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Full-Text Articles in Biodiversity

Net Effects Of Wild And Managed Birds In Agroecosystems, Karina Garcia Jan 2022

Net Effects Of Wild And Managed Birds In Agroecosystems, Karina Garcia

Theses and Dissertations--Entomology

Agricultural intensification and expansion have reduced biodiversity in agroecosystems, jeopardizing the ecosystem services that nature provides to humans in these landscapes including wildlife-mediated pest control. Among these purveyors of ecosystem services are birds, who can provide services to agroecosystems by consuming arthropod pests. Yet some bird species also act as pests by consuming crops. Herein, I use molecular diet analysis through high-throughput sequencing on DNA extracted from bird fecal samples to examine birds’ diet and classify bird species as consumers of major strawberry pests (Lygus spp.). Additionally, I use targeted PCR approaches to determine which bird species consumed strawberries. …


Optimizing Conservation Strategies For Mexican Free-Tailed Bats: A Population Viability And Ecosystem Services Approach, Ruscena Wiederholt, Laura López-Hoffman, Colleen Svancara, Gary Mccracken, Wayne Thogmartin, Jay E. Diffendorfer, Brady Mattson, Kenneth Bagstad, Paul Cryan, Amy L. Russell, Darius Semmens, Rodrigo A. Medellín Dec 2014

Optimizing Conservation Strategies For Mexican Free-Tailed Bats: A Population Viability And Ecosystem Services Approach, Ruscena Wiederholt, Laura López-Hoffman, Colleen Svancara, Gary Mccracken, Wayne Thogmartin, Jay E. Diffendorfer, Brady Mattson, Kenneth Bagstad, Paul Cryan, Amy L. Russell, Darius Semmens, Rodrigo A. Medellín

Amy L. Russell

Conservation planning can be challenging due to the need to balance biological concerns about population viability with social concerns about the benefits biodiversity provide to society, often while operating under a limited budget. Methods and tools that help prioritize conservation actions are critical for the management of at-risk species. Here, we use a multi-attribute utility function to assess the optimal maternity roosts to conserve for maintaining the population viability and the ecosystem services of a single species, the Mexican free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis mexicana). Mexican free-tailed bats provide ecosystem services such as insect pest-suppression in agricultural areas and recreational viewing …


Multifunctional Rural Landscapes: Economic, Environmental, Policy, And Social Impacts Of Land Use Changes In Nebraska, Twyla M. Hansen, Charles A. Francis, J. Dixon Esseks, J. Allen Williams Jr. Jan 2007

Multifunctional Rural Landscapes: Economic, Environmental, Policy, And Social Impacts Of Land Use Changes In Nebraska, Twyla M. Hansen, Charles A. Francis, J. Dixon Esseks, J. Allen Williams Jr.

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

The conversion of farmland near cities to other human uses is a global trend that challenges our long-term capacity to provide food, fiber, and ecosystem services to a growing world population. If current trends continue in the United States, the population will reach 450 million by the year 2050. At the same time, an accelerating change in land use will reduce today’s two acres per person of farmland to less than one acre per person. This is scarcely enough to produce food for our domestic population, without any food available for export – even assuming advances in technology. We need …