Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Assessment Of Coliform Bacteria From Point And Nonpoint Sources In The Las Vegas Wash, Susan O'Neill, Kumud Acharya

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)

This project focuses on an assessment of coliform bacteria from point and non point sources in Las Vegas Wash. Correlations between land use related runoffs, nutrients and organic matter loading and total coliform will be studied. Data will be collected for both daily low and high flow events. Sampling locations will cover all major land use types such as golf course, hotels, hospitals, residential areas, etc., at both the main Wash and its tributaries.

Microbial Ecology Of Keane Wonder Spring, Death Valley National Park, Alexander B. Michaud, Duane P. Moser

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)

This research is focused on developing a better understanding of he physiological and phylogenetic diversity as well as environmental abundance of bacteria of the genus: Shewanella in selected desert ecosystems. Prior research from this laboratory has revealed that these bacteria are very abundant in sulfurand organic-rich aquatics habitats. We have selected a number of habitats for detailed investigation (cultivation, molecular ecology and relevant environmental chemistry) including the Tropicana Wash, spring in Death Valley, the lower Virgin River and possibly Big Soda Lame, Nevada.

Legislative Committee On Public Lands, Margaret N. Rees

Presentations (PLI)

The Public Lands Institute is dedicated to strengthening the national fabric that is essential for the protection, conservation, multiple use, and management of public lands.

Lake Mead National Recreation Area Vegetation Monitoring And Analysis: Quarterly Progress Report, April 1, 2008 To June 30, 2008, Margaret N. Rees

Vegetation Monitoring

Executive Summary

• The Weed Sentry program surveyed over 182 miles of transportation corridors on federal land in Clark County for incipient populations of exotic plants.
• Five manuscripts attained published or in-press status this quarter. The published manuscripts are (1) assessing vegetation in grassy remnants of the Las Vegas Valley (Desert Plants), (2) assessing exotic species distributions in Clark County (Environmental Monitoring and Assessment), (3) a synthesis of burro effects on Mojave Desert vegetation (Environmental Management), and (4) examining canopy-tree influences along a soil parent material gradient in (Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society).
• Staff delivered eight presentations this quarter at …

We're Moving Into Unlv's New Science And Engineering Building, Scott R. Abella

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Research

Our research group is one of the few select groups that is moving into the new, $113-million UNLV Science and Engineering Building. The building is exclusively dedicated to research, and its four stories contain 200,000 square feet of research laboratories, faculty offices, and auditorium space for research symposia. Located on North Campus just northeast of the Biology Building, the building is anticipated to obtain LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification.

Mojave Applied Ecology Notes Summer 2008, Doug Merkler, Scott R. Abella, Dianne N. Bangle, Donovan J. Craig, Jessica E. Spencer, Alex Suazo

Mojave Applied Ecology Notes

Soil climate project, rare plant monitoring, JFS update, granivory and Sahara mustard

Joint Fire Science Program – Lake Mead National Recreation Area: Revegetating Burned Arid Lands: Identifying Successful Native Species Using Trait And Competition Analysis: Quarterly Progress Report, April 1— June 30, 2008, Margaret N. Rees

Fire Science

• Cones seeded for competition experiment at Lake Mead nursery.

• Cones monitored for seedling establishment.

• Goodsprings revegetation studies monitored.

• Invasibility data being entered and analyzed.

• Abstract for NAA conference submitted.

• Joint Fire Science update article submitted to Mojave Applied Ecology Notes newsletter.

Lake Mead National Recreation Area Monitoring And Evaluation Of Sensitive Wildlife: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending June 30, 2008, Margaret N. Rees

Wildlife Monitoring

Project 1. Relict Leopard Frog Monitoring, Management, and Research

• Translocation program completed this quarter at current active translocation sites.
• Egg mass surveys at Blue Point Spring conducted approximately weekly; two additional egg massed collected from site for head-starting.
• Frogs released at Blue Point and Rogers from egg masses collected at Blue Point in March and April, further augmentations planned.
• Spring nocturnal surveys completed.
• Coordination for potential translocation sites on BLM lands ongoing.
• Habitat improvements coordinated and conducted at one new translocation site on BLM lands in the Gold Butte; site received frogs in April.
• All milestones and deliverables associated with …

Limnological Assistance For The Lake Mead National Recreation Area In Meeting The Challenge Of The Water 2025 Initiative: Annual Report, Period Ending May 31, 2008, Margaret N. Rees

Limnological Studies

Hiring: Limnologist Dr. Wai Hing (David) Wong was hired and officially reported to work on 5/15/2008.

