Pteropus Voeltzkowi And The Understory: A Study Of The Behavioral Impacts Of The Pemba Flying Fox On The Vegetation And Soil Quality Of Pemba Island, 2017 SIT Study Abroad
Pteropus Voeltzkowi And The Understory: A Study Of The Behavioral Impacts Of The Pemba Flying Fox On The Vegetation And Soil Quality Of Pemba Island, Lea Davidson
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
This study examines the impact of Pteropus voeltzkowi , colloquially known as the Pemba Flying Fox, on biodiversity and health of the forest ground layer. Known to serve as reforesters, high concentrations of both fruit seeds and nutrient dense guano are introduced into specific environmental locations due to the bat's behavioral patterns. Working around two roost locations, one in Ngezi Forest and the other at the Kidike conservation site near Mjini Ole, diversity of juvenile vegetation was measured and quantified. In a laboratory setting, soil samples from both sites were analyzed for impacts of guano concentration on soil chemical properties. …
The Utility Of Fine-Scale Remote Sensing Data For Modeling Habitat Characteristics And Breeding Bird Species Distributions In An Appalachian Mature Deciduous Forest., 2017 West Virginia University
The Utility Of Fine-Scale Remote Sensing Data For Modeling Habitat Characteristics And Breeding Bird Species Distributions In An Appalachian Mature Deciduous Forest., James Sheehan
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
In this study, I tested the potential for remote sensing data with a high spatial resolution to model breeding forest bird species and their habitat at a fine spatial scale. The research took place on ridgetops in a large, relatively contiguous Appalachian mature deciduous forest in northwestern WV, USA. The remote sensing data sources were a leaf-on QuickBird satellite image (0.6-m panchromatic and 2.4-m multispectral) and a 3-m digital elevation model (DEM). For the first part of the study, I extracted spectral and textural measures from the satellite image and terrain information from the DEM. I then used these data …
Are Weevils Picky Eaters? Community Structure And Host Specificity Of Neotropical Saproxylic Beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), 2017 CUNY City College
Are Weevils Picky Eaters? Community Structure And Host Specificity Of Neotropical Saproxylic Beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), Jhunior A. Morillo
Dissertations and Theses
Abstract Primary saproxylic beetles play a major role in forest nutrient cycling and making deadwood accessible to other decomposers. Understanding beetle host preferences and patterns of community assembly is critical for their conservation, and for predicting which species might become invasive. This project aims to investigate the ecological and host specificity, as well as the community composition of curculionids in a mosaic of old-growth (OG) and secondary forest on the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica. The subfamily Scolytinae was expected to be the most species-rich and abundant. Ambrosia beetles were expected to have more generalist species than other curculionids. Old growth …
Survival And Cause-Specific Mortality Of A Southeastern Kentucky Deer Population, 2017 University of Kentucky
Survival And Cause-Specific Mortality Of A Southeastern Kentucky Deer Population, Caleb Anderson Haymes
Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources
White-tailed deer are one of the most sought after game species in Kentucky. While much of the Commonwealth boasts high deer populations, those in southeast Kentucky are viewed as relatively low compared to other regions, even after a decade of restrictive doe harvest and multiple years of population supplementation via translocation. We studied survival and cause specific mortality of a local population of deer near the Redbird District of the Daniel Boone National Forest in Clay and Leslie County, Kentucky from January 2014 - January 2017. We estimated female annual survival at 0.89 (CI: 0.88-0.87), with an overall 3-year survival …
Characterization Of Genic Microsatellite Markers (Est-Ssrs) In The Endangered Oak Species Quercus Georgiana M.A.Curtis, 2017 Michigan Technological University
Characterization Of Genic Microsatellite Markers (Est-Ssrs) In The Endangered Oak Species Quercus Georgiana M.A.Curtis, Priyanka Dipak Kadav
Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports
