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Chemical Load: An Unseen Herbicide Filter In Restored Prairies?, Rylie Franklin
Chemical Load: An Unseen Herbicide Filter In Restored Prairies?, Rylie Franklin
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Community Assembly Theory is a framework used to describe the process by which species from a regional species pool disperse and encounter various abiotic and biotic conditions that act as filters, limiting which species will populate a specific local community. Prairie restoration success can be improved by understanding abiotic and biotic filters. As agricultural practices have adopted integrated weed management plans, that include the use of both chemical and non-chemical techniques, another filter needs to be considered during restoration: the chemical load of soils, i.e., herbicide residue from recent on-site applications and herbicide drift from adjacent areas. To examine the …
Towards Energy Access For All: Developing The Lived Energy Experience Index (Leei), Kentina Annie Ishimwe
Towards Energy Access For All: Developing The Lived Energy Experience Index (Leei), Kentina Annie Ishimwe
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Energy is the fuel that powers the engine of civilization. Energy access metrics ensure that nations continuously work towards providing access for all. However, the prevalent binary indicator fails to consider that energy needs to be usable, accessible, affordable, and reliable. As a result, numerous tiered and multidimensional metrics, such as the Multi-Tier Framework, came about to bridge the gap but proved to be complex and complicated to implement. This study presents the existing literature review, assesses the limitations of current energy access measurement frameworks, and compares household energy needs with reported access statistics. Based on the findings, the Lived …
Evaluating Supplementation Strategies Using Precision Livestock Technologies And Energy Based Models In Developing Beef Heifers Grazing Dormant Rangeland, Kali-Jo Bentz
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Replacement beef heifer development in extensive grazing systems is challenged by variation in forage quality, supplement intake, and animal behavior, all of which influence the ability to achieve targeted growth prior to breeding. Precision livestock technologies (PLT) enable continuous monitoring of individual animal performance, while energy-based nutritional models support individualized supplementation. However, their application under extensive grazing conditions remains poorly understood. Therefore, the objectives of this thesis were to (1) evaluate heifer utilization of multiple precision livestock technologies and their relationship with animal performance and (2) evaluate the accuracy of an individualized energy-based supplementation model by comparing predicted supplement allotments …
Production Of Fungal Biomass And Crude Chitin From Cheese Whey: Effects Of Whey Type And Lactose Hydrolysis On Aspergillus Niger And Trichoderma Reesei, Anye Catharine Nora Drum
Production Of Fungal Biomass And Crude Chitin From Cheese Whey: Effects Of Whey Type And Lactose Hydrolysis On Aspergillus Niger And Trichoderma Reesei, Anye Catharine Nora Drum
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Chitin is a biodegradable and biocompatible biopolymer with broad applications in the food, biomedical, pharmaceutical, and packaging industries. Conventional chitin production from crustacean shells is associated with seasonal availability, intensive chemical processing, and environmental concerns, creating interest in more sustainable alternatives. Filamentous fungi represent a promising source of chitin because of their rapid growth and ability to utilize low cost agro-industrial residues. This study evaluated the feasibility of producing fungal biomass and crude chitin from cheese whey through submerged fermentation while investigating the effects of whey type and enzymatic lactose hydrolysis on fungal growth, substrate utilization, and wastewater remediation. Aspergillus …
Semantic Discovery Of Genomic Datasets With Ai, Lawrence Allibah
Semantic Discovery Of Genomic Datasets With Ai, Lawrence Allibah
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Traditional keyword-based search in genomic databases often fails to capture the latent semantic context of biological studies, leading to a ``Lexical Gap" in research discovery. This thesis presents a high-performance dual-engine discovery system built upon 10,000 studies. By utilizing 1,536-dimensional vector embeddings, with large language models (LLMs) we implement a search engine coupled with a novel Hybrid Boosting layer that integrates semantic intent with factual metadata. Furthermore, we apply a high-dimensional K-Means clustering algorithm for unsupervised topic discovery. Empirical benchmarking demonstrates that the Hybrid Boosting engine achieves a 38.1% gain in precision and a 41.2% increase in Mean Reciprocal Rank …
