Life Sciences Commons^™

Ordinal-Level Biomass Of Insects Collected On And Off Prairie Dog Colonies, Colby Cook, Chad Zerr, Lorelei E. Patrick

SACAD: John Heinrichs Scholarly and Creative Activity Days

Ordinal-level Biomass of Insects Collected On and Off Prairie Dog Colonies

Colby Cook, Chad Zerr, and Lorelei Patrick

Recent work has shown that bats in Colorado and Kansas are more active over prairie dog colonies. It is hypothesized that the reason for this is increased abundance and richness of insects found on colonies versus off colonies. Sampling from 2022 indicated that insect biomass was not different between location types, but suggested that the relative abundance of insect orders may differ. Additional insect sampling was conducted in 2023. Light traps were deployed on the same nights, one on a prairie dog …

Use Of Biomass From Reed Canary Grass (Phalaris Arundinacea) As Raw Material For Production Of Paper Pulp And Fuel, B Andersson, E Lindvall

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea) has been investigated as a potential industrial crop in Sweden and other European countries. Reed canary grass (RCG) can be used as raw-material for paper pulp or as biofuel for combustion. A new harvest method, the delayed harvesting system, was developed which makes it possible to get dry, ready to store, material. The method reduces cost and improves quality of the product. The use of RCG as an industrial crop requires a completely different quality compared to forage. The important part is the cellulose while protein and mineral nutrients are disturbing the process …

Modeling The Biomass Production Of Grasslands Of Wallonia According To Their Functional Type, U. Kokah Essomandan, D. Knoden, B. Dumont, J. Bindelle

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Permanent grasslands are complex ecosystems which respond with a great variability - in terms of specific richness - to soil type and management strategies. Modelling is a valuable tool to explore these relationships. Our work consisted in adapting the Moorepark St Gilles grass growth model (MoSt GG) designed to model Lolium perenne plant functional type (PFT) pastures (PFT A) to a different PFT (Dactylis glomerata, PFT B) through literature-based parametrization. The model was evaluated under Walloon (Belgium) conditions using growth trials from 2014 to 2018 in two sites with contrasting pedo-climatic conditions. Three to five cuts were performed …

Estimating Forage Biomass Using Unmanned Ground And Aerial Vehicles, B. A. Koc, J. Singh, M. J. Aguerre,

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

The assessment of the amount of biomass in the field is one of the critical factors that helps to manage and optimize numerous operations associated with forage management in the livestock industry. Pasture management decisions about stocking rate, grazing duration, and fertilizer application rate depend on accurate forage availability measurements. The objective of this study was to develop different nondestructive methods of forage biomass estimation using unmanned vehicles based on the relationship between crop height (CH) and the measured above-ground biomass. The unmanned vehicle-based methods were developed and tested on Alfalfa (Medicago Sativa) and Tall Fescue (Schedonorus …

Impacts Of Harvest Date And Concurrent Alkali Pretreatment And Ensiling On Anaerobic Digestion Of Pennycress Biomass, Liangcheng Yang, Tuba Yasmin Lubna, Michael A. Moklak, Barsanti Gautum, Nicholas J. Heller, Robert L. Rhykerd, David E. Kopsell, John C. Sedbrook

Faculty Publications – Biological Sciences

Pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.) is an annual cover crop known for its exceptional cold tolerance and high oil and protein yields. Pennycress can be integrated into a corn–soybean rotation in the U.S. However, the utilization of pennycress biomass remains largely unexplored, including assessing compositional changes through its growth and organic matter digestibility. This study harvested pennycress at three growth stages, characterized the biomass for anaerobic digestion (AD), and tested the effects of concurrent alkali pretreatment and ensiling on the biomass methane yield. Results showed that the biomass harvested when the plants were undergoing senescence (“third-harvest”) had higher contents of …

Do Mesopelagic Fish Biomass Patterns Change In Response To Major Oceanographic Features In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico?, Ian M. Areford

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

In recent years interest in mesopelagic fishes has grown due to their ecological significance and economic potential. A major outstanding question is how the assemblage is potentially structured by mesoscale (10 - 100s km) oceanographic features such as eddies, fronts, and riverine plumes. Mesoscale features are known to influence micronekton and zooplankton’s spatial distributions but data on individual mesopelagic fish species’ responses are limited. The Gulf of Mexico (GoM) is an area of particular interest due to its diverse mesopelagic fish assemblage, its well-defined mesoscale oceanographic features, its history of anthropogenic impacts such as oil spills, and its diverse mesopelagic …

