Digital Commons Network^™

Spatial Ramifications Of Crop Selection: Water Quality And Biomass Energy, M. P. Russelle, D. W. Kelley, A. S. Birr, D. C. Tiffany

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The use of GIS in concert with simple or complex simulation modeling provides an unparalleled way to generate new data and to help a variety of audiences understand spatial patterns of data. From improved understanding, policy incentives can be crafted to reduce adverse environmental impacts of agricultural production at lower costs than would be necessary otherwise. In this chapter, two case studies demonstrate how GIS and modeling can be used to understand how crop selection and soils interact to effect environmental outcomes across an agricultural landscape. We addressed the needs of two distinctly different audiences: (1) a public drinking water …

Biology Department Newsletter, No.1, Sacred Heart University

Biology Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Program And Proceedings: Nebraska Academy Of Sciences 1880–2011, 131st Anniversary Year, One Hundred-Twenty-First Annual Meeting

Nebraska Academy of Sciences: Programs and Proceedings

Program

Aeronautics and Space Science

Collegiate Academy: Biology

Collegiate Academy: Chemistry and Physics

Chemistry and Physics

Biological and Medical Sciences

Junior Academy, Senior High Competition

Nebraska Wesleyan University Health and Sciences Graduate School Fair, Olin and Smith Curtiss Halls

Teaching of Science and Math

Aeronautics and Space Science, Poster Session

Applied Science and Technology

Maiben Memorial Lecture: Erin Flynn, Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo

Aeronautics

Anthropology

Earth Science

Junior Academy, Junior High Competition

The Importance Of Disease And Behavior In Mammalian Ecology And Behavior, Christopher R. Collins

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Causes of mortality reflect the evolutionary forces shaping the physiology and behavior of species. To evaluate the relative importance of these in North American Mammals I compared published data from 69 populations across 27 species. Of the known causes, humans are the main cause of mortality (51.8%), followed by natural causes (48.5%), with predation being the largest natural cause. Populations in remote areas experienced higher hunting mortality, and those closer to human populations suffered increased vehicle collision. Predation mortality was negatively correlated with body mass.

Biogeographic Consequences Of Historic And Contemporary Climate Change In Boreal Forest Birds, Joel Ralston

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

In this dissertation, I combine ecological niche models (ENMs), which can be extrapolated through time to predict historic and future changes in species distributions, with mitochondrial and nuclear genetic markers to study the biogeographic consequences of historic and contemporary climate change on boreal forest birds, and in particular Blackpoll Warbler.

New Records In The Alien Flora Of Romania (Artemisia Argyi, A. Lavandulaefolia) And Europe (A. Lancea), Culita Sirbu, Adrian Oprea

Turkish Journal of Botany

Artemisia lancea Vaniot, A. argyi H.Lév. & Vaniot, and A. lavandulaefolia DC., all native from eastern Asia, are reported as new alien taxa from Romania. A. lancea has not been recorded so far in Europe, while A. argyi and A. lavandulaefolia are naturalised in the European part of the former USSR. All 3 species were collected in the Socola railway yard in northeastern Romania; the specimens were deposited in the IASI Herbarium, at the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Iaşi. Their introduction was accidental, through the rail transport from the former USSR. The 3 species are perennial herbs, …

Exploring Patterns Of Genetic Diversity Of A Malagasy Ant Species: Anochetus Madagascarensis, Nicole Annette Lewis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Madagascar is extremely diverse and imperiled. Close to 90% of all land dwelling species are endemic to Madagascar (plants, reptiles, mammals and amphibians). Understanding patterns of genetic diversity for species can aid in better conservation efforts. In this study, I focus on the endemic Malagasy ant species, Anochetus madagascarensis. By employing a broad geographic sample of this species from throughout its distribution and a multilocus genetic data set, I explored population structure and historical factors that affected these patterns. I tested hypotheses proposed to be responsible for generating population structure, and by extension the process of speciation in Madagascar, including …

