Life Sciences Commons^™

Discriminant Analysis Of Some East Tennessee Forest Herb Niches, Linda K. Mann

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of using discriminant analysis in assessing plant niches. As a preliminary to establishment of the Environmental Research Park Program at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, five sites were inventoried for herbaceous species. From this inventory, four sympatric species of Galium and seventeen co-occurring herbaceous species were selected for discriminant analysis. The four species of Galium were treated as two data sets: one was composed of information collected at one site (a mesic hardwood area) and the other contained data from two cedar sites of shallow soil over lime-stone bedrock. The seventeen herbaceous …

Why Does Spruce Not Invade The High Elevation Beech Forests Of The Great Smoky Mountains?, Robert Dale Fuller

Masters Theses

Above 1,370 m, spruce-fir forests dominated by Picea rubens Sargent and Abies fraseri (Pursh) Poiret from a nearly continuous band across much of the landscape of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Nearly pure stands of American Beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrhart) penetrate into the spruce-fir forest on south-facing concave slopes, near the tops of major ridges. Frequently the boundary between these two community types is very abrupt.

Important factors in the maintenance of these so-called "beech gaps" against red spruce invasion were investigated. Soil temperature, soil moisture, and the presence of biotic toxins were studied in the rooting environment of potentially …

The Flora Of Citico Creek Wilderness Study Area, Cherokee National Forest, Monroe County, Tennessee, Jeffry Lowell Malter

Masters Theses

Citico Creek Wilderness Study Area, located entirely within the Cherokee National Forest, Monroe County, Tennessee, is under consideration for inclusion in the National Wilderness System. A study of the vascular flora of this 6,716 hectare area was conducted between March, 1976 and September, 1977. A total of 536 taxa, including 259 county records, was determined. This represents approximately 23% of the state flora.

Pertinent literature on the history, climate, geology, soils, and vegetation of the area is summarized. Particular note has been made of rare plants, with seven on the Tennessee list being found. One of these, Juncus gymnocarpus Coville, …

The Seasonal, Altitudinal, And Vegetational Incidence Of Black Bear Scats In The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Susie Jo Kelly Matthews

Masters Theses

A study was conducted in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to determine the variability of incidence of black bear scats as a reliable index to the population density. A total of 6085.7 km were hiked along six different routes, each hiked biweekly, from June-October, 1970-1975, resulting in the collection of 697 scats. The overall incidence of scats was 0.11 scats/km. The Elkmont-Bent Arm yielded 0.21 scats/km, Sugarlands Index Route 0.18 scats/km, Tremont-Derrick Knob Index Route 0.07 scats/km, Gregory-Hannah Mountain Index Route 0.06 scats/km, and Spence-Russell Index Route 0.03 scats/km. Variability in the scats/km over the nine hiking periods was …

Balsam Woolly Aphid Infestation Of Fraser Fir In The Great Smoky Mountains, Kristine D. Johnson

Masters Theses

The balsam woolly aphid (Adelges piceae (Ratz.)) has within the last decade become a serious pest on Fraser fir (Abies fraseri (Pursh.) Poir.) in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, causing concern for the scenic and scientific resources of the spruce-fir forests. In order to determine and anticipate the nature and impact of the balsam woolly aphid in this area, a research project was designed to investigate some of the relevant biotic factors.

Objectives of this study were: (1) to determine relationships between levels of infestation, as indicated by aphid population and damage on individual trees, the respective …

Radioisotope Feces Tagging As A Population Estimator Of Black Bear (Ursus Americanus) Density In The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Daniel Calhoun Eagar

Masters Theses

The black bear (Ursus americanus) population in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP or Park) is an important renewable natural resource to the Southern Appalachian region. It is valuable as an attraction to Park visitors who annually spend millions of dollars in areas surrounding the Park; it is valuable as a yardstick against which to compare exploited bear populations in adjacent areas, and, perhaps most importantly, it is valuable as a symbol of Eastern wilderness which is being rapidly diminished by human exploitation of he environment. In order to effectively manage this resource, it is necessary to …

Economics Of Timber Resource Availability In A Tennessee Timbershed, John Lee Wells

Masters Theses

A study of an eleven-county Tennessee timbershed was conducted in order to: (1) estimate the proportion of the aggregate timber resource actually available for harvest; and (2) search out motives for withholding timber from the market from otherwise commercial forest lands, by United States Forest Service definitions.

The procedures used in meeting the objectives of the study involved the use of a stratified random sample of seventy-six private nonindustrial owners and personal interviews. Owners to be interviewed were selected from county tax roles on a stratified basis of size of forest acres owned. Timber volume and growth estimates were extrapolated …

The Recovery Of Stream Benthic Insect Communities Following Coal Strip Mining In The Cumberland Mountains Of Tennessee, Anthony Talak Jr.

Masters Theses

The aquatic insect faunas of twenty-three streams in the Cumberland Mountains of Tennessee were investigated. The purpose of the study was to analyze the recovery through time of the aquatic insect faunas of streams polluted by runoff from contour strip mines.

Quantitative determinations of the benthic insect fauna were made using two methods. The first involved removing substrate particles and picking off the insects with forceps. The second was a Surber Sampler type method of placing a screen in the streams and disturbing the substrate upstraem of the screen.

Rather than sample one stream over a period of years, simultaneous …

Rainy Season Food Behavior Of Selected Families In A Miskito Indian Village In East Nicaragua, Rhonda Dale Terry

Masters Theses

The availability, distribution, and consumption of food by a group of Miskito Indians during Nicaragua's rainy season were studied. Field research was conducted in July and August of 1976 in the small east coast village of Kakabila.

Field study methods included observation, participant observation, and key informant interviewing. Demographic data were collected on the entire village population, and a week each was spent with four families in home observation. A case analysis approach was used to present data obtained from observation of the four cooperating families.

Cassava was identified as the core food in the diet of cooperating families. Other …