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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Why Are Some Plant Species Missing From Restorations? A Diagnostic Tool For Temperate Grassland Ecosystems, Marcello De Vitis, Kayri Havens, Rebecca S. Barak, Louise Egerton-Warburton, Adrienne R. Ernst, Matt Evans, Jeremie B. Fant, Alicia J. Foxx, Kyndall Hadley, Jim Jabcon, Joan O’Shaughnessey, Sai Ramakrishna, David Sollenberger, Sophie Taddeo, Rafael Urbina-Casanova, Chris Woolridge, Lan Xu, Jacob Zeldin, Andrea T. Kramer Oct 2022

Why Are Some Plant Species Missing From Restorations? A Diagnostic Tool For Temperate Grassland Ecosystems, Marcello De Vitis, Kayri Havens, Rebecca S. Barak, Louise Egerton-Warburton, Adrienne R. Ernst, Matt Evans, Jeremie B. Fant, Alicia J. Foxx, Kyndall Hadley, Jim Jabcon, Joan O’Shaughnessey, Sai Ramakrishna, David Sollenberger, Sophie Taddeo, Rafael Urbina-Casanova, Chris Woolridge, Lan Xu, Jacob Zeldin, Andrea T. Kramer

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

The U.N. Decade on Ecosystem Restoration aims to accelerate actions to prevent, halt, and reverse the degradation of ecosystems, and re-establish ecosystem functioning and species diversity. The practice of ecological restoration has made great progress in recent decades, as has recognition of the importance of species diversity to maintaining the long-term stability and functioning of restored ecosystems. Restorations may also focus on specific species to fulfill needed functions, such as supporting dependent wildlife or mitigating extinction risk. Yet even in the most carefully planned and managed restoration, target species may fail to germinate, establish, or persist. To support the successful …


Separating Proactive Conservation From Species Listing Decisions, Adrienne I. Kovach, Amanda E. Cheeseman, Joathan B. Cohen, Chadwick D. Rittenhouse, Christopher M. Whipps Sep 2022

Separating Proactive Conservation From Species Listing Decisions, Adrienne I. Kovach, Amanda E. Cheeseman, Joathan B. Cohen, Chadwick D. Rittenhouse, Christopher M. Whipps

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

Proactive Conservation is a paradigm of natural resource management in the United States that encourages voluntary, collaborative efforts to restore species before they need to be protected through government regulations. This paradigm is widely used to conserve at-risk species today, and when used in conjunction with the Policy for Evaluation of Conservation Efforts (PECE), it allows for successful conservation actions to preclude listing of species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Despite the popularity of this paradigm, and recent flagship examples of its use (e.g., greater sage grouse, Centrocercus urophasianus), critical assessments of the outcomes of Proactive Conservation are lacking …


Targeted Browsing With Goats For Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus Virginiana L.) Control, Alanna M. Hartsfield Jan 2022

Targeted Browsing With Goats For Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus Virginiana L.) Control, Alanna M. Hartsfield

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As eastern redcedar (ERC) (Juniperus virginiana L.) grassland encroachment progresses, all potential control methods should be explored in the interest of Great Plains grassland health and longevity. Targeted browsing with goats has been proven as an effective control method on some juniper species; however, little is known about its ability to control ERC. These studies intend to mend knowledge gaps of how targeted browsing with goats control ERC by causing tree death without chemicals or machinery. The first study is two 3x3 Latin squares comparing protein-supplemented diets. The second study is a randomized complete block design of five 0.224 ha …


The Potential Of Bison Restoration As An Ecological Approach To Future Tribal Food Sovereignty On The Northern Great Plains, Hila Shamon, Olivia G. Cosby, Chamois L. Andersen, Helen Augare, Jony Bearcub Stiffarm, Claire E. Bresnan, Jeff M. Martin, Et Al. Jan 2022

The Potential Of Bison Restoration As An Ecological Approach To Future Tribal Food Sovereignty On The Northern Great Plains, Hila Shamon, Olivia G. Cosby, Chamois L. Andersen, Helen Augare, Jony Bearcub Stiffarm, Claire E. Bresnan, Jeff M. Martin, Et Al.

