Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Gis And Genetic Diversity- Case Studies In Stylosanthes, P G. Jones, M C. Sawkins, B L. Maass, P C. Kerridge

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

We present a new technique for mapping the potential occurrence of wild germplasm based in climate data and show its application to six important Stylosanthes species. The method can be used to develop hypotheses as to the distribution for purposes of collection and/or in situ conservation. It can also be used to investigate genetic diversity with a species. We present some first results based in isozyme data from S. guianensis.

Biodiverse Forage Mixtures For Bees And Beef Cattle, J. O. C. Kubesch, S. P. Greiner, G. J. Pent, J. L. Reid, B. F. Tracey

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Introduction: Beef cattle performance in the southeastern US is limited by tall fescue (TF) toxicosis. Native warm season grasses (NWSGs) can provide alternative forage for cattle and reduce TF toxicosis. Pollinator populations, especially bees, also have been declining across North America. Introducing native wildflowers into tall fescue grasslands might improve pollinator populations. An ongoing grazing experiment in central Virginia USA is testing the feasibility of integrating wildflowers and native grasses as a way to generate ecosystem services.

Objectives: This study sought to determine whether including native grasses and wildflowers in tall fescue pasture systems could improve beef heifer performance.

Methods: …

Water Efficiency & Sustainability In The Mountain West, 2022, Zachary Billot, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Environment

This fact sheet analyzes the effectiveness of state-level policies related to water usage, conservation, and sustainability for the Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah in 2022. The original data are published in the “2022 State Policy Scorecard for Water Efficiency and Sustainability” report written by the Alliance for Water Efficiency.

The Victorian Volcanic Plains Grassland: Past, Present And Future, Steve G. Clark, J. Crosthwaite, J. Dorrough, J. R. Hirth, Y. Ingeme, J. Mavromihalis, V. Turner

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

The Grasslands of the Victorian Volcanic Plains have been replaced with introduced pastures and crops since European settlement with the loss of many plant and animal species. What remains, on public and private land, has high conservation value and needs urgent protection.

Portuguese Society Of Pastures And Forages, J. Potes, E. V. Lourenço, T. Carita

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

The Portuguese Society of Pastures and Forages (SPPF) was born from a course on pastures and forages held in the National Plant Breeding Station of Elvas (where the headquarters of SPPF are located) in 1979. It was organised by the head of the Pastures and Forages Department, David Gomes Crespo, who was the first and founder member. According to Abreu et al. (1999), the structure established was that of a Scientific Society and was considered by the Government as a Service of Public Interest. It gathered inspiration from the British Grassland Society, the Association Francaise pour la Production Fourragére, …

Applications Of Environmental Dna (Edna) To Detect Subterranean And Aquatic Invasive Species: A Critical Review On The Challenges And Limitations Of Edna Metabarcoding, Sakib Tahmid Rishan, Richard J. Kline, Md Saydur Rahman

School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

The world is struggling to solve a devastating biodiversity loss that not only affects the extinction of treasured species and irreplaceable genetic variation, but also jeopardizes the food production, health, and safety of people. All initiatives aimed to conserve biodiversity rely heavily on the monitoring of both species and populations to get accurate spatial patterns and overall population assessments. Conventional monitoring techniques, such as visual surveys and counting individuals, are problematic due to challenges in identifying cryptic species or immature life stages. Environmental DNA (eDNA) is a relatively new technology that has the potential to be a faster, non-invasive, and …

Interannual Variation Of Ichthyofaunal Utilization Of A Man-Made Salt Marsh Creek In Mission Bay, California, Maria Angst

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Marsh restoration and creation are increasingly being used to mitigate Southern California’s drastic decline in wetlands due to human activities. This study used minnow traps to resample the ichthyofauna of a created marsh (Crown Point Mitigation Site; CPMS) and an adjacent natural marsh (Kendall Frost) in Mission Bay, California, 26 years following the marsh creation. Data from this study were compared to data collected immediately after marsh creation from 1995-1998, and from 2021. Fishes captured included Fundulus parvipinnis, Gillichthys mirabilis, Acanthagobius flavimanus, Ctenogobius sagittula, and Mugil cephalus. Species richness and dominance measures were higher in the natural relative to the …

Application Of Molecular Markers In Genetic Resources Management Of Perennial Ryegrass, R. Van Treuren

