Plant Biology Commons^™

Simulated Impacts Of Winter Rye Cover Crop On Continuous Corn Yield And Soil Parameters, Girma Birr, Andualem S. Shiferaw, Tsegaye Tadesse, Marty R. Schmer, Virginia L. Jin, Brian D. Wardlow, Katja Koehler-Cole, Tala Awada, Sarah Beebout, Teferi Tsegaye, Tulsi Kahrel

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Cover crops (CC) provide numerous ecosystem services such as improving soil health, reducing nutrient loss, increasing productivity, and mitigating greenhouse gas emission. However, adoption of CC has been hindered by perceived negative impacts on main crop productivity and additional production costs. This is partly attributed to the gap in current state of knowledge in CC and its interaction with main crop production under different biophysical conditions. In this study, Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer model was used to evaluate the long-term impact of cereal rye (Secale cereale L.) on corn (Zea mays L.) yield, soil organic carbon …

On Correlation Between Canopy Vegetation And Growth Indexes Of Maize Varieties With Different Nitrogen Efficiencies, Xia Zhao, Shuaili Wang, Tao Wen, Jiamin Xu, Bao Huang, Shufeng Yan, Gangqiang Gao, Yali Zhao, Hongping Li, Jiangfang Qiao, Jinliang Yang, Lianhai Wu, Hongwei Wang, Tianxue Liu, Xinyuan Mu

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Studying the canopy spectral reflection characteristics of different N-efficient maize varieties and analyzing the relationship between their growth indicators and spectral vegetation indices can help the breeding and application of N-efficient maize varieties. To achieve the optimal management of N fertilizer resources, developing N-efficient maize varieties is necessary. In this research, maize varieties, i.e., the low-N-efficient (Zhengdan 958, ZD958), the high-N efficient (Xianyu 335, XY335), the double-high varieties (Qiule 368, QL368), and the double inefficient-type varieties (Yudan 606 YD606), were used as materials. Results indicate that nitrogen fertilization significantly increased the vegetation indices NDVI, GNDVI, GOSAVI, and RVI of maize …

Foliar Application Of Acetic Acid And Effectiveness Against Drought At Different Time Points In Soybean (Glycine Max) Development, Miranda Rudolph, Megan Taylor Phd.

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Drought is arguably the most serious environmental factor affecting crop production today. A plant's response to drought stress is extremely complex, affecting numerous metabolic pathways that are all interconnected in their responses. Due to this complex nature, scientists do not fully understand the implications of different treatments and how they affect these processes. Acetic acid has been shown to improve plant growth and resistance to drought stress, but exactly how it accomplishes this is also unknown. Soybeans (Glycine max) are one of the most important crops worldwide and can suffer significant yield loss due to drought stress. As climate change …

Editorial: Genetic Validation And Its Role In Crop Improvement, Ahmed Sallam, Ahmad M. Alqudah, P. Stephen Baenziger, Awais Rasheed

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Gene discovery for economically important traits has remained a challenging Frontier in crop genomics and breeding. The recent advances in DNA sequencing technologies and genetic analysis approaches paved the way for discovering many genes and hotspot genomic regions controlling target traits. The detection of novel genomic regions or candidate genes is very useful for plant breeders and geneticists to improve crops, dissect the genetics of complex traits, and understand the biological mechanisms of genes underpinning traits of interest. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping and genome-wide association studies (GWAS) dominated recent crop gene discovery research. These studies are becoming routine activities …

The Intertwining Of Zn-Finger Motifs And Abiotic Stress Tolerance In Plants: Current Status And Future Prospects, Debojyoti Moulick, Karma Landup Bhutia, Sukamal Sarkar, Anirban Roy, Udit Nandan Mishra, Biswajit Pramanick, Sagar Maitra, Tanmoy Shankar, Swati Hazra, Milan Skalicky, Marian Brestic, Viliam Barek, Akbar Hossain

