Coastal Development And
Precipitation Drive Pathogen Flow
From Land To Sea: Evidence From A
Toxoplasma Gondii And Felid Host
System,
2016
University of California, Davis
Coastal Development And Precipitation Drive Pathogen Flow From Land To Sea: Evidence From A Toxoplasma Gondii And Felid Host System, Elizabeth Vanwormer, Tim E. Carpenter, Purnendu Singh, Karen Shapiro, Wesley W. Wallender, Patricia A. Conrad, John L. Largier, Marco P. Maneta, Jonna A. K. Mazet
School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications
Rapidly developing coastal regions face consequences of land use and climate change including flooding and increased sediment, nutrient, and chemical runoff, but these forces may also enhance pathogen runoff, which threatens human, animal, and ecosystem health. Using the zoonotic parasite Toxoplasma gondii in California, USA as a model for coastal pathogen pollution, we examine the spatial distribution of parasite runoff and the impacts of precipitation and development on projected pathogen delivery to the ocean. Oocysts, the extremely hardy free-living environmental stage of T. gondii shed in faeces of domestic and wild felids, are carried to the ocean by freshwater runoff. …
Acute 𝛽-N-Methylamino-L-Alanine Toxicity In A Mouse Model,
2016
University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Acute 𝛽-N-Methylamino-L-Alanine Toxicity In A Mouse Model, Maitham Ahmed Al-Sammak, Douglas G. Rogers, Kyle D. Hoagland
School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications
The cyanobacterial neurotoxin 𝛽-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) is considered to be an “excitotoxin,” and its suggested mechanism of action is killing neurons. Long-termexposure to L-BMAAis believed to lead to neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease). Objectives of this study were to determine the presumptive median lethal dose (LD50), the Lowest-Observed-Adverse-Effect Level (LOAEL), and histopathologic lesions caused by the naturally occurring BMAA isomer, L-BMAA, in mice. Seventy NIH Swiss Outbred mice (35 male and 35 female) were used. Treatment group mice were injected intraperitoneally with 0.03, 0.3, 1, 2, and 3mg/g body weight L-BMAA, respectively, …
Advanced Space Vehicle Design Taking Into Account Multidisciplinary Couplings And Mixed Epistemic/Aleatory Uncertainties,
2016
The French Aerospace Lab
Advanced Space Vehicle Design Taking Into Account Multidisciplinary Couplings And Mixed Epistemic/Aleatory Uncertainties, Mathieu Balesdent, Loic Brevault, Nathaniel B. Price, Sebastien Defoort, Rodolphe Le Riche, Nam-Ho Kim, Raphael T. Haftka, Nicolas Berend
School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications
No abstract provided.
Basic Forms And Orbit Spaces:A Diffeological Approach,
2016
University of Toronto
Basic Forms And Orbit Spaces:A Diffeological Approach, Yael Karshon, Jordan Watts
School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications
No abstract provided.
Seasonal Relationships Between Foliar Moisture Content, Heat Content And Biochemistry Of Lodgepole Pine And Big Sagebrush Foliage,
2016
University of Utah
Seasonal Relationships Between Foliar Moisture Content, Heat Content And Biochemistry Of Lodgepole Pine And Big Sagebrush Foliage, Yi Qi, W. Matt Jolly, Philip E. Dennison, Rachael C. Kropp
School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications
No abstract provided.
Developing Coherent Conceptual Storylines:
Two Elementary Challenges,
2016
University of Missouri
Developing Coherent Conceptual Storylines: Two Elementary Challenges, Deborah Hanuscin, Kelsey Lipsitz, Dante Cisterna-Alburquerque, Kathryn A. Arnone, Delinda Van Garderen, Zandra De Araujo, Eun Ju Lee
School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications
No abstract provided.
Rescaling Of The Complementary Relationship For Land Surface Evaporation,
2016
Bucknell University
Rescaling Of The Complementary Relationship For Land Surface Evaporation, R. Crago, J. Szilagyi, R. Qualls, J. Huntington
School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications
No abstract provided.
