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Articles 1 - 30 of 33
Full-Text Articles in Desert Ecology
Conservation Gap Analysis Of The Endemic Flora Of Nevada (U.S.A.), Jodi D. Dunn
Conservation Gap Analysis Of The Endemic Flora Of Nevada (U.S.A.), Jodi D. Dunn
ATU Scholars Symposium
Introduction. Nevada is the driest state in the U.S. and spans multiple desert and montane biomes, containing over 3,000 species of plants across its varied environmental gradients. Within this flora, 268 species occur as regional endemics, with narrowly restricted distributions contained either fully, mostly, or partly within Nevada’s political boundaries. Preliminary investigation led us to hypothesize that most of the distributions of these rarities occur outside of currently protected areas. Methods. A list of endemic species was derived from the mentor’s work treating all Nevadan plants. Occurrence records with geographic coordinates were extracted into Excel spreadsheets. For occurrences without specified …
Initial Steps In Testing The Stress Gradient Hypothesis For Selenium Exposure In Soil Bacteria, Kristian J. Harris
Initial Steps In Testing The Stress Gradient Hypothesis For Selenium Exposure In Soil Bacteria, Kristian J. Harris
2023 Midwest Ecology & Evolution Conference
The Stress Gradient Hypothesis (SGH) states that interspecific interactions should shift from competitive to facilitative interactions as environmental stress increases. Selenium (Se) is a naturally occurring metalloid that acts as an environmental pollutant and as an essential micronutrient. Due to its metallic properties, Se acts as an oxidative stress and can be toxic to plants and animals. Given this, Se in soil systems acts as an abiotic stress that influences species composition and species interactions. Within soils, bacteria and fungi have evolved to tolerate Se via detoxification and Se processing for respiration and studies show that metal detoxification traits like …
An Integral Projection Modeling Approach To Understanding Demographic Effects Of Multispecies Mutualisms, Alexandra Campbell
An Integral Projection Modeling Approach To Understanding Demographic Effects Of Multispecies Mutualisms, Alexandra Campbell
Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research
No abstract provided.
Rainfall Changes Alter Plant Communities In Chihuahuan Desert Grasslands, Timothy Ohlert
Rainfall Changes Alter Plant Communities In Chihuahuan Desert Grasslands, Timothy Ohlert
Shared Knowledge Conference
Variations in New Mexico’s climate have been detected over the past century and are expected to continue into the future. Some of these climatic changes result in more frequent instances of extreme drought events and alterations of monsoon seasonality, with monsoons being pushed later into the fall. Such changes could make our Chihuahuan Desert plant communities less productive, shift the abundance of the plant species, or have other destabilizing impacts. Our experiment manipulated precipitation in two desert grassland communities at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge near Socorro, NM. Some plots were subjected to an extreme drought event, receiving only 33% …
The Future Of Biodiversity Assessment: Using Environmental Dna And Next-Generation Sequencing To Characterize Biological Communities In The Central Highlands Of Arizona, Courtney Turner-Rathbone
The Future Of Biodiversity Assessment: Using Environmental Dna And Next-Generation Sequencing To Characterize Biological Communities In The Central Highlands Of Arizona, Courtney Turner-Rathbone
Undergraduate Research Symposium - Prescott
Historically ecological surveys require significant man hours in the field, utilizing methods which can stress species being observed. In using environmental DNA (eDNA) gathered from air, soil, and water, traditional methods may be supplemented or reduced in order to more efficiently utilize funding and reduce or eliminate stress on surveyed species. Water was collected in replicates using aseptic technique from two different sites, 60 miles apart, along the Verde River. Samples were vacuum filtered within 24 hours through 0.45 μm cellulose nitrate (CN) filters to collect eDNA. DNA extraction from the filters was performed. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was …
Can Omnivores Mediate The Effects Of Degradation?, Hannah Moore
Can Omnivores Mediate The Effects Of Degradation?, Hannah Moore
Scholars Week
Omnivores feed at multiple trophic levels and have large effects on community structuring and stability. The magnitude and direction of such effects, whether omnivores stabilize or destabilize communities, remains unresolved. Shifts in omnivore diet and trophic position may be of particular importance to community stability in degraded habitats, where resources are sparse. For example, omnivores may reduce the severity and duration of community responses to degradationby dampening the effects of any disturbance-mediated trophic cascade. The relatively simple food webs of freshwater systems are ideal for studying trophic ecology, and in the western U.S., streams are heavily degraded by overgrazing, beaver …
