Digital Commons Network^™

Book Review: Better Birding: Tips, Tools, And Concepts For The Field. George L. Armistead And Brian L. Sullivan., Stephen J. Dinsmore

The Prairie Naturalist

George Armistead and Brian Sullivan have written a book whose aim is to provide birders with a solid foundation upon which to develop better birding skills. They advocate a more holistic approach to bird identification than simply looking at a set of predetermined field marks. To that end, their approach combines traditional field identification approaches with behavioral and habitat cues, as well as natural history, to broaden bird identification skills. This is not the first book to make a case for looking at bird identification more broadly, although their specific approach seems unique. The authors offer constructive criticism of “traditional” …

Mink Predation Of Brown Trout In A Black Hills Stream, Jake Davis, Jerry W. Wilhite, Steven R. Chipps

The Prairie Naturalist

In the early 2000’s, declines in the brown trout (Salmo trutta) fishery in Rapid Creek, South Dakota, caused concern for anglers and fisheries managers. We conducted a radio telemetry study in 2010 and 2011 to identify predation mortality associated with mink, using hatchery-reared (2010) or wild (2011) brown trout. Estimated predation rates by mink (Mustela vison) on radio-tagged brown trout were 30% for hatchery fish and 32% for wild fish. Size frequency analysis revealed that the size distribution of brown trout lost to predation was similar to that of other, radio-tagged brown trout. In both years, a higher proportion of …

Plants' Native Distributions Do Not Reflect Climatic Tolerance, Tierney Bocsi, Jenica M. Allen, Jesse Bellemare, John Kartesz, Misako Nishino, Bethany A. Bradley

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Aim: Biogeographers have long known that plant species do not fully encompass their fundamental niche. Nonetheless, in practice, species distribution modelling assumes that plant distributions represent a reasonable approximation of their environmental tolerance. For ecological forecasting, projections of habitat loss due to climate change assume that many species will be unable to tolerate climate conditions outside of those found within their current distributional ranges. We aim to test how well occurrences in the native range approximate the climatic conditions in which plant species can survive.

Location: Continental USA. Methods: We compared the climatic conditions between occurrences in the US native …

Fixed Versus Random Sampling Designs In Small South Dakota Glacial Lakes, Bradley J. Smith, Nathan S. Kruger, Nicholas S. Voss, Brian G. Blackwell

The Prairie Naturalist

Choice of sampling design is fundamental when planning surveys to monitor fisheries resources. However, little is known about the impact that different sampling designs may have on commonly collected fish population metrics used to index relative abundance, size structure, and diversity in small (<200 ha) glacial lakes. To address this issue, we sampled three small glacial lakes in eastern South Dakota with modified fyke nets and gill nets at fixed sites used by South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks and a complement of nets at randomized sites. Catch per unit effort (CPUE), proportional size distribution (PSD), and PSD-preferred (PSD-P) were compared between fixed and random designs for each species and gear by lake while Bray-Curtis distances were calculated between sample designs for each gear type in each lake. Precision of CPUE estimates for routinely indexed species were calculated for both gears used by each sampling design. No consistent bias in calculated population metrics was detected between sampling designs for any species collected with either gear type in the three lakes. Sampling precision of CPUE estimates were low for both gears and study designs; though randomized sites tended to yield lower precision. Power analyses indicated that current levels of sampling effort are insufficient to detect differences in CPUE or PSD/PSD-P between fixed and random sampling designs. In addition to being small, study lakes had relatively homogenous habitat allowing for effective sampling resulting in similar values of CPUE and PSD/PSD-P for both fixed and random study designs, and high assemblage overlap. We conclude that fixed sampling sites provide adequate representation of fish communities in small glacial lakes and are sufficient for monitoring temporal changes in these small, but numerous, systems.

Assessing Genetic Variation Of Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep At Elk Mountain, Brynn L. Parr, Rebeca L. Juarez, Jonathan A. Jenks

The Prairie Naturalist

The bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis canadensis) herd occupying the Elk Mountain Region of South Dakota and Wyoming was established in 2001 with 20 individuals. An additional 7 ewes were released in 2004. The population increased to approximately 120 individuals in 2009, but subsequently declined to an estimated 80 individuals. Because of the low population size used to establish the herd and relative isolation of the Elk Mountain Region, potential factors associated with the population decline included reduced genetic diversity. Our objectives were to: 1) assess genetic diversity, 2) measure effective population size (Ne), and 3) compare the genetic diversity of …

Keys To Lichens Of North America, Revised And Expand- Ed. Irwin M. Brodo (Photographs By Sylvia Duran Sharnoff And Stephen Sharnoff; Drawings By Susan Laurie-Bourque)., Caleb A. Morse