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

Future climate projections of warming, drying, and increased weather variability indicate that conventional agricultural and production practices within the Northern Great Plains (NGP) will become less sustainable, both ecologically and economically. As a result, the livelihoods of people that rely on these lands will be adversely impacted. This is especially true for Native American communities, who were relegated to reservations where the land is often vast but marginal and non-tribal operators have an outsized role in food production. In addition, NGP lands are expected to warm and dry disproportionately relative to the rest of the United States. It is therefore …


Post-Fledging Habitat Selection And Movements Of Juvenile Mallards In The Prairie Pothole Region, Cynthia E. Anchor Jan 2022

Post-Fledging Habitat Selection And Movements Of Juvenile Mallards In The Prairie Pothole Region, Cynthia E. Anchor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of North America provides critical habitat for waterfowl across life stages, but anthropogenic changes to the landscape have negatively impacted habitat quality for waterfowl. The mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) is abundant and socioeconomically valuable in the PPR, as it is a preferred target species of waterfowl hunters. Extensive research has evaluated breeding ecology of mallards in the PPR, but the period between juvenile mallards fledging and migrating has rarely been studied. The post-fledging ecology of juvenile mallards is a vital consideration for comprehensive waterfowl management. Further, juvenile mallards are a significant portion of hunter harvest at …


Evaluating Avian Use Of Cover Crops In The Corn Belt, Megan Figura Jan 2022

Evaluating Avian Use Of Cover Crops In The Corn Belt, Megan Figura

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The tallgrass prairie of North America has changed drastically since colonial settlement, with up to 99% of this region converted for agriculture and other land-uses. Concurrent with grassland conversion, grassland birds have experienced the most extreme, consistent, and widespread population declines of any avian guild. Agricultural lands in the U.S. Midwest were able to provide adequate habitat for several bird species until the 1950’s; however, altered and intensified management practices have degraded much of remaining suitable habitat and undermined ecosystem functions. Consequently, many grassland birds have been identified as Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) in many State Wildlife Action …


Regenerative Agriculture Effects On Invertebrate And Bird Communities And Insect-Provided Ecosystem Services, Alex Michels Jan 2022

Regenerative Agriculture Effects On Invertebrate And Bird Communities And Insect-Provided Ecosystem Services, Alex Michels

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Conventional agricultural practices can have unintended consequences on the environment and wildlife. Insects and birds are declining at rapid rates around the world, and the current conventional agricultural paradigm is a major driver through habitat loss and the intensification of production. Invertebrates in agroecosystems provide services to both farmers and the rest of society. Regenerative systems may promote the functioning of an agroecosystem by influencing invertebrate abundance, diversity, and ecosystem services and mitigate bird and insect declines through conservation practices that increase soil health, reduce disturbances, and increase biological diversity. Here I address knowledge gaps of the effects of regenerative …


Pathogen Prevalence In Domestic Sheep In Western Nebraska: Implications For Bighorn Sheep Conservation And Coexistence On A Multi-Use Landscape, Kaytlin Bohr Jan 2022

Pathogen Prevalence In Domestic Sheep In Western Nebraska: Implications For Bighorn Sheep Conservation And Coexistence On A Multi-Use Landscape, Kaytlin Bohr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) and domestic sheep (Ovis aries) are members of the same genus and thus share multiple pathogens that can be spread between them. One specific respiratory pathogen of concern is Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae (M. ovipneumoniae), which has been linked to pneumonia epizootics in bighorn sheep that are often characterized by all age die offs upon initial exposure followed by years of low lamb recruitment. Domestic sheep have been identified as one carrier of M. ovipneumoniae with transmission between sheep species occurring when there is close contact on the landscape. To prevent this cross-species transmission, importance has been placed …