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Rscn 271n.01: Issues In Wilderness Ecology, Donald J. Bedunah

University of Montana Course Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Biofuels: Cultivating Energy, Not Invasive Species, Invasive Species Advisory Committee

National Invasive Species Council

Biofuels: Cultivating Energy, not Invasive Species, approved by ISAC on August 11, 2009

ISSUE

To provide alternatives to petroleum-based energy, the United States government has mandated a greater proportion of plant-based biofuels be integrated into its energy portfolio. However, certain plant species being proposed for biofuel production in the United States are invasive species or are likely to escape cultivation and become invasive. United States Executive Order (EO) 131121 defines invasive species as “alien [non-native] species whose introduction does or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health” and states: “Each Federal agency whose actions …

Using Pcr Amplification And Genetic Sequence Analysis Of 18s Rrna Genes To Survey The Microbial Diversity And Distribution Of Eukaryotic Microbes Inhabiting Two Thermo-Acidic Streams In Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, Robert Harvey Jr.

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

A cultivation-independent approach, sequence analysis of 18S rRNA genes PCR-amplified from environmental DNA, was used to explore the diversity and distribution of eukaryotic microbes inhabiting algal mats in two acidic geothermal streams in Yellowstone National Park. The objectives were to: (1) clarify the identity of mat forming algae in Nymph Creek (2) survey microbial species in the Nymph Creek mat over seasonal intervals along a thermal gradient (3) compare microbial species in the Nymph Creek mat with those in Alluvium Creek mats (4) evaluate microbial species in algal mats formed on different substrates in Alluvium Creek. The results show that …

The Effects Of Fluorescent Tracking Powder On Oxygen Consumption In Salamanders Using Either Cutaneous Or Bimodal Respiration, Sarah A. Orlofske, Kristine L. Grayson, William A. Hopkins

Biology Faculty Publications

Fluorescent powder is gaining attention as an effective method for tracking terrestrial amphibian movements, particularly for species that are too small for conventional tracking equipment. The technique requires coating portions of an animal with fluorescent powder, releasing the animal, and following the trail of powder as it is progressively lost during movement. Recent studies have shown that fluorescent powder has no negative effects on survival or growth. However, a substance that coats the skin, a major respiratory organ in most amphibians, may have sublethal effects on performance and consequently behavior. We tested the effect of fluorescent powder application on the …

On The Prediction Of Extreme Ecological Events, Mark W. Denny, Luke J. H. Hunt, Luke P. Miller, Christopher D. G. Harley

Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences

Ecological studies often focus on average effects of environmental factors, but ecological dynamics may depend as much upon environmental extremes. Ecology would therefore benefit from the ability to predict the frequency and severity of extreme environmental events. Some extreme events (e.g., earthquakes) are simple events: either they happen or they don't, and they are generally difficult to predict. In contrast, extreme ecological events are often compound events, resulting from the chance coincidence of run-of-the-mill factors. Here we present an environmental bootstrap method for resampling short-term environmental data (rolling the environmental dice) to calculate an ensemble of hypothetical time series that …

Life As A Sober Citizen : Aldo Leopold's Wildlife Ecology 118., Nancy Stearns Theiss

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This historic case study addressed the issue of the lack of citizen action toward environmentally responsible behavior. Although there have been studies regarding components of environmental responsible behavior [ERB], there has been little focus on historic models of exemplary figures of ERB. This study examined one of the first conservation courses in the United States, Wildlife Ecology 118, taught by Aldo Leopold (1887-1948) for 13 years at the University of Wisconsin. Today, Aldo Leopold is recognized as an exemplary conservationist whose land ethic is cited as providing the ecological approach needed for understanding the complex issues of modern society. The …

Optimizing Vitamin D Status To Reduce Colorectal Cancer Risk: An Evidentiary Review., Guiyun Zhou, Jill Stoitzfus, Beth A. Swan

College of Nursing Faculty Papers & Presentations

Vitamin D deficiency is common in the general public and in patients with cancer. Optimizing vitamin D intake is increasingly recognized in cancer risk reduction, particularly in decreasing colorectal cancer risk. Therefore, summarizing the current evidence to promote best practices related to vitamin D intake and colorectal cancer risk reduction is important. The objectives of this article are to examine the current evidence regarding the impact of vitamin D on colorectal cancer risk reduction and provide practice recommendations for clinicians. Relevant research articles from 2002-2008 were retrieved from multiple electronic databases. Reference lists of relevant articles also were searched manually. …

