Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Interactions Of Zooplankton And Phytoplankton With Cyanobacteria, Rebecca Alexander

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

Cyanobacteria are a major concern in Nebraska reservoirs and are capable of producing toxins that can cause skin irritations and gastrointestinal problems, as well as affect the nervous system. It is important to determine the mechanisms that can cause cyanobacteria blooms due to the effect they can have on human health. The interaction of zooplankton and other phytoplankton groups with cyanobacteria is important because there is a biological component in surface waters that should be taken into consideration along with the physical and chemical parameters that have been noted to promote cyanobacteria. For example, zooplankton have the ability to alter …

Interactions Of Zoo Plankton And Phytoplankton With Cyanobacteria, Rebecca J. Alexander

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

Cyanobacteria are a major concern in Nebraska reservoirs and are capable of producing toxins that can cause skin irritations and gastrointestinal problems, as well as affect the nervous system. It is important to determine the mechanisms that can cause cyanobacteria blooms due to the effect they can have on human health. The interaction of zooplankton and other phytoplankton groups with cyanobacteria is important because there is a biological component in surface waters that should be taken into consideration along with the physical and chemical parameters that have been noted to promote cyanobacteria. For example, zooplankton have the ability to alter …

Updated Manuscript Submission Guidelines For The Prairie Naturalist, Christopher N. Jacques, Troy W. Grovenburg, Jonathan A. Jenks

The Prairie Naturalist

These guidelines present updated policies and procedures for submitting scientific manuscripts for consideration for publication in The Prairie Naturalist (PNAT). These guidelines incorporate substantial changes that have occurred following a change in Editorial staff during January 2009, and update the online “Suggestions for Contributors” guidelines provided on the PNAT website (http://www.sdstate.edu/nrm/organizations/gpnss/tpn/index.cfm); these instructions supersede all previous guidelines.

Tables and appendices are included for common word expressions with superfluous wording (Table 1), examples of correct format and style guidelines for tables accompanying manuscripts (Table 2, Appendix A), guidance in properly preparing Research notes (Appendix B) and citing literature (Appendix …

Interior Least Tern Powerline Collision On The Lower Platte River, Lauren R. Dinan, Joel G. Jorgensen, Mary Bomberger Brown

The Prairie Naturalist

Collisions with electrical powerlines are a well-known documented cause of avian mortality (Avian Power Line Interaction Committee [APLIC] 1994, Savereno et al. 1996). Mortality caused by collisions with powerlines can be an important concern for many bird species, but is a serious conservation problem for threatened and endangered species because any mortality can have biological and legal ramifications (Janss 2000). Loss of individuals, particularly breeding adults, from an already small population may impede a species’ recovery by reducing reproduction and recruitment into the breeding population. The death of an individual from a threatened or endangered species as a result of …

Avian Diversity And Habitat Use On Wetland Reserve Program Lands In The Lower Missouri River Valley, Eric C. Hopps

The Prairie Naturalist

A primary objective of the Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) is to provide habitat for migratory birds throughout all seasons of the year. Comprehensive avian assessments are lacking and limit our ability to evaluate the benefits of the WRP to continental bird populations. I investigated avian species occurrence on WRP lands within the Lower Missouri River Valley (LMRV), Nebraska, USA, from March 2010 to February 2011. Ten WRP habitat types are described based on plant community assemblages and observed hydrological regimes. Estimates of avian species richness were greatest in lowland forest (n = 115), lowland woodland (n = 83) and upland …

Fish Assemblage Structure In Black Hills, South Dakota Streams, Luke D. Schultz, Sarah J. Lewis, Katie Nicole Bertrand

The Prairie Naturalist

Understanding factors structuring fish assemblages in a particular area is valuable to both sport fishery management and native species conservation. Fish assemblages in the Black Hills are unique to South Dakota because they contain economically valuable introduced salmonids as well as native species of conservation need. Our objective was to examine the relationship between fish assemblages and geomorphic and reach-scale habitat features across multiple stream reaches in the Black Hills. Canonical correspondence analysis, a direct gradient ordination analysis, indicated that factors operating at multiple spatial scales interacted to structure fish assemblages. There also was indication of segregation between native species …

