and subsequently radio-tracked to determine the home range and behavior, as well as cause-specific mortality, of timber rattlesnakes on production forests in Randolph County, West Virginia. Mean home range sizes were 94.3 ha, males; 31.2 ha, nongravid females; 8.5 ha, gravid females; and 44.7 ha, among sex classes. Among sex classes, the mean daily movement rate was 20.2 mper day; the mean maximum known distances from den sites was 1110.2 m; the mean distance from den sites was 514.2 m; and the mean total distance moved was 2852.9 m. Mean active …

Habitat Analysis By Hierarchical Scheme And Stream Geomorphology, James B. Spence

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

A study was undertaken to classify eight stream reaches in the North Branch of the Potomac River watershed and determine if geomorphologic differences influenced the availability of fish habitat structure and fish density. Stream reaches were classified using Rosgen Level II (1996) methods, and fish habitat was determined using Hydraulic Channel Unit (HCU) classification based on a method modified from Bisson et al. (1982). Other habitat variables were also studied such as stream shading and physical habitat based on the Rapid Bioassessment Protocol (Barbour et al. 1999). Despite the differences in HCU density between sites, HCU density did not influence …

Natural History And Conservation Biology Of A Southern West Virginia Contour Surface Mine Reptile And Amphibian Community, Zachary James Loughman

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

During the 2004-2005 field seasons, natural history of a herpetofaunal community was studied on an abandoned contour surface mine in Eccles, Raleigh County, West Virginia. This study is the first natural history investigation of amphibian and reptile populations present on an abandoned mine site. Specific natural history parameters for each order on the mine were investigated to determine what effect the post mining landscape had on herpetofaunal communities. Pond breeding caudates population success was dependent on life history parameters. Anurans were efficient at re-colonization, with 12 of a possible 14 species collected on the mine site. Anuran diversity was linked …

Comparisons Of Morphology And Reproductive Status Of Plethodon Glutinosus At High, Middle, And Low Elevations In West Virginia, Cynthia F. Lucas

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Plethodon glutinosus populations in West Virginia were looked at in three different elevations. Objectives were to determine if there is enough difference in elevation to cause different populations to vary in morphology and reproduction. Nine morphological measurements were taken to represent both size and proportional shape. Sexual dimorphism was found in all measurements only in low elevations, males being larger (p<0.001-p=0.041). Mean measurements between the three elevations showed significant differences (p<0.005) in all measurements excluding head width, tail length, and 3rd digit length. Salamanders were dissected; testes and vasa deferentia were removed from males and ovaries with follicles were removed from females. Results showed males in lower and middle elevations deposit spermatophores May-July. Low sample sizes in higher elevations provided inconclusive results. Females of lower elevations lay eggs early-mid summer. Middle and higher elevations results revealed a likely spring oviposition, or possibly a fall oviposition.

The Natural History, Distribution, And Phenotypic Variation Of Cave-Dwelling Spring Salamanders, Gyrinophilus Spp. Cope (Plethodontidae), In West Virginia, Michael Steven Osbourn

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

There are over 4000 documented caves in West Virginia, potentially providing refuge and habitat for a diversity of amphibians and reptiles. Spring Salamanders, Gyrinophilus porphyriticus, are among the most frequently encountered amphibians in caves. Surveys of 25 caves provided expanded distribution records and insight into ecology and diet of G. porphyriticus. Over 500 species locality records were compiled in a nearly comprehensive list. The Gyrinophilus population from General Davis Cave is of particular interest. In 1977, Besharse and Holsinger first described the West Virginia Spring Salamander, G. subterraneus; however, its taxonomic status is unclear. In order to …

Assessing Cultural And Ecological Variation In Ethnobiological Research: The Importance Of Gender, Jeanine M. Pfeiffer

Faculty Publications, Environmental Studies

Contending that a significant portion of current ethnobiological research continues to overlook cultural variation in traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and practice, this paper explores the potential impacts of gender-imbalanced research on data collection, hypothesis testing, and the formulation and application of ethnobiological inventories and theories. A multidisciplinary review of over 220 studies addresses commonly held stereotypes underlying gender-imbalanced field research and demonstrates the need for more inclusive, finely-tuned studies which disaggregate indigenous knowledge and practice by gender. The paper outlines factors underlying gender-based spatial and temporal variation in ecosystem exposure and traditional ecological knowledge in rural societies worldwide, and discusses …