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Environmental stresses such as drought, high salinity, and low temperature can adversely modulate the field crop’s ability by altering the morphological, physiological, and biochemical processes of the plants. It is estimated that about 50% + of the productivity of several crops is limited due to various types of abiotic stresses either presence alone or in combination (s). However, there are two ways plants can survive against these abiotic stresses; a) through management practices and b) through adaptive mechanisms to tolerate plants. These adaptive mechanisms of tolerant plants are mostly linked to their signalling transduction pathway, triggering the action of plant …

Phosphate2 And Pin-Likes7 Affect Symbiotic Nodule Phenotypes In Soybean, Bhawandeep Kaur

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Legumes and soil rhizobia share a symbiotic relationship, wherein rhizobia fix atmospheric dinitrogen in exchange for photosynthates from the host plant. This exchange of mutual benefits occurs in a specialized root structure called ‘nodule’. Soybean (Glycine max) nodules arise from root outer cortical cells. De novo cell differentiation of cortical cells during nodule development leads to the formation of two distinct nodule zones in the mature nodule: the central infection zone where nitrogen fixation occurs and the peripheral parenchyma zone that houses vascular bundles. Plant signaling mechanisms that dictate the development of these nodule zones are not known. To address …

Changes And Relationships Of Soil Aluminum, Organic Matter, And Hydrogen Ion Concentration With Rye Cover Crop, Arron Wilder

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Soil acidity is a common agricultural problem worldwide, as approximately 50% of all potentially arable soils are affected by pH limitations. At soil pH 3+) is considered to be the chemical form of aluminum in acid soil that hinders plant growth the most. Potentially, soil organic matter (SOM) can ameliorate the toxic effects of Al³⁺ on plants and microbes by binding with Al³⁺, thus preventing Al³⁺ (and other species of aluminum) from interacting in the rhizosphere. Increasing SOM also increases soil health indicators (i.e., microbial activity, soil water holding capacity, aggregate stability, porosity, etc.) while the …

Morphological And Genetic Analysis Of The Root System In Two American Grapevines (Vitis Species), Parinaz Mohtasebi

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The North American grapes species Vitis rupestris Scheele and Vitis riparia Michx have been the pillars of rootstock breeding for many decades. Though a large body of viticultural knowledge has been accumulated on their impact on grafted scions, the genetic basis of their root system architecture (RSA) has received limited scientific attention. In this study, I generated and analyzed adventitious root systems from dormant cuttings of 22 V. riparia and 19 V. rupestris accessions, as well as 162 interspecific F1 hybrid progeny from a cross between V. rupestris (♀) and V. riparia (♂). I photographed the roots and then extracted …

Correction To: Genetic Characterization And Expression Analysis Of Wheat (Triticum Aestivum) Line 07or1074 Exhibiting Very Low Polyphenol Oxidase (Ppo) Activity, S. M. Hystad, J. M. Martin, R. A. Graybosch, M. J. Giroux

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The above mentioned article was published in 2015 with an error in the naming of one of the allele sequences for the PPO gene on the D genome. The PPO-D1f allele was incorrectly named as it is identical to the PPO-D1c allele previously published in GenBank by the authors on March 11th, 2014. An alignment between the previously published PPOD1c allele and a resequencing of the parental line 07OR1074 shows that the PPO-D1f allele is identical to the PPO-D1c allele. The allele in the paper referred to as PPO-D1f should be treated as PPO-D1c and can be accessed at NCBI …

Estimating The Genetic Parameters Of Yield-Related 1 Traits Under Different Nitrogen Conditions In Maize, Semra Palali Delen, Gen Xu, Jenifer Velazquez-Perfecto, Jinliang Yang

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Understanding the genetic basis responding to nitrogen (N) fertilization in crop production is a long-standing research topic in plant breeding and genetics. Albeit years of continuous efforts, the genetic architecture parameters, such as heritability, polygenicity, and mode of selection, underlying the N responses in maize remain largely unclear. In this study, about n = 230 maize inbred lines were phenotyped under high N (HN) and low N (LN) conditions for two consecutive years to obtain six yield-related traits. Heritability analyses suggested that traits highly responsive to N treatments were less heritable. Using publicly available SNP genotypes, the genome-wide association study …

