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Articles 1 - 21 of 21
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Informing Standardized Wood Turtle (Glyptemys Insculpta) Population Monitoring: Influences Of Sampling Approach And Turtle Behavior On Model Estimation, Allyson N. Beard
Informing Standardized Wood Turtle (Glyptemys Insculpta) Population Monitoring: Influences Of Sampling Approach And Turtle Behavior On Model Estimation, Allyson N. Beard
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
To better understand wood turtle (Glyptemys insculpta) population trends, two standardized population survey protocols were recently developed for use by state monitoring programs. The protocols were independently developed, tested, and deployed for population monitoring in the eastern and upper midwestern United States. It was unknown if the sampling designs result in similar detection success or if data from the two protocols are compatible for broad-scale analyses. Additionally, neither monitoring protocol includes a sampling design that allows for the separation of detection (p) into availability (pa), and detection given availability (pd). …
Relationships Between Watershed Factors And Community Size Spectra Of The Fish And Macroinvertebrate Communities Of Mid-Appalachian Streams, Jarrett Hunter Landreth
Relationships Between Watershed Factors And Community Size Spectra Of The Fish And Macroinvertebrate Communities Of Mid-Appalachian Streams, Jarrett Hunter Landreth
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Freshwater lotic communities are complex, dynamic, and quick to respond to changes to their environment. However, some of the specific mechanisms driving those changes are yet to be fully understood. Here, I will use the community size spectrum (CSS) approach to assess how the CSS slope, elevation, and food chain length of the fish and macroinvertebrate assemblages as well as the combined CSS of 15 mid-sized (2nd-4th order) streams in north-central West Virginia respond across gradients of watershed factors (drainage area, mean drainage slope, mean drainage elevation, drainage % forest, and stream specific conductance). Field sampling was carried out in …
Abundance-Habitat Relationships And Aquatic-Terrestrial Habitat Selection Patterns For Wood Turtles (Glyptemys Insculpta) In The Upper Midwest, Jena Marie Staggs
Abundance-Habitat Relationships And Aquatic-Terrestrial Habitat Selection Patterns For Wood Turtles (Glyptemys Insculpta) In The Upper Midwest, Jena Marie Staggs
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Due to range-wide population declines, wood turtles (Glyptemys insculpta) are under review for federal listing under the United States Endangered Species Act. Understanding how habitat associations and environmental conditions influence population dynamics and spatiotemporal activity patterns is fundamental for designing effective management strategies. Previous work on wood turtle abundance-habitat relationships focused on broad-scale habitat relationships in northeastern North America. However, regional differences in climate, habitat conditions, and land use patterns limit their applicability to much of the wood turtle’s Upper Midwest distribution. Much of our understanding of wood turtle activity patterns is based on radiotelemetry studies, which are biased towards …
Fish Community Responses To Environmental And Anthropogenic Conditions In West Virginia, Katherine A. Adase
Fish Community Responses To Environmental And Anthropogenic Conditions In West Virginia, Katherine A. Adase
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
While Appalachia is among the oldest region in the world, Central West Virginia watersheds have been impacted by anthropogenic stressors, including extractive mining and timber harvest industries, as well as urban development and agriculture, damns, fracking, mining, and land cover use. This study aims to understand how natural environmental and human altered gradients impact affect diversity of fish communities in streams and rivers throughout Central Appalachia. The first chapter aims to provide insights into the impact of the 2016 low head dam removals on taxonomic and functional fish communities in the West Fork River, West Virginia and the potential benefits …
Advancing Assessments Of Climate Change Vulnerability Of West Virginia Watersheds, Joseph T. Molina
Advancing Assessments Of Climate Change Vulnerability Of West Virginia Watersheds, Joseph T. Molina
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
As climate change is becoming increasingly recognized as a threat to aquatic ecosystems, climate adaptation planning, in both the long- and short-term, is becoming more common in natural resource management. There is a need within conservation agencies to develop methodologies and assessments that support adaptation planning to efficiently disperse conservation dollars and effectively strengthen ecological and community resilience as climate changes continue. My thesis aims to provide West Virginia natural resources managers with climate vulnerability assessments that can be used to determine where and how conservation efforts should be administered. Additionally, I demonstrate a methodology that can be built upon …
