Digital Commons Network^™

Spatial Conversions And Alternative Futures: Sitla / Blm: A Preliminary Analysis, Richard E. Toth

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Recipes Of Resolve: Food And Meaning In Post-Diluvian New Orleans, Jessica Claire Menck

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

In 2005 the city of New Orleans experienced catastrophic flooding as a result of the failure of the federal levee system following Hurricane Katrina. This was an immediate disaster that evolved into a longer-term crisis as the city, state, and national government struggled to respond to the event. This study focuses on one part of managing crisis: meaning making. Specifically, the study investigates meaning making within the food community of New Orleans, asking the questions: is food a way for individuals and groups to make meaning following critical change events such as the failure of the federal levee system in …

Controls On Dissolved Cobalt In Surface Waters Of The Sargasso Sea: Comparisons With Iron And Aluminum, R. U. Shelley, Peter N. Sedwick, T. S. Bibby, P. Cabedo-Sanz, T. M. Church, R. J. Johnson, A. I. Macey, C. M. Marsay, E. R. Sholkovitz, S. J. Ussher, P. J. Worsfold, M. C. Lohan

OES Faculty Publications

Dissolved cobalt (dCo), iron (dFe) and aluminum (dAl) were determined in water column samples along a meridional transect (∼31°N to 24°N) south of Bermuda in June 2008. A general north-to-south increase in surface concentrations of dFe (0.3-1.6 nM) and dAl (14-42 nM) was observed, suggesting that aerosol deposition is a significant source of dFe and dAl, whereas no clear trend was observed. for near-surface dCo concentrations. Shipboard aerosol samples indicate fractional solubility values of 8-100% for aerosol Co, which are significantly higher than corresponding estimates of the solubility of aerosol Fe (0.44-45%). Hydrographic observations and analysis of time series rain …

Revealing The Appetite Of The Marine Aquarium Fish Trade: The Volume And Biodiversity Of Fish Imported Into The United States, Andrew L. Rhyne, Michael F. Tlusty, Pamela J. Schofield, Les Kaufman, James A. Morris Jr, Andrew W. Bruckner

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

The aquarium trade and other wildlife consumers are at a crossroads forced by threats from global climate change and other anthropogenic stressors that have weakened coastal ecosystems. While the wildlife trade may put additional stress on coral reefs, it brings income into impoverished parts of the world and may stimulate interest in marine conservation. To better understand the influence of the trade, we must first be able to quantify coral reef fauna moving through it. Herein, we discuss the lack of a data system for monitoring the wildlife aquarium trade and analyze problems that arise when trying to monitor the …

Morphological Variation Among Populations Of Uca Rapax In The Gulf Of Mexico And Northern Caribbean, Amanda L. Brase

Honors Program Theses

This study explores the relationship between phenotypic variation in the carapace morphology and the geographic distribution of Uca rapax population in the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, and the Northern Caribbean Sea. Carapace or body shape in 37 populations is analyzed quantitatively and correlated with two habitat variables: salinity and location. Although there is morphological overlap among populations grouped by habitat, they are significantly different when sorted by geographic region. Populations from the northern and western Gulf of Mexico diverge from those in Florida, the Yucatan and the northern Caribbean implying restricted larval dispersal and/or differential habitat selection.

Using Ecological Niche Modeling To Resolve Cryptic Taxa Within The Greenside Darter Species Complex, Jack Alphonse Kosmicki

Honors Program Theses

A major challenge for systematists is clearly identifying species early after a speciation event (Frost and Kluge, 1994; Wiens and Servedio, 2000; Coyne and Orr, 2004). Traditionally species delimitation is made based on morphological characteristics, behavioral differences, and/or genetic data. However, for cryptic species lineages, these approaches do not work as well because the lineages have subtle overlapping morphological and behavioral differences and lineage sorting may not be complete (Raxworthy et al., 2007). A far less common approach is to use ecological niche models (ENMs) to help identify new species. This approach holds strong potential for cryptic species in which …

Comparative Analysis Of Microsatellite And Mitochondrial Genetic Variation In Ixodes Scapularis, Cynthia Tak Wan Chan

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Ixodes scapularis, the black legged tick, is a species endemic to North America with a range including most of the eastern-half of the United States and portions of Canada and Mexico. The tick is an important vector of diseases transmitted to humans and animals. Since its first description in 1821, the taxonomy of the species has been controversial. Biological differences have been identified in the northern and southern populations, yet no consensus exists on population structure and the causes of this disparity. Earlier molecular studies utilizing nuclear and mitochondrial genetic markers have revealed the occurrence of two distinct lineages: …

