Digital Commons Network^™

Effects Of Understory Vegetation And Litter On Plant Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), N∶P Ratio And Their Relationships With Growth Rate Of Indigenous Seedlings In Subtropical Plantations, Jun Wang, Dafeng Hui, Hai Ren, Zhanfeng Liu, Long Yang

Biology Faculty Research

Establishing seedlings in subtropical plantations is very important for forest health, succession and management. Information on seedling nutrient concentrations is essential for both the selection of suitable indigenous tree species to accelerate succession of the established plantation and sustainable forest management. In this study, we investigated the concentrations of nitrogen ([N]), phosphorus ([P]), and N∶P ratio in leaves, stems and roots of seedlings of three indigenous tree species (Castanopsis chinensis, Michelia chapensis and Psychotria rubra) transplanted with removing or retaining understory vegetation and litter at two typical subtropical forest plantations (Eucalyptus plantation and native species plantation). We also measured the …

Effects Of Prescribed Burns On Grassland Breeding Birds At Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge, Elizabeth A. Ruffman

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

There has been a critical decline in grassland bird populations due to habitat fragmentation and deterioration, and suppression of natural fires. Alteration of the disturbance cycle may lead to changes in vegetation structure and thus habitat suitability for breeding grassland birds. Management practices at the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge, including the use of prescribed fire, are in need of evaluation. My study asked what frequency of prescribed burns is necessary to support breeding grassland birds and whether vegetation structure varies among burn units. In this study, bird abundance and species richness did not differ significantly among burn units …

Online Social Media As A Social-Ecological Systems Research Tool: Facebook And Two Rural Alaskan Communities, Richard E. Hum

Rural Development

The earth has transitioned into the anthropocene, which is defined by complex environmental change linked to human behavior and requires new tools of analysis in order to understand shifting social-ecological system (SES) dynamics. In this work, I explore taking advantage of widespread online social media participation to develop the tools for doing so. Spatially grounded public exchanges on Facebook are examined with three goals in mind: 1) examine the types of SES content being passed through this communication medium, 2) compare community observations to relevant scientific observations, and 3) define a flexible and reproducible research method for integrating these communications …

Environmental Regulation Of Tidal Wetland Microbial Communities And Associated Biogeochemistry, Ember Morrissey

Theses and Dissertations

Microbial communities play an essential role in carrying out the biogeochemical cycles that sustain life on Earth, yet we know very little about their ecology. One question of particular interest is how environmental conditions shape microbial community structure (i.e., the types of organisms found in the community and their relative abundance), and whether such changes in structure are related to biogeochemical function. It is the aim of this dissertation to address this question via the examination of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling in wetland ecosystems, which due to their diverse hydrology have a profound influence on biogeochemical cycles. With …

Seasonal Dynamics Of Flatfish Assemblage In Coastal Waters Off Northeastern Taiwan: With Implications For Shift In Species Dominance Of The Ecosystem, Shyh-Bin Wang, Wen-Kwen Chen, Shoou-Jeng Joung

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

The seasonal dynamics of flatfish assemblage in the coastal waters off northeastern Taiwan was examined based on samples collected between March 2004 and March 2005 taken by bottom trawlers and landed at Da-Shi fishing port, Yilan county. A total of 28 species from 5 families and 18 genera were found. The Bothidae was the most dominant family, accounting for 81% of the total catch, while the most dominant species was the Pseudorhombus pentophthalmus. Species richness and diversity were high between the end of fall and the end of spring, but low in summer. Multivariate analyses based on cluster and nonparametric …

Age And Growth Study Of The Jack Mackerel (Trachurus Japonicus) In The Northeatern Waters Off Taiwan, Hsueh-Jung Lu, Chih-Chun Chen, Jen-Chia Cheng