Evaluating Muskellunge (Esox Masquinongy) Catch-And-Release Mortality At Elevated Summer Water Temperature, Ian Taylor Booth
Evaluating Muskellunge (Esox Masquinongy) Catch-And-Release Mortality At Elevated Summer Water Temperature, Ian Taylor Booth
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Angling for Muskellunge (Esox masquinongy) has become widespread and increasingly popular throughout the fish’s range. Current management strategies for Muskellunge include high minimum harvest lengths (>1016mm), closed seasons, and catch-and-release regulations. Due to these strategies and angler sentiments, up to 97% of Muskellunge caught today are released by anglers assuming they will live and be caught again in the future. Previous research on catchand-release mortality in Muskellunge has suggested relatively low mortality rates (0%-5%). However, these studies were all conducted within the fish’s thermal optimum and generally at water temperatures25°C during the summer months, representing a need to evaluate …
Population Characteristics Of Three Black Bass Species In The Upper Ohio River Drainage, Levi Foster Brown
Population Characteristics Of Three Black Bass Species In The Upper Ohio River Drainage, Levi Foster Brown
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
In West Virginia, species of black bass are economically and ecologically important and support popular fisheries. In the state’s large, navigable river systems, recent information suggests that anglers consider these fisheries diminished relative to their historic stocks. This study sought to describe the population characteristics of Largemouth, Smallmouth, and Spotted Bass in the upper Ohio River drainage and evaluate possible management actions. Low relative abundances coupled with poor growth estimates for Largemouth and Spotted Bass suggests that a suite of environmental and anthropogenic factors may be reducing the quality of their recreational fisheries. Conversely, demographic estimates produced for Smallmouth Bass …
Assessment Of The Geographic Distribution And Tools To Assist With Conservation Of Spotted Turtles (Clemmys Guttata) In West Virginia, Joel Leal Mota
Assessment Of The Geographic Distribution And Tools To Assist With Conservation Of Spotted Turtles (Clemmys Guttata) In West Virginia, Joel Leal Mota
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Turtles are one of the most globally threatened vertebrate groups, largely due to habitat loss, commercial exploitation, climate change, disease, and invasive species. In the United States, the spotted turtle (Clemmys guttata) is among over 50 amphibian and reptile species recently petitioned to be listed under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service subsequently determined the spotted turtle to be a candidate species for listing. Historically, spotted turtles were known to occur at a few locations in the eastern panhandle region of West Virginia. However, previous attempts to determine the distributional extent …
Frayed Connections: How Long-Term Nitrogen Additions Disrupt Plant-Soil Interactions And The Carbon Cycle Of A Temperate Forest, Brooke A. Eastman
Frayed Connections: How Long-Term Nitrogen Additions Disrupt Plant-Soil Interactions And The Carbon Cycle Of A Temperate Forest, Brooke A. Eastman
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Forests are expected to mitigate some of the negative effects of climate change by sequestering anthropogenic carbon (C) from the atmosphere, but the degree to which they drawn down C will depend on the availability of key nutrients, such as nitrogen (N). There is a fair amount of uncertainty in the future of the forest C sink, mostly owing to the fate of soil organic matter (SOM) and soil heterotrophic respiration to future conditions. In N limited systems, plants allocate a significant amount of their photosynthate belowground for the acquisition of nutrients, but under conditions of chronic N deposition, plants …
Population Genetics Of A Reintroduced Fisher (Pekania Pennanti) Population In West Virginia, Caroline E. Harms
Population Genetics Of A Reintroduced Fisher (Pekania Pennanti) Population In West Virginia, Caroline E. Harms
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Fishers (Pekania pennanti) were reintroduced in West Virginia in 1969 with no population wide genetic analysis ever having been conducted. Genetic analysis of reintroduced populations is vital to assess genetic diversity as an indicative of population viability. My objective was to collect fisher samples throughout West Virginia, nearby states where fisher may be migrating (PA and NY), and the New Hampshire source population to provide a full genetic interpretation of the reintroduced West Virginia population. Genetic analysis was used to measure genetic diversity, admixture or delineation of subpopulations, and effective population size. Sample location and genetic data were …
Unconventional Gas Pipeline Right-Of-Way Influence On Wildlife, Samuel C. Knopka
Unconventional Gas Pipeline Right-Of-Way Influence On Wildlife, Samuel C. Knopka
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
