Digital Commons Network^™

Spatial Heterogeneity, Not Visitation Bias, Dominates Variation In Herbivory: Comment & Reply, James F. Cahill, Brenda B. Casper, David S. Hik, Svata M. Louda, Anne M. Parkhurst, Kate L. Bradley, Elisabeth S. Bakker, Johannes M. H. Knops, Ellen I. Damschen, Lauren M. Young

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

An exchange regarding the article: Bradley, K. L., E. I. Damschen, L. M. Young, D. Kuefler, S. Went, G. Wray, N. M. Haddad, J. M. H. Knops, and S. M. Louda. 2003. Spatial heterogeneity, not visitation bias, dominates variation in herbivory. Ecology 84:2214–2221.

Cahill et al. write:
Here we show that the experimental design and statistical analysis used by Bradley et al. (2003) do not adequately control for Type II experimental error (accepting the null hypothesis when it is in fact false). This is particularly important when responses have low effect sizes such as those previously demonstrated for visitation effects …

Red Rock Desert Learning Center Core Group Meeting: September 21, 2004, Red Rock Desert Learning Center

Reports (RRLC)

1. Introductions (5 min.)
2. Approval of Minutes from August 17 Meeting (5 minutes)
3. Potential Tie-in with City of Las Vegas New Directions YouthArts Program –
   Markus Tracy (20 min.)
4. Presentation of Education in the Environment Curriculum Matrix and correlation to
   RRDLC curriculum development – Jeanne Klockow (30 min.)
5. Discussion of Policy-making Board for the Center – Michael Reiland (15 min.)
6. Discussion of Observatory Location – Michael Reiland (25 min.)
7. Standing Reports (20 minutes)
   A. Line and Space Architects Update – Les Wallach/Henry Tom
   B. UNLV/CESU Update – Nancy Flagg
   C. RRCNCA Capital Improvements Update – BLM
8. Committee Reports (10 min.)
   A. …

Education In The Environment Partnership, Public Lands Institute

Presentations (PLI Education)

• Update on Oliver Ranch
• Update on Forever Earth
• Update on WOW on the Water

Historical Evidence Of Riparian Forests In The Great Plains And How That Knowledge Can Aid With Restoration And Management., Elliot West, Greg Ruark

United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

While some argue that the Great Plains were dominated by grasslands and that riparian woodlands were rare, others contend that trees would logically have occurred in riparian areas due to favorable microenvironment conditions. Historically, what native plant communities were found in riparian zones of the Great Plains? The answers to this question depend to a large extent on what time period is used as a reference of pre-settlement conditions.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (1981) drew upon conditions in 1905 for insight and concluded that trees were “wholly absent” or consisted of scattered cottonwood and willow. However, such a …

Woodland Amphibian Distribution In Parks And Greenspaces Of The Portland, Oregon Metropolitan Area: A Multiple Scale Investigation, Laura A. Roberts

Dissertations and Theses

Loss of biodiversity due to habitat fragmentation is worldwide problem. With growing human populations and increasing urbanization, it is a necessity to conduct studies on wildlife occurring in urban areas. Currently there is a deficit of research investigating woodland amphibians in urban environments. My objectives were to describe amphibian species richness and abundance in the Portland, Oregon, Metropolitan region, and relate patterns of variation to variables at three increasingly large spatial scales: 1) local microenvironmental (i.e. amphibian/substrate interaction), (2) macrohabitat/patch (i.e. park or greenspace), and 3) landscape (surrounding parks and greenspaces). Environmental variables occurring within the three spatial scales were …

Oliver Ranch Core Group Meeting: August 17, 2004, Red Rock Desert Learning Center

Reports (RRLC)

1. Introductions (5 minutes)
2. Approval of Minutes from June 15 Meeting (5 minutes)
3. Review of Draft Talking Points/FAQ – Nancy Flagg (30 min)
4. Discussion of Wild Horse and Burro Facility – Billie Young (30 min.)
5. Standing Reports (30 minutes)
   A. Line and Space Update – Les Wallach/Henry Tom
   B. UNLV/CESU Update – Peg Rees/Nancy Flagg
   C. RRCNRA Capital Improvements Update – Mark Morse/Michael Reiland
6. ORSS Committee Reports (15 minutes)
   A. Design Oversight – David Frommer
   B. Educational Programs – Paul Buck
   C. Fund-Raising & Partnerships – Blaine Benedict
   D. NEPA – Charles Carroll
   E. Operations – Jack Ramsey
   F. Other Uses …

