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Faculty Publications

1999

Articles 1 - 30 of 37

Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Nutrient Cycling In The Water Column Of A Subtropical Seagrass Meadow, Susan Ziegler, Ronald Benner Nov 1999

Nutrient Cycling In The Water Column Of A Subtropical Seagrass Meadow, Susan Ziegler, Ronald Benner

Faculty Publications

The cycling of nutrients was studied over a 16 mo period to determine how processes occurring between the water column and benthos influenced nutrient dynamics in a Thalassia testudinum dominated seagrass meadow. Nutrient concentrations were low and ranged from below detection to 0.59 µM ammonium (NH4+), 0.04 to 0.29 µM nitrate plus nitrite (NO3- + NO2-), and below detection to 0.22 µM soluble reactive phosphate (SRP). Water column and benthic fluxes of NO3- + NO2- and SRP were usually below detection. The benthic fluxes of NH4+ …

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The Perils Of Industrial Pig Farming, Richard A. Lobban Oct 1999

The Perils Of Industrial Pig Farming, Richard A. Lobban

Faculty Publications

North Carolina is one the nation's several major meat-producing states. Why should we be much concerned about the lives of animals that were being raised for slaughter in the massive food industry? In fact, there is very much more at stake.

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Fish Kills And Bottom-Water Hypoxia In The Neuse River And Estuary: Reply To Burkholder Et Al., Hans W. Paerl, James L. Pinckney, John M. Fear, Benjamin L. Peierls Sep 1999

Fish Kills And Bottom-Water Hypoxia In The Neuse River And Estuary: Reply To Burkholder Et Al., Hans W. Paerl, James L. Pinckney, John M. Fear, Benjamin L. Peierls

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

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Comments On "On The Utility And Disutility Of Jebar" - Reply, Mark A. Cane, Vladimir M. Kamenkovich Aug 1999

Comments On "On The Utility And Disutility Of Jebar" - Reply, Mark A. Cane, Vladimir M. Kamenkovich

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

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Age And Growth Of Cobia, Rachycentron Canadum, From The Northeastern Gulf Of Mexico, James S. Franks, James R. Warren, Michael V. Buchanan Jul 1999

Age And Growth Of Cobia, Rachycentron Canadum, From The Northeastern Gulf Of Mexico, James S. Franks, James R. Warren, Michael V. Buchanan

Faculty Publications

We examined 1005 cobia, Rachycentron canadum, from recreational catches in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico from 1987 to 1995. Specimens ranged from 325 to 1651 mm fork length (FL); females had a mean FL of 1050 mm (n=730) and were significantly larger than males that had a mean FL of 952 mm (n=275). The over all male to female ratio was 1:2.7. Ages of 565 cobia were estimated from thin-sectioned otoliths (sagittae). Marginal-increment analysis of sagittal otoliths showed a single annual minimum during June. Male cobia (n=170; 525-1330 mm FL) ranged from age 0 to 9, and females (n=395; 493-1651 …

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Blue Crab Larval Dispersion And Retention In The Mississippi Bight, Donald R. Johnson, Harriet M. Perry Jul 1999

Blue Crab Larval Dispersion And Retention In The Mississippi Bight, Donald R. Johnson, Harriet M. Perry

Faculty Publications

A conceptual hypothesis relating physical forcing to dispersion and retention was developed for blue crab larvae within the Mississippi Eight. The spawning period for blue crabs in the northern Gulf of Mexico is protracted. Hatching of eggs occurs near the barrier islands and mouths of coastal bays from March through October. Larvae are released on ebbing tides and spend the next 30 to 50 d offshore where they develop through seven zoeal stages before undergoing metamorphosis to megalopae. Duration of the megalopal stage is variable but generally persists from 6 to 20 d. Blue crabs recruit to Gulf estuaries as …

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Film Formation By Marine Bacteria At A Model Fluid Interface, Vera Zutic, Nadica Ivosevic, Vesna Svetlicic, Richard A. Long, Farooq Azam Jun 1999

Film Formation By Marine Bacteria At A Model Fluid Interface, Vera Zutic, Nadica Ivosevic, Vesna Svetlicic, Richard A. Long, Farooq Azam