Terrestrial And Semi-Aquatic Vertebrates In Diets Of Largemouth Bass In Central Nebraska, Seth A. Lundgren, Keith Geluso, Casey W. Schoenebeck

The Prairie Naturalist

Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) are opportunistic predators often feeding in littoral areas during crepuscular periods (Snow 1971). Adult largemouth bass primarily are piscivorous, whereas juveniles generally consume zooplankton, insects, and small fish (Zweiacker and Summerfelt 1974, Carlander 1977, Post 2003). Age-0 largemouth bass generally consume zooplankton and macroinvertebrates (Keast and Webb 1966, Keast 1985, Phillips et al. 1995, Post 2003) and shift to piscivory at 50-70 mm in length (Phillips et al. 1995, Olson 1996, Post 2003). Few studies have documented detailed accounts of other vertebrates besides fish in diets of largemouth bass, which include amphibians (Hodgson and …

The Incentive And Benefits To Publish Research, Christopher N. Jacques

The Prairie Naturalist

In the northern Great Plains, December is a month marked by the end of the year and a period of much-needed rest and relaxation during the start of the winter season. Landscapes will soon be blanketed with snow and local floral and faunal species have adapted to the ensuing winter months ahead. Winter is a season that reminds you who you live in the Plains states, and as such, should expect bitter cold temperatures, strong winds, and blowing and drifting snow. However, December is a great time to enjoy the outdoors across the Great Plains, a time to reflect on …

Walleye Trophic Position Before And After A Gizzard Shad Extirpation, Bethany J. Bethke, Justin A. Vandehey, Mark J. Fincel, Brian D.S. Graeb, Mark T. Porath

The Prairie Naturalist

Walleye (Sander vitreus) are an ecologically and recreationally important sport fish species. Reduced growth and condition in walleye can occur when prey availability is limited. In two Nebraska reservoirs, walleye consumed gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) as their primary prey until a winterkill extirpated the gizzard shad in 2001. Because of the winterkill, walleye in the two reservoirs had to change to alternative prey items. Our objective was to determine if stable isotope analysis on archived walleye scales can be used to detect a known food web shift in two reservoir food webs. We quantified the changes …

Insights From Characterizing Extinct Human Gut Microbiomes, Raul Y. Tito, Dan Knights, Jessica Metcalf, Alexandra J. Obregon-Tito, Lauren Cleeland, Fares Najar, Bruce Roe, Karl Reinhard, Kristin Sobolik, Samuel Belknap, Morris Foster, Paul Spicer, Rob Knight, Cecil M. Lewis, Jr.

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

In an effort to better understand the ancestral state of the human distal gut microbiome, we examine feces retrieved from archaeological contexts (coprolites). To accomplish this, we pyrosequenced the 16S rDNA V3 region from duplicate coprolite samples recovered from three archaeological sites, each representing a different depositional environment: Hinds Cave (~8000 years B.P.) in the southern United States, Caserones (1600 years B.P.) in northern Chile, and Rio Zape in northern Mexico (1400 years B.P.). Clustering algorithms grouped samples from the same site. Phyletic representation was more similar within sites than between them. A Bayesian approach to source-tracking was used to …

Evolutionary And Practical Implications Of Pseudo-Estrus Behavior In Florida Panthers (Puma Concolor Coryi), John F. Benson, Mark A. Lotz, E. Darrell Land, Dave P. Onorato

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Estrus behavior by females for reasons other than reproduction (pseudo-estrus) has been reported in species of primates and felids, and alternative hypotheses have been put forth to explain its evolution and function. We observed 3 separate cases of pseudo-estrus behavior by 2 Puma concolor coryi (Florida Panther) females while they were nursing young (old) kittens. We used VHF and GPS telemetry data, genetic pedigree analysis, and visual observations to provide insight into the evolutionary and practical implications of this behavior for Panthers. We suggest that female Panthers likely consort with males while nursing kittens to maintain amicable relations with these …

Impacts Of Climate Change On The Surface Water Balance Of The Central United States, 1984-2007, Bo Dong

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

The climate system and the hydrologic cycle are strongly connected with each other. Understanding the interactions between these two systems is important, since variations in climate can trigger extensive changes in the hydrologic cycle, with significant impacts on agriculture, ecosystems, and society. Observations over the central U.S. in recent decades show numerous changes in climatic variables. This includes decreases in cloud cover and wind speed, increases in air temperature, and seasonal shifts in precipitation rate and rain/snow fraction. To assess the impacts of these variations in climate on the regional water cycle, a terrestrial ecosystem/land surface hydrologic model (Agro-IBIS) is …

