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Articles 1 - 30 of 498

Full-Text Articles in Environmental Sciences

Chemical Load: An Unseen Herbicide Filter In Restored Prairies?, Rylie Franklin Jan 2026

Chemical Load: An Unseen Herbicide Filter In Restored Prairies?, Rylie Franklin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Community Assembly Theory is a framework used to describe the process by which species from a regional species pool disperse and encounter various abiotic and biotic conditions that act as filters, limiting which species will populate a specific local community. Prairie restoration success can be improved by understanding abiotic and biotic filters. As agricultural practices have adopted integrated weed management plans, that include the use of both chemical and non-chemical techniques, another filter needs to be considered during restoration: the chemical load of soils, i.e., herbicide residue from recent on-site applications and herbicide drift from adjacent areas. To examine the …


Floodwater Salinity And Flood Duration Regulate Greenhouse Gas Production In High- Latitude Coastal Wetland And Tundra Soils, Mia J. Dicianna Jan 2026

Floodwater Salinity And Flood Duration Regulate Greenhouse Gas Production In High- Latitude Coastal Wetland And Tundra Soils, Mia J. Dicianna

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Coastal high-latitude ecosystems are increasingly flooded from storm surges associated with climate change, exposing soils that were historically infrequently inundated to higher-salinity waters for longer durations. Sub-Arctic wetlands and tundra store large amounts of carbon, yet how flooding characteristics, particularly flood duration, influence microbial mineralization and, consequently, greenhouse gas (GHG) production in these soils remains poorly understood. We conducted a full-factorial microcosm incubation experiment in which coastal wetland and tundra soils were subjected to simulated flooding with three durations (1, 3, and 10 days) and four salinity treatments (unflooded, freshwater, 3 ppt, and 12 ppt) and measured carbon dioxide (CO2) …


Improving Human Dimensions Of Conservation Planning: Challenges And Opportunities For Sustainable Conservation Outcomes, Vivian Hulugh Jan 2026

Improving Human Dimensions Of Conservation Planning: Challenges And Opportunities For Sustainable Conservation Outcomes, Vivian Hulugh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Conservation planning is important to ensure both ecological and social benefits of natural resources, including the maintenance of functional ecosystems and stable wildlife populations as well as the provision of resources that communities rely on. Yet, the integration of the human dimensions of conservation planning remains limited in practice. This thesis examines conservation planning in South Dakota and within Joint Venture (JV) partnerships, using qualitative methods to identify challenges and opportunities for more effective and coordinated planning. In chapter one, I examine how collaboration, public participation, and the use of climate information are integrated conservation planning in South Dakota and …


Evaluating Planting Methods For Native Seed Production And Exploring Granivory In The Northern Great Plains, Allison Dollen Jan 2026

Evaluating Planting Methods For Native Seed Production And Exploring Granivory In The Northern Great Plains, Allison Dollen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Temperate grasslands have faced immense losses due to land use change in the last 150 years and less than half of the overall grasslands that once covered North America remain today. A portion of historic and remaining U.S. grasslands are located within the northern Great Plains (NGP) region which is home to over 1,600 species of native plants and provides many ecosystem services and economic benefits. Initiatives to restore grasslands and their ecosystem services are currently underway, but barriers such as limited native seed supply and granivory hinder restoration efforts. My first chapter addresses knowledge gaps in planting methods for …


Phosphate Removal And Recovery From Aqueous Solutions Using Iron-Coated Steel Slag, Siavash Ebrahimzadeh, Guanghui Hua, Christopher Schmit Oct 2025

Phosphate Removal And Recovery From Aqueous Solutions Using Iron-Coated Steel Slag, Siavash Ebrahimzadeh, Guanghui Hua, Christopher Schmit

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty and Student Publications

Phosphate pollution from human activities significantly contributes to the eutrophication of aquatic ecosystems. Additionally, phosphorus is a finite, irreplaceable resource, making its management and recovery critical. This study explores the use of iron-coated steel slag (ICS) as a cost-effective material for phosphate removal and recovery from water. Ferric chloride was used to coat electric arc furnace slag via oven drying under various conditions. Batch adsorption tests evaluated phosphate adsorption, and the optimum coating conditions were identified as 0.5–1 mm slag, 0.5 M FeCl₃, and coating pH 1. The effect of solution pH and coexisting ions on phosphate removal were also …


