Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Bot Fly Infestation Of Thirteen-Lined Ground Squirrels In Colorado Shortgrass Steppe, Kim Conway, Paul Stapp

The Prairie Naturalist

We studied prevalence of bot fly infestation of thirteen-lined ground squirrels (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus) trapped during 13 years of population monitoring in shrub and grassland habitats in northern Colorado. We also investigated effects of prescribed burning, a common habitat management practice in grasslands, on bot fly prevalence. Infested squirrels were rarely located on shrub sites and during spring (May–Jun) trapping. Across all summers, mean prevalence in grasslands was 7.9% (range: 2.1–23.8%), with years of highest prevalence corresponding to years when the fewest hosts were captured in spring. Infested squirrels had from one to seven warbles, with 46.7% having only one warble. …

Improving Communication Through Writing, Christopher N. Jacques

The Prairie Naturalist

Greetings GPNSS members! By the time you read this editorial, most of us will be enjoying the summer vacation and all that the Great Plains has to offer. Warmer temperatures, increasing day length, and time in the field are a welcomed change from the seemingly endless grip of “old man” winter (for those of us in the northern Great Plains). Of course, believing that anyone could truly enjoy the clouds of tormenting, biting insects and high humidity across the Great Plains is hard to imagine, in my opinion. There are plenty of summer activities for the outdoor enthusiasts among us, …

Vascular Plants Of The Forest River Bi- Ology Station, North Dakota, Alexey Shipunov, Kathryn A. Yurkonis, John C. La Duke, Vera L. Facey

The Prairie Naturalist

During summer 2013 we completed a listing of the plant species of the joint University of North Dakota (UND) Forest River Biology Station and North Dakota Game and Fish Department Wildlife Management Area (FRBS).The FRBS is a 65 ha tract of land that encompasses the south half of the SW 1⁄4 of section 11 (acquired by UND in 1952) and the north half of the NW 1⁄4 of section 14 (acquired by UND in 1954) in Inkster Township (T154N, R55W). The two parcels are bisected by the Forest River, a tributary of the Red River of the North. The area …

Trip: Tracking Rhythms In Plants, An Automated Leaf Movement Analysis Program For Circadian Period Estimation, Kathleen Greenham, Ping Lou, Sara E. Remsen, Hany Farid, C Robertson Mcclung

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background: A well characterized output of the circadian clock in plants is the daily rhythmic movement of leaves. This process has been used extensively in Arabidopsis to estimate circadian period in natural accessions as well as mutants with known defects in circadian clock function. Current methods for estimating circadian period by leaf movement involve manual steps throughout the analysis and are often limited to analyzing one leaf or cotyledon at a time.

Methods: In this study, we describe the development of TRiP (Tracking Rhythms in Plants), a new method for estimating circadian period using a motion estimation algorithm that can …

Plant Diversity Affects Performance Of Invasive Thistles In Restored Nebraska Grasslands, Katilyn J. Price

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

Invasive plant species threaten native grasslands, affecting nutrient cycling, biodiversity, wildlife habitat, and usable land for production. Consequently, preventing establishment of invasive species is critical before removal becomes difficult and expensive. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of grassland plant diversity on musk thistle (Carduus nutans) and Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense) establishment and determine which environmental factors (light penetration, soil moisture, plant diversity, and soil nitrogen) account for resistance to invasions. In a field experiment at The Nature Conservancy’s Wood River site (Nebraska), the two invasive thistle species were planted into replicated …

Mapping Regional Inundation With Spaceborne L-Band Sar, Bruce Chapman, Kyle Macdonald, Masanobu Shimada, Ake Rosenqvist, Ronny Schroeder, Laura Hess

Publications and Research

Shortly after the launch of ALOS PALSAR L-band SAR by the Japan Space Exploration Agency (JAXA), a program to develop an Earth Science Data Record (ESDR) for inundated wetlands was funded by NASA. Using established methodologies, extensive multi-temporal L-band ALOS ScanSAR data acquired bi-monthly by the PALSAR instrument onboard ALOS were used to classify the inundation state for South America for delivery as a component of this Inundated Wetlands ESDR (IW-ESDR) and in collaboration with JAXA’s ALOS Kyoto and Carbon Initiative science programme. We describe these methodologies and the final classification of the inundation state, then compared this with results …

Wayne E. Sabbe Arkansas Soil Fertility Studies 2014, Nathan A. Slaton

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

Rapid technological changes in crop management and production require that the research efforts be presented in an expeditious manner. The contributions of soil fertility and fertilizers are major production factors in all Arkansas crops. The studies described within will allow producers to compare their practices with the university’s research efforts. Additionally, soil-test data and fertilizer sales are presented to allow comparisons among years, crops, and other areas within Arkansas.

