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Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

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The University of Maine

Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions

Articles 1 - 9 of 9

Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Initial Movements Of A Dispersing Amphbian In Response To Partial Harvestion In The Acadian Forest Of Maine, Usa, Brittany Cline, Malcolm L. Hunter Jr. Jun 2016

Initial Movements Of A Dispersing Amphbian In Response To Partial Harvestion In The Acadian Forest Of Maine, Usa, Brittany Cline, Malcolm L. Hunter Jr.

Publications

Maintaining amphibian populations in managed forests requires a balance between timber extraction and retaining functional connectivity for animals that use multiple vegetation types to satisfy habitat requirements, particularly where extensive harvesting may increase fragmentation. Quantifying dispersal patterns in response to harvest, especially across high-contrast edges adjacent to unlogged forest, is critical for evaluating the effects of harvest configuration on amphibians. We tested the initial post-metamorphic orientation of juvenile wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) at edges in harvests (31– 60% retention standwide) in the Acadian forest of Maine, USA, during the period when juveniles emigrate from breeding pools. We released juveniles (n …


Why Rhetoric Matters For Ecology, Caroline Druschke, Bridie Mcgreavy Feb 2016

Why Rhetoric Matters For Ecology, Caroline Druschke, Bridie Mcgreavy

Publications

Increasingly, scientists and funding agencies such as the US National Science Foundation are recognizing the need for better science communication and more effective broader impacts activities. Compelled to make research more relevant to public stakeholders and policy makers, researchers look for ways to gain the necessary skillset to move their science from the field and laboratory into public forums. We suggest that the ancient discipline of rhetoric provides a useful – and underutilized – path forward. Building from the fundamental connections between ecology and rhetoric and drawing from practical examples at the intersection of these two fields, we demonstrate how …


Biogeochemical Hotspots In Forested Landscapes: The Role Of Vernal Pools In Denitrification And Organic Matter, Krista A. Capps, Regina L. Rancatti, Nathan Tomczyk, Aram J K Calhoun, Malcolm L. Hunter Jr. Dec 2014

Biogeochemical Hotspots In Forested Landscapes: The Role Of Vernal Pools In Denitrification And Organic Matter, Krista A. Capps, Regina L. Rancatti, Nathan Tomczyk, Aram J K Calhoun, Malcolm L. Hunter Jr.

Publications

Quantifying spatial and temporal heterogeneity in ecosystem processes presents a challenge for conserving ecosystem function across landscapes. In particular, many ecosystems contain small features that play larger roles in ecosystem processes than their size would indicate; thus, they may represent ‘‘hotspots’’ of activity relative to their surroundings. Biogeochemical hotspots are characterized as small features within a landscape that show comparatively high chemical reaction rates. In northeastern forests in North America, vernal pools are abundant, small features that typically fill in spring with snow melt and precipitation and dry by the end of summer. Ephemeral flooding alters soil moisture and the …


The Complementary Niches Of Anthropocentric And Biocentric Conservationists, Malcolm L. Hunter Jr., Kent H. Redford, David Lindenmayer Apr 2014

The Complementary Niches Of Anthropocentric And Biocentric Conservationists, Malcolm L. Hunter Jr., Kent H. Redford, David Lindenmayer

Publications

A divergence of values has become apparent in recent debates between conservationists who focus on ecosystem services that can improve human well-being and those who focus on avoiding the extinction of species. These divergent points of view fall along a continuum from anthropocentric to biocentric values, but most conservationists are relatively closer to each other than to the ends of the spectrum. We have some concerns with both positions but emphasize that conservation for both people and all other species will be most effective if conservationists focus on articulating the values they all share, being respectful of divergent values, and …


Different Open-Canopy Vegetation Types Affect Matrix Permeability For A Dispersing Forest Amphibian, Brittany Cline, Malcolm L. Hunter Jr. Apr 2014

Different Open-Canopy Vegetation Types Affect Matrix Permeability For A Dispersing Forest Amphibian, Brittany Cline, Malcolm L. Hunter Jr.