Grass Diversity And Pasture Quality Baseline Assessement In Central Madagascar, O. P. Nanjarisoa, L. Randriamanalina, Wayne F. Truter, M. T. Rajaonah, C. E. R. Lehmann, C. Birkinshaw, L. Rakotonirina, D. Miarinjanahary, N. L. Raharinirina, M. S. Vorontsova

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Poaceae family contributes to Madagascar’s biodiversity hotspot with 217 of 541 grass species endemic to the island, although their forage value is unknown, at least in the scientific literature. Our research aims 1) to describe the diversity of native and endemic grasses thereby recognising the role of grass species diversity in forage and ecosystem management and 2) to provide new knowledge about pasture management based on the relationship between grazing capacity and productivity within experimental pastureland plots under different fire and grazing treatments. Our study seeks to provide information to inform improvements in livestock nutrition via grazing management of natural …

Weed Management Affects Pasture Productivity And Livestock Performance - Tropical Perspective, Joao B. Cason, B. Sleugh

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Weed competition in pastures has a great impact on livestock productivity, as, in addition to competing with forage, it interferes with animal grazing. Without question, weeds can compete with forage for water, space, light and nutrients. Weeds reduce the feed value of forage, decrease pasture carrying capacity, and can be toxic or unpalatable to livestock. For most weeds in pasture, the root system is robust, which contributes to the survival of these plants, affecting the development of the pasture. Due to the large number of seeds, they usually produce, they are very easily dispersed. In addition, when there are weeds …

Salt Tolerance Mechanisms In Perennial Fodder Grasses, Edna Antony, B. Aravind, A. Amulya, T. Anushree, P. V. Rakshata, F. H. Savitha, M. B. Doddamani, P. V. Kuligod, Akbar, Vinod Kumar, K. Sridhar, Vijay Kumar Yadav

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Salinity stress is one of the most damaging stresses in crop plants. It reduces the productivity of the soil and makes it unsuitable for crop cultivation. Fodder crops are considered the best alternative in such uncultivable land. Using salinity-affected land for pasture development is the best alternative to utilize such lands. However, the extent of salinity tolerance varies among different grass species. In this study, Pearl millet Napier hybrids (PMN hybrid) and guinea grass varieties were studied for salinity tolerance in artificially created saline soils in the ratio of 13:7:1:2 (NaCl: Na₂SO₄: MgCl: CaSO₄, …

The Caddisflies (Trichoptera) Of Finch Creek, Antrim County, Michigan (Usa), David Houghton, Robert Haack

The Great Lakes Entomologist

The caddisfly assemblages of Finch Creek, a small woodland stream in northern Lower Michigan, was sampled along its entire continuum during May, June, July, and September 2021–2022 using ultraviolet blacklight traps. A total of 98 species representing 15 families and 49 genera were collected, including two species [Lepidostoma prominens (Banks) and L. sommermanae (Ross)] not previously reported from Michigan, and several others either not previously found in the Lower Peninsula or not reported from the state for >70 years. A non-metric multidimensional scaling ordination determined distinct species assemblages corresponding to the spring, summer, and fall months. Shredders dominated the …

The Caddisflies (Trichoptera) Of Drummond Island, Michigan, With An Assessment Of Lake Assemblage Biomass, David Houghton, Robert Haack

The Great Lakes Entomologist

The adult caddisfly assemblages of Drummond Island, a Michigan island in Lake Huron near the Canadian border, were sampled in 2021–2022 from 3 sites on Lake Huron, 8 inland lakes, 2 vernal pools, and 1 stream. Adult caddisflies from each site were sampled in spring, summer, and autumn using ultraviolet blacklight traps. A total of 89 species representing 37 genera and 12 families was collected, including several not seen in Michigan for 50–70 years and the first confirmation of the rare species Beothukus complicatus (Banks) (Phryganeidae) from the state. A non-metric multidimensional scaling ordination determined distinct species assemblages between lakes, …

Primary Productivity And Water Use Of The Perennial Grass, Cenchrus Ciliaris, In Arid Environments, L. Mnif, Mohamed Chaieb

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Cenchrus ciliaris is a perennial grass that may be suitable for the restoration of Rhanterium steppes (Chaieb et al., 1991). In this study, four Cenchrus ciliaris accessions from Tunisia from a range of climate and soil conditions, likely to vary in their adaptation to drought, were evaluated for productivity, rainuse-efficiency and reproductive output at Sfax in southern Tunisia. The suitability of these accessions for the restoration of Rhanterium steppes is considered.

