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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Riparian Vegetation, Colorado River, And Climate: Five Decades Of Spatiotemporal Dynamics In The Grand Canyon With River Regulation, Joel B. Sankey, Barbara Ralston, Paul E. Grams, John C. Schmidt, Laura E. Cagney Aug 2015

Riparian Vegetation, Colorado River, And Climate: Five Decades Of Spatiotemporal Dynamics In The Grand Canyon With River Regulation, Joel B. Sankey, Barbara Ralston, Paul E. Grams, John C. Schmidt, Laura E. Cagney

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Documentation of the interacting effects of river regulation and climate on riparian vegetation has typically been limited to small segments of rivers or focused on individual plant species. We examine spatiotemporal variability in riparian vegetation for the Colorado River in Grand Canyon relative to river regulation and climate, over the five decades since completion of the upstream Glen Canyon Dam in 1963. Long-term changes along this highly modified, large segment of the river provide insights for management of similar riparian ecosystems around the world. We analyze vegetation extent based on maps and imagery from eight dates between 1965 and 2009, …


Dzuds, Droughts, And Livestock Mortality In Mongolia, Mukund Palat Rao, Nicole K. Davi, Rosanne D. D'Arrigo, Jerry Skees, Baatarbileg Nachin, Caroline Leland, Bradfield Lyon, Shih-Yu (Simon) Wang, Oyunsanaa Byambasuren Jul 2015

Dzuds, Droughts, And Livestock Mortality In Mongolia, Mukund Palat Rao, Nicole K. Davi, Rosanne D. D'Arrigo, Jerry Skees, Baatarbileg Nachin, Caroline Leland, Bradfield Lyon, Shih-Yu (Simon) Wang, Oyunsanaa Byambasuren

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

Recent incidences of mass livestock mortality, known as dzud, have called into question the sustainability of pastoral nomadic herding, the cornerstone of Mongolian culture. A total of 20 million head of livestock perished in the mortality events of 2000–2002, and 2009–2010. To mitigate the effects of such events on the lives of herders, international agencies such as the World Bank are taking increasing interest in developing tailored market-based solutions like index-insurance. Their ultimate success depends on understanding the historical context and underlying causes of mortality. In this paper we examine mortality in 21 Mongolian aimags (provinces) between 1955 and 2013 …


Gardening In Sandy Soils, Katie Wagner, Michael R. Kuhns, Grant Cardon Jun 2015

Gardening In Sandy Soils, Katie Wagner, Michael R. Kuhns, Grant Cardon

All Current Publications

This fact sheet covers the basics of clay, silt and sand soils with an emphasis on gardening in soils with a high sand content. It includes information on the composition of sandy soils, gardening tips for managing sandy soils, and the types of plants that grow best in sandy soils.


Response Of Stomatal Density And Bound Gas Exchange In Leaves Of Maize To Soil Water Deficit, Wensai Zhao, Yonglin Sun, Roger Kjelgren, Xiping Liu Jan 2015

Response Of Stomatal Density And Bound Gas Exchange In Leaves Of Maize To Soil Water Deficit, Wensai Zhao, Yonglin Sun, Roger Kjelgren, Xiping Liu

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

Stomatal behavior in response to drought has been the focus of intensive research, but less attention has been paid to stomatal density. In this study, 5-week-old maize seedlings were exposed to different soil water contents. Stomatal density and size as well as leaf gas exchange were investigated after 2-, 4- and 6-weeks of treatment, which corresponded to the jointing, trumpeting, and filling stages of maize development. Results showed that new stomata were generated continually during leaf growth. Reduced soil water content significantly stimulated stomatal generation, resulting in a significant increase in stomatal density but a decrease in stomatal size and …