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Key points

1. Molecular markers are effective tools to support traditional approaches in plant genetic resources management.
2. Genetic diversity assessed for perennial ryegrass by AFLP analysis revealed differentiation of populations occurring in traditional Dutch grasslands from commercial varieties, but not from populations occurring in Dutch nature reserves.
3. No specific conservation measures were recommended to maintain the genetic diversity of perennial ryegrass occurring in traditional Dutch grasslands.
4. Pollination rates estimated by microsatellite analysis for a rejuvenated population of a perennial ryegrass genebank accession were very well described by an inverse quadratic function of inter-plant distance between potential mating pairs, while recorded flowering …

Nutritive Value For Finishing Beef Steers Of Wheat Grain Conserved By Different Techniques, P. Stacey, P. O'Kiely, A. P. Moloney, F. P. O'Mara

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Wheat grain harvested at dry matter (DM) concentrations above 860 g/kg is slow to deteriorate during long-term storage. However, high moisture grain (HMG) ranging from below 600 to 750 g DM/kg is conserved on some farms in the form of anaerobic storage of acid-treated, rolled wheat (AR) and urea-treated whole-wheat (UN) (Stacey et al., 2003). This experiment quantified the nutritive value for beef cattle of standard wheat grain (propionic acid-treated and rolled:PR) compared to AR and UN at different levels of intake.

Understanding Conservation Specialists’ Role In The Adoption Of Precision Agriculture In Nebraska, Morgan L. Register

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

There is a complex issue by the need for strategic development of agricultural lands to ensure we can feed a growing world, while simultaneously reducing impacts on our natural resources such as water pollution from runoff, soil degradation, and habitat fragmentation. To address these growing concerns, researchers are looking for ways to optimize both agricultural production and natural resource conservation. Precision conservation was developed to ensure sustainable ecosystems for future generations. Our research evaluates conservation specialists’ ability to clearly articulate how precision conservation can help agricultural producers feed a growing world while simultaneously reducing impacts on our natural resources, I …

Defining The Current Distribution Of The Imperiled Black-Spotted Newt Across South Texas, Usa, Padraic S. Robinson, Drew R. Davis, Sean M. Collins, Richard J. Kline

School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Black-spotted Newt (Notophthalmus meridionalis) is a chronically understudied salamander species, with many aspects of its natural history, ecology, and distribution poorly known. Previous studies using traditional methodologies have had limited success documenting N. meridionalis on the landscape, detecting individuals at 6% (7 of 114) and 1% (2 of 221) of sites surveyed. A novel environmental DNA (eDNA) assay was designed and implemented with the goals of assessing the current distribution of N. meridionalis across south Texas, USA, and better understanding the conditions for positive eDNA detections. We conducted eDNA sampling and traditional surveys at 80 sites throughout …

The Paleoecology Of High-Elevation Bison In The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem And Implications For Modern Bison Conservation, Darian Bouvier

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The national mammal of the United States, the American Bison (Bison bison) was once nearly extinct. Populations have recovered to the degree that thousands roam the Great Plains today. Due to their large numbers and body size, this species has an oversized impact on the ecological communities where it lives and is considered a keystone herbivore in modern North American grasslands. This study explores the detailed, seasonally resolved, paleoecology of seven bison from the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem during the Late Holocene through stable isotope analyses and species niche modeling. Isotopic analyses of δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N, …

Results Of The 2022 Vermont Farmer Conservation & Payment For Ecosystem Services Survey. Vermont Payment For Ecosystem Services Technical Research Report #3a, Alissa C. White

Reports and Policy Briefs

This survey was commissioned by the Vermont Soil Health and Payment for Ecosystem Services Working Group (VT PES Working Group) to gather farmer input on the development of payment for ecosystem services (PES) in Vermont for agriculture. In particular, the survey was intended to help set appropriate levels of compensation for participation in a soil health PES program, although additional information was gathered in the survey to inform the development of a new incentive program. The VT PES Working Group has explored the potential for a performance-based soil health PES program that would compensate farmers on the basis of environmental …

Multi-Criteria Evaluation Model For Classifying Marginal Cropland In Nebraska Using Historical Crop Yield And Biophysical Characteristics, Andrew Laws

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

Marginal cropland is suboptimal due to historically low and variable productivity and limiting biophysical characteristics. To support future agricultural management and policy decisions in Nebraska, U.S.A, it is important to understand where cropland is marginal for its two most economically important crops: corn (Zea mays) and soybean (Glycine max). As corn and soybean are frequently planted in a crop rotation, it is important to consider if there is a relationship with cropland marginality. Based on the current literature, there exists a need for a flexible yet robust methodology for identifying marginal land at different scales, which …