Examining The Relationship Between Climate And Seasonal Stream Thermal Regimes In A High Desert Ecosystem, Hannah Moore, Melody Feden
Examining The Relationship Between Climate And Seasonal Stream Thermal Regimes In A High Desert Ecosystem, Hannah Moore, Melody Feden
Scholars Week
Climate change is negatively affecting ecosystems around the world, and in the coming years, scientists predict that these changes will only intensify and accelerate. In the western mountains of North America, climate change projections predict elevated temperatures, reduced snowpack, and earlier snowmelt. Elevated air temperatures have the propensity to affect water temperatures in sensitive freshwater ecosystems. Temperature increases may cause streams to reach the upper thermal limit for many aquatic organisms, such as aquatic invertebrates and fish, and result in death or dispersal for these organisms. This makes the availability of cold-water refugia in streams that much more important for …
Can Omnivores Mediate The Effects Of Degradation?, Hannah Moore
Can Omnivores Mediate The Effects Of Degradation?, Hannah Moore
Scholars Week
Omnivores feed at multiple trophic levels and have large effects on community structuring and stability. The magnitude and direction of such effects, whether omnivores stabilize or destabilize communities, remains unresolved. Shifts in omnivore diet and trophic position may be of particular importance to community stability in degraded habitats, where resources are sparse. For example, omnivores may reduce the severity and duration of community responses to degradationby dampening the effects of any disturbance-mediated trophic cascade. The relatively simple food webs of freshwater systems are ideal for studying trophic ecology, and in the western U.S., streams are heavily degraded by overgrazing, beaver …
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 …
Moving Forward: Preventing Water Shortage For Nevada, Sandra Blandon, Brianna Lyon
Moving Forward: Preventing Water Shortage For Nevada, Sandra Blandon, Brianna Lyon
Anthropology 100: Feast and Famine In a Global World Poster Assignment
Southern Nevada is located in the arid Mojave Desert, which averages about 4 inches of rain each year. Southern Nevada gets about 90% of its water supply from the Colorado River. Seven western states and Mexico share the river. This means that The Colorado River provides water to 25 million people.
The Use Of Chloramines To Eradicate Quagga Mussel Larvae, Trea Lacroix, Kumud Acharya
The Use Of Chloramines To Eradicate Quagga Mussel Larvae, Trea Lacroix, Kumud Acharya
Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)
Quagga Mussels, Dressenia bugensis, are a growing problem in the western United States, particularly in their ability to infest underwater infrastructures and clog water intake pipes and screens of power and treatment plants. Chlorine has been found to be the most effective chemical to get rid of veligers (planktonic larval form of quagga mussels) in the pipes. However, chlorine leaves a residue called trihalomethane, which is a carcinogen at higher concentrations. The purpose of this project is to test the effectiveness of an alternate chemical, chloramines (chlorine and ammonia), which leaves behind little to no residual trihalomethane. Upon experimentation with …
Oral Presentation: Plant Genes And Drought Tolerance, Norris Lam
Oral Presentation: Plant Genes And Drought Tolerance, Norris Lam
Festival of Communities: UG Symposium (Posters)
Research has shown that a gene from C3 xerophyte Larrea tridentata (creosote bush), LtWRKY21, is involved in pathways governing creosote bush’s high tolerance to environmental stress. By understanding the way in which creosote bush adapts to drought, crop plants can be engineered to be more drought tolerant during times of imminent global climate change. To study the underlying mechanisms of creosote bush drought response, the LtWRKY21 gene was mobilized into the model organism Arabidopsis thaliana. Chlorophyll degradation, cellular electrolyte leakage, and water content in leaves will serve as indicators of drought tolerance in LtWRKY21-transgenic A. thaliana after treatment in chemically …
Similarity Of Climate Change Data For Antarctica And Nevada, Corbin Benally, Shahram Latifi, Karletta Chief
Similarity Of Climate Change Data For Antarctica And Nevada, Corbin Benally, Shahram Latifi, Karletta Chief
Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)
The correlation between temperature and carbon dioxide concentration in the past one hundred years is studied. Separate graphs containing data from Vostok, Antarctica and the Mojave desert/mountain west (Nevada region) are presented. Using data obtained from these graphs, an attempt is made to explain the results and investigate the similarity of these results for Antarctica and Nevada. The importance of this study lies in the fact that if data show the same trend in the two regions, many findings for climate change in Antarctica may readily be validated and employed for Nevada.