Zonal Application Of Plant Growth Regulator In Cotton To Reduce Variability And Increase Yield In A Highly Variable Field, Carlos M.P. Vaz, Júlio C. Franchini, Eduardo A. Speranza, Ricardo Y. Inamasu, Lúcio A. De C. Jorge, Ladislau M. Rabello, Ivani De O.N. Lopes, Sérgio Das Chagas, Jefferson L.R. De Souza, Márcio De Souza, Amandio Pires, James Schepers

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Variable-rate application has great potential to reduce variability and increase yield by spatially optimizing agricultural inputs. In cotton, plant growth regulators (PGRs) control excessive growth and provide suitable plant height for harvest operations. This study evaluates the effect of variable-rate PGR application compared to constant-rate application to reduce yield spatial variability and increase yield. The variable-rate approach was carried out in 2020 based on zonal applications defined by clustering analysis using soil electrical conductivity, vegetation indexes, and yield maps. Application doses and timings were determined by integrating plant height measurements for the whole field in 2019 and by zone in …

Interaction Of Quizalofop-P-Ethyl With 2,4-D Choline And/Or Glufosinate For Control Of Volunteer Corn In Corn Resistant To Aryloxyphenoxypropionates, Mandeep Singh, Vipan Kumar, Stevan Z. Knezevic, Suat Irmak, John L. Lindquist, Santosh Pitla, Amit J. Jhala

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Corn resistant to aryloxyphenoxypropionates (FOPs) (Enlist™ corn) enables the use of quizalofop-p-ethyl (QPE) as a selective postemergence (POST) herbicide for control of glufosinate/glyphosate-resistant corn volunteers. Growers usually mix QPE with 2,4-D choline and/or glufosinate to achieve broad-spectrum weed control in Enlist™ corn. The objectives of this study were to (1) evaluate the efficacy of QPE applied alone or mixed with 2,4-D choline and/or glufosinate for control of glufosinate/glyphosate-resistant corn volunteers in Enlist™ corn and (2) determine the impact of application time (V3 or V6 growth stage of volunteer corn) of QPE-based treatments on volunteer corn control as well as Enlist™ …

The Biggest Grower: A Youth Gardening Competition For Growing Specialty Crops And Urban Farmers, Stacy A. Adams, Terri James

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Youth today have tendencies for unhealthy lifestyles, being sedentary, consuming high fat diets low in fruits and vegetables, all contributing to child obesity, Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and precedence for life-long health concerns. For rural and economically disadvantaged urban households, poor diet is directly attributed to the inaccessibility of fresh produce, affordability and understanding of preparation of various specialty crops. Through a grant from the NE Specialty Crop Block Funding Program, The Biggest Grower Competition (BGC) was developed as a summer extension education program for youth in 8^th through 12^th grade. Project goals included; provide educational materials on …

Natural Transmission Of Grapevine Vein Clearing Virus, Matthew Manu

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

More than 60 million tons of grapes are produced annually in the world, making them one of the most widely grown fruit crops. Despite grapes’ economic and health benefits, biotic stressors, such as viruses, cause significant loss to the grape and wine industry. One such virus is grapevine vein clearing virus (GVCV) which seriously threatens grape cultivation in the Midwest region of the United States. This virus has caused the removal of seven commercial vineyards since its discovery in 2004. About 34% of Ampelopsis cordata wild vines are infected with GVCV and serve as a primary inoculum for the spread …

Transformation And Gene Editing In The Bioenergy Grass Miscanthus, Anthony Trieu, Mohammad B. Belaff, Pradeepa Hirannaiah, Shilpa Manjunatha, Rebekah Wood, Yokshitha Bathula, Rebecca L. Billingsley, Anjali Arpan, Erik J. Sacks, Thomas E. Clemente, Stephen P. Moose, Nancy A. Reichert, Kankshita Swaminathan

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Background: Miscanthus, a C4 member of Poaceae, is a promising perennial crop for bioenergy, renewable bioproducts, and carbon sequestration. Species of interest include nothospecies M. x giganteus and its parental species M. sacchariforus and M. sinensis. Use of biotechnology-based procedures to genetically improve Miscanthus, to date, have only included plant transformation procedures for introduction of exogenous genes into the host genome at random, non-targeted sites.

