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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Pre-Logging Liana Cutting Reduces Liana Regeneration In Logging Gaps In The Eastern Brazilian Amazon, Jeffrey J. Gerwing, Christopher Uhl Dec 2002

Pre-Logging Liana Cutting Reduces Liana Regeneration In Logging Gaps In The Eastern Brazilian Amazon, Jeffrey J. Gerwing, Christopher Uhl

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

The cutting of all lianas prior to logging is a reduced-impact logging technique that is predicted to reduce liana proliferation in logging gaps. This study compares liana abundance and species composition in gaps created during conventional and reduced-impact logging in a forest of the eastern Brazilian Amazon. Logging treatments were conducted in side-by-side plots. Shortly following logging, 50-m2 plots were located in the approximate centers of four single treefall and four multiple treefall gaps in each logging area. Six years following logging, there were ∼40% fewer climbing lianas in reduced-impact gaps than in conventional logging gaps. In both logging …


Longevity Record For A Wild Allegheny Woodrat (Neotama Magister) In West Virginia, Michael T. Mengak, Steven B. Castleberry, W. Mark Ford, Nikki L. Castleberry, Jane L. Rodrigue Oct 2002

Longevity Record For A Wild Allegheny Woodrat (Neotama Magister) In West Virginia, Michael T. Mengak, Steven B. Castleberry, W. Mark Ford, Nikki L. Castleberry, Jane L. Rodrigue

Virginia Journal of Science

The Allegheny woodrat (Neotoma magister) is found throughout much of the central and southern Appalachians and adjacent portions of the Interior Highlands. Allegheny woodrats have declined in the northern portions of their range and are state-listed as threatened, endangered or sensitive species of concern in every state where they occur. Until recently, biologists have had to rely on biological data collected from the closely related eastern woodrat (N. floridana) because of limited research on the Allegheny woodrat. We have been studying the ecology and natural history of woodrats in Virginia and West Virginia since 1990. On …


An Assessment Of Potential Habitat Corridors And Landscape Ecology For Long-Tailed Macaques (Macaca Fascicularis) On Bali, Indonesia, Mark Warren Southern Jun 2002

An Assessment Of Potential Habitat Corridors And Landscape Ecology For Long-Tailed Macaques (Macaca Fascicularis) On Bali, Indonesia, Mark Warren Southern

All Master's Theses

The relationship between Balinese long-tailed macaques, Bali's cultural settings, and Bali's physical settings was studied. A Geographical Information System (GIS) database was developed and analyzed to determine if forest corridors exist on Bali that may provide habitat connectivity between 42 Balinese long-tailed macaque troops. The GIS database was also analyzed to determine if the landscape type that has the highest percentage of overlap with the 42 Balinese long-tailed macaque home range sites is forest. The results indicate that connectivity between troops located within Bali's western region is significantly higher than that for troops located in Bali's eastern region. The results …


Determining Atmospheric Deposition Inputs To Two Small Watersheds At Acadia National Park, Sarah J. Nelson May 2002

Determining Atmospheric Deposition Inputs To Two Small Watersheds At Acadia National Park, Sarah J. Nelson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Two small upland watersheds have been gauged and monitored at Acadia National Park since 1998. Cadillac Brook watershed burned in a wildfire in 1947. Hadlock Brook watershed has been undisturbed for several centuries, and serves as the reference site. Precipitation and throughfall volume and chemistry data have been collected using wetonly and continuously open collectors. Hydrologic and chemical inputs to the sites have been determined for each site. Differences in watershed and vegetation characteristics control the input of water and major ions to these watersheds. Vegetation type was the dominant control on enhancement of precipitation across the heterogeneous watersheds. Relative …


The Role Of Forest Soils In A Northern New England Effluent Management System, Leslie B. Nelson May 2002

The Role Of Forest Soils In A Northern New England Effluent Management System, Leslie B. Nelson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Carrabassett Valley Sanitary District in Carrabassett Valley, Maine has utilized both a forest spray irrigation system and a Snowfluent™ system for the treatment of their wastewater effluent. This study was designed to evaluate potential changes in soil properties after approximately 20 years of treatment in the forested spray irrigation site and three years of treatment in the field Snowfluent™ site. In addition, grass yield and composition were evaluated on the field study sites. After treatment with effluent or Snowfluent™, soils showed an increase in soil exchangeable Ca, Mg, Na, and K, base saturation, and pH. While most constituents were …


Patterns Of Avifauna Use Of Constructed Wetlands In The Beaver Creek Wetland Complex, Menifee County, Kentucky, Michael E. Kenawell Apr 2002

Patterns Of Avifauna Use Of Constructed Wetlands In The Beaver Creek Wetland Complex, Menifee County, Kentucky, Michael E. Kenawell

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Science and Technology at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science by Michael E. Kenawell on April 16, 2002.