Project 1 and Project 2: Dr. Wong has commenced work on Projects 1 and 2.

Project 3: Dr. Wong has commenced work on Project 3. A comprehensive zebra/quagga mussel bibliography has been completed and published to the 100th Meridian Web site. Six interagency, multi-disciplinary quagga mussel meetings have been held. A quagga mussel substrate project has been initiated and, through the coordination efforts of this project, two other studies have been selected and refined to help determine the ecological impacts of quagga mussel infestation …

An Overview Of The Vegetation Research Program: Knowledge Services For Land Management, Scott R. Abella

Fire Science Presentations

• Provide knowledge services about the ecology and management of southwestern dryland ecosystems
• Specialize in working with resource managers to conduct applied research
• Conduct and provide research, monitoring, scientific literature synthesis, and technical assistance

Limnological Assistance For The Lake Mead National Recreation Area In Meeting The Challenge Of The Water 2025 Initiative: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending: April 1, 2008, Margaret N. Rees

Limnological Studies

Hiring: A decision is anticipated in the upcoming weeks regarding the hiring of a limnologist. Two candidates were selected from among three qualified applicants for telephone interviews; they were subsequently interviewed in-person.

Project 1: Review of the draft Boulder Basin Adaptive Management Plan is on-going. Meetings of the Systems Conveyance and Operations Program (SCOP) Technical Advisory Teams were attended.

Project 2: Development of a white paper expressing the joint needs of the entities involved in Water 2025 projects is on-going; scientific review of data and reports related to bacteria in high-use areas of Lake Mead is underway.

Project 3: Discussions …

Plant Community Response To Fire: A Chronosequence Study, Scott R. Abella, E. Cayenne Engel

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Research

Fires are becoming more prevalent events across the landscape in the southwestern US. Over the next several decades the already arid southwest is predicted to become warmer and drier, with longer summers, and an increase of “extreme” weather events such as lightening inducing thunderstorms. While the “hotter and drier” forecast may indicate less abundant plant life, and thus less available biomass for fuel, exotic invasive plant species are becoming more dominant across the landscape with increases in human travel and commerce. Exotic species (particularly many of the invasive grasses) are adding fuel for the fires to burn when the annuals …

Mojave Applied Ecology Notes Spring 2008, Lesley Defalco, E. Cayenne Engel, Scott R. Abella, Jessica E. Spencer, Jill E. Craig

Mojave Applied Ecology Notes

Post-fire restoration, fire chronosequence study, Joint Fire Science update, Weed Sentry program and DNWR surveys

Joint Fire Science Program – Lake Mead National Recreation Area: Revegetating Burned Arid Lands: Identifying Successful Native Species Using Trait And Competition Analysis: Quarterly Progress Report, January 1— March 31, 2008, Margaret N. Rees

Fire Science

• Fence built.

• Seeds and plants obtained.

• Seeding experiment initiated at Goodsprings burn site.

• Three hundred twenty plants, comprising eight species, planted at the Goodsprings burn site on February 12, 2008.

• First of a series of Joint Fire Science update articles submitted to Mojave Applied Ecology Notes newsletter.

Lake Mead National Recreation Area Vegetation Monitoring And Analysis: Quarterly Progress Report, January 1— March 31, 2008, Margaret N. Rees

Vegetation Monitoring

Executive Summary

• The Weed Sentry program surveyed 104 miles of transportation corridors on federal land in Clark County for incipient populations of exotic plants.
• Seven manuscripts attained in-press or published status and two manuscripts were submitted for review this quarter. Among other in-press manuscripts, are one documenting Sahara mustard germination patterns (Western North American Naturalist), one assessing exotic species distributions in Clark County (Environmental Monitoring and Assessment), and another is a synthesis of burro effects on Mojave Desert vegetation (Environmental Management).
• Staff delivered four presentations this quarter at conferences or at agency meetings. Twenty-six Las Vegas bearpoppy sites were assessed …

Lake Mead National Recreation Area Monitoring And Evaluation Of Sensitive Wildlife: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending March 31, 2008, Margaret N. Rees

Wildlife Monitoring

Project 1. Relict Leopard Frog Monitoring, Management, and Research

• Translocation program initiated this quarter, egg mass collections completed, tadpole rearing underway.
• Egg mass surveys at Blue Point Spring conducted approximately weekly; one egg mass collected from site for headstarting.
• Spring nocturnal surveys in progress.
• Coordination for potential translocation sites on BLM lands ongoing.
• Habitat improvements coordinated and conducted at one new translocation site on BLM lands in the Gold Butte; site scheduled to receive frogs in April.
• All milestones and deliverables associated with the MSHCP project on schedule.

