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Unmasking Children's Agency, David F. Lancy Jan 2012

Unmasking Children's Agency, David F. Lancy

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

The goal of this paper is to identify (unmask) and critique the movement to promote children’s agency as a cornerstone of research, care, education and intervention with children. The article makes a case that this movement is harmful to a scientific approach to the study of childhood, distorts or ignores key understandings of the evolution of childhood and culture. The article demonstrates that the agency movement is ethnocentric, classist and hegemonic representing the dominance of contemporary bourgeoisie child-rearing. It imposes a single, privileged ethnotheory of childhood upon the diverse societies of the world with alternative ethnotheories and practices. Lastly, the …


Contributions Of Cultural Services To The Ecosystem Services Agenda, T. C. Daniel, A. Muhar, A. Arnberger, O. Aznar, J. W. Boyd, K. M.A. Chan, R. Costanza, T. Elmqvist, Courtney G. Flint, P. H. Gobster, A. Gret-Regamey, R. Lave, S. Muhar, M. Penker, R. G. Ribe, T. Schauppenlehner, T. Sikor, I. Soloviy, M. Spierenburg, K. Taczanowska, J. Tam, A. Von Der Dunk Jan 2012

Contributions Of Cultural Services To The Ecosystem Services Agenda, T. C. Daniel, A. Muhar, A. Arnberger, O. Aznar, J. W. Boyd, K. M.A. Chan, R. Costanza, T. Elmqvist, Courtney G. Flint, P. H. Gobster, A. Gret-Regamey, R. Lave, S. Muhar, M. Penker, R. G. Ribe, T. Schauppenlehner, T. Sikor, I. Soloviy, M. Spierenburg, K. Taczanowska, J. Tam, A. Von Der Dunk

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Cultural ecosystem services (ES) are consistently recognized but not yet adequately defined or integrated within the ES framework. A substantial body of models, methods, and data relevant to cultural services has been developed within the social and behavioral sciences before and outside of the ES approach. A selective review of work in landscape aesthetics, cultural heritage, outdoor recreation, and spiritual significance demonstrates opportunities for operationally defining cultural services in terms of socioecological models, consistent with the larger set of ES. Such models explicitly link ecological structures and functions with cultural values and benefits, facilitating communication between scientists and stakeholders and …


Elusive Documents Master List, John W. Walters Jan 2012

Elusive Documents Master List, John W. Walters

Elusive Documents

Master list of elusive government documents, as identified by John Walters. These documents are important to the Utah State University community, the State of Utah, or the region in general. Please contact John to request the digitization of individual titles.


“I Just Wikipedia It”: Information Behavior Of First-Year Writing Students, Megan Whitney Olsen, A. R. Diekema Jan 2012

“I Just Wikipedia It”: Information Behavior Of First-Year Writing Students, Megan Whitney Olsen, A. R. Diekema

English Faculty Publications

First-year writing students are a very large, diverse, and ubiquitous information user group, as writing courses are typically required of all undergraduate students, regardless of major. While in their institution's writing program, students frequently must utilize research (information) in their writing assignments. While this formal, task-related information behavior is important for stakeholders in the fields of information science and the humanities to understand, little research has been done on this significant group of students. This study arrived at key exploratory findings by collecting data and context from first-year writing students through semi-structured interviews. The researchers found that students continue to …


The Frying Pan Or The Fire: Public Attitudes About Using Herbicides To Manage Invasive Weeds, Mariah Evans, Kimberly Rollins Jan 2012

The Frying Pan Or The Fire: Public Attitudes About Using Herbicides To Manage Invasive Weeds, Mariah Evans, Kimberly Rollins

Articles

How do we balance risks? This paper assesses hypotheses derived from instrumental rationality and risk society theories about the reasoning strategies that people will use to develop views supportive or oppositional to the use of herbicides to manage cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), an invasive weed. Cheatgrass is well-known in the population of the American West to increase wildfire risks substantially and to harm the environment in other ways. But are the cures worse than the disease? One demonstrably effective method of cheatgrass suppression is the use of herbicides, and the paper explores sources of support for and opposition to …