Copepods From Shore And Offshore Waters Of Pakistan, Quddusi B. Kazmi

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

This report is a history of copepodology based on the review of previously recorded species of copepods from Pakistan (Arabian Sea) by Pakistani workers and other contemporary surveys. The plankton samples studied are the epipelagic copepods collected during the Northern Arabian Sea Ecological and Environmental Research (NASEER) Cruise I (January 7-22, 1992) and Cruise IV (May 10-21, 1994). Some planktonic and phytal species obtained from a U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR) project (1993-1995) on living resources in nearshore waters, and interstitial species obtained during a preliminary survey ONR (1998-2000) of the interstitial copepods carried out for the first time …

Oliver Ranch Core Group Meeting: July 20, 2004, Red Rock Desert Learning Center

Reports (RRLC)

1. Introductions (5 minutes)
2. Approval of Minutes from June 15 Meeting (5 minutes)
3. Review of Draft Talking Points/FAQ – Nancy Flagg (30 min)
4. Discussion of Wild Horse and Burro Facility – Billie Young (30 min.)
5. Standing Reports (30 minutes)
   A. Line and Space Update – Les Wallach/Henry Tom
   B. UNLV/CESU Update – Peg Rees/Nancy Flagg
   c. RRCNRA Capital Improvements Update – Mark Morse/Michael Reiland
6. ORSS Committee Reports (15 minutes)
   A. Design Oversight – David Frommer
   B. Educational Programs – Paul Buck
   C. Fund-Raising & Partnerships – Blaine Benedict
   D. NEPA – Charles Carroll
   E. Operations – Jack Ramsey
   F. Other Uses …

Effects Of Natal Departure And Water Level On Survival Of Juvenile Snail Kites (Rostrhamus Sociabilis) In Florida, Victoria J. Dreitz, Wiley M. Kitchens, Donald L. Deangelis

Wildlife Biology Faculty Publications

Survival rate from fledging to breeding, or juvenile survival, is an important source of variation in lifetime reproductive success in birds. Therefore, determining the relation-ship between juvenile survival and environmental factors is essential to understanding fitness consequences of reproduction in many populations. With increases in density of individuals and depletion of food resources, quality of most habitats deteriorates during the breeding season. Individuals respond by dispersing in search of food resources. Therefore, to understand the influence of environmental factors on juvenile survival, it is also necessary to know how natal dispersal influences survival of juveniles. We examined effects of various …

Oliver Ranch Core Group Meeting: June 15, 2004, Red Rock Desert Learning Center

Reports (RRLC)

1. Approval of Minutes from May 18 Meeting
2. UNLV/CESU Update – Peg Rees/Nancy Flagg
   A. ORSS History and Talking Points
   B. Presentations to Civic Groups
3. Line and Space Update – Les Wallach/Henry Tom
4. RRCNRA Capital Improvements Update – Mark Morse
5. ORSS Project Timeline – Michael Reiland
6. Linkages Between ORSS Curriculum and Building Design – Paul Buck
7. Video Interviews of CCSD 5th Graders – CCSD Staff
8. ORSS Sub-Committee Reports
   -- Status of Committee Mission Statements
   -- Committee Responses to L&S Draft
   -- Proposal to Establish a Building Committee
   A. Operations – Jack Ramsey
   B. Wild Horse & Burro – Billie Young
   C. …

Tide, Buoyancy, And Wind-Driven Circulation Of The Charlotte Harbor Estuary: A Model Study, Lianyuan Zheng, Robert H. Weisberg

Marine Science Faculty Publications

The circulation of the Charlotte Harbor (CH) estuary is explored with a primitive equation model that encompasses the estuary and the adjacent West Florida Shelf. Tidal forcing is from the shelf through the inlets. We use the M₂, S₂, K₁, and O₁ constituents that account for 95% of the shelf tidal variance. River inflows are by the Peace, Myakka, and Caloosahatchee Rivers at their spring 1998 mean values. Wind effects are considered for upwelling or downwelling favorable winds that are either held constant or allowed to oscillate with varying periodicities. These factors are …

Combining Paternally And Maternally Inherited Mitochondrial Dna For Analysis Of Population Structure In Mussels, Robert A. Krebs

