Environmental Sciences Commons^™

A Review And Comparison Of U.S. State Wildlife Action Plans For Stonefly (Insecta, Plecoptera) Species Of Greatest Conservation Need, Kathryn Greene

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAPs) were created in order to identify Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) and develop plans to prevent their populations from further decline and the possibility of being listed as threatened or endangered. Which SGCNs are included are decided based on characteristics that determine their vulnerability. As of early 2021, approximately 720stoneflies (Insecta, Plecoptera) species are found in the U.S., but only 143 are listed as SGCN. Only 29 states have stoneflies included on their SGCN lists, but 37 states use EPT (Ephemeroptera + Plecoptera + Trichoptera) metrics when assessing water quality issues in running water …

Ua66/6/1 Ogden College Of Science & Engineering Biology Administration, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records created by and about the administration of the Biology Department.

Ua66/6/2 Ogden College Of Science & Engineering Biology Publications, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Publications created by and about Biology.

Landscape Genetics Of The California Tiger Salamander: Inferences From Multiple Methods, Samantha Gabrielle Thomas

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Landscape genetics is a rapidly growing field of study that compares patterns of gene flow among populations with habitat heterogeneity across a landscape to infer the interaction between dispersal of individuals and their physical environment. Empirical data generated from a landscape genetics study can inform conservation and management strategies, making the field increasing popular. However, concerns have arisen in the literature that the field is expanding faster than the analytic framework that supports it. Multiple methods for generating estimates of the association among habitat types and dispersal (i.e., least-cost paths and resistance surfaces) have been proposed, and there is a …

A Spanner In The Works: Human–Elephant Conflict Complicates The Food–Water–Energy Nexus In Drylands Of Africa, Bruce Schulte, Mwangi Githiru, Urbanus Mutwiwa, Simon Kasaine

Biology Faculty Publications

The two major conservation issues for drylands of Africa are habitat loss or degradation and habitat fragmentation, largely fromagriculture, charcoal production, and infrastructural development. A key question for management is how these landscapes can retain their critical ecological functions and services, while simultaneously supporting resilient livelihoods. It is a clear nexus question involving food (agriculture), water, and energy (fuelwood), which is complicated by human–wildlife conflicts. While these could appear disparate issues, they are closely connected in dryland forest landscapes of Africa where elephants occur close to areas of human habitation. For instance, crop failure, whether due to weather or wildlife …

Ogden College Of Science & Engineering Newsletter (Winter 2014), Cheryl Stevens, Dean

Ogden College of Science & Engineering Publications

No abstract provided.

Big Red, Small Planet, Christian Ryan-Downing , Editor, Leslie North , Editor

Sustainability Publications and Resources

At WKU, “The Spirit Makes the Master”. Our commitment to continuous improvement is clearly reflected in our sustainability efforts. WKU’s commitment to sustainability, whether demonstrated in campus operations or in educational programs, helps to ensure that our graduates are prepared to address the complicated environmental, social and economic issues we face today. They will be able to think critically, solve problems creatively and be engaged citizens. If that’s all we accomplish then we will have achieved great success. But our sustainability commitment pays dividends, as it also leads us to reduce our environmental footprint, practice social responsibility, and conserve natural …

Aggressive Acoustic Behavior In Yasuhikotakia Modesta: Does The Lombard Effect Hold Water?, Bethany Coffey

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The Lombard effect is the automatic and involuntary change in the intensity of vocalizations in the presence of background noise in order to maintain a constant signal to noise ratio. While this phenomenon is commonly found in vocalizing terrestrial vertebrates, it had not previously been examined in aquatic vertebrates such as fishes. This experiment tests the presence of the Lombard effect in the red-finned loach, Yasuhikotakia modesta, which make two types of sounds: butting and clicking. I recorded three pairs of Y. modesta during aggressive interactions over territory and compared the sounds produced in silence with sounds produced …

Algal Biomass Accrual In Relation To Nutrient Availability Along A Longitudinal Gradient In The Upper Green River, Kentucky, Mary Douglas Penick

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Nutrient limitation in aquatic ecosystems results from a deficiency in nitrogen or phosphorus levels relative to cellular growth needs. Nutrient limitation of freshwater systems is a function of biotic and abiotic factors. Biotic factors include vascular and nonvascular plant community composition. Abiotic factors include underlying bedrock and land-use activities (e.g. agriculture, septic systems). Nutrient availability directly affects growth, productivity, and community structure of primary producers. The purpose of this study was two-fold: (1) to assess the relationship between ambient algal biomass. and in-stream nutrient levels along the longitudinal course of a river through a transition from weak to well-developed underlying …

Assessing Organic Matter Breakdown And Associated Macroinvertebrate Community Structure In Headwater Streams: Effects Of Hydrologic Gradients And Upland Timber Harvesting, Miller Scott Jarrell

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

I examined the effects of hydrologic gradients and upland timber harvesting with different streamside management zone widths on yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) processing and the associated macroinvertebrate community structure in the Cumberland Plateau ecophysic region, U.S.A. Prior to upland timber harvesting, 5.0 ± 0.1 g yellow-poplar leaf packs were constructed, zip-tied to gutter nails, and placed into 7 perennial and 6 temporary stream reaches with similar physiochemical and geomorphic characteristics. From December 2007 to May 2008, 3–5 leaf packs were collected per reach monthly. I found significant differences in the functional feeding group composition. Temporary reaches contained higher shredder, gathering-collector, predator, …

Ua3/9/5 Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (Crep), Wku President's Office

WKU Archives Records

Talking points used by WKU president Gary Ransdell regarding WKU's partnering with Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program.