Metapopulation Viability Of An Endangered
Shorebird Depends On Dispersal And
Human-Created Habitats: Piping Plovers
(Charadrius Melodus) And Prairie Rivers,
2016
U.S. Geological Survey, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole
Metapopulation Viability Of An Endangered Shorebird Depends On Dispersal And Human-Created Habitats: Piping Plovers (Charadrius Melodus) And Prairie Rivers, Sara L. Zeigler, Daniel H. Catlin, Mary Bomberger Brown, Lauren R. Dinan, James D. Fraser, Kelsi L. Hunt, Joel G. Jorgensen
School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications
Background: Many species are distributed as metapopulations in dynamic landscapes, where habitats change through space and time. Individuals locate habitat through dispersal, and the relationship between a species and landscape characteristics can have profound effects on population persistence. Despite the importance of connectivity in dynamic environments, few empirical studies have examined temporal variability in dispersal or its effect on metapopulation dynamics. In response to this knowledge gap, we studied the dispersal, demography, and viability of a metapopulation of an endangered, disturbance-dependent shorebird. We examined three subpopulations of piping plovers (Charadrius melodus) on the lower Platte and Missouri rivers …
Local Perspectives On Environmental
Insecurity And Its Influence On Illegal
Biodiversity Exploitation,
2016
Michigan State University
Local Perspectives On Environmental Insecurity And Its Influence On Illegal Biodiversity Exploitation, Meredith L. Gore, Michelle L. Lute, Jonah H. Ratsimbazafy, Andry Rajaonson
School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications
Environmental insecurity is a source and outcome of biodiversity declines and social conflict. One challenge to scaling insecurity reduction policies is that empirical evidence about local attitudes is overwhelmingly missing. We set three objectives: determine how local people rank risk associated with different sources of environmental insecurity; assess perceptions of environmental insecurity, biodiversity exploitation, myths of nature and risk management preferences; and explore relationships between perceptions and biodiversity exploitation. We conducted interviews (N = 88) with residents of Madagascar’s Torotorofotsy Protected Area, 2014. Risk perceptions had a moderate effect on perceptions of environmental insecurity. We found no effects of environmental …
Sustainable Grassland Management: An Exploratory Study Of
Progressive Ranchers In Nebraska,
2016
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Sustainable Grassland Management: An Exploratory Study Of Progressive Ranchers In Nebraska, Stephanie M. Kennedy, Mark E. Burbach, Maggi S. Sliwinski
School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications
Well-managed grasslands provide numerous ecosystem services. Ranchers who employ sustainable grazing practices limit grassland conversion and conserve critical habitats. This phenomenological study explored the grassland management decisions of progressive ranchers in Nebraska. Each individual interviewed for this study is proactive about the state of their grasslands, whether they are motivated by financial or conservation factors. Throughout the evolution of their businesses, these ranchers have taken steps to improve their management techniques and continue to employ new strategies while planning for the long-term productivity of their grasslands. For policy makers and educators seeking to improve grassland management decisions, demonstrating new methods …
Flight Initiation Distances Of Nesting Piping Plovers (Charadrius Melodus) In Response To Human Disturbance,
2016
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
Flight Initiation Distances Of Nesting Piping Plovers (Charadrius Melodus) In Response To Human Disturbance, Joel G. Jorgensen, Lauren R. Dinan, Mary Bomberger Brown
School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications
Birds frequently interact with people when they occur in coupled human-ecological or anthropogenic environments, which makes the protection of legally protected species a challenge. Flight initiation distances (FIDs) are often used to inform development of appropriate buffer distances required for human exclusion zones used to protect birds nesting in anthropogenic landscapes. Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus) are protected by the Endangered Species Act in the United States and often nest in areas used by humans. Studies evaluating Piping Plover FIDs are limited and implementation of exclusion zones has been inconsistent across the species’ range. We measured Piping Plover response …
A Framework For Understanding The