Relationship Between Coastal Vegetation Biomass With Elevation And Salinity Gradients, Ying Chen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Surges and waves generated by hurricanes and other severe storms can cause devastating damage to property and loss of life in coastal areas. Vegetation in wetlands and coastal fringes can reduce storm surges and waves while complementing traditional coastal defense approaches such as permanent levees, seawalls and gates. The effectiveness of marsh vegetation in attenuating storm surge energy and reducing soil erosion depends on the level of primary production at the time of the storm surge and the ability of marsh vegetation to recover rapidly from damage caused by the storm surge. Marsh production depends on a variety of abiotic …

Morphological, Chemical, And Molecular Analyses Of Turkish Papaver Accessions (Sect. Oxytona), İskender Parmaksiz, Sebahatti̇n Özcan

Turkish Journal of Botany

The species of the section Oxytona Bernh., classified under the genus Papaver L., are of great importance due to their medical alkaloid contents such as morphine, codeine, and thebaine. A clearly established classification system is not available for Oxytona species. The aim of this study was to find relationships among 53 accessions belonging to 3 important Oxytona species, i.e. Papaver bracteatum Lindl., P. orientale L., and P. pseudo-orientale (Fedde) Medw., using 19 different morphological characters, 1 chemical character, and 15 random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. Nineteen characters, including bract and sepal leaves, petal marks, and capsule shape and size …

The Green Legacy Project: Evaluating Campus Tree Benefits, Joy Fritschle, Gary Coutu, Joan Welch, Gerard Hertel

Geography & Planning Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Evolution Of Small Putative Group I Introns In The Ssu Rrna Gene Locus Of Phialophora Species, Scott O. Rogers

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Group I introns (specifically subgroup IC1) are common in the nuclear ribosomal RNA genes of fungi. While most range in length from more than 200 to nearly 1800 nucleotides (nt) in length, several small putative (or degenerate) group I introns have been described that are between 56 and 81 nt. Although small, previously we demonstrated that the PaSSU intron in the rRNA small subunit gene of Phialophora americana isolate Wang 1046 is capable of in vitro splicing using a standard group I intron pathway, thus qualifying it as a functional ribozyme. Findings. Here, we describe eight short putative group …

Field Introgression Of Diabrotica Barberi And Diabrotica Longicornis (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Based On Genetic And Morphological Characters, Laura A. Campbell, Thomas L. Clark, Pete L. Clark, Lance Meinke, John E. Foster

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Diabrotica barberi Smith & Lawrence and Diabrotica longicornis (Say) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) are considered to be sister species, and it has been proposed that the two species may hybridize under field conditions. The objective of this study was to examine genetic and morphological characters of D. barberi and D. longicornis for evidence of field introgression. Both species were collected from sympatric and allopatric areas. Amplified fragment length polymorphisms and morphological characters (color and head capsule width) were used to examine variation within and among populations of D. barberi and D. longicornis. Relatively little of the overall …

A 50 Year Accomplishment In Marine Science: A History Of The Journal Published By The Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, Mark S. Peterson, Nancy J. Brown-Peterson, Sara E. Lecroy, Joyce M. Shaw, James S. Franks, Richard W. Heard

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The Gulf Coast Research Laboratory (GCRL) has a 50 year history of annual publication of the peer-reviewed journal Gulf and Caribbean Research (GCR, 2000-present; formerly Gulf Research Reports (GRR) from 1961—1999). Other extant journals serving the region during this time include Contributions in Marine Science (since 1945), Proceedings of the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute (since 1948), Bulletin of Marine Science (since 1951), Revista de Biología Tropical (since 1953), and Caribbean Journal of Science (since 1961). In the early years of the GCR publication, papers were primarily concerned with research in Mississippi and the northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM), and …

Using Geographically Structured Evaluations To Assess Performance And Transferability Of Ecological Niche Models For Species With Many Occurrence Records; A Test Using The Caribbean Spiny Pocket Mouse, Heteromys Anomauls, Aleksandar Radosavljevic

Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

Geographic Distribution And Life History Aspects Of The Freshwater Shrimps, Macrobranchium Ohione And Palaemonetes Kadiakensis (Decapoda: Palaemonidae), In Arkansas, H. W. Robison, C. T. Mcallister

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Two species of shrimps occur in Arkansas; they include the Ohio shrimp, Macrobrachium ohione (Smith) and the Mississippi grass shrimp, Palaemonetes kadiakensis Rathbun. The present survey is based on collections made between 1974 and 2008 with additional supplemental data from museum specimens to document the overall distribution of the 2 species. Our survey found a total of only 42 specimens of M. ohione from 6 localities (2 counties) in Arkansas, all taken from the Mississippi River. Specimens were seined over sandy substrates in 0.6-0.9 m of water without vegetation. A 1914 museum collection of 5 individual M. ohione is the …

Anthoethnography: Emerging Research Into The Culture Of Flora, Aesthetic Experience Of Plants, And The Wildflower Tourism Of The Future, John C. Ryan

Research outputs 2011

How does anthoethnography contribute to the development of understandings of aesthetic experiences of wild plants and wildflower tourism? As exemplified by the quintessentially aesthetic industry of wildflower tourism, the culture of flora represents diverse engagements between people and plants. Such complex engagements offer further avenues for research. The critical methodology of anthoethnography has been one such approach to circumscribing the values, practices and rhetoric of wildflower tourism. Interviews have revealed perceptual phenomena such as the orchid and everlasting effects as two counterpoised examples of the differences between visual aesthetic values occurring in the region. For appreciators such as Tinker, botanical …

Cultural Botany: Toward A Model Of Transdisciplinary, Embodied, And Poetic Research Into Plants, John C. Ryan

Research outputs 2011

Since the eighteenth century, the study of plants has reflected an increasingly mechanized and technological view of the natural world that divides the humanities and the natual sciences. In broad terms, this article proposes a context for research into flora through an interrogation of existing literature addressing a rapprochement between ways to knowledge. The natureculture dichotomy, and more specifically the plant-to-human sensory disjunction, follows a parallel course of resolution to the schism between objective (technical, scientific, reductionistic, visual) and subjective (emotive, artistic, relational, multi-sensory) forms of knowledge. The foundations of taxonomic botany, as well as the allied fields of environmental …

Plants, Processes, Places: Sensory Intimacy And Poetic Enquiry, John Ryan

Research outputs 2011

As an arts-based research approach, poetic enquiry has been theorised and applied recently in the social sciences and in education. In this article, I extend its usage to eco-critical studies of Australian flora and fauna. The Southwest corner of Western Australia affords opportunities to deploy arts-based methodologies, including field poetry, for celebrating the natural heritage of a region of distinguished biodiversity. I suggest that lyric practices in places such as Lesueur National Park and Anstey-Keane Damplands in southern Perth can catalyse embodied engagements with flora. The outcome of these practices is the invocation of the multiple senses— including the proximities …

Egyptian Body Size: A Regional And Worldwide Comparison, Michelle H. Raxter

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Human body size and limb proportions can provide important information about adaptation, population movements, and health disparities. This study investigated changes in body size and limb proportions of adult Egyptians temporally and geographically in relation to climatological, sociopolitical and economic developments. It was predicted that Egyptian groups that experienced more environmental stress would be shorter and exhibit less sexual dimorphism. It was also predicted that Egyptians would be intermediate between higher and lower latitude populations in body form and limb length ratios. The main skeletal sample consisted of 492 males and 528 females, all adults from the Predynastic and Dynastic …

A Comparison Of Ecological Conditions And Relationships In An Altered Wetland And An Unaltered Wetland, Mark Kiyoshi Hurst