Journal Of Mormon History Vol. 38, No. 2, Spring 2012 Jan 2012

Journal Of Mormon History Vol. 38, No. 2, Spring 2012

Journal of Mormon History

CONTENTS

LETTERS

--Augusta Adams Cobb Young: Priesthood Holder Connell O’Donovan, vii

PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS

--“Not as a Stranger”: A Presbyterian Afoot in the Mormon Past William P. MacKinnon, 1

TANNER LECTURE

--Mormon Stories: A Librarian’s Perspective George A. Miles, 47

ARTICLES

--From Doctor to Disciple: Willard Richards’s Journey to Mormonism Devery S. Anderson, 67

--New Ways In: Writing Interdisciplinary Mormon History Introduction Rachel Cope, 99

--Shifting the Plot: Possibilities in Mormon Women’s History Rachel Cope, 100

--History through Liturgy: What Worship Remembers Matthew Bowman, 108

--A Shared Historicist Enterprise: Mormon History through a Literary …


Suggestive Characters: Hypnotism And Subjectivity In Blanca De Los Ríos’S Las Hijas De Don Juan (1907), Ryan A. Davis Jan 2012

Suggestive Characters: Hypnotism And Subjectivity In Blanca De Los Ríos’S Las Hijas De Don Juan (1907), Ryan A. Davis

Decimonónica

In July of 1906, Blanco y negro published a brief story by Blanca de los Ríos entitled “Metempsicosis: De las ‘memorias’ del doctor Hipnos,” which dramatizes the ominous dangers of hypnotism.1 In the story, a medical student, driven by his obsession for Susana, pays a traveling hypnotizer to “infundir mi alma en [el] cuerpo [de Alberto de San Andrés],” Susana’s husband (“Metempsicosis” 51). His subsequent confession to Susana about his actions precipitates her death, which in turn causes the student to go insane. In the final lines of the story, Hipnos reflects on the tragic outcome and the perils …


De Noches, Tempestades Y Olas: La Experiencia De Lo Sublime En E. Echeverría, J. M. Heredia Y J. E. Caro, María Elena Campero Jan 2012

De Noches, Tempestades Y Olas: La Experiencia De Lo Sublime En E. Echeverría, J. M. Heredia Y J. E. Caro, María Elena Campero

Decimonónica

El siglo XIX hereda gracias a los aportes de Immanuel Kant uno de los giros más importantes para la posteridad: el viraje del objeto al sujeto. La imposibilidad de conocer las cosas en sí lleva a Kant a plantear la necesidad de centrarse en el sujeto y en la posibilidad que ofrecen los sentidos del ser humano para aprehender el mundo circundante. Este énfasis y reflexión en torno al “yo” también se cristaliza en la poesía decimonónica donde el sujeto se afirma en tanto tal a partir de su pugna, de su enfrentamiento con un “otro.” De allí la importancia …


José Martí Y Rubén Darío Ante La Anexión De Los Territorios Indígenas En Argentina Y Nicaragua, Jorge Camacho Jan 2012

José Martí Y Rubén Darío Ante La Anexión De Los Territorios Indígenas En Argentina Y Nicaragua, Jorge Camacho

Decimonónica

El siglo XIX marcó el triunfo del liberalismo en Hispanoamérica, pero este triunfo no fue compartido por igual por todos los grupos étnicos. Después de las guerras de independencia, los liberales hispanoamericanos propusieron medidas que les fueron muy adversas a los indígenas. Legislaron sus territorios sobre las márgenes ficticias que había dejado el antiguo poder colonial y llevaron a cabo una serie de reformas que terminaron despojándolos de sus tierras y reduciéndolos a la miseria. Entre las medidas que propusieron figuraban el cultivo intensivo de los terrenos ociosos o que pertenecían a estas comunidades; el blanqueamiento de la población a …


“After The Apple”: Female Sexuality In The Writings Of Emilia Pardo Bazán, Susan Walter Jan 2012

“After The Apple”: Female Sexuality In The Writings Of Emilia Pardo Bazán, Susan Walter

Decimonónica

The Biblical story of creation in which Adam and Eve are deceived by the serpent is recognized widely as one of the foundational stories of Western culture. The story’s importance is asserted by many scholars, including Elaine Pagels in her groundbreaking study Adam, Eve and the Serpent: “[T]he biblical creation story, like the creation stories of other cultures, communicates social and religious values and presents them as if they were universally valid” (xx). In this same study Pagels suggests that Christians have interpreted the story of “Genesis” in various ways over the centuries, finding in it important teachings about …


