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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Variables Influencing Nest Success Of Eastern Wild Turkeys In Connecticut: Nesting Habitat, Home Range-Scale Fragmentation, And Nest Attentiveness, Shelley M. Spohr Dec 2001

Variables Influencing Nest Success Of Eastern Wild Turkeys In Connecticut: Nesting Habitat, Home Range-Scale Fragmentation, And Nest Attentiveness, Shelley M. Spohr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nest success is the most important demographic parameter influencing rates of population change of eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo si1vestris) and many variables operating at multiple spatial and temporal scales may influence whether a nest is successful. Most studies of nest success and survival of turkeys have occurred in forested or agricultural landscapes; variables influencing nest success have not been studied in suburban landscapes. My objectives were to: 1 ) quantify survival and reproductive parameters of eastern wild turkey hens in the suburban environment of southeastern Connecticut and compare results to studies conducted in other northeastern states; 2) …


A Dendrochemical Analysis Of Lead, Aluminum, And Calcium In Southern Appalachian American Beech., Laura Suzanne Southerland May 2001

A Dendrochemical Analysis Of Lead, Aluminum, And Calcium In Southern Appalachian American Beech., Laura Suzanne Southerland

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The health of the northern hardwood forest in the Southern Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia has recently gained attention from the media and environmental stakeholders. This project was designed to examine concentrations of metals, including lead, aluminum, and calcium in growth rings of an important northern hardwood species, American beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.) at Mount Rogers and Whitetop Mountain, Virginia. Dominant and codominant trees were sampled from sixteen research plots located at two different elevations. Samples were crossdated, divided into sections of ten-year periods, and analyzed using atomic absorption spectroscopy. Concentrations of metals were negatively correlated …


The Foraging And Habitat Ecology Of Black Terns In Maine, Andrew Gilbert May 2001

The Foraging And Habitat Ecology Of Black Terns In Maine, Andrew Gilbert

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The population of Black Terns in Maine is small and factors related to the ecology of this species’ foraging and habitat ecology might limit population growth and recovery. The objectives were to (1) determine if diet and provisioning rates are limiting chick growth, (2) identify and rank suitable habitat in Maine, and (3) determine if precipitation patterns and water level dynamics are limiting in Maine. I compared growth rates of chicks in 1998-2000 in Maine to rates from other studies, determined the influence of colony, year, and diet on growth rates and food deliveries and used an energetics model to …


The Chemical Mechanism Of A Brown-Rot Decay Mimtic System And Its Application In Paper Recycling Processes, Yuhui Qian Jan 2001

The Chemical Mechanism Of A Brown-Rot Decay Mimtic System And Its Application In Paper Recycling Processes, Yuhui Qian

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This work is aimed at improving our current knowledge of the non-enzymatic inecl~anisins involved in brown-rot decay, as well as the exploration of potential applications of a brown-rot mimetic model system in paper recycling processes. The study was divided into two parts. The first part focussed on the chemical mechanisms involved in chelation and reduction of iron by a low molecular weight chelator (isolated from the brown-rot fungus Gloeophyllz~m tmbeum) and its model compound 2,3- dihydroxybenzoic acid (2,3-DHBA). Chelation as well as free radical generation mediated by this system were studied by ESR measurement. The results indicate that the effects …


Invertebrate Egg And Plant Seed Banks In Natural, Restored, And Drained Wetlands In The Prairie Pothole Region (Usa) And Potential Effects Of Sedimentation On Recolonization Of Hydrophytes And Aquatic Invertebrates, Robert Andrew Gleason Jan 2001

Invertebrate Egg And Plant Seed Banks In Natural, Restored, And Drained Wetlands In The Prairie Pothole Region (Usa) And Potential Effects Of Sedimentation On Recolonization Of Hydrophytes And Aquatic Invertebrates, Robert Andrew Gleason

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sediment is the major pollutant of wetlands, lakes, rivers, and estuaries in the United States and it poses unique threats to wetlands of the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR). Sediment may impact the success of wetland restorations because burial of invertebrate and plant propagules may impact hatching and germination success, and hence, may hamper successional changes throughout interannual climate cycles. Sedimentation also reduces the pool depth and volume, further exacerbating the recovery of hydrophyte communities in restored wetlands. I evaluated the potential impacts of sedimentation on prairie wetlands from several perspectives. First, I evaluated the effects of sedimentation on loss of …


Population Characteristics And Sampling Methods Of Catfish For The James And Big Sioux Rivers, John E. Aterburn Jan 2001

