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A Floristic Study Of The Oak Leaf Lake Unit Of The Swan Lake Wildlife Management Area In Nicollet County, Minnesota, Heidi Rauenhorst

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Prairies play an integral ecological role, protecting biodiversity and providing habitat for fauna. The number of prairie acres has significantly declined in Minnesota, making the existing prairies that much more valuable. The Oak Leaf Lake Unit of the Swan Lake Wildlife Management Area in Nicollet County, Minnesota (latitude 44.311050, longitude -94.015577) was purchased by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in 1994 and is being managed as tallgrass prairie. Floristic surveys were performed during the 2011 and 2012 growing seasons to gather baseline data. These data were used to assess the quality of the site through calculation of various indices …

The Utilization Of Morphological And Genetic Diagnostic Techniques For The Description Of Trematode Species Collected From Waterbirds From Lake Winnibigoshish, Minnesota, Usa, Tyler Joseph Achatz

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Historically, morphological techniques for species identification were the leading diagnostic methodology, however, the increased usage of genetic techniques has led to a decrease in reports of morphometrics. The decrease in morphological reports increases the chance of missing diagnostic morphometrics. The three studies described herein used morphological and genetic diagnostic methods to identify trematodes from five families in order to improve genetic and morphological information for trematode species identification.

The first study identified ten species of trematodes from intestines of waterbirds previously collected from Lake Winnibigoshish, Minnesota. Nine of the species were sequenced for 28S ribosomal DNA (rDNA). Two species were …

Photosynthetic Response Of Bromus Inermis In Grasslands Of Different Altitudes, Panagiota Kostopoulou, Maria Karatassiou

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

In Greece, grasslands constitute an important component of montane areas. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the photosynthetic responses of the forage species Bromus inermis at two montane grasslands (Filippaioi, Grammatiko) and a lowland grassland under differential irradiation and CO2 concentration levels. In each area, gas exchange parameters were calculated under: a) ambient conditions along with the measurement of variable to maximal fluorescence, b) low (300 µmol m-2 s-1) and high (1400 µmol m-2 s-1) radiation, and c) ambient (380 µmol mol-1) and high (800 µmol mol-1) CO2 concentrations. In addition, assimilation response curves to different levels …

Stress-Induced Changes In Abundance Differ Among Obligate And Facultative Endosymbionts Of The Soybean Aphid, Laramy S. Enders, Nicholas Miller

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Bacterial endosymbionts can drive evolutionary novelty by conferring adaptive benefits under adverse environmental conditions. Among aphid species there is growing evidence that symbionts influence tolerance to various forms of stress. However, the extent to which stress inflicted on the aphid host has cascading effects on symbiont community dynamics remains poorly understood. Here we simultaneously quantified the effect of host-plant induced and xenobiotic stress on soybean aphid (Aphis glycines) fitness and relative abundance of its three bacterial symbionts. Exposure to soybean defensive stress (Rag1 gene) and a neurotoxic insecticide (thiamethoxam) substantially reduced aphid composite fitness (survival 9 reproduction) …

Long-Term Monitoring And Recovery Of A Population Of Alligator Snapping Turtles, Macrochelys Temminckii (Testudines: Chelydridae), From A Northeastern Arkansas Stream, S. E. Trauth, D. S. Siegel, M. L. Mccallum, D. H. Jamieson, A. Holt, J. B. Trauth, H. Hicks, J. W. Stanley, J. Elston, J. J. Kelly, J. D. Konvalina

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

We conducted a mark-recapture study of Alligator Snapping Turtles, Macrochelys temminckii, on Salado Creek (Independence Co., Arkansas) during 10 trapping seasons, which spanned a 20-year period (1995–2015). We trapped a total of 163 Alligator Snapping Turtles during 416 trap nights and recorded a total of 35 recaptures during this study. Both the catch per unit effort (CPUE) and Jolly-Seber approaches demonstrated that this population benefitted from removal of harvest pressure, thus leading to an increase in abundance of Alligator Snapping Turtles in the lower ~5 km of the creek. The CPUE averaged slightly greater than 0.24 (317 trap nights) during …

New Chigger (Acari) Records From Arkansas Amphibians (Caudata, Anura) And Reptiles (Sauria), M. B. Connior, C. T. Mcallister, L. A. Durden, S. E. Trauth, H. W. Robison