Faculty Publications

We have characterized the nonspecific interactions in the initial attachment and film formation by marine bacteria at a dynamic fluid interface: seawater/dropping mercury electrode. Experimental evidence is presented that bacteria readily establish molecular contact with the metal substrate without mediation of a conditioning film. Prevalence of hydrophobic over electrostatic interactions and the possible importance of Ca2+ bridging could be inferred. The attachment of individual bacterial cells is faster than their transport from the aqueous medium, as is the case in the transport-controlled adsorption of biopolymers. The cell aggregates yield distinct electrical attachment signals, allowing a comparison between cell-cell and …

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Local Data Assimilation In The Estimation Of Barotropic And Baroclinic Open Boundary Conditions, Igor Shulman, James K. Lewis, John G. Mayer Jun 1999

Local Data Assimilation In The Estimation Of Barotropic And Baroclinic Open Boundary Conditions, Igor Shulman, James K. Lewis, John G. Mayer

Faculty Publications

The problem of data assimilation in the specification of open boundary conditions for limited area models is addressed in this paper. Optimization approaches are detailed, which are based on combining available data on an open boundary with the physics of the hydrodynamical model. In our case the physics is in terms of the flux of energy through the open boundary. These optimized boundary conditions, for both barotropic and baroclinic situations, interpreted physically as special Linearizations of the Bernoulli equation for each normal mode. Because of the complexity of decomposing variables into normal modes for open boundaries with varying bathymetry, we …

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The Winogradsky Column & Biofilms: Models For Teaching Nutrient Cycling & Succession In An Ecosystem, Delia Castro Anderson, Rosalina V. Hairston Jun 1999

The Winogradsky Column & Biofilms: Models For Teaching Nutrient Cycling & Succession In An Ecosystem, Delia Castro Anderson, Rosalina V. Hairston

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

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Creatine Supplementation Differentially Affects Maximal Isometric Strength And Time To Fatigue In Large And Small Muscle Groups, William J. Vincent, Steven F. Loy, Richard L. Urbanski, Ben B. Yaspelkis Jun 1999

Creatine Supplementation Differentially Affects Maximal Isometric Strength And Time To Fatigue In Large And Small Muscle Groups, William J. Vincent, Steven F. Loy, Richard L. Urbanski, Ben B. Yaspelkis

Faculty Publications

Ten physically active, untrained, college-aged males (26.4 ± 5.8 years old) received creatine (CR. 5 g creatine monohydrate + 3 g dextrose) and placebo (PLA, 7 g dextrose) supplementation four times per day for 5 days in a doubleblind, randomized, balanced, crossover design. Performance was assessed during maximal and three repeated submaximal bouts of isometric knee extension and handgrip exercise. CR supplementation significantly increased (p < .05) maximal isometric strength during knee extension but not during handgrip exercise. CR supplementation increased time to fatigue during each of the three bouts of submaximal knee extension and handgrip exercise when compared to the PLA trials. These findings suggest that CR supplementation can increase maximal strength and time to fatigue during isometric exercise. However, the improvements in maximal isometric strength following CR supplementation appear to be restricted to movements performed with a large muscle mass.

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Dissolved Organic Carbon Cycling In A Subtropical Seagrass-Dominated Lagoon, Susan Ziegler, Ronald Benner May 1999

Dissolved Organic Carbon Cycling In A Subtropical Seagrass-Dominated Lagoon, Susan Ziegler, Ronald Benner

Faculty Publications

The cycling of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and its significance to ecosystem metabolism was studled over a 16 mo period in a Thalassia testudjnum dominated meadow. The benthos was usually net autotrophic (annual gross primary production to respiration ratio [P:R] = 1.3) while water column respiration (R) exceeded gross primary production (annual P:R = 0.3). Net fluxes of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from the benthos primarily occurred in the light (0 to 18 mmol C m-2 d-1) and from seagrass-dominated areas, suggesting that release of DOC was mainly due to seagrass exudation. Net benthic DOC fluxes measured …

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The Mean Spherical Approximation For A Dipolar Yukawa Fluid, Douglas Henderson, Dezso Boda, Istvan Szalai, Kwong-Yu Chan May 1999

The Mean Spherical Approximation For A Dipolar Yukawa Fluid, Douglas Henderson, Dezso Boda, Istvan Szalai, Kwong-Yu Chan