Biodiversity Conservation And Sustainable Livelihoods In Rangelands: Trends, Challenges And Opportunities, J. Waithaka

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Rangelands cover about 54% of the earth’s surface and are essential for agricultural and livestock production, environmental protection and the in-situ conservation of genetic resources. Despite providing services that support life on earth, rangelands have been neglected to a large extent when compared to other types of ecosystems. This paper provides an overview of the importance of rangelands in conserving biodiversity and supporting the livelihoods of millions of people globally. Rangelands have lost ecological integrity due to unsustainable anthropogenic land-use changes and impacts. It is estimated that over 80% of Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) are either not adequately protected or …

Biodiversity Assessment And Conservation Of Threatened Plant Species Belonging To The Unique Steppe With Trees In Tunisian Drylands, Jamila Msadek, Mohamed Tarhouni

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Biodiversity conservation from heavy grazing impacts, through the creation of national parks, is usually considered to sustain higher ecosystem resilience and to protect the natural plant cover as well as the threatened species. The study was carried out in Bou Hedma national park, a biosphere reserve containing the unique Acacia tortilis (Forssk.) Hayne subsp. raddiana (Savi) Brenan steppe with trees in Tunisia. Several functional traits of seven (7) rare and threatened plant species are used to highlight their adaptive strategies in order to understand the evolution of plant communities and the overall ecosystems functioning inside the park. Such results may …

Morphometric Quantification Of Cockpit Karst In A Jamaican Bauxite Mining Concession, M Sean Chenoweth

Research, Publications & Creative Work

A digital surface model (DSM) is used to characterize the landscape and topical karst landforms within a bauxite mining lease in north central Jamaica. Five case study sites are selected for detailed geomorphic analysis and cartographic visualization using a GIS. In Jamaica, tropical cockpit karst landscapes are composed of several landforms: cockpits, glades, corridors, saddles, and talus slopes. Evidence for the existence and quantification of these landforms is provided in this paper. Study sites have a mean basin area of 96,514 m2 , an average highest elevation of 541 m, mean lowest point of 444 m, with an average enclosed …

Effects Of Conservation Management Practices On Soil Health And Crop Yields In Eastern South Dakota, Alex Mclain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Conservation management practice adoption on agricultural land has increased in recent years due to increasing public and private investment. The anticipated impact of increasing conservation management practice adoption are reduced greenhouse gas emissions and improved soil, water, and air quality. Understanding how these conservation management practices affect agricultural producers economically is vital to properly incentivize these practices. The existing literature on how conservation management practices affect soil health and crop yields is mixed and generally has been conducted on experimental research stations. These studies may not fully account for the on-farm effects of conservation management practices. The objectives of this …

Unearthing The Effects Of European-American Settlement On A Northeast Ohio Kettle Lake Through Diatom Stratigraphy, Justine Paul A. Berina

Senior Independent Study Theses

Recently, wetland conservation has highlighted the necessity for assessing limnological changes following European-American settlement. A prior study at Brown's Lake (northeast Ohio) identified a stratigraphic sequence that shows an abrupt transition from organic-rich muds to several centimeters of a bright loess layer, then a recovery to organic-rich sediments near the top. Based on ²¹⁰Pb dates, the loess deposition occurred before 1846 CE, when a growing population cleared trees and farmed intensively. Likewise, organics had recovered after 1950 CE, when people abandoned farmland and practiced conservation tillage. However, the effects of settlement on limnology are poorly known. Diatoms (microscopic algae; …

Multi-Strata Silvipastoral Systems For Increasing Productivity And Conservation Of Natural Resources In Central America, Muhammad Ibrahim, Andrea Schlonvoigt, Juan Carlos Camargo, M. Souza

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Conversion of primary forest to pasture is widespread in Central and Latin America and the progressive removal of trees has resulted in environmental degradation and a decline in productivity, simultaneously threatening rural livelihoods and regional biodiversity. Recently there has been keen interest to develop silvipastoral systems for sustainable animal production. Traditional silvipastoral systems are characterised with a diversity of woody perennials that plays an important role in supplying feed to animals in the dry season, production of timber, shade for animals, and in the conservation of natural resources. Improved novel woody perennials such as Morus alba (mulberry) and Trichanthera gigantea …

The Conservation Of Grasslands And Rangeland By Pastoralists: Challenges And Opportunities, Thomas M. Loquang

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

No abstract provided.

