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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Nest Survival Of Grassland Breeding Birds In A Southern Mixed-Grass Prairie Wetland, Clinton Helms
Nest Survival Of Grassland Breeding Birds In A Southern Mixed-Grass Prairie Wetland, Clinton Helms
Master's Theses
As a group, grassland birds have been declining significantly since European settlement of the prairie. The subsequent plowing of the prairie by settlers was compounded by fire suppression, resulting in a patchwork of cultivated fields with intermittent tracts of overgrown grassland. Over an interval of ~200 years, these practices lead to an estimated decline of 96 % of native tallgrass prairie habitat. Due to the imperiled status of grassland birds, an emphasis has been placed on managing for this particular group throughout the southern mixed-grass prairie region. I investigated the effects of adaptive three-pasture rotational grazing treatments (3ROT) versus traditional …
Habitat Associations Of Grassland Birds Along A Gradient Of Eastern Red Cedar Succession In Central Kansas, Scott W. Schmidt
Habitat Associations Of Grassland Birds Along A Gradient Of Eastern Red Cedar Succession In Central Kansas, Scott W. Schmidt
Master's Theses
Grassland birds have declined more rapidly than any other avian taxa in North America. While woody encroachment is often cited as a threat, some grassland-dependent species requiring habitat with scattered trees or shrubs also are declining at statistically significant rates. To better understand the ecological costs and benefits of woody vegetation from a brush management perspective, I studied bird-habitat associations along a canopy cover gradient of eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana). Habitat associations were tested by the comparing the relative abundance of breeding birds between 3 habitat treatment levels (0% eastern red cedar canopy cover [open grassland], < 5% eastern red cedar canopy cover [light encroachment], and > 5-25% eastern red …
The Ecological Effects Of Cattle Grazing On Reptiles And Small Mammals In A San Joaquin Valley Grassland, Michael William Tom
The Ecological Effects Of Cattle Grazing On Reptiles And Small Mammals In A San Joaquin Valley Grassland, Michael William Tom
Master's Theses
Livestock grazing is a common and extensive land use practice in the United States occurring in a wide range of habitat types. As such, livestock grazing has the potential to alter ecosystem structure, function and community composition. The primary component (Chapter 1) of this thesis examined the effects of cattle grazing in a San Joaquin Valley grassland on two target taxa: reptiles and small mammals. The study took place on the Chimineas Unit of the Carrizo Ecological Reserve, San Luis Obispo County, California during Fall 2009 and Spring 2010. These taxa were sampled on matched pairs of two grazed and …