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Improved Parameterization To Invert Rayleigh-Wave Data For Shallow Profiles Containing Stiff Inclusions, Carlos Calderon-Macias, Barbara Luke

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

Inversion of shear-wave velocity profiles from phase-velocity measurements of Rayleigh-wave energy for sites containing stiff layers can be erroneous if such layers are not characterized in the starting or reference model. Incorporation of a priori knowledge then is key for converging upon a realistic or meaningful solution. Resolving soil profiles in desert regions where stiff layers cemented with calcium carbonate are intermixed with softer, uncemented media is an application for which locating shallow stiff inclusions has important implications. Identification of the stiff layers is critical for foundation design and cost estimating of excavations. A parameterization that seems adequate for this …

Glow Sticks As Effective Bait For Capturing Aquatic Amphibians In Funnel Traps, Kristine L. Grayson, Andrew W. Roe

Biology Faculty Publications

Funnel traps of various designs have been used to capture adults and larvae of aquatic amphibians (e.g., Buech and Egeland 2002; Richter 1995). Most studies use unbaited funnel traps to capture amphibians while others have used shrimp or salmon eggs (Adams et al. 1997). Light traps and light sticks are commonly used in studies of fish, particularly larvae (Doherty 1987; Marchetti et al. 2004), but have not been widely used to capture amphibians. Glow sticks have been mentioned briefly in the literature as a means to increase capture rates of aquatic amphibians (Smith and Rettig 1996), but no studies have …

Endowment Effects In Chimpanzees, Owen D. Jones, Sarah F. Brosnan, Susan P. Lambeth, Mary Catherine Mareno, Amanda S. Richardson, Steven Schapiro

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

Human behavior is not always consistent with standard rational choice predictions. The much-investigated variety of apparent deviations from rational choice predictions provides a promising arena for the merger of economics and biology. Although little is known about the extent to which other species also exhibit these seemingly irrational patterns of human decision-making and choice behavior, similarities across species would suggest a common evolutionary root to the phenomena.

The present study investigated whether chimpanzees exhibit an endowment effect, a seemingly paradoxical behavior in which humans tend to value a good they have just come to possess more than they would have …

Chumming On The Chesapeake Bay And Complexity Theory: Why The Precautionary Principle, Not Cost-Benefit Analysis, Makes More Sense As A Regulatory Approach, Hope M. Babcock

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Estuaries like the Chesapeake Bay ("Bay") and Puget Sound are in grave trouble. They each suffer from poor water quality, loss of habitat, and declining biodiversity, and efforts to restore their health are straining both public and private resources. While accomplishments are often recorded in the fight against these ills, it is clear these accomplishments "are not yet equal to the scale of the problems." The focus of this article is on the nation's largest estuary, the Bay. Despite the investment of billions of dollars to improve water quality, the Bay continues to suffer from severe environmental degradation that impairs …

Origins And Mariner 10 (Faith & Science Update), John T. Baldwin

Perspective Digest

No abstract provided.

Termite Resource Partitioning Related To Log Diameter, Deborah A. Waller

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The termites Reticuliterines virginicus and R. flavipes are sympatric in forests along the eastern United States from Florida to Maryland. These congeners construct subterranean nests, forage on surface and buried wood, and appear to have very similar ecological requirements. In the present study, I examined host-wood selection by these species in a coastal forest over two years. Logs inhabited by R. virginicus had significantly greater diameters than those used by R. flavipes. It is not known whether this pattern resulted from species-specific differences in preference for host size or competition for preferred logs. Host-wood temperature did not differ for …

Observations Of Rough-Toothed Dolphins (Steno Bredanensis) Off The Coast Of Utila, Honduras, Stan A. Kuczaj Ii, Deirdre Yeater

Psychology Faculty Publications

Local dive shop operators and fishermen report that rough-toothed dolphins (Steno bredanensis) are frequently encountered off the coast of Utila, Honduras, (16°05'46.5"N 86°55'47.8"W). Our observations suggest that at least some of these animals may constitute a resident population, although the extent of the resident group’s home range has not been determined. Twenty-eight rough-toothed dolphins were identified using photoidentification techniques, 15 of which were re-sighted on two or more occasions. The 12 animals that were re-sighted four or more times were typically seen together, suggesting that they constitute a stable social group. At least one of these dolphins is …

