Digital Commons Network^™

Canopy-Tree Influences Along A Soil Parent Material Gradient In Pinus-Ponderosa-Quercus Gambelii Forests, Northern Arizona, Scott R. Abella, Judith D. Springer

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Research

ABELLA, S. R. (Public Lands Institute and School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154-2040) AND J. D. SPRINGER (Ecological Restoration Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011-5017). Canopy-tree influences along a soil parent material gradient in Pinus ponderosa- Quercus gambelii forests, northern Arizona. J. Torrey Bot. Soc. 135: 26–36. 2008.—The distribution of canopy trees can impose within-site patterns of soil properties and understory plant composition. At ten sites spanning a soil parent material gradient in northern Arizona Pinus ponderosa-Quercus gambelii forests, we compared soils and plant composition among five canopy types: openings, Pinus ponderosa …

Analyzing The Effects Of Vertical Acceleration And Deceleration In Multi-Phase, Debris-Flow Sediment-Column Experiments / By Christine Marie Williams., Christine Marie Williams

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Water-saturated debris flows are among some of the most destructive mass movements. Their complex nature presents a challenge for quantitative description and modeling. In order to improve understanding of the dynamics of these flows, it is important to seek a simplified dynamic system underlying their behavior. Models currently in use to describe the motion of debris flows employ depth-averaged equations of motion, typically assuming negligible effects from vertical acceleration. However, in many cases debris flows experience significant vertical acceleration as they move across irregular surfaces, and it has been proposed that friction associated with vertical forces and liquefaction merit inclusion …

Service-Learning In Watershed-Based Initiatives: Keys To Education For Sustainability In Geography?, James Eflin, Amy L. Sheaffer

Service Learning, General

A call for combining the strengths of geographic education with environmental education to produce an 'education for sustainability' addresses local problems for sustainable development. A place-based approach encourages civic responsibility among students. Using service-learning to extend education beyond the classroom in this case study connected students with local clients in a watershed-based initiative. Theoretical underpinnings of service-learning for geographic education are discussed, and the case study is viewed from instructor, student, and client perspectives to identify successful outcomes and provide suggestions for those who might adopt service-learning for the first time.

Loss Of Nutrients From Croplands As A Result Of Soil Erosion, Munns Creek Watershed, Grundy County, Iowa, Jihyo Chong

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The temporal distribution of chloride, nitrate, and sulfate in the hydrologic environment were studied in Grundy County, Iowa from June to September 2004. The goal of the project was to investigate the rate of soil erosion and the subsequent loss of nutrients from the agricultural fields of the study area. Water samples were collected weekly from 6 different sites along Munns Creek in the study area near Grundy Center, Iowa. Each sample was analyzed for chloride, nitrate, and sulfate by ion chromatography. Soil core samples were collected from 22 locations in the surrounding agricultural fields. At each location, soil was …

Chlorsulfuron, Ecological Risk Assessment, Final Report, Ensr International

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), United States Department of the Interior (USDI), proposing a program to treat vegetation on up to six million acres of public lands annually in 17 western states in the continental United States (US) and Alaska. As part of this program, the BLM is proposing the use of ten herbicide active ingredients (a.i.) to control invasive plants and noxious weeds on approximately one million of the 6 million acres proposed for treatment. The BLM and its contractor, ENSR, are preparing a Vegetation Treatments Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate this and other proposed vegetation …

Vegetation Treatments On Bureau Of Land Management Lands In 17 Western States, Bureau Of Land Management

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

No abstract provided.