Effect Of Increasing Potency Of Steroidal Implants In Beef Steers At Weaning From Dry-Lot To Finish, Weston Joseph Peschel
Effect Of Increasing Potency Of Steroidal Implants In Beef Steers At Weaning From Dry-Lot To Finish, Weston Joseph Peschel
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The receiving phase is a stressful transition period in beef production. Newly weaned cattle are offered low-energy, high-forage diets promoting lean tissue and bone development prior to the finishing phase. Steroidal implants containing trenbolone acetate (TBA) and estradiol benzoate (EB) enhance lean gain. Aggressive early implant exposure has been shown to negatively impact intramuscular fat deposition. This two-part study evaluated the initial and carryover effects of increasing doses of combined TBA and EB weaning implants on growth performance, serum metabolites, and carcass traits. In Exp. 1, newly weaned Charolais × Red Angus crossbred beef steers [n = 240 initially; body …
Demographic Impact And Diagnostic Evaluation Of Mycoplasma Ovipneumoniae In Bighorn Sheep Of The Pine Ridge Badlands, Jeffrey Tillery
Demographic Impact And Diagnostic Evaluation Of Mycoplasma Ovipneumoniae In Bighorn Sheep Of The Pine Ridge Badlands, Jeffrey Tillery
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae (M. ovi) decimates bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) populations through acute die-offs followed by years or decades of failed lamb recruitment. Test-and-remove management has emerged as the primary intervention to restore population growth, and this thesis quantifies the demographic costs of endemic M. ovi infection and evaluates the diagnostic tools upon which this strategy depends. I quantified vital rates across five bighorn sheep subherds (four infected, one uninfected) on the Pine Ridge Reservation (2023–2025), supplemented by pre-outbreak data (2017–2018) from the North Unit of Badlands National Park. Infected subherds declined (λ = 0.965, 95% CrI: 0.813–1.039) while the uninfected …
Plant-Insect Interactions In Great Plains Restoration And Invasion Ecology, Joseph H. Cammarano
Plant-Insect Interactions In Great Plains Restoration And Invasion Ecology, Joseph H. Cammarano
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Prairie ecosystem loss and invasive plant species are major ecological problems in the Great Plains. Plant-insect interactions have important consequences for both the restoration of prairie ecosystems and management of invasive plant species. Pollinating insects are vital to the sustainability of prairie ecosystems, and herbivorous insects can provide biological control of invasive plant species. Understanding how restoration strategies may influence potential pollinator communities can have important consequences for restoration sustainability and success and understanding how biological control strategies may help manage invasive plant populations can also help land managers reach restoration and conservation goals. In Ch. 2, I sought to …
Evaluating The Potential Of Genomic Selection For Grain Yield And Yield Component Traits In South Dakota Winter Wheat, Dante Koupal
Evaluating The Potential Of Genomic Selection For Grain Yield And Yield Component Traits In South Dakota Winter Wheat, Dante Koupal
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a major cereal crop worldwide, but recent gains in grain yield (GY) have not kept pace with projected demand. GY is a highly quantitative trait with low heritability that requires multi-year, multi-location phenotyping, limiting selection efficiency. Targeting higher heritability yield component traits, such as kernel size and weight, and incorporating them into the genomic selection (GS) pipeline has the potential to accelerate genetic gain for GY. The objectives of this study were to (i) understand the relationship between GY and the kernel-size traits, including thousand kernel weight (TKW), kernel length (KL), kernel width (KW), and …
Strip-Till Adoption For Soybean Production In Eastern South Dakota: Plant Development, Seed Quality, And Economic Analysis, Nicolas Passone
Strip-Till Adoption For Soybean Production In Eastern South Dakota: Plant Development, Seed Quality, And Economic Analysis, Nicolas Passone
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Soybean production in eastern South Dakota faces a persistent challenge: cool, wet spring conditions combined with heavy soils limit the adoption of conservation tillage despite its soil health and environmental benefits. Strip-tillage has been proposed as a middle-ground practice capable of providing conservation benefits while maintaining the seedbed quality advantages of conventional tillage. However, its performance in soybean production in South Dakota had not been evaluated prior to this work. This research examined the effects of tillage systems and fertilizer placement-timing, fertilizer rate, and seeding rate on soybean plant development, nutrient uptake, seed yield, chemical composition, and partial net economic …
