Life Sciences Commons^™

Vegetation Of Sandstone Outcrops Of The Cumberland Plateau, Bretta Elaine Perkins

Masters Theses

Plant communities of sandstone outcrops in six research areas on the Cumberland Plateau are determined as follows. Sample plots were distributed within four subjectively delineated life form zones: (1) Lithophyte Zone (substrate is bare rock), (2) Cryptogam-Herb Zone (usually some soil; no woody plants), (3) Shrub-Herb Zone (some soil; woody plants); and (4) Tree Zone (trees predominate). Three strata were sampled within each zone as appropriate: (1) trees and saplings, (2) other vascular plants, and (3) non-vascular plants. Cover was estimated for each species within each sample plot. Samples within each stratum of each zone were then grouped into communities …

Some Aspects Of Amino Acid Regulation In The Tobacco Hornworm, Manduca Sexta, J. Michael Henry

Masters Theses

The nature and roles of the high free amino acid levels found in the haemolymph of insects is poorly understood. In order to elicit aspects of the regulation and metabolism of haemolymph free amino acids, we have measured the concentrations, half-lives, turnover rates and rate of incorporation into haemolymph proteins for eight amino acids in the tobacco hornworm Manduca sexta immediately prior to and throughout the larval-pupal transformation. Throughout this period the concentrations of alanine, arginine, glutamate, histidine, leucine, lysine, proline and valine each exhibited stage specific variations seemingly independent of blood volumes and levels of other amino acids. Half-lives …

An Examination Of The Seed Rain And Seed Bank And Evidence Of Seed Exchange Between A Beech Gap And A Spruce Forest In The Great Smoky Mountains, Noel Bruce Pavlovic

Masters Theses

The vegetation, seed rain, and seed banks were examined in a beech gap and a spruce stand in the high elevations Smoky Mountains to quantify the seed exchanges between these two plant communities. This information is of interest because these beech gaps are believed to be slowly invaded by Picea rubens along the abrupt boundary between the stands.

Five transects of seed traps were set up perpendicular to the boundary, extending into each community. Sticky and gravity traps were placed at preset intervals along the transects to collect seed rain for one year. At each seed rain sample site a …

Vegetation Patterns A Half Century Following The Chestnut Blight In The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Ernesto Arends

Masters Theses

Vegetation patterns approximately 50 years after the chestnut blight were examined in forest stands of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Specific objectives of this study were: (1) to determine the present composition of replacement stands following the elimination of chestnut, (2) to examine selected site factors and to relate them to tree species composition, (3) to project future trends in the composition of the replacement stands, and (4) to compare these results with earlier results and predictions of Wood and Shanks (1959) concerning chestnut replacement in the same area.

Data were analyzed from 38 sample plots ranging from 2000 …

Reproductive Biology Of Black Bears In The Smoky Mountains Of Tennessee, John Heinrich Eiler

Masters Theses

Information related to the reproductive biology of female black bears (Ursus americanus) was collected in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. Denning and weight information were also collected.

The majority of females utilized tree dens. The denning period averaged 114 days, with most females entering dens during the first 3 weeks of December and emerging from dens between the first and last week of April. Females with newborn cubs denned longer and emerged from dens later than females without offspring. The date of den emergence for females for females was used to effectively predict reproductive condition (with newborn cubs or without …

The Influence Of Age, Dietary Protein, And Calorie Restriction On Serum Cholesterol And Triglycerides In The Male Rat, Gary Wayne Young

Masters Theses

The effects of age, dietary protein, and caloric restriction on serum cholesterol and triglycerides were studied in l and 2 year old male Wistar rats fed ad libitum or restricted. Ad libitum animals were fed diets low (12%), medium (20%), or high (28%) in casein throughout the life cycle. Restricted animals were fed diets either low (18%), medium (30%), or high (42%) in casein. The latter groups were fed the same absolute amounts of protein but two-thirds of the calories as determined from the feed intakes of the ad libitum-fed rats. Two additional ad libitum-fed groups were fed diets increased …

Comparisons Among Dietary Parameters For Wayne County, Tennessee, Homemakers, Preschool Children, And Families Enrolled In The Expanded Food And Nutrition Education Program, Patsy A. Ezell

Masters Theses

This study was conducted in conjunction with the Wayne County Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP), Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service. The primary objectives of the study were to compare EFNEP dietary scores (based on the number of servings from the four food groups) of homemakers with scores for foods served to all family members, to compare the dietary scoring method currently in use by EFNEP with scores derived from nutrient analysis, and to identify factors which may influence low income homemakers to eat differently than other family members.

The study involved 45 families, homemakers, and preschool children enrolled in …

Serum And Whole Blood Parameters Of Black Bears In The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Diane Keiser Beeman

Masters Theses

During the summers of 1974, 1975, and 1976, blood samples were taken from 124 black bears (Ursus americanus) captured in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Hematological data were collected on 96 individual bears and serum parameters on 124 bears.

Counts of red cells, white cells, and platelets were performed on whole blood as well as determinations of hemoglobin concentration and hematocrits. Corrected white cell counts, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) were calculated. Serum samples were analyzed for glucose, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, sodium, potassium, chloride, carbon dioxide, uric acid, …

Benthic Insect Community Structure In Cumberland Mountain Streams Twenty-Five Years After Coal Strip Mining, Elizabeth B. Williams

Masters Theses

In order to evaluate long-term impacts of coal strip mining on small stream benthic fauna in the Cumberland Mountains of east Tennessee, four streams, two in watersheds mined twenty-five years ago and two undisturbed, were sampled monthly for six months, January through June, 1979. Benthos was sampled by collecting eight Surber samples, each two ft.² in area, from similar riffles in each stream. At the collection sites pH, dissolved o₂, and velocity were measured. Water samples were analyzed in the laboratory for alkalinity and hardness (measured as mg/1 CaCO₃) and dissolved Fe and SO_{4 …}

Scheduling Labor And Equipment In A Cook Chill Food Production System, Martha Jane Antrobus

Masters Theses

Hospital foodservice productivity is an area where improvement is important, particularly in light of the current emphasis on cost containment in the health care field. In a foodservice system productivity is measured by input/output ratio. Resources are the system's inputs. There is little information on the effect on productivity of variation in quantity of resources and sequencing of operations, the basic aspects of scheduling.

The COST ARREST model was recommended as a tool for management decision-making and productivity monitoring in a foodservice system. The program was used to study the effect of varying labor time and activity sequencing on entree …