Life Sciences Commons^™

The Effects Of Land Use Change On Ant Communities In New England, Amelia K.L. Curry, Joseph A. Nelsen, Dale R. Stevens, Kaitlyn A. Mathis

Biology

Urbanisation and agricultural expansion are two of the most prevalent and intense forms of land use change worldwide and can have dramatic consequences on biodiversity and biotic community structure. Ants are extremely widespread, ecologically diverse and small ectotherms that are sensitive to changes from a wide range of environmental factors. Therefore, ants make an ideal study organism to examine the effects of anthropogenic land use change on biotic communities. In this study, we examined differences in ant species richness and community composition between urban parks, farms and forest fragments, and related these differences to environmental factors that vary among each …

Invasive Phragmites Effect On Utah Wetlands Soil Composition, Cecilia Steffen, Rachel Wood, Madison L. Brown

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2024

Introduction

• Invasive Phragmites australis (referred to as Phragmites), invaded Utah wetlands in the 1980's. Efforts have been made since then to remove Phragmites through various treatments.

• Phragmites outcompetes other wetland plants, causing it to be the dominant species. This is called a monoculture.

• Utah's wetlands are important for many species migrations, filtration, and nutrient cycling.

• How do Phragmites treatments effect soil nutrients and moisture? How do untreated Phragmites wetlands compare to native dominant wetlands?

Effects Of Hemiparasites In Grassland Restorations Are Not Universal, Anna Scheidel, Victoria Borowicz

Faculty Publications – Biological Sciences

Root hemiparasites infiltrate the vascular tissue of host roots to acquire water and nutrients, which often reduces host growth. Hemiparasites are postulated to be keystone species in grassland communities if they suppress dominant species and increase plant community biodiversity, and ecosystem engineers if they increase nutrient accessibility for surrounding species. We examined keystone effects by evaluating species richness and evenness in 1 m2 plots in a recent prairie restoration where Castilleja sessiliflora was naturally present or absent, and in a longer-established prairie restoration with or without Pedicularis canadensis. We examined ecosystem engineer effects by determining nitrate and phosphate concentrations …

Effects Of Hemiparasites In Grassland Restorations Are Not Universal, Anna Marie Scheidel, Victoria Borowicz

Faculty Publications – Biological Sciences

Root hemiparasites infiltrate the vascular tissue of host roots to acquire water and nutrients, which often reduces host growth. Hemiparasites are postulated to be keystone species in grassland communities if they suppress dominant species and increase plant community biodiversity, and ecosystem engineers if they increase nutrient accessibility for surrounding species. We examined keystone effects by evaluating species richness and evenness in 1 m2 plots in a recent prairie restoration where Castilleja sessiliflora was naturally present or absent, and in a longer-established prairie restoration with or without Pedicularis canadensis. We examined ecosystem engineer effects by determining nitrate and phosphate concentrations …

A Global Synthesis Of The Relative Impacts Of Habitat Amount, Fragmentation, And Matrix Quality On Forest Biodiversity, Antoinette Esposito

Masters Theses

Aim To assess the relative impact of different landscape variables on species richness and to determine whether species richness declines more rapidly below an extinction threshold of remaining habitat. The results of this study will help to better inform future conservation strategies. Location Global Time period 1997 – 2013 Major taxa studied Amphibians, birds, invertebrates, mammals, and reptiles Methods Data from 71 studies published in the global BioFrag database were used to determine species richness across multiple landscapes and biomes. The Hansen dataset was used to collect data on habitat amount (forest area), fragmentation (patch density), and matrix quality (mean …

Additive Negative Effects Of Decadal Warming And Nitrogen Addition On Grassland Community Stability, Q. Wu, G. D. Han, S. X. Chang, H. Y. Ren

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Much recent research has explored how global warming and increased nitrogen (N) deposition, two important components of global environmental changes, influence the structure and functioning of natural ecosystems. However, how ecosystem dynamics respond to the combination of long-term warming and N enrichment remains largely unexplored. The impact of warming and N addition on the temporal stability of plant communities were investigated in a decade-long field experiment. The study was conducted in northern China in a desert steppe, using a split-plot design with warming as the main-plot factor and N addition as the splitplot factor. Long-term warming and N addition had …

