Desert Ecology Commons^™

Research Poster: Biotic Responses To Climate Change In The Mojave Desert: Floristics, Patrick Leary, David Charlet

2010 Annual Nevada NSF EPSCoR Climate Change Conference

Research poster

Climate Change Education For Nevada, David M. Hassenzahl, Michael Collopy, John W. Farley, Paul Buck, Jacque Ewing-Taylor, Shama Perveen

2010 Annual Nevada NSF EPSCoR Climate Change Conference

42 PowerPoint slides Session 1: Education Convener: David Hassenzahl, UNLV Abstract: -Five Year Strategic Plan -Goal 6 - Create a scholarly environment to promote research skills and intellectual development for Nevada educators and students (K-12, undergraduate undergraduate, and graduate) -Primary Strategy - Develop educational infrastructure to train students at all levels and provide public outreach in climate change issues

Our Places To Tell Stories: Preliminary Program Springs Preserve, Public Lands Institute

Our Places to Tell Stories

Our Places Tell Stories is an innovative conference for educators and others working at public lands, schools, nature centers, museums, zoos, aquaria, and all nature and heritage rich places.

This list of presentations represents a preliminary program of sessions. A final program will be emailed to all registrants prior to the conference. Thank you for your interest, and we look forward to seeing you at the Springs!

The Institute For Raptor Studies Expeditions In Mongolia, 1994-2000, David H. Ellis

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

In 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, and 2000, I led small teams of biologists across Mongolia in search of Saker falcon (Falco cherrug Gray) and golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) eyries. We also counted raptors along our march route during the first three years. These expeditions documented: (1) occupancy and productivity rates, and described eyrie sites, for Saker falcons (150 territories, 182 eyries) and golden eagles (27 known breeding territories), (2) mortality of Sakers and ipland buzzards (Buteo hemilasius) due to entanglement with trash in nests and loss of golden eagle eggs due to concealment by trash in nests, …

Water Use Of Asiatic Wild Asses In The Mongolian Gobi, Petra Kaczensky, V. Dresley, D. Vetter, H. Otgonbayar, C. Walzer

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Water is a key resource for most large bodied mammals in the world’s arid areas. With the growing human population, access to water for wildlife often becomes compromised. Equids are typical inhabitants of semi-arid to arid rangelands and need regular access to fresh water. However, their water needs are difficult to study under free-ranging conditions. In this study we investigated Asiatic wild ass (Equus hemionus) use of permanent water points in the Great Gobi B Strictly Protected Area (SPA) in south-western Mongolia. We combined observational data from one specific water point with high frequency GPS location data from …

The Use Of High Frequency Gps Data To Classify Main Behavioural Categories In A Przewalski’S Horse In The Mongolian Gobi, Petra Kaczensky, Klaus Huber

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Behavioral observations of free ranging animals can provide important insight into many aspects of their biology but are not without problems. The recent development of GPS technology allows to remotely collect high precision location data at fixed intervals. We tested whether it is possible to classify the behavior of a Przewalski’s horse in the Mongolian Gobi into Resting, Grazing and Moving based on GPS locations collected at 15 minute intervals by comparing GPS data with direct observations. Although behavioral categories lasting for 15 minutes could by fairly reliably separated based on the distances covered between successive fixes, almost half the …

Temporal Dynamics Of Group Size And Sexual Segregation In Ibex, N. J. Singh, S. Amgalanbaatar, Richard P. Reading

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Group size is an important variable describing behavioral ecology of animals. A variety of factors such as habitat characteristics, life history, spatio-temporal resource dynamics, population density, predation risk, competition with kin, and social learning often determine group size in large mammals. We studied temporal dynamics of group size in Siberian ibex (Capra sibirica) in a protected area in Mongolia. We measured monthly and yearly variations in typical group size and used the sexual segregation and aggregation statistic to assess sexual segregation. Ibex formed the largest groups in November and smallest groups in July. However, group sizes did not …

Characteristics Of Mongolian Wild Ass Hooves (Equus Hemionus Hemionus), Jan Gahsche, Michael Stubbe, Matthias Oppermann, N. Batsajchan, Annegret Stubbe