The Prairie Naturalist

It would be hard to overestimate the importance of the 2001 publication of Lichens of North America (hereafter LNA) by Irwin Brodo, Silvia Duran Sharnoff, and Stephen Sharnoff (Brodo et al. 2001). Beautifully illustrated, LNA included both an excellent overview to lichenology—including such diverse topics as chemistry, ecology, ethnolichenology, and specimen preparation—and descriptions of more than 800 of the common and charismatic lichens of North Ameri- ca. It is the rare book that provides a good introduction to the discipline, while serving as an essential tool for lichenologists. LNA is frequently cited in journals as an authoritative source on spot …

Varmints And Victims: Predator Control In The Ameri- Can West. Frank Van Nuys., Phil Mastrangelo

The Prairie Naturalist

Having recently retired after 30+ years working in the field of human-wildlife conflicts, including predator conflicts with livestock, I looked forward to reading Varmints and Victims: Predator Control in the American West by Frank Van Nuys. As a wildlife biologist with an interest in the history of wildlife management in North America, I was further intrigued by the subject matter selected by Van Nuys.

In the book’s introduction, Van Nuys explains how the issue of mountain lion (Puma concolor) management in his home state of South Dakota sparked his interest in further exploring the history of predators and their management …

Notes: Comparisons Of Catch Between Two Bait Types With An Emphasis On Pallid Stur- Geon, Thad W. Huenemann, Kirk D. Steffensen

The Prairie Naturalist

Trotline sampling has been a common practice used by commercial and recreational anglers to target specific fish species (e.g. Ictaluridae and Acipenseridae), while biologists have used them as a management tool to monitor and evaluate fish populations (Graham 1997, Vokoun and Rabeni 1999, Arterburn and Berry 2002, Steffensen et al. 2011). Different trotline configurations have been evaluated to determine which combination of hook type and bait produces higher catch rates for catfish species (Johnson 1987, Arterburn and Berry 2002) but this information is lacking for sturgeon species. For example, Arterburn and Berry (2002) concluded that channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) were …

Lower Scotts Creek Floodplain And Habitat Enhancement Project, Benjmain O. Cook

Master's Theses

Scotts Creek, located in northern Santa Cruz County, maintains the southernmost persistent population of Central California Coast (CCC) Coho Salmon (endangered) in addition to CCC steelhead (threatened). Fisheries biologists believe overwinter mortality due to lack of refuge habitat is the primary factor limiting salmonid production. Instream rearing habitat may also be limiting, especially during drought years. The legacy effects of historic land use practices, including dredging, wood removal, and the construction of levees, continued to limit refuge and rearing opportunities. A restoration project was implemented to improve refuge and rearing opportunities for salmonids along lower Scotts Creek by removing portions …

Analysis Of Drought Associated Impacts On The City Of San Bernardino Municipal Water Department’S Wastewater Flow Rates And Constituent Concentrations, Anthony Nicholas Budicin

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study examined the effects of drought on the City of San Bernardino Municipal Water Department’s (SBMWD’s) wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) wastewater flow rates and constituent concentrations. The study utilized data obtained from the SBMWD’s monthly discharge monitoring reports (DMRs), dating from 2007 to 2015. For each report the SBMWD Water Reclamation Plant (WRP) and Rapid Infiltration and Extraction (RIX) facility influent and effluent flow rates, along with concentrations of ammonia, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), total suspended solids (TSS), total inorganic nitrogen (TIN), and total dissolved solids (TDS) were examined. Even though influent and effluent flow rates were examined for …

Bathymetric Survey For Lakes Azuei And Enriquillo, Hispaniola, Michael Piasecki, Mahrokh Moknatian, Fred Moshary, Joseph Cleto, Yolanda Leon, Jorge Gonzalez, Daniel Comarazamy

Publications and Research

The two largest lakes on the Caribbean Island of Hispaniola, Lake Azuei in Haiti and Lake Enriquillo in the Dominican Republic, have experienced dramatic growth and surface area expansion over the past few years leading to severe flooding and loss of arable land around the lake perimeters. In order to better understand the reasons for this unprecedented rate of expansion and the resulting consequences a multi-disciplinary team comprised of researchers from Haiti, the DR, and the US have embarked on an extensive data collecting and hydrologic and climatological modeling campaign. While the sensor deployment entails stations that measure climatological data …

In-Air Hearing Of A Diving Duck: A Comparison Of Psychoacoustic And Auditory Brainstem Response Thresholds, Sara E. Crowell, Alicia M. Wells-Berlin, Ronald E. Therrien, Sally E. Yannuzzi, Catherine E. Carr