Modeling The Effect Of Neighborhood Competition On Tree Diameter Growth In The Pacific Northwest Coast Range, Htet Lin Naing

Theses and Dissertations

Trees compete for various resources such as sunlight, water, and nutrients, which can be expressed as numerical terms, called competition indices (CI). Competition between individual trees is correlated with their growth and mortality. Therefore, CIs are used as independent variables to develop, improve and modify growth and yield models. This study was conducted to test the effect of neighborhood competition on tree diameter growth among Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco), western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg) and red alder (Alnus rubra Bong.), in the Pacific Northwest Coast Range, USA. After testing seven distance-independent CIs and three distance-dependent …

The Use Of Digital Imagery For The Assessment Of Green Biomass In Native Pastures, A. F. Southwell, G. Mckenzie, James M. Virgona, A. M. Ridley, P. Ederback

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

A practice common to pasture research is the assessment of green leaf. In Australia, where the water use of plants is becoming an increasingly important issue due largely to its implications for dryland salinity, it is imperative that accurate and repeatable methods for characterising the amount of green leaf in pastures be used. The assessment of green leaf has been approached in many ways in the past with varying degrees of success and accuracy. The most accurate way is to physically harvest an area of pasture and separate the green component to make the relevant measurements. For many situations, this …

Study Of Morphological And Physiological Properties And Pollinators Of The Invasive Callery Pear, Prabina Sharma

All Theses

Callery pear is an invasive tree in 15 states of United States and is currently present in 37 states. Its management has challenged landowners and land managers. Despite being listed as a noxious weed in four states, its study is limited. The accurate estimation of Callery pear biomass will give a clearer picture of the level of invasion and help land managers develop different strategies to control its population. Similarly, identifying possible pollinators of Callery pear is essential to have some insights on pollinators associated with this tree. Hence, the objectives of this study are 1) to calculate total above-ground …

Effects Of Livestock Grazing On The Shrub Vegetation Biomass In The ‘Sierra De Guara’ Natural Park (Spain), J. L. Riedel, I. Casasús, A. García, A. Sanz, M. Blanco, R. Revilla, A. Bernués

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

The 'Sierra de Guara' Natural Park (80.7 Kha) is a Mediterranean mountain area in Huesca, south of the Spanish Pyrenees. Shrub and forest pastures dominate the Park. They are grazed mainly by sheep, but also by suckler cattle and goats. Average stocking rate is 0.15 LU/ha. As in other European mountain areas, agricultural activities have declined during the last few decades. This has caused a process of secondary vegetation succession towards shrub invasion, with consequent landscape changes. This study aimed to quantify the effect of grazing on shrub vegetation biomass.

Biomass Vertical Distribution In A Grazed Grassland Under Monoespecific And Mixed Grazing, C. Saroff, S. González, A. Ohanian, H. Pagliaricci, Y. R. Chiaramello

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Mixed grazing is defined as the use of the same forage resource for more than one herbivore species. It has been shown that different herbivore species have specific grazing modalities (Black and Kenney, 1984), which may differentially modify the structure of the pasture. The aim of this study was to evaluate the biomass vertical distribution in a sward with mixed grazing.

The Effect Of Acidic Ph On Growth Kinetics, Biomass Productivity, And Prima-Ry Metabolite Contents Of Euglena Sp., Istini Nurafifah, Muhammad Andhi Hardianto, Tia Erfianti, Ria Amelia, Khusnul Qonita Maghfiroh, Dedy Kurnianto, Dwi Umi Siswanti, Brilian Ryan Sadewo, Renata Adaranyssa Egistha Putri, Eko Agus Suyono

Makara Journal of Science

Euglena is a microalga with the potential to be an environmentally friendly renewable energy resource. The pH value is a crucial factor in micro-algal cultivation. Changes in pH affect the growth and development of microalgae, including the production of biomass and primary metabolites, such as proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids. In this study, Euglena sp. was grown on Cramer-Myers medium and subjected to various acidic conditions. This study aimed to determine the effect of pH on the growth kinetics, biomass, carbohydrate, lipid, and protein contents of Euglena sp. The Euglena sp. culture was optimized at various pH values of 2.5, 3.5, …

The Effect Of Topographic Factors On The Productivity Of Mountain Grasslands In Northwestern Benin, T. H. Avohou, Brice Sinsin

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

The Atacora mountains range in northern Benin (660 m altitude) is a special ecosystem in the sudanian zone because of the overriding importance of topographic factors and shallow soils. The vegetation over this mountain range consists of shrub and tree savannas, woodlands and fallows. More and more cattle herds graze on this range. But the functioning of this ecosystem is still unknown like many others in the tropical zone (Sene & Zingari, 2001). This study aims to determine the impact of topography and mountain side exposure on the productivity of the Atacora mountains grasslands in the Atacora mountains.