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study is to identify and quantify the hydrologic and ecologic differences between two adjacent sections of Colt Creek; one section unaltered and one section altered by clearing and drainage. These differences were measured by monitoring water levels, groundcover vegetation in each of the two areas, and monitoring numbers and species of birds utilizing the two areas. Surface water levels were measured in three locations: in the historic Colt Creek flow way, in the ditch draining the creek, and in an adjacent wetland strand. In addition, a shallow monitor well in the creek was used to measure …

Modeling And Classifying Variable Width Riparian Zones Utilizing Digital Elevation Models, Flood Height Data, Digital Soil Data And National Wetlands Inventory : A New Approach For Riparian Zone Delineation, Sinan A. Abood

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Riparian zones are dynamic, transitional ecosystems between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems with well defined vegetation and soil characteristics. Development of an all-encompassing definition for riparian ecotones, because of their high variability, is challenging. However, there are two primary factors that all riparian ecotones are dependent on: the watercourse and its associated floodplain. Previous approaches to riparian boundary delineation have utilized fixed width buffers, but this methodology has proven to be inadequate as it only takes the watercourse into consideration and ignores critical geomorphology, associated vegetation and soil characteristics. Our approach offers advantages over other previously used methods by utilizing: the …

Population Biology Of A Coastal Dune-Dwelling Spider (Arctosa Sanctaerosae) Along The Hurricane Disturbed Northern Gulf Of Mexico Coast, Robert A. Hataway

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With the continued increase in the number of tourists visiting the Northern Gulf coast in the last century and the resulting development of this coastline the habitat of Arctosa sanctaerosae has become fragmented; and the sprawl of large cities along the coast has further degraded available habitat. In addition to anthropogenic disturbance to this coastal region, hurricanes are an additional and natural perturbation to the ecosystem. This habitat has seen a number of major tropical storms over the last decade and I have sought to explore the impact of habitat destruction and storm-induced disturbance on a species of spider endemic …

Comparisons Between Educational Map Software Displaying Soil Data, Laura A. Kocur

Department of Computer Graphics Technology Degree Theses

The use of technology in the classroom is becoming more widespread, and the area of agronomy is no different. Utilization of various mapping technology is more common in instructional components in the classroom, although the impacts of software usability have not yet been explored. Maps available over the Internet are identified as an area in which usability is not known, nor are there any fixed standards or conventions to govern the display of them. The recently developed mapping prototype is intended to increase accessibility to map data used in class, as well as make it easier to use the data. …

Invited Commentary: Dietary Pattern Analysis, Fumiaki Imamura, Paul F. Jaques

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The analytic approaches used in nutritional epidemiology for dietary pattern analyses share common characteristics with those of genetic epidemiology. In this issue of the Journal, Gorst-Rasmussen et al. (Am J Epidemiol. 2011;173(10):1097–1104) discuss one such approach. Application of methods used in genetic pattern analyses to nutritional epidemiology could prove valuable but raises important issues that need to be considered because dietary and genetic studies often address different types of questions in analyzing interrelated variables. These different aims require statistical methods that assume different characteristics of the underlying patterns. The authors briefly describe such differences to facilitate interpretation and …

The Rural Growth Trifecta: Outdoor Amenities, Creative Class And Entrepreneurial Context, David A. Mcgranahan, Timothy R. Wojan, Dayton M. Lambert

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Recent work challenges the notion that attracting creative workers to a place is sufficient for generating local economic growth. In this article, we examine the problem of sustaining robust growth in the periphery of the USA, demonstrating the contingent nature of talent as an engine for economic growth. We test the hypothesis that rural growth in the knowledge economy is dependent on the ability to utilize new knowledge, perhaps generated elsewhere, in addressing local economic challenges. Tests confirm that the interaction of entrepreneurial context with the share of the workforce employed in the creative class is strongly associated with growth …

Evaluation Of Propane Combustion Traps For The Collection Of Phlebotomus Papatasi (Scopoli) In Southern Israel, Daniel Kline, Gunter Miller, Jerome Hogsette