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Estimation Quality Of A General Paradigm For Indexing Animal Abundance When Observations Are Counts, Benjamin Shulman, Brandie D. Wagner, Gary K. Grunwald, Richard M. Engeman

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Relative abundance indices are widely applied to monitor wildlife populations. A general indexing paradigm was developed for structuring data collection and validly conducting analyses. This approach is applicable for many observation metrics, with observations made at stations through the area of interest and repeated over several days. The variance formula for the general index was derived using a linear mixed model, with statistical tests and confidence intervals constructed assuming Gaussian-distributed observations. However, many observation methods, like intrusions to track plots or camera traps, involve counts with many zeroes, producing Poisson-like observations. To fill this inferential gap between Gaussian analytical assumptions …

Seasonal Habitat Selection Of The North American Porcupine (Erethizon Dorsatum) In A Coastal Dune Forest, Cara L. Appel

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Wildlife-habitat relationship studies are important for understanding the factors that determine where species occur in space and time. Habitat selection by generalist species should be studied on fine spatial and temporal scales to avoid masking important differences between seasons, localities, or orders of selection. I conducted the first study of habitat use and general ecology of North American porcupines (Erethizon dorsatum) in a coastal dune environment. Specifically, I assessed changes in body mass, home range size, and habitat selection in relation to the potential for seasonal nutritional and survival bottlenecks as reported elsewhere. Although they are considered generalists, …

Strolling The Lingnan Garden = 涓流彩園錄, 2014-2015, Lingnan Gardeners, Kwan Fong Cultural Research And Development Programme, Lingnan University

Lingnan Gardeners Publications 嶺南彩園刊物

This current collection is a documentation of the Lingnan Gardeners project in Phase One, from September 2014 up till December 2015. The 13 issues of Lingnan Gardeners Newsletter are collected here, which give some sense of what was happening month by month, in words and pictures. Included are also some related articles on the project – academic interviews, reflections on exchange visits, thoughts after gardening, as well as information about our partners.

本結集是嶺南彩園項目從2014年9月至2015年12月第一期活動的總結。這裡收集了13期《嶺南彩園通訊》，每月發生的活動和留影記錄在這裡。還收錄了一些與項目相關的文章，有學術訪談、交流回顧、參與者感言、夥伴機構介紹。

Composition And Diversity Of Avian Communities Using A New Urban Habitat: Green Roofs, Brian E. Washburn, Ryan M. Swearingin, Craig K. Pullins, Matthew E. Rice

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Green roofs on buildings are becoming popular and represent a new component of the urban landscape. Public benefits of green roof projects include reduced stormwater runoff, improved air quality, reduced urban heat island effects, and aesthetic values. As part of a city-wide plan, several green roofs have been constructed at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD). Like some other landscaping features, green roofs on or near an airport might attract wildlife and thus increase the risk of bird–aircraft collisions. During 2007–2011, we conducted a series of studies to evaluate wildlife use of newly constructed green roofs and traditional (gravel) roofs on …

Nutritional Effects On Reproductive Performance Of Captiveadult Female Coyotes (Canis Latrans), Eric M. Gese, Beth M. Roberts, Frederick F. Knowlton

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Interactions between animals and their environment are fundamental to ecological research. Field studies of coyote (Canis latrans) reproductive performance suggest mean litter size changes in response to prey abundance. However, this relationship has been assessed primarily by using carcasses collected from trappers. The objective of this study was to assess whether nutritional manipulation prior to mating affected reproduction in adult female coyotes. We examined the effects of caloric restriction during the 7 months prior to estrus on the reproductive rates of 11 captive female coyotes and the subsequent initial survival of pups through two reproductive cycles. This was …

Limited Transmission Of Emergent H7n9 Influenza A Virus In A Simulated Live Animal Market: Do Chickens Pose The Principal Transmission Threat?, Angela Bosco-Lauth, Richard A. Bowen, J. Jeffrey Root

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Emergent H7N9 influenza A virus has caused multiple public health and financial hardships. While some epidemiological studies have recognized infected chickens as an important bridge for human infections, the generality of this observation, the minimum infectious dose, and the shedding potential of chickens have received conflicting results. We experimentally tested the ability of domestic chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) to transmit H7N9 to co-housed chickens and to several other animal species in an experimental live animal market. Results indicated that an infected chicken failed to initiate viral shedding of H7N9 to naIve co-housed chickens. The infected chicken did, however, …