Project 2. Bald Eagle Winter Monitoring and Evaluation

• Winter bald eagle count …

Education In The Environment: A Strategy For Continued Interagency Outdoor Programming: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending February 29, 2008, Environmental Education Strategy For Nevada

Reports (PLI Education)

Highlights of the university’s focused efforts during the past three months include the following:

• Progress was made on three projects to meet Southern Nevada Agency Partnership (SNAP) strategic messaging needs: an anti-litter exhibit, a volunteer restoration program with educational components, and activity stations to tell the story of Lee Meadows restoration efforts.
• Interpretive planning is underway for Mountain’s Edge Explorer’s Interpretive Trail.
• A Spanish class tailored to meet the communication needs of environmental educators and interpreters was held January 2008.
• Our Places Tell Stories conference, featuring sixty presenters, panelists, moderators, and facilitators, will be held March 4-6, 2008.
• The Nevada …

Historic Genetic Structuring And Paraphyly Within The Great-Tailed Grackle, Jeffrey M. Dacosta, Walter Wehtje, John Klicka

Ornithology Program (HRC)

The Great-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus) and Boat-tailed Grackle (Q. major) are sister species that have expanded their ranges during historical times. This expansion has created an area of sympatry between these species in Texas and Louisiana, and between distinctive Great-tailed Grackle subspecies in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. We investigated the evolutionary histories of both species using mitochondrial DNA sequence data and modern phylogenetic methods. Our results reveal genetic structure within Great-tailed, but not Boat-tailed Grackles. Great-tailed Grackles are separated into two clades, but range expansion in the north has led to secondary contact …

Our Places To Tell Stories: Preliminary Program, Public Lands Institute

Our Places to Tell Stories

Our Places Tell Stories is an innovative conference for educators and others working at public lands, nature centers, museums, zoos, aquariums, and other nature- and heritage-rich places. By providing participants with successful educational strategies and techniques, this conference will meet the needs of those interested in learning how to effectively connect with audiences to create motivated stewards of the environment.

Seeding Effectiveness And Natural Regeneration Of Mojave Desert Plant Communities After 2005-2006 Wildland Fires, E. Cayenne Engel, Scott R. Abella, Christina L. Lund

Fire Science Presentations

1) Assessment of BLM seeding effectiveness in mid-elevation burn where pre-burn plant communities were dominated by blackbrush, Joshua trees, and creosote.

2) Patterns driving fire recovery at the landscape scale:

• Link initial vegetation, environment, and soils
• Are there patterns that can be gleaned that can then be applied to management prescriptions?

Interagency Science And Research Strategy, Limnological Assistance For Lake Mead National Recreation Area

Limnological Studies

Helping improve operational efficiency, enhance land stewardship, resource protection, and conservation on the shared public land.

Ecological Consequences Of Invasion Of The Quagga Mussel (Dreissena Bugensis Andrusov 1897) Into Lake Mead, David Wong, Shawn Gerstenberger, Todd Tietjen, Sara Ann Mueting, Eric Michael Loomis

Limnological Studies

Consequences of Invasion of the Quagga Mussel into Lake Mead

Management Techniques For The Control Of Sahara Mustard (Brassica Tournefortii) In The Mojave Desert, Dianne N. Bangle, Scott R. Abella, Public Lands Institute,

Vegetation Monitoring Presentations

In the southwestern United States, Brassica tournefortii(Sahara mustard) is a highly invasive plant that colonizes roadsides, beaches, sand dunes, and open desert threatening native annuals. Sahara mustard is believed to contribute to fuel loads in the Mojave Desert in areas where Schismussp. and Bromussp. occur. Sahara mustard may act as ladder fuel, thereby facilitating the spread of fire throughout the landscape. Manpower limitations and insufficient funding limits the abilities of managers to effectively control Sahara mustard. We tested seed germinability in Sahara mustard after fruiting plants were treated with either 2%, 5%, or 12% triclopyr. Sahara mustard seed pods were …

