Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The Effect Of Consumerism And Regulation On Household Solid Waste Management In The United States And Germany: A Comparative Study, Amir Vafa

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

Private household recycling is a significant aspect of consumerism in economically developed countries and the inevitable question of household waste management has gained more importance among municipalities in recent years. The present study examined the effect of regulation on household solid waste management. Within a comparative, qualitative framework, the study explored and evaluated the pro-regulatory effects in Germany and the anti-regulatory policies in the United States by means of comparing two similar communities, Lincoln, Nebraska and Augsburg, Germany. By examining the present legislations, official documents, legal and operational procedures, and other relevant artifacts, laws, regulations and the degree of their …

Nest And Brood Survival And Habitat Selection Of Ring-Necked Pheasants And Greater Prairie-Chickens In Nebraska, Ty Matthews

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

Ring-Necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) and Greater Prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus) populations have declined in the Midwest since the 1960’s. Research has suggested decreased nest and brood survival are the major causes of this decline due to the lack of suitable habitat. Habitat degradation has been attributed to the shift to larger crop fields, lower diversity of crops, and more intensive pesticide and herbicide use. A primary goal of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is to mitigate the loss of wildlife habitat. Early research found that CRP increased the amount of suitable nesting and brood rearing cover …

Satellite-Based Estimation Of Chlorophyll-A Concentration In Turbid Productive Waters, Wesley Moses

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

Inland, coastal, and estuarine waters, which are often turbid and biologically productive, play a crucial role in maintaining global bio-diversity and are of immense value to aquatic life as well as human-beings. Concentration of chlorophyll-a (chl-a) is a key indicator of the trophic status of these waters, which should be regularly monitored to ensure that their ecological balance is not disturbed. Remote sensing is a powerful tool for this.

Due to the optical complexity of turbid productive waters, standard algorithms that use blue and green reflectances are unreliable for estimating chl-a concentration. Algorithms based on red and near-infrared (NIR) reflectances …

Observations Of Badgers Preying On Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs, Daniel S. Licht

The Prairie Naturalist

American badgers (Taxidea taxus) often visit black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) colonies, most likely in search of prey (Lomolino and Smith 2004, Shaughnessy and Cifelli 2004). Badgers are well suited to hunting fossorial prey such as prairie dogs by excavating burrows and capturing individuals belowground (Lindzey 2003). However, the ecological literature is sparse regarding details of how badgers hunt and capture prairie dogs underground. Eads and Biggins (2008) documented three occurrences of a badger excavating prairie dogs. That badger (apparently the same individual) had a den within the prairie dog town where captures occurred. This note …

Mortality Of Cranes (Gruidae) Associated With Powerlines Over A Major Roost On The Platte River, Nebraska, Gregory D. Wright, Timothy J. Smith, Robert K. Murphy, Jeffery T. Runge, Robert R. Harms

The Prairie Naturalist

Two 69-kilovolt powerlines spanning the Platte River in south central Nebraska are suspected to cause substantial mortality to sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) and pose a threat to endangered whooping cranes (G. americana) that roost overnight on the river during spring and fall migrations. Most studies of crane collisions with powerlines in the region have focused on counts of carcasses away from night roosts on the river and none have accounted for potential biases in detecting carcasses. We found 61 carcasses of sandhill cranes below over-river segments of the two powerlines during 4 March to 7 April …

Long Distance Molt Migration By A Giant Canada Goose From Eastern South Dakota, Bobby J. Anderson, Charles D. Dieter

The Prairie Naturalist

To reduce crop damage by resident giant Canada geese (Schaible et al. 2005), the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks (SDGFP) initiated a program to reduce goose nesting success in eastern South Dakota. One management tool used by SDGFP personnel was the destruction of giant Canada goose nests. When a giant Canada goose has its nest destroyed, they are known to initiate a molt migration (Mykut 2002, Luukkonen et aI. 2008). We attached Platform Transmitting Terminals (PTT; model ST -19) to document and describe molt migrations of giant Canada geese following nest destruction. We captured 3 adult nesting …