The Effects Of Physical Activity And Nutrient Intake On The Risk Of Hip Fracture : Results From The Adventist Health Study-2, Wen-Ling Liao

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This is a two year of follow up study of Adventist Health Study-2 (AHS-2). We assessed the association between physical activity, nutrient intake and risk of hip fracture among peri- and post menopausal Caucasian women using unconditional logistic regression models. All subjects completed a lifestyle questionnaire which including information of physical activity and frequency and portion size of food intake at enrollment into the study (2002-2007). The “Bi-Annual Hospitalization History” questionnaire which included a question about hip fractures due to minor trauma/falls was sent to subjects approximately two years after enrollment, with a response rat of 82.84%. In this cohort, …

Habitat Selection And Predation Risk In Larval Lampreys, Dustin M. Smith

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis examines habitat preference and the influence of habitat on predation of larvae (ammocoetes) of the least brook lamprey (Lampetra aepyptera). The thesis comprises three chapters: (1) an introduction and literature review on the general life history of lampreys and on studies related to ammocoetes and their habitat, (2) an experimental study of habitat preference in ammocoetes of the least brook lamprey, and (3) an experimental study of the relationship between habitat availability and predation risk in ammocoetes. For the first study, we quantified substrate selection in small (< 50 mm) and large (100-150 mm) ammocoetes of the least brook lamprey. In aquaria, ammocoetes were given a choice to burrow into six equally-available substrate types: small gravel (2.36-4.75 mm), coarse sand (0.5-1.4 mm), fine sand (0.125-0.5 mm), organic debris (approximately 70% decomposing leaves and stems, 15% silt, and 15% sand), an even mixture of silt, clay, and fine sand, and silt/clay (< 0.063 mm). Fine sand was selected with a significantly higher probability than any other substrate. In the second study, we experimentally examined the influence of habitat availability on predation risk of ammocoetes. Ammocoetes were placed in aquaria containing a predator species (yellow bullhead, Ameiurus natalis) and one of 3 substrates: fine sand (0.125-0.5 mm), coarse sand (0.5-1.4 mm), or silt/clay (<0.063 mm). Use of the three substrate types was based on a previous experiment where fine sand was determined to be the preferred benthic habitat of least brook lamprey. Based on 10 trials with each habitat type, survival of ammocoetes was highest in aquaria with fine sand (mean = 80%), and lower in those with coarse sand (mean = 58%) and silt/clay (mean = 4%). The results of both studies conducted indicate that populations of least brook lamprey ammocoetes may be limited by the availability of fine sand habitat. The first study indicated that least brook lamprey ammocoetes are habitat specialists, preferring substrates composed primarily of fine sand. The second study showed that the availability of fine sand habitat may influence the predation risk of ammocoetes, as ammocoete survival from predation was highest in fine sand, and lower in other substrates.

An Environmental Biography Of Bde Ihanke-Lake Andes: History, Science, And Sovereignty Converge With Tribal, State, And Federal Power On The Yankton Sioux Reservation In South Dakota, 1858–1959, David Nesheim

Department of History: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Lake Andes sits at the center of the Yankton Sioux Reservation in south-central South Dakota and might be described as a prairie pothole, except it encompasses nearly 5,000 acres when full of water, stretching twelve miles long by a mile to a mile and a half wide in a quasi-crescent shape. Originally carved out by a receding glacier during the Wisconsin glaciations, for its entire history the lake has gone dry during low precipitation -- a cycle interrupted after the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) commissioned several artesian wells beginning in 1896. As the lake expanded, the U.S. Fish Commission …

Introduction And Spread Of Bromus Tectorum (Cheatgrass) Into Midwestern United States: Population Genetic And Evolutionary Consequences, Temsha D. Huttanus

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

High propagule pressure is correlated with invasion success, and has important implications for the genetic diversity and evolutionary potential of a species in its introduced range. Here, I examine an invasive annual grass Bromus tectorum and document the population genetic consequences that resulted from multiple introductions of genotypes native to different Eurasian regions into the North American Midwest. Herbarium collections showed that B. tectorum was first recorded near-contemporaneously throughout the Midwest in the late 1800s. Allozyme diversity data from 60 populations were used to assess the origin and frequency of introductions into the Midwest. Genetic variation and structure was compared …

"That Charm Of Remoteness": A Study Of Landscape Stability In Little Compton, Rhode Island, Katharine M. Johnson