A Geospatial Modeling Framework For Assessing Biofuels-Related Land-Use And Land-Cover Change, Ruopu Li, Qingfeng (Gene) Guan, James W. Merchant

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

With the increasing biofuel demands in recent years, the cultivated lands for biofuel crops, i.e., corn and soybeans, the major sources of ethanol and biodiesel, have been greatly expanding in the northern Great Plains states of the United States. Simulating the spatio-temporal dynamics of biofuel croplands can provide critical information required for assessing the impacts of land-use change on wildlife conservation and water quality. But, yearly agricultural practices such as crop rotations often complicate the spatially explicit modeling of specific crops’ expansion. Our research focused on developing a geospatial modeling framework that is able to distinguish long-term, regional changes in …

Using Slow-Release Permanganate Candles To Remove Tce From A Low Permeable Aquifer At A Former Landfill, Mark D. Christenson, Ann Kambhu, Steve D. Comfort

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Past disposal of industrial solvents into unregulated landfills is a significant source of groundwater contamination. In 2009, we began investigating a former unregulated landfill with known trichloroethene (TCE) contamination. Our objective was to pinpoint the location of the plume and treat the TCE using in situ chemical oxidation (ISCO). We accomplished this by using electrical resistivity imaging (ERI) to survey the landfill and map the subsurface lithology. We then used the ERI survey maps to guide direct push groundwater sampling. A TCE plume (100-600 µg L^-1) was identified in a low permeable silty-clay aquifer (K_h = 0.5 …

Droughtscape- Fall 2012, National Drought Mitigation Center

Droughtscape, Quarterly Newsletter of NDMC, 2007-

CONTENTS

Director’s report ....................... 1

Updated resources ................... 1

Drought outlook and review... 2

2012 and past droughters..... 4

Summer impacts summary.... 6

Urban planners and drought..... 9

USDM wins CLEAN seal... 10

Meixiu Yu's Chinese SPEI... 11

Ethiopian project..... 12

Mexican VegDRI.... 13

Drought monitor sculpture.... 14

Reconsidering National Park Interpretation Of The Great Plains And Trans-Mississippi West, Robert Pahre

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences

The National Park Service has generally interpreted its sites in the Great Plains in terms of a Eurocentric narrative of westward expansion. Though some sites are changing (e.g., Little Bighorn), others are not (e.g., Scotts Bluff). Even those sites that have changed still retain important elements of traditional narratives, which often date to the 1930s or to the Mission 66 period (1956-66). The newest sites, such as Washita Battlefield, tell newer stories that resonate well with today's visitors. These provide a model for revising older sites. Giving greater attention to causes and consequences, aiming for a richer mix of disciplinary …

Comparative Transcriptome Analysis Of Two Olive Cultivars In Response To Nacl-Stress, Christos Bazakos, Maria E. Manioudaki, Ioannis Therios, Demetrios Voyiatzis, Dimitris Kafetzopoulos, Tala Awada, Panagiotis Kalaitzis

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Background: Olive (Olea europaea L.) cultivation is rapidly expanding and low quality saline water is often used for irrigation. The molecular basis of salt tolerance in olive, though, has not yet been investigated at a system level. In this study a comparative transcriptomics approach was used as a tool to unravel gene regulatory networks underlying salinity response in olive trees by simulating as much as possible olive growing conditions in the field. Specifically, we investigated the genotype-dependent differences in the transcriptome response of two olive cultivars, a salt-tolerant and a salt-sensitive one.