Noteworthy Winter Prey Of Short-Eared Owls In Southern Texas: A Case Study, Damon Williford, Marc C. Woodin, Mary Kay Skoruppa

The Prairie Naturalist

The winter range of North American short-eared owls (Asio flammeus) encompasses much of the United States, including southern Texas, where it is a common winter resident (Oberholser 1974, Rappole and Blacklock 1985). Winter food habits of short-eared owls are relatively weJl documented, but the majority of investigations have been conducted in eastern Canada and northeastern U.S. (Clark 1975, Holt 1993); midwestern U.S. (Colvin and Spaulding 1983); and British Columbia and Pacific northwestern U.S. (Bogiatto et al. 2001). The short-eared owl has a narrow trophic niche, generally preying on small mammals, with voles (Microtus spp.) and deer mice …

Patterns Of Bison Hair Use In Nests Of Tallgrass Prairie Birds, Bryan R. Coppedge

The Prairie Naturalist

I examined patterns of bison (Bison bison L.) hair use by passerine birds nesting in the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, Osage County, Oklahoma, 2002-2004. I collected and dissected 103 nests of 15 species into their constituent components. Nests were predominately composed of herbaceous material such as grass stems and leaves. Woody material and mud were rarely used. Bison hair was the most prominent zoological material used in nests, with lesser amounts and occurrence of arthropod silk, snake skin, feathers, jack rabbit (Lepus californicus Oray) fur, and man-made materials such as cellophane and string. At least one nest of 13 …

Monitoring Meadows With A Modified Robel Pole In The Northern Black Hills, South Dakota, Daniel W, Uresk, Daryl E. Mergen, Ted A. Benzon

The Prairie Naturalist

We used a modified Robel pole to measure vegetation for a study conducted in the northern Black Hills, South Dakota. Objectives were to determine the relationship between visual obstruction readings and clipped standing herbage, and develop guidelines for monitoring standing herbage. The relationship between visual obstruction readings and standing herbage was linear and regression coefficients were significant (P≤ 0.001). Herbage ranged from 140 to 3313 kg· ha-1 with a mean of 1386 kg· ha^-1 (SE = 320 kg· ha^-1) for 123 transects. Visual obstruction readings (VOR) ranged from 0.6 to 30.4 (number of 1.27 cm bands …

Bed Site Selection Of Fawn Pronghorn In Custer State Park, South Dakota, Chad P. Lehman, Jamin D. Hartland, Barbara J. Keller, Joshua J. Millspaugh, Gary C. Brundige

The Prairie Naturalist

We evaluated pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) fawn bedding site characteristics on a prairie and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) landscape interface in Custer State Park, South Dakota. We radio-marked 16 adult female pronghorn and collected bed site information from their fawns during 2007~2008. We compared bed site selection with random sites (n = 74) during 2 periods; the early hiding phase when fawns were 1 ~28 days of age (n = 23 bed sites) and the later group phase when fawns were 29~60 days of age (n = 52 bed sites). During the hiding phase fawns selected dry …

A Partial Inventory Of Islands In North Dakota: Potential For Breeding Waterfowl Management, Michael L. Szymanski

The Prairie Naturalist

Islands can provide secure nesting habitat for ducks and other waterbirds, especially in agriculturally dominated landscapes. I inventoried natural and man-made islands in the portion of North Dakota covered by the Prairie Pothole Joint Venture (PPJV). I mapped 1,305 islands in this area; up to 46% of which could provide enhanced nest success with management (e.g., predator removal or establishment of brushy cover). Management of islands for breeding ducks may be an important method for achieving desired reproductive rates in the PP JV as substantial areas of perennial grass cover are lost from federal conservation programs, primarily the Conservation Reserve …

Satellite Estimation Of Chlorophyll-A Concentration Using The Red And Nir Bands Of Meris—The Azov Sea Case Study, Wesley J. Moses, Anatoly A. Gitelson, Sergey Berdnikov, Vasiliy Povazhnyy

