Forest Sciences Commons^™

Socioecological Assessment Of Birds In Ngezi-Vumawimbi Nature Forest Reserve, Eli Taub

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Effective management of natural resources requires consideration of the environment through both a physical and a sociological lens. In this study, the birds in Ngezi-Vumawimbi Nature Forest Reserve were examined through both a biological mist-net survey and a socioecological series of interviews with people living in the surrounding villages. The mist-net survey compared the understory species in undisturbed and disturbed area of the forest, as well as analyzing birds caught for biologically meaningful information on subspecies and sexual dimorphism. While the mist-net survey was largely unsuccessful, highlighting the need for alternative bird capture methods in Ngezi, it found a decrease …

Variations In Salinity And Forest Structure Between Marginal And Cloistered Mangrove Forests In Boca Del Drago, Bocas Del Toro, Panama, Mary Elizabeth Hodge

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Mangroves are incredibly important ecosystems that have an outsized impact on their surroundings, providing crucial ecosystem services like carbon sequestration and coastal protection. At the same time, mangroves are some of the most threatened habitats due to their valuable position along tropical coastlines. Globally, mangrove forests are deforested and degraded by aquaculture, tourism developments, urbanization, and overharvesting. Due to high rates of mangrove loss, mangrove deforestation is now illegal in Panama, though this legislation is inconsistent and allows for exceptions, especially in tourism developments. This study aims to probe the impacts of localized coastal developments on a small mangrove forest …

Vertebrate Diversity In The La Amistad International Park Buffer Zone, Guadalupe, Chiriqui, Panamá, Mina Olson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Forest fragmentation and increasing agricultural land use are posing threats to the diversity of vertebrates in Panama and across the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor. Protected areas are crucial for providing connectivity and maintaining vertebrate populations. For endemic species with small native ranges, these protected areas are critical for their survival due to sensitivity of habitat change. Higher species diversity and occupancy has been reported for both birds and mammals in protected and forested areas. This pilot survey of vertebrate species was conducted to determine which species live in a primary forest within the buffer zone of La Amistad International Park near …

Vascular Epiphyte Population Dynamics Within Human-Modified Landscapes Of Guadalupe, Cerro Punta, Chiriquí, Panamá, Lucine Tashjian

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Epiphytes are plants that grow on other plants non-parasitically, and globally, epiphytes compose a very large and diverse group. They are especially abundant and species-rich in the tropics- particularly, in tropical montane forest ecosystems. Human population growth in the tropics, however, has resulted in significant declines in forest cover with land being converted largely for agricultural purposes. Studies on epiphytes have traditionally been undertaken in pristine, undisturbed forest ecosystems, yet terrestrial land conversion has increased the need to understand the value of human-modified ecosystems for epiphytic populations and biodiversity conservation. This study sought to understand the relationship between human modification …

Ecological Studies Of Wolves On Isle Royale, Sarah Hoy, Rolf O. Peterson, John Vucetich

Ecological Studies of Wolves on Isle Royale

Annual Report 2023-2024

Influences Of Sex, Morph, And Weather On Roosting Distributions In Overwintering White-Throated Sparrows (_Zonotrichia Albicollis_), Rebecca Stephens

Honors Theses

Habitat choice influences survival by affecting access to resources, shelter from predators, mating opportunities, and numerous other costs and benefits. As such, habitat conservation is crucial, especially for migratory songbirds which are declining primarily due to habitat destruction. White-throated Sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis) are a well-studied migratory songbird, but little is known about their roosting behaviors or how those behaviors are affected by sex, color morph, or weather. To determine this, we tracked White-throated Sparrows to their roosts, determined core home ranges, and analyzed the average distances of roost sites to the home range centroids according to these factors. …

An Ecological Analysis Of The Elevational Gradient Effect On Mushroom Community Diversity Near Andasibe, Madagascar, Zoe Garver