Development Of Biological Reference Conditions Of Wadeable Streams In The Major Ecoregions And Subecoregions Of Georgia, Duncan L. Hughes

Theses and Dissertations

One bioassessment tool available to resource managers to indicate NPS impairment of wadeable streams and rivers are multi-metric invertebrate indices. Such indices are assembled from metrics in broad categories that represent different aspects of community structure and function (e.g. richness, composition, tolerance/intolerance, feeding group, and habit). Indices must incorporate suites of metrics that are ecologically relevant, quantifiable, non-redundant, and that best individually discriminate between reference sites and impaired sites. More than 240 wadeable streams in Georgia were sampled during the September thru February index period using RBP protocols during three successive sample seasons (1999-2003). Ecoregional reference (minimally impaired) sites, as …

Systematic Revision Of The Genus Eupleura H. And A. Adams, 1853 (Gastropoda: Muricidae) In The Neogene To Recent Of Tropical America, Gregory S. Herbert

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

The systematics of the Neogene to Recent genus Eupleura of tropical America are revised, with descriptions of four new species: Eupleura engerrabunda, from the Late Miocene of Mexico (Atlantic); Eupleura gravidentata, from the Plio-Pleistocene of Colombia (Atlantic); Eupleura paroudia, from the Early or middle Pliocene of Mexico (Atlantic); and Eupleura vokesorum, from the Pliocene of Costa Rica (Pacific) and Ecuador and the Recent tropical eastern Pacific. Two recent taxa, Eupleura plicata and Eupleura limata, are also resurrected, increasing the standing diversity of Eupleura in the eastern Pacific to seven species. Eupleura limata, however, may …

Influence Of Simultaneous Infestations Of Prostephanus Truncatus And Sitophilus Zeamaison The Reproductive Performance And Maize Damage, C P Rugumamu

Tanzania Journal of Science

This study examined the combined effect of Prostephanus truncatus and  Sitophilus zeamais infestations on their reproductive performance and on the damage they cause to maize variety ZM 621 with 12.5% moisture content. The specific objective was to determine the number of the insect pests at F1 and F2 and the grain weight losses caused by the simultaneous pests\' infestations of shelled maize in the search for a control strategy. The results showed a change in adult insect numbers from F1 to F2. During single infestation the change in P. truncatus was 47.54% while in simultaneous infestations it was 41.66%. The …

Prediction Of Sediment-Bound Nutrient Delivery From Semi-Arid California Watersheds, Emmanuel Gabet, Noah Fierer, Oliver Chadwick

Faculty Publications

Soil carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) are lost from hillslopes in particulate forms through soil erosion. The fate of the eroded C (e.g., sequestration or oxidation) may affect the global C budget, and delivery of N and P to waterbodies can lead to eutrophication. Whereas the magnitude of particulate nutrient losses may be similar to or greater than dissolved losses, it is rarely estimated. We couple a sediment delivery model with measurements of C, N, and P in soil to account explicitly for hillslope sediment transport processes that yield sediment-bound nutrients to fluvial networks. The model is applied …

Geogram 2005, David J. Keeling Editor, Wku Department Of Geography And Geology

Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences Publications

No abstract provided.

Successful Cropping In The High Rainfall Zone Of Western Australia : Crop Research And Extension In The Zone, Narelle Hill, Heping Zhang Dr., Tim Trezise, John Young, Natahan Moyes, Laurence Carslake, Neil C. Turner Dr, Walter Anderson, Michael Poole

Bulletins 4000 -

This manual is a review of all the relevant and current information relating to cropping systems in the high rainfall cropping zone (HRZ) of Western Australia. It functions partly as the final report summarising research results and extension activities and discusses recommendations and potential outcomes of two 5-year GRDC-funded projects (DAW 673 and CSP 302), that aimed to increase the productivity of southern high rainfall cropping systems.

Penrose Conference Report: Kinematics And Geodynamics Of Intraplate Dextral Shear In Eastern California And Western Nevada, Jeffrey Lee, Daniel Stockli, Christopher Henry, Timothy Dixon

Geological Sciences Faculty Scholarship

This conference provided a forum to discuss the range of geological and geophysical datasets from the eastern California shear zone (ECSZ) and Walker Lane belt (WLB) that bear on how intraplate deformation is accommodated and how to integrate the data into a comprehensive, spatially and kinematically coherent view of intraplate deformation through time.