Results: We developed gene editing procedures for Miscanthus using CRISPR/Cas9 that enabled the mutation of a specific (targeted) endogenous gene to knock out its function. Classified as paleo-allopolyploids (duplicated ancient …

Yield Prediction Through Integration Of Genetic, Environment, And Management Data Through Deep Learning, Daniel R. Kick, Jason G. Wallace, James C. Schnable, Judith M. Kolkman, Barış Alaca, Timothy M. Beissinger, Jode Edwards, David Ertl, Sherry Flint-Garcia, Joseph L. Gage, Candice N. Hirsch, Joseph E. Knoll, Natalia De Leon, Dayane C. Lima, Danilo E. Moreta, Maninder P. Singh, Addie Thompson, Teclemariam Weldekidan, Jacob D. Washburn

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Accurate prediction of the phenotypic outcomes produced by different combinations of genotypes, environments, and management interventions remains a key goal in biology with direct applications to agriculture, research, and conservation. The past decades have seen an expansion of new methods applied toward this goal. Here we predict maize yield using deep neural networks, compare the efficacy of 2 model development methods, and contextualize model performance using conventional linear and machine learning models. We examine the usefulness of incorporating interactions between disparate data types. We find deep learning and best linear unbiased predictor (BLUP) models with interactions had the best overall …

Genetic Variation In Common Bunt Resistance In Synthetic Hexaploid Wheat, Amira M. I. Mourad, Alexey Morgounov, P. Stephen Baenziger, Samar M. Esmail

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Common bunt (caused by Tilletia caries and T. Foetida) is a major wheat disease. It occurs frequently in the USA and Turkey and damages grain yield and quality. Seed treatment with fungicides is an effective method to control this disease. However, using fungicides in organic and low-income fields is forbidden, and planting resistant cultivars are preferred. Due to the highly effective use of fungicides, little effort has been put into breeding resistant genotypes. In addition, the genetic diversity for this trait is low in modern wheat germplasm. Synthetic wheat genotypes were reported as an effective source to increase the …

Inheritance Of 2,4‑Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid (2,4‑D) Resistance In Amaranthus Palmeri, Chandrima Shyam, Dallas E. Peterson, Amit J. Jhala, Mithila Jugulam

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

In this study, the inheritance of 2,4-D resistance in a multiple herbicide-resistant Palmer amaranth (KCTR) was investigated. Direct and reciprocal crosses were performed using 2,4-D-resistant KCTR and susceptible KSS plants to generate F₁ progenies. 2,4-D dose–response assays were conducted to evaluate the response of progenies from each F₁ family along with KCTR and KSS plants in controlled environmental growth chambers. Additionally, 2,4-D-resistant male and female plants from each of the F₁ families were used in pairwise crosses to generate pseudo-F₂ families. Segregation (resistance or susceptibility) of progenies from the F₂ families in response to a …

A Stealth Health Approach To Dietary Fibre, P. Stephen Baenziger, Katherine Anna Frels, Steve Greenspan, Julie Jones, Alison Lovegrove, Devin J. Rose, Peter Shewry, Rod Wallace

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Average dietary fibre intakes have increased little in the past twenty years in many countries, including the USA¹ . Multi-million-dollar campaigns promoting fruits, vegetables, whole grains and other foods high in fibre have delivered only small changes in diets² , and consumers have not changed from traditional staples to whole-grain options³ . UK millers report that consumption of whole-wheat bread has actually declined over the past decade (P. Shewry, personal communication). In the US, white flour, which is lower in fibre than whole-wheat flour, accounts for nearly 40% of the fibre intake⁴ . We believe that …

Genetic Variations Of Narcissus Tazetta And Selected Narcissus Cultivars Based On The Sequence Analysis Of Nrits And TrnL‑Is‑TrnF Regions, Seo Young Park, Mi Jin Jeon, Young Hee Joung, Keenan L. Amundsen, Gianluca Burchi, Angelo Porcelli, Mark S. Roh