Integrating Uav-Based High-Throughput Phenotyping, Genomics, And Deep Learning To Improve Prediction Of Complex Traits In Winter Wheat, Swas Kaushal
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Accurate prediction of complex agronomic traits such as grain yield and yield components remains a central challenge in winter wheat breeding because these traits are controlled by many genes and are strongly influenced by environmental variation. The integration of high-throughput phenotyping (HTP), genomics, and advanced machine learning approaches offers new opportunities to improve predictive accuracy and accelerate genetic gain in plant breeding. This study evaluates the use of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based multispectral phenomics combined with genomic information, and deep learning approaches to enhance the prediction of grain yield (GY), test weight (TW), grain protein content (GPC), and tiller …
Impacts Of Management Practices And Soil Properties On Free-Living Nitrogen Fixation In Eastern South Dakota, Laura Galvan Nuevo
Impacts Of Management Practices And Soil Properties On Free-Living Nitrogen Fixation In Eastern South Dakota, Laura Galvan Nuevo
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Free-living nitrogen (N) fixation (FLNF) may represent a sustainable pathway to supplement crop N demand in agroecosystems, yet edaphic and management factors regulating this process under field conditions remain poorly understood in the Northern Great Plains. Using 15N2 direct method to quantify potential FLNF (pFLNF) and baseline FLNF (bFLNF), this thesis investigates how crop rotations (2-, 3-, and 4-year systems), tillage management (conventional vs. no-till), cover cropping, and soil properties affect the potential of free-living diazotrophs to supply N via FLNF in a long-term no-till corn-based system in Southeastern South Dakota. A two-year field study evaluated pFLNF across four growing …
Competitive And Priority Effects Of Native Cool-Season Grasses On Invasive Bromus Species In The Northern Great Plains, Tyler Michael Geltmacher
Competitive And Priority Effects Of Native Cool-Season Grasses On Invasive Bromus Species In The Northern Great Plains, Tyler Michael Geltmacher
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Native grasslands and restoration sites in the Northern Great Plains face pressure from invasive cool-season grass species, such as smooth brome (Bromus inermis) and cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum). Native cool-season grass species may compete in the same niche as the invaders and provide resistance to invasion of existing or restored grasslands. Green needlegrass (Nassella viridula) and junegrass (Koeleria macrantha) were evaluated in this study for competitive effect and priority effect against invasive bromes to inform management decisions. Greenhouse studies were conducted to evaluate competitive ability of the two native species as well as how priority influences competition. In my first chapter, …
Primary Avian Tracheal Cell Models For The Isolation Of Emerging Avian Metapneumovirus Strains, Tricia Serrao
Primary Avian Tracheal Cell Models For The Isolation Of Emerging Avian Metapneumovirus Strains, Tricia Serrao
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The emergence of avian metapneumovirus (aMPV) subgroups A and B in the United States poultry industry has created an urgent need for standardized, host-specific diagnostic platforms. Historically, reliance on continuous, multi-species cell lines has limited the primary isolation of field strains and introduced potential adaptation artifacts. To address these challenges, this research first established and characterized a reproducible primary cell culture system derived from the tracheal tissues of 1-day-old turkey poults. This system was maintained in an optimized DMEM/F-12 formulation supplemented with 5% FBS, EGF, and ITS, with early-passage cultures achieving 90% confluence within 24 to 48 hours. Morphological and …
Finite Mixture Modeling Towards Applications In Material Science And Biomedical Data, Jason Hasse
Finite Mixture Modeling Towards Applications In Material Science And Biomedical Data, Jason Hasse
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This dissertation contains three chapters on different applications of mixture regression models, broadly in materials science and public health. We begin with a basic application of finite mixture models and regression mixture models. The materials science analysis was performed entirely using data from finite element simulations of the additive manufacturing process via powder bed fusion. Visualization of the clustering solution as applied to the additive manufacturing designs highlighted the intuitive patterns that could be found. These patterns simultaneously yield the regression coefficients and subgroups of the geometric regions, providing a way to predict stresses and strains in a new geometry …