Faculty Publications

The dipolar hard sphere fluid (DHSF) is a useful model of a polar fluid. However, the DHSF lacks a vapor–liquid transition due to the formation of chain-like structures. Such chains are not characteristic of real polar fluids. A more realistic model of a polar fluid is obtained by adding a Lennard–Jones potential to the intermolecular potential. Very similar results are obtained by adding a Yukawa potential, instead of the Lennard–Jones potential. We call this fluid the dipolar Yukawa fluid (DYF). We show that an analytical solution of the mean spherical approximation (MSA) can be obtained for the DYF. Thus, the …

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The Mycobactericidal Efficacy Of Orthophthalaldehyde And The Comparative Resistances Of Mycobacterium Bovis, Mycobacterium Terrae, And Mycobacterium Chelonae, Richard A. Robison, Adam W. Gregory, G. Bruce Schaalje, Jonathan D. Smart May 1999

The Mycobactericidal Efficacy Of Orthophthalaldehyde And The Comparative Resistances Of Mycobacterium Bovis, Mycobacterium Terrae, And Mycobacterium Chelonae, Richard A. Robison, Adam W. Gregory, G. Bruce Schaalje, Jonathan D. Smart

Faculty Publications

Objectives: To assess the mycobactericidal efficacy of an agent relatively new to disinfection, ortho-phthalaldehyde (OPA) and to compare the resistances of three Mycobacterium species. Mycobacterium bovis (strain BCG) was compared with Mycobacterium chelonae and Mycobacterium terrae to investigate the feasibility of using either of the latter two species in tuberculocidal testing. M chelonae (a rapid grower) and M terrae (an intermediate grower) both grow faster and are less virulent than M bovis (a slow grower).

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Coupling Between Bacterioplankton Species Composition, Population Dynamics, And Organic Matter Degradation, Jarone Pinhassi, Farooq Azam, Johanna Hemphälä, Richard A. Long, Josefina Martinez, Ulla Li Zweifel, Åke Hagström Apr 1999

Coupling Between Bacterioplankton Species Composition, Population Dynamics, And Organic Matter Degradation, Jarone Pinhassi, Farooq Azam, Johanna Hemphälä, Richard A. Long, Josefina Martinez, Ulla Li Zweifel, Åke Hagström

Faculty Publications

To study the effect of substrate addition on short term bacterial population dynamics and species composition in seawater mesocosms were maintained with water collected off Scripps Pier (La Jolla, California USA) Protein enrichment (BSA) triggered a dynamic response from the microbial food web, whereas enrichment with starch had no effect. In the protein enriched mesocosm the number of both nucleoid-containing cells and metabolically active cells increased by 3.0 X 105 cells ml-1 from Day 1 to Day 4 In the same time period the density of a set of 31 phylogenetically different bacteria (α- and g-Proteobactena as well …

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Particle Fluxes During Austral Spring And Summer In The Southern Ross Sea, Antarctica, Vernon L. Asper, Walker O. Smith Jr. Mar 1999

Particle Fluxes During Austral Spring And Summer In The Southern Ross Sea, Antarctica, Vernon L. Asper, Walker O. Smith Jr.

Faculty Publications

The flux of particles from the euphotic zone through 200 m was investigated on the Ross Sea continental shelf during two cruises, the first in November-December 1994 and the second in December 1995 and January 1996. An assessment of surface layer phytoplankton biomass and productivity was made simultaneously. Particle flux was measured using floating sediment traps whose collection efficiency was assessed rigorously. Phytoplankton biomass and productivity increased rapidly in November-December, and biomass was maximal in mid-December. Thereafter productivity appeared to decline substantially. Biomass declined as well, but mot as rapidly as productivity. Vertical flux rates were low early in the …

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Monte Carlo Study Of The Capacitance Of The Double Layer In A Model Molten Salt, Douglas Henderson, Dezso Boda, Kwong-Yu Chan Mar 1999

Monte Carlo Study Of The Capacitance Of The Double Layer In A Model Molten Salt, Douglas Henderson, Dezso Boda, Kwong-Yu Chan

Faculty Publications

Monte Carlo simulations are reported for charged hard spheres at high density near a charged wall. This system is a simple model for a molten salt double layer. Unfortunately, the reduced temperatures that correspond to experiment are very small. This results in a large Boltzmann factor. As a result, we are unable to obtain meaningful results for such low values and report results only for moderately low values of the reduced temperature. Even so, our results should be a useful benchmark. Further, we are able to give a qualitative answer to an interesting question. We find that at low temperatures …