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Auditory sensitivity was measured in a species of diving duck that is not often kept in captivity, the lesser scaup. Behavioral (psychoacoustics) and electrophysiological [the auditory brainstem response (ABR)] methods were used to measure in-air auditory sensitivity, and the resulting audiograms were compared. Both approaches yielded audiograms with similar U-shapes and regions of greatest sensitivity (2000-3000 Hz). However, ABR thresholds were higher than psychoacoustic thresholds at all frequencies. This difference was least at the highest frequency tested using both methods (5700 Hz) and greatest at 1000 Hz, where the ABR threshold was 26.8 dB higher than the behavioral measure of …

Identification And Use Of Indicator Data To Develop Models For Marine-Sourced Risks In Massachusetts Bay, Marin M. Kress

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

The coastal watersheds around Massachusetts Bay are home to millions of people, many of whom recreate in coastal waters and consume locally harvested shellfish. Epidemiological data on food-borne illness and illnesses associated with recreational water exposure are known to be incomplete. Of major food categories, seafood has the highest recorded rate of associated foodborne illness. In total, the health impacts from these marine-sourced risks are estimated to cost millions of dollars each year in medical expenses or lost productivity. When recorded epidemiological data is incomplete it may be possible to estimate abundance or prevalence of specific pathogens or toxins in …

Dissolved Organic Carbon Fluxes From A New England Salt Marsh, Hayley Nicole Schiebel

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Blue carbon systems (mangroves, salt marshes, and seagrass beds) sequester large amounts of carbon via primary productivity and sedimentation. Sequestered carbon can be respired back to the atmosphere, buried for long time periods, or exported (“outwelled”) to adjacent ecosystems. This study estimates the total outwelling of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from the Neponset Salt Marsh (Boston, Massachusetts) as well as the major plant and sediment processes contributing to the overall flux. The total export was quantified via high-resolution in situ chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) measurements as a proxy for DOC using 12 years of transect data. Seasonal trends, alternate …

Green Roofs And Urban Biodiversity: Their Role As Invertebrate Habitat And The Effect Of Design On Beetle Community, Sydney Marie Gonsalves

Dissertations and Theses

With over half the world's population now living in cities, urban areas represent one of earth's few ecosystems that are increasing in extent, and are sites of altered biogeochemical cycles, habitat fragmentation, and changes in biodiversity. However, urban green spaces, including green roofs, can also provide important pools of biodiversity and contribute to regional gamma diversity, while novel species assemblages can enhance some ecosystem services. Green roofs may also mitigate species loss in urban areas and have been shown to support a surprising diversity of invertebrates, including rare and endangered species. In the first part of this study I reviewed …

The Effect Of Marine Protected Areas On Fishers' Income In The Philippines, Giselle Pb. Samonte, Victoria C. Ramenzoni, Terence U. Dacles, Dominik Fortenbacher

Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics

The fisheries sector is vital to the Philippine economy, providing substantial employment and income, contributing export earnings, and meeting local food security and nutrition requirements. To protect coastal and marine habitat and to sustain fisheries, over 1000 marine protected areas (MPAs) have been established, in the Philippines. This paper provides empirical evidence on the variance of net revenues linked with MPA establishment and the possible range of relocation costs for fishing effort displaced by an MPA. A total of 424 households were randomly selected from 18 barangays (villages) adjacent to MPAs in three regions in the Philippines. Results show that …

Assessing Non-Market Benefits Of Seagrass Restoration In The Gulf Of Gdańsk, Tobias Börger, Joanna Piwowarczyk

Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics

Seagrass meadows (Zostera marina) are an important ecosystem in the coastal environment of the Baltic Sea. This study employs a discrete choice experiment to value a set of non-market benefits provided by seagrass meadows in the Gulf of Gdańsk, Poland. The benefits valued in this study are a reduction of filamentous algae in the water and on the beach; access to seagrass meadows for boaters and divers; and improved water clarity. Results show significant willingness to pay for each attribute and differences of value estimates across different groups of survey respondents. It is discussed how to link choice …

An Investigation Of Invasion: Boater Knowledge Concerning Aquatic Invasive Species And The Influence Of The New Zealand Mud Snail On Benthic Food Webs, Samuel Anthony Cimino

Dissertations and Theses

Invasive species are second only to habitat loss as a leading cause of native species displacement and the management of invasive species costs hundreds of billions annually. Invasion is often conceptualized as a series of stages (Transport, Introduction, Establishment, and Spread), which encourages ecologists to isolate factors that might enable a species to pass from one stage to another and therefore guide prevention or impact management. This thesis addresses each stage of invasion and attempts to determine where management might succeed in preventing invasion or minimizing impacts. The transport and introduction of aquatic invasive species (AIS) was analyzed by conducting …

