Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Genetic Markers And Tree Properties Predicting Wood Biorefining Potential In Aspen (Populus Tremula) Bioenergy Feedstock, Sacha Escamez, Kathryn M. Robinson, Mikko Luomaranta, Madhavi Latha Gandla, Niklas Mähler, Zakiya Yassin, Thomas Grahn, Gerhard Scheepers, Lars-Göran Stener, Stefan Jansson, Leif J. Jönsson, Nathaniel R. Street, Hannele Tuominen

Aspen Bibliography

Background Wood represents the majority of the biomass on land and constitutes a renewable source of biofuels and other bioproducts. However, wood is recalcitrant to bioconversion, raising a need for feedstock improvement in production of, for instance, biofuels. We investigated the properties of wood that affect bioconversion, as well as the underlying genetics, to help identify superior tree feedstocks for biorefining.

Results We recorded 65 wood-related and growth traits in a population of 113 natural aspen genotypes from Sweden (https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.gtht76hrd). These traits included three growth and field performance traits, 20 traits for wood chemical composition, 17 traits for wood anatomy …

Less Fuel For The Next Fire? Short-Interval Fire Delays Forest Recovery And Interacting Drivers Amplify Effects, Kristin H. Braziunas, Nathan G. Kiel, Monica G. Turner

Aspen Bibliography

As 21st-century climate and disturbance dynamics depart from historic baselines, ecosystem resilience is uncertain. Multiple drivers are changing simultaneously, and interactions among drivers could amplify ecosystem vulnerability to change. Subalpine forests in Greater Yellowstone (Northern Rocky Mountains, USA) were historically resilient to infrequent (100–300 year), severe fire. We sampled paired short-interval (<30-year) and long-interval (>125-year) post-fire plots most recently burned between 1988 and 2018 to address two questions: (1) How do short-interval fire, climate, topography, and distance to unburned live forest edge interact to affect post-fire forest regeneration? (2) How do forest biomass and fuels vary following short-interval versus long-interval severe fires? …

Regeneration Strategies And Forest Resilience To Changing Fire Regimes: Insights From A Goldilocks Model, Tanjona Ramiadantsoa, Zak Ratajczak, Monica G. Turner

Aspen Bibliography

Disturbances are ubiquitous in ecological systems, and species have evolved a range of strategies to resist or rebound following disturbance. Understanding how the presence and complementarity of regeneration traits will affect community responses to disturbance is increasingly urgent as disturbance regimes shift beyond their historical ranges of variability. We define "disturbance niche" as a species' fitness across a range of disturbance sizes and frequencies that can reflect the fundamental or realized niche, that is, whether the species occurs alone or with other species. We developed a model of intermediate complexity (i.e., a Goldilocks model) to infer the disturbance niche. We …

Revisiting Trophic Cascades And Aspen Recovery In Northern Yellowstone, Robert L. Beschta, Luke E. Painter, William J. Ripple

Aspen Bibliography

We revisit the nature and extent of trophic cascades and quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) recovery in the northern range of Yellowstone National Park (YNP), where studies have reported on Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus canadensis) browsing and young aspen heights following the St. John, 1995-96 reintroduction of gray wolves (Canis lupus). A recent study by Brice et al. (2021) expressed concerns about methodologies employed in earlier aspen studies and that results from those studies exaggerated the extent to which a trophic cascade has benefitted aspen, concerns such as: (a) the selection of aspen stands, (b) …

Ambient Electromagnetic Radiation As A Predictor Of Honey Bee (Apis Mellifera) Traffic In Linear And Non-Linear Regression: Numerical Stability, Physical Time And Energy Efficiency, Vladimir Kulyukin, Daniel Coster, Anastasiia Tkachenko, Daniel Hornberger, Aleksey V. Kulyukin

Computer Science Faculty and Staff Publications

Since bee traffic is a contributing factor to hive health and electromagnetic radiation has a growing presence in the urban milieu, we investigate ambient electromagnetic radiation as a predictor of bee traffic in the hive’s vicinity in an urban environment. To that end, we built two multi-sensor stations and deployed them for four and a half months at a private apiary in Logan, Utah, U.S.A. to record ambient weather and electromagnetic radiation. We placed two non-invasive video loggers on two hives at the apiary to extract omnidirectional bee motion counts from videos. The time-aligned datasets were used to evaluate 200 …

