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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Vegetation Characteristics Associated With Small Mammal Populations In The Las Vegas Wash, Christine Therese Herndon
Vegetation Characteristics Associated With Small Mammal Populations In The Las Vegas Wash, Christine Therese Herndon
UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones
Percent litter, average litter depth, percent bare ground, vegetation density, vegetation canopy, and distance to an ecotone boundary were measured and compared to small mammal capture locations in the Las Vegas Wash. Neotoma lepida appear to be greatly dependent upon the foliage litter of T. ramosissima. Alternatively, ecotone boundaries appear to be the most important factor affecting Dipodomys merriami distributions. Peromyscus eremicus distributions may be predicted based on vegetation density and increased canopy during shorter, winter torpor periods. Chaetodipus penicillatus were consistently associated with dense, seed-bearing vegetation, although C. penicillatus is extremely opportunistic and vegetation density should not limit their …
A Study Of Invasive Species Cover Near Roads In A Red Rock Canyon Blackbrush Community, Christopher Keough
A Study Of Invasive Species Cover Near Roads In A Red Rock Canyon Blackbrush Community, Christopher Keough
UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones
The monitoring of Mojave Desert plant communities during and following disturbance is an important process that could provide invaluable information about disturbance/recovery regimes in similar arid environments across the globe. Blackbrush communities are of particular interest because of their low replacement rate, which makes them highly susceptible to disturbance. Roads in the Mojave Desert have been associated with soil compaction resulting in a lack of vegetation as well as an increase in invasive species cover in the immediate proximity. To investigate these statements, eight fifty-foot line transects were established in each of three plot types (perpendicular to dirt roads, perpendicular …
Defining Soil Type And Habitat Characteristics Of The Arctomecon Californica, Philip S. Childers
Defining Soil Type And Habitat Characteristics Of The Arctomecon Californica, Philip S. Childers
UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones
A. californica can be considered a rare endemic species, which is believed to be restricted by unique soil relationships. These relationships make the species vulnerable to anthropogenic habitat disturbance. Although A. californica is listed as critically endangered by the state of Nevada, further research is needed before the species can be listed as federally endangered or threatened. This study used primary observational data and secondary GIS compatible data to characterize A. californica habitat. Representative sampling techniques were used to select observations from derived soil types. Although a majority of A. californica populations were found to occur in gypsic soil types, …
Age And Sex-Specific Rates Of Leaf Regeneration In The Mojave Desert Moss Syntrichia Caninervis, Lloyd Stark, L. Nichols, Nicholas N. Mcletchie, S. D. Smith, C. Zundel
Age And Sex-Specific Rates Of Leaf Regeneration In The Mojave Desert Moss Syntrichia Caninervis, Lloyd Stark, L. Nichols, Nicholas N. Mcletchie, S. D. Smith, C. Zundel
Life Sciences Faculty Research
The extremely skewed female-biased sex ratio in the desert moss Syntrichia caninervis was investigated by assessing the regeneration capacity of detached leaves. Juvenile, green, yellow-green, and brown leaves equating to approximately 0, 2, 6, and 12 yr of age, respectively, were detached from individuals of S. caninervis collected from 10 field populations and grown in a growth chamber for 58 d at a light intensity of 33–128 µmol · m–2 · s–1. Younger leaves (0–2 yr old) tended to have a greater viability, regenerate more quickly, extend their protonemal filaments farther, produce shoots (gametophores) more quickly, produce more shoots, and …