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

We present here the results of calibrating and validating a three-band model and, its special case, a two-band model, which use MEdium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) reflectances in the red and near-infrared spectral regions for estimating chlorophyll-a (chl-a) concentration in inland, estuarine, and coastal turbid productive waters. During four data collection campaigns in 2008 and one campaign in 2009 in the Taganrog Bay and the Azov Sea, Russia, water samples were collected, and concentrations of chl-a and total suspended solids were measured in the laboratory. The data collected in 2008 were used for model calibration, and the …

Corrections To “Satellite Estimation Of Chlorophyll-A Concentration Using The Red And Nir Bands Of Meris—The Azov Sea Case Study”, Wesley J. Moses, Anatoly A. Gitelson, Sergey Berdnikov, Vasiliy Povazhnyy

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

We correct here some errors that appear in our paper: W.J. Moses, A.A. Gitelson, S. Berdnikov, and V. Povazhnyy, “Satellite estimation of chlorophyll-a concentration using the red and NIR bands of MERIS—The Azov Sea case study,” IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters, volume 6, number 4, pp. 845–849, October 2009.

Estimation Of Chlorophyll-A Concentration In Case Ii Waters Using Modis And Meris Data—Successes And Challenges, Wesley Moses, Anatoly Gitelson, Sergey Berdnikov, Vasiliy Povazhnyi

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

We present and discuss here the results of our work using MODIS (moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer) and MERIS (medium resolution imaging spectrometer) satellite data to estimate the concentration of chlorophyll-a (chl-a) in reservoirs of the Dnieper River and the Sea of Azov, which are typical case II waters, i.e., turbid and productive. Our objective was to test the potential of satellite remote sensing as a tool for near-real-time monitoring of chl-a distribution in these water bodies. We tested the performance of a recently developed three-band model, and its special case, a two-band model, which use the reflectance at red and …

Droughtscape- Fall 2009, Kelly Smith

Droughtscape, Quarterly Newsletter of NDMC, 2007-

Drought Monitor Forum to be in Austin, Oct. 7-8

El Niño Likely to Bring More Needed Precipitation

NDMC Welcomes Visiting Chinese Scientist

TX, CA Feeling Worst of Impacts

Grant to Bring Climate Change Ed to Teachers

Speaking of Drought ...

NDMC Takes Message Across Nebraska and World

Retrieval Of Foliar Information About Plant Pigment Systems From High Resolution Spectroscopy, Susan L. Ustin, Anatoly A. Gitelson, Stéphane Jacquemoud, Michael Schaepman, Gregory P. Asner, John A. Gamon, Pablo Zarco-Tejada

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Life on Earth depends on photosynthesis. Photosynthetic systems evolved early in Earth history and have been stable for 2.5 billion years, providing prima facie evidence for the significance of pigments in plant functions. Photosynthetic pigments fill multiple roles from increasing the range of energy captured for photosynthesis to protective functions. Given the importance of pigments to leaf functioning, greater effort is needed to determine whether individual pigments can be identified and quantified in vivo using high fidelity spectroscopy. We review recent advances in detecting plant pigments at the leaf level and discuss successes and reasons why challenges remain for robust …

Photosynthetic Performance Of Invasive Pinus Ponderosa And Juniperus Virginiana Seedlings Under Gradual Soil Water Depletion, Saadia Bihmidine, N. M. Bryan, K. R. Payne, M. R. Parde, Jane A. Okalebo, Sharon E. Cooperstein, Tala Awada

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Changes in climate, land management and fire regime have contributed to woody species expansion into grasslands and savannas worldwide. In the USA, Pinus ponderosa P. & C. Lawson and Juniperus virginiana L. are expanding into semiarid grasslands of Nebraska and other regions of the Great Plains. We examined P. ponderosa and J. virginiana seedling response to soil water content, one of the most important limiting factors in semiarid grasslands, to provide insight into their success in the region. Photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, maximum photochemical efficiency of PSII, maximum carboxylation velocity, maximum rate of electron transport, stomatal limitation to photosynthesis, water potential, …

Wilderness Serendipity: Planning And Assessing Learning During An Experiential Field Course, Larkin A. Powell, Andrew J. Tyre, Scott E. Hygnstrom, David A. Wedin, P. R. Hanson, Mark S. Kuzila, James B. Swinehart