Quercus is important ecologically and economically because it provides food and habitat for wildlife, wood and paper products for humans. Oaks are endangered due to various factors like shifting climates, habitat loss, drought, pathogens and genetic swamping. Quercus georgiana (M.A. Curtis) is an endangered and restricted oak species which is remaining only in the southeastern part of the US. Efforts are required to conserve this endangered species from extinction. Conservation of this species can be done through these methods: ex-situ conservation (arboretum and botanical garden) and in-situ conservation strategies which protect the species in its natural habitat. For this conservation …
An Analysis Of White-Tailed Deer, Odocoileus Virginianus, Killed In Deer Vehicle Accidents On Bulloch County, Ga Roadways, 2017 Georgia Southern University
An Analysis Of White-Tailed Deer, Odocoileus Virginianus, Killed In Deer Vehicle Accidents On Bulloch County, Ga Roadways, Mackenzie P. Payne 4003933
Honors College Theses
White-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus, are native to Georgia. With over 1.2 million individuals in the state, White-tailed deer have been implicated in a large number of motor vehicle collisions (ca. 1 million) each year. It is unknown, however, if deer are more likely to be killed: 1) if they are of particular ages (or classes), and 2) in areas with specific road characteristics. We addressed these two questions by collecting the remains of 20 White-tailed deer killed in deer vehicle collisions (“deer vehicle accidents” - DVAs) in Bulloch County, GA. When a deer was located, the road characteristics were …
The Influence Of The Invasive Chinese Tallow (Triadica Sebifera) Leaf Litter On Aquatic Chemistry And Microbial Community Composition, 2016 Stephen F Austin State University
The Influence Of The Invasive Chinese Tallow (Triadica Sebifera) Leaf Litter On Aquatic Chemistry And Microbial Community Composition, Raymond D. Montez
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Global climate change and anthropogenic activity have facilitated the movement and invasive potential of nonnative plants in native environments. These invasions can have negative effects on ecosystem diversity and function. The nonnative and invasive plant, Chinese Tallow (Triadica sebifera), has already invaded much of the south eastern US where it is outcompeting native tree species and changing ecosystem diversity in a variety of habitats. Leaf litter from the Chinese tallow has been shown cause changes in dissolved oxygen and pH in the aquatic environment. Turbidity is also affected when Chinese tallow litter is present in water. A series of …
Crop Tree Enhancement Of Green Ash (Fraxinus Pennsylvanica) In A West Tennessee Hardwood Bottom, 2016 University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Crop Tree Enhancement Of Green Ash (Fraxinus Pennsylvanica) In A West Tennessee Hardwood Bottom, John Luke Bowers
Masters Theses
Crop tree enhancement is a forest management technique undertaken to maintain, enhance, and improve the species composition, growth rate, and stem quality of stands so that management objectives may be better and more quickly accomplished. In 1996, a crop tree enhancement study involving green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) in a 16-year-old, naturally regenerated, mixed-species, pole-sized, bottomland hardwood stand was initiated at Ames Plantation in West TN. Treatments included a crown-touching release, a crown-touching release plus one-time fertilizer application, and a control, applied in a randomized block design with five 25-crop tree repetitions of the three treatments. Initial crop tree …
Plant Community Responses To The Removal Of Lonicera Maackii From An Urban Woodland Park., 2016 University of Louisville
Plant Community Responses To The Removal Of Lonicera Maackii From An Urban Woodland Park., Elihu H. Levine
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Impacts of Lonicera maackii on native forest communities have been widely researched, but long-term responses of plant communities to the removal of this exotic shrub have not been extensively evaluated. The Louisville Olmsted Parks Conservancy removes exotic shrubs and vines to restore ecological processes and native species in the woodlands of Cherokee Park. Paired-plots were established in 2008 to gather baseline herb, vine, tree, and shrub community data. Honeysuckle was removed from one plot of each pair in 2009 and community data were gathered again in 2013. Native herb cover and richness, vine cover, and tree sapling abundance increased where …
Effects Of Excess Nitrogen On Biogeochemistry Of A Temperate Hardwood Forest: Evidence Of Nutrient Redistribution By A Forest Understory Species, 2016 Marshall University