Bison Influences On Composition And Diversity Of Riparian Plant Communities In Yellowstone National Park, J. Boone Kauffman, Dian Lyn Cummings, Cimarron Kauffman, Robert L. Beschta, Jeremy Brooks, Keeley Macneill, William J. Ripple

Aspen Bibliography

Riparian zones are among the most biologically diverse ecosystems in the Intermountain West, USA, and provide valuable ecosystem services, including high rates of biotic productivity, nutrient processing, and carbon storage. Thus, their sustainability is a high priority for land managers. Large ungulates affect composition and structure of riparian/stream ecosystems through herbivory and physical effects, via trailing and trampling. Bison (Bison bison) in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) have been characterized as "ecosystem engineers" because of their demonstrated effects on phenology, aboveground productivity of grasses, and woody vegetation structure. Bison have greatly increased in numbers during the last two decades …

Landscape And Site Factors Drive Invasive Phragmites Management And Native Plant Recovery Across Chesapeake Bay Wetlands, Christine B. Rohal, Eric L. G. Hazelton, Eliza K. Mcfarland, Rebekah Downard, Melissa K. Mccormick, Dennis F. Whigham, Karin M. Kettenring

Watershed Sciences Student Research

Successful invasive plant management—where invaders are sufficiently reduced and diverse native plant communities recover—remains an elusive goal for land managers. The site- and landscape-scale drivers of variable management outcomes and vegetation recovery are poorly understood due to a lack of rigorous experiments that characterize longer term vegetation trends across contexts. We present the results of a five-year experiment across eight subestuaries of Chesapeake Bay, representing a gradient of watersheds with differing dominant land-use types and anthropogenic impacts, to evaluate invasive and native plant response to herbicide management. The focal invader, Phragmites australis (common reed), is one of the most aggressive …

Assessment Of Carbon Productivity Dynamics In Aspen Stands Under Climate Change Based On Forest Inventories In Central Siberia, Andrey Andreevich Vais, Valentina Valerievna Popova, Alina Andreevna Andronova, Viktor Nikolaevich Nemich, Artem Gennadievich Nepovinnykh, Pavel Vladimirovich Mikhaylov

Aspen Bibliography

The aim of the present research was to study the dynamics of growth and conditions of aspen stands under climate change, according to different periods of forest inventory. The study was conducted in modal aspen forests growing in the subtaiga/forest steppe region of Central Siberia. Aspen forests grow intensively at young age, which allows them to realize maximum carbon sequestration potential. The research was based on forest inventory data from 1972, 1982, 2002, and 2021 (the study was conducted on a limited territory). There was a steady increase in temperatures in the growing season from 1982 to 2002. The amount …

Sheep Ingestive Behavior And Tannin Selection In Pampa Grassland And Feedlot, Marina Terra Braga

Green Canyon Environmental Research Area, Logan Utah

The Pampa grassland biome has high plant biodiversity, some with significant secondary compound concentrations such as tannins. Tannin inclusion in ruminant diets may improve meat quality and productivity. However, voluntary intake of this phenolic compound can be a challenge. This dissertation includes three studies within this context. The first study documented whether sheep consume tannin-rich Desmodium incanum (DI), the most common Pampa herbaceous legume species. The second study evaluated how forage tannin and protein concentration influenced sheep feedlot feed selection and the diet affects performance parameters. The third study evaluated sheep feeding behavior in a Pampa native pasture, and how …

Big Meadows Mountain Meadow & Aspen Restoration Project 2017 – 2023 Summary Report, Scott River Watershed Council

Aspen Bibliography

Big Meadows Mountain Meadow and Aspen Restoration Project is designed to enhance aspen and mountain meadow habitats at Big Meadows, a property that is privately owned by Ecotrust Forest Management (EFM). EFM owns approximately 40,000 acres in the Klamath Mountains of Siskiyou County, known as the Scott River Headwaters Property. The Scott River Headwaters Property Management Plan, developed by EFM, specifically identifies and prioritizes the restoration of aspen woodlands. As such, EFM and Scott River Watershed Council (SRWC) partnered with the goal of improving these critical habitats. The Big Meadows complex is one of the largest mountain meadow systems within …