Publications

Population viability often depends on conserving functional connectivity in fragmented landscapes. For pool-breeding amphibians, population connectivity is largely maintained through juvenile dispersal, often through various vegetation types that may differ as filters or conduits to movement. We quantified the relative permeability of different types of open-canopy vegetation to juvenile wood frogs Lithobates sylvaticus to determine whether this influences functional connectivity during dispersal. We conducted experimental releases of juveniles (n = 561) in ten runways representing five treatments: hayfield, moderate-cover lawn (45–85% cover), open lawn (0% cover), row crop (forage-corn) and recent clear-cut. Runways consisted of 35 × 2·5 m enclosures, …


Clearcutting Has A Long-Lasting Effect On Habitat Connectivity For A Forest Amphibian By Decreasing Permeability To Juvenile Movements, Viorel Popescu, Malcolm L. Hunter Jr. Jun 2011

Clearcutting Has A Long-Lasting Effect On Habitat Connectivity For A Forest Amphibian By Decreasing Permeability To Juvenile Movements, Viorel Popescu, Malcolm L. Hunter Jr.

Publications

Conservation of forest amphibians is dependent on finding the right balance between management for timber production and meeting species' habitat requirements. For many pond-breeding amphibians, successful dispersal of the juvenile stage is essential for long-term population persistence. We investigated the influence of timber-harvesting practices on the movements of juvenile wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus). We used a chronosequence of stands produced by clear-cutting to evaluate how stand age affects habitat permeability to movements. We conducted experimental releases of juveniles in 2008 (n = 350) and 2009 (n = 528) in unidirectional runways in four treatments: mature forest, recent clearcut, …


A Multi-Scale Assessment Of Amphibian Habitat Selection: Wood Frog Response To Timber Harvesting, Sean Michael Blomquist, Malcolm L. Hunter Jr. Sep 2010

A Multi-Scale Assessment Of Amphibian Habitat Selection: Wood Frog Response To Timber Harvesting, Sean Michael Blomquist, Malcolm L. Hunter Jr.

Publications

To understand changes in habitat selection in response to timber harvesting, we used radio-telemetry data from 82 adult wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus, formerly Rana sylvatica) and logistic regression modelling to assess habitat selection in response to an unharvested control and 3 forest management techniques: clearcutting (with removal of all merchantable timber > 10 cm diameter), clearcutting with coarse woody debris (CWD) retention, and partial harvesting with retention of ∼50% canopy cover. At the home range scale, frogs selected the partially harvested treatment in spring 2005 and avoided the CWD-retained treatment in fall 2006. Frogs spent 5 ± 2 d (mean ± …


Comparing Relative Abundance Of Amphibians In Forest Canopy Gaps Of Natural Origin Vs. Timber Harvest Origin, Carol J. Strojny, Malcolm L. Hunter Jr. Jan 2010

Comparing Relative Abundance Of Amphibians In Forest Canopy Gaps Of Natural Origin Vs. Timber Harvest Origin, Carol J. Strojny, Malcolm L. Hunter Jr.

Publications

Relative abundance of amphibians in forest canopy gaps of natural origin vs. timber harvest origin.— Small–scale canopy gaps created by logging may retain adequate habitat structure to maintain amphibian abundance. We used pitfalls with drift fences to measure relative abundance of amphibians in 44 harvested gaps, 19 natural treefall gaps, and 36 closed–canopy forest plots. Metamorphs had relatively lower capture rates in large harvest gaps for Ambystoma maculatum, Lithobates catesbeianus, L. clamitans, and L. sylvaticus but we did not detect statistically significant (p < 0.1) differences among gap types for Lithobates palustris metamorphs. L. clamitans juveniles and L. sylvaticus juveniles and adults had relatively …


Thresholds And The Mismatch Between Environmental Laws And Ecosystems, Malcolm L. Hunter Jr., Michael J. Bean, David Lindenmayer, David S. Wilcove Jul 2009

Thresholds And The Mismatch Between Environmental Laws And Ecosystems, Malcolm L. Hunter Jr., Michael J. Bean, David Lindenmayer, David S. Wilcove

Publications

No abstract provided.