Tb180: Baseline Data For Long-Term Forest Vegetation Monitoring At Bear Brook Watershed In Maine, J. D. Eckhoff, G. B. Wiersma Apr 2002

Tb180: Baseline Data For Long-Term Forest Vegetation Monitoring At Bear Brook Watershed In Maine, J. D. Eckhoff, G. B. Wiersma

Technical Bulletins

This report includes comprehensive information on the primary and meta forest vegetation data assembled from Bear Brook Watershed in Maine (BBWM). This information represents the first in-depth inventory of the forest vegetation, both woody and non-woody in multiple strata, within the two watersheds initially established at BBWM, West Bear and East Bear, and also the areas adjacent to the east and west of these watersheds. For long-term monitoring of vegetation responses to the continued manipulations and/or the recovery of the ecosystems at BBWM, access to the vegetation baseline information contained within this report is essential.


Movement Patterns Of Resident And Relocated Northern Bobwhites In East Texas, Xiangwen Liu, R. Montague Whiting Jr., D. Scott Parsons, Donald R. Dietz Jan 2002

Movement Patterns Of Resident And Relocated Northern Bobwhites In East Texas, Xiangwen Liu, R. Montague Whiting Jr., D. Scott Parsons, Donald R. Dietz

Faculty Publications

We compared home range sizes and movement patterns of resident and relocated northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) on an area managed specifically for the species in the Pineywoods of east Texas. During the winters of 1990–1992, 155 south Texas, 136 east Texas, and 139 resident bobwhites were radiomarked, released, and thereafter regularly located. Bird locations were plotted on a digitized map, and home range sizes and movement patterns of each group of birds were estimated. Resident bobwhites moved longer daily distances in March and had larger home ranges during the nesting season (May-Jul) than relocated birds (P0.05). Managers that elect to …


Prey Handling And Diet Of Louisiana Pine Snakes (Pituophis Ruthveni) And Black Pine Snakes (P. Melanoleucus Lodingi), With Comparisons To Other Selected Colubrid Snakes, D. Craig Rudolph, Shirley J. Burgdorf, Richard N. Conner, Christopher S. Collins, Daniel Saenz, Richard R. Schaefer, Toni Trees, C. Michael Duran, Marc Ealy, John G. Himes Jan 2002

Prey Handling And Diet Of Louisiana Pine Snakes (Pituophis Ruthveni) And Black Pine Snakes (P. Melanoleucus Lodingi), With Comparisons To Other Selected Colubrid Snakes, D. Craig Rudolph, Shirley J. Burgdorf, Richard N. Conner, Christopher S. Collins, Daniel Saenz, Richard R. Schaefer, Toni Trees, C. Michael Duran, Marc Ealy, John G. Himes

Faculty Publications

Diet and prey handling behavior were determined for Louisiana pine snakes (Pituophis ruthveni) and black pine snakes (P. melanoleucus lodingi). Louisiana pine snakes prey heavily on Baird's pocket gophers (Geomys breviceps), with which they are sympatric, and exhibit specialized behaviors that facilitate handling this prey species within the confines of burrow systems. Black pine snakes, which are not sympatric with pocket gophers, did not exhibit these specialized behaviors. For comparative purposes, prey handling of P. sayi sayi and Elaphe obsoleta lindheimeri was also examined.


