Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Doctoral Dissertations

2010

Natural Resources and Conservation

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Steps Toward Butternut (Juglans Cinerea L.) Restoration, Sunshine L. Brosi Aug 2010

Steps Toward Butternut (Juglans Cinerea L.) Restoration, Sunshine L. Brosi

Doctoral Dissertations

Butternut (Juglans cinerea L.), a lesser-known relative of black walnut (Juglans nigra L.), is a native tree species beneficial for wildlife, valuable for timber, and part of the great diversity of species in the eastern forests of North America. Populations of butternut are being devastated by butternut canker disease, caused by the fungus Sirococcus clavigignenti-juglandacearum (V.M.G. Nair, Kostichka, & Kuntz), which is thought to be introduced to North America. The disease causes multiple branch and stem cankers that eventually girdle trees. Small population sizes, lack of sprouting, and shade intolerance exacerbates the disease and results in permanent losses of butternut …


Optimal Control Of Species Augmentation Conservation Strategies, Erin Nicole Bodine Aug 2010

Optimal Control Of Species Augmentation Conservation Strategies, Erin Nicole Bodine

Doctoral Dissertations

Species augmentation is a method of reducing species loss via augmenting declining or threatened populations with individuals from captive-bred or stable, wild populations. In this dissertation, species augmentation is analyzed in an optimal control setting to determine the optimal augmentation strategies given various constraints and settings. In each setting, we consider the effects on both the target/endangered population and a reserve population from which the individuals translocated in the augmentation are harvested. Four different optimal control formulations are explored. The first two optimal control formulations model the underlying population dynamics with a system of ordinary differential equations. Each of these …