Pcor Partnership Atlas, Wesley D. Peck, John A. Harju, Erin M. O'Leary, Steven A. Smith, James A. Sorensen, Edward N. Steadman, Charles R. Nelson, Lynette L. De Silva, John T. Litynski, David W. Fischer

EERC Maps and Infographics

The Plains CO₂ Reduction (PCOR) Partnership Atlas introduces global climate change and provides a regional profile of CO₂ sources and potential sinks across the PCOR Partnership region. Carbon sequestration offers a promising set of technologies through which CO₂ can be stored for long periods of time.

Earth News, V29, Fall 2005, Department Of Earth Science, University Of Northern Iowa.

Earth News

Inside this issue:

--- Earth Science Staff Activities
--- A T. rex Named Sue
--- Earth Science Seminar Series
--- From Ocean to Ice: GSI 2004 Spring Field Trip Highlights
--- Physical Geology Professor Keeps Passion for Teaching, Researching
--- Earth Science Majors
--- Sigma Gamma Epsilon - Gamma Sigma Chapter
--- 2005 Earth Science Graduates
--- Student Research Presentations
--- 2004-2005 Scholarship and Award Recipients
--- Student Internships
--- Gifts to the Department of Earth Science
--- Earth Science Alumni News

Mountain Plover Population Responses To Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs In Montana, Stephen J. Dinsmore, Gary C. White, Fritz L. Knopf

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

We studied a local population of mountain plovers (Charadrius montanus) in southern Phillips County, Montana, USA, from 1995 to 2000 to estimate annual rates of recruitment rate (f) and population change (λ). We used Pradel models, and we modeled λ as a constant across years, as a linear time trend, as year-specific, and with an additive effect of area occupied by prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus). We modeled recruitment rate (f) as a function of area occupied by prairie dogs with the remaining model structure identical to the best model used to estimate λ. Our results indicated …

Nonlinear Dynamics In Ecosystem Response To Climatic Change: Case Studies And Policy Implications, Virginia R. Burkett, Douglas A. Wilcox, Wilcox Stottlemyer, Wylie Barrow, Dan Fagre, Jill Baron, Jeff Price, Jennifer L. Nielsen, Craig D. Allen, David L. Peterson, Greg Ruggerone, Thomas Doyle

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Many biological, hydrological, and geological processes are interactively linked in ecosystems. These ecological phenomena normally vary within bounded ranges, but rapid, nonlinear changes to markedly different conditions can be triggered by even small differences if threshold values are exceeded. Intrinsic and extrinsic ecological thresholds can lead to effects that cascade among systems, precluding accurate modeling and prediction of system response to climate change. Ten case studies from North America illustrate how changes in climate can lead to rapid, threshold-type responses within ecological communities; the case studies also highlight the role of human activities that alter the rate or direction of …

Spatial And Temporal Variations In Epikarst Storage And Flow In South Central Kentucky’S Pennyroyal Plateau Sinkhole Plain, Chris Groves, Carl Bolster, Joe Meiman

Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences Faculty Publications

The well-developed karst aquifers of south central Kentucky’s Pennyroyal Plateau are impacted by contamination from animal waste and other agricultural inputs. Understanding fate and transport of these and other contaminants first requires knowledge of flow and storage behaviors within the impacted aquifers, complicated by significant heterogeneity, anisotropy, and rapid temporal variations. Here we report on spatial and temporal variations in vadose zone flow and water chemistry (or quality) within Cave Spring Caverns, Kentucky beneath agricultural lands on a well-developed sinkhole plain. Weekly sampling of three underground waterfalls show statistically significant differences in water quality, though the sites are laterally within …

The Impacts Of Sprawl On Biodiversity: The Ant Fauna Of The Lower Florida Keys, Elizabeth A. Forys, Craig R. Allen