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Jack mackerel (Trachurus japonicus) is one of the most important fish resources in the northeastern Taiwan. Because of the flourishing of Taiwanese seiner fisheries in recent years, the proportion and catch of jack mackerels have increased. However, the studies on their age and growth are outdated, thus data on the catch-at-age composition are lacking. The present study collected jack mackerel otolith samples from May, 2010, to April, 2011, for age determination and combined those data with length and weight data from 2005 to January, 2012, to investigate the catch-at-age of jack mackerel in the northeastern waters off Taiwan. The regression …

Sensory Basis For Detection Of Benthic Prey In Two Lake Malawi Cichlids., Margot A. B. Schwalbe, Jacqueline F. Webb

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The adaptive radiations of African cichlids resulted in a diversity of feeding morphologies and strategies, but the role of sensory biology in prey detection and feeding ecology remains largely unexplored. Two endemic Lake Malawi cichlid genera, Tramitichromis and Aulonocara, feed on benthic invertebrates, but differ in lateral line morphology (narrow and widened lateral line canals, respectively) and foraging strategy. The hypothesis that they use their lateral line systems differently was tested by looking at the relative contribution of the lateral line system and vision in prey detection by Tramitichromis sp. and comparing results to those from a complementary study using …

Shifting Environmental Controls On Ch4 Fluxes In A Sub-Boreal Peatland, Thomas G. Pypker, P. A. Moore, John A. Hribljan, Rodney Chimner

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

We monitored CO₂ and CH₄ fluxes using eddy covariance from 19 May to 27 September 2011 in a poor fen located in northern Michigan. The objectives of this paper are to: (1) quantify the flux of CH₄ from a sub-boreal peatland, and (2) determine which abiotic and biotic factors were the most correlated to the flux of CH₄ over the measurement period. Net daily CH₄ fluxes increased from 70 mg CH₄ m⁻² d⁻¹ to 220 mg CH₄ m⁻² d⁻¹ from mid May to mid July. After July, CH_{4 …}

Survey Research Of The Canned Craft Beer Industry, Scott Taylor Hogland

Agribusiness

This study on the canned craft beer industry was done to see whether or not a significant correlation between one’s age and their willingness to purchase craft beers in cans exists. Furthermore, it sets out to test how creating further consumer awareness highlighting the beneficial aspects of cans versus bottles could affect one’s purchasing decisions.

In order to test the hypothesis that millennials are more open to purchasing canned craft beer, the statistical analysis software SPSS has been utilized. Frequencies have been run on every survey question to obtain an analysis of the entire population. Chi-square variance tests and independence …

Territoriality And Landscape Of Aggression., Piyumika Sureshni Suriyampola

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Behavioral adjustments in response to the presence of landmarks can exert strong effects on population dynamics of territorial species as well as the evolution of behavior and social systems. Hence, an understanding of the role of landmarks in animal contests provides a link between behavioral decision-making and population dynamics, which has been viewed as a major goal in ecology. This dissertation investigates the effects of landmarks on territory defense, focusing on how landmarks affect differences in sex roles, the landscape of aggression and fundamental territory properties. To investigate these ideas, I used three different cichlid fish species as model systems. …

Whooping Cranes Consume Plains Leopard Frogs At Migratory Stopover Sites In Nebraska, Keith Geluso, Brad T. Krohn, Mary J. Harner, Michael J. Assenmacher

The Prairie Naturalist

Whooping cranes (Grus americana) currently consist of a single, wild population that migrates annually from breeding grounds at Wood Buffalo National Park, Canada, to wintering grounds on and around the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge along the Texas coast, USA (NRC 2005). This population reached a low of less than 20 individuals in 1941 (Allen 1952) but has rebounded to over 250 individuals (Chavez-Ramirez and Wehtje 2012, Gil-Weir et al. 2012). Whooping cranes migrate approximately 4,000 km each spring and autumn, traversing much of the North American Great Plains (Lewis 1995) and periodically landing along rivers, wetlands, and other …

The Association Between Mercury Emissions And Individuals With Autism Aged From 3-21 In The State Of California From 2001 To 2007, Sen Guo