Revision Of Graecoanatolica (Gastropoda: Hydrobiidae) Species In Turkey, Ümi̇t Kebapçi, Seval Bahadir Koca, Mehmet Zeki̇ Yildirim

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Graecoanatolica Radoman, 1973 is a remarkable genus of Hydrobiidae, recognized with its disjunct distribution between Macedonia, Greece (Thessaly), and Turkey (Lakes Region). However, the current distribution of the genus is restricted to Turkey, as the 2 Balkan species have been declared extinct. In this study, a taxonomic revision of the Graecoanatolica species in Turkey is presented. Among 6 previously recognized species, G. conica Radoman, 1973 and G. brevis Radoman, 1973 from the provinces of Denizli and Burdur are determined to be extinct. G. anatolica (Schütt, 1965) comb. nov. is transferred to the genus and G. dinarica sp. nov. is described …

The Colonization And Conservation Genetics Of The Rainbow Darter, Etheostoma Caeruleum, In Northeast Iowa, Dane Jonathan Davis

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The aim of this project was to study the population genetic structure of the rainbow darter, Etheostorna caeruleum, distributed in northeastern Iowa rivers. Overall, Iowa sustains a wide array of physical habitats and varying fish assemblage conditions that are influenced by climate and the geology of the landscape. The chief objective of the research was to increase knowledge of nongame species movement that can aid managers in conservation. This project addresses the question: What is the population genetic structure, amount of gene flow, and level of connectivity between populations of Etheostorna caeruleum distributed in northeast Iowa. Specimens were collected from …

A Preliminary Study On The Length-Weight Relationship Of Sacura Boulengeri (Heemstra, 1973) From Indian Waters, Kinattumkara Bineesh, Sebastine Manju, Kallivalappil Akhilesh, Gopalakrishna Pillai

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Sacura boulengeri (Heemstra, 1973) is a rare serranid fish (Subfamily: Anthiinae) having very disjunct distribution in the western Indian Ocean. The rarity of the species is evident from earlier reports and, so far, no related studies on the species have been published except on taxonomy and distributional records. In the present investigation, the length-weight relationship of Sacura boulengeri was estimated to be W = 0.0777 × L2.690 (with 95% confidence intervals for b and r2). An analysis of the stomach contents revealed that sergestid shrimps and copepods were the major food items of the diet.

Modeling Broad-Scale Patterns Of Avian Species Richness Across The Midwestern United States With Measures Of Satellite Image Texture, Patrick D. Culbert, Volker C. Radeloff, Véronique St-Louis, Curtis H. Flather, Chadwick D. Rittenhouse, Thomas P. Albright, Anna M. Pidgeon

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

Avian biodiversity is threatened, and in order to prioritize limited conservation resources and conduct effective conservation planning a better understanding of avian species richness patterns is needed. The use of image texture measures, as a proxy for the spatial structure of land cover and vegetation, has proven useful in explaining patterns of avian abundance and species richness. However, prior studies that modeled habitat with texture measures were conducted over small geographical extents and typically focused on a single habitat type. Our goal was to evaluate the performance of texture measures over broad spatial extents and across multiple habitat types with …

Using Three-Dimensional Flight Patterns At Airfields To Identify Hotspots For Avian-Aircraft Collisions, W. David Walter, Justin W. Fischer, John S. Humphrey, Trey S. Daughtery, Michael P. Milleson, Eric A. Tillman, Michael L. Avery

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

In the United States, black vulture (Coragyps atratus) and turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) pose significant birdstrike risks to aircraft. Understanding flight behaviors of vultures in and around military and civilian airfields is necessary to alleviate these risks. Using satellite telemetry data collected from 11 black vultures and 7 turkey vultures equipped with Global Positioning System backpack harness technology, we collected data on location and altitude near the Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) in Beaufort, South Carolina from September 2006 to September 2008. We used military aircraft flight landing patterns to visualize a new concept, a flight …

Evolutionary History Of Caribbean Species Of Myotis, With Evidence Of A Third Lesser Antillean Endemic, Roxanne J. Larsen, Peter A. Larsen, Hugh H. Genoways, Francois M. Catzeflis, Keith Geluso, Gary G. Kwiecinski, Scott C. Pedersen, Fernando Simal

