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Articles 1 - 10 of 10
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
The Tortoise (Wildfire) And The Hare (Heavy Winter Grazing) For Promoting Heterogeneity And Improving Ecosystem Services, Lucas W. Zilverberg
The Tortoise (Wildfire) And The Hare (Heavy Winter Grazing) For Promoting Heterogeneity And Improving Ecosystem Services, Lucas W. Zilverberg
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The Northern Great Plains (NGP) mixed-grass prairie developed under fire, grazing, and periodic droughts, which created a heterogeneous landscape. Since European settlement, heterogeneous landscapes have declined due to fire suppression and the maximization of livestock production, leading to the need for an alternative management practice. Our overall project objective was to determine if heavy winter grazing could be used as an alternative to patch-burn grazing for promoting heterogeneity and improving ecosystem services in the NGP. Fire has been used very effectively in patch-burn grazing management to create heterogeneity in pastures in some areas, however burning is not readily adopted in …
The Economic And Social Values Associated With Small South Dakota Lakes, Aaron Patrick Sundmark
The Economic And Social Values Associated With Small South Dakota Lakes, Aaron Patrick Sundmark
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The valuation of small fishing lakes is a vital component in understanding the importance of fishing and of recreational resources, in general. Knowing the values associated with such lakes is essential when prioritizing management activities. The overall value of a lake as a resource for human benefit is estimated as the summation of both instrumental and non-instrumental values. Instrumental values consist of economic and utilitarian values, as well as the values that a lake provides from ecosystem services. Non-instrumental values consider what the lake is worth as a good of its own, such as aesthetic, moral, and spiritual values gained …
Greater Sage-Grouse Survival, Breeding Ecology, Resource Selection, And West Nile Virus Prevalence On The Eastern Fringe Of Their Range, Lindsey Anne Parsons
Greater Sage-Grouse Survival, Breeding Ecology, Resource Selection, And West Nile Virus Prevalence On The Eastern Fringe Of Their Range, Lindsey Anne Parsons
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) is a sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) obligate species that has experienced population declines over the past several decades. Sage-grouse are a species of conservation concern throughout the Intermountain West and are considered a species of greatest conservation need in South Dakota. Numerous studies have documented drivers of demographic performance at the core of their distribution; however, relatively few studies have examined sage-grouse inhabiting the eastern extent of their range, in South Dakota. We sought to examine sage-grouse space use in multiple seasons, estimate survival, and determine factors affecting nest success in South Dakota …
Identifying An Optimal Bald Eagle Monitoring Program For Southwest Alaska National Parks, Rebecca Kolstrom
Identifying An Optimal Bald Eagle Monitoring Program For Southwest Alaska National Parks, Rebecca Kolstrom
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The Southwest Alaska Inventory and Monitoring Network includes bald eagle monitoring as part of their Vital Signs Monitoring Plan. Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, Katmai National Park and Preserve, Kenai Fjords National Park, and Wrangell – St. Elias National Park and Preserve monitor bald eagles annually, albeit slightly differently among parks. Since monitoring decisions involve multiple objectives and stakeholders, there was a need for a structured approach to identify an optimal monitoring program. We used a structured decision making process and an iterative, four-round Delphi Process to collect information about long-term bald eagle monitoring from experts. We collected information …
Assessing Freshwater Mussel (Bivalvia: Unionidae) Assemblages And Effects Of Eutrophication On Pyganodon Grandis In Lakes Of Eastern South Dakota, Katherine M. Wollman
Assessing Freshwater Mussel (Bivalvia: Unionidae) Assemblages And Effects Of Eutrophication On Pyganodon Grandis In Lakes Of Eastern South Dakota, Katherine M. Wollman
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Globally, the family Unionidae is the most threatened group of freshwater fauna. South Dakota is well known for its agricultural production, leading to cultural eutrophication from enhanced fertilizers and sediments. This impact can alter species presence, age, growth and mortality. Objectives of this study were to 1) implement the first comprehensive lake survey of freshwater mussels in eastern South Dakota lakes and document distribution, occurrence and relative abundance, 2) evaluate relationships between age, growth and mortality of Pyganodon grandis and lake trophic state. Freshwater mussels were sampled in 2017 from 116 proportionally and randomly selected natural lakes and reservoir basins …