Private Property Vs. Public Access: Socio-Engineering Framework For Managing Non-Meandering Waters In South Dakota’S Prairie Pothole Region, Lydia Loken, Sushant Mehan Jan 2025

Private Property Vs. Public Access: Socio-Engineering Framework For Managing Non-Meandering Waters In South Dakota’S Prairie Pothole Region, Lydia Loken, Sushant Mehan

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

This study addresses the growing importance of balancing private ownership and public interest of Non-Meandering Waters (NMWs) overlaying private property in the South Dakota Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) through both a legal and socio-engineering lens. This study aims to develop an integrated management framework for Non-Meandering Waters in the South Dakota Prairie Pothole Region that combines water allocation principles, the Public Trust Doctrine, and water quality objectives to guide policy decisions, ensuring equitable access, long-term sustainability, and a balanced approach to both public and private interests. Data collection from October 2024 through February 2025 and included a literature review of …


An Integrated Wetland Condition Index And Environmental Metric Framework For The Prairie Pothole Region, Mercedes L. Batalla Jan 2025

An Integrated Wetland Condition Index And Environmental Metric Framework For The Prairie Pothole Region, Mercedes L. Batalla

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The USDA-NRCS Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) assists landowners with protecting, restoring, and enhancing wetlands. Evaluating wetland conservation efforts is crucial for informing future management decisions. However, assessment frameworks vary across regions and among stakeholders. The Prairie Pothole Region is an ecologically unique landscape characterized by its abundance of wetlands that provide important ecosystem services. To evaluate wetlands enrolled in ACEP, I sampled forty-five semi-permanent wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region from July – August 2023 and 2024. I selected and sampled twenty-six wetlands enrolled in ACEP. Nineteen additional wetlands not enrolled in ACEP were also sampled; these included nine …


In The Footsteps Of Moose: Using Non-Invasive Techniques To Identify Cause-Specific Calf Mortalities And Evaluate Moose (Alces Alces) Movements Pertaining To Mineral Lick Locations On Ancestral Lands Of The Grand Portage Ojibwe, Anna B. Weesies Jan 2025

In The Footsteps Of Moose: Using Non-Invasive Techniques To Identify Cause-Specific Calf Mortalities And Evaluate Moose (Alces Alces) Movements Pertaining To Mineral Lick Locations On Ancestral Lands Of The Grand Portage Ojibwe, Anna B. Weesies

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Following a sharp moose (Alces alces; mooz, Anishinaabemowin, Ojibwe language) population decline in northeastern Minnesota during the early 2000s, the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa initiated a long-term moose collaring effort to assess survival and mortality causes. Moose are a culturally important species to the Band, with annual subsistence hunts held on the Reservation and adjacent 1854 Ceded Territory. Continued research guides culturally appropriate management decisions aimed at bolstering calf and adult survival, helping to preserve this moose in Minnesota today and for subsequent generations. Chapter 1 identifies cause-specific calf mortality rates in this multi-predator system using minimally …


Characterizing A Free-Roaming Cat Population To Predict Predation Of Threatened Species In An Island Ecosystem, Sarah Gheida Jan 2025

Characterizing A Free-Roaming Cat Population To Predict Predation Of Threatened Species In An Island Ecosystem, Sarah Gheida

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.


Testing The Effect Of Source And Environment On Native Seed Germination To Inform Seed-Based Restoration Of Grasslands, Brandon Clark Jan 2025

Testing The Effect Of Source And Environment On Native Seed Germination To Inform Seed-Based Restoration Of Grasslands, Brandon Clark

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Grasslands are one of the most endangered ecosystems on the planet, and they provide a variety of important ecosystem services that people rely on. Losses of grasslands can be mitigated through restoration. Seed-based restoration is a regularly used practice due to its practicality and cost-effectiveness. Planting non-local seed that may not be suitable for its destination environment can have consequences in plant establishment and subsequent restoration success. This experiment tested the response (final germination and germination rate) of seed from 11 perennial tallgrass species sourced from 3 different locations to different germination temperature conditions. Seeds from three sources of each …


