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Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons™
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- Abundance (2)
- Amphibian (2)
- Appalachia (2)
- Occupancy (2)
- Anthropogenic (1)
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- Asian Clam (1)
- Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (1)
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- Capture-mark-recapture (1)
- Cervus canadensis (1)
- Chytridiomycosis (1)
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- Coal Mining (1)
- Created Wetland (1)
- Diet (1)
- Elk (1)
- Food habits (1)
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- Growth (1)
- Habitat selection (1)
- Horse waste (1)
- Individual variation (1)
- Juvenile mussel growth (1)
- Kentucky (1)
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- Mountaintop removal (1)
- Mustelid (1)
- Nerodia (1)
- PIT tags (1)
Articles 1 - 11 of 11
Full-Text Articles in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Pond-Breeding Amphibian Responses To Wetland Creation And Reforestation On A Legacy Surface Mine In The Monongahela National Forest, Lauren Breanna Sherman
Pond-Breeding Amphibian Responses To Wetland Creation And Reforestation On A Legacy Surface Mine In The Monongahela National Forest, Lauren Breanna Sherman
Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources
Surface mine reclamation has been an evolving practice since the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act was passed in 1977, holding mining companies accountable for returning ecological function to areas directly impacted by mining activities. One recent method of reclamation, the Forestry Reclamation Approach (FRA), aims to enhance reforestation and ecosystem function through the creation of wetlands, as opposed to traditional methods that often revert land to grasslands. However, wildlife response to FRA has rarely been investigated. The goal of this project was to analyze the effects of the four treatment types, FRA in two chronosequences, natural regeneration, and unmined …
Effects Of Snake Fungal Disease On The Survival And Growth Of The Queensnake (Regina Septemvittata), Andrew Jerome Ibach
Effects Of Snake Fungal Disease On The Survival And Growth Of The Queensnake (Regina Septemvittata), Andrew Jerome Ibach
Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources
Having only emerged as a threat to snakes in 2006, relatively little is known of snake fungal disease’s (SFD) impacts on demographic processes, particularly survival and growth. I used data from an extensive capture-mark-recapture study to examine survival and growth in central Kentucky Queensnake (Regina septemivittata) populations. I found that diseased snakes and healthy snakes possessed similar monthly survival estimates (SFD positive 0.9687, 95% CI 0.8444 to 0.9944; SFD negative 0.8735, 95% CI 0.7518 to 0.9402) and that disease state transition probability from SFD negative to SFD positive, and SFD positive to SFD negative were also similar (N-P …
Spatial Ecology Of Rocky Mountain Elk (Cervus Canadensis Nelsoni) Cows In Southeastern Kentucky, Nathan Dennis Hooven
Spatial Ecology Of Rocky Mountain Elk (Cervus Canadensis Nelsoni) Cows In Southeastern Kentucky, Nathan Dennis Hooven
Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources
The elk (Cervus canadensis) was extirpated from its range in eastern North America by the end of the 1800s, prompting several U.S. states and Canadian provinces to begin translocation programs with the goal of reestablishing elk populations. While eastern elk managers have relied on information from western herds to guide population and habitat management, there is a need for region-specific research on the spatial ecology and habitat associations of translocated elk given the stark differences in landscape, climate, predator communities, and harvest regimes across the continent. While the Kentucky elk reintroduction is one of the best documented programs …
Food Abundance Modulates Juvenile Mussel (Unionidae) Growth Responses To The Asian Clam (Corbicula Fluminea), Drew Edward Jerry White
Food Abundance Modulates Juvenile Mussel (Unionidae) Growth Responses To The Asian Clam (Corbicula Fluminea), Drew Edward Jerry White
Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources
Interactions between the Asian Clam (Corbicula fluminea) and freshwater mussels (Unionidae) have been documented, but the effect of food abundance on these interactions is not well understood. I examined the role of food abundance in modulating the growth and survival responses of juvenile Cumberland Bean (Venustaconcha troostensis) to Corbicula. I ran a series of controlled experiments in which I tested the effect of Corbicula on growth and survival of juvenile freshwater mussels in multiple environmentally relevant conditions of food abundance. Corbicula had no effect on juvenile mussel survival, regardless of food abundance. However, juvenile mussel …
Evaluation Of Created Wetlands As Amphibian Habitat On A Reforested Surface Mine, Michaela M. Lambert
Evaluation Of Created Wetlands As Amphibian Habitat On A Reforested Surface Mine, Michaela M. Lambert
Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources
Reclaimed mines often lack pre-mining habitat due to soil compaction and lack of natural features. If soils are de-compacted and natural features restored, new habitats can be created, such as wetlands for amphibians. It is important to understand which factors affect amphibian use of wetlands to estimate the efficacy of created wetlands as habitat. I sampled 40 wetlands among 4 ages (2, 4, 6, and 8 years) on a reforested surface mine to: 1) characterize differences in wetland habitat across age classes, 2) estimate amphibian occupancy, 3) investigate estimated abundance of 4 amphibian species (Lithobates sylvaticus, L. clamitans, Notophthalmus …
Diet Of A Recently Reintroduced River Otter (Lontra Canadensis) Population In Taos County, New Mexico, Gabriela Alexandra Wolf-Gonzalez