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Experiential learning opportunities promote skill in problem-solving and critical thinking, but they require unique assessment methods because traditional approaches are difficult to implement in the field. We have conducted a study tour course involving a canoe trip in a wilderness area in northern Minnesota since 2004. Here, we describe how we developed our course's learning experiences, ensured the learning experiences materialized, and assessed the student learning objectives. Proper planning can result in valuable, spontaneous learning experiences. We used a student journal, field-based quiz, and participation grade to effectively assess the breadth of student learning that was inherent in our course. …

The Prairie Naturalist. Volume 41, No. 3/4, September/December 2009, The Great Plains Natural Science Society

The Prairie Naturalist

THE PRAIRIE NATURALIST MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION GUIDELINES. C. N. Jacques, T. W. Grovenburg, and J. A. Jenks

A PARTIAL INVENTORY OF ISLANDS IN NORTH DAKOTA: POTENTIAL FOR BREEDING WATERFOWL MANAGEMENT. M. L. Szymanski

BED SITE SELECTION OF FAWN PRONGHORN IN CUSTER STATE PARK, SOUTH DAKOTA. C. P. Lehman, J. D. Hartland, B. J. Keller, J. J. Millspaugh, and G. C. Brundige

PATTERNS OF BISON HAIR USE IN NESTS OF TALL GRASS PRAIRIE BIRDS B. R. Coppedge

MORTALITY OF CRANES (GRUIDAE) ASSOCIATED WITH POWERLINES OVER A MAJOR ROOST ON THE NORTH PLATTE RIVER, NEBRASKA. G. D. Wright, T. J. Smith, R. K. …

School Of Natural Resources Comprehensive Five-Year Review

School of Natural Resources: Documents and Reviews

No abstract provided.

Quality Control Of Soil Water Data In Applied Climate, Jinshing You, Kenneth Hubbard, Rezaul Mamood, Venkataramana Sridhar, Dennis Todey

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Abstract: Soil moisture is a key state variable from both climate and hydrologic cycle assessment perspectives. Recently, automated measurements of soil moisture with sensors deployed at sites in a real-time monitoring network have provided valuable new data to monitor the soil water resource. However, to assure the quality of the data, quality control QC tools are needed. Earlier studies left little literature on the QC of soil water data as measurements were generally not part of a network that routinely collected measurements. This paper presents a systematic QC analysis and methodology to evaluate the performance of candidate QC techniques using …

Biofuels: Cultivating Energy, Not Invasive Species, Invasive Species Advisory Committee

National Invasive Species Council

Biofuels: Cultivating Energy, not Invasive Species, approved by ISAC on August 11, 2009

ISSUE

To provide alternatives to petroleum-based energy, the United States government has mandated a greater proportion of plant-based biofuels be integrated into its energy portfolio. However, certain plant species being proposed for biofuel production in the United States are invasive species or are likely to escape cultivation and become invasive. United States Executive Order (EO) 131121 defines invasive species as “alien [non-native] species whose introduction does or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health” and states: “Each Federal agency whose actions …

Droughtscape- Summer 2009, Kelly Smith

Droughtscape, Quarterly Newsletter of NDMC, 2007-

U.S. Drought Monitor Forum, 2009

El Niño Could Bring Wet Winter After Hot Summer

Around the World

Agriculture Hit Hard in California, Texas

Predictable Patterns in Missouri River Basin?

Seeking Low-Flow Effects in Colorado, Southeast

VegDRI Began Coast-to-Coast Coverage in May

Lead Detection In Water: Using Hydroxyapatite And Atomic Absorption, Nicolas Cantarero

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Hydroxyapatite is a mineral that is very inexpensive, easily made, and binds well to lead. In this procedure its application will be paired with Flame Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (Flame AA) to detect lead concentrations in water to ppb levels. While ppb concentrations of lead are too dilute to produce a response from the Flame AA by using Hydroxyapatite to concentrate lead molecules from a larger volume and dissolving the Hydroxyapatite into a smaller volume it may be able to produce a response. The method could provide an inexpensive, efficient, and accurate way to detect lead concentrations to the ppb level …