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The effect of elevational gradients on biodiversity has been widely studied in the field of ecology (Rahbek, 1995). The evidence supports a trend for highest biodiversity at mid latitudes and decreasing biodiversity as elevation increases (Rahbek, 1997; Grytnes, 2003; Hariharan and Buckley, 2022). This effect has primarily been explained by variation of temperatures and resource availability at different elevations. However, the effect that elevation plays on fungal communities is relatively underrepresented in the literature (Dahlberg, 2001). This study analyzes changes in mushroom diversity across an elevational gradient in Mitsinjo Reserve and Analamazaotra National Park found in Madagascar. Using the Braun-Blanquet …

Eurasian Aspen (Populus Tremula L.): Central Europe's Keystone Species 'Hiding In Plain Sight', Antonín Kusbach, Jan Šebesta, Robert Hruban, Pavel Peška, Paul C. Rogers

Aspen Bibliography

Knowledge of Eurasian aspen’s (Populus tremula L.) ecological and growth characteristics is of high importance to plant and wildlife community ecology, and noncommercial forest ecosystem services. This research assessed these characteristics, identified aspen’s habitat optimum, and examined causality of its current scarce distribution in central Europe. We analyzed a robust database of field measurements (4,656,130 stands) for forest management planning over 78,000 km² of the Czech territory. Our analysis we used GIS techniques, with basic and multivariate statistics such as general linear models, ordination, and classification. Results describe a species of broad ecological amplitude that has heretofore attracted …

Envisioning Transition From Open Landscapes To Forested Landscapes In The Routt National Forest, Colorado, United States, Brice B. Hanberry, Jacob M. Seidel

Aspen Bibliography

Globally, in remaining wildlands, tree densities and forested cover have increased in grasslands and open forests since European settlement. In the southern Rocky Mountains of Colorado, United States, we determined tree composition and tree cover from historical (years 1875 to 1896) surveys and compared them to current (2002 to 2011) tree composition and current (year 2016) forested land cover for 500,000 ha of the Routt National Forest. Additionally, we examined whether changes in precipitation occurred. Regarding composition, pine (primarily lodgepole pine; Pinus contorta) decreased from 65% to 32% of all trees, with increased subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa) …

Sense Of Place In Natural Resource Recreation And Tourism: An Evaluation And Assessment Of Research Findings.

The International Journal of Ecopsychology (IJE)

No abstract provided.

Can The Impact Of Gravel Roads On Organic Layer Thickness Explain The Distribution Of Populus Tremuloides Along Road Networks In The Boreal Forest Of Eastern Canada?, Mathilde Marchais, Dominique Arseneault, Yves Bergeron

Aspen Bibliography

Roads are known to alter environmental conditions and the composition of road edge plant communities, particularly when exogenous materials are used as road surfacing. In this study, we evaluate the impact of gravel roads on the organic layer thickness (OLT) and aspen distribution in a boreal forest landscape of Eastern Canada. The OLT and aspen distribution were compared at different distances from the roads (0 m, 10 m, and >10 m) to determine whether a reduction in the OLT along the roads could explain the distribution of aspen along the road network, and in particular the role of the roads …

Oystershell Scale (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) Population Growth, Spread, And Phenology On Aspen In Arizona, Usa, Connor D. Crouch, Richard W. Hofstetter, Amanda M. Grady, Nylah N.S. Edwards, Kristen M. Waring

Aspen Bibliography

Oystershell scale (OSS; Lepidosaphes ulmi L.) is an invasive insect that threatens sustainability of aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) in the southwestern United States. OSS invasions have created challenges for land managers tasked with maintaining healthy aspen ecosystems for the ecological, economic, and aesthetic benefits they provide. Active management is required to suppress OSS populations and mitigate damage to aspen ecosystems, but before management strategies can be implemented, critical knowledge gaps about OSS biology and ecology must be filled. This study sought to fill these gaps by addressing 3 questions: (i) What is the short-term rate of aspen mortality in …

Pile Burning After Conifer Removal From Aspen Stands Affects Tree Mortality, Regeneration, And Understory Recovery, John-Pascal Berrill, Christa M. Dagley, Yoon G. Kim, J. Morgan Varner

