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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Data Of Soil, Vegetation And Bird Species Found On Double-Crested Cormorant Colonies In The Southeastern United States, Leah Moran Veum, Brian S. Dorr, Katie Hanson-Dorr, R. J. Moore, Scott A. Rush Oct 2019

Data Of Soil, Vegetation And Bird Species Found On Double-Crested Cormorant Colonies In The Southeastern United States, Leah Moran Veum, Brian S. Dorr, Katie Hanson-Dorr, R. J. Moore, Scott A. Rush

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

This data article provides the methods and procedures followed to collect and analyse soil, vegetation and bird data on three different treatment islands in Guntersville Reservoir, Alabama. Samples were collected from randomly selected plot points from islands that were placed into three different treatment types: Colony (currently occupied by Double-crested Cormorants) (Phalacrocorax auritus; n 1⁄4 5), Historic (historically occupied by cormorants and currently abandoned; n 1⁄4 3) and Reference (never occupied by cormorants; n 1⁄4 4). We compared vegetation and tree metrics such as structure and diversity, as well as soil chemistry and bird diversity and communities among islands within …


Avian Taxonomic And Functional Diversity In Early Stage Of Longleaf Pine (Pinus Palustris) Stands Restored At Agricultural Lands: Variations In Scale Dependency, Myung-Bok Lee, Brian J. Gates, Robert J. Cooper, John P. Carroll Oct 2019

Avian Taxonomic And Functional Diversity In Early Stage Of Longleaf Pine (Pinus Palustris) Stands Restored At Agricultural Lands: Variations In Scale Dependency, Myung-Bok Lee, Brian J. Gates, Robert J. Cooper, John P. Carroll

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

In agricultural landscapes, the Longleaf Pine Initiative (LLPI) and the Bobwhite Quail Initiative (BQI) aim to restore longleaf pine forests and early successional habitats, respectively. The early stage of longleaf pine stands and grass and forb vegetation produced by a combination of both restoration programs (LLPI-BQI) may form habitat conditions favorable to early successional bird species and other birds, increasing avian diversity. We investigated how the LLPI and BQI programs affected taxonomic and functional diversity of birds and abundance of early successional birds (grassland and scrub/shrub species), and what environmental characteristics were associated with the diversity and abundance of birds. …


Double-Crested Cormorant Colony Effects On Soil Chemistry, Vegetation Structure And Avian Diversity, Leah Moran Veum, Brian S. Dorr, Katie C. Hanson-Dorr, R.J. Moore, Scott A. Rush Sep 2019

Double-Crested Cormorant Colony Effects On Soil Chemistry, Vegetation Structure And Avian Diversity, Leah Moran Veum, Brian S. Dorr, Katie C. Hanson-Dorr, R.J. Moore, Scott A. Rush

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Effects of Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) on vegetation, soil chemistry and tree health have been documented from their breeding colonies in the northern breeding grounds of Canada and the United States (U.S.) but not for areas within the southeastern United States where breeding activity is relatively novel. We compared vegetation and tree metrics such as structure diversity, and soil chemistry among colony islands, uninhabited islands, and abandoned colony islands within Guntersville Reservoir, a temperate forest ecosystem. Avian diversity and community structure were also quantified on these islands. Concentrations of potassium (K), phosphorus (P) and nitrate (NO3 −) in soil were …


Improving The Accuracy Of Cosmic-Ray Neutron Probe Estimate Of Soil Water Content Using Multiple Detectors And Remote Sensing Estimates Of Vegetation, Xiaochen Dong Dec 2017

Improving The Accuracy Of Cosmic-Ray Neutron Probe Estimate Of Soil Water Content Using Multiple Detectors And Remote Sensing Estimates Of Vegetation, Xiaochen Dong