Winter Snow Depth In Arctic Alaska Results In Complex Changes In Caribou Forage Quality, Jessica C. Richert
Winter Snow Depth In Arctic Alaska Results In Complex Changes In Caribou Forage Quality, Jessica C. Richert
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Caribou (Rangifer tarandus) rely on the short growing season for much of their annual nutrition, making them susceptible to even small changes in forage quantity and quality. Body condition in the summer and fall is linked to winter survival rates and fecundity in cows, critical factors in the robustness of caribou populations. Due to a warmer, wetter climate, snowfall is predicted to increase over Alaska’s North Slope in the next several decades. Deeper snow results in higher soil temperatures, allowing microbial mineralization of nitrogen to continue throughout the winter and increasing the availability of nitrogen for plants in spring and …
Effect Of Water Velocity And Temperature On Energy Use, Behavior, And Mortality Of Pallid Sturgeon Scaphirhynchus Albus Larvae, Joseph Thomas Mrnak
Effect Of Water Velocity And Temperature On Energy Use, Behavior, And Mortality Of Pallid Sturgeon Scaphirhynchus Albus Larvae, Joseph Thomas Mrnak
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Pallid Sturgeon Scaphirhynchus albus are a federally endangered species endemic to the Missouri River basin. Natural reproduction has been limited for decades and a recruitment bottleneck is hypothesized to occur during the larval stage of development. Understanding factors that affect survival of Pallid Sturgeon larvae is key given their critical status and ongoing recovery efforts. In this study, I evaluated the effects of water velocity and temperature on energy use, behavior, and mortality of endogenously feeding Pallid Sturgeon larvae (< 25 mm TL). In the first experiment, I examined the effect of water velocity (0 – 8.3 cm s−1) on larval growth, energy density, swimming activity, and mortality. Larval growth rate at 16.3 °C was similar across …
Diversifying Cornfields By Interseeding Cover Crops: Practical Implications And The Response Of Invertebrate Communities, Michael Bredeson
Diversifying Cornfields By Interseeding Cover Crops: Practical Implications And The Response Of Invertebrate Communities, Michael Bredeson
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The lack of suitable habitat conditions for beneficial organisms in simplified agroecosystems leads to unstable invertebrate communities and overreliance on chemical control of herbivores. It is possible to manage pest populations without agrichemicals by manipulating farmland so that herbivores are impaired by plant-driven bottom-up and enemy-driven top-down antagonisms. Interseeding cover crops between established crop rows is a method used by farmers to improve habitat suitability for natural enemies and hinder host-finding, feeding and movement by herbivores. Here I address three important research gaps related to interseeding cover crops. A calcium carbonate seed coating, used to improve seed-broadcasting efficiency, was tested …
Effects Of Energy Development On Movements, Home Ranges, And Resource Selection Of White-Tailed Deer In The Western Dakotas, Bailey S. Gullikson
Effects Of Energy Development On Movements, Home Ranges, And Resource Selection Of White-Tailed Deer In The Western Dakotas, Bailey S. Gullikson
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Oil and natural gas development has increased in recent years and research is needed to assess potential impacts on white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) populations. Our objectives were to document movements, home ranges, and resource selection of female white-tailed deer in response to energy development in the western Dakotas. Our study areas included Dunn County, North Dakota, an area with current oil and gas development, and Grant County, North Dakota, and Perkins County, South Dakota, areas without current oil and gas development. We captured and fitted 150 female deer with Very High Frequency (VHF) collars across study sites, and …
Prairie Dogs And Livestock In Rangeland Systems: Balancing Biodiversity And Production In The Northern Mixed-Grass Prairie, Jameson Robert Brennan
Prairie Dogs And Livestock In Rangeland Systems: Balancing Biodiversity And Production In The Northern Mixed-Grass Prairie, Jameson Robert Brennan
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
A major constraint of beef production within the Standing Rock Reservation has been identified as a reduction in rangeland quality due in large part to wide-scale colonization by black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus). The desire exists within the community to design a holistic framework which incorporates livestock management with the goal of increasing production and rangeland health while still maintaining increased diversity associated with prairie dogs. Prairie dogs reduce the carrying capacity of cattle on rangelands by up to 50% on occupied hectares through direct consumption of vegetation and waste due to clipping to improve detection of predators. Livestock stocking …