Aspen Bibliography

Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) stands throughout the western United States provide valuable ecosystem services but can be lost via succession from aspen to conifer. Forest managers are cutting conifers, but disposal of cut wood can be challenging in remote or sensitive areas. Piling and burning is being tested within aspen stands but ecosystem responses to this treatment are understudied. We assessed aspen tree mortality, tree regeneration, and understory vegetation after forest restoration thinning followed by pile burning in seven aspen-conifer stands around Lake Tahoe, California and Nevada, USA. Pile burning was conducted after cut wood had dried (1.5–7.5 …

Animal Conservation In St. Louis, Kate O'Sullivan

Undergraduate Research Symposium

St. Louis has a multitude of organizations involved in the natural sciences. But how many of them actually contribute towards animal conservation? The St. Louis Zoo is an organization that focuses a lot of its effort on presentation, so how does that impact the funds that go towards actually saving the animals? I plan to dive into the different animal-based organizations in St. Louis and its surrounding areas, as well as discuss the positives and negatives of each organization. Furthermore, I will provide examples from several sources that I have been reviewing all year to support my claims. I plan …

Aspen Recovery In Northern Yellowstone: A Comment On Brice Et Al. (2021), Luke E. Painter, Robert L. Beschta, William J. Ripple

Aspen Bibliography

Aspen sapling recruitment increased as browsing by elk decreased, following the 1995–96 reintroduction of wolves in Yellowstone National Park. We address claims by Brice et al. (2021) that previous studies exaggerated recent aspen recovery. We conclude that their results actually supported previous work showing a trophic cascade benefiting aspen.

Aspen And Spruce Densities Affect Tree Size, Future Stand Volume, And Aboveground Carbon Following Precommercial Thinning, Philip G. Comeau, Mike Bokalo

Aspen Bibliography

Data collected over a 30-year period from an experiment replicated across 21 locations in western Canada are used to explore the effects of precommercial thinning of trembling aspen to a range of densities in combination with three initial white spruce densities on tree growth and stand dynamics. Increasing differentiation amongst the 15 treatments was observed with age after thinning for both spruce and aspen responses. Spruce height and diameter declined with increasing aspen density. At age 10 spruce diameter with no aspen was 1.5× that of spruce in unthinned while it was 2.6× that of spruce in unthinned at age …

Tracing The Maternal Line In Glacial-Interglacial Migrations Of Populus Tremuloides: Finding Trees For Future Sustainable Forests By Searching In The Past, Luke R. Tembrock, Frida A. Zink, Guozhe Zhang, Andrea Schuhmann, Cuihua Gu, Zhiqiang Wu

Aspen Bibliography

Maintaining and planting sustainable forests is fundamental in perpetuating the essential functions of these ecosystems. A central aspect of managing forests for future resilience is the consideration of past migration and evolution of trees using genetic and genomic data to ensure that functionally appropriate diversity is conserved and utilized. In our study, we generated and compared genetic and genomic data from the plastome to better understand phylogeography and molecular evolution in the tree species Populus tremuloides (aspen). With these analyses, we found evidence of divergence and migration between northern and southern sites. Additionally, evidence of deep incomplete plastome sorting across …

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?, …

Ms Environmental Biology Capstone Project, Reilly Miller

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Habitat loss due to deforestation is a primary threat to global biodiversity. Clearing tropical rainforests for agriculture leads to forest fragmentation. Forest fragments contain fewer large trees and provide lower food availability for primates compared to continuous forests. Mantled howler monkeys inhabit the increasingly fragmented rainforests of Central and South America and may need to alter their activity and spatial cohesion to mitigate competition and preserve energy in fragments where there is lower quality food. We compared howler monkey activity and spatial cohesion across a small forest fragment (La Suerte Biological Research Station, LSBRS) and a large, continuous forest (La …