Climate Variability Study For Arid Regions, Faisal Almutairi Jan 2025

Climate Variability Study For Arid Regions, Faisal Almutairi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Water is the primary source for all living species to thrive, and water scarcity has been a primary concern for biological species and plants in arid regions due to urban planning, population growth, poor water management, and overgrazing. The objective of this research was to study the climate variability in precipitation and temperature for an arid region. This research encompasses two distinct studies. The first study examined the impact of climate variability on precipitation in Phoenix. Precipitation data were acquired from NOAA from 1948 to 2023 and the study was broken down into three time scales: annually, seasonally, and monthly. …


Prospective Use Of Detection Dogs As A Screening Tool For Mycoplasma Ovipneumoniae In Bighorn Sheep (Ovis Canadensis), Michele C. Lovara Jan 2025

Prospective Use Of Detection Dogs As A Screening Tool For Mycoplasma Ovipneumoniae In Bighorn Sheep (Ovis Canadensis), Michele C. Lovara

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae is a bacterium that can spill over from domestic sheep (Ovis aries) to bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis), with effects in bighorn sheep ranging from low to no lamb recruitment to whole-herd all-age die-offs from resulting pneumonia. Fast and reliable pathogen or disease detection is essential for managing outbreaks in bighorn sheep and emergences in affected populations. Detection dogs are increasingly being enlisted to close gaps and further complement various disease, pathogen and virus research and response efforts. This thesis explores the use of conservation detection dogs as a potential tool for M. ovipneumoniae surveillance in bighorn sheep through …


Quantifying Avian And Vegetation Communities On Agricultural Conservation Easement Wetlands In Eastern South Dakota, Katherine Millman Jan 2025

Quantifying Avian And Vegetation Communities On Agricultural Conservation Easement Wetlands In Eastern South Dakota, Katherine Millman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Prairie Pothole Region of eastern South Dakota contains numerous small depressional wetlands, colloquially known as potholes, that provide important ecosystem services, including water storage, water quality improvement, and wildlife habitat. The Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) was established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to protect and restore wetlands and grasslands on private land through easements such as Wetland Reserve Easements. Although ACEP requires management practices intended to maintain or improve habitat quality, few studies have evaluated their effectiveness at supporting wildlife communities and vegetation integrity. To address this gap, we evaluated wetlands at 30 ACEP sites and 20 …


Northern Great Plains Native Seed Strategy, Lora Perkins, Amy Symstad, Jennifer Zavaleta-Cheek, Emily Rohrer, Krista Ehlert Dec 2024

Northern Great Plains Native Seed Strategy, Lora Perkins, Amy Symstad, Jennifer Zavaleta-Cheek, Emily Rohrer, Krista Ehlert

Native Plant Initiative Newsletters and Reports

Developed by the Northern Great Plains Native Seed Partnership


Session 6: Model-Based Clustering Analysis On The Spatial-Temporal And Intensity Patterns Of Tornadoes, Yana Melnykov, Yingying Zhang, Rong Zheng Feb 2024

Session 6: Model-Based Clustering Analysis On The Spatial-Temporal And Intensity Patterns Of Tornadoes, Yana Melnykov, Yingying Zhang, Rong Zheng

SDSU Data Science Symposium

Tornadoes are one of the nature’s most violent windstorms that can occur all over the world except Antarctica. Previous scientific efforts were spent on studying this nature hazard from facets such as: genesis, dynamics, detection, forecasting, warning, measuring, and assessing. While we want to model the tornado datasets by using modern sophisticated statistical and computational techniques. The goal of the paper is developing novel finite mixture models and performing clustering analysis on the spatial-temporal and intensity patterns of the tornadoes. To analyze the tornado dataset, we firstly try a Gaussian distribution with the mean vector and variance-covariance matrix represented as …


Impact Of Solar Radiation On Perchlorate Formation In The Atmosphere: Evidence From Ice Core Measurements, Bishnu Kunwar Jan 2024

Impact Of Solar Radiation On Perchlorate Formation In The Atmosphere: Evidence From Ice Core Measurements, Bishnu Kunwar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Perchlorate, which derives from both anthropogenic and natural sources in the current environment, poses a substantial health hazard to humans as it competes with iodine uptake in the thyroid gland. Consequently, there has been considerable concern about minimizing human exposure to environmental perchlorate by restricting its release from man-made sources. However, the absence of a clear understanding regarding the respective contributions of man-made and natural sources has hindered widespread regulation efforts. A 300-year (1700–2007) Summit, Greenland ice core record from a previous study showed relatively stable perchlorate concentrations in Greenland snow prior to 1980, with some elevated perchlorate levels associated …