Assessing Invasive Plant Species As Threats In Mojave Desert Parks, Sara L. Mcpherson, Donovan J. Craig, Scott R. Abella
Assessing Invasive Plant Species As Threats In Mojave Desert Parks, Sara L. Mcpherson, Donovan J. Craig, Scott R. Abella
Graduate Research Symposium (2010 - 2017)
The invasion and persistence of exotic plant species threatens the natural features that national parks are designed to protect. For example, park managers have witnessed an increase in the frequency, extent and intensity of fires along with a reduction in native species richness and diversity. Many park managers are familiar with a suite of highly invasive plants, but lack a comprehensive and systematic way of prioritizing invasive plant species based on potential threats to the parks’ resources. We have entered into a collaborative project with the National Park Service’s Inventory and Monitoring program to develop an invasive plant early detection …
29 Years Of Vegetation Community Change Across Environmental Gradients In A Mojave Desert Mountain Range, Christopher L. Roberts, James S. Holland, Scott R. Abella
29 Years Of Vegetation Community Change Across Environmental Gradients In A Mojave Desert Mountain Range, Christopher L. Roberts, James S. Holland, Scott R. Abella
Graduate Research Symposium (2010 - 2017)
There is a great deal of uncertainty as to how biological communities respond to changes in land use and climate change, a situation particularly relevant in protected areas such as national parks that were designated to conserve specific biological features. Utilizing extant vegetation data sets with repeatable methodology can provide opportunities for insight into previous vegetation change and provide base line data for long-term monitoring projects useful for modeling vegetation community trajectories. We have relocated and resurveyed 106 sites from a vegetation community study initiated in 1979 in the Newberry Mountains, southern Nevada, within Lake Mead National Recreation Area managed …
Water Source Partitioning For Shrubland Transpiration Using Innovative Field Methods, Dale A. Devitt, Michael Young, Matthew S. Lachniet, Jeremy Koonce, Amanda Wagner, Brian M. Bird, J. Healey
Water Source Partitioning For Shrubland Transpiration Using Innovative Field Methods, Dale A. Devitt, Michael Young, Matthew S. Lachniet, Jeremy Koonce, Amanda Wagner, Brian M. Bird, J. Healey
2010 Annual Nevada NSF EPSCoR Climate Change Conference
37 PowerPoint slides Convener: Franco Biondi, UNR & Michael Young, DRI Session 4: Ecological Change and Water Resources Abstract: -Climate change models predict a decline in precipitation over the next few decades throughout much of the southwest. -Such change has the potential to shift water uptake dynamics of phreatophytes -If groundwater pumping also occurs, the impact of climate change could be exacerbated. -A better understanding of the forces that drive the coupling and decoupling of phreatophytes to groundwater is needed.