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Narcissus tazetta var. chinensis (N. taz. var. chi.) accessions collected from the coastal areas of China, Korea, and Japan were compared with accessions of lower ranks of Narcissus tazetta (N. taz.) from Italy to study the genetic variations and with several morphologically similar cultivars available in the trade. Sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrITS) dendrogram and the chloroplast trnL-IS-trnF intergeneric spacer-gene (cpIS) were analyzed by maximum likelihood (ML) and posterior probability using STRUCTURE program. All single fower form of N. taz. var. chi. collected from China, Korea, and …

Poisson Hurdle Model-Based Method For Clustering Microbiome Features, Zhili Qiao, Elle Barnes, Susannah Tringe, Daniel P. Schachtman, Peng Liu

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Motivation: High-throughput sequencing technologies have greatly facilitated microbiome research and have generated a large volume of microbiome data with the potential to answer key questions regarding microbiome assembly, structure and function. Cluster analysis aims to group features that behave similarly across treatments, and such grouping helps to highlight the functional relationships among features and may provide biological insights into microbiome networks. However, clustering microbiome data are challenging due to the sparsity and high dimensionality.

Results: We propose a model-based clustering method based on Poisson hurdle models for sparse microbiome count data. We describe an expectation–maximization algorithm and a …

Addressing Challenges Of Dryland Production Of Sunflowers And Corn In The Semi-Arid High Plains Of Nebraska, Zhan Orazov

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Corn and sunflower are value crops for America. Cultivation of corn and sunflower often vary depending on growing environment. Selecting appropriate planting dates, hybrids and plant density frequently concerns farmers. This concern is understandable because the decision made directly impacts final income. The objectives were to evaluate interaction of corn and sunflower planting dates and hybrid maturity and evaluate interaction of corn flex hybrids and plant density under conditions of western Nebraska. Nine corn hybrids with relative maturity ranging from 86 to 105 days were sown between early May and late June in first and between late April and early …

Nitrification Inhibitor, Nitrogen Source, And Herbicide Effects On Soil Nitrogen Transformations And Corn Yield, William Neels

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Nitrogen fertilizer management continue to be challenging due to potential nitrogen losses under variable weather conditions. The objective of this was to evaluate the performance of nitrification inhibitors, nitrogen sources and herbicides on in-season nitrogen availability and agronomy indicators. A two site-year field experiment was conducted in silty clay loam soil in corn phase of the corn-soybean rotation at Central Nebraska. The treatments included three herbicide (no pre-emergence, Acuron, Resicore) and five nitrogen treatments: 1) control, 2) anhydrous ammonia, 3) anhydrous ammonia without nitrification inhibitor, 4) urea with nitrification inhibitors, and 5) urea without nitrification inhibitors. Results indicated that nitrogen …

Deciphering The Genetic Architecture Of Key Female Floral Traits For Hybrid Wheat Seed Production, Juan David Jimenez

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a staple cereal that provides 20% of the calories and proteins in human intake (Ray et al., 2013). Global population is projected to increase to 9.7 billion by 2050. Food production must increase by 70% to feed this future population. Wheat production is in crisis due to political and environmental challenges and is projected to decline by 0.8% in 2022 (FAO, 2022). To ensure food security yield genetic gain must increase by around 1.4% annually. Taking advantage of heterosis, hybrid wheat has the potential to boost grain yield. However, hybrid wheat seed production systems …

A Glass Bead Semi-Hydroponic System For Intact Maize Root Exudate Analysis And Phenotyping, Martha G. Lopez-Guerrero, Peng Wang, Felicia Phares, Daniel P. Schachtman, Sophie Alvarez, Karin V. Van Dijk

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Background: Although there have been numerous studies describing plant growth systems for root exudate collection, a common limitation is that these systems require disruption of the plant root system to facilitate exudate collection. Here, we present a newly designed semi-hydroponic system that uses glass beads as solid support to simulate soil impedance, which combined with drip irrigation, facilitates growth of healthy maize plants, collection and analysis of root exudates, and phenotyping of the roots with minimal growth disturbance or root damage. Results: This system was used to collect root exudates from seven maize genotypes using water or 1 mM CaCl2, …

