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Articles 1 - 5 of 5
Full-Text Articles in Biology
Evidence Of Competitive Release Following Overstory Mortality In A Semi-Arid Piñon-Juniper Woodland, Corrie D. Gonzalez
Evidence Of Competitive Release Following Overstory Mortality In A Semi-Arid Piñon-Juniper Woodland, Corrie D. Gonzalez
Biology ETDs
Extreme temperatures and severe drought events have led to widespread tree mortality worldwide. In semi-arid regions of the Southwest United States, these events pose a significant threat to piñon-juniper (PJ) woodlands. We studied the effects of piñon and juniper mortality on the growth and physiology of existing saplings in PJ woodlands by analyzing water status, photosynthetic activity, and tissue chemistry to gain insights into these impacts. Juniper saplings exhibited improved water status and water use efficiency in response to overstory mortality, whereas piñon saplings did not. Additionally, both piñon and juniper saplings exhibited increased photosynthetic rates, increased photosynthetic capacity, and …
Combining Isotopic And Genetic Analyses To Quantify Microbial Facilitation Of Recalcitrant Resource Use By Terrestrial And Aquatic Consumers, Alexi Christina Besser
Combining Isotopic And Genetic Analyses To Quantify Microbial Facilitation Of Recalcitrant Resource Use By Terrestrial And Aquatic Consumers, Alexi Christina Besser
Biology ETDs
Quantifying the flow of energy and nutrients through food webs is foundational to understanding the structure and function of ecosystems. Here, I utilize the stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of individual amino acids to trace the movement of essential amino acids through terrestrial and freshwater food webs in New Mexico, USA. I first explore isotopic patterns among co-occurring terrestrial plants and aquatic algae. I then combine this molecular isotopic approach with 16S and 18S rRNA sequencing to demonstrate the importance of gut microbiota as sources of essential amino acids to wild mammalian hosts. Next, I explore the roles of …
A Landscape On The Threshold Of Change: Patterns Of Soil Microbial Ecology Along Dynamic Geomorphic And Hydrologic Features In A Polar Desert, Kelli L. Feeser, David J. Van Horn, Heather N. Buelow, Daniel R. Colman, Theresa A. Mchugh, Jordan G. Okie, Egbert Schwartz, Cristina D. Takacs-Vesbach, Becky A. Ball, Andrew G. Fountain, Michael N. Gooseff, Joseph S. Levy, Maciej K. Obryk
A Landscape On The Threshold Of Change: Patterns Of Soil Microbial Ecology Along Dynamic Geomorphic And Hydrologic Features In A Polar Desert, Kelli L. Feeser, David J. Van Horn, Heather N. Buelow, Daniel R. Colman, Theresa A. Mchugh, Jordan G. Okie, Egbert Schwartz, Cristina D. Takacs-Vesbach, Becky A. Ball, Andrew G. Fountain, Michael N. Gooseff, Joseph S. Levy, Maciej K. Obryk
Biology ETDs
The McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV) of Antarctica are on the threshold of widespread landscape scale change due to increasing temperature and solar radiation and altered hydrology: buried ice is melting, the soil active layer is thickening, thermokarst features are developing along streams, water tracks are expanding, and lake levels are rising. These changes will impact the microbial communities found in each of the affected habitats. The purpose of this work is to first, understand the spatial distribution of soil bacteria in the MDV, specifically investigating the scale-dependent effects of environmental heterogeneity, and second, to perform surveys and coupled experiments to …
Nutrient Cycling In Impacted Stream Ecosystems: From Microbes To Watersheds, David Van Horn
Nutrient Cycling In Impacted Stream Ecosystems: From Microbes To Watersheds, David Van Horn
Biology ETDs
The conditions found in stream ecosystems are an integration of watershed characteristics and processes. Anthropogenic disturbances are part of this integration and include direct inputs to streams, alteration of riparian areas, and modification of catchment properties which affect material inputs. Impacts to discrete portions of terrestrial watersheds combine as water moves down gradient, transporting the byproducts of catchment disturbances to streams including, nutrients, organic materials, particulates, and toxins. This dissertation explores the effects of disturbance on nutrient cycling in stream ecosystems at three spatial scales: the patch scale includes localized processes and assemblages, the reach scale encompasses tens to hundreds …
Studies On The Microcrustacea Of Three Montane Lakes In Glacier National Park, Montana, Robert O. Megard
Studies On The Microcrustacea Of Three Montane Lakes In Glacier National Park, Montana, Robert O. Megard
Biology ETDs
Grinnell Lake, Lake Josephine, and Swiftcurrent Lake, at an elevation of approximately 5,000 feet in northwestern Montana, are comparable with lakes in the montane zone defined by Pennak for lakes at elevations between 8,200 feet and 10,500 feet in the Rocky Mountains of northern Colorado. Five species of Copepoda, six Cladocera, and four Ostracoda were collected in the lakes studied. The population of microcrustacea in these lakes was most dense in or slightly above the masses of rooted aquatic vegetation growing to a height of six to 10 inches above the bottom wherever the water was between three feet and …