Graduate Masters Theses

Little Compton, Rhode Island has long been considered a stable, isolated and rural location relative to surrounding towns and cities. A geophysical and archaeological examination in the front yards of the Wilbor house and Brownell farm was undertaken in order to gain a better understanding about how residents of the town maintained stable, rural lifeways during the period of industrialization and urbanization that characterized the rest of the state in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The results from these examinations revealed that there was a distinct lack of features and landscaping changes in the archaeological record in the …

Effects Of Vegetation Structure On Fire Behavior And Wiregrass Seedling Establishment In Xeric Sandhills, Evelyn Wenk

All Theses

The xeric sandhills on Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge have a monospecific overstory of longleaf pine and an understory dominated by turkey oak and wiregrass. The understory vegetation is spatially heterogeneous within stands, with small patches dominated by either turkey oak or wiregrass, or lacking understory vegetation. I described the fuel complexes created by the variable vegetation structure, in terms of their chemical and physical properties, and used prescribed fire to test for differences in fire behavior among the vegetation types. In addition, I compared the effects of the vegetation structure and below-ground competition on the establishment of wiregrass.
Turkey …

Population Ecology Of The Floodplain Herb Macbridea Caroliniana (Lamiaceae) With Investigations On The Species' Habitat, Breeding System And Genetic Diversity, Katherine Weeks

All Dissertations

The perennial herbaceous mint Macbridea caroliniana is known from 36 locations in discrete watersheds of the Carolinas and Georgia. It is one of relatively few conspicuously flowering herbs that occupy bottomland hardwood forests. The general project goal was to gain knowledge that is applicable to the species' conservation both at the Congaree National Park (CNP) where the largest known population of this species occurs and range-wide. Specific objectives were to (1) quantify the population size and describe the distribution of M. caroliniana within CNP, and determine the extent of co-occurrence with wild hogs and the non-native Murdannia keisak; (2) identify …

Differential Mortality Drives Life-History Evolution And Population Dynamics In The Fish Brachyrhaphis Rhabdophora, Jerald B. Johnson, J. Jaime Zuniga-Vega

Faculty Publications

Life-history theory predicts that populations experiencing different levels of extrinsic mortality will evolve divergent reproductive strategies. Previous work in the live bearing fish Brachyrhaphis rhabdophora shows that individuals from populations that occur with piscivorous fish mature earlier and at smaller sizes and have more and smaller offspring than fish from populations without predators. However, until now, there have been no data to demonstrate that differences in mortality rates actually exist between predator and predator free sites. Here we present the results of a serial mark-recapture field study designed to estimate mortality rates in natural populations of B. rhabodophora from Costa …

Association Between Community Health Center And Rural Health Clinic Presence And County-Level Hospitalization Rates For Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions: An Analysis Across Eight Us States, Janice C. Probst, James N. Laditka, Sarah B. Laditka

Faculty Publications

Background: Federally qualified community health centers (CHCs) and rural health clinics (RHCs) are intended to provide access to care for vulnerable populations. While some research has explored the effects of CHCs on population health, little information exists regarding RHC effects. We sought to clarify the contribution that CHCs and RHCs may make to the accessibility of primary health care, as measured by county-level rates of hospitalization for ambulatory care sensitive (ACS) conditions.

Methods: We conducted an ecologic analysis of the relationship between facility presence and county-level hospitalization rates, using 2002 discharge data from eight states within the US (579 counties). …

Species Composition, Seasonal Activity, And Aggregations Of Dung Beetles On Cattle Pastures In Arkansas, Justin George Fiene

Student Theses and Dissertations

The species composition, seasonal activities, and aggregations of dung beetles (Scarabaeidae and Geotrupidae) were monitored from April 2007 to September 2008 using ten dung-baited pitfall traps operated weekly at a site in northeastern Arkansas. Collections comprised 236,880 beetles, representing 22 species including Colobopterus erraticus L. and Onthophagus taurus Schreber, which are new state records. Labarrus pseudolividus Balthasar comprised 97.7 % of the total trap catch, with the majority being collected in June, July and August 2007 which involved two separate mass occurrences during that time. Colonizing dung beetles expressed strong intraspecific aggregation, while interspecific aggregation, though present, were typically of …

Population Genetics Of Antarctic Seals, Caitlin Curtis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