Comparative Genome Analysis Of Plant Ascomycete Fungal Pathogens With Different Lifestyles Reveals Distinctive Virulence Strategies, Yansu Wang, Jie Wu, Jiacheng Yan, Ming Guo, Lei Xu, Liping Hou, Quan Zou

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Background: Pathogens have evolved diverse lifestyles and adopted pivotal new roles in both natural ecosystems and human environments. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying their adaptation to new lifestyles are obscure. Comparative genomics was adopted to determine distinct strategies of plant ascomycete fungal pathogens with different lifestyles and to elucidate their distinctive virulence strategies. Results: We found that plant ascomycete biotrophs exhibited lower gene gain and loss events and loss of CAZyme-encoding genes involved in plant cell wall degradation and biosynthesis gene clusters for the production of secondary metabolites in the genome. Comparison with the candidate effectome detected distinctive variations between …

Biobased Sprayable Mulch Films Suppressed Annual Weeds In Vegetable Crops, Eliott Gloeb, Sibel Irmak, Loren Isom, John L. Lindquist, Samuel E. Wortman

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Biobased sprayable mulch (BSM) films are a potential alternative to herbicides, polyethylene plastic mulch film, and hand weeding for specialty crops. We developed a series of BSM films using locally available biomaterials [including corn (Zea mays) starch, glycerol, keratin hydrolysate, corn gluten meal, corn zein, eggshells, and isolated soy (Glycine max) protein] and tested their effects on weeds and crop yield during a total of seven greenhouse or field trials between 2017 and 2019 in Nebraska, USA. Application rates of BSM films applied in pots (greenhouse), planting holes in plastic film (field), or bed tops (field) …

Comparative Genomics Of Five Valsa Species Gives Insights On Their Pathogenicity Evolution, Guangchao Sun, Shichang Xie, Lin Tang, Chao Zhao, Mian Zhang, Lili Huang

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Valsa is a genus of ascomycetes within the Valsaceae family. This family includes many wood destructive pathogens such as the well known Valsa mali and Valsa pyri which cause canker diseases in fruit trees and threaten the global fruit production. Lack of genomic information of this family is impeding our understandings about their evolution and genetic basis of their pathogenicity divergence. Here, we report genome assemblies of Valsa malicola, Valsa persoonii, and Valsa sordida which represent close relatives of Valsa mali and Valsa pyri with different host preferences. Comparative genomics analysis revealed that segmental rearrangements, inversions, and translocations …

A Non-Destructive Approach For Measuring Rice Panicle-Level Photosynthetic Responses Using 3d-Image Reconstruction, Jaspinder Singh Dharni, Balpreet Kaur Dhatt, Puneet Paul, Tian Gao, Tala Awada, Harel Bacher4, Zvi Peleg, Paul E. Staswick, Jason Hupp, Hongfeng Yu, Harkamal Walia

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Background: Our understanding of the physiological responses of rice inflorescence (panicle) to environmental stresses is limited by the challenge of accurately determining panicle photosynthetic parameters and their impact on grain yield. This is primarily due to the lack of a suitable gas exchange methodology for panicles and non-destructive methods to accurately determine panicle surface area.

Results: To address these challenges, we have developed a custom panicle gas exchange cylinder compatible with the LiCor 6800 Infra-red Gas Analyzer. Accurate surface area measurements were determined using 3D panicle imaging to normalize the panicle-level photosynthetic measurements. We observed differential responses in …

Bison Movements Change With Weather: Implications For Their Continued Conservation In The Anthropocene, Nicholas A. Mcmillan, Samuel D. Fuhlendorf, Barney Luttbeg, Laura E. Goodman, Craig A. Davis, Brady W. Allred, Robert G. Hamilton

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Animal movement patterns are affected by complex interactions between biotic and abiotic landscape conditions, and these patterns are being altered by weather variability associated with a changing climate. Some animals, like the American plains bison (Bison bison L.; hereafter, plains bison), are considered keystone species, thus their response to weather variability may alter ecosystem structure and biodiversity patterns. Many movement studies of plains bison and other ungulates have focused on point-pattern analyses (e.g., resource-selection) that have provided information about where these animals move, but information about when or why these animals move is limited. For example, information surrounding the …