Geospatial Approaches To Support Pelagic Conservation Planning And Adaptive Management, L. M. Wedding, Sara M. Maxwell, D. Hyrenbach, D. C. Dunn, J. J. Roberts, D. Briscoe, E. Hines, P. N. Halpin

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Place-based management in the open ocean faces unique challenges in delineating boundaries around temporally and spatially dynamic systems that span broad geographic scales and multiple management jurisdictions, especially in the 'high seas'. Geospatial technologies are critical for the successful design of pelagic conservation areas, because they provide information on the spatially and temporally dynamic oceanographic features responsible for driving species distribution and abundance in the open ocean, the movements of protected species, and the spatial patterns of distribution of potential threats. Nevertheless, there are major challenges to implementing these geospatial approaches in the open ocean. This Theme Section seeks to …

Transforming The Aquatic Urban Landscape: Nutrient Status And Management Of Stormwater Basins, Lindsay Skovira

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Urbanization is a largely irreversible anthropogenic change that degrades environmental quality, including aquatic ecosystems. Stormwater ponds are a popular best management practice (BMP) to mitigate the effects of urban land use on downstream water bodies and contribute significantly to the total area of aquatic ecosystems in some urban watersheds. My research investigated the distribution of stormwater ponds and examined how different urban land uses influenced biophysicochemical conditions and management of those ponds in a rapidly developing suburban watershed in the Econlockhatchee River basin in Florida, USA. I evaluated limnological and ecological parameters in randomly-selected ponds distributed among three urban land-use …

Contributions On The Spider Families Nesticidae And Pholcidae (Araneae) From Argentina, Victor Manuel Torres, Paolo Luciano Pardo, Andrea Ximena Gonzalez-Reyes, Sandra Monica Rodriguez-Artigas, Jose Corronca

Turkish Journal of Zoology

A new species of Nesticus Thorell, 1869, N. Salta sp. Nov., and a new species of Guaranita Huber, 2000, G. Dobby sp. Nov., are described from the Chaco Serrano ecoregion of Salta Province (Argentina). The female of G. Yaculica Huber, 2000 is described for the first time, and the known distribution of G. Munda (Gertsch, 1982) is enlarged to Jujuy Province, northern Argentina.

An Examination Of Plant Community Composition In Six Carolina Bays On The Coastal Plain Of South Carolina, Katherine L. Altman-Goff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Historically high rates of human impact and recent Supreme Court cases, which have affected the regulation of geographically isolated wetlands in the United States, suggest that Carolina bays may be at high risk of human impacts in the future. Conservation efforts should be established based on applied ecological data and, if regulations by state and federal agencies are unable to conserve Carolina bay wetlands, it may be important to prioritize individual bays for preservation on protected lands. I examined plant community composition, diversity, richness, and rarity and soil parameters in six Carolina bays across South Carolina, using a replicated ecological …

Natural History, Phenology, And Stream Use Of Hyla Plicata From The Arroyo Los Axolotes, State Of Mexico, Mexico, J. A. Lemos-Espinal, Geoffrey R. Smith, A. Hernandez Ruiz, R. Montoya Ayala

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Amphibians And Reptiles Of The State Of Nuevo Leon, Mexico, J. A. Lemos-Espinal, Geoffrey R. Smith, A. Cruz

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Review Of Unique Odd Chromosome-Numbered Underground Rodent Species Ofthe Palearctic Region: Ellobius Lutescens Thomas 1897 (Rodentia: Cricetidae), Yüksel Coşkun

Turkish Journal of Zoology

A review of the species within the genus Ellobius from Turkey is provided. The Transcaucasian mole vole, Ellobius lutescens, is the westernmost representative of the genus and among the most enigmatic and yet most neglected of the Palearctic placental mammals. Currently, its distribution is thought to be restricted to eastern Anatolia. The Transcaucasian mole voles inhabit a wide variety of habitats across this distribution area in semiarid or grassland territories and high-elevation cultivated fields. The species' distribution, feeding ecology, population structure, behavior, reproduction, genetics, and fossil records are reviewed here for Turkey. This paper brings together information published during the …

