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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
The Influence Of Adjacent Forest And Agriculture On Restored Grassland Diversity And Composition, Rachel A. Chambers
The Influence Of Adjacent Forest And Agriculture On Restored Grassland Diversity And Composition, Rachel A. Chambers
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Little native grassland remains in North America due to land-use changes. Conversion to agriculture is a common means of loss. This fragmentation creates edges in the landscape and associated edge effects. Grassland plant communities are susceptible to edge effects, directly via dispersal and indirectly through environment. This study took place in Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada, in a landscape of agriculture, forest, rural development, and patches of grassland restored by Nature Conservancy Canada. I examined restored grassland edges bordering forest and crops. An intensive study at a single site identified spatial and soil environmental influences on plant diversity and composition. I …
Bats And The Landscape: The Influence Of Edge Effects And Forest Cover On Bat Activity, Meredith K. Jantzen
Bats And The Landscape: The Influence Of Edge Effects And Forest Cover On Bat Activity, Meredith K. Jantzen
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
The habitats in which bat species may most effectively forage are often determined by species-specific differences in wing morphology and echolocation call structure. Habitat edges are important for bat navigation and foraging, but no study to date has examined the depth of edge influence (DEI--the extent of quantifiable change in activity with distance from an edge) for bats. I predicted that DEI would vary with species-specific differences in wing structure and echolocation call characteristics. Additionally, because different habitats may be required to fulfill species’ foraging and roost requirements, I predicted that bat activity would be highest in areas with a …