Biological, Geological, and Environmental Faculty Publications

Sequence divergence for a fragment of the 16S rRNA gene was compared to identify the advantages in using mitochondrial genes that descend separately through the female and male lineages to examine population structure. The test compared divergence among four local species of freshwater mussels (Unionidae) and was extended to multiple populations of one species, Pyganodon grandis. For the same gene, the male-inherited sequences diverged at a faster rate, producing longer branch lengths in the phylogenies. Of particular use were sequences extracted from P. grandis populations from the southern region of the Lake Erie watershed (Ohio, USA); five male-inherited haplotypes were …

Rationale For A New Generation Of Indicators For Coastal Waters, Gerald Niemi, Denice Wardrop, Robert Brooks, Susan Anderson, Valerie Brady, Hans Paerl, Chet Rakocinski, Marius Brouwer, Barbara Levinson, Michael Mcdonald

Faculty Publications

More than half the world'S human population lives within 100 km of the coast, and that number is expected to increase by 25% over the next two decades. Consequently, coastal ecosystems are at serious risk. Larger coastal populations and increasing development have led to increased loading of toxic substances, nutrients and pathogens with subsequent algal blooms, hypoxia, beach closures, and damage to coastal fisheries. Recent climate change has led to the rise in sea level with loss of coastal wetlands and saltwater intrusion into coastal aquifers. Coastal resources have traditionally been monitored on a stressor-by-stressor basis such as for nutrient …

Diploid And Polyploid Cytotype Distribution In Melampodium Cinereum And M. Leucanthum (Asteraceae, Heliantheae), Tod F. Stuessy, Hanna Weiss-Schneeweiss, David J. Keil

Biological Sciences

Previous chromosomal studies within Melampodium (Asteraceae, Heliantheae) of Mexico and Central America have documented chromosome numbers n = 9, 10, 11, 12, 18, 20, 23, 25 ± 1, 27, 30, and 33. Some species also have been shown to exhibit infra-and interpopulational polyploidy. The presence of cytotype mixtures is especially pronounced in the white-rayed complex, which occurs in the southwestern United States and adjacent Mexico. This group includes M. cinereum (n = 10 and 20), M. leucanthum (n = 10 and 20), and M. argophyllum (n = 30). Cytotype distribution has been newly analyzed in 415 plants from 152 populations …

Oliver Ranch Core Group Meeting: May 18, 2004, Red Rock Desert Learning Center

Reports (RRLC)

1. Where have we been and where are we going?
2. Line and Space Report
3. Committee Reports
4. Future Core Group Meetings

Cattle As Grazing Management And Seed Dispersal Tools For Increasing Native Species Diversity On Great Basin Rangelands, Marina K. Whitacre

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A series of experiments evaluated: 1) the influence of seed intake and gut retention time on seed passage, recovery, and germinability; 2) fecal seeding and broadcast /trampling as techniques to incorporate seeds into a well-established Agropyron desertorum (Fisch.) Schult. stand in Skull Valley , Utah; 3) intensive grazing as a means to reduce Agropyron biomass and increase establishment and survival of seeded species; and 4) the recovery and germinability of seed extracted from dung collected from the field. Two shrubs (Artemisia tridentata Nutt. ssp. wyomingensis Beetle & Young and Atriplex confertifolia Torr. & Frem.), a grass (Elymus elymoides (Raf.) …

Contemporary Visions Of Progress In Ecology And Thoughts For The Future, Brian M. Starzomski, Bradley J. Cardinale, Jennifer A. Dunne, Melinda J. Hillery, Carrie A. Holt, Meg A. Krawchuk, Melissa Lage, Sean Mcmahon, Michael C. Melnychuk

Research outputs pre 2011

Although ecological research is progressing rapidly, the answers to certain key questions continue to elude us. This paper considers several of the contemporary challenges facing ecology. (1) Terminology is voluminous and often poorly defined, resulting in inefficient communication. (2) The concept of scale affects our inferences about system structure and function, requiring us to continue an almost heuristic investigation of breaks, domains, and integration. New tools that more explicitly incorporate scalar issues will need to be developed for progress to take place in the field of ecology. (3) Increasingly, it is expected that applied questions will be solved in less …

Alternative Future Growth Scenarios For Conserving Open Space Along Utah's Wasatch Front: A Case Study For The Mountain Land Association Of Governments, Richard E. Toth

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Over the past 20 years, rapid suburban and second-home development along Utah's Wasatch Front has threatened to irreversibly alter the region 's character and quality of life. This rapid development has raised concern among federal, state, county and community leaders with respect to the protection of surface and subsurface water; public health, safety and welfare; public services and infrastructure, and open space. The major areas being developed include the valley edges and bottom lands, riparian zones, agricultural lands and bench areas. Since most of these areas are under private ownership, they are highly vulnerable to an array of development activities.