Quantitative Evidence For The Effects Of Multiple Drivers On Continental-Scale Amphibian Declines, Evan H. Campbell Grant, David A. W. Miller, Benedikt R. Schmidt, Michael J. Adams, Staci M. Amburgey, Thierry Chambert, Sam S. Cruickshank, Robert N. Fisher, David M. Green, Blake R. Hossack, Pieter T. J. Johnson, Maxwell B. Joseph, Tracy A. G. Rittenhouse, Maureen E. Ryan, J. Hardin Waddle, Susan C. Walls, Larissa L. Bailey, Gary M. Fellers, Thomas A. Gorman, Andrew M. Ray, David S. Pilliod, Steven J. Price, Daniel Saenz, Walt Sadinski, Erin Muths

Forestry and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Since amphibian declines were first proposed as a global phenomenon over a quarter century ago, the conservation community has made little progress in halting or reversing these trends. The early search for a “smoking gun” was replaced with the expectation that declines are caused by multiple drivers. While field observations and experiments have identified factors leading to increased local extinction risk, evidence for effects of these drivers is lacking at large spatial scales. Here, we use observations of 389 time-series of 83 species and complexes from 61 study areas across North America to test the effects of 4 of the …

Impacts To Anadromous Fish Through Groundwater Extraction, Aaron Hebert

Master's Projects and Capstones

California uses more groundwater than any other state in the United States in order to meet agricultural demand during the growing season when water is naturally least available due to the state’s Mediterranean climate. The state also hosts populations of anadromous fish that are otherwise found exclusively in the wetter Pacific northwest. Groundwater has historically helped maintain baseflow in the summer and fall low-flow periods and acted as a natural buffer against the regular droughts that occur in California. Today, groundwater provides 30-40% of the state’s water supply, but the pumping in many cases has reduced groundwater discharge and baseflow, …

Artificial Recharge Of Groundwater With Recycled Municipal Wastewater In The Pajaro Valley, Olivia Heir

Master's Projects and Capstones

Abstract

The Pajaro Valley, located along California’s Central Coast, is the State’s 5^th most productive agricultural region. Groundwater is the main source of water for the region, and due to high agricultural demand, the Pajaro Valley is facing groundwater depletion and rapid seawater intrusion. Artificial recharge of recycled water into groundwater aquifers in other locations has proven to be an effective method of mitigating groundwater depletion and seawater intrusion while providing a sustainable water supply. Two methods of artificial recharge with recycled water exist: direct injection and surface spreading (infiltration). Case studies of both methods of recharge were analyzed …

Genetic Engineering And Sustainable Crop Disease Management: Opportunities For Case-By-Case Decision-Making, Paul Vincelli

Plant Pathology Faculty Publications

Genetic engineering (GE) offers an expanding array of strategies for enhancing disease resistance of crop plants in sustainable ways, including the potential for reduced pesticide usage. Certain GE applications involve transgenesis, in some cases creating a metabolic pathway novel to the GE crop. In other cases, only cisgenessis is employed. In yet other cases, engineered genetic changes can be so minimal as to be indistinguishable from natural mutations. Thus, GE crops vary substantially and should be evaluated for risks, benefits, and social considerations on a case-by-case basis. Deployment of GE traits should be with an eye towards long-term sustainability; several …

Preserving Biodiversity For A Climate Change Future: A Resilience Assessment Of Three Bay Area Species--Adenostoma Fasciculatum (Chamise), Arctostaphylos Canescens (Hoary Manzanita), And Arctostaphylos Virgata (Marin Manzanita), Alison S. Pollack

Master's Projects and Capstones

Anthropogenic climate change is an undeniable threat to the future of the natural world and human civilization. These shifts will have profound impacts on vegetation, especially for species endemic to isolated regions or sensitive to climate change factors. However, species resilience can predict success into the next century. Resilience is defined as the ability to withstand climate change factors, whereas vulnerability is defined as susceptibility to climate induced stress or damage.