Eragrostis Curvula Effects On Above And Below-Ground Plant Species Richness And Diversity, Jed Brown, A. Merchant, L. Ingram

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Monitoring and managing the soil seed bank is fundamental to land management as it constitutes the future generations of invasive plant communities. Invasive plants have traits that result in high recruitment through increased seed generation, short seed dormancy and phenotypic plasticity. Furthermore, invasive plants with growth forms that inhibit the growth and recruitment of other species can lead to monocultures and associated reduction in above-ground biodiversity, potentially negatively impacting the soil seed bank diversity and ecosystem functions and services. Eragrostis curvula is one such species that has many of these invasive traits, including high propagule generation, and can exclude plant …

Pollinator Communities At The Onu Biological Sanctuary Relative To Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, Stephanie Clark

Pence-Boyce STEM Student Scholarship

Many species of pollinators around the world have seen a population decline in recent years. Causes of these declines have been linked to several factors such as climate change, pesticide usage, and habitat loss. While previous Olivet Nazarene University research has analyzed the bee community at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie and some of the savanna areas in Northeast Illinois surrounding Olivet, little is known about the new Swanberg Biological Sanctuary, owned by Olivet, or what butterflies are present in this region of Illinois. We utilized the 13 established transects throughout Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie as well as six new transects …

Floristic Composition And Species Richness Model In Winter Rangelands Of Northeastern Iran, Anahita Rashtian, Mansour Mesdaghi

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Due to the variable annual rainfall, the plant communities of rangelands in northeastern of Iran are fluctuating and the productivity is highly variable. This ecosystem covers about 500,000 ha and is one of the important winter ranges in Iran. In this fluctuating ecosystem, species diversity and floristic composition are changing annually (Pabot, 1967). Under heavy grazing most of the range species were extinct, but under light and moderate grazing, species richness was improved, fitting with the humped-back model (Wilkinson, 1999). The objectives of this research were 1) to determine floristic composition in three vegetation types and 2) to show the …

The Relationship Between Species Diversity And Productivity Of Cool-Season Grassland, S. E. Florine, Kenneth J. Moore, Steven L. Fales, R. L. Hintz

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Iowa grasslands consist mainly of introduced cool-season grasses and forbs. Many of these species are well adapted and have become naturalised. Most of these grasslands are located on marginal sites with heterogeneous soils and topography. Consequently, there is significant variation in the botanical composition and biomass productivity within and across grassland sites. This experiment aimed to evaluate the botanical composition and biomass productivity of representative grasslands and to determine if there was a relationship between grassland species diversity and biomass production across sites.

Impact Of Wildlife Provisioning On Species Diversity, Relative Frequency, And Richness In New South Wales, Alanah Cohen-Tigör

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Wildlife provisioning and camera trapping are two recently evolving methods of conservation and wildlife management, aimed at protecting animals in the face of ever worsening climate change. Habitats are being destroyed by climate disruption, decreasing species diversity and abundance worldwide. It is imperative that methods of protecting species are developed to slow or reverse this era of extinction. By providing supplementary food and water to ecological communities, the hope is that species will have improved survivorship and reproduction, making them more resilient and resistant to population decline. Camera trapping is product of modern technology, allowing researchers to monitor species without …

Species Richness Affects Grassland Yield And Yield Stability Across Seasons, Sites And Years, David J. Barker, Reuben M. Sulc, M. R. Burgess, T. L. Bultemeier

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

The benefits of biodiversity (specifically species richness) are proposed to include both greater yield and greater stability of yield in a variable environment (Sanderson et al., 2004). Experimental evidence showing yield benefits is inconsistent (White et al., 2004). There is relatively little experimental data showing the effects of species richness on yield stability. The objective of this study was to measure the yield from mixtures with up to 12 species, and to measure the variability of yield between 2 sites, between spring and summer, and in 2 successive years.

Comparing Pollinator Communities: Onu’S Swanberg Sanctuary V. Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, Stephanie Clark

Pence-Boyce STEM Student Scholarship

Pollinators play a key role in both ecosystem diversity and agricultural productivity [1]. Declines for pollinators have been seen across the globe and have been linked to agriculture and urbanization [2]. Several species in Illinois have declined so severely, they are now endangered or of significant conservation concern [1]. Past ONU students have collected data on the bees in Northeast IL. However, there is no data for what species are at the Sanctuary. This study will provide baseline data for future studies and by comparing with Midewin, a mature restoration, we can gain an understanding of distinctiveness.