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Rainfall Stimulation Of Primary Production In Western Atlantic Ocean Waters: Roles Of Different Nitrogen Sources And Co-Limiting Nutrients, Hans W. Paerl, Joan D. Willey, Malia Go, Benjamin L. Peierls, James L. Pinckney, Marilyn L. Fogel Jan 1999

Rainfall Stimulation Of Primary Production In Western Atlantic Ocean Waters: Roles Of Different Nitrogen Sources And Co-Limiting Nutrients, Hans W. Paerl, Joan D. Willey, Malia Go, Benjamin L. Peierls, James L. Pinckney, Marilyn L. Fogel

Faculty Publications

Using shipboard bioassays, we examined the roles rainfall, individual and combined nutrients play in accelerating primary production in coastal, Gulf Stream and pelagic (Sargasso Sea) locations in the North Atlantic Ocean off North Carolina, USA, from 1993 to 1995. Photosynthetic CO2 fixation and net chlorophyll a (chl a) production were measured In replicated bioassays to assess individual and combined impacts of different constituents of atmospheric deposition, including natural rainfall, a synthetic rain mix, dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN; NH4+ ,NO3-), dissolved organic nitrogen (DON; urea),phosphorus (PO43-) and iron (as EDTA-chelated and …

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Forval For Windows: A Computer Program For Forest Valuation And Investment Analysis, Steven H. Bullard, Thomas J. Straka, James L. Carpenter Jan 1999

Forval For Windows: A Computer Program For Forest Valuation And Investment Analysis, Steven H. Bullard, Thomas J. Straka, James L. Carpenter

Faculty Publications

FORVAL (FORest VALuation) for Windows is a computer program for cash flow analysis of forestry investments. FORVAL was written in Visual Basic and is available from the Forest and Wildlife Research Center at Mississippi State University. We designed FORVAL to be used without a manual. It is user-friendly and includes a Windows Help file. Users enter the data requested for each box on the form and then press an appropriate button to perform the desired action.

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Relationships Of Selected Soil Properties And Community Species Composition In Turkey Hill Wilderness Area In East Texas, Kenneth W. Farrish, Brian P. Oswald Jan 1999

Relationships Of Selected Soil Properties And Community Species Composition In Turkey Hill Wilderness Area In East Texas, Kenneth W. Farrish, Brian P. Oswald

Faculty Publications

-Sixty-nine different stands within 15 different previously managed communities were sampled in what is now the Turkey Hill Wilderness of the Angelina National Forest. Within each stand, 0.04 ha plots were randomly located, and the height, diameter, crown class and species of each tree recorded. Soil samples were collected in two locations within each plot, and the soil type confirmed at plot center. Soil samples were analyzed for selected soil chemical and physical properties. Due to the low occurrence (less than 4 times) of some communities, only six community types were analyzed Analysis of the vegetation and soil data using …

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Establishment And Growth Of Cherrybark Oak Seedlings Underplanted Beneath A Partial Overstory In A Minor Bottom Of Southwestern Arkansas: First Year Results, Emile S. Gardiner Jan 1999

Establishment And Growth Of Cherrybark Oak Seedlings Underplanted Beneath A Partial Overstory In A Minor Bottom Of Southwestern Arkansas: First Year Results, Emile S. Gardiner

Faculty Publications

-Advance regeneration is frequently inadequate to sufficiently restock the oak component of many bottomland stands, especially on productive sites with high levels of competition. We initiated a study near Beirne, AR to examine the effects of pre-plant control of Japanese honeysuckle Thunberg) and seedling quality on establishment success and vigor of oak reproduction beneath a partial canopy. Nine, 2-acre plots were delineated in the stand that was harvested a residual stocking level of 30 percent in the fall of 1996. Honeysuckle pre-plant control treatments randomly applied to the nine were an Escort application in the spring of 1997, an Escort …

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Financial Analysis Of Pruning Combined With Low Density Management Of Southern Yellow Pine In East Texas: An Assessment, Jayson F. Tate, A. Gordon Holley, Leslie A. Dale, Gary D. Kronrad Jan 1999

Financial Analysis Of Pruning Combined With Low Density Management Of Southern Yellow Pine In East Texas: An Assessment, Jayson F. Tate, A. Gordon Holley, Leslie A. Dale, Gary D. Kronrad