Exotic Annual Plant Invasions And Their Relationships To Roads And Native Perennial Species In The Mojave Desert, Southwestern Usa, Donovan J. Craig, Jill Pacovsky Craig, Scott R. Abella

Vegetation Monitoring Presentations

For the last five years, roadside monitoring for exotic invasive species has been a common practice for documenting distributions in Clark County, Nevada (Abella et al., in press). Yet, studies have shown that weed relationships to road corridors differ depending upon the natural system (Hansen and Clevenger, 2005). In the Mojave Desert, it is unknown whether exotic species are limited to or even predominant along roadsides.

Compounding this uncertainty, fertile islands under shrubs are known to enhance conditions for many annuals (Thompson et al., 2005). Thus, a site’s shrub composition could influence exotic invasive plant distributions.

Implications For Management Prioritization Of Exotic Annual Weed Monitoring Near Roadsides In The Eastern Mojave Desert, Usa, Donovan J. Craig, Jill E. Craig, Scott R. Abella, Public Lands Institute,

Vegetation Monitoring Presentations

Invasive exotic plants provide an unnatural conduit for fires in the Mojave Desert. For the last five years, roadside monitoring for exotic invasive species has been a common practice for documenting distributions in Clark County, Nevada (Abella et al., in press). Yet, studies have shown that weed relationships to road corridors differ depending upon the natural system (Hansen and Clevenger, 2005). In the Mojave Desert, it is unknown whether exotic species are limited to or even predominant along roadsides.

Compounding this uncertainty, fertile islands under shrubs are known to enhance conditions for many annuals (Thompson et al., 2005). Thus, a …

Response Of Sahara Mustard (Brassica Tournefortii) To Water Addition And Soil Disturbance, Alexis Suazo, Jessica E. Spencer, Scott R. Abella

Vegetation Monitoring Presentations

Invasive exotic species can have a significant impact on the structure, function, and diversity of ecological communities. Sahara mustard (Brassica tournefortii) is one of the top exotic invasive species spreading through the southwestern deserts of North America. In arid environments, it is well documented that species abundance is sensitive to rainfall (Beatly 1974, Ernest et al. 2000). In the Mojave Desert, winter precipitation can trigger massive germination events (Beatly 1974). As a winter annual, Sahara mustard may have a positive response to winter precipitation by germinating, growing, and reproducing before native annuals, monopolizing soil moisture and nutrients, and potentially changing …

Fire History And Forest Structural Change In The Spring Mountains, Scott R. Abella

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Research

Since early 2006 we have been working to develop a partnership with the Spring Mountains District of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest to provide science support for understanding fire history and forest structural changes in support of ecologically based management strategies. We teamed up with the Ecological Restoration Institute (ERI) at Northern Arizona University and the University of Arizona Tree Ring Lab to deliver a workshop on March 6, 2008 at the interagency office in Las Vegas, Nevada. On September 16-18, we again teamed up with colleagues at ERI to conduct a preliminary field assessment of forest change at 10 sites …

Opportunities For New Collaborative Projects, Scott R. Abella, Jill E. Craig

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Research

The Research Group is currently working in successful partnerships with Lake Mead National Recreation Area, BLM Las Vegas, Desert National Wildlife Refuge (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), Joshua Tree National Park, and in collaboration with the Ecological Restoration Institute, the U.S. Forest Service (Region 3).

Mojave Applied Ecology Notes Winter 2008, Scott R. Abella, E. Cayenne Engel, Jill E. Craig

Mojave Applied Ecology Notes

Mojave Desert collaborative projects, fire history in Spring Mountains, Northshore Road rehabilitation, wildfires and invasive plants in American deserts conference, weed sentry surveys

Interagency Science And Research: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending December 31, 2007, Margaret N. Rees

Interagency Science and Research Strategy

• Meetings were held with the SNAP Recreation Team and the SNAP Cultural Resources Team to request assistance in the development of the science strategy. Draft versions of interagency goals, subgoals, science questions, and associated tasks were given to each team for review and input.
• Plans were prepared for the peer review of science proposals submitted for consideration as Conservations Initiatives in SNPLMA Round 9.
• Proceedings of the natural resources management workshop held on September 13 were completed and sent to the Science & Research Team for review by members.
• An important focus of the Science and Research Team was the …