Tree Canopy Effect On Grass And Grass/Legume Mixtures In Eastern Nebraska, Michael El. L. Perry, Walter H. Schacht, Gregory A. Ruark, James R. Brandle

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

A study to determine the feasibility of producing forage for grazing livestock under trees was conducted as a step toward evaluating the potential for silvopasture systems in the northern and central Great Plains. The effects of overstory leaf area index (LAI), percentage understory light transmittance (LT), and soil moisture (SM) on yield and crude protein (CP) of big bluestem [Andropogon gerardii Vitman; (BB)], smooth bromegrass [ Bromus inermis Leyss.; (SB)], and mixtures with birdsfoot trefoil [ Lotus corniculatus L.; (BFT)] were examined. The study was conducted in both Scotch pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and green ash (Fraxinus …

Biogeochemical Behavior Of Dissolved Arsenic And Uranium Concentrations In Public Water Supply Wells, Kevin J. Mcvey

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

Public water supply (PWS) wells currently contain dissolved uranium concentrations above the federally mandated maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 30 ppb (parts per billion) and dissolved arsenic concentrations above the 10 ppb MCL. Both uranium and arsenic are known to cause various forms of cancer in humans. Variations in total uranium concentrations in PWS wells in Nebraska indicate a relationship to the duration and rate of pumping in specific wells. Although total arsenic concentrations show some variability over time in specific wells, the relationship to pumping is not as clear. Previous studies show that iron and sulfur bacteria present in …

Avian Foraging Patterns In Crop Field Edges Adjacent To Woody Habitat, Heidi L. Puckett, James R. Brandle, Ron J. Johnson, Erin E. Blankenship

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

As natural predators of pest insects, woodland birds provide biological pest suppression in crop fields adjacent to woody edges. Although many birds using these habitats forage widely, earlier studies have found that most foraging activity occurs within 50 m of the woody edge. The goals of this study were to determine the primary area of use, or functional edge, for birds foraging in crop fields adjacent to woody edges, and to evaluate their foraging distance patterns. During the summers of 2005 and 2006, avian foraging behavior was observed at 12 research sites in east central Nebraska that contained either a …

Phylogeography Of The Rufous-Naped Wren (Campylorhynchus Rufinucha): Speciation And Hybridization In Mesoamerica, Hernan Vazquez-Miranda, Adolfo G. Navarro-Siguenza, Kevin E. Omland

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The Rufous-naped Wren (Campylorhynchus rufinucha) is a sedentary, morphologically variable species distributed in the dry forests of Mesoamerica. It ranges from Colima, Mexico, south to Costa Rica along the Pacific slope, with a disjunct population in central Veracruz. Populations of two forms on the Pacific slope intergrade in Chiapas, Mexico, apparently as a result of secondary contact. We sequenced a mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) gene to explore phylogeographic patterns and hybridization. We found three divergent lineages, two geographically spanning the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and a disjunct Veracruz population. Analyses of molecular variation and statistics are consistent with genetically distinct …

A Comparison Between Above-Water Surface And Subsurface Spectral Reflectances Collected Over Inland Waters, Asif M. Bhatti, Donald Rundquist, John Schalles, Luis Ramirez, Seigo Nasu

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The objective of the research was to undertake a quantitative comparison of spectral-reflectance measurements made slightly above the surface of water bodies with the measurements made slightly below the surface. The study is focused on three rivers; two in Georgia, USA and one in Japan. As expected, the differences in reflectance are not constant and vary with the wavelength. The contribution of surface-reflection effects to the surface reflectance measured slightly above the water is both pronounced and highly variable, but although they do alter the magnitude of the upwelling signal, they do not change the general shape of the spectral …

Droughtscape- Spring 2009, Kelly Smith

Droughtscape, Quarterly Newsletter of NDMC, 2007-

U.S. Drought Monitor Publishes Map 500!

Weakening La Niña May Mean Relief for Texas

Upcoming Workshops

Drought Impacts Worst in California, Texas

CoCoRaHS to Request Drought Impact Data, Too

NDMC Adds Researcher

K-12 Students Learn About Drought