Plant Assemblage Structure On Barrier Island ‘Pimple’ Dunes At The Virginia Coast Reserve Long-Term Ecological Research Site, Brett A. Mcmillan

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The habitats at the VCR LTER that were the focus of the current study are the Hog Island and Parramore Island 'pimples', small, rounded dunes forming along main dune ridges of the barrier islands. There are distinct plant assemblage zones found on pimples, although most of these dunes are 10–20 m in diameter. Hypotheses of the study were that fresh water availability was a main determinant of differences between assemblages and that pimple size and location would influence diversity and assemblage structure. Research goals were (1) to describe the plant assemblages on pimples, (2) to relate edaphic and geomorphological factors …

Species Richness And Abundance Of Large Mammals In Zaraninge Forest, Coast Region, Tanzania, H. Y. D. Kiwia

Tanzania Journal of Science

A study on the large mammals of Zaraninge Forest was conducted using the line transect method between 1995 and 2001. They comprised 16 species from 7 families, including Bovidae (5), Canidae (1), Cercopithecidae (4), Felidae (1), Galagonidae (2), Orycteropodidae (1) and Suidae (2). Only nine species of primates and antelopes were encountered frequently enough for densities to be estimated. A total of 404 sightings from 40 counts were recorded, the majority being for blue monkey (34.9%) and Angolan colobus (26.0%). For galagos, 210 sightings from 58 counts were recorded, the majority being for Rondo galago (62.2%). Absolute density (individuals km-2) …

Oliver Ranch Science School Complex & Wild Horse And Burro Facility: Final Close-Out Report, Margaret N. Rees

Oliver Ranch Project

“The mission of the Red Rock Desert Learning Center is to instill stewardship and respect by increasing knowledge and understanding of the Mojave Desert ecosystems and cultures through a unique experiential discovery program.”

Lake Mead National Recreation Area Vegetation Monitoring And Management: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending December 31, 2006, Margaret N. Rees

Vegetation Monitoring

Executive Summary

• Two new Weed Sentry research assistants were hired.
• Weed Sentry staff surveyed for exotic species on 89 miles of roads on NPS and BLM land and treated more than 21,000 exotic plants in incipient populations.
• A grid-based rare plant monitoring method was tested this quarter.
• A manuscript detailing vegetation succession on a water pipeline at Lake Mead NRA was submitted for review to the journal Crossosoma.
• New integrative projects undertaken this quarter included establishing a competition study between a native grass and the exotic Sahara mustard, salvaging plants for research purposes from private sites with permission from landowners, …

Lake Mead National Recreation Area Monitoring And Evaluation Of Sensitive Wildlife: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending December 31, 2006, Margaret N. Rees

Wildlife Monitoring

• Research assistant hired for Relict Leopard Frog conservation project.
• High school minority intern hired to assist with research efforts.
• Nocturnal visual encounter surveys for Relict Leopard Frogs conducted at all established natural sites and at 6 of 7 translocation sites.
• Vegetation management conducted to decrease tamarisk cover along the stream at the Pupfish Refuge Spring – a Relict Leopard Frog translocation site.
• New draft guidelines and field count protocols developed for midwinter bald eagle count.
• Preliminary analysis and modeling of thrasher habitat selection conducted and sampling assessed
• Call-broadcast surveys for thrasher species conducted at 43 points countywide, focusing on vegetation …

Ecological And Engineering Importance Of The Bet El Ras Beach-Sandstone, N. Nyandwi, J. W. Kangwe

Tanzania Journal of Science

A unique sandstone known as the Bet el Ras sandstone, supposedly of Holocene age, occurs profusely along the western coast of Unguja but more extensive at its locality area, Bet el Ras, where it forms a rocky shore. The sandstone has been blasted in the past for construction of the sea wall that fronts the Zanzibar Town, and stands to be blasted further for renovation works. From the results of the survey made, it is clear that the sandstone is ecologically and environmentally important such that its total removal will lead to loss of a habitat as well as enhance …

Vegetation Structure And Heavy Metal Uptake By Plants In The Mining-Impacted And Non Mining-Impacted Sites Of Southern Lake Victoria Wetlands, G. Y. S. Mtui, C. Mligo, M. K. D. Mutakyahwa, J. R. Ikingura