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Sprawling development can affect species composition by increasing the rate of invasion by non-native species, and decreasing the persistence of native species. This paper briefly reviews the scientific literature on the impacts of sprawl on biological diversity, with specific emphasis on the influence of sprawl on non-native species richness. We then explore the relationship between sprawl and biodiversity using a data set of ant species collected from 46 habitat patches located in the increasingly suburbanized Florida Keys, USA. We quantified sprawl as the proximity of roads and amount of development surrounding a habitat patch. Using bait transects, we identified 24 …

Age And Quality Of Ground Water And Sources Of Nitrogen In The Surficial Aquifers In Pumpkin Creek Valley, Western Nebraska, 2000, G. V. Steele, J. C. Cannia, S. S. Sibray, V. L. Mcguire

United States Geological Survey: Publications

Ground water is the source of drinking water for the residents of Pumpkin Creek Valley, western Nebraska. In this largely agricultural area, shallow aquifers potentially are susceptible to nitrate contamination. During the last 10 years, ground-water levels in the North Platte Natural Resources District have declined and contamination has become a major problem for the district. In 2000, the U.S. Geological Survey and the North Platte Natural Resources District began a cooperative study to determine the age and quality of the ground water and the sources of nitrogen in the aquifers in Pumpkin Creek Valley.

Water samples were collected from …

Factors Affecting Songbird Nest Survival And Brood Parasitism In The Rainwater Basin Region Of Nebraska, Max Post Van Der Burg

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

No abstract provided.

"Got Rocks?" An Inquiry-Based Geology Program For 3rd To 5th Grades In Conjunction With The Museum Of Science, Jennifer D. Todd

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

How can the Boston Museum of Science be of help to classroom teachers when planning a field trip? The synthesis presents a set of lesson plans for 3rd to 5th grade science teachers in the Boston area, with an ultimate goal of promoting students’ critical and creative thinking in their classroom units on rocks and minerals. The program was designed especially for those in the New England area because these states are within proximity to take a field trip to the Boston Museum of Science. The institution has many rocks and mineral samples from around the world and in the …

Quantifying Atmospheric Nitrogen Deposition As A Nonpoint Source Pollution And Its Potential Effects On The Mullica River-Great Bay Ecosystem, Jennifer Haag

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

To characterize atmospheric nitrogen deposition and its potential impact on the Mullica River-Great Bay Estuary, atmospheric sampling was conducted at Rutgers University Marine Field Station in Tuckerton, New Jersey from March 2004 to March 2005. A total of 52 precipitation samples were collected on an event basis using a MIC wet-only automatic precipitation sampler. A total of 23 aerosol samples were also taken during this period of time with a high-volume aerosol sampler. Chemical analysis was performed using a Dionex Ion Chromatograph to determine the concentrations of nitrate and ammonium in precipitation and associated with aerosols. Nitrate concentrations for precipitation …

Crop Yield Response To Precision Deep Tillage, Larry G. Wells, Timothy S. Stombaugh, Scott A. Shearer

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Experimental precision deep tillage was applied at three sites in central Kentucky with relatively well-drained silt loam soils in no-till crop production. Fields were divided into 0.4 ha (1 ac) grid cells using DGPS mapping. Assessment of soil compaction by machinery traffic was made using multiple soil cone penetrometer measurements and expressed as cone index (CI). Corn, wheat, and soybean yields were depressed in grid cells with CI_avg ≥ 1.5 MPa (218 psi) prior to application of tillage treatments at sites 1 and 3, whereas at site 2, where most of the highest average CI values ranged from 1.44 …

Short-Term And Long-Term Effects Of High Intensity Forest Fires On Soil Phyllosilicates, Jennifer Rose Reynard