Floodwater Salinity And Flood Duration Regulate Greenhouse Gas Production In High- Latitude Coastal Wetland And Tundra Soils, Mia J. Dicianna
Floodwater Salinity And Flood Duration Regulate Greenhouse Gas Production In High- Latitude Coastal Wetland And Tundra Soils, Mia J. Dicianna
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Coastal high-latitude ecosystems are increasingly flooded from storm surges associated with climate change, exposing soils that were historically infrequently inundated to higher-salinity waters for longer durations. Sub-Arctic wetlands and tundra store large amounts of carbon, yet how flooding characteristics, particularly flood duration, influence microbial mineralization and, consequently, greenhouse gas (GHG) production in these soils remains poorly understood. We conducted a full-factorial microcosm incubation experiment in which coastal wetland and tundra soils were subjected to simulated flooding with three durations (1, 3, and 10 days) and four salinity treatments (unflooded, freshwater, 3 ppt, and 12 ppt) and measured carbon dioxide (CO2) …
An Integrated Evaluation Of Trace Mineral Status, Regional Variation, And Supplementation Effects On Circulating Mineral And Reproductive Performance In American Plains Bison, Bailey M. Rodriguez
An Integrated Evaluation Of Trace Mineral Status, Regional Variation, And Supplementation Effects On Circulating Mineral And Reproductive Performance In American Plains Bison, Bailey M. Rodriguez
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The continued expansion of the American Plains Bison (Bison bison) industry has increased the need for science-based nutritional recommendations tailored specifically to the species, due to limited species-specific research. Because trace minerals influence immune function, growth, and reproductive performance, establishing baseline mineral status and evaluating responses to supplementation are critical for advancing bison production and conservation efforts. This thesis integrates two complementary investigations to evaluate trace mineral status in American Plains bison at both regional and herd management levels. First, a herd level comparison evaluated the influence of differing mineral supplementation strategies on circulating mineral concentrations, herd performance, and reproductive …
Winter-Feeding High Forage Vs. High Concentrate Diets To Beef Cows: Effects On Placental Transcriptomics, Lactation Capacity, And Enteric Methane Emissions, Megan Ann Wehrbein
Winter-Feeding High Forage Vs. High Concentrate Diets To Beef Cows: Effects On Placental Transcriptomics, Lactation Capacity, And Enteric Methane Emissions, Megan Ann Wehrbein
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Nutritional management and lactation performance are critical factors influencing productivity in cattle. This research includes two complementary studies. The first study was a meta-analysis to develop a lactation curve for Bos taurus cattle in North America using data from machine or hand milked cows. Data from 7 studies were used resulting in 1340 cow-day observations. Milk yield was analyzed by parity (primiparous or multiparous) and feeding management (non-nutrient restricted or nutrient restricted), revealing that primiparous cattle peaked earlier and at lower yields than multiparous cattle, and nutrient restriction reduced peak milk yield. Overall, Bos taurus cattle followed lactation trends similar …
Evaluating Methodologies For Estimating Enteric Emissions And Modeling Greenfeed Technology Utilization In Extensive Beef And Bison Grazing Systems, Aletta Laura Husmann
Evaluating Methodologies For Estimating Enteric Emissions And Modeling Greenfeed Technology Utilization In Extensive Beef And Bison Grazing Systems, Aletta Laura Husmann
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from grazing ruminants represent a significant component of U.S. agricultural emissions. However, enteric methane (CH4) from cow– calf systems on extensive rangelands pose substantial measurement and management challenges. The Northern Great Plains (NGP) supports nearly one-quarter of the U.S. beef cow population, yet regionally representative, herd-level enteric emission data from commercial ranches remain limited. This thesis integrates empirical field measurements with modeling approaches to evaluate the feasibility of quantifying enteric emissions on extensive rangelands and to examine system-level drivers influencing data yield, costs, and operational performance. Enteric methane and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions were measured from …
The Fate And Removal Of E. Coli Across Liquid And Sludge Treatment Stages In An Activated -Sludge Water Resource Recovery Facility, Shrawan Tandukar
The Fate And Removal Of E. Coli Across Liquid And Sludge Treatment Stages In An Activated -Sludge Water Resource Recovery Facility, Shrawan Tandukar