Are Pileated Woodpeckers Attracted To Red-Cockaded Woodpecker Cavity Trees?, Richard N. Conner, Daniel Saenz, James R. Mccormick Jan 2002

Are Pileated Woodpeckers Attracted To Red-Cockaded Woodpecker Cavity Trees?, Richard N. Conner, Daniel Saenz, James R. Mccormick

Faculty Publications

Pileated Woodpeckers (Dryocopus pileatus) cause damage to Red-cockaded Woodpecker (Picoides borealis) cavity trees in the form of cavity enlargement or other excavations on the surface of the pine tree. However, it is not known whether Pileated Woodpeckers excavate more frequently on Red-cockaded Woodpecker cavity trees than on noncavity trees or how stand structure is related to the frequency of Pileated Woodpecker excavation. Also, it is unclear whether the cavity itself provides the stimulus to Pileated Woodpeckers to excavate or whether the presence of Red-cockaded Woodpeckers and their activities are attracting them. We surveyed all of the …


Effects Of Excessive Nitrogen Deposition On Foliar Nutrient Dynamics, Nutrient Concentrations, And Nutrient Ratios In A Central Appalachian Hardwood Forest, Sarah Beth Burdette Jan 2002

Effects Of Excessive Nitrogen Deposition On Foliar Nutrient Dynamics, Nutrient Concentrations, And Nutrient Ratios In A Central Appalachian Hardwood Forest, Sarah Beth Burdette

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Many forested systems of the eastern US are becoming significantly nitrogen (N) saturated due to chronic N deposition from the atmosphere. Nitrogen saturation has the potential to alter important internal plant processes, such as nutrient cycling. While extensive research has been conducted on the responses of soil to N saturation, considerably less research has focused on the response of plant nutrient dynamics, nutrient concentrations, and nutrient ratios to excess N. Research was conducted on two watersheds at the Fernow Experimental Forest in West Virginia: WS3 (fertilized with ammonium sulfate annually since 1989) and WS7 (untreated control). Presenescent and senesced leaves …


Relationships Between Rooting Restrictions, Radial Growth, And Drought Stress With White Pine (Pinus Strobus) Decline In Southern Maine, Megan L. Fries Jan 2002

Relationships Between Rooting Restrictions, Radial Growth, And Drought Stress With White Pine (Pinus Strobus) Decline In Southern Maine, Megan L. Fries

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Throughout southern Maine there was a noticeable decline and mortality of white pine (Pinus sfrobus) from 1997 through 2000 in dense pole-size stands. The decline was widespread, scattered, and happened simultaneously indicating that it was incited by an abiotic stress. Because only isolated stands showed decline and mortality, site factors likely predisposed trees to injury. Site factors are likely related to the widespread field abandonment that took place throughout southern and central Maine, and led to establishment of pure white pine stands in many areas. Although white pine can regenerate on many sites, some locations will have soil limitations, such …


Monitoring Herpetofauna In A Managed Forest Landscape: Effects Of Habitat Types And Census Techniques, Travis J. Ryan, Thomas Philippi, Yale A. Leiden, Michael E. Dorcas, T. Bently Wigley, J. Whitfield Gibbons Jan 2002

Monitoring Herpetofauna In A Managed Forest Landscape: Effects Of Habitat Types And Census Techniques, Travis J. Ryan, Thomas Philippi, Yale A. Leiden, Michael E. Dorcas, T. Bently Wigley, J. Whitfield Gibbons

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

We surveyed the herpetofaunal (amphibian and reptile) communities inhabiting five types of habitat on a managed landscape. We conducted monthly surveys during 1997 in four replicate plots of each habitat type using several different methods of collection. Communities of the two wetland habitats (bottomland wetlands and isolated upland wetlands) were clearly dissimilar from the three terrestrial communities (recent clearcut, pine plantation, and mixed pine–hardwood forest). Among the three terrestrial habitats, the total herpetofaunal communities were dissimilar (P<0.10), although neither faunal constituent group alone (amphibians and squamate reptiles) varied significantly with regard to habitat. Three survey techniques used in the terrestrial habitats were not equally effective in that they resulted in the collection of different subsets of the total herpetofauna. The drift fence technique revealed the presence of more species and individuals in every habitat and was the only one to detect species dissimilarity among habitats. Nonetheless, coverboards contributed to measures of abundance and revealed species not detected by other techniques. We suggest that a combination of census techniques be used when surveying and monitoring herpetofaunal communities in order to maximize the detection of species.