Andalusia’S Cultural Spirit And The Historical Ballads Of Romancero Gitano, Nelson Orringer Jan 2012

Andalusia’S Cultural Spirit And The Historical Ballads Of Romancero Gitano, Nelson Orringer

Decimonónica

Though praised by its author for its unity, Lorca’s Romancero gitano seemingly ends in disarray (Obras 3: 339).1 The final three ballads appear arbitrarily grouped under the rubric, Romances históricos. First, Martirio de Santa Olalla embellishes the martyrdom of fourth-century Saint Eulalia in Roman-ruled Mérida; next, Burla de Don Pedro a caballo parodies the cycle of fourteenth-century Pedro the Cruel; finally, Thamar y Amnón lyrically revisits the incest of 2 Samuel 13: 1. What unites the three, other than remote temporal settings, and what makes them historical ballads? C. Marcilly unconvincingly interprets the Don Pedro ballad as …


Establishment Of Introduced Reptiles Increases With The Presence And Richness Of Native Congeners, Rodrigo Barbosa Ferreira, Karen H. Beard, Stephen L. Peterson, Sharon A. Poessel, Colin M. Callahan Jan 2012

Establishment Of Introduced Reptiles Increases With The Presence And Richness Of Native Congeners, Rodrigo Barbosa Ferreira, Karen H. Beard, Stephen L. Peterson, Sharon A. Poessel, Colin M. Callahan

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Darwin proposed two contradictory hypotheses to explain the influence of congeners on the outcomes of invasion: the naturalization hypothesis, which predicts a negative relationship between the presence of congeners and invasion success, and the pre-adaptation hypothesis, which predicts a positive relationship between the presence of congeners and invasion success. Studies testing these hypotheses have shown mixed support. We tested these hypotheses using the establishment success of non-native reptiles and congener presence/absence and richness across the globe. Our results demonstrated support for the pre-adaptation hypothesis. We found that globally, both on islands and continents, establishment success was higher in the presence …


Improved Ex Vivo Method For Microbiocidal Activity Across Vertebrate Species, Susannah S. French, Lorin A. Neuman-Lee Jan 2012

Improved Ex Vivo Method For Microbiocidal Activity Across Vertebrate Species, Susannah S. French, Lorin A. Neuman-Lee

Biology Faculty Publications

The field of ecoimmunology is currently undergoing rapid expansion, whereby biologists from a wide range of ecological disciplines are increasingly interested in assessing immunocompetence in their study organisms. One of the key challenges to researchers is determining what eco-immune measures to use in a given experiment. Moreover, there are limitations depending on study species, requirements for specific antibodies, and relevance of the methodology to the study organism. Here we introduce an improved ex vivo method for microbiocidal activity across vertebrate species. The utility of this assay is that it determines the ability of an organism to remove a pathogen that …


Learning Mathematics With Technology: The Influence Of Virtual Manipulatives On Different Achievement Groups, Patricia S. Moyer-Packenham, Jennifer Suh Jan 2012

Learning Mathematics With Technology: The Influence Of Virtual Manipulatives On Different Achievement Groups, Patricia S. Moyer-Packenham, Jennifer Suh

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

This study examined the influence of virtual manipulatives on different achievement groups during a teaching experiment in four fifth-grade classrooms. During a two-week unit focusing on two rational number concepts (fraction equivalence and fraction addition with unlike denominators) one low achieving, two average achieving, and one high achieving group participated in two instructional treatments (three groups used virtual manipulatives and one group used physical manipulatives). Data sources included pre- and post-tests of students’ mathematical content knowledge and videotapes of classroom sessions. Results of paired samples t-tests examining the three groups using virtual manipulatives indicated a statistically significant overall gain following …


Interfamily Variation In Amphibian Early Life-History Traits: Raw Material For Natural Selection?, Gareth R. Hopkins, Brian G. Gall, Susannah S. French, Edmund D. Brodie Jr. Jan 2012

Interfamily Variation In Amphibian Early Life-History Traits: Raw Material For Natural Selection?, Gareth R. Hopkins, Brian G. Gall, Susannah S. French, Edmund D. Brodie Jr.