Plant Community Composition And Structure Monitoring For Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, 2014 Annual Report, Michael Prowatzke, Stephen K. Wilson

United States National Park Service: Publications

Abstract

This report presents the results of vegetation monitoring efforts in 2014 at Agate Fossil Beds National Monument (AGFO) by the Northern Great Plains Inventory and Monitoring Network (NGPN).

During the fourth full year of field work, crew members from NGPN visited six plant community monitoring plots to collect data on the vegetation at AGFO. This is part of a long-term monitoring effort that will sample six of 15 randomly located upland plots every year, so that each plot is visited for two consecutive years and then rested for three years, on a five-year rotating basis. NGPN staff captured data …

Fire Modulates Climate Change Response Of Simulated Aspen Distribution Across Topoclimatic Gradients In A Semi-Arid Montane Landscape, Jian Yang, Peter J. Weisberg, Douglas J. Shinneman, Thomas E. Dilts, Susan L. Earnst, Robert M. Scheller

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Content Changing aspen distribution in response to climate change and fire is a major focus of biodiversity conservation, yet little is known about the potential response of aspen to these two driving forces along topoclimatic gradients.

Objective This study is set to evaluate how aspen distribution might shift in response to different climate-fire scenarios in a semi-arid montane landscape, and quantify the influence of fire regime along topoclimatic gradients.

Methods We used a novel integration of a forest landscape succession and disturbance model (LAN DIS-II) with a fine-scale climatic water deficit approach to simulate dynamics of aspen and associated conifer …

Plant Community Composition And Structure Monitoring For Scotts Bluff National Monument, 2014 Annual Report, Michael Prowatzke, Stephen K. Wilson

United States National Park Service: Publications

Abstract

This report presents the results of vegetation monitoring efforts in 2014 at Scotts Bluff National Monument (SCBL) by the Northern Great Plains Inventory and Monitoring Network (NGPN).

During the fourth full year of field work, crew members from NGPN visited eight plant community monitoring plots to collect data on the vegetation at SCBL. This is part of a long-term monitoring effort that will sample eight of 20 randomly located upland plots every year, so that each plot is visited for two consecutive years and then rested for three years, on a five-year rotating basis. Additionally, NGPN staff also visited …

Machine Learning For Predicting Soil Classes In Three Semi-Arid Landscapes, Colby W. Brungard, Janis L. Boettinger, Michael C. Duniway, Skye A. Wills, Thomas C. Edwards Jr.

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

Mapping the spatial distribution of soil taxonomic classes is important for informing soil use and management decisions. Digital soil mapping (DSM) can quantitatively predict the spatial distribution of soil taxonomic classes. Key components of DSM are the method and the set of environmental covariates used to predict soil classes. Machine learning is a general term for a broad set of statistical modeling techniques. Many different machine learning models have been applied in the literature and there are different approaches for selecting covariates for DSM. However, there is little guidance as to which, if any, machine learning model and covariate set …

Changes Of Soil Biogeochemistry Under Native And Exotic Plants Species, Yujie Hua

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Invasive plant species are major threats to the biodiversity and ecosystem stability. The purpose of this study is to understand the impacts of invasive plants on soil nutrient cycling and ecological functions. Soil samples were collected from rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere of both native and exotic plants from three genera, Lantana, Ficus and Schinus, at Tree Tops Park in South Florida, USA. Experimental results showed that the cultivable bacterial population in the soil under Brazilian pepper (invasive Schinus) was approximately ten times greater than all other plants. Also, Brazilian pepper lived under conditions of significantly lower available phosphorus …