Faculty Publications

Time study was conducted on pruning of research plots in a IZyear-old loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) plantation thinned to 58 square feet basal area (190 trees) per acre. Pruning times with labor and equipment costs were used to determine per acre and per tree pruning costs. Pruning costs were used to find values necessary to break-even on a pruning investment. Soil expectation value (SEV) calculations were used to compare profitability of management utilizing heavy thinning with pruning to traditional management regimes. Calculations were performed using a current hourly wage of $8.00, stumpage price of $400.00, per thousand board feet (MBF) …

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Management Of Droughty Site: Typic Quartzipsamments, Ecological Considerations, David Kulhavy, W. G. Ross, L. Allen Smith, R. R. Cahal Jan 1999

Management Of Droughty Site: Typic Quartzipsamments, Ecological Considerations, David Kulhavy, W. G. Ross, L. Allen Smith, R. R. Cahal

Faculty Publications

Pine plantations on Typic Quartzipsamments in East Texas are difficult to establish. Forest management options following clearcutting are limited. A 12 year regeneration study of the growth and survival of loblolly, Pinus faeda, L. shortleaf, P. echinata Mill., slash, f. elliofii Engelm and longleaf pines P. pa/u&is Mill. was conducted to determine optimum tree species and treatments for reforestation. With successful regeneration also comes insects and pathogens. Impacts of the Nantucket pine tip moth, Rhyacionia frusfrana, (Comstock) and the Texas leaf-cutting ant, Affa texana, (Buckley) will be discussed in the context of droughty site management.

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Four-Year Growth Results From 16 Year Old Intensively Managed Low Density Loblolly Pine Plantations, A. Gordon Holley, Leslie A. Dale, Gary D. Kronrad Jan 1999

Four-Year Growth Results From 16 Year Old Intensively Managed Low Density Loblolly Pine Plantations, A. Gordon Holley, Leslie A. Dale, Gary D. Kronrad

Faculty Publications

In 1994 eighty four permanent research plots were established in two twelve year-old loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) plantations in East Texas. Plots differed in relation to: soil-site type, density of trees per acre, fertilization treatments, and competing vegetation control. Three levels of thinning treatments reduced the basal areas to 36,60, and 84 square feet of basal area (approximately 100,200, and 300 stems, respectively) per acre. All residual trees were pruned to a height of 25 feet. Plots were re-measured in 1995, 1996, and 1998. Significant differences in diameter and height growth rates were detected in 1996 and 1998. Average diameter …

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Herbicide And Fertilizer Combinations For Newly Planted Loblolly Pine Seedlings On A Flatwoods Site In Southeastern Arkansas: Year Three Results, Jimmie L. Yeiser Jan 1999

Herbicide And Fertilizer Combinations For Newly Planted Loblolly Pine Seedlings On A Flatwoods Site In Southeastern Arkansas: Year Three Results, Jimmie L. Yeiser

Faculty Publications

Herbicide and fertilizer combinations were tested for enhanced loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) seedling performance on a chemically prepared, flatwoods site in southeastern AR. Fertilizer treatments were selected combinations of 40,50, and 50 pounds per acre of elemental N, P, or K, respectively. Arsenal+Oust (4 ounces+2 ounces per treated acre) was applied for herbaceous weed control (HWC). One treatment of herbicide or herbicide+ fertilizer was applied per year; the same rate was used for years one (1996) and two (1997). After three growing seasons, the greatest seedling volume resulted from two treatments of HWC+NPK fertilizer. Two treatments of HWC alone …

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Changes In Understory Woody Vegetation In Red-Cockaded Woodpecker (Picoides Borealis) Nesting Clusters, W. D. Hacker, W. G. Ross, David Kulhavy Jan 1999

Changes In Understory Woody Vegetation In Red-Cockaded Woodpecker (Picoides Borealis) Nesting Clusters, W. D. Hacker, W. G. Ross, David Kulhavy

Faculty Publications

Understory woody vegetation in red-cockaded woodpecker nesting clusters located in Pinus taeda (L.) and P. echinara (Mill.) dominated stands were inventoried from December 1986 through January 1987 and later in January 1995 to determine what effects court-ordered management schemes had on the composition, abundance, and diversity of these stands. There was a significant difference (Pin the composition between the first sampling period and the second with species diversity increasing and a change from a

P. (aeda/P. echinara dominated community to a P. weda/Rubus spp. understory

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Seedling Survival And Natural Regeneration For A Bottomland Hardwood Planting On Sites Differing In Site Preparation, Daniel T. Johns, Brett Williams, Hans M. Williams, Matthew Stroupe Jan 1999