Invertebrate Diversity In Taylor Valley Soils And Sediments, Amy M. Treonis, Diana H. Wall, Ross A. Virginia

Biology Faculty Publications

Explaining how ecosystems function across variable landscapes will require knowledge of biodiversity patterns. In particular, biodiversity studies of soils and sediments will help in understanding the linkages between ecosystem processes in both of these habitats (Freckman et al. 1997). Soils and sediments are domains for ecosystem processes such as decomposition and trace gas exchange. There are few studies, however, that have compared abundance and diversity of organisms in adjacent soils and sediments (Freckman et al. 1997). The goal of this study was to increase understanding of how the biotic communities involved in ecosystem processes are organized within an important feature …

Knowing When To Draw The Line: Designing More Informative Ecological Experiments, Kathryn L. Cottingham, Jay T. Lennon, Bryan L. Brown

Dartmouth Scholarship

Linear regression and analysis of variance (ANOVA) are two of the most widely used statistical techniques in ecology. Regression quantitatively describes the relationship between a response variable and one or more continuous independent variables, while ANOVA determines whether a response variable differs among discrete values of the independent variable(s). Designing experiments with discrete factors is straightforward because ANOVA is the only option, but what is the best way to design experiments involving continuous factors? Should ecologists prefer experiments with few treatments and many replicates analyzed with ANOVA, or experiments with many treatments and few replicates per treatment analyzed with regression? …

Proposed Management Arrangements For The West Coast Commercial 'Wetline' Fishery. A Discussion Paper., West Coast And Gascoyne Management Planning Panel

Fisheries management papers

The ‘Wetline Review’ was established to implement an effective management framework for the commercial sector to complement the recreational initiatives. It must be stressed at the outset that this review is focussed on the take of scalefish by the commercial sector. The levels of use between the various user groups in the West Coast region will be examined under the new integrated fisheries initiative following the implementation of new management arrangements for scalefish taken by the commercial sector.

Aggregate Measures Of Ecosystem Services: Can We Take The Pulse Of Nature?, Laura A. Meyerson, Jill Baron, Jerry M. Melillo, Robert J. Naiman, Robin I. O'Malley, Gordon Orians, Margaret A. Palmer, Alexander S. P. Pfaff, Steven W. Running, Osvaldo E. Sala

Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences Faculty Publications

National scale aggregate indicators of ecosystem services are useful for stimulating and supporting a broad public discussion about trends in the provision of these services. There are important considerations involved in producing an aggregate indicator, including whether the scientific and technological capacity exists, how to address varying perceptions of the societal importance of different services, and how to communicate information about these services to both decision makers and the general public. Although the challenges are formidable, they are not insurmountable. Quantification of ecosystem services and dissemination of information to decision makers and the public is critical for the responsible and …

Terrestrial Behavior Of Ateles Spp., Christina J. Campbell, Filippo Aureli, Colin A. Chapman, Gabriel Ramos-Fernández, Kim Matthews, Sabrina E. Russo, Scott Suarez, Laura Vick

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Spider monkeys (Ateles spp.) are well known for their highly arboreal lifestyle, spending much of their time in the highest levels of the canopy and rarely venturing to the ground. To investigate terrestriality by Ateles and to illuminate the conditions under which spider monkeys venture to the ground, we analyzed ad libitum data from 5 study sites, covering 2 species and 5 subspecies. Three of the sites are in Central/North America: Barro Colorado Island (BCI), Panama (Ateles geoffroyi panamensis), Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica (A. g. frontatus), and Punta Laguna, Mexico (A. g. yucatanensis). The 2 remaining sites are …

Evaluation Of Ecological Risk To Populations Of A Threatened Plant From An Invasive Biocontrol Insect, Svata M. Louda, Tatyana A. Rand, A. E. Arnett, A. S. Mcclay, K. Shea, K. Mceachern