Algae Population Self-Replenishment, R. Corban Harwood

Faculty Publications - Department of Mathematics

This modeling scenario investigates the massive algal blooms that struck Lake Chapala, Mexico, in 1994. After reading a summary of news articles on the incident, students create an ODE system model from a verbal description of the factors, visualize this system using an executable Java applet (PPLANE) to predict overall behavior, and then analyze the nonlinear system using the Jacobian matrix, eigenvalues, phase plane, and feasibility conditions on parameters to fully describe the system behavior. Students are expected to be familiar with systems of differential equations, equilibria, jacobian matrices, and eigenvalues. Students will learn modeling from qualitative descriptions, nondimensionalization, applying …

Reductions Of Wheat Yield And Yield Components And Nitrogen Loss Following Frozen Soil Nitrogen Applications, Carrie Ann Knott, Edwin L. Ritchey, Lloyd W. Murdock

Plant and Soil Sciences Research Report

Most wheat producers in Kentucky apply nitrogen (N) as a split application. The first N increment is applied when wheat plants begin actively growing (green-up) in late winter, which is typically in mid- February between growth stages Feekes 2 to 3. The second N increment typically occurs in March when wheat is between Feekes 5 to 6. Many producers in Kentucky, especially Western Kentucky, have become accustomed to beginning first N applications in late January when the ground is frozen and the wheat is still dormant. This practice allows them to apply N to large acreages of wheat while avoiding …

Bulletin No. 40: Salt Marsh Plants Of Long Island Sound, R. Scott Warren, Juliana Barrett, Margaret Van Patten

Bulletins

No abstract provided.

What Do Experienced Water Managers Think Of Water Resources Of Our Nation And Its Management Infrastructure?, Faisal Hossain, Jeffrey R. Arnold, Edward Beighley, Casey M. Brown, Steven J. Burian, Ji Chen, Anindita Mitra, Dev Dutta S Niyogi, Roger A. Pielke, Vincent C. Tidwell, Dave Wegner

Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences Faculty Publications

This article represents the second report by an ASCE Task Committee "Infrastructure Impacts of Landscape-driven Weather Change" under the ASCE Watershed Management Technical Committee and the ASCE Hydroclimate Technical Committee. Herein, the 'infrastructure impacts" are referred to as infrastructure-sensitive changes in weather and climate patterns (extremes and non-extremes) that are modulated, among other factors, by changes in landscape, land use and land cover change. In this first report, the article argued for explicitly considering the well-established feedbacks triggered by infrastructure systems to the land-atmosphere system via landscape change. In this report by the ASCE Task Committee (TC), we present the …

Evaluating A Satellite-Based Seasonal Evapotranspiration Product And Identifying Its Relationship With Other Satellite-Derived Products And Crop Yield: A Case Study For Ethiopia, Tsegaye Tadesse, Gabriel B. Senay, Getachew Berhan, Teshome Regassa, Shimelis Beyene

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Satellite-derived evapotranspiration anomalies and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) products from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data are currently used for African agricultural drought monitoring and food security status assessment. In this study, a process to evaluate satellite-derived evapotranspiration (ETa) products with a geospatial statistical exploratory technique that uses NDVI, satellite-derived rainfall estimate (RFE), and crop yield data has been developed. The main goal of this study was to evaluate the ETa using the NDVI and RFE, and identify a relationship between the ETa and Ethiopia’s cereal crop (i.e., teff, sorghum, corn/maize, barley, and wheat) yields during the main rainy …

Cover Crops And Ecosystem Services: Insights From Studies In Temperate Soils, Humberto Blanco-Canqui, Tim M. Shaver, John L. Lindquist, Charles A. Shapiro, Roger Wesley Elmore, Charles A. Francis, Gary W. Hergert

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Cover crops (CCs) can provide multiple soil, agricultural production, and environmental benefits. However, a better understanding of such potential ecosystem services is needed. We summarized the current state of knowledge of CC effects on soil C stocks, soil erosion, physical properties, soil water, nutrients, microbial properties, weed control, crop yields, expanded uses, and economics and highlighted research needs. Our review indicates that CCs are multifunctional. Cover crops increase soil organic C stocks (0.1–1 Mg ha^–1 yr^–1) with the magnitude depending on biomass amount, years in CCs, and initial soil C level. Runoff loss can decrease by up …