Ten Suggestions To Strengthen The Science Of Ecology, Gary E. Belovsky, Daniel B. Botkin, Todd A. Crowl, Kenneth W. Cummins, Jerry F. Franklin, Malcolm L. Hunter, Anthony Joern, David B. Lindenmayer, James A. Macmahon, Chris R. Margules, J. Michael Scott

Papers in Ecology

There are few well-documented, general ecological principles that can be applied to pressing environmental issues. When they discuss them at all, ecologists often disagree about the relative importance of different aspects of the science’s original and still important issues. It may be that the sum of ecological science is not open to universal statements because of the wide range of organizational, spatial, and temporal phenomena, as well as the sheer number of possible interactions.We believe, however, that the search for general principles has been inadequate to establish the extent to which generalities are possible.We suggest that ecologists may need to …

Endangered And Threatened Wildlife And Plants: Designation Of Critical Habitat For Topeka Shiner

Endangered Species Bulletin

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the reopening of a 30-day public comment period for the proposed rule to designate critical habitat for the Topeka shiner (Notropis topeka) pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). The proposed rule to designate critical habitat in the States of Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, and South Dakota was published on August 21, 2002 (67 FR 54261). We herein propose critical habitat segments for Missouri and one additional segment for South Dakota, and discuss potential exclusions from critical habitat designation under the authority of section 4(b)(2). We …

Spatial Heterogeneity Of Crenarchaeal Assemblages Within Mesophilic Soil Ecosystems As Revealed By Pcr-Single-Stranded Conformation Polymorphism Profiling, Marek K. Sliwinski

Faculty Work

Microbial ecologists have discovered novel rRNA genes (rDNA) in mesophilic soil habitats worldwide, including sequences that affiliate phylogenetically within the division Crenarchaeota (domain Archaea). To characterize the spatial distribution of crenarchaeal assemblages in mesophilic soil habitats, we profiled amplified crenarchaeal 16S rDNA sequences from diverse soil ecosystems by using PCR-single-stranded-conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) analysis. PCR-SSCP profiles provide a measure of relative microbial diversity in terms of richness (number of different phylotypes as estimated from the number of unique PCR-SSCP peaks) and evenness (abundance of each phylotype as estimated from the relative area under a peak). Crenarchaeal assemblages inhabiting prairie, forest, …

Vascular Plants Of The Russian Peak Area Siskiyou County, California, James P. Smith Jr, John O. Sawyer Jr.

Botanical Studies

No abstract provided.

Microbial Endemism And Biogeography, Brian P. Hedlund, James T. Staley

Life Sciences Faculty Research

The topic of microbial biogeography is almost 100 years old, however, when confronted with questions about the existence and extent of endemism in the microbial world, many microbiologists respond with opinions and theoretical arguments rather than examples of well-conducted studies. We begin this chapter with an overview of this debate as it applies to free-living prokayotes in part because there are relatively few good microbial biogeography studies. Furthermore, the arguments help to frame microbial biogeography in the larger context of biodiversity in that if endemism is common, then many more species exist.

Curassows, Guans And Chacalacas: Status Survey And Conservation Action Plan (2000-2004), Stuart D. Strahl, Daniel M. Brooks

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Reports and Other Materials

Executive Summary

Introduction

• Scope, structure, and objectives of the plan
• Rationale for the action plan
• Relevance of the action plan to general biodiversity conservation
• Cracid Specialist Group activities, strategy, and history
• Symposia and workshops
• Cracid Specialist Group publications
• Other activities related to cracid conservation
• Cracid natural history
• Evolution and ecology
• Biogeography, distribution, and habitat association
• The role of cracids in ecosystems
• Cracids as biological indicators of ecosystem health
• Socio-economic importance of cracids
• Sustainable use
• Potential for ecotourism
• Taxonomic definitions used in this action plan
• Threats to cracids
• Hunting pressure
• Habitat destruction
• Lack of knowledge
• Action needed to secure the future …