Tanzania Journal of Science

This study assessed the plant species composition and the heavy metal uptake by plants in the mining-impacted and non mining-impacted areas of the southern Lake Victoria basin. The vegetation of the wetlands was stratified into riverine forest, riverine thickets, swampy grassland, open woodland and floodplain grassland. Plant diversity at Nyamtukuza ranged between 2.34 to 2.70; at Geita was 2.29 to 2.57 and Mwakitolyo was between 1.08 to 1.70, which was significantly lower than the other two sites; whereas variation in plant species richness was not significant. TWINSPAN classification resulted into four clusters of the vegetation communities. Cluster A, a shrubby …

Species Richness And Abundance Estimates Of Small Mammals In Zaraninge Coastal Forest In Tanzania, H. Y. D. Kiwia

Tanzania Journal of Science

A study on small mammals (<2 kg) was conducted in Zaraninge Forest, Coast Region, Tanzania, in the dry and wet seasons from 1994 to1996. The forest was found to harbour 11 small mammal species from 11 genera and seven families. There was high similarity in the number of species caught during the two seasons (Sørensen Coefficient (CCs)=0.92), implying there to be minimal migration of the species in the area. A total of 159 individuals were caught during the dry season, rodents accounting for 89.3% of the total catch and insectivores 10.7%. The most common species were Cricetomys gambianus and Grammomys dolichurus that had trap successes of 2.83 and 1.11 respectively. During the wet season 185 animals were caught, rodents accounting for 92.4% of the total catch and insectivores 7.6%. Cricetomys gambianus was significantly more abundant during the dry season. Graphiurus murinus was not caught in this season and no trend in abundance was detected for the other species. Forest specialist species included Paraxerus palliatus and Petrodromus petersi. No species was endemic to the forest, near-endemic species that occur in coastal and Eastern Arc forests included P. petersi and Beamys hindei. B. hindei also occurs in a few other East African forests. Threatened species are B. hindei and P. palliatus that are vulnerable and P. petersi that is endangered. Lepus capensis is in Appendix I of CITES list and Hystrix cristata and Mellivora capensis in Appendix III. The forest, though small is in good health and fairly well protected, therefore the species are not in danger of being locally extinct in the near future.

Identifying Economic Indicators For Ecosystem-Based Management:, Scott Norris

Publications

In America and across the world, the use of ecosystem-based management is

increasing. One of the primary challenges faced in using this method of management is the integration of economic data and environmental information. This report explores the use of a new tool for integrating economic data, ecosystem-based economic indicators, in a case study of Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, an estuarine environment located in Monterey County, CA. Research and literature reviews were used to detail the economic activities of the area, in order to identify possible indicators,criteria for evaluating the indicators, and potential sources of indicator data. After …

Winter Behavior Of Big Brown Bats (Eptesicus Fuscus) In A Building Roost: Intermittent Feeding, Passive Rewarming, And Energy Conservation, Amy L. Fairbairn

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

I investigated the use of torpor and arousals during winter of 2005 - 2006 by freeliving big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) by measuring skin temperature (remotely using data loggers) and used those measurements to estimate winter energy expenditure. Torpor bouts lasted for a mean of 3 .3 days ( d) with a mean of 3 .6 d and 2.2 d for males and females, respectively. There was no correlation between ambient temperature (Ta) during torpor and torpor bout length, but there was a significant correlation between Ta and length of the active period. Arousals lasted on average 5.0 hours (h). …

Spring Ephemeral Plant Diversity As It Relates To Gap Dynamics In Vigo County, Indiana, Jodi K. Farrell Sparks

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

During the course of 25 years, plant specimens from several local locations have been collected and deposited into the Indiana State University (ISU) Herbarium by plant taxonomy students. The locations of some of these plots were reestablished in the spring of 2004. In each plot, all woody and spring herbaceous plants were collected from 26 February 2004 to 12 May 2004. These specimens were identified and compared to previous collections to examine species change in the context of gap dynamics. I compiled a species list for each plot and each preserve. Objectives for this thesis were to document plant diversity …