Assessment Of Living Shorelines For Restoring Fish Habitats: A Case Study From Coastal Alabama, Claire Legaspi, Matheus De Barros, Alexandra Rodriguez, Ronald Baker

Gulf and Caribbean Research

No abstract provided.

Assessing The Recovery Of Forest Understory Vegetation After Clearcut Logging Across A 445-Year Chronosequence, Molly Smith Metok

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The conversion of natural forested lands to managed forests has reduced the amount of older, structurally diverse forests worldwide. In conifer forests of the Pacific Northwest (USA) – where the understory plant communities comprise only 1% of forest biomass but represent 90% of the plant species richness – the long-term impacts of timber harvesting are not fully understood. I used a chronosequence of forests in southwestern Oregon that ranged from 25 to 445 years of age to compare changes in plant communities in logged (i.e., managed) stands with that of stands in late succession and old growth conditions. The chronosequence …

Importance And Winter Ornithological Value Of Lake El-Golea (Ghardaïa, Algerian Sahara, Biad Radhia, Bounab Choayb, Guergueb El Yamine, Biad Mohamed Fetheddine, Houhamdi Moussa

Journal of Bioresource Management

This study is carried out on two winter period (2018-2019 and 2019-2020) in Lake El-Golea (Ghardaïa, northern Sahara of Algeria). Its objective is to determine the ornithological value of this lake and to in ferits importance in maintaining aquatic avifauna during the winter season. This inventory shows a diversity equivalent to forty-one species belonging to thirteen families and nine orders of which eighteen are protected by various Algerian and international laws. The most represented family is that of the Anatidae with twelve species while the family with the highest number is that of the Phenicopteridae represented only by one species, …

Plant-Soil Feedbacks Help Explain Plant Community Productivity, Andrew Kulmatiski, Jeanette Norton, Leslie E. Forero, Josephine Grenzer

Browse all Datasets

Plant community productivity tends to increase as species richness increases, but the mechanisms behind this biodiversity-productivity relationship are not fully understood. Plant-soil feedbacks (PSF) are a compelling potential mechanism of the biodiversity-productivity relationship because they can explain patterns of both underyielding and overyielding in diverse plant communities. To test the role of plant-soil feedbacks in the biodiversity-productivity relationship we measured all possible plant-soil feedbacks for sixteen species, and used the measured plant-soil feedbacks to predict plant community biomass production. We compared the predicted plant community biomass production to observed biomass production in a paired biodiversity-productivity experiment.

Enhancing Grassland Biodiversity And Its Consequences For Grassland Management And Utilisation, Johannes Isselstein

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Key points

1. Grasslands make an important contribution to the biodiversity of rural landscapes.

2. Biodiversity has the potential to support the production function of grassland. The conditions for this are largely unexplored.

3. The enhancement of biodiversity on agriculturally improved, species-poor grasslands is difficult to achieve due to seed limitation and high residual soil fertility.

4. Measures to overcome constraints are addition of propagules, depletion of soil nutrients, and the use of specific sward treatments.

5. Agri-environmental schemes will play an increasing role in achieving the biodiversity targets in the future, however, the efficiency of such schemes needs improvement.

Effect Of High-Intensity, Short-Duration Grazing On Species Density And Botanical Composition Of Arid Rangelands, Mounir Louhaichi, Mouldi Gamoun, Fethi Gouhis, Ezzeddine Belfekih, Mohamed Abdelkader

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Rangelands are the mainstay of pastoral and agropastoral livelihoods worldwide. They have provided forage for livestock and wildlife for centuries, but steady degradation of rangelands is causing increasing concern. Many rangeland managers believe exclusion of livestock grazing for extended periods would allow degraded rangelands to recover. The purpose of this current ongoing research is to evaluate the effect of high-intensity short-duration grazing on plant density, species richness and botanical composition on arid rangelands during favorable years. The site, which is protected for two years in southern Tunisia and covers an area of 6 ha, was grazed by a flock of …