Biology Faculty Publications

The embryonic development and time to hatching of eggs can be highly adaptive in some species, and thus under selective pressure. In this study, we examined the underlying interfamily variation in hatching timing and embryonic development in a population of an oviparous amphibian, the rough-skinned newt (Taricha granulosa). We found significant, high variability in degree of embryonic development and hatching timing among eggs from different females. Patterns of variation were present regardless of temperature.We also could not explain the differences among families by morphological traits of the females or their eggs. This study suggests that the variation necessary for natural …


Pando Clone (World's Largest Living Organism?) History And Evaluation : Case Study For Revalidation, Allen V. Henningson Jan 2012

Pando Clone (World's Largest Living Organism?) History And Evaluation : Case Study For Revalidation, Allen V. Henningson

Aspen Bibliography

No abstract provided.


Decision Memo: Pando Aspen Clone Restoration Project, Kurt Robins Jan 2012

Decision Memo: Pando Aspen Clone Restoration Project, Kurt Robins

Aspen Bibliography

The Pando Clone is located in Township 26 South, Range 1 East, Sections 24 and 25 about 1 mile southwest of the Lakeside Resort on State Highway 25 and about 1 mile due east of Mallard Bay at the southwest corner of Fish Lake (see map). The Pando Clone is the largest aspen clone in the world and the largest (most massive) single living organism in existence that has been discovered to date (Grant, 1993; DeWoody et al, 2008). It encompasses approximately 106 acres and is estimated to weigh in excess of 13 million pounds (Grant, 1993). This clone is …


Apparent Prevalence Of Swine Brucellosis In Feral Swine In The United States, Kerri Pedersen, Sarah N. Bevins, Brandon S. Schmit, Mark W. Lutman, Michael P. Milleson, Clint T. Turnage, Troy T. Bigelow, Thomas J. Deliberto Jan 2012

Apparent Prevalence Of Swine Brucellosis In Feral Swine In The United States, Kerri Pedersen, Sarah N. Bevins, Brandon S. Schmit, Mark W. Lutman, Michael P. Milleson, Clint T. Turnage, Troy T. Bigelow, Thomas J. Deliberto

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Samples were collected in 35 states as part of a national monitoring system to detect multiple diseases in feral swine (Sus scrofa). During March 2009 through December 2010, we collected serum samples from 4,479 feral swine from 13 states, and 159 animals tested were seropositive for brucellosis. No difference in likelihood of infection was found between males and females, but adults were more likely than sub-adults or juveniles to be exposed to brucellosis. Feral swine sampled during winter months also were more likely to be seropositive than animals sampled during other seasons. Apparent prevalence varied among states, and …


Public Perceptions Of Wildlife-Associated Disease: Risk Communication Matters, Daniel J. Decker, William F. Siemer, Darrick T. N. Evenson, Richard C. Stedman, Katherine A. Mccomas, Margaret A. Wild, Kevin T. Castle, Kirsten M. Leong Jan 2012

Public Perceptions Of Wildlife-Associated Disease: Risk Communication Matters, Daniel J. Decker, William F. Siemer, Darrick T. N. Evenson, Richard C. Stedman, Katherine A. Mccomas, Margaret A. Wild, Kevin T. Castle, Kirsten M. Leong

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Wildlife professionals working at the interface where conflicts arise between people and wild animals have an exceptional responsibility in the long-term interest of sustaining society’s support for wildlife and its conservation by resolving human–wildlife conflicts so that people continue to view wildlife as a valued resource. The challenge of understanding and responding to people’s concerns about wildlife is particularly acute in situations involving wildlife-associated disease and may be addressed through One Health communication. Two important questions arise in this work: (1) how will people react to the message that human health and wildlife health are linked?; and (2) will wildlife-associated …


In Pursuit Of Consensus: Disagreement And Legitimization During Small Group Argumentation, Leema K. Berland, Victor R. Lee Jan 2012

In Pursuit Of Consensus: Disagreement And Legitimization During Small Group Argumentation, Leema K. Berland, Victor R. Lee

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

In recent years, an emphasis on scientific argumentation in classrooms has brought into focus collaborative consensus-building as an instructional strategy. In these situations, students with differing and competing arguments are asked to work with one another in order to establish a shared perspective. However, the literature suggests that consensus-building can be challenging for students because their interpretations of the argumentative task and context may not enable their productive engagement with counter-arguments and evidence. In this paper, our goal is to explore the ways in which interactions of students support or inhibit their consensus-building. To that end, we examine and describe …