Svata M. Louda Publications

Controversy exists over estimation of ecological risk in biological control. At present, the risk to the rare, federally listed Pitcher’s thistle (Cirsium pitcheri) in North America from Rhinocyllus conicus, a biological control weevil now feeding on many native thistles, is unknown. We hypothesized that quantification of host specificity and potential phenological overlap between insect and plant would improve assessment of the magnitude of risk. In laboratory host specificity tests, we found no significant difference in R. conicus feeding or oviposition preference between the rare C. pitcheri and the targeted exotic weed (Carduus nutans) or between …

Complex Signal Function: Developing A Framework Of Testable Hypotheses, Eileen Hebets, Daniel R. Papaj

Eileen Hebets Publications

The basic building blocks of communication are signals, assembled in various sequences and combinations, and used in virtually all inter- and intra-specific interactions. While signal evolution has long been a focus of study, there has been a recent resurgence of interest and research in the complexity of animal displays. Much past research on signal evolution has focused on sensory specialists, or on single signals in isolation, but many animal displays involve complex signaling, or the combination of more than one signal or related component, often serially and overlapping, frequently across multiple sensory modalities. Here, we build a framework of functional …

Checking Your Brain At The Church Door?, Allen Shepherd

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society

No abstract provided.

Monitoring Temporal Change In Riparian Vegetation Of Great Basin National Park, E. A. Beever, D. A. Pyke, J. C. Chambers, F. Landau, S. D. Smith, K. Murray

Life Sciences Faculty Research

Disturbance in riparian areas of semiarid ecosystems involves complex interactions of pulsed hydrologic flows, herbivory, fire, climatic effects, and anthropogenic influences. We resampled riparian vegetation within ten 10-m × 100-m plots that were initially sampled in 1992 in 4 watersheds of the Snake Range, east central Nevada. Our finding of significantly lower coverage of grasses, forbs, and shrubs within plots in 2001 compared with 1992 was not consistent with the management decision to remove livestock grazing from the watersheds in 1999. Change over time in cover of life-forms or bare ground was not predicted by scat counts within plots in …

Effects Of Human Disturbance On The Breeding Success Of Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia Sialis), Caitlin Rebecca Kight

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of Molecular Variation In The Federally Endangered Astragalus Jaegerianus (Fabaceae, Papilionoideae): A Species With A Restricted Geographic Range, George Floyd Walker

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study is to investigate the level and distribution of genetic variation in Astragalus jaegerianus by using molecular markers. The objectives of the study are: to estimate levels of genetic variation within and among populations of Astragalus jaegerianus; to test the hypothesis that levels and patterns of genetic variation in species of restricted ranges and few individuals is low and partitioned at the population level; and to discern whether, or how well, genetic partitioning of Lane Mountain milk vetch correlates with its geographic partitioning in the field.

Bears Remain Top Summer Predators, Shannon M. Barber, L. David Mech, P. J. White

USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

In the ten years since wolves (Canis lupus) were restored to Yellowstone National Park (YNP), elk (Cervus elaphus) numbers have substantially decreased. The northern range elk herd is the largest elk herd in Yellowstone, and constitutes the majority of the park’s elk population. During 1994–2005, early winter counts of northern Yellowstone elk decreased from 19,045 to 9,545. Also, during winters 2000–2004, calf:cow ratios declined from 29:100 to 12:100, and were among the lowest recorded during the past several decades. Though many factors (e.g., predation, hunting, and drought) likely contributed to this decreasing abundance and low recruitment, …

Competition Between Marine Mammals And Fisheries: Food For Thought, Kristin Kaschner, Daniel Pauly

State of the Animals 2005

Marine mammals and humans have co-existed on this planet for several hundred thousand years. Both rely heavily on the exploitation of marine resources, though whales, dolphins, and pinnipeds have been doing so for much longer, roaming the oceans for millions of years, long before the emergence of modern humans (Hoelzel 2002). It is not surprising that, when there is a “new kid on the block,” co-existence is not always very peaceful, and many of the encounters between humans and marine mammals result in a variety of conflicts.