Earthworm Community Structure Along Altitudinal Gradients On The Western Slopes Ofkopaonik Mountain In Serbia, Filip Popovic, Mirjana Stojanovic, Slobodanka Radosavljevic, Tanja Trakic, Jovana Sekulic

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The aim of this study is to examine the altitudinal patterns of earthworm community structure at different habitat types on the western slopes of Kopaonik Mountain. In total, 30 plots between 420 and 1950 m a.s.l. were sampled within two years' fieldwork. Overall, 27 earthworm taxa belonging to 11 genera were found at the study sites. A combination of Pearson's correlation, polynomial regression, and cluster analysis (UPGMA) was used for determining the effects of altitude on the earthworm community structure. The earthworm abundance and species richness monotonically decreased with the increase in altitude, showing a significant negative correlation. Cluster analysis …

Comparative Diversity Of Heteroptera (Hemiptera) In Fruit Orchards, Gülay Kaçar, Ahmet Dursun

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Among phytophagous insects, the Heteroptera (Hemiptera), true bugs, are economically important because of damage crops by sucking plant organs and by transmitting plant pathogens. The diversity and distribution of Heteroptera species associated with fruits were investigated in hazelnut, cherry, and apple orchards in the crop season of Bolu and Düzce provinces from May 2015 to October 2016. The species were collected with a Steiner funnel from three fruit varieties from two provinces and for each area at different vegetation in the western Black Sea Region. The highest number of sucking bug species and the greatest diversity occurred on hazelnut. A …

The Influence Of Large Animal Diversity In Grazed Ecosystems, M. G. Murray, D. R. Baird

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Field observations in the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania have revealed several modes of grazing system, including migration, sustained-yield grazing and grazing succession which contribute on the one hand to ecological separation of herbivores by habitat choice, but on the other hand to positive association of species on wet season pastures known as hot spots. Drawing from results of experimental field studies, we consider what is known about resource competition and facilitation, the two key ecological processes underlying these grazing systems, and specify the shape of the relationship between species richness and pasture height that is predicted depending on which process …

Optimum Area Of Semi-Natural Grassland To Maintain Maximum Butterfly And Avian Species Richness In Japan, A. Shoji, K. Kohyama, H. Sasaki

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

To evaluate the optimum area of semi-natural grassland to maintain maximum butterfly and avian species richness in Japan, digitalized grid data of butterfly and avian distribution, as well as vegetation distribution, throughout the country were used. After obtaining logistic regression models explaining the probabilities of occurrence of each species with semi-natural grassland area and latitude as variables, the optimum value was calculated. The expected maximum species richness of butterflies in the country was the highest in the case of about 40 square kilometers of semi-natural grassland per 100 square kilometers, though the value varied somewhat with latitude. The expected maximum …

Biodiversity Scale-Dependence And Opposing Multi-Level Correlations Underlie Differences Among Taxonomic, Phylogenetic And Functional Diversity, Nadejda A. Mirochnitchenko, Erica F. Stuber, Joseph J. Fontaine

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Aim: Biodiversity is a multidimensional property of biological communities that represents different information depending on how it is measured, but how dimensions relate to one another and under what conditions is not well understood. We explore how taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional diversity can differ in scale-of-effect dependence and habitat-biodiversity relationships, and subsequently how spatial differences among biodiversity dimensions may arise. Location: Nebraska, United States. Taxon: Birds. Methods: Across 2016 and 2017, we conducted 2,641 point counts at 781 sites. We modeled the occupancy of 141 species using Bayesian Bernoulli-Bernoulli hierarchical logistic regressions. We calculated species richness (SR), phylogenetic diversity (PD), …

The New Tendencies Of Environmental Impact Assessment Of Livestock Production: A Road Testing Of Leap/Fao Biodiversity Assessment Guidelines In Pastoral Systems In Uruguay, F. De Santiago, G. Pompozzi, M. Simó, Oscar Blumetto