Spectra Characteristics Of Domestic And Wild Mammals, Pat Terletzky, R. Douglas Ramsey, Christopher M. U. Neale Jan 2012

Spectra Characteristics Of Domestic And Wild Mammals, Pat Terletzky, R. Douglas Ramsey, Christopher M. U. Neale

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Few studies have recorded the spectral signatures of domesticated live animals and in particular few have examined wild species. Using in situ radiometry we acquired visual and near infrared spectral signatures of wild elk (Cervus elaphus) and domesticated cattle (Bos taurus) and horses (Equus caballus). Signatures were significantly different among species across all bands with the exception of cattle and horses in the red band. Further research is needed to determine if the shallower slopes in the red-shift region of the animal signatures would allow for distinction from vegetation using various remote sensors. Application …


Collaborative Agency In Youth Online And Offline Creative Production In Scratch, Y. B. Kafai, Deborah A. Fields, R. Roque, W. Q. Burke, A. Monroy-Hernandez Jan 2012

Collaborative Agency In Youth Online And Offline Creative Production In Scratch, Y. B. Kafai, Deborah A. Fields, R. Roque, W. Q. Burke, A. Monroy-Hernandez

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Few studies have focused on how youth develop agency to organize and participate in online unstructured creative collaborations. This paper describes and analyzes how youth programmers organized collaborative groups in response to a programming “Collab Challenge” in the Scratch Online Community and in an accompanying workshop with high school students. The analyses focused on modalities of online collaborations, determined the breadth of online participation, and examined local teens’ awareness of the online community. The discussion addresses youth’s collaborative agency in these new networked contexts, studied the role that online social awareness plays in completing tasks and makes recommendations for the …


Factors Influencing Survival Of Desert Mule Deer In The Greater San Andres Mountains, New Mexico, Louis C. Bender, Brock D. Hoenes, Cristina L. Rodden Jan 2012

Factors Influencing Survival Of Desert Mule Deer In The Greater San Andres Mountains, New Mexico, Louis C. Bender, Brock D. Hoenes, Cristina L. Rodden

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Mule deer numbers have declined precipitously in the San Andres Mountains of southcentral New Mexico. To assess reasons for population declines, we monitored condition, survival, and causes of mortality for a range of 37 to 64 radio-collared, >1.5-year-old female mule deer annually, and a range of 14 to 31 radio-collared, >1.5-year-old male mule deer annually from 2003 to 2009, and modeled environmental factors affecting survival. We found annual survival rates of 0.74 to 0.86 for females and 0.74 to 0.92 for males, rates that were similar among years within sexes. Causes of mortality for 50 radio-collared females and 22 radio-collared …


Bird Consumption Of Sweet And Tart Cherries, Catherine A. Lindell, Rachael A. Eaton, Erin M. Lizotte, Nikki L. Rothwell Jan 2012

Bird Consumption Of Sweet And Tart Cherries, Catherine A. Lindell, Rachael A. Eaton, Erin M. Lizotte, Nikki L. Rothwell

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Identifying species responsible for crop damage is an important first step in developing management strategies. Previous studies have surveyed bird species flying through cherry orchards but have not documented which species were consuming cherries. We conducted traditional surveys and behavioral observations in orchards of sweet cherries (Prunus avium) and tart cherries (Prunus cerasus) in Michigan during 2010 to compare results from the 2 techniques. American robins (Turdus migratorius) were detected most frequently during sweet cherry surveys, while behavioral observations showed that cedar waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum) consumed more sweet cherries than did robins. …


The Effect Of European Starlings And Ambient Air Temperature On Salmonella Enterica Contamination Within Cattle Feed Bunks, James C. Carlson, Jeremy W. Ellis, Shelagh K. Tupper, Alan B. Franklin, George M. Linz Jan 2012

The Effect Of European Starlings And Ambient Air Temperature On Salmonella Enterica Contamination Within Cattle Feed Bunks, James C. Carlson, Jeremy W. Ellis, Shelagh K. Tupper, Alan B. Franklin, George M. Linz