Convergence, Constraint And The Role Of Gene Expression During Adaptive Radiation: Floral Anthocyanins In Aquilegia, Justen B. Whittall, Claudia Voelckel, Daniel J. Kliebenstein, Scott A. Hodges

Biology

Convergent phenotypes are testament to the role of natural selection in evolution. However, little is known about whether convergence in phenotype extends to convergence at the molecular level. We use the independent losses of floral anthocyanins in columbines (Aquilegia) to determine the degree of molecular convergence in gene expression across the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway (ABP). Using a phylogeny of the North American Aquilegia clade, we inferred six independent losses of floral anthocyanins. Via semiquantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), we monitored developmental and tissue-specific variation in expression of the six major structural ABP loci in three Aquilegia species, two that …

Evaluating Diet Composition Of Pronghorn In Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota, Christopher N. Jacques, Jaret D. Sievers, Jonathan A. Jenks, Chad L. Sexton, Daniel E. Roddy

The Prairie Naturalist

The pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) was reintroduced into Wind Cave National Park (WCNP), South Dakota, in 1914, and thus, has inhabited the Park for nearly a century. During the 1990's, a decline in the population raised concern for the continued existence of pronghorn inside WCNP; an investigation into the observed decline was initiated. Primary objectives of our study were to evaluate diet composition and forage selection by pronghorn in WCNP. Microhistological analysis was conducted on 58 fecal samples collected opportunistically from pronghorn during 2002. Blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis), common juniper (Juniperus communis), and northern bedstraw …

The Prairie Naturalist, Volume 38, Number 4, December 2006, Elmer J. Finck, Hilary Gillock

The Prairie Naturalist

Full issue of The Prairie Naturalist (December 2006), volume 38, number 4.

Amphibians and Reptiles in a MixedGrass Prairie in Northwestern North Dakota by Robert K. Murphy, Robert F. Danley, and Patricia K. Moore, pages 207-212

Morphometrics of Six Turtle Species from South Dakota by Sarah J. Bandas and Kenneth F. Higgins, pages 213-222

Evaluation of Habitat Enhancement Structure Use by Spotted Bass by Stanley L. Proboszcz and Christopher S. Guy, pages 223-238

Evaluating Diet Composition of Pronghorn in Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota by Christopher N. Jacques , Jaret D. Sievers, Jonathan A. Jenks, Chad L. Sexton, and …

Evaluation Of Habitat Enhancement Structure Use By Spotted Bass, Stanley L. Proboszcz, Christopher S. Guy

The Prairie Naturalist

Habitat enhancement is a common and effective method used to positively influence fish populations. However, there is a paucity of speciesspecific evaluations of stream habitat enhancement structures for warmwater fishes. We evaluated use of half-log, rootwad enhancement structure, and simulated undercut bank (LUNKERS) by adult and juvenile spotted bass (Micropterus punctulatus) in natural and experimental streams. Enhancement structures were installed in Otter Creek, Kansas. Adult spotted bass use of natural and enhancement structure was documented weekly during summer and fall of 2001 and 2002 with radiotelemetry. Mean total length (TL) of adult fish was 292 mm (SE = …

Morphometrics Of Six Turtle Species From South Dakota, Sarah J. Bandas, Kenneth F. Higgins

The Prairie Naturalist

During 2002 and 2003, morphometric measurements were recorded for 755 turtles representing six species in South Dakota. Turtles were captured in a wide variety of wetland habitats across the entire state. With few exceptions, morphometric measurements for South Dakota were near or within the range of measurements reported for all six species from studies in nearby states or provinces. We recommend that morphometric measurements be taken on turtles in future turtle studies and particularly for the less common and rare species.

Integration Without Unification: An Argument For Pluralism In The Biological Sciences, Sandra D. Mitchell, Michael R. Dietrich

Dartmouth Scholarship

In this article, we consider the tension between unification and pluralism in biological theory. We begin with a consideration of historical efforts to establish a unified understanding of evolution in the neo‐Darwinian synthesis. The fragmentation of the evolutionary synthesis by molecular evolution suggests the limitations of the general unificationist ideal for biology but not necessarily for integrating explanations. In the second half of this article, we defend a specific variety of pluralism that allows for the integration required for explanations of complex phenomena without unification on a large scale.