Ua3/8/1 L.Y. Lancaster Professorship Report, Wku Ogden College Of Science & Technology

WKU Archives Records

Report of activities by Dr. Blaine Ferrell, L.Y. Lancaster Professor for the year 1993-94, funded by Ogden Foundation.

Patterns Of Sulfur Deposition In The Wood Of Pinus Echinatia Mill. From The Cumberland Plateau In Kentucky, Darrell Ray

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Air pollution and acid precipitation have long had an influence on plant and animal life. In this study, the level of sulfur in the stem tissue of Pinus echinata Mill. was measured in trees from various sites along the western edge of the Cumberland Plateau to determine the presence and pattern of sulfur deposition in this species. Overall, a 40.28% increase in sulfur levels was observed from four sites along the plateau with levels increasing from 0.072 mgS/gdwt in the 1962-66 growth increment to 0.101 mg in the 1982-86 increment. According to a computer generated analysis of variance, the differences …

A Bacteriological And Chemical Analysis Of Nonpoint Source Pollution In A Karst Aquifer Bowling Green, Kentucky, Wayne Green

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Monthly water samples collected from four sites in the Lost River Groundwater Basin, a shallow karst aquifer in the Bowling Green-Warren County area of Kentucky, represented samples from sites receiving conduit and diffuse flow. All sites were severely contaminated with bacteria, and on some occasions the surface water criteria for some heavy metals were exceeded.

Of the total 334 bacterial colonies identified 92.1% were verified as Escherichia coli by the API20E system. Acinetobacter calcoaceticus var. anitratum accounted for 2.10% of colonies; Citrobacter freundii for 0.30% Klebsiella pneumoniae for 0.90%; Klebsiella oxytoca, 0.90%; Citrobacter amalonaticus 0.30%; Enterobacter cloacae, 1.20%; …

Ecotypic Differentiation Of Andropogon Virginicus L. In Relation To Strip Mine Spoil Banks, Valina Kay Hurt

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Reciprocal plantings of populations of broomsedge, taken from an abandoned strip mine and from an abandoned farm plot in south central Kentucky, on strip mine spoil and abandoned field soil resulted in patterns of populations differentiation. Clonal plantings of populations from strip mine habitats and old field development appeared equal in height and biomass when grown on old field soils in both field trials and growth chamber studies. Populations when planted in strip mine soils in field trials and controlled growth experiments. Later flowering in strip mine populations may be a key to survival strategy in the harsh microclimates of …

Ua77/1 Western Alumnus, Vol. 42, No. 3, Wku Alumni Association

WKU Archives Records

WKU alumni magazine. Features the following articles:

• Corts, Paul. Western's Honors Program Forges Ahead
• Gray, David. Students Still Work Their Way
• Mefford, David & Roy Reynolds. Reaching Out for the Good Student
• Lawrence, Fred. Nick Rose All American
• Yeager, Randolph. A Westerner Remembers Harry Truman
• Scarborough, Clarice. Western Goes to Mexico
• Dillard, Gary & Rudolph Prins. Western at Tech Aqua
• Lawrence, Fred. Student Teaching - a la Guatemala
• Corts, Paul. Theatre Study Goes British
• Thompson, Kelly. The Most Unforgettable Person I Have Ever Known . . . Henry Cherry
• Commonwealth in a Capsule - Kentucky Building
• Adams, Ronald. Teacher Evaluation …

Ua77/1 Western Alumnus, Vol. 40, No. 2, Wku Alumni Relations

WKU Archives Records

Quarterly magazine created for WKU alumni. Regular features are Hilltopics, Sports, Alumni Newsgrams and Notes and In Memoriam. This issue includes:

• Graduate School (College) is On Its Way
• Evening Class is Thataway
• The Hilltopper Hundred to the Rescue
• ETV - Keep Watching, It's All in Color
• Student Interns Learn How Government Works
• Significant Statements: The New Year Begins
• Good News for Fishermen: Reservoir Research
• There it Was! Your Homecoming - 1971
• Performing Arts Illuminate the Campus Scene
• Discovery 1 - Uncovering the Kentucky of Antiquity
• Discovery 2 - Reviving the Heritage of Kentucky
• Discovery 3 - The Intercultural Studies Program …