Current Status, Distribution, And Conservation Of Brown Bear (Ursidae) Andwild Canids (Gray Wolf, Golden Jackal, And Red Fox; Canidae) In Turkey, Hüseyi̇n Ambarli, Alper Ertürk, Anil Soyumert

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Turkey has viable populations of many carnivore species of the Western Palearctic. Among those, ursids and canids are represented by brown bear (Ursus arctos) and 3 canid species, gray wolf (Canis lupus), golden jackal (Canis aureus), and red fox (Vulpes vulpes), respectively. Those species occur in major ecosystems of Turkey and experience a wide range of threats, and they are at the center of human-wildlife conflicts. However, due to a limited number of studies about their ecology and taxonomy, their current distributions, population sizes, and statuses are vague. In this study, we document the 4 species' known data in terms …

The Importance Of Motivation, Weapons, And Foul Odors In Driving Encounter Competition In Carnivores, Maximilian L. Allen, Christopher C. Wilmers, L. Mark Elbroch, Julie M. Golla, Heiko U. Wittmer

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Encounter competition is interference competition in which animals directly contend for resources. Ecological theory predicts the trait that determines the resource holding potential (RHP), and hence the winner of encounter competition, is most often body size or mass. The difficulties of observing encounter competition in complex organisms in natural environments, however, has limited opportunities to test this theory across diverse species. We studied the outcome of encounter competition contests among mesocarnivores at deer carcasses in California to determine the most important variables for winning these contests. We found some support for current theory in that body mass is important in …

Phenotypic Characterization Of The Peach (Prunus Spp.) Collection At The National Clonal Germplasm Repository In Davis, California, Tim Moran

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

"Germplasm repositories are an invaluable resource for the collection and preservation of important living genetic material, and provide a multitude of research opportunities for crop improvement. Advances in genomics research have created an urgent demand for phenotypic data in order to assist researchers in identifying relationships between genetic makeup and phenotypic variability. The peach, Prunus persica, is an important economic crop species that is heavily bred and cultivated. In peach, specific tree growth habits are used in breeding to select for tree architectures that may provide growers with more options for orchard design and cultural practices. The presence of extrafloral …

Combined Effects Of Tetrakis Hydroxymethyl Phosphonium Chloride And Ammonium On Plankton Community Structure In Blackwater Pond Mesocosms, Marina N. Osier

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Flame retardant chemicals enter aquatic systems through municipal and industrial wastewater, and despite being detected in surface waters, most have not been thoroughly assessed for environmental risk. Halogenated flame retardants, known to be persistent and highly toxic to aquatic organisms are being phased out, and replaced with new or under-tested organophosphorus flame retardants. Organophosphorus flame retardants, such as tetrakis hydroxymethyl phosphonium chloride (THPC), often have similar applications to and are generally not as persistent as halogenated flame retardants. Single-species toxicity tests of organophosphorus flame retardants reveal a wide range of toxicity values within the range of environmentally relevant concentrations in …

Ant Diversity And Community Structure In Coastal Dunes And Wetlands, Xuan Chen

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

How do many species live in a certain place? How does species composition changes among habitats? And what mechanisms decide species distribution? These are fundamental questions in community ecology. I first investigated ant diversity in two coastal ecosystems (dunes and wetlands) in the northern Gulf of Mexico, and then used the distribution patterns to infer assembly processes that structure ant communities in coastal areas. Specifically, the following hypotheses are tested: (1) coastal systems support lower ant diversity due to the unsuitable environment; (2) species living near the seashore are a subset of those exist near inland; (3) deterministic processes are …

Can Mud (Silt And Clay) Concentration Be Used To Predict Soil Organic Carbon Content Within Seagrass Ecosystems?, Oscar Serrano, Paul Lavery, Carlos Duarte, Gary A. Kendrick, Antoni M. Calfat, P. H. York, Andy D. Steven, Peter I. Macreadie

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The emerging field of blue carbon science is seeking cost-effective ways to estimate the organic carbon content of soils that are bound by coastal vegetated ecosystems. Organic carbon (C_org) content in terrestrial soils and marine sediments has been correlated with mud content (i.e., silt and clay, particle sizes < 63 µm), however, empirical tests of this theory are lacking for coastal vegetated ecosystems. Here, we compiled data (n =  1345) on the relationship between C_org and mud contents in seagrass ecosystems (79 cores) and adjacent bare sediments (21 cores) to address whether mud can be used to predict soil C_org content. We also combined these data with the δ¹³C signatures of the soil …