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Measurements of hoof angles, hoof length, toe length, etc., and non-metrical hoof characters of Mongolian Wild Ass carcasses collected in in the South Gobi and in Bordzongijn-Gobi desert are presented. Khulan hooves are flat, wide and look big in relation to the animal’s dimensions. Remarkably is the wide variability in size, angles, in non metric characteristics like shape, color and the occurrence of particularly prolonged hoof wall and flaring walls. For example, toe angles are 52° for front and 54° for hind hooves on average. This measures and the suggested graphical model of the „ideal hoof shape“ can assist to …

Beobachtungen Zu Unterscheidungsmerkmalen An Equidenschädeln, Speziell Zwischen Denen Von Mongolischen Dschiggetai Und Pferden, Roland Müller, Joachim Wussow

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

First paragraph:

Von STUBBE et.al. wurden zwischen 2001 und 2004 in der Südmongolei ca. 400 Schädel des Dschiggetai (Equus hemionus hemionus) gesammelt.

Mojave Applied Ecology Notes Winter 2010, Scott R. Abella, E. Cayenne Engel

Mojave Applied Ecology Notes

Native species interactions with red brome (Bromus rubens), undergraduate and graduate programs at UNLV, what’s growing in the greenhouse?

Brutareale Und Brutbiologie Der Greifvogelarten Der Mongolei = Grid Mapping And Breeding Ecology Of Raptors In Mongolia, Michael Stubbe, Annegret Stubbe, Nayamsuren Batsaikhan, Sundev Gombobaatar, T. Stenzel, H. Von Wehrden, Sh. Boldbaatar, B. Nayambayar, D. Sumjaa, Ravčigijn Samjaa, N. Ceveenmjadag, A. Bold

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

This work summarizes the longtime ecological research of the German-Mongolian scientific cooperation regarding biodiversity studies in Central Asia, focusing on native raptor species (Aves: Falconiformes). There is included a short overview on the history of raptor research in Mongolia. One of the primary goals was the creation of distribution maps of breeding records based on definitive time and space coordinates. Additional data on the breeding biology amend the distribution data. Currently 43 raptor species are recorded for Mongolia. Whenever possible were also incorporated data from adjacent regions of Mongolia (China, Tuva, Burjatia, Pribaikalia), in order to embed the avifauna of …

Native Species Interactions With Red Brome: Suggestions For Burn-Area Revegetation, Scott R. Abella

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Publications

In deserts, native perennial plants often actually facilitate the establishment of exotic annual grasses. One of our focal areas of research is to identify native species for use in revegetation projects that reduce the establishment of exotic annual grasses, or at least do not strongly facilitate exotic species establishment. An initial research effort involving a competition experiment of red brome with native species and a correlational field study of brome distribution among native perennial plants is in press with the journal Invasive Plant Science and Management.

Trying To Beat The Brome: Understanding Establishment Thresholds And Choosing Competitive Native Species At Parashant National Monument, Scott R. Abella, E. Cayenne Engel

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Publications

Desert fires fueled by exotic grasses like the omnipresent red brome (Bromus rubens) can be intense and cause widespread mortality of native vegetation. Native desert scrub communities such as those dominated by blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima) do not readily reestablish after fire (Abella 2009) and may even become more abundant in the post-burn landscape initiating a fire cycle that occurs at a greater frequency than the recovery time of the long-lived desert perennial community.

An Inventory And Condition Survey Of The Western Australian Part Of The Nullarbor Region, P A. Waddell, A K. Gardner, P Hennig

Technical Bulletins

The inventory and condition survey of the Western Australian part of the Nullarbor region, undertaken by the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia (DAFWA) between 2005 and 2007, describes and maps the natural resources of the region. This survey report provides a baseline record of the existence and condition of the area's natural resources, to assist with the planning and implementation of land management practices. The report identified and described the condition of soils, landforms, vegetation, habitat, ecosystems, and declared plants and animals. It also assessed the impact of pastoralism and made land management recommendations. The Nullarbor region has …