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

After the publication of the “long shadow of cattle” report, ruminant production systems have received great pressure for their contributions in greenhouse gases (GHG). However, the environmental effects of human activities are much broader than GHG production and in some cases, there are positive contributions. In order to broaden the environmental perspective and with the encouragement of governments, the private sector and NGOs, LEAP-FAO has developed environmental assessment guidelines for the world's livestock production systems. This paper presents a road-testing of the Biodiversity Assessment Guideline at farm scale for six case studies in pastoral livestock systems in Uruguay. The producers …

Characterizing The Relationship Between Species Richness And The Seasonal Phenomenon Of Tropical Fish Dispersal In New England Waters, Michael E. O'Neill

Graduate Masters Theses

The Gulf Stream exerts tremendous influence over oceanographic conditions in the Northwest Atlantic as it transports tropical water to higher latitudes. As the Gulf Stream’s path traverses the east coast of North America, there are implications for the biogeography of marine ecosystems within this range and beyond. While the meandering eddies and warm core rings generated by the Gulf Stream persist year-round, the seasonal warming of New England’s coastal waters afford many tropical species transported by the current temporary residence through the summer and fall. Many aspects that shape this phenomenon and its impact on coastal ecosystems remain a mystery. …

The Biodiversity Of Deadwood-Associated Arthropods In The Southern Appalachian Mountains, Isabelle Ong

Honors Theses

A biodiversity hotspot is a location that has significantly elevated levels of biodiversity including many species found nowhere else, and which is also in danger of losing much of this diversity. By identifying biodiverse regions, conservation efforts can be targeted to those locations where they are likely to have the most beneficial impacts. We looked at deadwood associated arthropods within the Southern Appalachian Mountains to examine centers of biodiversity. Nine logs were sampled, three of which were located in Bankhead National Forest and six were located in the Great Smoky Mountains. Polymerase chain reaction was used to amplify the mitochondrial …

The Lycaenid Butterfly Fauna (Lepidoptera) Of Cosñipata, Peru: Annotated Checklist, Elevational Patterns, And Rarity, Gerardo Lamas, Michael L. Mcinnis, Robert C. Busby, Robert K. Robbins

Insecta Mundi

Peru’s Cosñipata Region in Cuzco and Madre de Dios Departments is a valley between Manu National Park and the Amarakaeri Communal Reserve that ranges from 400 to 4,000 m elevation. A team of experienced lepidopterists sampled the butterfly fauna of this valley for more than a decade (7,440 field person-hours). We analyze the data for Lycaenidae (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea), a family for which we have taxonomic expertise. After adding data on the fauna from museums and the literature, we present an annotated checklist of the 340 Lycaenidae species recorded from the Cosñipata Region with notes for each species on the elevations …

From The Steppe To The Desert: Survey Of Band-Winged Grasshoppers From Mongolia (Orthoptera: Acrididae: Oedipodinae) Based On Material From 50 Years Of Expeditions, Lara-Sophie Dey, Matthias Seidel, Davaa Lchagvasuren, Martin Husemann

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

The steppe regions of Mongolia have a rich grasshopper fauna. Especially, the short-horned (Caelifera) grasshopper family Acrididae with the subfamilies Gomphocerinae (slant-faced grasshoppers) and Oedipodinae (band-winged grasshoppers) show a high diversity and abundance. This study reviews the Mongolian fauna of band-winged grasshoppers based on collection data of 50 years of expeditions of the German-Mongolian research cooperation. These collection data (assembled between 1962 and 2019) were used to generate a faunistic overview of Oedipodinae species for the region. In total 740 specimens belonging to 16 species were reported. Based on the collected material, study of the types and the original species …

Nitrogen Fertilization, Stand Age, And Overstory Tree Species Impact The Herbaceous Layer In A Central Appalachian Hardwood Forest, Lacey J. Smith, Kirsten Stephan

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Research Highlights: Herb-layer community composition, abundance, species richness, and Shannon–Wiener diversity index are shaped by nitrogen fertilization, disturbance history, and the overstory tree species in its immediate vicinity. Background and Objectives: While the herbaceous layer in deciduous forests is increasingly recognized for its importance in various aspects of forest ecosystem function, this study sought to describe the factors impacting the herbaceous layer. Specifically, this study’s objective was to quantify and compare herb-layer species composition, cover, and other community indices in watersheds with (a) different levels of N deposition, (b) different stand ages due to differing disturbance histories, and (c) different …