Methodology/Principal Findings: A 135-day long …

Flow, Nutrients, And Light Availability Influence Neotropical Epilithon Biomass And Stoichiometry, Tyler J. Kohler, Thomas N. Heatherly Ii, Rana W. El-Sabaawi, Eugenia Zandona, Michael C. Marshall, Alexander S. Flecker, Catherine M. Pringle, David N. Reznick, Steven A. Thomas

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Light, nutrient availability, and flow are strong factors controlling the elemental composition and biomass of epilithon in temperate stream ecosystems. However, comparatively little is known about these relationships in tropical streams. We investigated how gradients of light and nutrient availability, seasonality, and habitat influenced epilithon biomass, chlorophyll a, and nutrient ratios in montane streams of Trinidad, West Indies. We sampled 4 focal tributaries of a single river, 2 of which had canopies experimentally thinned, every other month over a 2-y period to observe temporal dynamics and light effects on epilithon. We also sampled 18 sites across Trinidad’s Northern Range Mountains …

Role Of The Leguminous Shrub Amorpha Canescens (Leadplant) In The Nebraska Sandhills Grasslands: Water Relations And Patterns Of Water Uptake, Adam Yarina

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

This study investigated the ecophysiological role of Amorpha canescens, a leguminous shrub native to the Nebraska Sandhills. Although A. canescens is an important ecological player in the Sandhills, its impacts on the surrounding plant community are poorly understood. To remedy this, two sites were selected for study at the Gudmundsen Sandhills Laboratory near Whitman, Nebraska – one with A. canescens (G-L) and one without A. canescens (G-NL). Both sites contained five representative herbaceous species: two C₃ grasses (Hesperostipa comata and Koeleria macrantha), two C₄ grasses (Andropogon hallii and Calamovilfa longifolia), and one forb …

Interactions Among Evaporation, Ice Cover, And Water Temperature On Lake Superior: Decadal, Interannual, And Seasonal Variability, Katherine Van Cleave

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

Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area, has enormous impacts on the regional weather and climate. The lake also comprises over half of the total water volume in the Great Lakes system and is an important resource for commercial shipping, water supplies, hydropower, recreation, and aquatic ecosystems. Water temperature and evaporation on Lake Superior have been found to be increasing in recent decades, while ice cover has been decreasing at a very rapid pace. A careful analysis of the long-term trends, however, shows that these changes have not been linear through time. Rather, a step-change …

River Otter (Lontra Canadensis) Home Range, Habitat Use, Overnight Movement, And Survival In The Platte River Of Nebraska, Samuel P. Wilson

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

River otters (Lontra canadensis) are native to Nebraska but were extirpated by the early 1900s. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (NGPC) reintroduced river otters during 1986­–1991 to restore the species in the state but little is known regarding the habitat needs and status of this high profile threatened species. To provide information for management I conducted research to determine home range, habitat use, overnight movement distance, and annual survival of river otters in the central Platte River of Nebraska.

I trapped, implanted telemetry transmitters, and tracked 18 river otters during 2006–2009. I obtained 996 locations and constructed …

Understanding The Pathoecological Relationship Between Ancient Diet And Modern Diabetes Through Coprolite Analysis: A Case Example From Antelope Cave, Mojave County, Arizona, Karl J. Reinhard, Keith L. Johnson, Sara Leroy-Toren, Kyle Wieseman, Isabel Teixeira-Santos, Mônica Vieira

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The elevated prevalence of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) in Native Americans of the Southwest has been explained by several authors in terms of a dietary change from preindustrial traditional foods to modern foods. Physiology adapted to traditional foods became deleterious during the process of modernization. Although several versions of this hypothesis exist, they all relate to the rise in modern NIDDM with change from prehistoric subsistence practices to modern dietary practices. This is especially true for the Southwestern desert tribes of Arizona and New Mexico. Coprolite analysts have been recovering the sort of data needed by diabetes researchers to explore …

Channel Catfish Population Dynamics, Abundance Estimates, And Short-Term Trends In The Platte River, Nebraska, Aaron J. Blank

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

Fishing for channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) is popular in Nebraska and channel catfish are the most sought after fish species in the Platte River. Anglers on the Platte River are also harvest oriented. Little is known about the effects anglers have on channel catfish population dynamics in the lower Platte River. The goal of this study was to determine if there were effects of angling on channel catfish at two high use fishing areas in the lower Platte River. My first objective was to evaluate differences in relative abundance, size structure, condition, age structure, growth, and mortality between …