Design And Status Of The Elevationl Transect And Monitoring Systems For Nevada’S Nsf Epscor Climate Change Research Program, Brian M. Bird, Scotty Strachan, David B. Simeral, Richard L. Jasoni
Design And Status Of The Elevationl Transect And Monitoring Systems For Nevada’S Nsf Epscor Climate Change Research Program, Brian M. Bird, Scotty Strachan, David B. Simeral, Richard L. Jasoni
2010 Annual Nevada NSF EPSCoR Climate Change Conference
15 PowerPoint slides Convener: Franco Biondi, UNR & Michael Young, DRI Session 4: Ecological Change and Water Resources Abstract: -Current status of Transects -Sheep Range Transect (5 sites) fully permitted through Fish and Wildlife Service. -Site access agreement acquired from the Long Now Foundation for Snake Range (sites 1, 2 and 3). -Snake Range site 4 access granted through the Nevada Land Conservatory. -Waiting for site permit approval on sites 8,9 and 6,7 from BLM and GBNP respectively. -Tower installed at North Las Vegas UWCC for testing of sensors and communications. -Installation of towers will begin winter 2010 at lower …
Biotic Responses To Climate Change In The Great Basin And Mojave Desert: Vegetation, David Charlet, Patrick Leary
Biotic Responses To Climate Change In The Great Basin And Mojave Desert: Vegetation, David Charlet, Patrick Leary
2010 Annual Nevada NSF EPSCoR Climate Change Conference
84 PowerPoint slides Convener: Franco Biondi, UNR & Michael Young, DRI Session 4: Ecological Change and Water Resources Abstract: -The Problem -To detect changes in vegetation as it responds to changes in climate, we must first know where the vegetation is now -GAP (Geographic Approach to Protection of Biodiversity) map --National project to map land cover throughout the US. --Nevada map (Edwards et al. 1996) -Southwest ReGAP map --Land cover map for southwestern US (Prior-Magee et al. 2007) to correct problems identified in GAP map
Geovisualization Of Ecological Data For Park Policy Support, Scott R. Abella, Haroon Stephen, Ross Guida
Geovisualization Of Ecological Data For Park Policy Support, Scott R. Abella, Haroon Stephen, Ross Guida
2010 Annual Nevada NSF EPSCoR Climate Change Conference
12 PowerPoint slides Convener: William Smith, UNLV Session 3: Policy, Decision Making, and Outreach Abstract: -Literature shows upward elevation shifts of biological species as a result of climate change -Effects of climate change expected to accelerate in coming decades -Concern both about species migrating out of parks and the potential inability of species to quickly adapt to the changing conditions within National Parks and other federal land boundaries
Research Poster: Clark County School District Involvement In The Nsf Epscor Program, Education Component, Aubrey M. Shirk, Larry Rudd, Paul Buck
Research Poster: Clark County School District Involvement In The Nsf Epscor Program, Education Component, Aubrey M. Shirk, Larry Rudd, Paul Buck
2010 Annual Nevada NSF EPSCoR Climate Change Conference
Research poster
Research Poster: Climate Change Science For Northern Nevada Educators, Melissa Slayden, Jacque Ewing-Taylor, Kelly Cannon
Research Poster: Climate Change Science For Northern Nevada Educators, Melissa Slayden, Jacque Ewing-Taylor, Kelly Cannon
2010 Annual Nevada NSF EPSCoR Climate Change Conference
Research poster
Research Poster: Climate Change Impacts To Groundwater, Springs Hydrology And Aquatic Communities Amargosa Desert And Death Valley National Park, Nevada And California, Terry Fisk, Greg Pohll, Don Sada, Mark Stone
Research Poster: Climate Change Impacts To Groundwater, Springs Hydrology And Aquatic Communities Amargosa Desert And Death Valley National Park, Nevada And California, Terry Fisk, Greg Pohll, Don Sada, Mark Stone
2010 Annual Nevada NSF EPSCoR Climate Change Conference
Research poster
Research Poster: Vegetation Change In The Newberry Mountains Of Southern Nevada, Ross Guida, William J. Smith Jr., Scott R. Abella
Research Poster: Vegetation Change In The Newberry Mountains Of Southern Nevada, Ross Guida, William J. Smith Jr., Scott R. Abella
2010 Annual Nevada NSF EPSCoR Climate Change Conference
Research poster
Research Poster: Tree Population Dynamics At Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge: Influences Of Environmental Stress And Disturbance, Sarah L. Karam, Peter J. Weisberg, Stephanie O. Sunderman