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Currently, four species of Myotis are known from the islands of the Caribbean (Myotis dominicensis, M. martiniquensis, M. nesopolus, and M. nigricans). Myotis dominicensis and M. martiniquensis are endemic to the Lesser Antilles, whereas M. nesopolus and M. nigricans are considered conspecific with mainland populations. Recent phylogenetic and phylogeographic studies provided hypotheses regarding the origin and diversification of M. dominicensis and M. martiniquensis. However, these studies focused primarily on convergent morphology or distribution patterns of this genus and not on the evolutionary history of Caribbean Myotis. Here, we explore variation across multiple datasets …

Molecular Phylogenetics Of Alternanthera (Gomphrenoideae, Amaranthaceae): Resolving A Complex Taxonomic History Caused By Different Interpretations Of Morphological Characters In A Lineage With C4 And C3-C4 Intermediate Species, Ivonne Sánchez-Del Pino, Timothy J. Motley, Thomas Borsch

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Aternanthera (Amaranthaceae) is a diverse genus (80-200 species) largely restricted to the American Tropics. With Pedersenia and Tidestromia, it makes up the Alternantheroid clade in Gomphrenoideae. Parsimony and Bayesian analyses of nucleotide sequences of nuclear (ITS) and plastid (rpl16, trnL-F) and morphological characters identify that the capitate stigma of Alternanthera is a synapomorpy within the Alternantheroids. Within Alternanthera, two major clades were resolved, both of which were marked by otherwise homoplasious characters of the gynoecium: Clade A [99% jackknife (JK); 1.0 posterior probability (PP)] with nine species and Clade B (60% JK; 0.98 PP) with 22 …

Novel Lineages Of Prochlorococcus And Synechococcus In The Global Oceans, Sijun Huang, Steven W. Wilhelm, H. Rodger Harvey, Karen Taylor, Nianzhi Jiao, Feng Chen

OES Faculty Publications

Picocyanobacteria represented by Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus have an important role in oceanic carbon fixation and nutrient cycling. In this study, we compared the community composition of picocyanobacteria from diverse marine ecosystems ranging from estuary to open oceans, tropical to polar oceans and surface to deep water, based on the sequences of 16S-23S rRNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS). A total of 1339 ITS sequences recovered from 20 samples unveiled diverse and several previously unknown clades of Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus. Six high-light (HL)-adapted Prochlorococcus clades were identified, among which clade HLVI had not been described previously. Prochlorococcus clades HLIII, HLIV and …

Δ13c Is A Signature Of Light Availability And Photosynthesis In Seagrass, Xingping Hu, David J. Burdige, Richard C. Zimmerman

OES Faculty Publications

We explored the role of light-saturated (carbon-limited) photosynthesis on δ¹³C of turtlegrass (Thalassia testudinum Banks ex Konig) populations from the clear, blue waters of the Great Bahama Bank and the turbid, green waters of Florida Bay using field observations and radiative transfer models. Consistent with numerous previous observations, leaf δ¹³C decreased significantly with water depth in both regions. However the δ¹³C for Bahamas turtlegrass was 3 parts per thousand heavier than that for Florida Bay turtlegrass at equivalent depths, and broadband irradiance explained even less of the δ¹³C variations than depth. Instead, leaf δ¹³C showed a stronger relationship to …

Local Conditions, Not Regional Gradients, Drive Demographic Variation Of Giant Ragweed (Ambrosia Trifida) And Common Sunflower (Helianthus Annuus) Across Northern U.S. Maize Belt, Samuel E. Wortman, Adam Davis, Brian J. Schutte, John L. Lindquist, John Cardina, Joel Felix, Christy L. Sprague, J. Anita Dille, Analiza H. M. Ramirez, Graig Reicks, Sharon A. Clay

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Knowledge of environmental factors influencing demography of weed species will improve understanding of current and future weed invasions. The objective of this study was to quantify regional-scale variation in vital rates of giant ragweed and common sunflower . To accomplish this objective, a common field experiment was conducted across seven sites between 2006 and 2008 throughout the north central U.S. maize belt. Demographic parameters of both weed species were measured in intra- and interspecific competitive environments, and environmental data were collected within site-years. Site was the strongest predictor of below ground vital rates (summer and winter seed survival and seedling …

Evidence For The Origin Of The B Genome Of Bread Wheat Based On Chloroplast Dna, Nadia Haider