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

The paper explores how historical mercury deposition associates with the incidents of autism, identified in individuals aged from 3 to 21 in California from 2001 to 2007. The association between mercury deposits and the prevalence of individuals with autism aged from 3 to 21 in California was explored using the data from the National Atmospheric Deposition Program and the U.S. Education Department. A correlation analysis is applied to find if a relationship between mercury deposits and the autistic individuals in California. A regression test is run showing that for every 2.41ng/square meter per year increase of mercury deposits in California, …

Physical Activity Does Not Influence Obesity Risk: Time To Clarify The Public Health Message, Amy Luke, Richard S. Cooper

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Effectiveness Of Management Options In Reducing Human Disturbance To Wetland And Coastal Birds, Christopher Batey

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Human disturbance to wildlife is a serious conservation issue for many groups of species. Birds inhabiting wetland and coastal environments may be of particular concern as they are exposed to disturbance both on land and on water, and due to growing pressure from tourism and leisure activities human disturbance in these environments may increase in the future. There are a wide variety of available management options referred to in the literature which aim to reduce or mitigate the negative impacts of disturbance to wetland and coastal birds. This review assesses the evidence for the effectiveness of these different management measures …

A Study Into The Impacts Of Water Table And Nitrogen Pulse On Cellulose Decomposition Rates And Carbon Release In Active Peatland, Matthew Culf

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Since the 1980s overstocking of sheep has become an increasing problem on UK uplands. This study examined the effect of livestock urination, and also water table depth, on active peatland on cellulose decomposition and fluvial carbon release. Urination was simulated using synthetic sheep urine (SSU) and applied to quadrats of active peatland at Redlake Mire on South Dartmoor and compared to quadrats without SSU treatment. Cellulose decomposition was measured using the cotton strip assay (CSA) method as a measure of microbial activity by examining a loss in tensile strength of cotton strips buried for 45 days from September 20th to …

Ecology And Impacts Of Coyotes (Canis Latrans) In The Southeastern United States, Cady Etheredge

All Dissertations

Recent coyote (Canis latrans ) colonization of the southeastern United States has prompted speculation on the top-down effects of a new top predator on systems which have gone without a strong predator presence since the extirpation of the red wolf (Canis rufus ). This dissertation reports on the results of a series of investigations of the potential impact of coyotes on raccoons (Procyon lotor ) and other management issues related to coyotes in the Southeast. Chapters 1-3 present indirect field tests of the Mesopredator Release Hypothesis. Chapter 4 presents an overview of the current knowledge of the …

For Logs, For Traditional Purposes And For Food: Identification Of Multiple-Use Plant Species Of Northern Amazonia And An Assessment Of Factors Associated With Their Distribution, Anthony Ravindra Cummings

Dissertations - ALL

This dissertation examines the multiplicity of uses associated with tree and palm species of the Rupununi, Southern Guyana and the factors associated with their distribution. As tropical forests continue to decline the most significant response has been to understand the implications for the carbon cycle, with the impacts on forest dwelling peoples and wildlife, inadequately addressed. Multiple-use plants, individual species which at their most critical level provide food for wildlife, non-timber forest products and are commercially logged, provide a suitable lens for appreciating additional ecosystem services that may be compromised as tropical forests decline. I completed a plant inventory in …

Phenotypic Plasticity Of Climbing-Related Traits In The Ankle Joint Of Great Apes And Rainforest Hunter-Gatherers, Vivek V. Venkataraman, Thomas S. Kraft, Jeremy M. Desilva, Nathaniel J. Dominy

Human Biology

The "negrito" and African "pygmy" phenotypes are predominately exhibited by hunter-gatherers living in rainforest habitats. Foraging within such habitats is associated with a unique set of locomotor behaviors, most notably habitual vertical climbing during the pursuit of honey, fruit, and game. When performed frequently, this behavior is expected to correlate with developmentally plastic skeletal morphologies that respond to mechanical loading. Using six measurements in the distal tibia and talus that discriminate nonhuman primates by vertical climbing frequency, we tested the prediction that intraspecific variation in this behavior is reflected in the morphology of the ankle joint of habitually climbing human …