Modeling Field-Scale Vulnerability To Pesticide Runoff, Atefeh Hosseini

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

Identifying areas vulnerable to off-site agrichemical movement and surface and ground water contamination through conventional data collection is labor-intensive, costly and time-consuming. To promote efficient pesticide use and protect water resources, a process-based index model was previously developed to estimate landscape vulnerability to pesticide runoff and leaching at a watershed or regional scale using Soil Survey Geographic (SSURGO) data. Because mitigation of contamination requires implementation of best management practices, the model was adapted to the field scale. The field-scale model was developed based on a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) with 5 ´ 5 m resolution for a research site in …

A Climatological Analysis Of The Warm-Season Wind Regimes Of The Beaufort/Chukchi Seas Coasts, William J. Baule

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

Climate records for wind speed, wind direction, and temperature are analyzed for the period from 1979-2009 for the Beaufort/Chukchi Seas region of the Arctic. Wind records have historically been subject to far fewer analyses than other meteorological variables, such as temperature or precipitation. This is particularly true for data sparse regions. Data were collected for a large area in the Beaufort/Chukchi Seas region, which includes portions of Russia, the United States, and Canada. Data from 250 stations were collected from a variety of networks throughout the region and uniformly quality controlled. Eight long-term stations were identified for data completeness and …

Agricultural Landuse Change Impacts On Bioenergy Production, Avifauna, And Water Use In Nebraska's Rainwater Basin, Daniel R. Uden

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

Agriculture is an economically important form of landuse in the North American Great Plains. Since 19^th Century European settlement, conversion of grasslands to rowcrops has increased food and bioenergy production, but has decreased wildlife habitat. Future agricultural landuse changes may be driven by alternative energy demands and regional climatic changes. Landuse change and its drivers could affect bioenergy production, wildlife populations and natural resources, and considering the potential impacts of impending changes in advance could assist with preparations for an uncertain future.

This study addressed how the conversion of marginally productive agricultural lands in the Rainwater Basin region of …

Denitrification By Sulfur-Oxidizing Bacteria In A Eutrophic Lake, Amy J. Burgin, Stephen K. Hamilton, Stuart E. Jones, Jay T. Lennon

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Understanding the mechanistic controls of microbial denitrification is of central importance to both environmental microbiology and ecosystem ecology. Loss of nitrate (NO₃ ⁻) is often attributed to carbon-driven (heterotrophic) denitrification. However, denitrification can also be coupled to sulfur (S) oxidation by chemolithoautotrophic bacteria. In the present study, we used an in situ stable isotope (¹⁵NO₃ ⁻) tracer addition in combination with molecular approaches to understand the contribution of sulfur-oxidizing bacteria to the reduction of NO3 ⁻ in a eutrophic lake. Samples were incubated across a total dissolved sulfide (H₂S) gradient (2 to …

Characterization Of The Stream-Aquifer Hydrologic Connection In The Elkhorn River Basin, Zhaowei Wang

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

In this study, the hydrologic relationship between the Elkhorn River and the surrounding aquifer at eight study sites were studied. The calculated hydraulic gradient showed that the adjacent aquifer recharges the Elkhorn River all year. Reversed gradient was only found at Atkinson site during pumping seasons from 2008 to 2010. Geoprobe log data and in-situ permeameter test data were combined to calculate the equivalent hydraulic conductivity (K) and unit-length streambed conductance (C) at eight sites, where the greatest values were found at Neligh and the lowest values found at Hadar. Accordingly, the result of cross correlation analysis on the lag …

Droughtscape- Summer 2012, National Drought Mitigation Center

Droughtscape, Quarterly Newsletter of NDMC, 2007-

Contents

Director’s report ....................... 1

Drought expanse....................... 1

Upcoming ranch workshops.... 3

Drought outlook and review ... 4

Spring impacts summary ......... 6

Hawaii impact workshops........ 9

Remote sensing of drought.... 10

China workshop ...................... 12

The Impact Of Place Attachment On Land Succession Of Nebraska Agriculturists, Shari Kunert

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

Many Nebraska agriculturists rely on small family farms for their livelihood. The farm is their source of income and may be an important inheritance for their family when they retire or die. Land succession planning is a process to allow landowners to pass farmland on to the next generation without incurring a potentially debilitating tax liability for the heirs. The purpose of this study is to determine the influence of place attachment on land succession planning of Nebraska agriculturists. This comparative research, mixed methods in nature, involves Nebraska agriculturists who have a land succession plan and Nebraska agriculturists who do …