Research Poster: Tree Population Dynamics At Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge: Influences Of Environmental Stress And Disturbance, Sarah L. Karam, Peter J. Weisberg, Stephanie O. Sunderman
2010 Annual Nevada NSF EPSCoR Climate Change Conference
Research poster
Research Poster: Water Source Partitioning For Shrubland Transpiration Using Innovative Field Methods, Amanda Wagner, Dale A. Devitt, Michael Young, Matthew S. Lachniet, Jeremy Koonce, Brian M. Bird
Research Poster: Water Source Partitioning For Shrubland Transpiration Using Innovative Field Methods, Amanda Wagner, Dale A. Devitt, Michael Young, Matthew S. Lachniet, Jeremy Koonce, Brian M. Bird
2010 Annual Nevada NSF EPSCoR Climate Change Conference
Research poster
Research Poster: Biotic Responses To Climate Change In The Mojave Desert: Floristics, Patrick Leary, David Charlet
Research Poster: Biotic Responses To Climate Change In The Mojave Desert: Floristics, Patrick Leary, David Charlet
2010 Annual Nevada NSF EPSCoR Climate Change Conference
Research poster
Climate Change Education For Nevada, David M. Hassenzahl, Michael Collopy, John W. Farley, Paul Buck, Jacque Ewing-Taylor, Shama Perveen
Climate Change Education For Nevada, David M. Hassenzahl, Michael Collopy, John W. Farley, Paul Buck, Jacque Ewing-Taylor, Shama Perveen
2010 Annual Nevada NSF EPSCoR Climate Change Conference
42 PowerPoint slides Session 1: Education Convener: David Hassenzahl, UNLV Abstract: -Five Year Strategic Plan -Goal 6 - Create a scholarly environment to promote research skills and intellectual development for Nevada educators and students (K-12, undergraduate undergraduate, and graduate) -Primary Strategy - Develop educational infrastructure to train students at all levels and provide public outreach in climate change issues
Baseline Microbial Characterizations Of An Imperiled Aquatic Diversity Hotspot: Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Jessica Newburn, Jim Bruckner, Jenny C. Fisher, Duane P. Moser
Baseline Microbial Characterizations Of An Imperiled Aquatic Diversity Hotspot: Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Jessica Newburn, Jim Bruckner, Jenny C. Fisher, Duane P. Moser
Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)
Located in the discharge zone of the Death Valley Flow System, Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge is a spring-fed desert oasis and biodiversity hotspot about 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. These critical wetlands are potentially threatened by groundwater pumping, exotic species invasions, and climate change. Although a major component of the lower food web, very little is known about the microbial makeup of this ecosystem. As a first step towards understanding the microbial and biogeochemical aspects of this system, a detailed molecular-based characterization of microbial communities, baseline chemistry, and physical characteristics of various springs of Ash Meadows will be …
Point And Nonpoint Source Analysis Of Nutrients, Metals, And Pathogens In The Sediment And Water Column In Las Vegas Wash, Christine Simmons, Kumud Acharya
Point And Nonpoint Source Analysis Of Nutrients, Metals, And Pathogens In The Sediment And Water Column In Las Vegas Wash, Christine Simmons, Kumud Acharya
Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)
Formerly an ephemeral watercourse, Las Vegas Wash is now a perennial system due to urban runoff and wastewater treatment plant (WWP) effluent. Las Vegas Wash flows into Lake Mead, where the discharge point is only a few miles upstream of Las Vegas’ main water intake. This small water cycle establishes the necessity to evaluate water quality especially due to non point sources pollution, wherein my research lies. Several points along Las Vegas Wash upstream and downstream of WWP have been chosen to represent different landuse types such as commercial, residential, wastewater treatment plants, etc. At each location, parameters including arsenic, …
Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program, University Of Nevada Las Vegas, College Of Sciences
Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program, University Of Nevada Las Vegas, College Of Sciences
Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)
No abstract provided.