Evidence For Finely-Regulated Asynchronous Growth Of Toxoplasma Gondii Cysts Based On Data-Driven Model Selection, Adam M. Sullivan, Xiaopeng Zhao, Yasuhiro Suzuki, Eri Ochiai, Stephen Crutcher, Michael A. Gilchrist

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

Toxoplasma gondii establishes a chronic infection by forming cysts preferentially in the brain. This chronic infection is one of the most common parasitic infections in humans and can be reactivated to develop life-threatening toxoplasmic encephalitis in immunocompromised patients. Host-pathogen interactions during the chronic infection include growth of the cysts and their removal by both natural rupture and elimination by the immune system. Analyzing these interactions is important for understanding the pathogenesis of this common infection. We developed a differential equation framework of cyst growth and employed Akaike Information Criteria (AIC) to determine the growth and removal functions that best describe …

National Park Service Cave Ecology Inventory And Monitoring Framework, Gretchen M. Baker, Steven J. Taylor, Shawn Thomas, Rick Olson, Kathy Lavoie, Marie Denn, Steven Thomas, Hazel Barton, Kurt Helf, Rene Ohms, Joel Despain, Jim Kennedy, David Larson

National Cave and Karst Management Symposium 2013

A team developed the Cave Ecology Inventory and Monitoring Framework for National Park Service (NPS) units. It contains information for NPS cave managers across the United States to determine how to inventory and monitor cave ecology. Due to the wide geographical scope of NPS caves and their many different types, the document does not prescribe exact protocols. Instead, it provides guidance for what types of inventory and monitoring are possible, a framework for deciding how to prioritize inventory and monitoring activities, and references to specific protocols that are already in place at NPS cave parks.

Keywords: cave ecology, cave microbiology, …

Bailey’S Eastern Woodrat (Neotoma Floridana Baileyi): Species Conservation Assessment, Melissa J. Panella

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: Publications

The primary goal in development of at-risk species conservation assessments is to compile biological and ecological information that may assist conservation practitioners in making decisions regarding the conservation of species of interest. The Nebraska Natural Legacy Project recognizes the Bailey’s eastern woodrat (Neotama floridana baileyi) as a Tier I at-risk species. Provided are some general management recommendations regarding Bailey’s eastern woodrats. Conservation practitioners will need to use professional judgment for specific management decisions based on objectives, location, and site-specific conditions. This resource was designed to provide an overview of our current knowledge of Bailey’s eastern woodrats and may aid in …

Plant Bio Colloquium Long-Term Flowering And Fruiting Patterns In Dioecious Tropical Forest Trees, Nov 8, Ohio University College Of Arts & Sciences

All Forum Articles

No abstract provided.

Global Carbon-And-Conservation Models, Global Eco-States? Ecuador’S Yasuní-Itt Initiative And Governance Implications, Conny Davidsen Ph.D., Laura Kiff

Journal of International and Global Studies

The “global carbon age” marks a structural change far beyond the economic realms of implementing carbon trade, affecting the fabric of global environmental governance and its actors. Carbon trade and conservation in the Global South have taken on various forms, and climate change mitigation efforts in light of continued rainforest deforestation are scrambling to establish effective approaches. Ecuador’s Yasuní-ITT Initiative proposes a new global carbon-and-conservation model in the Ecuadorian Amazon that leaves oil reserves of the Yasuní Ishpingo Tambococha Tiputini (ITT) oil fields underground, in exchange for international compensation payments that would be based on voluntary contributions of governments and …

Rethinking Extensive Green Roofs To Lessen Emphasis On Above-Ground Biomass, Richard K. Sutton