The development of horizontal drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale in 2004 resulted in rapid exploitation of the play in the Appalachian Basin. This “unconventional” gas well drilling accesses resources deeper beneath the surface and allows for multiple wells to be co-located on a single well pad. This results in fewer, but larger, well pads on the landscape than traditional vertical wells. Pipelines are required to transport the volumes of gas produced by unconventional wells to production facilities and market. The effects of gathering pipelines, which transport gas from well pads to larger transport pipelines, are poorly studied …
Evaluating Avian Occupancy On Sites Treated With Nrcs Conservation Practices Implemented To Benefit Cerulean (Setophaga Cerulea) And Golden-Winged Warblers (Vermivora Chrysoptera) In West Virginia, Lincoln R. Oliver
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
The USDA - Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) supports private lands conservation across the United States to benefit imperiled focal wildlife species using conservation practices to restore habitat. Through the Cerulean Warbler (Setophaga cerulea) Forestland Enhancement Project (CWAFEP) and the Working Lands for Wildlife (WLFW) Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera) initiative, the NRCS provides technical and financial assistance to private landowners to implement conservation practices that follow science-based habitat management guidelines. Few research studies have evaluated focal species-specific occupancy on CWAFEP and/or WLFW sites, and research is required to inform each conservation project’s effectiveness in an adaptive …
Mycorrhizal Type Dictates Soil Microbial Diversity And Function And The Integrated Root-Microbial Response To Water Stress In Temperate Forests, Nanette C. Raczka
Mycorrhizal Type Dictates Soil Microbial Diversity And Function And The Integrated Root-Microbial Response To Water Stress In Temperate Forests, Nanette C. Raczka
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Our understanding of the mechanisms that control the magnitude of the temperate forest carbon (C) sink and its response to global change remain uncertain. Much of this uncertainty lies in the extent to which differences between tree species in their mycorrhizal symbionts and corresponding nutrient acquisition strategies control the activity of soil microbes that mobilize nutrients and decompose soil organic matter. ECM trees allocate substantial amounts of C to ECM fungi and rhizosphere microbes to mine soil organic matter for nutrients. By contrast, AM trees invest less C belowground and rely on AM fungi to scavenge for nutrients. While these …
Response Of Forest Birds To Spotted Wing Drosophila (Drosophila Suzukii Matsumura), A Novel Invasive Fruit Pest, At Allegheny National Forest, Daniel P. Roche
Response Of Forest Birds To Spotted Wing Drosophila (Drosophila Suzukii Matsumura), A Novel Invasive Fruit Pest, At Allegheny National Forest, Daniel P. Roche
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Non-native invasive insect pests can have dramatic impacts on native ecosystems, feeding on plant foliage, wood, or sap. Little is known, however, about how fruit-targeting NNIIPs may affect native ecosystems. Spotted wing Drosophila (Drosophila suzukii Matsumura, SWD) is a recently introduced invasive vinegar fly that parasitizes the fruits of many plant species in the United States. While its activity in agricultural systems is well-documented, little is known about its activity in forest ecosystems, despite growing evidence of its presence and parasitism of fruits there. Parasitism could reduce fruit attractiveness for vertebrate fruit consumers, including migratory birds. As such, this …
Avian And Salamander Response To Young Forest Management In West Virginia, Eric L. Margenau
Avian And Salamander Response To Young Forest Management In West Virginia, Eric L. Margenau
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
This dissertation focuses on the effects of various young forest habitat management techniques on the avian and salamander community in West Virginia. Wildlife species associated with the nascent stage of forest succession are experiencing precipitous population declines throughout much of the eastern United States due to decreases in the amount of young forest area which have been brought on by changes in disturbance regimes over the past century. As a result, the need to find novel approaches for creating young forest habitats to sustain young forest wildlife populations is necessary. However, young forest habitat creation often negatively affects species that …
Recovery Of Benthic Macroinvertebrate Communities After Restoration In Two Intensively Mined Watersheds, Brian R. Gordon
Recovery Of Benthic Macroinvertebrate Communities After Restoration In Two Intensively Mined Watersheds, Brian R. Gordon
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
As the body of literature supporting watershed-scale restoration projects continues to grow, there is need for a greater understanding of the underlying mechanisms that drive it. With data spanning ten years capturing pre- and post-restoration benthic macroinvertebrate communities in two distinct watersheds of West Virginia, we seek to contribute to the developing pool of knowledge regarding these dynamics. Sites were laid out prior to remediation in such a manner as to capture the spectrum of water quality conditions present, these are divided into three treatment types: reference, treated, and abandoned mine drainage (AMD). Our objectives were to: 1) determine if …