Intensification Differentially Affects The Delivery Of Multiple Ecosystem Services In Subtropical And Temperate Grasslands, Shishir Paudel, Nuria Gomez-Casanovas, Elizabeth H. Boughton, Samuel D. Chamberlain, Pradeep Wagle, Brekke L. Peterson, Rajen Bajgain, Patrick J. Starks, Jefferey Basara, Carl J. Bernacchi, Evan H. Delucia, Laura E. Goodman, Prasanna H. Gowda, Ryan Reuter, Jed P. Sparks, Hilary M. Swain, Xiangming Xiao, Jean L. Steiner

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Intensification, the process of intensifying land management to enhance agricultural goods, results in “intensive” pastures that are planted with productive grasses and fertilized. These intensive pastures provide essential ecosystem services, including forage production for livestock. Understanding the synergies and tradeoffs of pasture intensification on the delivery of services across climatic regions is crucial to shape policies and incentives for better management of natural resources. Here, we investigated how grassland intensification affects key components of provisioning (forage productivity and quality), supporting (plant diversity) and regulating services (CO2 and CH4 fluxes) by comparing these services between intensive versus extensive pastures in subtropical …

Plasticity Of Sorghum Biomass And Inflorescence Traits In Response To Nitrogen Application, Kyle M. Linders

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Nitrogen is an essential nutrient required for growth and development in plants. Insufficient nitrogen availability can reduce vegetative growth and grain yield. However, nitrogen is a costly input for farmers, is energy intensive to manufacture, and runoff of excess nitrogen fertilizer impacts water quality. Compared to its close relative, maize, sorghum has much greater resilience to nitrogen and water deficit, and heat stress, allowing sorghum to be grown with fewer inputs and on marginal land. Variation in total biomass accumulation and grain yield between sorghum accessions, as well as between nitrogen conditions, can be largely explained by differences in vegetative …

Thoughts On Breeding For Increased Forage Yield, E. C. Brummer

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Most forage crops have not experienced yield gains as impressive as those observed in annual grains crops such as maize (Zea mays L); in fact, yield improvement in lucerne appears to have stopped in the Midwestern USA (Riday and Brummer, 2002). I contend that much of this disparity can be explained by a failure of breeders to pursue long term recurrent selection programs within populations to capitalize on small, incremental improvements in yield over time. Many selection programs last only two or three cycles, resulting in a germplasm or cultivar release. Either no further selection is attempted or the …

Genetic Markers And Tree Properties Predicting Wood Biorefining Potential In Aspen (Populus Tremula) Bioenergy Feedstock, Sacha Escamez, Kathryn M. Robinson, Mikko Luomaranta, Madhavi Latha Gandla, Niklas Mähler, Zakiya Yassin, Thomas Grahn, Gerhard Scheepers, Lars-Göran Stener, Stefan Jansson, Leif J. Jönsson, Nathaniel R. Street, Hannele Tuominen

Aspen Bibliography

Background Wood represents the majority of the biomass on land and constitutes a renewable source of biofuels and other bioproducts. However, wood is recalcitrant to bioconversion, raising a need for feedstock improvement in production of, for instance, biofuels. We investigated the properties of wood that affect bioconversion, as well as the underlying genetics, to help identify superior tree feedstocks for biorefining.

Results We recorded 65 wood-related and growth traits in a population of 113 natural aspen genotypes from Sweden (https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.gtht76hrd). These traits included three growth and field performance traits, 20 traits for wood chemical composition, 17 traits for wood anatomy …

Less Fuel For The Next Fire? Short-Interval Fire Delays Forest Recovery And Interacting Drivers Amplify Effects, Kristin H. Braziunas, Nathan G. Kiel, Monica G. Turner

Aspen Bibliography

As 21st-century climate and disturbance dynamics depart from historic baselines, ecosystem resilience is uncertain. Multiple drivers are changing simultaneously, and interactions among drivers could amplify ecosystem vulnerability to change. Subalpine forests in Greater Yellowstone (Northern Rocky Mountains, USA) were historically resilient to infrequent (100–300 year), severe fire. We sampled paired short-interval (<30-year) and long-interval (>125-year) post-fire plots most recently burned between 1988 and 2018 to address two questions: (1) How do short-interval fire, climate, topography, and distance to unburned live forest edge interact to affect post-fire forest regeneration? (2) How do forest biomass and fuels vary following short-interval versus long-interval severe fires? …