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of eleven commercial models of propane combustion traps for catching male and female Phlebotomus papatasi. The traps differed in physical appearance, amount of carbon dioxide produced and released, type and location of capturing device, and the method by which the trap suction fans were powered. The traps tested were the Mosquito Magnet^™(MM)-Pro, MM-Liberty, MM-Liberty Plus, MM-Defender, SkeeterVac^®(SV)-35, SV-27, Mosquito Deleto™(MD)-2200, MD-2500, MT150-Power Trap, and two models of The Guardian Mosquito Traps (MK-01 and MK-12). All trap models except the SV-35, the SV-27, the MD-2500, and the MK-12 attracted …

Distribution And Conservation Status Of Antillean Manatees (Trichechus Manatus Manatus) In Honduras, Daniel González-Socoloske, Cynthia R. Taylor, Olivia R. Rendon Thompson

Faculty Publications

The Antillean manatee, Trichechus manatus manatus, is among the most threatened mammals in Honduras, yet the last published study is from 1980. Since then, the North Coast of Honduras has experienced rapid population growth and land cover change possibly causing habitat loss for manatees. We conducted aerial, boat, and interview surveys between 2005-2007 along the northern and remote eastern coasts of Honduras to assess the current status and distribution of manatees. In addition, we compiled all available data on manatee mortality from museum specimens, unpublished reports, and interviews to determine current threats. We averaged 1.2 manatee sightings per survey hour …

The Classification And Assessment Of Vegetation For Monitoring Coastal Sand Dune Succession: The Case Of Tuzla In Adana, Turkey, Hali̇l Çakan, Kemal Tulühan Yilmaz, Hakan Alphan, Yüksel Ünlükaplan

Turkish Journal of Botany

This study aimed to provide an assessment of coastal sand dune vegetation through a number of analyses meant to provide a better understanding of the structure of plant communities and the successional stages of coastal sand dunes in a human-induced coastal landscape, the Seyhan Delta in southern Turkey. Therefore, as a baseline data inventory for monitoring, succession and the community-based classification of sand dune vegetation and human impacts were the major concerns of this study. The zonation of coastal sand dune vegetation was also determined within this scope, providing a contemporary assessment of different successional stages. A total of 96 …

Diversity And Ecology Of Algae In The Algeti National Park As A Part Of The Georgian System Of Protected Areas, Sophia Barinova, Lali Kukhaleishvili, Eibi Nevo, Zurab Janelidze

Turkish Journal of Botany

Algal communities from the Algeti National Park in eastern Georgia were studied between 2005 and 2008. The algal species diversity comes from 77 algological samples and includes 315 species and infraspecies, which belong to 7 taxonomical divisions. Of these findings, 295 species are reported for the first time in the Algeti National Park and 9 of them are new for Georgia. The most abundant are diatoms, with 220 species. Communities were dominated by Cladophora glomerata (L.) Kütz. (Chlorophyta), Spirogyra sp. (Charophyta), Ulnaria ulna (Nitzsch) Compère (diatom), and Phormidium autumnale (C.Agardh) R.Trevis. ex Gomont (Cyanobacteria). The index of species diversity per …

Iron Oxide And Calcite Associated With Leptothrix Sp. Biofilms Within An Estavelle In The Upper Floridan Aquifer, Lee J. Florea, Chasity L. Stinson, Josh Brewer, Rick Fowler, B Joe Kearns, Anthony M. Greco

International Journal of Speleology

In Thornton’s Cave, an estavelle in west-central Florida, SEM, EDS, and XRD data reveal biofilms that are predominantly comprised of FeOOH-encrusted hollow sheaths that are overgrown and intercalated with calcite. Fragments of this crystalline biofilm adhere to the walls and ceiling as water levels vary within the cave. Those on the wall have a ‘cornflake’ appearance and those affixed to the ceiling hang as fibrous membranes. PCR of DNA in the active biofilm, combined with morphologic data from the tubes in SEM micrographs, point to Leptothrix sp., a common Fe-oxidizing bacteria, as the primary organism in the biofilm. Recent discoveries …