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Evaluating Ecological Restoration In Tennessee Hardwood Bottomland Forests, Elizabeth Anne Summers
Evaluating Ecological Restoration In Tennessee Hardwood Bottomland Forests, Elizabeth Anne Summers
Masters Theses
Hardwood bottomland ecosystems provide critical habitat for various wildlife among numerous ecosystem services. Since the 1800s, these forested wetlands have been logged and drained for agriculture. The federal government passed a series of legislative acts that protected wetlands and provided monetary support for restoration. The Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) was established in 1990 with the goal of restoring ecological function in wetlands. Although several studies have measured plant and wildlife responses to WRP restorations, no standard protocol has been developed to monitor the state of ecological restoration at sites. Index of biotic integrity (IBI) models are commonly used to evaluate …
Seasonality, Variation In Species Prevalence, And Localized Disease For Ranavirus In Cades Cove (Great Smoky Mountains National Park) Amphibians, Megan Todd-Thompson
Seasonality, Variation In Species Prevalence, And Localized Disease For Ranavirus In Cades Cove (Great Smoky Mountains National Park) Amphibians, Megan Todd-Thompson
Masters Theses
World-wide amphibian declines sparked concern and encouraged investigation into potential causes beginning in the 1980’s. Infectious disease has been identified as one of the major potential contributors to amphibian declines. For example, Ranavirus has caused amphibian die-offs throughout the United States. Investigators isolated Ranavirus from dead or moribund amphibians during large-scale die-offs of amphibians in the Cades Cove area of Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 1999-2001. In 2009, after nearly a decade without follow-up monitoring, I undertook an investigation to determine if the virus persisted in the area, and if so, to assess spatial, temporal, and taxonomic patterns in …