I developed and tested a protocol for determining the sex of individual pinnipeds using the sex-chromosome specific genes ZFX and ZFY. I screened a total of 368 seals (168 crabeater, Lobodon carcinophagus; 159 Weddell, Leptonychotes weddellii; and 41 Ross, Ommatophoca rossii) of known or unknown sex and compared the molecular sex to the sex assigned at the time of collection in the Ross and Amundsen seas, Antarctica. Discrepancies ranged from 0.0% - 6.7% among species. It is unclear, however, if mis-assignment of sex occurred in situ or in the laboratory. It also is possible, however, that …

Evaluating Dissolved Oxygen Regimes Along A Gradient Of Human Disturbance For Lotic Systems In West-Central Florida, Daniel G. Hammond

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Land uses dominated by human activity can have a significant effect on ecological processes. In Florida, oxygen depletion is the most common impairment in lake, stream, and coastal water bodies. The continual growth and development in Florida, along with a conversion to more human intense land uses warrants study and discussion on impacts to dissolved oxygen regimes along a gradient of human disturbance. This research study is designed to identify observable trends in dissolved oxygen regimes along a gradient of increasing human intensity.

Twenty-six stations in the Tampa Bay area were selected to represent lotic systems in west-central Florida. Data …

Camel Spider (Solifugae) Use Of Prairie Dog Colonies, B. D. Duval, W. G. Whitford

Western North American Naturalist

Solifugids (camel spiders) are widespread throughout arid regions of western North America and are thought to be important in structuring desert arthropod communities. Despite the ubiquity of camel spiders, little is known about their ecology. Black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) are also widespread in western North America and are important ecosystem engineers, but they have been reduced in extent because of human activity. Here we report significantly greater numbers of camel spiders on black-tailed prairie dog colonies in southern New Mexico. The difference in vegetation structure created by prairie dog activity is likely the reason for the increased …

Co-Occurrence With A Congeneric Species Predicts Life History And Morphological Diversification In The Mexican Livebearing Fish Poelicopsis Baenschi, Laura E. Scott

Theses and Dissertations

Understanding why some species coexist and others do not remains one of the fundamental challenges of ecology. While several lines of evidence suggest that closely related species are unlikely to occupy the same habitat because of competitive exclusion, there are many cases where closely related species do co-occur. Research comparing sympatric and allopatric populations of co-occurring species provides a framework to understand the role of phenotypic diversification in species coexistence. In this study I focus on the livebearing fish Poeciliopsis baenschi and ask if differences in phenotypic traits among populations can be explained by the presence or absence of the …

Estimating Water Application Efficiency For Drip Irrigation Emitter Patterns On Banana, Alisson Jadavi Pereira Da Silva, Eugênio Ferreira Coelho, Jarbas Honorio De Miranda, Stephen Ray Workman

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

The objective of this work was to evaluate root and water distribution in irrigated banana (Musa sp.), in order to determine the water application efficiency for different drip irrigation emitter patterns. Three drip emitter patterns were studied: two 4-L h^-1 emitters per plant (T1), four 4-L h^-1 emitters per plant (T2), and five 4-L h^-1 emitters per plant (T3). The emitters were placed in a lateral line. In the treatment T3, the emitters formed a continuous strip. The cultivated area used was planted with banana cultivar BRS Tropical, with a 3-m spacing between rows and a …

Decoupling Development And Energy Flow During Embryonic Diapause In The Cricket, Allonemobius Socius, Julie A. Reynolds, Steven C. Hand

Faculty Publications

Respiration rate increases 6.3-fold during 15days of post-oviposition development in embryos of the Southern ground cricket, Allonemobius socius. This ontogenetic increase in metabolism of non-diapause insects is blocked during diapause, such that metabolic rate is only 36% of the rate measured for 15 days developing embryos. Surprisingly, however, there is not an acute metabolic depression during diapause entry at the point when developmental ceases (4-5days post-oviposition), as measured by blockage of morphological change and DNA proliferation. The results indicate a decoupling of developmental arrest from metabolism. Both non-diapause and diapause embryos have unusually high [AMP]:[ATP] ratios and low [ATP]:[ADP] ratios …

Environmental Regulation Of Carbon Isotope Discrimination And Internal Co2 Conductance In C3 Leaves, Christopher Paul Bickford