Effects Of Excess Nitrogen On Biogeochemistry Of A Temperate Hardwood Forest: Evidence Of Nutrient Redistribution By A Forest Understory Species, Frank S. Gilliam, Jake H. Billmyer, Christopher A. Walter, William T. Peterjohn
Biological Sciences Faculty Research
Excess nitrogen (N) in terrestrial ecosystems can arise from anthropogenically-increased atmospheric N deposition, a phenomenon common in eastern US forests. In spite of decreased N emissions over recent years, atmospheric concentrations of reactive N remain high in areas within this region. Excess N in forests has been shown to alter biogeochemical cycling of essential plant nutrients primarily via enhanced production and leaching of nitrate, which leads to loss of base cations from the soil. The purpose of our study was to investigate this phenomenon using a multifaceted approach to examine foliar nutrients of two herbaceous layer species in one N-treated …
Old-Growth Characteristics Of Northern White-Cedar Stands, 2016 University of Maine
Old-Growth Characteristics Of Northern White-Cedar Stands, Nathan Wesely
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Northern white-cedar (Thuja occidentalis; hereafter white-cedar) communities have received relatively little research attention, and managers lack the tools used in the management of other commercial tree species. This includes the recognition of old-growth characteristics and the differentiation between old-growth and partially harvested stands, particularly in the context of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC-US) certification. Specifically, there is very little information about characteristics that define old-growth white-cedar stands despite the species’ abundance and wide distribution. Regional indices for late-successional or old-growth stands (Whitman and Hagan, 2007) do not include white-cedar. Forests dominated by white-cedar represent a type that currently lacks …
Timber Talk, Vol. 54, No. 4, December 2016, 2016 University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Timber Talk, Vol. 54, No. 4, December 2016
Timber Talk: Nebraska Forest Industry Newsletter
In This Issue
Lumber Market Reports 1
Hardwood Lumber Prices 2
Note from the Editor - EAB Meeting Discussion 3
THE CHALLENGE - Using Forest Residues from Forest Operations 4
2016 Tax Tips Bulletin Available 4
Nebraska Forest Industry Spotlight 5
Alaska Airlines’ first flight with biofuel made from forest residuals 7
The Four “P’s” of Marketing Your Small Sawmill Business 7
Trading Post 8
Silica Uptake And Release In Live And Decaying Biomass In A Northern Hardwood Forest, 2016 Lund University
Silica Uptake And Release In Live And Decaying Biomass In A Northern Hardwood Forest, Wim Clymans, Daniel J. Conley, John J. Battles, Patrick J. Frings, Mary Margaret Koppers, Gene E. Likens, Chris E. Johnson
Civil and Environmental Engineering
In terrestrial ecosystems, a large portion (20–80%) of the dissolved Si (DSi) in soil solution has passed through vegetation. While the importance of this “terrestrial Si filter” is generally accepted, few data exist on the pools and fluxes of Si in forest vegetation and the rate of release of Si from decomposing plant tissues. We quantified the pools and fluxes of Si through vegetation and coarse woody debris (CWD) in a northern hardwood forest ecosystem (Watershed 6, W6) at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest (HBEF) in New Hampshire, USA. Previous work suggested that the decomposition of CWD may have significantly …
The Variation Of Productivity And Its Allocation Along A Tropical Elevation Gradient: A Whole Carbon Budget Perspective, 2016 University of Oxford
The Variation Of Productivity And Its Allocation Along A Tropical Elevation Gradient: A Whole Carbon Budget Perspective, Yadvinder Malhi, Cécile A. J. Girardin, Gregory R. Goldsmith, Christopher E. Doughty, Norma Salinas, Daniel B. Metcalfe, Walter Huaraca Huasco, Javier E. Silva-Espejo, Jhon Del Aguilla-Pasquell, Filio Farfán Amézquita, Luiz E.O.C. Aragão, Rossella Guerrieri, Françoise Yoko Ishida, Nur Bahar, William Farfan-Rios, Oliver L. Phillips, Patrick Meir, Miles Silman
Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research
- Why do forest productivity and biomass decline with elevation? To address this question, research to date generally has focused on correlative approaches describing changes in woody growth and biomass with elevation.
- We present a novel, mechanistic approach to this question by quantifying the autotrophic carbon budget in 16 forest plots along a 3300 m elevation transect in Peru.