Seedling Survival And Natural Regeneration For A Bottomland Hardwood Planting On Sites Differing In Site Preparation, Daniel T. Johns, Brett Williams, Hans M. Williams, Matthew Stroupe

Faculty Publications

In January 1998, three tracts in Hardin County, TX, were hand-planted with seven species of 1-0 bareroot bottomland hardwood seedlings. The tracts, managed by The Nature Conservancy of Texas, were previously 20-year-old pine plantations. The tracts are located within the floodplain of Village Creek. An objective for this conversion is the restoration of a bottomland hardwood wetland in order to meet Clean Water Act requirements. A pre-harvest plant inventory was conducted for each tract. The tracts were clearcut during the Winter and Spring of 1997. Following harvest, each tract was subjected to a different site preparation technique. One tract was …

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Frost Heaving Of Container Hardwood Seedlings Planted In An Abandoned Agriculitural Field In Sharkey County, Mississippi, Matthew C. Stroupe, Hans M. Williams Jan 1999

Frost Heaving Of Container Hardwood Seedlings Planted In An Abandoned Agriculitural Field In Sharkey County, Mississippi, Matthew C. Stroupe, Hans M. Williams

Faculty Publications

The use of container hardwood seedlings is an alternative to bareroot planting stock. In January 1996, 1,485 container seedlings of Nuttall oak (Quercus nuttallii Palmer), willow oak (Q. phellos L.). overcup oak (Q. lyrata Walter), and water oak (Q. nigra L.) were planted in Sharkey clay on an abandoned agricultural field situated in the Lower Mississippi River Alluvial Valley. Beginning with the passage of a cold front on January 31, daily minimum temperatures dipped as low as 6 °F. For 5 days, dally high temperatures did not climb above 32 °F. This cold period caused 33.7 …

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Interaction Of Soil Moisture And Seedling Shelters On Water Relations Of Baldcypress Seedlings, Ty Swirin, Hans Williams, Bob Keeland Jan 1999

Interaction Of Soil Moisture And Seedling Shelters On Water Relations Of Baldcypress Seedlings, Ty Swirin, Hans Williams, Bob Keeland

Faculty Publications

Stomata1 conductance, transpiration, and leaf water potential were measured during the 1996 growing season on baldcypress (Taxodium disfichum (L.) Rich.) seedlings. Seedlings were hand-planted from 1-O bareroot stock in mesic and permanently Rooded soil conditions. One-half of all seedlings were fitted with 122-cm tall polyethylene tree shelters, Seedlings were planted 1 year before the initiation of plant water relation measurements. The study was located within the boundary of the Longhorn Army Ammunition Plant, Kamack, TX. The objective of the research was to study the feasibility of artificially regenerating baldcypress along the shores of Caddo Lake. Stomata1 conductance and transpiration …

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What’S The Monetary Value Of Your Premerchantable Timber?, Steven H. Bullard, Tom Monaghan Jan 1999

What’S The Monetary Value Of Your Premerchantable Timber?, Steven H. Bullard, Tom Monaghan

Faculty Publications

"Premerchantable" timber is not yet merchantable-in most cases this means the trees are too small to be sold for pulpwood or other commercial products. Sometimes referred to as ''precommercial" or ''immature," timber stands with average tree diameters less than five inches occupy over 50 million acres in the South-an area roughly the size of North and South Carolina combined .

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Caudal Distraction By Rat Snakes (Colubridae, Elaphe): A Novel Behavior Used When Capturing Mammalian Prey, Stephen J. Mullin Jan 1999

Caudal Distraction By Rat Snakes (Colubridae, Elaphe): A Novel Behavior Used When Capturing Mammalian Prey, Stephen J. Mullin

Faculty Publications

Caudal movement in snakes may serve either a predatory (e.g., caudal luring) or defensive (eg., rattling, aposematism) function. I describe a new behavioral pattern of tail movement in snakes. Gray rat snakes (Elaphe obsoleta spiloides) foraging on small mammals (Mus domesticus) moved their tails in an erratic, whiplike fashion after detecting their prey in the vicinity. The thrashing movement in the horizontal plane was audibly and visually obvious, resulting in displacement of leaf litter around the tail. All subjects displayed the behavior, but not in all foraging episodes. Shorter durations of caudal distraction resulted in greater …

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