Environmental Biology Masters Capstone, Antonio Gonzalez-Pita

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Human wildlife interactions (HWI) pose a complex challenge for wildlife managers. Human encroachment into wildlife habitat and the growing number of outdoor recreationists are increasing the frequency of contact and conflict, especially in regions such as the Front Range of Colorado. Geographic information systems (GIS), which use a combination of remote sensing and environmental survey data, allow for predictive spatial analyses of where human wildlife interactions are likely to occur. I used publicly reported observations of moose to create spatial predictive maps in a species distribution model framework. Slope and elevation were shown to be the strongest predictors of HWI, …

Effects Of Climate Change On Seed Germination May Contribute To Habitat Homogenization In Freshwater Forested Wetlands, Kori Carr, Xavier Ozowara, Taylor M. Sloey

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Climate changes in temperate regions are expected to result in warmer, shorter winters in temperate latitudes. These changes may have consequences for germination of plant species that require a period of physiological dormancy. The effect of cold duration on seed germination has been investigated in a number of plant taxa, but has not been well studied in wetland and bottomland forest tree species, an ecosystem that is threatened by habitat homogenization. Our work sought to test the role of changing winter temperatures on seed germination in specialist (Nyssa aquatica and Taxodium distichum) and generalist (Acer rubrum and Liquidambar styraciflua) tree …

Aspen Forest Condition Assessment And Restoration Guidance, Paul C. Rogers

Aspen Bibliography

This preliminary report is the first installment of an ongoing aspen assessment at Bryce Canyon National Park (BCNP). Over a 1.5-year period beginning in 2021, I assembled available BCNP and conducted a preliminary field survey to gain a better understanding of the quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) resource within the Park. Findings suggest a long history of vegetation mapping with mixed results in terms of highlighting aspen presence a notable species of overall low coverage as well as aspen importance, at BCNP. In brief, though this species has limited presence, it is of high biodiversity conservation value. According to …

Data From: Phylogenomic Species Delimitation Of Studfishes (Fundulidae: Fundulus): Evidence For Cryptic Species In Agreement With The Central Highlands Vicariance Hypothesis, Kayla M. Fast, Peter J. Hundt, Zachariah D. Alley, Michael W. Sandel

CFR Publications

The Central Highlands ecoregion of the eastern United States represents a hotspot of freshwater biodiversity, with replicated patterns of vicariant speciation east and west of the Mississippi River. Previous phylogeographic investigation of the studfishes (Fundulus subgenus Fundulus) revealed evidence for vicariant speciation in the Central Highlands, but data were limited to a small number of gene sequences generated with Sanger sequencing. We used double digest restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (ddRADseq) to improve resolution of phylogeographic patterns and better characterize population genetic variation. Our sample design included individuals from the Fundulus catenatus species group (F. catenatus, F. bifax, …

Dynamic Patterns Of Resource Selection In Northern Bobwhite Across The Annual Cycle In A Region With Poor Edaphic Conditions, Autumn S. Randall

Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources

Developing successful management strategies requires an understanding of how an organism's resource needs change over the course of its life cycle. For almost a century, northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) populations have been declining range-wide, mostly as a result of habitat loss and degradation. Resource selection studies conducted at coarse-temporal resolutions and in areas with fertile soils form the majority of current management recommendations for bobwhites. In this thesis, we quantified resource selection patterns for 1,302 bobwhites in a region with poor soil conditions with respect to several common management practices (fire, fallow fields, supplemental feeding, and brush management …

Biology And Ecology Of Neonectria Magnoliae And Neonectria Punicea, Two Understudied Neonectria Species In West Virginia, Hannah Marie Petronek

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The family Nectriaceae includes numerous phytopathogenic fungi that cause canker diseases on both angiosperm and conifer hosts worldwide. Numerous Neonectria spp. cause cankers on hardwoods and conifers in North America, but their roles in contributing to tree decline and mortality outside of beech bark disease are largely understudied. One such pathogen, Neonectria magnoliae, causes perennial cankers on two native hosts in central Appalachia: Fraser magnolia (Magnolia fraseri) and tulip-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera). We also recently confirmed N. magnoliae from non-native star magnolia (Magnolia stellata) in West Virginia. Both native hosts occur in the central …

