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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

A Comparison Of The Ecological Integrity Of Headwater Streams Draining Harvested And Un-Harvested Watersheds In The Western Mountains Of Maine, U.S.A., Darlene Siegel Dec 2003

A Comparison Of The Ecological Integrity Of Headwater Streams Draining Harvested And Un-Harvested Watersheds In The Western Mountains Of Maine, U.S.A., Darlene Siegel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of four headwater streams draining forested watersheds were compared to determine the effectiveness of Riparian Management Zones (RMZs) in protecting aquatic ecological integrity from the effects of forest harvesting. Two of the watersheds were harvested with a 30% sheltenvood cut and a 75 foot buffer was left adjacent to the streams. The other two watersheds were un-harvested and were used as reference conditions for comparison with the harvested watersheds. General environmental conditions in these four headwater streams during the study period were characterized as follows. Each stream was located within a mixed- wood forest dominated …


Tb187: Forest Vegetation Monitoring In Acadia National Park, J. D. Eckhoff, G. B. Wiersma, J. A. Elvir Aug 2003

Tb187: Forest Vegetation Monitoring In Acadia National Park, J. D. Eckhoff, G. B. Wiersma, J. A. Elvir

Technical Bulletins

The goal of this report is to present the results of the vegetation component of the PRIMENet study at Acadia. The results include a classification of vegetation types and their locations within Cadillac Brook and Hadlock Brook watersheds; a synthesis of the primary and meta tree, sapling, and seedling data from the two study watersheds; and foliar chemical analyses using Acer rubrum and Picea rubens from Cadillac Brook and Hadlock Brook watersheds. This report provides the baseline information for long-term forest vegetation monitoring in the deciduous and coniferous forests in Cadillac Brook and Hadlock Brook watersheds. Ongoing interest and studies …


Effects Of Small-Gap Timber Harvests On Songbird Community Composition And Site-Fidelity, Mitschka John Hartley May 2003

Effects Of Small-Gap Timber Harvests On Songbird Community Composition And Site-Fidelity, Mitschka John Hartley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

I investigated effects of small-gap timber harvests on bird communities at nine sites (10 ha each) within the Penobscot Experimental Forest (PEF), grouped into three replicated "blocks" (three sites each). Blocks were randomly treated with three treatments: 10% harvest, 20% harvest, and no harvest (i.e., control). I examined how treatments affected breeding songbird abundance, richness, and site-fidelity over four consecutive summers, including 1-3 years before and after each site was harvested. Ability to detect treatment effects was limited by the small number of replicates, but power analyses indicated that given the experimental design and observed variability, there was a high …


The Short And Long-Term Effects Of Herbicide Application In Maine Clearcuts On Ant Communities (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Kerry Frances Lough May 2003

The Short And Long-Term Effects Of Herbicide Application In Maine Clearcuts On Ant Communities (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Kerry Frances Lough

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The short and long-term effects of glyphosate application on the diversity and abundance of ants in Maine clearcuts was assessed in a two-year study. Glyphosate is applied to release coniferous trees from suppression by competition with deciduous vegetation after a forest is clearcut. Previous research indicates glyphosate has limited immediate and long-term effects on non-target fauna, though specific species can be affected. Limited research on the effects of herbicides on insects indicates some initial decrease in insect populations. Beneficial insects, such as pollinators and predators, positively influence the forest ecosystem, but little research has examined the effects of herbicide application …


Effects Of Precommercial Thinning On Snowshoe Hares, Small Mammals, And Forest Structure In Northern Maine, Jessica A. Homyack May 2003

Effects Of Precommercial Thinning On Snowshoe Hares, Small Mammals, And Forest Structure In Northern Maine, Jessica A. Homyack

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The extent of precommercial thinning (PCT) to manipulate stand density in overstocked, regenerating stands and to accelerate growth, yield, and the rate of development of crop trees has been increasing within the Acadian forest of northeastern North America. Although the silvicultural responses of crop trees to thinning are well studied, few studies have evaluated the effects of PCT on forest-dependent wildlife and their habitat. I investigated the effects of PCT and stand succession on snowshoe hares, small mammals, and forest structure on 38 stands (25 treated with PCT, 13 unthinned stands) from 1 to 16 years post-treatment within 7 townships …