Biodiversity Of Plants And Animals In Grassland Systems: Approaches To Conservation And Restoration In England, S. Peel, S. P. Chaplin

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

No abstract provided.

Recent Initiatives In Biodiversity Conservation In Grazed Temperate Grasslands And Woodlands In Australia, Ian Lunt, John Morgan, Louise Gilfedder, Richard J. Williams, Simon Foster

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

No abstract provided.

Isolation And Characterization Of Polymorphic Microsatellite Loci In Achnatherum Inebrians And A. Sibiricum, Na Chen, Chunjie Li

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

No abstract provided.

Collection And Domestication Of Rangeland Plants With Emphasis On Mongolia And China, Douglas A. Johnson, Sodnomdarjaa Jigjidsuren, Anlin Gu

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

No abstract provided.

Prospect On Conservation And Utilization Of Leucaena Leucocephala In Yunnan, Jun Yin, Long Jiang

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

No abstract provided.

Environmental Drivers Of Mesophotic Echinoderm Assemblages Of The Southeastern Pacific Ocean, Ariadna Mecho, Boris Dewitte, Javier Sellanes, Simon Van Gennip, Erin E. Easton, Joao B. Gusmao

School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Mesophotic ecosystems (50–400 m depth) of the southeastern Pacific have rarely been studied because of the logistical challenges in sampling across this remote zone. This study assessed how oxygen concentrations and other environmental predictors explain variation in echinoderm assemblages at these mesophotic systems, where this group is among the predominant fauna. We compiled data on echinoderm taxa at 91 sampling stations, from historical and recent surveys (between 1950 and 2019), covering a longitudinal gradient of approximately 3,700 km along with the Nazca, Salas y Gómez, and Juan Fernández ridges. Uni- and multivariate model-based tools were applied to analyze the patterns …

Exploiting Common Senses: Sensory Ecology Meets Wildlife Conservation And Management, Laura K. Elmer, Christine L. Madliger, Daniel T. Blumstein, Chris K. Elvidge, Esteban Ernández-Juricic, Andrij Z. Horodysky, Nicholas S. Johnson, Liam P. Mcguire, Ronald R. Swaisgood, Steven J. Cooke

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Multidisciplinary approaches to conservation and wildlife management are often effective in addressing complex, multi-factor problems. Emerging fields such as conservation physiology and conservation behaviour can provide innovative solutions and management strategies for target species and systems. Sensory ecology combines the study of ‘how animals acquire’ and process sensory stimuli from their environments, and the ecological and evolutionary significance of ‘how animals respond’ to this information. We review the benefits that sensory ecology can bring to wildlife conservation and management by discussing case studies across major taxa and sensory modalities. Conservation practices informed by a sensory ecology approach include the amelioration …

Potential Solar Replacement Of Hydroelectricity To Reopen Rivers: Maine As A Case Example, Shailesh Sharma, John Waldman

Publications and Research

Hydroelectricity provides 6% of U.S. electrical power needs, but hydro-dams also cause environmental harm, including the retardation or complete blockage of spawning runs of anadromous fishes. To facilitate fish movements, engineered-fishways have long been used but many have performed poorly. Dam-removal is the most effective way of restoring dwindling migratory fish populations by allowing unrestricted pathways to their spawning areas and for the downstream migrations of post-spawning adults and juveniles. However, removals of hydro-dams result in a loss of electricity production. For the replacement of energy foregone from hydro-dam removals, various alternative energy installations are now feasible. We present one-to-one …

Linking Landscape Attributes To Salmon And Decision-Making In The Southern Kenai Lowlands, Alaska, Usa, Coowe M. Walker, Dennis F. Whigham, I. Syverine Bentz, Jacob M. Argueta, Ryan S. King, Mark C. Rains, Charles A. Simenstad, Chris Guo, Steven J. Baird, Conrad J. Field

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

While Pacific salmon are economically and culturally important worldwide, Alaska, USA is one of the few remaining places on earth where sustainable management of salmon is possible, even in the face of wide-ranging threats, including overharvesting and the impacts of climate change. A continuing challenge that we face is to understand the ecological processes that result in sustainable salmon populations and report that science to stakeholders in a way that promotes decision-making to avoid the destruction of salmon populations that has occurred in most areas of the lower 48 states. To address this challenge, our studies in the southern Kenai …