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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Evaluating Current And Future Potential Distribution Of Epiphytic Orchids In The Congo Basin With Ecological Niche Models, Michael L. Ngoh
Evaluating Current And Future Potential Distribution Of Epiphytic Orchids In The Congo Basin With Ecological Niche Models, Michael L. Ngoh
Masters Theses
The Congo Basin Forest harbors a rich diversity of epiphytic communities, with the Orchidaceae alone making up more than 50% of all epiphytes in the region. Despite the huge diversity of epiphytes, many species, including epiphytic orchids, are at risk to a diverse array of threats. Climate change for instance poses severe threats to epiphytic orchids due to elevated temperatures, prolonged periods of droughts, as well as reduced rainfall across the Congo Basin Forest. In this study, we used ecological niche modeling and GIS techniques to identify spatial patterns of species richness, potential future climate refugia, and novel climatic suitability …
Risk Management Potential Of Supplemental Irrigation For Cotton In A Sub-Humid Climate Under Climate Change, Wen Liu
Masters Theses
Adoption of supplemental irrigation to reduce cotton yield losses is a potential risk management strategy for farmers given increasingly frequent drought periods due to climate change. However, cotton farmers in the rolling landscape areas of the lower Mississippi River Basin (MRB) are concerned about whether an investment in supplemental irrigation is economically feasible. This study determined the impacts of the effects of risk exposure on optimal irrigation strategies for cotton production under climate change in West Tennessee. A crop simulation model was calibrated and validated using measured data from cotton irrigation experiments at Jackson, TN over three years (2006–2008). Simulated …
Plasticity And Biotic Interactions Mediate Plant Persistence In A Changing World, Alix Ann Pfennigwerth
Plasticity And Biotic Interactions Mediate Plant Persistence In A Changing World, Alix Ann Pfennigwerth
Masters Theses
Anthropogenic global change is occurring today at a faster rate and larger scale than ever before. Understanding how plants will respond to such large-scale disturbance is critical for biodiversity conservation, yet the ecological and evolutionary mechanisms underlying these responses remain poorly understood. In this thesis, I investigated the mechanisms underlying plant response to two major drivers of global change, climate change and the widespread mortality of foundation species. First, I examined genetic and plastic plant trait responses to climatic variation using elevation gradients, which serve as space-for-time substitutions for climate change. Through field observations in three populations of the North …