Accelerated Hatching Of Southern Leopard Frog (Rana Sphenocephala) Eggs In Response To The Presence Of A Crayfish (Procambarus Nigrocinctus) Predator, Daniel Saenz, James B. Johnson, Cory K. Adams, Gage H. Dayton Jan 2003

Accelerated Hatching Of Southern Leopard Frog (Rana Sphenocephala) Eggs In Response To The Presence Of A Crayfish (Procambarus Nigrocinctus) Predator, Daniel Saenz, James B. Johnson, Cory K. Adams, Gage H. Dayton

Faculty Publications

Phenotypic plasticity, such as morphological and behavioral changes in response to predators, is common in larval anurans. Less is known about inducible defenses in the embryonic stages of development. We investigated the predation risk imposed by crayfish (Procambarus nigrocinctus) on southern leopard frog (Rana sphenocephala) eggs aud whether crayfish presence induces a change in the timing of hatching of R. sphenocephala eggs. We found that crayfish significantly reduce the hatching success of R. sphenocephala eggs by eating them and that eggs hatch significantly faster in the presence of crayfish than when crayfish are not present. We …


The Influence Of Predator Threat On The Timing Of A Life-History Switch Point: Predator-Induced Hatching In The Southern Leopard Frog (Rana Sphenocephala), James B. Johnson, Daniel Saenz, Cory K. Adams, Richard N. Conner Jan 2003

The Influence Of Predator Threat On The Timing Of A Life-History Switch Point: Predator-Induced Hatching In The Southern Leopard Frog (Rana Sphenocephala), James B. Johnson, Daniel Saenz, Cory K. Adams, Richard N. Conner

Faculty Publications

We tested the hypotheses that potential egg predators, crayfish Procambarus nigrocinctus and dytiscid Cybister sp. larvae, would accelerate the timing of hatching and that a larval predator, dragonfly naiad Anax junius, would delay hatching in the southern leopard frog (Rana sphenocephala). We also tested the hypothesis that differences in response would be proportional to predator lethality. Our results indicate that our hypotheses were partially supported. The presence of an efficient egg predator (crayfish) induces hatching faster than a less efficient predator (dytiscid larvae). However, the presence of a larval predator (naiads) did not delay hatching. Eggs that …


Fire Climate Interactions And Predicting Fire Season Severity In The Mediterranean Climate Areas Of California, Southern Oregon, And Western Nevada, Alan H. Taylor, Carl N. Skinner, Andrew M. Carleton, Scott L. Stephens, Valerie Trouet, Bernd Haupt, Andrew Pierce Jan 2003

Fire Climate Interactions And Predicting Fire Season Severity In The Mediterranean Climate Areas Of California, Southern Oregon, And Western Nevada, Alan H. Taylor, Carl N. Skinner, Andrew M. Carleton, Scott L. Stephens, Valerie Trouet, Bernd Haupt, Andrew Pierce

JFSP Research Project Reports

• We identified annual area burned for 37 National Forests in Washington, Oregon, and California between 1929 and 2004 from annual fire reports. Variation in area burned each year on National Forest lands is strongly related (r2 = 0.87) to total area burned in California. This indicates area burned in National Forests is a good indicator of total area burned in a state. • Four large groups of National Forests were identified that had similar temporal patterns of fire extent. Three of these groups were spatially coherent and included mainly: 1) Washington and northern Oregon; 2) northern California and California …


Planning For Population Viability On Northern Great Plains National Grasslands, Fred B. Samson, Fritz L. Knopf, Clinton W. Mccarthy, Barry R. Noon, Wayne R. Ostile, Susan M. Rinehart, Scott Larson, Glenn E. Plumb, Gregory L. Schenbeck, Daniel N. Svingen, Timothy W. Byer Jan 2003