Characteristics Of Complexity In Biology,
2016
University of Nebraska‐Lincoln
A Framework For Understanding The Characteristics Of Complexity In Biology, Joseph Dauer, Jenny Dauer
School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications
Understanding the functioning of natural systems is not easy, although there is general agreement that understanding complex systems is an important goal for science education. Defining what makes a natural system complex will assist in identifying gaps in research on student reasoning about systems. The goal of this commentary is to propose a framework that explicitly defines the ways in which biological systems are complex and to discuss the potential relevance of these complexity dimensions to conducting research on student reasoning about complexity in biology classrooms. We use an engineering framework for dimensions of complexity and discuss how this framework …
Consequences Of Hatch Phenology On
Stages Of Fish Recruitment,
2016
Kaskaskia Biological Station, Illinois Natural History Survey
Consequences Of Hatch Phenology On Stages Of Fish Recruitment, David M. Bogner, Mark A. Kaemingk, Melissa R. Wuellner
School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications
Little is known about how hatch phenology (e.g., the start, peak, and duration of hatching) could influence subsequent recruitment of freshwater fishes into a population. We used two commonly sympatric fish species that exhibit different hatching phenologies to examine recruitment across multiple life stages. Nine yellow perch (Perca flavescens) and bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) annual cohorts were sampled from 2004 through 2013 across larval, age-0, age-1, and age-2 life stages in a Nebraska (U.S.A.) Sandhill lake. Yellow perch hatched earlier in the season and displayed a more truncated hatch duration compared to bluegill. The timing of hatch …
Estimating Carbon Storage In Windbreak Trees On U.S.
Agricultural Lands,
2016
Universidad de Nariño
Estimating Carbon Storage In Windbreak Trees On U.S. Agricultural Lands, W. B. Possu, James R. Brandle, G. M. Domke, M. Schoeneberger, Erin E. Blankenship
School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications
Assessing carbon (C) capture and storage potential by the agroforestry practice of windbreaks has been limited. This is due, in part, to a lack of suitable data and associated models for estimating tree biomass and C for species growing under more opengrown conditions such as windbreaks in the Central Plains region of the United States (U.S.). We evaluated 15 allometric models using destructively sampled Pinus ponderosa (Lawson & C. Lawson) data from field windbreaks in Nebraska and Montana. Several goodness-of-fit metrics were used to select the optimal model. The Jenkins’ et al. model was then used to estimate biomass for …
Foraging Decisions Underlying Restricted Space Use: Effects
Of Fire And Forage Maturation On Large Herbivore Nutrient
Uptake,
2016
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Foraging Decisions Underlying Restricted Space Use: Effects Of Fire And Forage Maturation On Large Herbivore Nutrient Uptake, Edward J. Raynor, Anthony Joern, Jesse B. Nippert, John M. Briggs
School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications
Recent models suggest that herbivores optimize nutrient intake by selecting patches of low to intermediate vegetation biomass. We assessed the application of this hypothesis to plains bison (Bison bison) in an experimental grassland managed with fire by estimating daily rates of nutrient intake in relation to grass biomass and by measuring patch selection in experimental watersheds in which grass biomass was manipulated by prescribed burning. Digestible crude protein content of grass declined linearly with increasing biomass, and the mean digestible protein content relative to grass biomass was greater in burned watersheds than watersheds not burned that spring (intercept; F1,251 …
A Remotely Sensed Pigment Index Reveals
Photosynthetic Phenology In Evergreen Conifers,
2016
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
A Remotely Sensed Pigment Index Reveals Photosynthetic Phenology In Evergreen Conifers, John A. Gamon, K. Fred Huemmrich, Christopher Y.S. Wong, Ingo Ensminger, Steven Garrity, David Y. Hollinger, Asko Noormets, Josep Peñuelas
School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications
