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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
An Invasive Grass And A Desert Adapted Rodent: Is There An Effect On Locomotory Performance And Is It Modified By Prior Experience Or Familiarization?, Camille D. Boag
An Invasive Grass And A Desert Adapted Rodent: Is There An Effect On Locomotory Performance And Is It Modified By Prior Experience Or Familiarization?, Camille D. Boag
Master's Theses
Kangaroo rats (Dipodomys spp.) are frequently characterized as keystone species for their role in altering soil characteristics, changing habitat structure through seed consumption and dispersal, and being important primary consumers in their ecosystem. They are arid adapted and known to forage in areas with sparse vegetation. Studies suggests densely vegetated habitat to be unsuitable for kangaroo rats because plants are an impediment to their locomotion and predator avoidance behaviors. This study focuses on an invasive grass, South African Veldt (Ehrharta calycina), that converts landscapes with sparse vegetation into dense grassland habitats, and the Lompoc kangaroo rat …
Experimental Greenhouse And Field Trials On American Ginseng, Panax Quinquefolium: Implications For Restoration In Appalachia, Emily Thyroff
Experimental Greenhouse And Field Trials On American Ginseng, Panax Quinquefolium: Implications For Restoration In Appalachia, Emily Thyroff
Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019
Panax quinquefolium, American ginseng, is one of the more valuable non-timber forest products, NTFPs, providing economic, cultural, and ecological ecosystem services in forests. Although ginseng has a broad distribution range, it is not abundant anywhere due to overharvesting and deer browse. This study included experimental field and greenhouse trials to determine optimal growing conditions given inconsistencies regarding aspect and soil. Three soil series and two aspects (represented by soil moisture in the greenhouse) were manipulated in a factorial design. We hypothesized that there would be significant differences in ginseng performance (germination, survival, leaf area, and height) due to soil and …
Forest Sustainability In An Altered Landscape Requires Human Intervention, Adam C. Labatore
Forest Sustainability In An Altered Landscape Requires Human Intervention, Adam C. Labatore
Biology Theses
Recruitment success determines the abundance and composition of plant communities. Successful recruitment can be summarized as a simple dichotomy of establishment versus seed limitations. Establishment limitation occurs when plant populations are inhibited by habitat availability and quality, whereas seed limitation occurs when seeds fail to arrive in necessary densities. Recruitment failure undermines overstory sustainability if the existing trees cannot replace themselves. Preliminary analysis indicated tree recruitment failure at an urban nature preserve with too few tree seedlings to replace mature canopy trees. These data suggested that the urban forest was not sustainable. The overarching goal of the study was to …
Provisioning And Its Effects On The Social Interactions Of Tibetan Macaques (Macaca Thibetana) At Mt. Huangshan, China, Brianna I. Schnepel
Provisioning And Its Effects On The Social Interactions Of Tibetan Macaques (Macaca Thibetana) At Mt. Huangshan, China, Brianna I. Schnepel
All Master's Theses
The dispersal patterns of food resources has a significant effect on the composition of primate groups and social interactions within those groups. Humans often alter the dispersal of food. Non-humans often use affiliative behaviors to elicit tolerance or support from other group members. I investigated whether provisioned food resources alter the social interactions and group dynamics of Macaca thibetana. All-occurrence sampling and scan sampling were used for data recorded by camera traps. Trail-cameras were placed at six locations that contain natural and human food resources and recorded 60-second videos. Social behavior and proximity of the monkeys were recorded. I …