Determining The Effects Of Non-Native Brook Stickleback (Cualea Inconstans) On The Lentic Systems At Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge, Cheney, Wa, Jenae N. Yri

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

"The introduction of non-native fishes can cause trophic cascades in freshwater habitats; these effects may be amplified in ephemeral/temporary habitats. Non-native brook stickleback fishes (Culaea inconstans) were first documented on the Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge (WA) in 1999 and are now present in many portions of the refuge. The consequences of their presence on the refuge's perennial/permanent and temporary habitats are poorly understood. Therefore, the purpose of my project was to determine if brook stickleback are affecting habitat characteristics that are important for waterfowl nesting success. From April-August 2015, I compared the macro invertebrate and macrophyte community characteristics, fingernail clam …

Invertebrate Drift In The Upper Columbia River With Implications For Young-Of-The-Year White Sturgeon, Ryan W. Reihart

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

"White sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) in the upper Columbia River have been in decline for over 60 years and are listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Annual spawning produces dispersing larvae; however, recruitment into the juvenile age class has not occurred since the early 1970s. One hypothesis to explain this failure in recruitment is that larvae may not find adequate prey. Little is known about diet and prey availability for white sturgeon larvae, especially in Lake Roosevelt, a reservoir of the Columbia River. The Spokane Tribe of Indians collected littoral and mid-channel benthic drift samples …

From Seed To Sky: Impacts Of Explosive Compounds On Vegetation Across Spatial And Developmental Scales, Stephen M. Via

Theses and Dissertations

Explosive compounds are broadly distributed across the globe as a result of nearly two centuries of munitions use in warfare and military activities. Two explosive compounds have seen disproportionate use; RDX (hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine) and TNT (2-methyl- 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene), being the most commonly found explosives in the environment. The effects of explosives on biota have been studied in great detail; however, there is a general lack of understanding with regard to broader ecological impacts of these contaminants. My dissertation objective was to follow the impacts of explosive compounds on vegetation across scales. Impacts on vegetation at the species scale alter community composition via …

Dung Beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) Utilizing Water Buffalo Dungon The Black Sea Coast Of Turkey, Gregory Thomas Sullivan, Sebahat Sullivan, Jean-Pierre Lumaret, Greg Baxter, Myron Zalucki, Ünal Zeybekoğlu

Turkish Journal of Zoology

There have been few ecological studies of dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) from the Black Sea Region of Turkey. In the RAMSAR-listed wetland system of the Kızılırmak Delta of Turkey's central Black Sea coast, seasonal grazing by domesticated water buffalo produces plentiful dung from April to November. Twenty-three species of dung beetles from 13 genera of Aphodiinae and 4 genera of Scarabaeinae were collected from their dung on two adjacent soil types in 2013. The species were from three functional groups, namely dung dwelling (12), tunneling (10), and ball rolling (1). Thirteen and fourteen species were collected in spring/summer and autumn, …

Marine Ecoregion And Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Affect Recruitment And Population Structure Of A Salt Marsh Snail, Steven C. Pennings, Scott Zengel, Jacob Oehrig, Merryl Alber, T. Dale Bishop, Donald R. Deis, Donna Devlin, A. Randall Hughes, John J. Hutchens, Jr., Whitney M. Kiehn, Caroline R. Mcfarlin, Clay L. Montague, Sean P. Powers, C. Edward Proffitt, Nicholle Rutherford, Camille L. Stagg, Keith Walters

University Faculty and Staff Publications

Marine species with planktonic larvae often have high spatial and temporal variation in recruitment that leads to subsequent variation in the ecology of benthic adults. Using a combination of published and unpublished data, we compared the population structure of the salt marsh snail, Littoraria irrorata, between the South Atlantic Bight and the Gulf Coast of the United States to infer geographic differences in recruitment and to test the hypothesis that the Deepwater Horizon oil spill led to widespread recruitment failure of L. irrorata in Louisiana in 2010. Size-frequency distributions in both ecoregions were bimodal, with troughs in the distributions consistent …