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Full-Text Articles in Biology
The Effects Of Prescribed Burning And Microhabitat Type On Ant (Formicidae) Functional Groups And A Survey Of Ants In The Dr. Howard Reynolds Nature Area (A Mixed Grass Prairie), Ashley N. Durr
Master's Theses
This project sought to understand how prescribed burning and microhabitat type impacts Kansas ant functional groups and also whether prescribed burning in different microhabitat types altered the burn’s impact on those functional groups. The Dr. Howard Reynolds Nature Trail, located in Hays, Kansas, was burned in the spring of 2019. The area consists of 2 distinct habitat types: a dry, mixed-grass dominated uphill area and a moist, densely vegetated downhill area. Pitfall trapping was conducted during the summers of the year prior to the burn (2018) and the year following the burn (2019). 15 pitfall traps were spread across each …
Effects Of Wave Action On The Structure Of Fish Assemblages Across An Exposure Gradient, Lauren Liddon
Effects Of Wave Action On The Structure Of Fish Assemblages Across An Exposure Gradient, Lauren Liddon
Master's Theses
Disturbance affects the function and diversity of ecosystems. Increased wave exposure to salt marsh can disturb sediments and cause a loss of habitat. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of increased wave exposure on diversity, abundance, and functional ecology of estuarine fishes. If increased wave exposure is acting as a disturbance to these habitats, ecological theory (Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis) predicts that diversity will peak at intermediate frequencies and intensities of disturbance. Fish were sampled from 10 sites monthly for 6 years. The sites were assigned to different exposure categories (Open, Intermediate, and Sheltered) using an exposure …
Disturbance As Restoration In The Intermountain Sagebrush Steppe: Effects On Non Target Bird Species, Russell Edward Norvell
Disturbance As Restoration In The Intermountain Sagebrush Steppe: Effects On Non Target Bird Species, Russell Edward Norvell
All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023
Changes in shrubsteppe passerine bird habitat associations in response to disturbance were investigated at multiple temporal and spatial scales. Spatial measures incorporated the effects of area at different ecological scales (nest site, territory, and landscape) to include ecologically meaningful extents. Temporal measures included seasonal and annual effects, and were designed to detect lagged responses should they occur. Local-to-landscape scale effects of mechanical restoration treatments on local extirpation and abundances of nine species indicated most were insensitive to changes in habitat quality, while abundance models showed only broad declines. Changing the availability of nesting habitat on both the attractiveness and quality …