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The recently developed Cosmic-ray Neutron Probe (CRNP) for estimating soil water content (SWC) fills a critical measurement gap between point scale methods and large scale measurements collected from remote sensing. CRNP works by measuring the change in low-energy neutron intensity over time. However, the accuracy of CRNP to measure SWC is well known to be affected by other hydrogen sources (e.g. soil organic content, atmospheric water vapor, vegetation and surface water). This study focuses on the influence of rapidly growing vegetation in agricultural fields on the accuracy of the CRNP method. Here we use data from three long-term CRNP study …


Monitoring Standing Herbage Of Mid-Grass Prairie On The Fort Pierre National Grassland, South Dakota, Daniel W. Uresk Jun 2012

Monitoring Standing Herbage Of Mid-Grass Prairie On The Fort Pierre National Grassland, South Dakota, Daniel W. Uresk

The Prairie Naturalist

Monitoring vegetation with a modified Robel pole on the Fort Pierre National Grassland was evaluated for combined shallow clay and loamy overflow ecological sites (dominated by warm-season grasses), and for clayey ecological sites (dominated by cool-season grasses). My objectives were to 1) develop a relationship between visual obstruction readings (VOR) and standing herbage, 2) provide guidelines for vegetation monitoring, and 3) evaluate vegetation monitoring during the growing season for clayey ecological sites. The relationship between visual obstruction readings and standing herbage was linear and regression coefficients were highly significant (P < 0.001) for both ecological types. Cluster analyses for shallow clay and loamy overflow ecological sites grouped the VOR and standing herbage (kg•ha-1) into 4 resource categories. Monitoring with 4 transects will provide adequate information to estimate standing herbage within 259 ha (1 section). Three resource categories (VOR + herbage) for clayey ecological sites were defined by cluster analyses. Monitoring with 4 transects was determined to provide reliable estimates of standing herbage. July validation of vegetation with the developed clayey ecological site model will provide reliable monitoring of standing herbage from July through November for this ecological site.


Evaluating Observed And Projected Future Climate Changes For The Arctic Using The Köppen-Trewartha Climate Classification, Song Feng, Chang-Hoi Ho, Qi Hu, Robert Oglesby, Su-Jong Jeong, Baek-Min Kim Feb 2011

Evaluating Observed And Projected Future Climate Changes For The Arctic Using The Köppen-Trewartha Climate Classification, Song Feng, Chang-Hoi Ho, Qi Hu, Robert Oglesby, Su-Jong Jeong, Baek-Min Kim

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The ecosystems in the Arctic region are known to be very sensitive to climate changes. The accelerated warming for the past several decades has profoundly influenced the lives of the native populations and ecosystems in the Arc­tic. Given that the Köppen-Trewartha (K-T) climate classifi­cation is based on reliable variations of land-surface types (especially vegetation), this study used the K-T scheme to evaluate climate changes and their impact on vegetation for the Arctic (north of 50°N) by analyzing observations as well as model simulations for the period 1900–2099. The models include 16 fully coupled global climate mod­els from the Intergovernmental Panel …


Vegetation Trends On A Waste Rock Repository Cap In The Northern Black Hills, Andrew C. Korth, Gary E. Larson, Lan Xu, Thomas E. Schumacher May 2010

Vegetation Trends On A Waste Rock Repository Cap In The Northern Black Hills, Andrew C. Korth, Gary E. Larson, Lan Xu, Thomas E. Schumacher

The Prairie Naturalist

We assessed successional trends, long-term vegetation sustainability, and soil surface protection during the 2005-2007 growing seasons on the 32-ha Ruby Gulch Waste Rock Repository cap. The cap consisted of 150 cm of rock and soil covering a polyethylene membrane which in turn covered mining waste rock in order to prevent leaching of heavy metals and acidic water into streams. Following construction in 2003, a contractor applied a grass-forb seed mixture to provide soil-surface protection especially for steeply sloped portions of the cap. In 2005, we established 56, 1-m2 plots, and 20, 20-m transects to annually measure canopy cover, basal …