In evergreen conifers, where the foliage amount changes little with season, accurate detection of the underlying “photosynthetic phenology” from satellite remote sensing has been difficult, presenting challenges for global models of ecosystem carbon uptake. Here, we report a close correspondence between seasonally changing foliar pigment levels, expressed as chlorophyll/carotenoid ratios, and evergreen photosynthetic activity, leading to a “chlorophyll/carotenoid index” (CCI) that tracks evergreen photosynthesis at multiple spatial scales. When calculated from NASA’s Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer satellite sensor, the CCI closely follows the seasonal patterns of daily gross primary productivity of evergreen conifer stands measured by eddy covariance. This discovery …
Mesoscale Climatology And Variation Of Surface Winds Over The Chukchi–Beaufort Coastal Areas,
2016
North Carolina A&T State University
Mesoscale Climatology And Variation Of Surface Winds Over The Chukchi–Beaufort Coastal Areas, Jing Zhang, Fuhong Liu, Wei Tao, Jeremy Krieger, Martha Shulski, Xiangdong Zhang
School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications
The detailed mesoscale climatology of surface winds in the Chukchi–Beaufort Seas and adjacent Arctic Slope region is analyzed using the recently developed Chukchi–Beaufort High-Resolution Atmospheric Reanalysis (CBHAR). Within the study area, surface winds are mainly driven by the prevailing synoptic weather patterns of the Beaufort high and Aleutian low and are further modulated by local geographic features through thermodynamic and dynamic processes. Sea breezes, up- or downslope winds, and the mountain barrier jets are all clearly captured by CBHAR. Sea breezes emerge in June–September and last most of the day, with a maximum spatial extent 100km inland and 50 km …
Winter Diet And Hunting Success Of Canada
Lynx In Colorado,
2016
Colorado Parks and Wildlife
Winter Diet And Hunting Success Of Canada Lynx In Colorado, Jacob S. Ivan, Tanya M. Shenk
School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications
Information regarding the diet of Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) at the southernmost extent of its range is critical for managing the species under current and predicted climate conditions. Therefore, from 1999–2009, we investigated winter diet and hunting strategies of Canada lynx in Colorado, USA by tracking individuals in the snow to identify sites where lynx encountered and killed prey. Similar to other parts of lynx range, snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus) were the primary winter food in Colorado, especially when considering total biomass consumed. Red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) comprised the bulk of the remaining food …
The Sensitivity Of Carbon Exchanges In Great Plains Grasslands
To Precipitation Variability,
2016
University of Wyoming
The Sensitivity Of Carbon Exchanges In Great Plains Grasslands To Precipitation Variability, M. D. Petrie, N. A. Brunsell, R. Vargas, S. L. Collins, L. B. Flanagan, N. P. Hanan, M. E. Litvak, Andrew E. Suyker
School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications
In the Great Plains, grassland carbon dynamics differ across broad gradients of precipitation and temperature, yet finer-scale variation in these variables may also affect grassland processes. Despite the importance of grasslands, there is little information on how fine-scale relationships compare between them regionally. We compared grassland C exchanges, energy partitioning and precipitation variability in eight sites in the eastern and western Great Plains using eddy covariance and meteorological data. During our study, both eastern and western grasslands varied between an average net carbon sink and a net source. Eastern grasslands had a moderate vapor pressure deficit (VPD = 0.95 kPa) …
Status Of Knowledge Of The Shovelnose Sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus Platorynchus,
Rafinesque, 1820),
2016
Missouri Department of Conservation
Status Of Knowledge Of The Shovelnose Sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus Platorynchus, Rafinesque, 1820), Q. E. Phelps, S. J. Tripp, M. J. Hamel, J. Koch, E. J. Heist, J. E. Garvey, K. M. Kappenman, M. A. H. Webb
School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications
The range of Shovelnose Sturgeon (SVS) Scaphirhynchus platorynchus in the great rivers of central North America has contracted, but most remaining populations are considered stable, likely due to a combination of successful harvest regulations and longitudinal continuity of many river reaches, despite damming in upper reaches. The evolutionary relationships of SVS relative to sister taxa is still a matter of debate. Genetic diversity varies across the range, with substantial haplotype overlap among SVS and its congeners. Shovelnose Sturgeon mature early at 5–7 years, and spawn every 2– 3 years. Some individuals may spawn in fall. Whether this species migrates is …