Landscape Architecture Program: Faculty Scholarly and Creative Activity

In the future, most green roof applications will not be highly visible, yet these roofs will still provide the benefits of heat island reduction, stormwater control and biodiversity for hard-surfaced cities. However, human bias in wanting more biomass and visible blooms leads green roof horticulturalists and their approach of maximizing those aspects down a slippery slope that, in turn, leads to increased hours of labor, over-watering and fertilizing and specifying too many cultivars

National Park Service Cave Ecology Inventory And Monitoring Framework, National Cave And Karst Research Institute

KIP Articles

A team developed the Cave Ecology Inventory and Monitoring Framework for National Park Service (NPS) units. It contains information for NPS cave managers across the United States to determine how to inventory and monitor cave ecology. Due to the wide geographical scope of NPS caves and their many different types, the document does not prescribe exact protocols. Instead, it provides guidance for what types of inventory and monitoring are possible, a framework for deciding how to prioritize inventory and monitoring activities, and references to specific protocols that are already in place at NPS cave parks.

Assessing The Performance Of A Northern Gulf Of Mexico Tidal Model Using Satellite Imagery, Stephen C. Medeiros, Scott C. Hagen, Naira Chaouch, Jesse Feyen, Marouane Temimi, John F. Weishampel, Yuji Funakoshi, Reza Khanbilvardi

Publications and Research

Tidal harmonic analysis simulations along with simulations spanning four specific historical time periods in 2003 and 2004 were conducted to test the performance of a northern Gulf of Mexico tidal model. A recently developed method for detecting inundated areas based on integrated remotely sensed data (i.e., Radarsat-1, aerial imagery, LiDAR, Landsat 7 ETM+) was applied to assess the performance of the tidal model. The analysis demonstrates the applicability of the method and its agreement with traditional performance assessment techniques such as harmonic resynthesis and water level time series analysis. Based on the flooded/non-flooded coastal areas estimated by the integrated remotely …

Liana Impacts On Carbon Cycling, Storage And Sequestration In Tropical Forests, Geertje M. Van Der Heijden, Stefan A. Schnitzer, Jennifer S. Powers, Oliver L. Phillips

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Mature tropical forests sequester large quantities of atmospheric CO2, which they store as plant biomass. These forests are changing however, including an increase in liana abundance and biomass over recent decades in Neotropical forests. We ask here how this increase in lianas might impact the tropical forest carbon cycle and their capacity for carbon storage and sequestration. Lianas reduce tree growth, survival, and leaf productivity; however, lianas also invest significantly in leaf production, and the increase in lianas could conceivably offset liana‐induced reductions in tree canopy productivity with no adverse effects to the forest‐level canopy productivity. By contrast, lianas decrease …

Annual Report: 2012, N/A N/A

Annual Reports

I submit herewith the annual reports from the Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, for the period ending December 31, 2012. This is done in accordance with an act of Congress, approved March 2, 1887, entitled, “An act to establish agricultural experiment stations, in connection with the agricultural college established in the several states under the provisions of an act approved July 2, 1862, and under the acts supplementary thereto,” and also of the act of the Alaska Territorial Legislature, approved March 12, 1935, accepting the provisions of the act …

College Voice Vol. 97 No. 4, Connecticut College

2013-2014

No abstract provided.

Milnesium Lagniappe, A New Species Of Water Bear (Tardigrada, Eutardigrada, Apochela, Milnesiidae) From The Southern United States, Harry A. Meyer, Juliana G. Hinton, Maria C. Dupré

Western North American Naturalist

Over 200 species of freshwater and terrestrial water bears (phylum Tardigrada) are known to occur in North America. Of these, 20 species have been recorded in Louisiana. Foliose and fruticose lichen and moss samples collected in 2011 in the city of Lake Charles and in Sam Houston Jones State Park, Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, USA, were stored in paper envelopes and later soaked in tap water overnight. Tardigrade specimens and eggs were extracted and mounted in polyvinyl lactophenol. The samples contained a new species of tardigrade. Milnesium lagniappe sp. n. has claw formula [2-3]-[3-2] and 9 sculptured bands in the dorsal …