Potential Repercussions Of Offshore Wind Energy Development In The Northeast United States For The Atlantic Surfclam Survey And Population Assessment, Sarah Borsetti, Daphne M. Munroe, Andrew M. Scheld, Eric N. Powell, John M. Klinck, Eileen E. Hofmann

CCPO Publications

The Atlantic surfclam Spisula solidissima fishery, which spans the U.S. Northeast continental shelf, is among the most exposed to offshore wind energy development impacts because of the overlap of fishing grounds with wind energy lease areas, the hydraulic dredges used by the fishing vessels, and the location of vessel home ports relative to the fishing grounds. The Atlantic surfclam federal assessment survey is conducted using a commercial fishing vessel in locations that overlap with the offshore wind energy development. Once wind energy turbines, cables, and scour protection are installed, survey operations within wind energy lease areas may be curtailed or …

Data Curation For Modeling Tall Fescue Biomass Dynamics With Dssat-Csm, M. B. Hanson, P. D. Alderman, T. J. Butler, A. Caldeira Rocateli

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

While models for predicting forage production are available to aid management decisions for some forage crops, there is limited research for a yield model designed specifically for tall fescue (Schedonorus arundinaceus). Therefore, our objective was to adapt an existing perennial forage model, the Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer Cropping Systems Model (DSSAT-CSM) for predicting forage biomass of tall fescue in the southern Great Plains. To evaluate model performance, there must first be a high level of data manipulation and cleaning. In this project, a cohesive dataset combining biomass, weather, soil, and management data were structured into DSSAT …

Seagrass Posidonia Escarpments Support High Diversity And Biomass Of Rocky Reef Fishes, Oscar Serrano Gras, Karina Inostroza, Glenn Hyndes, Alan M. Friedlander, Eduard Serrano, Caitlin Rae, Enric Ballesteros

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Although seagrass meadows form a relatively homogenous habitat, escarpments, which form three-dimensional structures and originate from the erosion of seagrass peat, can provide important habitat for reef fishes. Here, we compare fish assemblages and habitat structural complexity among seagrass Posidonia australis escarpments and canopies, as well as limestone reef habitats, to understand the role of seagrass escarpments as reef fish habitat in Shark Bay, Western Australia. The total number of fish species, fish biomass, and top predator biomass were significantly higher in seagrass escarpments and reef habitats than in seagrass canopies due to lower habitat structural complexity and thus becoming …

Changes In Poplar Digestibility Due To Overexpression Of Laccase Genes, Fnu Arunima

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Woody biomass, particularly poplar, is a sought-after feedstock for lignocellulosic biofuels because of its year-round availability and high productivity. Because of cell wall components like lignin, poplar is inherently resistant to enzymatic saccharification. The experiment aims to determine whether the controlled overexpression of laccase genes alters the biomass composition and whether it can create poplar that is more digestible than the wildtype.

Three sets of transgenic poplar (Populus tremula x alba) samples were evaluated: laccase 18, laccase 27, and STTM. Laccase 18 samples, an target of miRNA397a was overexpressed along with Laccase 27. Short Tandem target Mimic (STTM) technology …

Quantifying The Carbon Stored And Sequestered By The Trees On Pomona College’S Campus, Paola A. Giron-Carson

Scripps Senior Theses

We are experiencing a climate crisis that must be confronted with strategic mitigation. Pomona College contributes to the climate crisis through its emissions for which there is a baseline record. However there is no baseline record of the climate mitigation currently performed by the trees on Pomona’s campus through carbon storage. This study seeks to determine a current baseline quantity of carbon stored and sequestrated by Pomona’s trees as well as possible courses of climate mitigation for Pomona College to take. Initial information gathering was conducted through interviews with several stakeholders. This study was conducted using data collected prior to …

Population Abundance And Growth Parameters Of An Exotic Bivalve Species, Anadara Kagoshimensis, In The Southwestern Black Sea, Murat Dağteki̇n, Göktuğ Dalgiç, Murat Erbay, İlkay Özcan Akpinar, Mehmet Aydin, Süleyman Özdemi̇r, Ayşe Cebeci̇, Sedat Karayücel

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Blood cockle (Anadara kagoshimensis) is an Indo-Pacific species that later entered the Black Sea. The abundance of A. kagoshimensis, which is not subjected to commercial fishing, is important in terms of food competition with other bivalvia species. Baby clam (Chamelea gallina) together with the A. kagoshimensis are dominant bivalve species found in the sandy and muddy areas off the coastal waters of the Black Sea. In this study, specimens of A. kagoshimensis have been recognized by morphological analysis and also confirmed by molecular characterization. Furthermore, the abundance and growth parameters of A. kagoshimensis were investigated in the …