Planning For Population Viability On Northern Great Plains National Grasslands, Fred B. Samson, Fritz L. Knopf, Clinton W. Mccarthy, Barry R. Noon, Wayne R. Ostile, Susan M. Rinehart, Scott Larson, Glenn E. Plumb, Gregory L. Schenbeck, Daniel N. Svingen, Timothy W. Byer

USDA Forest Service / UNL Faculty Publications

Broad-scale information in concert with conservation of individual species must be used to develop conservation priorities and a more integrated ecosystem protection strategy. In 1999 the United States Forest Service initiated an approach for the 1.2 x 106 ha of national grasslands in the Northern Great Plains to fulfill the requirement to maintain viable populations of all native and desirable introduced vertebrate and plant species. The challenge was threefold: 1) develop basic building blocks in the conservation planning approach, 2) apply the approach to national grasslands, and 3) overcome differences that may exist in agency-specific legal and policy requirements. Key …


Effect Of Stand Density On Behavior Of Leaf Area Prediction Models For Eastern White Pine (Pinus Strobus L.) In Maine, Micah D. Pace Jan 2003

Effect Of Stand Density On Behavior Of Leaf Area Prediction Models For Eastern White Pine (Pinus Strobus L.) In Maine, Micah D. Pace

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is little debate within the forest science community that leaf area (LA, the surface area of live foliage) or leaf area index (LAI, the total surface area of live foliage per unit of ground area) are important variables, central to enhancing the understanding of forest growth and many forest ecosystem processes. The ability to accurately measure LA1 has become a research priority and has resulted in various methods of estimation for a variety of species and regions. In this study LA estimation models for Pinus strobus L. were developed, tested, and compared across a wide range of densities for …


Utah Forest Health Report : A Baseline Assessment 1999 - 2001, Colleen Keyes, Paul Rogers, Leon Lamadeleine, Vick Applegate, Dave Atkins Jan 2003

Utah Forest Health Report : A Baseline Assessment 1999 - 2001, Colleen Keyes, Paul Rogers, Leon Lamadeleine, Vick Applegate, Dave Atkins

The Bark Beetles, Fuels, and Fire Bibliography

This report addresses forest health in two ways: by discussion of forest-related issues and by data summaries in several appendices. FHM is a long-term monitoring program and therefore, the data presented in this report must be viewed in that light. This report presents a first-time, or baseline summary. Subsequent reports will address changes over time as plots and other detection surveys are conducted and re-measured.


The Composition Of Cryptophytes (Geophytes) And Other Plants In The Northern Jarrah Forest Of Western Australia: An Analysis Of Logged And Old Growth Forest, Conrad C. Slee Jan 2003

The Composition Of Cryptophytes (Geophytes) And Other Plants In The Northern Jarrah Forest Of Western Australia: An Analysis Of Logged And Old Growth Forest, Conrad C. Slee

Theses : Honours

Forests are decreasing globally and there are pressing requirements for ecologically sustainable forest management to be implemented at all scales. There has been some criticism of the public managers for forests and the processes used to select reserve systems and silvicultural methods used. Limited research has been conducted on the effects of logging on the plants of the northern Jarrah forest of south western Australia, While fire is a major disturbance event, disturbance during logging operations may remove non-commercial trees, understorey shrubs and change soil conditions. Some plants that regenerate from below ground storage organs such as Cryptophytes (Geophytes) may …


Quantifying Forest Ground Flora Biomass Using Proximal Sensing, Paul F. Doruska, Robert C. Weih Jr., Matthew D. Lane, Don C. Bragg Jan 2003

Quantifying Forest Ground Flora Biomass Using Proximal Sensing, Paul F. Doruska, Robert C. Weih Jr., Matthew D. Lane, Don C. Bragg

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Current focus on forest conservation and forest sustainability has increased the level of attention given to measures of ground flora in forest ecosystems. Traditionally, such data are collected via time- and resource-intensive methods of field identification, clipping, and weighing. With increased focus on community composition and structure measures of forest ground flora, the manner in which these data are collected must change. This project uses color and color infrared digital cameras to proximally sense forest ground flora and to develop regression models to predict green and dry biomass (g/m^) from the proximally sensed data. Traditional vegetative indices such as the …