Human–Wildlife Interactions

European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) are a known risk factor for the occurrence of microorganisms that are pathogenic to cattle and humans in concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). Starling use of CAFOs is known to vary in response to weather; starling control operations on CAFOs often are timed to coincide with favorable environmental conditions to maximize take. The totality of this information suggests that disease risks in CAFOs associated with starlings may be influenced by environmental factors, such as temperature. In this study, we assessed the risk of Salmonella enterica contamination of cattle feed by modeling the interaction between …


Modification Of Net Configurations Of The Coda Netlauncher® To Enhance Bird Capture, Amanda M. Prisock, Brian S. Dorr, James C. Cumbee Jan 2012

Modification Of Net Configurations Of The Coda Netlauncher® To Enhance Bird Capture, Amanda M. Prisock, Brian S. Dorr, James C. Cumbee

Human–Wildlife Interactions

We modified and evaluated capture nets fired from the Coda Netlauncher® as a tool for capturing various avian species. We modified the netlauncher by using customized nets to maximize the area of the capture zone. We captured 137 birds, comprising 12 species, in 23 attempts between July 2008 and October 2009 using this method. Capture success rates varied from 25 to 69% were comparable to success rates reported for other capture methods for these species. However, individual capture success for different net configurations varied greatly from 3 to 65%. Minimal injuries and 2 bird fatalities were reported. The netlauncher, using …


An Investigation Into The Use Of Road Drainage Structures By Wildlife In Maryland, Usa, James L. Sparks Jr., J. Edward Gates Jan 2012

An Investigation Into The Use Of Road Drainage Structures By Wildlife In Maryland, Usa, James L. Sparks Jr., J. Edward Gates

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Culverts have been installed beneath roadways for drainage or to contain existing streams; however, most of them have not been installed to facilitate the passage of wildlife. Prior studies of existing drainage structures used by wildlife have been narrow in scope, targeting a restricted number of culverts, time periods, or locales. Use of culverts by wildlife has been postulated to promote connectivity of fragmented populations and their habitats and to reduce roadkills. We monitored 265 culverts located throughout Maryland, USA, with game cameras in all seasons and in every physiographic province. Our objectives were to identify those species using culverts …


Carbon Use Efficiency: Adaptation To Changing Environments, Jonathan Frantz, Bruce Bugbee Jan 2012

Carbon Use Efficiency: Adaptation To Changing Environments, Jonathan Frantz, Bruce Bugbee

Techniques and Instruments

Most shade adaptation occurred within two days during vegetative phase.

Up to 12 days were required for complete adaptation.

Different species adapted differently.


Savanna Glade Hotspots: Plant Community Development And Synergy With Large Herbivores, Kari E. Veblen Jan 2012

Savanna Glade Hotspots: Plant Community Development And Synergy With Large Herbivores, Kari E. Veblen

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

In African savannas, abandonment of traditional livestock corrals (bomas) creates long-term mosaics of nutrient hotspots embedded in a lower-nutrient matrix. It is unclear how plant communities develop over time on these sites in clay-rich “black cotton” soils or how herbivores attracted to these sites affect vegetation development. I first examined whether treeless “glades”, derived from abandoned bomas, function as nutrient and herbivore hotspots. Soil, vegetation, and herbivore data were collected on glades of varying ages. The results indicated that glades persist as long-term (≥four decades) patches (0.25–1.0 ha) of improved soil texture and increased nutrient levels, palatable grasses, and herbivore …


Grasses And Browsers Reinforce Landscape Heterogeneity By Excluding Trees From Ecosystem Hotspots, L. M. Porensky, Kari E. Veblen Jan 2012

Grasses And Browsers Reinforce Landscape Heterogeneity By Excluding Trees From Ecosystem Hotspots, L. M. Porensky, Kari E. Veblen

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Spatial heterogeneity in woody cover affects biodiversity and ecosystem function, and may be particularly influential in savanna ecosystems. Browsing and interactions with herbaceous plants can create and maintain heterogeneity in woody cover, but the relative importance of these drivers remains unclear, especially when considered across multiple edaphic contexts. In African savannas, abandoned temporary livestock corrals (bomas) develop into long-term, nutrient-rich ecosystem hotspots with unique vegetation. In central Kenya, abandoned corral sites persist for decades as treeless ‘glades’ in a wooded matrix. Though glades are treeless, areas between adjacent glades have higher tree densities than the background savanna or areas near …