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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Composition Of Dung Beetle Communities In A Tropical Montane Forest Alters The Rate Of Dung Removal More Than Species Diversity Alone, Elizabeth A. Engle
Composition Of Dung Beetle Communities In A Tropical Montane Forest Alters The Rate Of Dung Removal More Than Species Diversity Alone, Elizabeth A. Engle
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Dung beetles provide key ecological functions by degrading and recycling dung. I used experimentally-assembled communities to examine the role of species richness, community biomass, species diversity, species identity, and community composition in dung removal, using Ateuchus chrysopyge, Copris nubilosis, Onothophagus cyanellus, and Dichotomius satanas. I hypothesized: (1) that as species richness, biomass, and diversity increases within a community, dung removal increases; and (2) species are not functionally equivalent, so community composition should influence dung removal rates. As species richness, biomass, and diversity of experimentally-assembled communities increased, the proportion of dung removed also increased. Also, the four species in this study …
Demography And Dendrochronology Of A Disjunct Population Of Eastern Hemlock In Southwestern Ohio, Marie Johnson
Demography And Dendrochronology Of A Disjunct Population Of Eastern Hemlock In Southwestern Ohio, Marie Johnson
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Edge and isolated plant populations provide information about the resilience and the most basic resource needs of a species. Plant demography examines changes in population size and structure over time. An isolated, disjunct eastern hemlock population in Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve, Yellow Springs, Ohio consists of two distinct subpopulations each with different environmental characteristics, reproductive capacities, and health ratings. Both subpopulations at Clifton Gorge were found to exhibit significant decreases in average annual ring width through time. Linear regression modeling determined that average annual growing season precipitation and temperature were the strongest predictors of these growth trends. A comparative …
Likely Successors Of Ash Species In Response To The Emerald Ash Borer In Ohio Forests, Brian Michael Good
Likely Successors Of Ash Species In Response To The Emerald Ash Borer In Ohio Forests, Brian Michael Good
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Invasive species have the capability to alter landscapes and change the composition of a forest in a very short time. The recent invasive pest, Agrilus planipennis, emerald ash borer, was unintentionally introduced to the United States via ship route to Michigan. The pest attacks and kills all five native ash species in Ohio. This study focused on an area in west central Ohio not yet affected by the borer. Ash centered plots were used to record all species and sizes (diameter at breast height) within a 5m radius of a central ash tree. Plots ranged in topography and all five …