- Low growth rates at high elevations appear primarily driven by low gross primary productivity (GPP), with little shift in either carbon use efficiency (CUE) or allocation of net primary productivity (NPP) between wood, fine roots and canopy. The lack of trend in …
Evaluation Des Impacts Sociaux Et Ecologiques De La Gestion Communautaire De La Forêt D’Analabe, 2016 SIT Study Abroad
Evaluation Des Impacts Sociaux Et Ecologiques De La Gestion Communautaire De La Forêt D’Analabe, Nicole Israel-Meyer
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
Le transfert de gestion des forêts de l’Etat vers les communautés locales est l’une des approches que le gouvernement malgache a implémentées pour à la fois conserver la biodiversité locale et continuer le développement rural. Cette étude cherche à comprendre les impacts sociaux et écologiques de la gestion communautaire de la forêt d’Analabe par le VOI Fanarenana. La forêt d’Analabe se trouve dans le secteur d’Antanandava du district Majunga II dans le nord-ouest du pays. En utilisant une méthodologie mixte, l’étude a exposé que dans les trois ans d’opération du VOI Fanarenana, la forêt est plus saine et la majorité …
Timber Talk, Vol. 54, No. 3, September 2016, 2016 University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Timber Talk, Vol. 54, No. 3, September 2016
Timber Talk: Nebraska Forest Industry Newsletter
Lumber Market Reports 1
Hardwood Lumber Prices 2
Green Star Gasifier Seeking Wood Fuel 3
Emerald Ash Borer Discovered in Eastern Nebraska 4
Nebraska Forest Industry Spotlight 5
Timber Sales 7
Trading Post 8
The Effect Of Prescribed Fires On Vernal Herbs, 2016 Western Kentucky University
The Effect Of Prescribed Fires On Vernal Herbs, Janis Lemaster
Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects
The effects of fire on vernal herbs are little known. David Kem attempted to assess the influences of spring and winter prescribed fires on vernal herbs by collecting abundance data on three sets of research plots located at the WKU Green River Preserve in Hart County, KY, on April 9-10, 2010. On April 10 he conducted spring burns, and on February 22, 2011, he conducted winter burns. He then collected post-fire data on the abundance of the herbs on the 12-19 of March, 2011. He found little influence of fire on overall species richness and the density of common species. …
Natural Establishment Of Earthworms On Reclaimed Lignite Mine Soils, 2016 Stephen F Austin State University
Natural Establishment Of Earthworms On Reclaimed Lignite Mine Soils, Lacey Russell, Kenneth Farrish, Jerry Leon Young, George Damoff, Brian Oswald
Student Publications
This two-year field study surveyed earthworm community characteristics on a chronosequence under afforested pine and hardwood lignite mine soils at the Beckville and Oak Hill lignite coal mines in east Texas. The following were used as indicators of earthworm community characteristics: reclamation type, forest cover type, age since reclamation and physical and chemical soil properties. The Beckville mine was sampled from February 2012 through March 2013; the Oak Hill mine was sampled from April 2013 through March 2014. The study was a 2x2x3 factorial design with reclamation type (mixed overburden vs. haul back), cover-type ((pine plantation (pp) and mixed pine …
Long-Term Overstory Vegetation Responses To Prescribed Fire Management For Longleaf Pine At Big Thicket National Preserve, 2016 Stephen F Austin State University
Long-Term Overstory Vegetation Responses To Prescribed Fire Management For Longleaf Pine At Big Thicket National Preserve, Deanna M. Boensch
Student Publications
At the western edge of the longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) range, federal land managers have burned the forests of Big Thicket National Preserve to bring back the structure and diversity of the longleaf pine forest. In the early 1990’s, a four year study was conducted by Rice University, and the National Park Service continued monitoring the study’s fire ecology research plots. After two decades of data collection, ordination was applied to species abundance data to examine changes in vegetation communities from a variety of prescribed fire treatments and controls. The vegetation data was separated by size class to …
Do Novel Weapons That Degrade Mycorrhizal Mutualisms Explain Invasive Species Success?, 2016 Buffalo State College
Do Novel Weapons That Degrade Mycorrhizal Mutualisms Explain Invasive Species Success?, Philip L. Pinzone Mr.
Biology Theses
Invasive plants often dominate novel habitats where they did not co-evolve with local species. Several hypotheses suggest mechanisms that explain increased exotic plant success, including 'novel weapons' and 'degraded mutualisms'. Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica) and European buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) are widespread plant invaders in North America that can dominate ecosystems. The goal of this study is to test whether these impacts are more consistent with novel weapons or degraded mutualism hypotheses. I examine tree seedling recruitment, (germination and initial survival) growth, (biomass) and mycorrhizal invasion (AMF content) as a function of F. japonica and R. cathartica …