Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Effects Of An Increasing Harbor Seal Population On Changes In Sites Used For Pupping, Nikolina Guldager Dec 2001

Variables Influencing Nest Success Of Eastern Wild Turkeys In Connecticut: Nesting Habitat, Home Range-Scale Fragmentation, And Nest Attentiveness, Shelley M. Spohr Dec 2001

Gametogenic Cycles Of Marine Mussels, Mytilus Edulis And Mytilus Trossulus, In Cobscook Bay, Maine, Aaron P. Maloy Dec 2001

The Role Of Water Motion In Algal Reproduction, Richard Gordon Dec 2001

Monitoring Dioxin Levels In Maine Rivers With Semipermeable Membrane Devices, Heather A. Shoven Aug 2001

The Response Of First And Second Order Streams To Urban Land-Use In Maine, U.S.A., Chandler Morse May 2001

Ecological Implications Of Rockweed, Ascophyllum Nodosum (L.) Le Jolis, Harvesting, Jill C. Fegley May 2001

Ecological Implications Of Rockweed, Ascophyllum Nodosum (L.) Le Jolis, Harvesting, Jill C. Fegley

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Harvesting of natural resources usually entails substantial removal of the target species. Where such species are dominant members of natural communities, their removal can have important consequences for their own regeneration as well as for the species assemblages associated with them. Rockweed is an ecologically and commercially important intertidal alga in the North Atlantic, and is increasingly being harvested in Maine. The effects of harvesting on regrowth are well known but little is known about its effects on the species that use this alga as habitat. This research focused on the ecological implications of A. nodosum harvesting on the associated …

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The Foraging And Habitat Ecology Of Black Terns In Maine, Andrew Gilbert May 2001

The Foraging And Habitat Ecology Of Black Terns In Maine, Andrew Gilbert

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The population of Black Terns in Maine is small and factors related to the ecology of this species’ foraging and habitat ecology might limit population growth and recovery. The objectives were to (1) determine if diet and provisioning rates are limiting chick growth, (2) identify and rank suitable habitat in Maine, and (3) determine if precipitation patterns and water level dynamics are limiting in Maine. I compared growth rates of chicks in 1998-2000 in Maine to rates from other studies, determined the influence of colony, year, and diet on growth rates and food deliveries and used an energetics model to …

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Measures Of Denitrification In Selected South Dakota Semi-Permanent Prairie Pothole Wetlands, Beverly S. Klein Jan 2001

Measures Of Denitrification In Selected South Dakota Semi-Permanent Prairie Pothole Wetlands, Beverly S. Klein

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Wetlands are an integral part of agricultural systems in the prairie pothole regions of the North Central United States and Canadian Provinces. Little research has been done on denitrification in prairie potholes, and a better understanding of their denitrifying capability could aide in optimizing management practices near pothole areas. Most probable number (MPN) and denitrifying enzyme activity (DEA or Phase I) assays were conducted. Most probable number (MPN) measures were used to give an estimate of dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonia (DNRA) and denitrifying populations present in the wetlands. This study involved 3 selected semi-permanent prairie pothole wetlands near Madison, …

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The Chemical Mechanism Of A Brown-Rot Decay Mimtic System And Its Application In Paper Recycling Processes, Yuhui Qian Jan 2001

The Chemical Mechanism Of A Brown-Rot Decay Mimtic System And Its Application In Paper Recycling Processes, Yuhui Qian

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This work is aimed at improving our current knowledge of the non-enzymatic inecl~anisins involved in brown-rot decay, as well as the exploration of potential applications of a brown-rot mimetic model system in paper recycling processes. The study was divided into two parts. The first part focussed on the chemical mechanisms involved in chelation and reduction of iron by a low molecular weight chelator (isolated from the brown-rot fungus Gloeophyllz~m tmbeum) and its model compound 2,3- dihydroxybenzoic acid (2,3-DHBA). Chelation as well as free radical generation mediated by this system were studied by ESR measurement. The results indicate that the effects …

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Invertebrate Egg And Plant Seed Banks In Natural, Restored, And Drained Wetlands In The Prairie Pothole Region (Usa) And Potential Effects Of Sedimentation On Recolonization Of Hydrophytes And Aquatic Invertebrates, Robert Andrew Gleason Jan 2001

Invertebrate Egg And Plant Seed Banks In Natural, Restored, And Drained Wetlands In The Prairie Pothole Region (Usa) And Potential Effects Of Sedimentation On Recolonization Of Hydrophytes And Aquatic Invertebrates, Robert Andrew Gleason

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Sediment is the major pollutant of wetlands, lakes, rivers, and estuaries in the United States and it poses unique threats to wetlands of the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR). Sediment may impact the success of wetland restorations because burial of invertebrate and plant propagules may impact hatching and germination success, and hence, may hamper successional changes throughout interannual climate cycles. Sedimentation also reduces the pool depth and volume, further exacerbating the recovery of hydrophyte communities in restored wetlands. I evaluated the potential impacts of sedimentation on prairie wetlands from several perspectives. First, I evaluated the effects of sedimentation on loss of …

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The Status And Distribution Of The Topeka Shiner Notropis Topeka In Eastern South Dakota, Carmen M. Blausey Jan 2001

The Status And Distribution Of The Topeka Shiner Notropis Topeka In Eastern South Dakota, Carmen M. Blausey

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The Topeka shiner Notropis topeka is a small (< 75 mm) minnow that inhabits prairie streams in several north central plains states. Once widespread and abundant throughout its historic range, the Topeka shiner is now found only in isolated populations. Because of an 80% reduction in occurrence throughout their range, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the Topeka shiner as endangered in January 1999. At the time, limited information on habitat preferences and dist1ibution existed for this species in South Dakota. The objectives of this study were to measure local habitat features and water quality conditions at the reach scale at Topeka shiner study sites, create a model using these data to determine favorable habitat conditions, and identify fish species commonly associated with Topeka shiners. Fish and habitat data were collected at 61 tributary sites of the James, Vermillion, and Big Sioux rivers from June through September in 1999 and 2000. Sample sites in 1999 were based on historic Topeka shiner records in the South Dakota Natural Heritage Database. Sample sites in 2000 were based on a draft GIS model identifying potential Topeka shiner streams. Fish were collected with seines between block nets and standard procedures were used to measure physical and hydrological features of stream reaches. Cyprinids dominated the fish community for each river basin during both sample years. Insectivores and omnivores were the dominant trophic classes for each river basin for both sample years. Fish community associations for Topeka shiners were based on two stepwise logistic regression models: abundance of individual species at each site and presence or absence of individual species at each site. The abundance model indicated that Topeka shiners were most commonly associated with orangespotted sunfish Lepomis lutrenis and tadpole madtoms Noturns gyrinus. The presence/absence model showed that Topeka shiners were typically associated with red shiners Notropis lutrenis, tadpole madtoms Noturns gyrinus, black bullheads Ameiurus melas, and bigmouth shiners Notropis dorsalis. Habitat preferences were based on three stepwise logistic regression models: physical habitat water quality, and substrate composition at the reach scale. The physical habitat model indicated that Topeka shiners are associated with stream reaches that had low animal use, overhanging vegetation, stream bank vegetation comprised of sedges/rushes, low depositional zones, and run macrohabitat. The water quality model did not indicate any favorable or preferred conditions. The substrate model indicated that Topeka shiners are associated with stream reaches that had fine gravel or cobble substrates. The results of my study will lead to a better understanding of Topeka shiner distribution and habitat, and aid federal and state agencies in making management decisions that provide for protection and preservation of this species.

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