Tree Growth And Water Use Efficiency During The Twentieth Century: From Global Trends To Local Drivers, Justin Michael Mathias
Tree Growth And Water Use Efficiency During The Twentieth Century: From Global Trends To Local Drivers, Justin Michael Mathias
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
The frequency and severity of extreme environmental conditions will continue to increase under global environmental change. How terrestrial plants respond to prolonged, and often novel environmental stressors, will have profound impacts on, and feedbacks with, the Earth climate system at local to continental scales. Central to these feedbacks are plant stomata, actively regulated pores on the leaves of plants that act as a control valve over the fluxes of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the leaf during photosynthesis and water vapor (H2O) out of the leaf during transpiration. Importantly, changes in stomatal aperture do not affect the …
Population Health Of Spotted Salamanders (Ambystoma Maculatum) In Created Vernal Pools: An Integrative Approach, Alice R. Millikin
Population Health Of Spotted Salamanders (Ambystoma Maculatum) In Created Vernal Pools: An Integrative Approach, Alice R. Millikin
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Habitat creation is an important tool for conservation to counteract habitat loss and degradation. Vernal pools are susceptible to destruction due to limited detection, protection, and regulation. These wetlands provide fishless breeding habitat for many amphibian species including spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) in eastern North America. Determining whether created vernal pool habitat is successful is often determined by demographic data of colonizing populations. I suggest that hormone levels, population genetics, and disease prevalence can improve our understanding of population health in created habitat. The goal of this dissertation was to assess the health of spotted salamander larvae in …
Ecological Benefits Of Watershed-Scale Restoration In Two Intensively Mined Cold- And Warm-Water Ecosystems, Rebecca Anne Long
Ecological Benefits Of Watershed-Scale Restoration In Two Intensively Mined Cold- And Warm-Water Ecosystems, Rebecca Anne Long
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Stream restoration projects are increasingly common. However, restoration projects that establish measurable goals, have pre- and post-restoration monitoring, and are implemented at the watershed scale are rare. We conducted a long-term (9-year) before-after-control-impact designed assessment of two watershed-scale acid mine drainage (AMD) remediation programs, one in a warm-water ecosystem and one in a cold-water ecosystem in West Virginia, USA. Restoration was strategically designed to recover biodiversity and improve the native fisheries by restoring chemically degraded water quality and re-establishing riverscape connectivity. We used analysis of variance to quantify responses in water chemistry, benthic macroinvertebrate communities, and fish community composition before …
Influence Of Climate Change And Prescribed Fire On Habitat Suitability And Abundance Of The High-Elevation Endemic Cow Knob Salamander (Plethodon Punctatus), Carl David Jacobsen
Influence Of Climate Change And Prescribed Fire On Habitat Suitability And Abundance Of The High-Elevation Endemic Cow Knob Salamander (Plethodon Punctatus), Carl David Jacobsen
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Amphibians are facing global declines due to climate change, loss and degradation of habitat, invasive species, and disease. The Appalachian region of the eastern USA is a global biodiversity hotspot for salamanders, which are considered keystone species that influence nutrient dynamics in terrestrial and aquatic food webs. There are high rates of salamander endemism in the Appalachian region, with many species restricted to isolated, high elevation areas. The Cow Knob Salamander (Plethodon punctatus) is one such species. It is only found at elevations >675 m (most populations are above 900 m) on Shenandoah Mountain, North Mountain, and Nathaniel …
Distribution And Habitat Use Of Benthic Fishes In The Lower Kanawha River, West Virginia, Nathaniel V. Owens
Distribution And Habitat Use Of Benthic Fishes In The Lower Kanawha River, West Virginia, Nathaniel V. Owens
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
The Kanawha River in West Virginia is a historically diverse system in terms of ichthyofauna although, like many other large rivers, it has been subjected to a suite of anthropomorphic perturbations. These include this system being modified to allow the passage of commercial vessels for industry thus altering flow regimes, increased sedimentation, water depth, and channelization, and decreased interactions with its floodplain. Additionally, the fishes of this system have suffered from deleterious historical water quality issues caused by intensive timber operations, mining, and industrial waste. Post Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act water …