Diet Of A Recently Reintroduced River Otter (Lontra Canadensis) Population In Taos County, New Mexico, Gabriela Alexandra Wolf-Gonzalez
Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources
North American river otters (Lontra canadensis), native to every U.S. state and Canada, experienced extensive population decreases and range reduction until the mid-20th century as a result of overexploitation and habitat loss during European colonization. The last known river otter in New Mexico was killed on the Gila River in 1953, although unverified reports continued thru 2008. After a nearly 60-year absence from New Mexico, 33 adult river otters were reintroduced to the Rio Pueblo de Taos in the northern part of the state between 2008-2010; however, they were not subsequently monitored or studied. I characterized diet of …
Initial Assessment And Effects Of Snake Fungal Disease On Populations Of Snakes In Kentucky, Jennifer Mckenzie
Initial Assessment And Effects Of Snake Fungal Disease On Populations Of Snakes In Kentucky, Jennifer Mckenzie
Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources
Pathogenic fungi are increasingly associated with epidemics in wildlife populations and represent a significant threat to global biodiversity. Snake fungal disease is an emerging disease caused by the fungus, Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola, and appears to be widespread in the eastern United States. Yet an evaluation of field diagnostics, and an understanding of the population-level consequences of the disease, are lacking. First, I evaluated the use of clinical signs to predict the presence of O. ophiodiicola across season and snake habitat affiliation (aquatic or terrestrial) and I compared two sampling methods to see if collection method impacts PCR result. Overall, snakes with …
Effects Of Mountaintop Removal Mining On Population Dynamics Of Stream Salamanders, Sara B. Freytag
Effects Of Mountaintop Removal Mining On Population Dynamics Of Stream Salamanders, Sara B. Freytag
Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources
Mountaintop removal mining (MTR) is a notorious stressor of stream ecosystems in the Central Appalachians. Valley fills (VF) lead to reduced occupancy, abundance, and species richness of stream salamanders. Multiple factors may be responsible for these reductions, but specifically habitat fragmentation and degradation may reduce colonization rates and increase local extinction rates. From 2013-2015, repeated counts of salamanders were conducted in stream reaches impacted by MTR/VF and compared to counts in reference reaches to answer the question: do stream salamander population dynamics differ between stream reaches impacted by MTR/VF and reference stream reaches? I also investigated dynamics of stream habitat …
Investigations In Cryptic Species: Considerations And Applications For Estimating Detection, Occupancy, And Abundance Of Semi-Aquatic Snakes, Christian Robert Oldham
Investigations In Cryptic Species: Considerations And Applications For Estimating Detection, Occupancy, And Abundance Of Semi-Aquatic Snakes, Christian Robert Oldham
Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources
Snake species are notoriously difficult to study in the field due to their cryptic natural-histories and secretive behaviors. Difficulties associated with detection present challenges estimating parameters including occupancy and abundance, as well as responses to habitat degradation. Our objectives were to use Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) telemetry to enhance detection of Queensnakes (Regina septemvittata) as compared to traditional capture-mark-recapture (CMR) survey techniques and to examine occupancy and abundance of Queensnakes and Northern Watersnakes (Nerodia sipedon) in streams of differing levels of anthropogenic impact within Central Kentucky. During 2013, we captured Queensnakes and implanted them with PIT …
An Investigation Into The Occurrence Of Batrachochytrium Dendrobatidis Infection In Plethodontid Salamander Communities Of Robinson Forest, Sarah H. Spaulding
An Investigation Into The Occurrence Of Batrachochytrium Dendrobatidis Infection In Plethodontid Salamander Communities Of Robinson Forest, Sarah H. Spaulding
Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources
Environmental and anthropogenic stressors negatively affect amphibians in a variety of ways, often increasing their vulnerability to pathogen infection and mortality. Sampling for the pathogenic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) was conducted in order to: 1) determine the presence of chytrid infection in stream-associated plethodontid salamanders of southeastern Kentucky, and 2) evaluate differences in infection intensity between salamanders residing in intact forest streams, timber-harvested streams, and surface-mined streams. During 14 sampling sessions occurring between March, April and May of 2013, DNA samples from 306 individual salamanders within 8 species from the family Plethodontidae were collected; additional amphibians (i.e. frogs, newts) were …
Control And Passive Treatment Of Runoff From Horse Muck Storage Structures Using Rain Gardens, Hillary K. Otte
Control And Passive Treatment Of Runoff From Horse Muck Storage Structures Using Rain Gardens, Hillary K. Otte
Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources
Runoff from livestock operations may contain a variety of pathogens and high levels of nutrients and other harmful contaminants, and is of particular concern in central Kentucky as watersheds are threatened by waste generated from a high concentration of equine activity. Rain gardens are a type of stormwater management tool used to capture and passively treat runoff. This project aimed to incorporate rain gardens into the horse muck storage structures at a thoroughbred facility in the Canr Run watershed in Lexington, Kentucky. Water quality data from soil water within two rain garden muck pads and two control pads, and grab …