Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Discipline
- Keyword
- Publication
- Publication Type
Articles 1 - 5 of 5
Full-Text Articles in Desert Ecology
Seed Predation By Owyhee Harvester Ants And The Potential Of Seed Introductions In Recovery Efforts For Slickspot Peppergrass, Jennifer A. Brown
Seed Predation By Owyhee Harvester Ants And The Potential Of Seed Introductions In Recovery Efforts For Slickspot Peppergrass, Jennifer A. Brown
Boise State University Theses and Dissertations
Slickspot peppergrass (Lepidium papilliferum) is a rare plant endemic to the sagebrush-steppe habitat in southwestern Idaho. Within sagebrush-steppe, the plant is restricted to microsites known as “slick spots”– shallow depressions of soil characterized by distinct clay layers and surface water retention that is higher than that of surrounding areas. Having one of the highest extirpation rates among rare plant taxa in Idaho, and considering its unique habitat requirements, limited range, and declining numbers, land managers and conservationists have voiced concern regarding the species’ long-term viability. While range-wide declines in slickspot peppergrass have been attributed largely to the loss …
Examining Interactions Between And Among Predictors Of Net Ecosystem Exchange: A Machine Learning Approach In A Semi-Arid Landscape, Qingtao Zhou, Aaron Fellows, Gerald N. Flerchinger, Alejandro N. Flores
Examining Interactions Between And Among Predictors Of Net Ecosystem Exchange: A Machine Learning Approach In A Semi-Arid Landscape, Qingtao Zhou, Aaron Fellows, Gerald N. Flerchinger, Alejandro N. Flores
Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations
Net ecosystem exchange (NEE) is an essential climate indicator of the direction and magnitude of carbon dioxide (CO2) transfer between land surfaces and the atmosphere. Improved estimates of NEE can serve to better constrain spatiotemporal characteristics of terrestrial carbon fluxes, improve verification of land models, and advance monitoring of Earth’s terrestrial ecosystems. Spatiotemporal NEE information developed by combining ground-based flux tower observations and spatiotemporal remote sensing datasets are of potential value in benchmarking land models. We apply a machine learning approach (Random Forest (RF)) to develop spatiotemporally varying NEE estimates using observations from a flux tower and several …
An Investigation Of Herbivory And Seed Predation On Slickspot Peppergrass, Michelle I. Jeffries
An Investigation Of Herbivory And Seed Predation On Slickspot Peppergrass, Michelle I. Jeffries
Boise State University Theses and Dissertations
This study was completed during the summers of 2014 and 2015 to continue research on the relationship between harvester ants (Pogonomyrmex salinus) and slickspot peppergrass (Lepidium papilliferum). Slickspot peppergrass is a rare mustard endemic to south western Idaho. Over the past century, the species has declined in abundance, largely as a result of habitat degradation and fragmentation. In addition to these reasons for decline, seed foraging by harvester ants and plant destruction by harvester ants and small mammal herbivores have been recently indicated as potential factors. This study confirmed that harvester ants remove large numbers of …
Photosynthetic Capacity Within The Phantom Gas Field Project, Traci L. Olson, Maria Pacioretty, Keith Reinhardt (Mentor)
Photosynthetic Capacity Within The Phantom Gas Field Project, Traci L. Olson, Maria Pacioretty, Keith Reinhardt (Mentor)
Idaho Conference on Undergraduate Research
Anthropogenic noise has proven detrimental to organisms like bats, owls, and certain other species whose hunting or navigation success is affected by unnatural sound. However, few studies have quantified the effects of noise pollution across multiple trophic levels. Our study is quantifying the impacts of human noise on insect abundance and herbivory, and plant physiology, using experimental noise stations compared to quiet control sites in the sagebrush steppe southwest of Boise, Idaho. I am measuring variation in leaf chlorophyll fluorescence and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Both of these measurements are indirect measurements of photosynthetic capacity. We hypothesized that shrubs …
Consequences Of Pre-Inoculation With Native Arbuscular Mycorrhizae On Root Colonization And Survival Of Wyoming Big Sagebrush (Artemisia Tridentata Ssp. Wyomingensis) Seedlings After Transplanting, Bill Eugene Davidson
Consequences Of Pre-Inoculation With Native Arbuscular Mycorrhizae On Root Colonization And Survival Of Wyoming Big Sagebrush (Artemisia Tridentata Ssp. Wyomingensis) Seedlings After Transplanting, Bill Eugene Davidson
Boise State University Theses and Dissertations
Inoculation of seedlings with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) is a common practice aimed at improving seedling establishment. The success of this practice largely depends on the ability of the inoculum to multiply and colonize the growing root system after transplanting. These events were investigated in Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis (Wyoming big sagebrush) seedlings inoculated with native AMF. Seedlings were first grown in a greenhouse in sterilized soil (non-inoculated seedlings) or soil containing a mixture of native mycorrhizae (inoculated seedlings). Three-month old seedlings were transplanted to 24 L pots containing soil from a sagebrush habitat (mesocosm experiments) or to a recently …