Life Sciences Commons^™

Comparison Of Forest Stand Edges In Riparian And Mesic Habitats Along Watts Bar Reservoir Shoreline, Ruth Anne Hanahan

Masters Theses

Approximately fifty years ago, the landscape upslope from the natural, riverine position banks of the Tennessee River was inundated by the closing of Watts Bar Dam. On the currently forested shoreline, habitats within the direct influence of the reservoir pool are riparian. Those above that influence are mesic. The purpose of this research was to determine compositional and structural differences between edges of mature forest stands established in a riparian habitat and those established in a mesic habitat along Watts Bar Reservoir shoreline.

Thirty quadrats were placed on shoreline sites with mature, minimally-disturbed forest stands: 15 in a riparian habitat …

The Influence Of Environmental Ph And Bicarbonate Concentration On The Excretion Of Nitrogenous Waste Products In Two Species Of Freshwater Teleost, Paul D. Fabsits

Masters Theses

The catabolism of amino acids derived from dietary protein results in the production of ammonia and bicarbonate ion, waste products that an animal must eliminate. Often, animals excrete a nitrogenous waste product that is correlated with water availability: Freshwater fish, living where water is abundant, usually excrete ammonia while terrestrial animals excrete urea or uric acid. Recent studies report that fish inhabiting alkaline waters (pH 10) characterized by high bicarbonate concentrations do not excrete ammonia, instead synthesize urea, an energetically expensive process. The conversion to urea excretion by a normally ammonotelic animal is likely to be stimulated by a specific …

Ecology And Community Relationships Of The River Cooter, Pseudemys Concinna In A Southern Illinois Backwater, Michael J. Dreslik

Masters Theses

In Illinois the River cooter, Pseudemys concinna, is an enigmatic endangered species. Even throughout its range, ecological studies on the River cooter are rare. During 1994 and 1995 I quantified the: growth rates and trends, population size and structure and dietary habits of a population from floodplain lake in Gallatin county, Illinois. Population estimation (Schnabel method) predicted 136 individuals at a density of 4.6 turtles/ha with a biomass of 3.6 Kg/ha. The sex ratio is slightly male biased (1:1.14). From back-calculated growth data, the von Bertalanffy growth model (Fabens' method) estimates males with a higher growth rate (k) and …

Physical Condition And Reproductive Success Of White-Tailed Deer At Fort Chaffee, Ar: A Five-Year Study, Donald A. Phillips

Masters Theses

A baseline study conducted in 1991 demonstrated that the resident white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) population at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas was in poor condition, with below average reproductive success, body weight, and antler size, and above average parasite load compared to other regional deer populations. Consequently, a management program was initiated in 1991 which included: (1) neutralizing acidic soils, (2) prescribed burning, (3) planting supplemental food plots, and (4) liberalizing the harvest of female adults from the population. The purpose of this study was to monitor changes in the health and reproductive success of the herd as this program was implemented. …

Small Mammal Community Structure In Restored Prairies, Kathleen A. Falout

Masters Theses

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources currently manages approximately 4,000 hectares of natural prairie. High human impacts coupled with small patch size result in challenging management decisions for prairie conservation. The ideal restored prairie would consist of a mosaic of habitats varying in vegetation from forb-grass dominated areas to oak savannas, with concurrent stages of vegetative succession occurring across the habitats. A study was conducted at the Middle Fork State Fish and Wildlife Area located in Vermillion County, IL, to analyze small mammal diversity and community composition among three different stages of prairie restoration.

The three treatment categories were: fallow …