Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Pronghorn Survival And Resource Selection In Western Nebraska's Agriculturally Dominated Landscape, Katie Piecora

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Nebraska’s pronghorn population has been stable over the last decade, yet their presence on the landscape remains a contentious subject amongst private landowners. Conversion of grassland for crop production and increased anthropogenic activity has drastically altered pronghorn behavior throughout their current range, however basic ecology and resource use by pronghorn in Nebraska remains poorly understood. Establishing baseline population metrics and seasonal patterns of resource use for this population at the eastern periphery of the species range is critical to guide management actions. We deployed GPS collars on 110 adult pronghorn to quantify survival, mortality risk, and seasonal resource selection in …

Analysis Of Soil Change Across Nebraska, Trinity Baker

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The world’s population is growing and an increasing populace requires more resources. These requirements place increasing pressure on the environment and the soil. Soils serve many important functions throughout the world. These functions range from offering a media for food production, providing a sink for organic carbon, nutrient cycling, and improving water quality. It is important to focus on the human impact on soils and their change over time.

For my research I examined how soils across Nebraska have changed over a time period of roughly 65 years. I sampled and analyzed 39 pedons from four Major Land Resource Areas …

Multi-Criteria Evaluation Model For Classifying Marginal Cropland In Nebraska Using Historical Crop Yield And Biophysical Characteristics, Andrew Laws

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Marginal cropland is suboptimal due to historically low and variable productivity and limiting biophysical characteristics. To support future agricultural management and policy decisions in Nebraska, U.S.A, it is important to understand where cropland is marginal for its two most economically important crops: corn (Zea mays) and soybean (Glycine max). As corn and soybean are frequently planted in a crop rotation, it is important to consider if there is a relationship with cropland marginality. Based on the current literature, there exists a need for a flexible yet robust methodology for identifying marginal land at different scales, which …

Assessment Of The Ponderosa Woodlands In Nebraska's Wildcat Hills: Implications For Juniperus Encroachment And Management, Allie Victoria Schiltmeyer

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) is a dominant tree species across western North America. Its eastern distribution includes three populations in western Nebraska. This study assesses the distribution, structure and age of ponderosa pine woodlands in one of those regions, the Wildcat Hills. The Wildcat Hills have escaped severe wildfires seen in recent decades in other ponderosa pine regions. Nevertheless, the Wildcat Hills woodlands face multiple threats including climate change, wildfire, drought, pine beetles, and invasive species. Key to these threats is the stand structure of pine woodlands, which have increased in density across much of ponderosa pine’s range. …

River Otter (Lontra Canadensis) Distribution And Habitat Suitability In Nebraska, Nathan R. Bieber

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

River otters (Lontra Canadensis) were extirpated in Nebraska by the early 1900’s, but in 1986, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (NGPC) began reintroduction efforts. Following reintroductions, the otter was listed as a tier-1 at-risk species in Nebraska. With increasing otter populations, NGPC is evaluating a de-listing plan. In order to inform de-listing efforts, I surveyed Nebraska’s rivers documenting otter sign and used modeling techniques to estimate otter distribution and habitat suitability.

Otter sign surveys were conducted on the navigable rivers of Nebraska. Occupancy modeling techniques were used to examine patterns in otter detections. The best model incorporated distance …

Factors Affecting Songbird Nest Survival And Brood Parasitism In The Rainwater Basin Region Of Nebraska, Max Post Van Der Burg

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

No abstract provided.

Mesopredator Movement, Abundance, And Habitat Selection In The Rainwater Basins Of Nebraska, Christina J. Kocer

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

No abstract provided.

Applications Of Remote Sensing And Gis To The Studies Of Groundwater-Lake Interactions In The Nebraska Sandhills, Evgueni N. Tcherepanov

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

No abstract provided.

Movements And Habitat Use By Shovelnose And Pallid Sturgeon In The Lower Platte River, Nebraska, Benjamin D. Swigle

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

No abstract provided.

Ecology Of Elk In Northwestern Nebraska: Demographics, Effects Of Human Disturbance, And Characteristics Of Calving Habitat, Bruce A. Stillings

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

No abstract provided.

Biology Of Shovelnose Sturgeon, Scaphirhynchus Platorynchus, In The Lower Platte River, Nebraska, Robin L. Hofpar

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

No abstract provided.

Riparian Habitats Of The Central Platte As A Corridor For Dispersal Of Small Mammals In Nebraska, Thomas D. Silvia

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

No abstract provided.

Application And Evaluation Of A Biotic Index To Sand Hills And Streams Of Nebraska, Gregory T. Michl

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

No abstract provided.

Avian Use Of Riparian Corridors And Adjacent Cropland In East-Central Nebraska, Rebecca L. Fitzmaurice

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

No abstract provided.

Logistic Regression Models Of Habitat Use By Three Cyprinids In The Platte River, Nebraska, Shyi-Liang Yu

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Sediment Addition On The Drift Of Aquatic Macroinvertebrates In Nine Mile Creek, Nebraska, Laurence Angle

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

No abstract provided.

Small Mammal Populations And Rodent Damage In Nebraska No-Tillage Crop Fields, Kent E. Holm

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

No abstract provided.

Vital Characteristics Of The Black-Tailed Jack Rabbit In East-Central Nebraska, Rockford G. Plettner

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

No abstract provided.

Effects Of The Plains Pocket Gopher (Geomys Bursarius) On Hay Meadows And Irrigated Alfalfa In The Nebraska Sandhills, Patrick J. Hegarty

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

No abstract provided.

Movements And Activity Patterns Of The Plains Pocket Gopher (Geomys Bursarius) In Nebraska, Dallas Virchow

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

No abstract provided.

Spectral Irradiance In Nebraska Reservoirs And A New Instrument For Its Measurement, Gary D. Uphoff

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

No abstract provided.

A Geographic Interpretation Of Some Of The Factors Effective In The Location And Development Of Lincoln, Nebraska., Ruth Mcdill

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

No abstract provided.