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This study evaluates the fate and removal efficiency of Escherichia coli (E. coli) across both liquid and sludge treatment processes at a full-scale activated sludge water resource recovery facility (WRRF) in Brookings, South Dakota. Understanding pathogen reduction within wastewater treatment systems is critical for protecting public health and ensuring regulatory compliance, particularly in facilities practicing water reuse and biosolids management. Liquid and sludge samples were collected from multiple treatment stages between January and July 2025 and analyzed using the IDEXX Colilert Quanti-Tray 2000 method. This study quantifies E. coli concentrations throughout the treatment train to assess removal performance and identify …
Effect Of Female Employment On Household Expenditure In Bangladesh, Fatema Binte Sharif
Effect Of Female Employment On Household Expenditure In Bangladesh, Fatema Binte Sharif
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Female labor force participation (FLFP) in Bangladesh has increased from 29.2% in 2005–06 to 42.8% in 2022, raising important questions about household resource allocation. This study examines the impact of female employment on household expenditure patterns and challenges the traditional unitary model of decision-making. It focuses on how income controlled by women influences spending across essential and non-essential categories. The analysis uses data from the Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) conducted by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. This research employs Seemingly Unrelated Regression (SURE) approach to estimate budget shares for food, housing, health, education, clothing, and transport. The study …
Improving Human Dimensions Of Conservation Planning: Challenges And Opportunities For Sustainable Conservation Outcomes, Vivian Hulugh
Improving Human Dimensions Of Conservation Planning: Challenges And Opportunities For Sustainable Conservation Outcomes, Vivian Hulugh
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Conservation planning is important to ensure both ecological and social benefits of natural resources, including the maintenance of functional ecosystems and stable wildlife populations as well as the provision of resources that communities rely on. Yet, the integration of the human dimensions of conservation planning remains limited in practice. This thesis examines conservation planning in South Dakota and within Joint Venture (JV) partnerships, using qualitative methods to identify challenges and opportunities for more effective and coordinated planning. In chapter one, I examine how collaboration, public participation, and the use of climate information are integrated conservation planning in South Dakota and …
Transcriptomic And Epigenetic Analysis Of Dormant Grape Buds During Chilling Fulfillment, Imasha Thilakarathna
Transcriptomic And Epigenetic Analysis Of Dormant Grape Buds During Chilling Fulfillment, Imasha Thilakarathna
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
No abstract provided.
Production, Characterization, And Diagnostic Application Of Monoclonal Antibodies Against The N-Protein Of Avian Metapneumovirus Subgroup B, Ravi Gupta
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Avian metapneumovirus (aMPV) is a respiratory pathogen that causes Turkey Rhinotracheitis (TRT) in turkeys and Swollen Head Syndrome (SHS) in chickens. The infection leads to facial swelling, nasal discharge, reduced egg production, and poor growth. This virus is classified into four subgroups: aMPV-A, B, C, and D, with two other novel subgroups, in which aMPV-A, B, and C are most prevalent in the commercial flocks. In early 2024, aMPV-A and B outbreaks have been reported in the US, resulting in severe economic losses. An economic assessment estimates around $112 million in losses in Minnesota and up to $434 million in …
The Fertilization President: A Rhetorical Analysis Of The United States’ Rebirth Of Pronatalism, Kara Vetch
The Fertilization President: A Rhetorical Analysis Of The United States’ Rebirth Of Pronatalism, Kara Vetch
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The United States experienced one of the lowest birth rates in decades in 2024 and has been blamed by policymakers for poor economic and societal outcomes. To combat this, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to encourage healthcare insurances to lower the cost of fertility treatments. Policies encouraging more births align with pronatalist ideologies, the belief that higher national birth rates are better for society. Furthermore, Vice President JD Vance and social media influencers, Malcolm and Simone Collins, have built a strong resurgence of pronatalist ideologies through public addresses and interviews long before Trump’s executive order. For an in-depth …
