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Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons™
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- Keyword
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- Climate change (3)
- Arctic (2)
- Tundra (2)
- Aeolian dispersal (1)
- Algal primary production (1)
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- Alpine (1)
- Anemochory (1)
- Aquatic Invertebrates (1)
- Arid wetlands (1)
- Benthic zone (1)
- Carbon (1)
- Dust storms (1)
- Free water metabolism (1)
- Herbivory (1)
- Litter (1)
- Methane (1)
- Micrometazoans (1)
- Net ecosystem production (1)
- Nutrient (1)
- Nutrient diffusion substrates (1)
- Nutrient enrichments (1)
- Nutrient limitation (1)
- Pelagic zone (1)
- Plant community change (1)
- Plant-soil interactions (1)
- Primary production (1)
- Shrub encroachment (1)
- Soluble reactive phosphorus (1)
- WWTP (1)
Articles 1 - 6 of 6
Full-Text Articles in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Dust Storms And The Dispersal Of Aquatic Invertebrates In The Chihuahuan Desert Ecoregion, Jose Rivas Jr.
Dust Storms And The Dispersal Of Aquatic Invertebrates In The Chihuahuan Desert Ecoregion, Jose Rivas Jr.
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
The Chihuahuan Desert surrounding El Paso, Texas is one of the most intense sources of dust in the Western Hemisphere. Within this vast desert are ephemeral wetlands with micrometazoan propagules contained within their sediment egg banks. Dispersal of aquatic microinvertebrates between habitats is vital for the success of their populations. Passive dispersal of the propagules provides an escape mechanism from unfavorable conditions. Upon desiccation of these habitats, windstorms can potentially transport propagules mixed within entrained sediments across regional scales. To study this process, I collected falling sediment from 91 windstorms, with 59 samples collected at the University of Texas at …
Deciduous Shrub Encroachment Effects On Tundra Soil Properties, Daniela Aguirre
Deciduous Shrub Encroachment Effects On Tundra Soil Properties, Daniela Aguirre
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
Deciduous shrub abundance is increasing in tundra ecosystems as an effect of rising temperatures which may change tundra physical properties and, in turn, microbial communities and biogeochemical processes. Two mechanisms through which shrub presence may affect tundra ecosystems were examined in this study; the physical presence of the shrubs and effects of increasing shrub litter inputs. In a sub-arctic alpine tundra ecosystem, dominated by the deciduous shrub Betula glandulosa, both shrub presence (shrub present and removed) and litter quantity (no litter/litter removed, ambient litter, and twice ambient litter) were manipulated; multiple ecosystem properties where measured within the treatment plots over …
Changes In Net Ecosystem Production Over The Past 40 Years In Arctic Tundra Ponds Near Barrow, Alaska: Application Of Historic And Modern Techniques, Nickole Ann Miller
Changes In Net Ecosystem Production Over The Past 40 Years In Arctic Tundra Ponds Near Barrow, Alaska: Application Of Historic And Modern Techniques, Nickole Ann Miller
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
Arctic environments have gained interest recently due to their sensitivity to climate change. As warming has created longer growing seasons, extended ice-free periods as well as permafrost thaw, the production in freshwater ecosystems has the potential to be greatly impacted. It is hypothesized that as climate change and warming occurs, increases in primary production will occur and ponds will become carbon sinks. Net ecosystem production (NEP) was determined using phytoplankton and periphyton samples collected weekly during the growing season (June - August) from arctic tundra ponds near Barrow, Alaska. Enrichment with 14C was used to determine both weekly photosynthetic rates …
Implications Of Decade Time Scale Arctic Plant Community Change On Ecosystem Function, Mark Jason Lara
Implications Of Decade Time Scale Arctic Plant Community Change On Ecosystem Function, Mark Jason Lara
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
Almost half the global soil organic carbon pool is found in northern high latitudes. The majority of this soil carbon is stored in a greenhouse inert state within permafrost. As pronounced warming of high northern latitudes ensues, there is a strong likelihood that this substantial soil organic carbon pool will be mobilized to the atmosphere where it is likely to positively enhance greenhouse warming. Modeling studies suggest this positive feedback could alter future climate states of the Arctic and the globe, and affect how humans may need to adapt to climate change. Accordingly, understanding the patterns and controls and the …
Recent Changes In The Growth And Nutrient Limitation Of Benthic And Pelagic Algae In Arctic Tundra Ponds, Christina Hernandez
Recent Changes In The Growth And Nutrient Limitation Of Benthic And Pelagic Algae In Arctic Tundra Ponds, Christina Hernandez
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
Arctic ponds are a dominant feature in Barrow, Alaska. Ponds may function as carbon sinks during the growing season from production of photosynthetic organisms like algae; however, little work has been done on this topic. Environmental changes have been occurring in the Arctic stemming from climate change and human perturbations. The focus of this study was to assess a historically studied region for changes in algal primary production that may have been produced due to increases in temperature over the past 40 years and increased human development. Additionally, this study aimed to determine nutrient limitation of algal production in the …
Nutrient Dynamics In A Created Desert Wetland: Implications For The Rio Bosque Wetlands Park, Ruth Rodriguez
Nutrient Dynamics In A Created Desert Wetland: Implications For The Rio Bosque Wetlands Park, Ruth Rodriguez
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
Rio Bosque Wetland Park is an arid wetland currently under restoration, which primarily receives water inputs from the Bustamante Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) during the non-irrigation season. Understanding the ability of a desert wetland to remove nutrients from the water column through uptake by primary producers or sediment transformations is key to justifying the protection and creation of other similar wetland sites. Nitrate concentrations tended to be reduced, relative to the inflow, near the outflow of the wetland.To further understand these trends, sediment nutrient release experiments and algal nutrient limitation experiments were completed. Sediment phosphorus release experiments indicated that …