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

The hexaploid bread wheat Triticum aestivum L. (AABBDD) is thought to have originated through one or more rare hybridization events between Aegilops tauschii (DD) and the tetraploid Emmer wheat T. turgidum subsp. dicoccon (AABB). The progenitor of the A genome of T. aestivum has generally been accepted to be T. urartu. The origin of the B genome, however, is controversial and still relatively unknown. Research has found the B genome in T. turgidum to be closely similar to the S genome in section Sitopsis of Aegilops L.; the Sitopsis diploid species were thus proposed as the probable maternal parent in …

Using Three-Dimensional Flight Patterns At Airfields To Identify Hotspots For Avianeaircraft Collisions, W. David Walter, Justin W. Fischer, John S. Humphrey, Trey S. Daughtery, Michael P. Milleson, Eric A. Tillman, Michael L. Avery

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

In the United States, black vulture (Coragyps atratus) and turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) pose significant birdstrike risks to aircraft. Understanding flight behaviors of vultures in and around military and civilian airfields is necessary to alleviate these risks. Using satellite telemetry data collected from 11 black vultures and 7 turkey vultures equipped with Global Positioning System backpack harness technology, we collected data on location and altitude near the Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) in Beaufort, South Carolina from September 2006 to September 2008. We used military aircraft flight landing patterns to visualize a new concept, a flight …

Coyote (Canis Latrans), 100+ Years In The East: A Literature Review, Lauren L. Mastro, Eric M. Gese, Julie K. Young, John A. Shivik

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Coyotes (Canis latrans) have expanded into the eastern United States over the last 100 years. Increases in their distribution and abundance have been documented and concerns about their presence in urban areas and their impact on both native wildlife and domestic livestock are growing. These impacts require further investigation and may require changes to management strategies. Two documents, a book and a technical bulletin, provide general overviews of eastern coyote biology. However, these documents are not comprehensive, and are either not readily available or were published >15 years ago. We provide a comprehensive review of the existing literature …

The Impact Of Decadal Land Cover Change On The Global Warming Potential Of Beringian Arctic Tundra, David Hwei-Len Lin

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Arctic terrestrial ecosystems play an important role in the global carbon cycle. If arctic warming continues to rise as projected, large amounts of soil carbon stored in these ecosystems could be released to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide or methane and positively enhance greenhouse warming. Thus, improving understanding of the likely future state and fate of arctic soil carbon, and the carbon uptake potential of arctic terrestrial ecosystems are well recognized research priorities.

At the pan-arctic scale, decadal increases in NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), an index of vegetation productivity, have been observed from satellite imagery, indicating a general greening …

Geochemical Analysis Of Ancient Activities At Two Plazas In Cobá, Mexico, Eric G. Coronel

Theses and Dissertations

Two plazas at Cobá, Mexico, may have been the place of market activity during the classic Maya period. The intense decomposition in the warm, moist soils of the Yucatan Peninsula precludes the identification of organic artifacts in archaeological contexts, but phosphorus and trace elements accumulation in soils may provide evidence of marketing activities. The spatial patterns of P and trace element concentrations were used to elucidate the types of ancient Maya activities that took place in those plazas. Phosphorus concentrations are highly correlated (p-value <0.01) with Fe, Mn, and Zn levels in both Plaza B and D. Although the soil geochemistry of Plaza B does not show a marketplace pattern in comparison with previous studies, the elemental concentrations and distributions within Plaza D join other lines of evidence to support the premise that marketplace activities took place at that location. Soil samples were analyzed using DTPA extraction, Mehlich II, Olsen, and Portable X-Ray Fluorescence (PXRF). Experiments were performed to study the suitability of PXRF for field studies. Aspects that were studied include granule size, soil moisture content, protective plastic films that could interfere with the X-Ray signal when placing the samples on top of the analyzer, and a comparison of certified soil standards to the PXRF elemental concentration readings. The results suggest that a field laboratory could be set up to air-dry and sieve soil samples to a minimum mesh size of #10 (> 2 mm).