Computational Modeling Of Biophysical Transport: Respiratory Drug Delivery And Tissue-Level Physics, Md Tariqul Hossain
Computational Modeling Of Biophysical Transport: Respiratory Drug Delivery And Tissue-Level Physics, Md Tariqul Hossain
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The nasopharynx, the upper part of the pharynx located at the back of the nose serves as a critical hotspot for initial respiratory infections via inhaled transmission, largely due to the presence of specific surface receptors that pathogens can exploit for cell invasion, combined with a relatively sparse local mucociliary substrate. To enhance the therapeutic efficacy against certain pathogens, such as the SARS and Influenza viruses, it is therefore essential to improve the targeted delivery of drugs to the nasopharynx. This study explores the use of intranasal sprays as a method for drug administration and models the transport of sprayed …
Ai-Assisted Wheat Spike And Spikelet Detection And Density Mapping Using Multiscale Remote Sensing Data To Support Wheat Grain Yield Forecasting, Hillson Ghimire
Ai-Assisted Wheat Spike And Spikelet Detection And Density Mapping Using Multiscale Remote Sensing Data To Support Wheat Grain Yield Forecasting, Hillson Ghimire
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Wheat grain yield is determined by the number of spikes per unit area, the number of grains per spike, and kernel weight. However, spike number and spikelets per spike are still measured predominantly through manual counting, a labor-intensive and subjective process that limits phenotyping throughput and selection intensity in modern wheat breeding programs. This thesis develops and evaluates a deep learning framework for automated, high-throughput phenotyping of wheat spike and spikelet traits across complementary imaging scales and implements the framework as a deployable platform. First, two large-scale benchmark datasets with oriented bounding box (OBB) annotations were established, comprising 48,521 spike …
Regenerative Farming Practices Effects On Invertebrates In Wheat Systems, Daniel J. Pecenka
Regenerative Farming Practices Effects On Invertebrates In Wheat Systems, Daniel J. Pecenka
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The modern agricultural system is based upon the Green Revolutions principle of creating more food. However, this came at a cost of invertebrate declines through habitat loss, pollution, and the introduction of agrochemicals. Here I address knowledge gaps in biological inventory of invertebrates across north, northwestern, and central North America. These invertebrates were identified and given a size scale and a dietary guild. We also examined how regenerative and conventional agricultural practices can affect invertebrate populations within the same crop. We also examined whether regenerative management wheat fields fostered great invertebrate communities while limited pest presence. Invertebrate populations were negatively …
The Impact Of Synchronous And Asynchronous Preference On The Performance Of Distance Learning Students, Christopher A. Wilson
The Impact Of Synchronous And Asynchronous Preference On The Performance Of Distance Learning Students, Christopher A. Wilson
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Distance learning is a growing part of education. The transition to distance learning was underway at higher education institutions, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced institutions of all types to rapidly transition to distance learning. The technology that was adapted during this emergency distance learning remained in the classroom once normal instruction resumed. This quantitative study examined two aspects of distance learning technology in education. The study examined student preference for either synchronous or asynchronous instruction through the framework of expectancy theory. Students who were more familiar with the course material were hypothesized to have a higher expectation of success and …
Evaluating Planting Methods For Native Seed Production And Exploring Granivory In The Northern Great Plains, Allison Dollen
Evaluating Planting Methods For Native Seed Production And Exploring Granivory In The Northern Great Plains, Allison Dollen
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Temperate grasslands have faced immense losses due to land use change in the last 150 years and less than half of the overall grasslands that once covered North America remain today. A portion of historic and remaining U.S. grasslands are located within the northern Great Plains (NGP) region which is home to over 1,600 species of native plants and provides many ecosystem services and economic benefits. Initiatives to restore grasslands and their ecosystem services are currently underway, but barriers such as limited native seed supply and granivory hinder restoration efforts. My first chapter addresses knowledge gaps in planting methods for …