Automatic Detection Of Birds In Images Acquired With Remotely Piloted Aircraft For Managing Wildlife Strikes To Civil Aircraft, Maurycio Rodrigues Oviedo, Flavio A. C. Mendonca Ph.D., Jose Cabrera, Cole A. Mcnall, Raymond Ayres, Ricardo Luís Barbosa, Rodrigo Gallis

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Wildlife strikes represent a significant threat to aviation safety and economics, as evidenced by notable incidents such as the emergency landing of US Airways Flight 1549 in 2009. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) acknowledges this growing concern, as evidenced by its report on Wildlife Strikes to Civil Aircraft in the United States from 1990 to 2019.To address the need for improved risk management, airports conduct Wildlife Hazard Assessments (WHA), a laborious process typically relying on visual identification by Qualified Airport Wildlife Biologists (QAWB). However, technological advancements, such as Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) and machine learning (ML), offer promising solutions to …

Leaf To Canopy Functional Resilience: Plant Physiological And Carbon Cycling Stability Following Disturbances, Lisa T. Haber

Theses and Dissertations

Ecological disturbances impact core ecosystem functions, including production and biogeochemical cycling, by precipitating changes in biodiversity, physical environmental variables, vegetation structure, and functional trait distributions. As disturbance patterns intensify and abruptly transition to novel regimes under global change, future trajectories of ecosystem functions, including carbon (C) uptake and storage, are uncertain. A more complete understanding of the mechanisms underpinning ecosystem stability (or ability to return to baseline functioning) following disturbance is needed to forecast future C cycling.

Replicated ecosystem-scale disturbance experiments, particularly when coupled with modeling, are required to rigorously test hypothesized trajectories of ecosystem structural and functional change following …

Quantifying The Ecological Effects Of Salix Fragilis On Riparian Habitat In Kittitas County, Washington, Landon Shaffer

All Master's Theses

Invasive species threaten plant community structure and function globally. Riparian areas, the zone near streams where water influences vegetation, are especially sensitive to invasive species colonization, suffering large-scale shifts in community composition. Salix fragilis (crack willow) is a nonnative riparian species abundant in the lower elevation tributaries of central Washington. Some speculate whether this willow should be listed as invasive in Washington, despite a lack of regional supporting evidence. I studied riparian communities dominated by either S. fragilis or native species in the Kittitas Valley and measured biodiversity, quantified differences in solar attenuation, and compared leaf decomposition rates to learn …

Pcb Remediation In Transitional Floodplain Forests Along The Housatonic River, Soleil Laurin

Scripps Senior Theses

Human development affects natural environments in more ways than climate change, from the introduction of nonnative species and deforestation to pollution and urbanization. This is a case study examining the effects of PCB remediation on transitional floodplain forest along the Housatonic River in Western Massachusetts. The Housatonic River had previously been contaminated with PCBs and portions had been remediated. This study aims to determine the effects this remediation had on transitional floodplain forests, as well as provide a preliminary biodiversity assessment for sites that are planned to be remediated of PCBs by the Environmental Protection Agency. The study was carried …

Movement Behavior And Metapopulation Connectivity Of Stream Salamanders In Response To Disturbance Events, Kathryn M. Greene

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

Metapopulations are shaped by the dispersal between populations in a landscape. Disturbance events can disrupt this connectivity resulting in local population extinction. For my dissertation, I used a combination of empirical and theoretical techniques to examine dispersal in response to disturbance and assessed it’s population-level consequences. My research used capture-mark-recapture sampling techniques to evaluate stream salamander movement in response to (1) a supraseasonal drought and (2) mountaintop-removal-mining (MTR) and valley-filling (VF) and (3) agent-based simulation modeling to evaluate population extinction risk in response to varying dispersal and mortality rates.

First, I evaluated the effects of a supraseasonal drought, a severe …