Seed Mass And Morphology In Outcrossing And Selfing Species Of Clarkia (Onagraceae): An Sem Study, Jennifer L. Knies, Veronique A. Delesalle, A. R. Cavaliere

Biology Faculty Publications

Seeds from three pairs of outcrossing-selfing sister taxa from the genus Clarkia (farewell-to-spring, Onagraceae)—Clarkia unguiculata, Clarkia exilis, Clarkia xantiana ssp. xantiana and ssp. parviflora, and Clarkia concinna ssp. concinna and ssp. automixa—were studied to assess the effects of contrasting mating systems on seed mass and seed morphology. For each outcrossing-selfing comparison, the seed mass of the selfing taxon was less than that of the outcrossing taxon. Seed mass typically differed significantly among populations within a taxon. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the seeds from all these taxa share several characteristics: a bullet to shield shape, a reticulate exotesta pattern, presence …

Diel Activity Patterns, Space Utilization, Seasonal Distribution And Population Structure Of The Yellow Stingray, Urobatis Jamaicensis (Cuvier, 1817) In South Florida With Comments On Reproduction., Daniel P. Fahy

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

The yellow stingray, Urobatis jamaicensis is the most common elasmobranch in the coastal waters of Southeast Florida. Despite their common occurrence the ecology of yellow stingrays remains poorly understood. In particular, yellow stingray daily movements, space utilization, seasonal distribution and population structure have not been described. This study was conducted to address the lack of knowledge of these fundamental life history parameters and to provide further information on the ecology of U. jamaicensis in coastal waters of Broward County, Florida.

The activity patterns and space utilization of U. jamaicensis were assessed by manual tracking with ultrasonic telemetry. Telemetry tracking of …

Effects Of Silvicultural Practices On Soil Carbon And Nitrogen In A Nitrogen Saturated Central Appalachian (Usa) Hardwood Forest Ecosystem, Frank S. Gilliam, David A. Dick, Michelle L. Kerr, Mary Beth Adams

Biological Sciences Faculty Research

Silvicultural treatments represent disturbances to forest ecosystems often resulting in transient increases in net nitrification and leaching of nitrate and base cations from the soil. Response of soil carbon (C) is more complex, decreasing from enhanced soil respiration and increasing from enhanced postharvest inputs of detritus. Because nitrogen (N) saturation can have similar effects on cation mobility, timber harvesting in N-saturated forests may contribute to a decline in both soil C and base cation fertility, decreasing tree growth. Although studies have addressed effects of either forest harvesting or N saturation separately, few data exist on their combined effects. Our study …

Spatial Patterns Of Estuarine Habitat Type Use And Temporal Patterns In Abundance Of Juvenile Permit, Trachinotus Falcatus, In Charlotte Harbor, Florida, Aaron J. Adams, David A. Blewett

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The life history of many marine fishes is a 2-phase cycle: juveniles and adults make up a demersal phase, whereas larvae are planktonic. Determining ontogenetic patterns of habitat type use of the demersal phase has important management and habitat conservation implications for species that use coastal habitat types as juveniles. Juvenile permit, Trachinotus falcatus, are presumed to be limited to beaches exposed to open ocean, but few studies have addressed juvenile permit use of estuarine habitat types. Ten years of fisheries-independent monitoring data from a subtropical estuary were analyzed to determine habitat type use patterns and seasonality of juvenile …

Physiological Performance Of Thamnophis Hammondii Is Not Affected After Eating The Toxic Frog Xenopus Laevis, C. Drew Foster

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Oliver Ranch Science School Complex & Wild Horse And Burro Facility: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending June 30, 2004, Margaret N. Rees

Oliver Ranch Project

Assist in project coordination between numerous stakeholders such as the Clark County School System, Desert Research Institute, Community College of Southern Nevada, UNR Cooperative Extension, Nevada State College, local museums, state parks, non-profit organizations, federal agencies, and the public to ensure appropriate educational curricular activities and venues are provided for in the conceptual design of the School and the Wild Horse and Burro facility where appropriate as well as assist in the NEPA process as needed. The activities will be conducted at least in part by university faculty, staff and students as part of the university’s research, teaching, and service …