The Lord Howe Island Rodent Eradication: Social And Technical Lessons For Inhabited Islands, Grant A. Harper, Simon Pahor, Kelly Harrington, Darcelle Matassoni, Darryl Birch

Human–Wildlife Interactions

The 2019 rodent eradication on 1,455-ha Lord Howe Island, Australia, was the second and largest attempted on a permanently inhabited island. With 445 residents, it presented numerous novel challenges, resulting in an operation best summarized in 4 words: compromise, commensal, complexity, and cost. A ground-based operation was conducted across the inhabited portion of the island, some 300 ha known as the “settlement,” with aerial bait applied on forested hill country and cliffs (1,200 ha). Initial community resistance and the presence of mice (Mus musculus) meant that almost 19,000 external bait stations were established within the settlement, on a …

An Introduction To The Special Issue: Island Invaders, Aaron B. Shiels, Shane R. Siers, S. Nicole Frey

Human–Wildlife Interactions

This is the introductory letter from the associate editors of the special issue on Island Invaders.

Table Of Contents

Human–Wildlife Interactions

This is the table of contents.

An Automatic System To Evaluate Bait Station Visitation By Brown Treesnakes And Mongooses, Robert T. Sugihara, William C. Pitt, Are R. Berentsen, Francis L. Benevides Jr.

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Understanding the temporal, spatial, and behavioral patterns of the free-ranging target species in response to candidate baits and baiting strategies is important to ensure control success. This information can also assist in the development and deployment of feeding stations and can exclude non-target species while constituting effective bait delivery and control strategies for certain invasive animals, especially at environmentally sensitive sites. We used passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags in conjunction with very-high frequency radio-telemetry to remotely record bait station visitations and evaluate bait attractiveness in separate field research studies of brown treesnakes (Boiga irregularis) on Andersen Air Force …

Rat Biosecurity Surveillance And Response Following Eradication On A Tropical Atoll, David Ringler, Richard Griffiths, Frank Murphy, Baudouin Des Monstiers, James C. Russell

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Biosecurity is a key element following any eradication operation, employing tools that allow both the identification and elimination of survivors or the early detection of new invaders. Eradication managers must ensure the surveillance strategy is correctly adapted to the spatial context and that the potential causes of a pest’s presence are understood to optimize their operational plans. We used the case of the eradication of black (Rattus rattus) and Pacific rats (Rattus exulans) from Honuea and Onetahi islets (Tetiaroa Atoll, French Polynesia) in 2020 to test an approach that combines rapid eradication assessment modelling and genetic …

A Look To The Future: New And Innovative Invasive Wildlife Management And Eradication Technologies, Aaron B. Shiels, Katherine E. Horak

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Certain wildlife tools and discoveries have been true “game changers” for invasive species management and eradications on islands. This article provides an overview of 3 cutting-edge technologies that are being eagerly pursued, but are not yet operational, for invasive wildlife management to build efficiency, reduce environmental impacts, and/or improve animal welfare practices.

Hwi Monograph Series

Human–Wildlife Interactions

The HWI Monograph Series includes open access publications on wild pigs, black bears, deer, and free-ranging domestic cats.

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Human–Wildlife Interactions

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Merging Lanes, S. Nicole Frey

Human–Wildlife Interactions

This is the letter from the editor-in-chief of Volume 17, Issue 3.

Hwi Monograph Series

Human–Wildlife Interactions

The HWI Monograph Series includes open access publications on wild pigs, black bears, deer, and free-ranging domestic cats.

Raccoon Selection For Anthropogenic Resources Provides Challenges For Wildlife Management In Yosemite Valley, Erika L. Anderson, Sean M. Matthews, David S. Green, E. Binta Wold, Katie Patrick, Rachel Mazur

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Managing human–wildlife incidents dominates the attention and resources of many wildlife management programs. National parks in the United States have a long history with human–wildlife interactions and conflicts. Improvements in communication with visitors, food-storage infrastructure, regulation enforcement, and the management of habituated and food-conditioned animals have decreased human–wildlife conflicts. Yosemite National Park, California, USA, is well known for its history of human–bear (Ursus spp.) conflicts. However, in the Yosemite Valley portion of Yosemite National Park, conflicts with raccoons (Procyon lotor) now outnumber those with black bears (U. americanus). Like bears, raccoons pose a risk of …

Table Of Contents

Human–Wildlife Interactions

This is the table of contents.