Response Of Stomatal Density And Bound Gas Exchange In Leaves Of Maize To Soil Water Deficit, Wensai Zhao, Yonglin Sun, Roger Kjelgren, Xiping Liu

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

Stomatal behavior in response to drought has been the focus of intensive research, but less attention has been paid to stomatal density. In this study, 5-week-old maize seedlings were exposed to different soil water contents. Stomatal density and size as well as leaf gas exchange were investigated after 2-, 4- and 6-weeks of treatment, which corresponded to the jointing, trumpeting, and filling stages of maize development. Results showed that new stomata were generated continually during leaf growth. Reduced soil water content significantly stimulated stomatal generation, resulting in a significant increase in stomatal density but a decrease in stomatal size and …

Plant Species Rather Than Climate Greatly Alters The Temporal Pattern Of Litter Chemical Composition During Long-Term Decomposition, Yongfu Li, Na Chen, Mark E. Harmon, Yuan Li, Xiaoyan Cao, Mark A. Chappell, Jingdong Mao

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

A feedback between decomposition and litter chemical composition occurs with decomposition altering composition that in turn influences the decomposition rate. Elucidating the temporal pattern of chemical composition is vital to understand this feedback, but the effects of plant species and climate on chemical changes remain poorly understood, especially over multiple years. In a 10-year decomposition experiment with litter of four species (Acer saccharum, Drypetes glauca, Pinus resinosa, and Thuja plicata) from four sites that range from the arctic to tropics, we determined the abundance of 11 litter chemical constituents that were grouped into waxes, carbohydrates, …

On Underestimation Of Global Vulnerability To Tree Mortality And Forest Die-Off From Hotter Drought In The Anthropocene, Craig D. Allen, David D. Breshears, Nate G. Mcdowell

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Patterns, mechanisms, projections, and consequences of tree mortality and associated broadscale forest die-off due to drought accompanied by warmer temperatures—‘‘hotter drought’’, an emerging characteristic of the Anthropocene—are the focus of rapidly expanding literature. Despite recent observational, experimental, and modeling studies suggesting increased vulnerability of trees to hotter drought and associated pests and pathogens, substantial debate remains among research, management and policy-making communities regarding future tree mortality risks. We summarize key mortalityrelevant findings, differentiating between those implying lesser versus greater levels of vulnerability. Evidence suggesting lesser vulnerability includes forest benefits of elevated [CO2] and increased water-use efficiency; observed and modeled increases …

Characterization Of Terrestrial Dissolved Organic Matter Fractionated By Ph And Polarity And Their Biological Effects On Plant Growth, Rachel L. Sleighter, Paolo Caricasole, Kristen M. Richards, Terry Hanson, Patrick G. Hatcher

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Background: Humic substances are ubiquitous in the environment, complex mixtures, and known to be beneficial to plant growth. To better understand and identify components responsible for plant growth stimulation, a terrestrial aquatic DOM sample was fractionated according to pH and polarity, obtaining acid-soluble and acid-insoluble portions, as well as acid-soluble hydrophobic and hydrophilic fractions using C18. The various fractions were characterized then evaluated for their biological effects on plant growth using bioassays with corn at two carbon rates.

Results: Approximately 43% and 57% of the carbon, and 31% and 69% of the iron, was found in the acid-insoluble and acid-soluble …

Predicting Carbon Isotope Discrimination In Eelgrass (Zostera Marina L.) From The Environmental Parameters- Light, Flow, And [Dic], Meredith L. Mcpherson, Richard C. Zimmerman, Victoria J. Hill

OES Faculty Publications

Isotopic discrimination against ¹³C during photosynthesis is determined by a combination of environmental conditions and physiological mechanisms that control delivery of CO₂ to RUBISCO. This study investigated the effects of light, flow, dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) concentration, and its speciation, on photosynthetic carbon assimilation of Zostera marinaL. (eelgrass) using a combination of laboratory experiments and theoretical calculations leading to a mechanistic understanding of environmental conditions that influence leaf carbon uptake and determine leaf stable carbon isotope signatures δ¹³C. Photosynthesis was saturated with respect to flow at low velocity ~ 3 cm s^-1, but …