Model Comparisons For Estimating Carbon Emissions From North American Wildland Fire, Nancy H. F. French, Willam J. De Groot, Liza K. Jenkins, Brendan M. Rogers, Ernesto Alvarado, Brian Amiro, Bernardus De Jong, Scott Goetz, Elizabeth Hoy, Edward Hyer, Robert Keane, B. E. Law, Donald Mckenzie, Steven G. Mcnulty, Roger Ottmar, Diego R. Perez-Salicrup, James Randerson, Kevin M. Robertson, Merritt Turetsky

Michigan Tech Research Institute Publications

Research activities focused on estimating the direct emissions of carbon from wildland fires across North America are reviewed as part of the North American Carbon Program disturbance synthesis. A comparison of methods to estimate the loss of carbon from the terrestrial biosphere to the atmosphere from wildland fires is presented. Published studies on emissions from recent and historic time periods and five specific cases are summarized, and new emissions estimates are made using contemporary methods for a set of specific fire events. Results from as many as six terrestrial models are compared. We find that methods generally produce similar results …

Afghan Genetic Mysteries, Bernard Dupaigne

Human Biology Open Access Pre-Prints

Letter To The Editor

Land Systems Of The Kimberley Region, Western Australia, A L. Payne, N Schoknecht

Technical Bulletins

The Land Systems of the Kimberley Region Report describes and maps the landscapes, soils and vegetation of the Kimberley region. This report is a consolidation of surveys carried out by different organisations, across different areas of the Kimberley, since the 1940s. The Kimberley region, as defined in this bulletin, covers 330 070km². The report categorises the Kimberley region into 111 land systems. Under each land system, the report identifies the vulnerabilities of those areas, and provides recommendations on how to achieve sustainable use. The report also publishes pasture types for the entire region and the grazing potential for each pasture, …

Population Status And Environmental Associations Of The Rare Striated Darter, Etheostoma Striatum, Andrew C. Abernathy, Hayden T. Mattingly

Southeastern Fishes Council Proceedings

No abstract provided.

Number 53 (December 2011), Southern Fishes Council

Southeastern Fishes Council Proceedings

(December 2011) - Population Status and Environmental Associations of the Rare Striated Darter, Etheostoma striatulum. By Andrew C. Abernathy and Hayden T. Mattingly

Conservation Status of the Longhead Darter, Percina macrocephala, in Kinniconick Creek, Kentucky. By David A. Eisenhour, Audrey M. Richter and Joshua M. Shiering

First Observation of a Natural Hybrid Between Endangered Roanoke Logperch (Percina rex) and Chainback Darter (Percina navisense). By James H. Roberts

Minutes, Business Meeting, 36th Annual Meeting, Southeastern Fishes Council

2010 Treasurer's Report for the Southeastern Fishes Council

Integration Versus Apartheid In Post-Roman Britain: A Response To Thomas Et Al. (2008), John E. Pattison

Human Biology Open Access Pre-Prints

The genetic surveys of the population of Britain conducted by Weale et al. and Capelli et al. produced estimates of the Germani immigration into Britain during the early Anglo-Saxon period, c.430-c.730. These estimates are considerably higher than the estimates of archaeologists. A possible explanation suggested that an apartheid-like social system existed in the early Anglo-Saxon kingdoms resulting in the Germani breeding more quickly than the Britons. Thomas et al. attempted to model this suggestion and showed that it was a possible explanation if all Anglo-Saxon kingdoms had such a system for up to 400 yrs. I noted that their explanation …

Scotts Bluff National Monument Plant Community Composition And Structure Monitoring, 2011 Annual Report, Isabel W. Ashton, Michael Prowatzke, Michael R. Bynum, Tim Shepherd, Stephen K. Wilson, Kara Paintner-Green

United States National Park Service: Publications

Executive Summary

The Northern Great Plains Inventory & Monitoring Network (NGPN) was established to develop and provide scientifically credible information on the current status and long-term trends of the composition, structure, and function of ecosystems in thirteen parks located in five northern Great Plains states. NGPN identified upland plant communities, exotic plant early detection, and riparian lowland communities as vital signs that can be used to better understand the condition of terrestrial park ecosystems (Gitzen et al. 2010). Upland and riparian ecosystems are important targets for vegetation monitoring because the status and trends in plant communities provide critical insights into …

Agate Fossil Beds National Monument Plant Community Composition And Structure Monitoring, 2011 Annual Report, Isabel W. Ashton, Michael Prowatzke, Michael R. Bynum, Tim Shepherd, Stephen K. Wilson, Kara Paintner-Green

United States National Park Service: Publications

Executive Summary

The Northern Great Plains Inventory & Monitoring Network (NGPN) was established to develop and provide scientifically credible information on the current status and long-term trends of the composition, structure, and function of ecosystems in thirteen parks located in five northern Great Plains states. NGPN identified upland plant communities, exotic plant early detection, and riparian lowland communities as vital signs that can be used to better understand the condition of terrestrial park ecosystems (Gitzen et al. 2010). Upland and riparian ecosystems are important targets for vegetation monitoring because the status and trends in plant communities provide critical insights into …