Effectiveness Of Citizen Engagement In A State Agency Egg-Oiling Program To Reduce Urban Canada Goose Populations And Conflicts, Charles H. Cope, Tom F. Bidrowski, Jon P. Beckmann

Human–Wildlife Interactions

In many cases, urban environments create high-quality habitat for wildlife that may allow species to form commensal relationships with humans. Positive impacts of urban environments (e.g., high-quality nesting habitat) may enhance survival and/or increased fecundity. One species that has shown the ability to form commensal relationships with humans in urban environments is Canada geese (Branta canadensis). Canada goose populations have continued to rebound in Kansas, USA, and across the Great Plains, such that the estimated resident population in Wichita, Kansas, grew from 0 to >5,000 resident geese and the over-winter population increased from 1,600 in 1997 to >18,000 …

Human–Alligator Incidents In The United States: Risky Human Behaviors Cause Most “Attacks”, Mark S. Teshera, Azar Kordbacheh, Frank J. Mazzotti

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Interactions between humans and American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis), often resulting in negative outcomes for both participants, have occurred for centuries in the United States. As both populations increased over time, contact and conflict with one another became inevitable. Although human–alligator conflicts have been well documented, there has been no detailed classification of risk factors associated with human activities immediately preceding, and in most cases precipitating, an encounter. Herein, we provide a ranking system to categorize different human activities, based on risk levels, immediately preceding an encounter with an alligator. To complete our review in 2021, we initially gleaned …

Changes Coming To Human–Wildlife Interactions Publishing Procedures, S. Nicole Frey

Human–Wildlife Interactions

The editor-in-chief provides information about upcoming journal policy and procedure changes.

The First Translocation Of Bighorn Sheep In California: A Critical Review Of The Activities Of William Franklin Frakes, Vernon C. Bleich, Glenn W. Sudmeier, Michael W. Wolter, Richard A. Weaver

Human–Wildlife Interactions

In the absence of verification, historical aspects of wildlife management or conservation sometimes have become established in the literature and persisted therein for decades; in other situations, serendipitous discoveries have corrected information that earlier had been treated as factual. In some cases, efforts to vet historical accounts have been ongoing for many years; such is the case involving William Franklin Frakes, an American rancher, naturalist, adventurer, and author, who captured and translocated bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) in California, USA, near the turn of the twentieth century. In this review, we provide information that substantiates the majority of Frakes’s …

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Sea-Ice Conditions Predict Polar Bear Land Use Around Military Installations In Alaska, Eric V. Regehr, Kristin L. Laidre, Todd C. Atwood, Harry L. Stern, Benjamin Cohen

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) are threatened by sea-ice loss due to climate change, which is concurrently opening the Arctic to natural resource extraction and a broader scope of national security responsibilities. Mitigating the risk of human–bear conflicts is an emerging challenge as many polar bears spend longer ice-free summers on land where they have limited access to food and come into more frequent contact with people. We investigated a suite of physical and ecological variables that influence the timing of polar bear arrival on, and departure from, land using remote-sensing data on sea-ice extent and satellite telemetry data …

Human–Black Bear Interactions And Public Attitudinal Changes In An Urban Ordinance Zone, Mark A. Barrett, Sarah E. Barrett, David J. Telesco, Michael A. Orlando

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Human–bear (Ursus spp.) interactions (HBI) commonly occur in residential areas throughout North America. Negative HBI can be alleviated by using bear-resistant garbage cans (BRC) and by securing other bear attractants (e.g., bird feeders). Since the early 2000s, human and Florida black bear (U. americanus floridanus) densities have increased substantially throughout Florida, USA, concurrently producing an increase in HBI. In central Florida, an area with high densities of humans and black bears, we surveyed 2 neighborhoods that occurred in an urban ordinance zone established in 2016 that required residents to secure anthropogenic food sources. Residents were supplied with …

Call For Associate Editors, S. Nicole Frey

Human–Wildlife Interactions

This is a call for associate editors for Human-Wildlife Interactions.