Albedo Estimates For Land Surface Models And Support For A New Paradigm Based On Foliage Nitrogen Concentration, David Y. Hollinger, S. V. Ollinger, A. D. Richardson, T. P. Meyers, D. B. Dail, M. E. Martin, N. A. Scott, T. J. Arkebauer, D. D. Baldocchi, K. L. Clark, P. S. Curtis, K. J. Davis, A. R. Desai, D. Dragoni, M. L. Goulden, L. Gu, G. G. Katul, S. G. Pallardy, K. T. Pawu, H. P. Schmid, P. C. Stoy, Andrew E. Suyker, Shashi Verma Jan 2010

Albedo Estimates For Land Surface Models And Support For A New Paradigm Based On Foliage Nitrogen Concentration, David Y. Hollinger, S. V. Ollinger, A. D. Richardson, T. P. Meyers, D. B. Dail, M. E. Martin, N. A. Scott, T. J. Arkebauer, D. D. Baldocchi, K. L. Clark, P. S. Curtis, K. J. Davis, A. R. Desai, D. Dragoni, M. L. Goulden, L. Gu, G. G. Katul, S. G. Pallardy, K. T. Pawu, H. P. Schmid, P. C. Stoy, Andrew E. Suyker, Shashi Verma

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Vegetation albedo is a critical component of the Earth’s climate system, yet efforts to evaluate and improve albedo parameterizations in climate models have lagged relative to other aspects of model development. Here, we calculated growing season albedos for deciduous and evergreen forests, crops, and grasslands based on over 40 site-years of data from the AmeriFlux network and compared them with estimates presently used in the land surface formulations of a variety of climate models. Generally, the albedo estimates used in land surface models agreed well with this data compilation. However, a variety of models using fixed seasonal estimates of albedo …


Near Surface Atmospheric Response To Simulated Changes In Land-Cover, Vegetation Fraction, And Soil Moisture Over Western Kentucky, Rezaul Mahmood Jan 2009

Near Surface Atmospheric Response To Simulated Changes In Land-Cover, Vegetation Fraction, And Soil Moisture Over Western Kentucky, Rezaul Mahmood

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


Effects Of Aphid (Homoptera) Abundance And Surrounding Vegetation On The Encounter Rate Of Coccinellidae (Coleoptera), Chrysopidae (Neuroptera) And Nabidae (Hemiptera) In Alfalfa., James R. Brandle Jan 2006

Effects Of Aphid (Homoptera) Abundance And Surrounding Vegetation On The Encounter Rate Of Coccinellidae (Coleoptera), Chrysopidae (Neuroptera) And Nabidae (Hemiptera) In Alfalfa., James R. Brandle

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


Central Platte River Forests: Breeding Birds And Woody Vegetation, Barbara K. Good Aug 1999

Central Platte River Forests: Breeding Birds And Woody Vegetation, Barbara K. Good

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

No abstract provided.


Filter Strip Performance And Processes For Different Vegetation, Widths, And Contaminants, T. J. Schmitt, M. G. Dosskey, K. D. Hoagland Jan 1999

Filter Strip Performance And Processes For Different Vegetation, Widths, And Contaminants, T. J. Schmitt, M. G. Dosskey, K. D. Hoagland

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Filter strips are widely prescribed to reduce contaminants in surface runoff from agricultural fields. Tbis study compared performance of different filter strip designs on several contaminants and evaluated the contribnting processes. Different vegetation types and widths were investigated using simulated runoff event on large plots (3 m X 7.5 or 15 m) having fine-textured soil and a 6 to 7% slope. Filter strips 7.5 and 15 m wide downslope greatly reduced concentrations of sediment in runoff (76-93%) and contaminants strongly associated with sediment (total P, 55-79%; permethrin, 27-83% [(3-phenoxyphenyl) methyl (±)-cis, trans-3-(2,2-dichloroethenyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropane carboxylate ]). They had less effect on concentrations …