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

High intensity forest fires can alter the clay minerals found in soils. These minerals can be degraded, collapsed, as well as completely destroyed. Signatures of these fires may remain for years after the bums. To ascertain the impact of high intensity fire on soil physical properties, samples were collected from the area in and around the 2002 Hayman, Colorado, fire. These included burned samples from several areas within the perimeter of the fire (taken one to four months following the fire), unburned samples near the origin of the fire, as well as samples from areas of historic burns nearby. This …

Characterizing Deformation, Damage Parameters, And Clay Composition In Fault Zones: Insights From The Chelungpu Thrust, Taiwan, And Mozumi Right Lateral Fault, Japan, Angela J. Isaacs

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Chelungpu thrust fault, Taiwan, and the Mozumi right-lateral fault, Japan, provide an opportunity to characterize active faults in clastic sedimentary rocks and provide constraints to seismologic models. The northern Chelungpu fault has a 10-30 m wide primary damage zone characterized by dense fractures and chemical alteration. The southern Chelungpu fault has a 25-70 m wide primary damage zone characterized by dense fractures, alteration, intensely sheared rock, and secondary faults. The complexity of the damage zone, geochemistry, and clay mineralogy of the southern fault zone reflects its greater maturity (~1 Ma) relative to the northern fault zone (~46-100 Ka). A …

Humic And Fulvic Acids: Effects On Plant Nutrition And Growth, Jason Tew

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Humic substances are reported to improve plant growth and nutrient uptake, with iron the most studied nutrient. The most common forms of iron in soils are iron oxides, which are stable under aerobic conditions and unavailable for plant uptake. Iron deficient plants become chlorotic, which reduces growth and yield. To determine if humic substances can reduce iron chlorosis, five commercially available organic acids were tested on maize grown in sand columns at high pH. The dry granular humic acid from Aldrich Chemical Company applied at 84.4 g/liter of sand by volume (5% by mass) and 1 g/liter added with irrigation …

Adoption Of Riparian Forest Buffers On Private Lands In Nebraska, Usa, Peter Skelton, Scott J. Josiah, James W. King, James R. Brandle, Glenn A. Helmers, Charles A. Francis

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

Pesticide and nutrient runoff from agricultural fields is a socio-environmental problem in the Midwestern United States. Riparian forest buffers (RFBs) are a proven conservation practice that effectively manage this problem, though adoption rates are low. A mail survey was conducted to determine differences between adopter and nonadopter characteristics and attitudes with regard to the use of RFBs. Data were collected from 48 RFB adopters and 261 RFB nonadopters in two Nebraska watersheds. Inferential and multivaririate statistics were used to identify differences between adapter status and producer status groups. About half (50.8%) the respondents were nonproducers. Nonproducers are agricultural landowners not …

Lack Of Significant Changes In The Herpetofauna Of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota, Since The 1920s, Blake R. Hossack, Paul Stephen Corn, David S. Pilliod

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

We surveyed 88 upland wetlands and 12 1-km river sections for amphibians in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota, during 2001–2002 to gather baseline data for future monitoring efforts and to evaluate changes in the distribution of species. We compared our results to collections of herpetofauna made during 1920–1922, 1954 and 1978–1979. The boreal chorus frog (Pseudacris maculata) was the most common amphibian in upland wetlands, followed by the tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum), Woodhouse’s toad (Bufo woodhousii), northern leopard frog (Rana pipiens), plains spadefoot (Spea bombifrons) and the Great Plains …

Producing Pulses In The Northern Agricultural Region, Peter White, Martin Harries, Mark Seymour, Pam Burgess

Bulletins 4000 -

Pulses, like most other temperate crops, are ideally suited to environments with mild temperatures, adequate rainfall and free draining soils that have a deep uniform profile, a medium to fine texture and slightly acid to neutral pH (6.5-7.5). Pulses when grown on these soils and in these environments produce reliable yields, are relatively easy to manage and achieve good returns on investment.

Pulses can be grown very successfully in less ideal situations, but must then be managed carefully to ensure reliable yields. The different pulse species, and even different varieties of the same species, vary in how tolerant they are …