Forest Sciences Commons^™

The Long-Term Effects Of Prescribed Fire On Floral Abundance And Bumble Bee Abundance In Mixed-Oak Forests Of Southeastern Ohio, Moses Shafer

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Pollinators are declining due to climate change and habitat loss driven by agriculture and urbanization. In fire-adapted ecosystems, fire promotes the biodiversity of plants by creating space, reducing competition, and increasing light and nutrient availability. However, little is known regarding the effects of fire on floral abundance of plants used by Bombus. The overall goal of this project was to assess the long-term effects of fire on floral abundance and Bombus abundance. Our specific questions were: (1) How does fire frequency influence floral abundance?, (2) How does fire frequency influence floral abundance of species specifically utilized by bumble bees?, …

Seasonal Variation In Home-Range And Core-Area Size In Verreaux's Sifaka, Brynn Harshbarger

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Primates living in seasonal forests must adapt to extreme fluctuation in resource availability. Verreaux’s sifaka ( ) live in Madagascar’s highly seasonal tropical dry forests and experience periods of extreme resource abundance and scarcity. Home- range and core-area size were measured using 95% and 50% kernel estimation, and 95% minimum convex polygons to compare seasonal shifts in space use based on resource availability. There have been no long-term space use studies on Verreaux’s sifaka; therefore, we do not know how their space use changes over time in an environment which is both highly seasonal and highly variable. Our study leverages …

Assessing Grazing Impacts On A Tropical Dry Forest System In Madagascar Through Vegetation, Satellite Image, Lemur Occupancy, And Acoustic Analysis, Lyndsay Lee Rankin

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The ability to assess the quality or ecological value of a landscape is a useful tool in effective conservation and natural resource management. Ecosystem biodiversity and functionality are reduced when human activities cause habitat alteration and/or fragmentation. Compromised habitats are unlikely to support naturally occurring communities or healthy ecosystem functions. Conservation scientists have historically concentrated their efforts on large, intact habitats with little human disturbance; the conservation value of small and/or disturbed areas has been comparatively overlooked. One limitation may be a lack of tools to identify disturbed areas with conservation value. Techniques that allow researchers to assess the habitat …

Revisiting The Ecological Status Of The Cheat Mountain Salamander (Plethodon Nettingi) After 32 Years, Whitney A. Kroschel

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The Cheat Mountain Salamander (Plethodon nettingi) is endemic to the high elevations of the Allegheny Mountains in West Virginia and is listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a threatened species. In 1978-79 and in 2011 the vertical distribution of P. nettingi was measured at four sites to determine their range of occupancy in relation to elevation. During both time periods, a transect was established at each site that ran from high to low elevation. Along each transect, quadrats were placed at regular, 12.2 m elevation intervals. Quadrats were searched twice for presence/absence (i.e., occupancy) and abundance of …

Effect Of Snake Populations On Salamanders As A Result Of Forest Fragmentation, Casey Renee Bradshaw

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Forest fragmentation is one of the main causes for the loss of native biodiversity. One consequence is increased proportion of edge habitat that introduces new “edge” species, and makes habitat for interior forest-living species less-suitable. This study was conducted at three sites in Tucker County, West Virginia and included one downhill ski slope, one cross country ski slope, and one gravel road. The main objectives of this study were to determine relative abundance of snake communities, how far species move from edge habitat into the forest and to determine whether snakes are a predatory threat to salamanders, specifically the federally …

An Ecological Study Of The Cumberland Plateau Salamander, Plethodon Kentucki Mittleman, In West Virginia, Jeffrey E. Bailey

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

A study was conducted to determine various aspects of the ecology of Plethodon kentucki in West Virginia. Results of studies on range and distribution revealed that P. kentucki is limited to southwestern counties in West Virginia. A population of P. kentucki at Beech Fork State Park was extremely seasonal with regard to activity. Seasonal activity was not significantly correlated with air temperature, soil temperature, air relative humidity, or soil pH. Seasonal activity was significantly correlated with soil moisture. Critical Thermal Maxima and dehydration values were not significantly different between f· kentucki and its congener, P. glutinosus, thus each is equally …

A Post-Impoundment Investigation Of The Beech Fork Drainage Basin, Twelvepole Creek, Wayne And Cabell Counties, West Virginia, Donald Borda

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Fish populations were collected at six stations by means of electrofishing to determine the composition after impoundment. A total of 748 fishes weighing about 9 pounds (4 kg) were collected. Seven families representing 31 species were collected and categorized as game, forage and rough fishes. Game fishes made up 9.1 percent of the total number and 22.3 percent of the total weight; forage fishes 83.0 percent by number and 29.7 percent by weight. The average standing crop was 15 pounds per acre.

Benthic invertebrates were collected at six stations by means of a bottom dredge. A total of 1535 specimens …