Ua12/2/2 2015 Talisman: Resurgence, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Archives Records

2015 Talisman yearbook.

• Osborne Sam. Into the Woods – Big To-Do Music & Arts Festival
• Spalding, Shelley. The Outliers – Greeks
• Badjie, Haddy. The Right to Live – Racism
• Gibson, Helen. Net Worth – Soccer
• Greer, John. Sustaining Seasons – Sustainability
• Wegert, Sally. Bloom – Eva Ross
• Cislo, Everett. Harvest – Hemp
• Kolb, William. Preserve – John All
• Voorhees, Jessica. Making Strides – Track & Field
• Greer, John. The Science Guy – Bill Nye
• Cole, Tanner. Lip Service – Rocky Horror Picture Show
• Belknap, Abby. Race to the Senate
• Gibson, Helen. Game of Loans – Student Financial Aid
• Belknap, Abby. …

Sheep Updates 2015 - Ravensthorpe, Bruce Mullan, Kate Pritchett, Kimbal Curtis, Chris Wilcox, Mike Hyder, Leigh Sonnerman, Lynne Bradshaw, Geoff Lindon, Katherine Davies, Joe Young, Stephen Lee, Ian Robertson, Lucy Anderton, Hayley Norman, Ed Barrett-Lenard, Jackie Jarvis, Ben Patrick

Sheep Updates

This session covers fourteen papers from different authors:

1. The Sheep Industry Business Innovation project, Bruce Mullan, Sheep Industry Development Director, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia

2. Western Australian sheep stocktake, Kate Pritchett and Kimbal Curtis, Research Officers, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia

3. Wool demand and supply - short term volatility, long term opportunities, Chris Wilcox, Principal of Poimena Analysis

4. Lifetime management for maternal ewes, Mike Hyder, Research Officer, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia

5. National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) for sheep and goats - what is the NLIS database? Leigh Sonnermann, …

Matrix And Edge Effects On The Maintenance Of Ecological Function In An Afromontane Protected Area, Robin M. Martino

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

Land use type in the human dominated matrix surrounding tropical forest can influence edge effects at the forest-matrix interface. Edge effects can alter ecological processes and impact the function of forest edge ecosystems. A key ecological process that helps maintain tropical forest and is affected by forest disturbance is seed dispersal by large, fruit eating vertebrates (frugivores). This dissertation examines how the type of vegetation in the matrix, the `soft’ edge contrast of pine plantations and the `hard’ edge contrast of tea plantations, affect seed dispersal behavior of large frugivores, and the structure and composition of tree species, in forest …

An Acid-Bath Technique To Break Seed Dormancy In Common Sunflower, Helianthus L. Annuus (Asteraceae), Yuridia Patricia Gandy, Michael W. Persans, Kenneth R. Summy

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

The phenomenon of seed dormancy is widespread in plants and serves to prevent all or most of a given population from germinating at the “wrong” time, e.g., during an unusually mild fall in an area subject to typically harsh winters. Seed dormancy is an effective survival strategy in many plant populations, but may greatly complicate efforts to establish large cohorts of seedlings (groups of similar age or developmental stage) needed for re-search and other purposes. In an effort to break seed dormancy in common sunflower, Helianthus annuus L. (Asteraceae), we conducted experiments designed to compare germination times and overall germination …

Detection Of Temporal Changes In Vegetative Cover On South Padre Island, Texas Using Image Classifications Derived From Aerial Color-Infrared Photographs, Ruben A. Mazariegos, Kenneth R. Summy, Frank W. Judd, Robert I. Lonard, James H. Everitt

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

Supervised image classifications developed from 23 x 23 cm aerial color-infrared aerial photographs (1:5,000 scale) were used to evaluate temporal changes in vegetative cover occurring within three 150 x 300-m research sites on South Padre Island, Texas. Use of high-resolution digitized imagery (ground pixel resolution of ca. 0.1 m) and survey-grade GPS for positional measurements of ground control points (20-25 1.0m2 targets within each research site) resulted in consistently high levels of geometric accuracy, with root mean square errors (RMSEs) ranging between 0.397 – 2.867. Similarly, use of relatively simple information categories (dry and wet sand, live and dead vegetative …