Chaparral and coastal scrub ecosystems within the Bay Area of California provide a unique context for examining resilience, as many species are adapted to high temperatures, drought, and wildfire—all …

The Mexican Water Forest: Benefits Of Using Remote Sensing Techniques To Assess Changes In Land Use And Land Cover, Maria F. Lopez Ornelas

Master's Projects and Capstones

In the past 30 years, anthropogenic activities like urbanization, agriculture, road fragmentation and deforestation have resulted in changes in the land use and land cover (LULC) in the Mexican Water Forest. Due to the important ecosystem services, and the natural resources this forest provides, in Mexico, it has become increasingly necessary to use new technologies and tools to support the planning, implementation and integration of forest management and conservation plans, as well as ecological and socioeconomic analysis of this ecosystem. Remote Sensing techniques and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have been a true technological and methodological revolution in the acquisition, management …

From Empty Lot To Garden Plot: Urban Agriculture In Chula Vista, Jennifer E. Gutierrez

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This project is an exploration of how agriculture can be incorporated into the fabric of the city of Chula Vista, which has both uniquely urban and suburban areas. The proposal is to integrate agriculture as a design tool to reconnect to the city’s agricultural past and as a model for cities of the future. First, I discuss Chula Vista’s history and contemporary context, including demographics. I review the existing urban agriculture policies Chula Vista has and compare them to other cities in California. The second part of the project is concerned with how to choose and develop a site for …

Environmental Fullerene Chemistry: Elucidating Critical Reaction Pathways And Resulting Products In The Aqueous Phase, Jiewei Wu

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

As the production of fullerenes and fullerene-based materials approaches industrial scale, there are increasing interests/concerns regarding their (potential) environmental impact(s) upon release. To date, a number of critical, aqueous-based fullerene transformation pathways under environmentally relevant conditions remain poorly understood. Comprehensive, fundamental, and quantitative understanding of the potential (major) reaction pathways and resulting products of fullerene materials, particularly in aquatic systems, is now crucial for their accurate fate, transport, life cycle, risk assessment(s), and thus ultimate material sustainability.

Herein, this dissertation is focused on identifying and elucidating aqueous transformation pathways of fullerene materials, focused on C60 as a model fullerene, under …

Laying The Foundation For Effective Natural Resource Management, Teresa Scanlon

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

The following portfolio describes three distinct, yet not mutually exclusive, approaches for managing water and other resources. A common theme throughout the three approaches is that they “lay the foundation” for future management, and each piece depicts a different approach to natural resource management planning. Part One is the final report for a research and planning contract for Lolo Watershed Group. Watershed science and restoration field techniques are used to inform and develop a scope of work document for Montana Department of Environmental Quality for a future revegetation restoration project on Lolo Creek. Part Two describes some of the co-facilitation …

Odor Monitoring At The New Orleans East Bank Wastewater Treatment Plant, Felicia R. Figinsky

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Hydrogen Sulfide is a corrosive, odorous, and hazardous gas that can cause issues for wastewater collection systems and treatment plants. When evaluating hydrogen sulfide concentrations it is important to consider the source, odor causing mechanism, and its level of toxicity. In this study, continuous hydrogen sulfide monitoring was performed for 8 locations within the New Orleans East Bank Wastewater Treatment Plant for a span of 5 months. Hot spots within the plant are located and data analysis is performed based on daily and hourly averages of hydrogen sulfide concentrations. The data was configured to show peak hydrogen sulfide concentrations at …

Bioswales For Stormwater Remediation And Infiltration: Assessing Regulatory Climate And Quantifying Filtration Capacity Of A Claremont Bioswale, Skyler Lewis, Boyu Liu, Paul Picciano, Liana Solis, Char Miller

Environmental Analysis Program Senior Projects

Watershed management is critical in ensuring a sustainable water supply. This project is designed to assess the impact of bioswales in the context of Southern California’s climate. The patterns of droughts and floods make these green infrastructure appealing as they offer potential to boost water quality and regenerate local aquifers, while reducing the area of impermeable surfaces in our urban landscape. As bioswales have not been commonly incorporated into infrastructure development, our project focuses on a relatively new bioswale, added in 2012 and located on Pomona College’s campus, to serve as our case study in determining the viability of bioswales …

Nonnative Forest Insects And Pathogens In The United States: Impacts And Policy Options, Gary M. Lovett, Marissa Weiss, Andrew M. Liebhold, Thomas P. Holmes, Brian Leung, Kathy F. Lambert, David A. Orwig, Faith T. Campbell, Jonathan Rosenthal, Deborah G. Mccullough, Radka Wildova, Matthew P. Ayres

Dartmouth Scholarship

We review and synthesize information on invasions of nonnative forest insects and diseases in the United States, including their ecological and economic impacts, pathways of arrival, distribution within the United States, and policy options for reducing future invasions. Nonnative insects have accumulated in United States forests at a rate of ~2.5 per yr over the last 150 yr. Currently the two major pathways of introduction are importation of live plants and wood packing material such as pallets and crates. Introduced insects and diseases occur in forests and cities throughout the United States, and the problem is particularly severe in the …