Population Characteristics And Sampling Methods Of Catfish For The James And Big Sioux Rivers, John E. Aterburn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Concerns about the sustainability of catfish populations that produce large fish have increased because of abundant media images of large catfish and improvements in specialized fishing equipment. This study will help biologists address these concerns by providing important information about the channel catfish lctalurus punctarus and flathead catfish Pylodictis olivaris populations of the James and Big Sioux rivers and by assessing the effectiveness of various gears used to sample catfish. I compared the number of channel catfish and flathead catfish caught on trotlines by riverine habitat type, hook type, and bait type along with electrofishing and different hoop net combinations. …


Utility Of Walleyes And Saugeyes As Secondary Predators In Small South Dakota Impoundments, Mark J. Ermer Jan 2001

Utility Of Walleyes And Saugeyes As Secondary Predators In Small South Dakota Impoundments, Mark J. Ermer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Walleye Stizostedion vitreum and saugeye (walleye x sauger S. canadense) fingerlings were concurrently stocked at equal densities into five small impoundments in 1997, 1988, and 1999 to evaluate relative survival, growth and their ability to restructure existing panfish communities. Prior to stocking, fish were differentially marked on the right or left side with freeze brands or with 700 ppm oxytetracycline hydrochloride (OTC) to allow accurate identification of each fish as a walleye (fry mark) or a saugeye (fingerling mark). Spring and fall night electrofishing was used to sample the stocked percids, as well as potential competing species such as largemouth …


Local And Systemic Controls On Fish And Fish Habitat In South Dakota Rivers And Streams: Implications For Management, Craig L. Milewski Jan 2001

Local And Systemic Controls On Fish And Fish Habitat In South Dakota Rivers And Streams: Implications For Management, Craig L. Milewski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Assessments of the health of rivers and streams in prairie environments would improve if the role of systemic patterns and processes among geologic-climatic settings in controlling physical habitat and fish communities were better defined. My research approach was based on a premise that assessments of the health of rivers and streams in prairie environments would benefit from studies that 1) examine the moderating effects of systemic patterns and processes by comparing physical habitat continua and fish communities among geologic-climatic settings, 2) determine the relative influence of locally interacting variables (e .g., channel shape and riparian vegetation) and systemic processes in …


The Status And Distribution Of The Topeka Shiner Notropis Topeka In Eastern South Dakota, Carmen M. Blausey Jan 2001

The Status And Distribution Of The Topeka Shiner Notropis Topeka In Eastern South Dakota, Carmen M. Blausey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Topeka shiner Notropis topeka is a small (< 75 mm) minnow that inhabits prairie streams in several north central plains states. Once widespread and abundant throughout its historic range, the Topeka shiner is now found only in isolated populations. Because of an 80% reduction in occurrence throughout their range, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the Topeka shiner as endangered in January 1999. At the time, limited information on habitat preferences and dist1ibution existed for this species in South Dakota. The objectives of this study were to measure local habitat features and water quality conditions at the reach scale at Topeka shiner study sites, create a model using these data to determine favorable habitat conditions, and identify fish species commonly associated with Topeka shiners. Fish and habitat data were collected at 61 tributary sites of the James, Vermillion, and Big Sioux rivers from June through September in 1999 and 2000. Sample sites in 1999 were based on historic Topeka shiner records in the South Dakota Natural Heritage Database. Sample sites in 2000 were based on a draft GIS model identifying potential Topeka shiner streams. Fish were collected with seines between block nets and standard procedures were used to measure physical and hydrological features of stream reaches. Cyprinids dominated the fish community for each river basin during both sample years. Insectivores and omnivores were the dominant trophic classes for each river basin for both sample years. Fish community associations for Topeka shiners were based on two stepwise logistic regression models: abundance of individual species at each site and presence or absence of individual species at each site. The abundance model indicated that Topeka shiners were most commonly associated with orangespotted sunfish Lepomis lutrenis and tadpole madtoms Noturns gyrinus. The presence/absence model showed that Topeka shiners were typically associated with red shiners Notropis lutrenis, tadpole madtoms Noturns gyrinus, black bullheads Ameiurus melas, and bigmouth shiners Notropis dorsalis. Habitat preferences were based on three stepwise logistic regression models: physical habitat water quality, and substrate composition at the reach scale. The physical habitat model indicated that Topeka shiners are associated with stream reaches that had low animal use, overhanging vegetation, stream bank vegetation comprised of sedges/rushes, low depositional zones, and run macrohabitat. The water quality model did not indicate any favorable or preferred conditions. The substrate model indicated that Topeka shiners are associated with stream reaches that had fine gravel or cobble substrates. The results of my study will lead to a better understanding of Topeka shiner distribution and habitat, and aid federal and state agencies in making management decisions that provide for protection and preservation of this species.