Does Seed-Caching Experience Affect Spatial Memory Performance By Pinyon Jays?, B. Lucas Stafford, Russell P. Balda, Alan Kamil

Papers in Behavior in Biological Sciences

Food-storing birds use spatial memory to find previously cached food items. Throughout winter, pinyon jays (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus) rely heavily on cached pinyon pine (Pinus edulis) seeds. Because of a recent severe drought, pinyon pine trees had not produced a significant seed crop for several years. Therefore, 1- and 2-year-old birds never had the opportunity to cache and recover seeds and birds 4 or more years of age had not recovered seeds in 3 years. This study examined whether natural but extreme variability in experience might result in differences in abstract spatial memory ability during a non-cache …

Karyotypes Of Eight Species Of Leptodactylus (Anura, Leptodactylidae) With A Description Of A New Karyotype For The Genus, Renata Cecília Amaro-Ghilardi, Gabriel Skuk, Rafael O. De Sá, Miguel Trefaut Rodrigues, Yatiyo Yonenaga-Yassuda

Biology Faculty Publications

Karyotypes of eight species of Leptodactylus (Anura, Leptodactylidae) with a description of a new karyotype for the genus. Eight species of the Neotropical genus Leptodactylus were karyologically studied: seven of them (L. gracilis, L. mystacinus, L. petersii, L. pustulatus, L. macrosternum, L. ocellatus, L. labyrinthicus) presented 2n=22 and L. silvanimbus showed a distinctive karyotype with 2n=24. Nucleolar organizer regions (Ag-NORs) were detected in two different pairs of chromosomes: pair 4 at the proximal region of the long arm of one individual of L. mystacinus from São Paulo state and of L. petersii; and …

Genetic Resolution Of The Enigmatic Lesser Antillean Distribution Of The Frog Leptodactylus Validus (Anura, Leptodactylidae), Keneth Yanek, W. R. Heyer, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

Leptodactylus validus has an unusual distribution, inhabiting Trinidad, Tobago, and the Lesser Antilles, but not the mainland of South America. This distribution is inconsistent with other distribution patterns observed for these islands. Although slight variation in adult morphology has been observed among the different island populations of L. validus, call data suggest the presence of a single species. Calls of L. pallidirostris from Venezuela and Brazil suggested that this taxon might be conspecific with L. validus. Sequence data from the 12S and 16S mt rDNA genes indicate that L. validus represents a single species throughout its distribution and is conspecific …

Spatial And Seasonal Variation In Wildlife-Vehicle Collisions, Jonathan M. Conard, Philip S. Gipson

The Prairie Naturalist

To understand seasonal variation in the number of wildlife-vehicle collisions and the influence of land cover type on collision distribution we counted road-kill carcasses for 84 weeks along a 40 km route on two state highways in northeastern Kansas. We noted land cover type adjacent to each road-kill and tested the null hypothesis that road-kills were distributed randomly with respect to land cover type. Wildlife-vehicle collisions were not distributed randomly in relation to land cover availability. Instead, collisions occurred more often then expected adjacent to riparian areas and less often than expected adjacent to agricultural fields. Wildlife-vehicle collisions varied seasonally …

The Prairie Naturalist, Volume 38, 2006: Reviewers, Author Index, And Subject Index, Elmer J. Finck, Hilary Gillock

The Prairie Naturalist

The list of reviewers, author index, and subject index for volume 38 (2006) of The Prairie Naturalist published by the Great Plains Natural Science Society out of Fort Hays State University in Kansas, United States.

Amphibians And Reptiles In A Mixed-Grass Prairie In Northwestern North Dakota, Robert K. Murphy, Robert F. Danley, Patricia K. Moore

The Prairie Naturalist

There have been almost no surveys of herpetofauna at 109 km² Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge (LNWR) or surrounding counties in northwestern North Dakota, an area possibly undergoing significant environmental change from fossil fuel extraction and use. We used 30 m drift fences to survey amphibian and reptile species in prairie-wetland transition zones at LNWR during mid-May to early-July in 1985 to 1987, and again in 1999 and 2000. We captured only four amphibian and two reptilian species and noted one other reptilian species incidental to our survey. Several species expected to occur in the area were not detected.