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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Examining The Impacts Of Valley Fills In Stream Ecosystems On Amphibian And Aquatic Insect Communities In Southeastern Kentucky, John Clayton Bourne
Examining The Impacts Of Valley Fills In Stream Ecosystems On Amphibian And Aquatic Insect Communities In Southeastern Kentucky, John Clayton Bourne
Online Theses and Dissertations
Chapter 1. Abstract: Biodiversity is not evenly distributed, and understanding factors that determine spatial patterns of species diversity remains a key question in ecology. Because of their relatively high abundance and complex life cycles, stream salamanders and aquatic insects are important trophic links and serve a critical role in transferring energy. Despite this importance little research has examined their community structure simultaneously in aquatic ecosystems. The primary objective of this research was to determine the structure of these communities across natural areas of southeastern Kentucky and understand what factors impact their abundances and distributions. To address this, we sampled eight …
Validating A Kentucky Wetland Rapid Assessment Method For Forested Riverine Wetlands Using Vegetation, Bird Surveys, And Landscape Analysis, Johnryan Andrew Polascik
Validating A Kentucky Wetland Rapid Assessment Method For Forested Riverine Wetlands Using Vegetation, Bird Surveys, And Landscape Analysis, Johnryan Andrew Polascik
Online Theses and Dissertations
Within the last two centuries, Kentucky has undergone wetland losses exceeding 80 percent (approximately 500,000 hectares). As a response to these losses, the Kentucky Division of Water (KDOW) and Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) developed the Kentucky Wetland Rapid Assessment Method (KY-WRAM) to evaluate the condition of Kentucky's remaining wetlands. The goal of this study was to validate the KY-WRAM for forested riverine wetlands using a vegetation index of biotic integrity (VIBI), bird surveys, and landscape development index (LDI). Specific objectives of this study were to: 1) determine the correlation between bird species richness, VIBI, and LDI with the KY-WRAM in …
Vegetation-Based Metrics Of Biotic Integrity For Assessing The Ecological Condition Of Wetlands Of Kentucky, Tanner Matthew Morris
Vegetation-Based Metrics Of Biotic Integrity For Assessing The Ecological Condition Of Wetlands Of Kentucky, Tanner Matthew Morris
Online Theses and Dissertations
Over the last two centuries, wetland acreage across the world has significantly declined due to human disturbances. It has been estimated that Kentucky has lost over 80% of its wetland area. In response to these losses occurring across the United States, the Clean Water Act was passed to halt this dramatic decline and to restore the ecological integrity of waters of the United States. To enforce the Clean Water Act, a number of ecological assessment techniques have been developed to quantify the ecological quality of the waters of the United States. Kentucky recently adopted a rapid method for assessing the …