Biology ETDs

Stable carbon isotopes are powerful tools for elucidating leaf- and ecosystem- level processes, and recent technological developments provide new opportunities to assess the isotopic flux during leaf gas exchange. In these studies I used a tunable diode laser spectroscope coupled to a infra-red gas analyzer to measure the isotopic composition of leaf gas exchange at high frequency in both field and greenhouse settings and assess environmental regulation of carbon isotope discrimination (Δ) and internal conductance of CO2 to sites of carboxylation (gi). I measured Δ and gi across diurnal and seasonal periods in field-grown Juniperus monosperma trees and used these …

Liana Communities In Three Tropical Forest Types In Xishuangbanna, South-West China, Zhi-Quan Cai, Stefan A. Schnitzer, Yu-Long Zheng, Frans Bongers

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Lianas are an important growth form in tropical forests around the world. However, they are relatively unknown in south-east Asia. We identified, measured and determined the climbing and dispersal modes for lianas in five 0.1-ha plots in three common forest types at the tropical-temperate transitional zone in Xishuangbanna, SW China, namely, montane forest, evergreen broad-leaved forest and seasonally wet forest. Liana diversity in the three forests combined was high; we found a total of 147 liana species, representing 48 families and 75 genera. The mean density of lianas was 3407 ha-1 and varied significantly between the three forests, with 445, …

Reverse Transcription Of 16s Rrna To Monitor Ribosome-Synthesizing Bacterial Populations In The Environment, Ting Lu, Peter George Stroot, Daniel B. Oerther

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Identification and quantification of phylogenetically defined bacterial populations in the environment are often performed using molecular tools targeting 16S rRNA. Fluorescence in situ hybridization has been used to monitor the expression and processing of rRNA by targeting the 3' tail of precursor 16S rRNA. To expand this approach, we employed reverse transcription of total RNA using primer S-D-Bact-0338-a-A-18. Length heterogeneity detected by slab gel analysis, denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) was used to differentiate the 5' tail of the precursor from mature 16S rRNA, and the relative abundance of the precursor compared to the abundance of mature 16S rRNA was …

Annual Report Of The University, 2008-2009, Volumes 1-6, University Of New Mexico

UNM Annual Reports

Division of Enrollment Management 2008-2009 Goals and Accomplishments • Enrollment Results: Broke the funding formula 3% "enrollment band" in 2009. This had not been done since 2003. Increased Fall 2008 new freshmen by 10.8%. Increased Spring 2009 transfer students by 12.6%. Increased National Scholars from 14 in 2007 to 39 in 2008 and 73 in 2009 (92% increase). Overall enrollment for Fall 2009 increased 5.75% including 5.7% for new freshmen, 30% for new transfers with large growth in non-residents. • Expanded our communication capacity by purchasing Hobson\'s EMT E-Mail software that allows us to communicate more frequently and effectively with …

Climate Change And Heatwaves : China’S Responsibility Before The Poor Elderly, José Azoh Barry

Conference on China and Global Climate Change : Reconciling International Fairness and Protection of the Atmospheric Commons

OBJECTIVE: To address the extent of China’s obligation toward the elderly – a growing segment of the population -- as more vulnerable to heat waves.

METHOD: Data handled are secondary and derived from a non-exhaustive review of a specialized scientific literature. The search for relevant publications was conducted from a multidisciplinary perspective.

RESULTS: Of the various sources of human influences on climate, two major ones related to heat waves appear to be urban designs and greenhouse gas emissions. The urban heat islands effects as local anthropogenic impacts on climate increase the need for air conditioning and demand for power consumption …

Check List Of The Algae In Diyala River, Iraq, Hadi, R. A, Ismail A.M., Talib A. H

Baghdad Science Journal

A total of 722 algal taxa are recorded in Diyala River by different authors. Most of the identification algae belong to three Divisions: Bacillariophyceae (367, 50.8%), Chlorophyceae (179, 24.8%), and Cyanophyceae (126, 17.5%).

Purple Martin, Progne Subis, In San Luis Obispo County Riparian Habitat: Presence, Persistence, Nesting, Brooding And Reproductive Success, Shannon Eileen Murphy

Biological Sciences

The State of California, as of 2002, identified the Purple Martin as a bird species of Special Concern (Airola et al., 2003). These migrants were historically found in a unique habitat in Central California; nesting in natural cavities of Western Sycamores within Riparian Habitats. I am proposing that Purple Martins still successfully nest and brood young in this unique habitat in San Luis Obispo County. The primary study site is in Atascadero where Highway 41 meets San Gabriel Road and San Gabriel Road crosses Atascadero creek. The secondary site is Highway 58 in Santa Margarita where the highway crosses the …