Species Distribution Modeling Of Aquilegia Brevistyla (Ranunculaceae): A Critically Imperiled Black Hills Disjunct Species, Eric Daniel Puetz Jan 2024

Species Distribution Modeling Of Aquilegia Brevistyla (Ranunculaceae): A Critically Imperiled Black Hills Disjunct Species, Eric Daniel Puetz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Unchecked human activity is contributing to rising levels of greenhouse gas emissions, changes in land use, altered disturbance/fire regimes, spread of invasive species, and loss of biological diversity and related breakdown of ecosystem services. Additionally, climatic shifts may lead to phenological mismatches between species and their environments if these changes outpace a species’ ability to adapt or migrate to a more suitable habitat. Isolated mountain populations are particularly threatened by unpredictable climatic conditions, as they may have limited migration corridors and often lower levels of genetic diversity to move or adapt, respectively. As these negative feedbacks compound on the landscape, …


The Hutton Project: Long-Term Agricultural Impacts On Soil Loss And Carbon Dynamics In Eastern South Dakota, Eli Halverson Jan 2024

The Hutton Project: Long-Term Agricultural Impacts On Soil Loss And Carbon Dynamics In Eastern South Dakota, Eli Halverson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Long-term and intensified agricultural land management has resulted in increased rates of soil erosion and has altered much of the carbon cycle at regional and global scales. Anthropogenic degradation of soil resources is a barrier to sustainable production, soil functioning, and ecosystem services. It is difficult to quantify the scope of pedogenic changes due to the lack of legacy data and short temporal scales. This study utilized decades to century-old soil information to quantify historical soil erosion losses and changes in soil carbon pools of eastern South Dakota soils. The results show that soils in the region have been significantly …


The Effects Of Temperature, Flooding, And Goose Feces Addition On Greenhouse Gas Emissions And Ammonification In Four High-Latitude Soils From Western Alaska, Jenna M. Ross Jan 2024

The Effects Of Temperature, Flooding, And Goose Feces Addition On Greenhouse Gas Emissions And Ammonification In Four High-Latitude Soils From Western Alaska, Jenna M. Ross

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The large carbon (C) stock of wetlands is vulnerable to climate change, especially in high latitudes that are warming at a disproportional rate. Likewise, low-elevation Arctic coastal areas will flood more frequently under climate change and sea-level rise, which may alter goose herbivory and fecal deposition patterns if geese move inland. While temperature, flooding, and feces impact soil C emissions, their interactive effects have been rarely studied. Here, I explore the impact of these interactions on CO2 and CH4 emissions and nitrogen (N) mineralization (ammonification) in soils collected from four plant communities in the Yukon-Kuskokwim (Y-K) Delta, a high latitude …


Effects Of Low-Cost, Low-Tech Tools For Riparian Restoration On Prairie Streams In Western South Dakota, James Andrew Joseph Bolyard Jan 2024

Effects Of Low-Cost, Low-Tech Tools For Riparian Restoration On Prairie Streams In Western South Dakota, James Andrew Joseph Bolyard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite making up less than two percent of the overall landscape in the arid and semi-arid western US, riparian areas are a crucial resource for agriculture, livestock, and wildlife. However, many have impaired function and reduced riparian cover. Low-Cost, Low-Tech Tools (LCLTT) are a subset of Process-Based Restoration (PBR) used for riparian restoration that were chosen for their cost-effectiveness and minimal technical requirements. LCLTT has been tested in mountainous areas of the western US but only recently implemented in the Northern Great Plains (NGP). Given their novelty as an approach toward restoration for the region, professional restoration and landowner communities …


Near-Real-Time Monitoring Of Crop Progress At Field Scales By Fusing Observations From Both Polar-Orbiting And Geostationary Satellites, Yu Shen Jan 2024

Near-Real-Time Monitoring Of Crop Progress At Field Scales By Fusing Observations From Both Polar-Orbiting And Geostationary Satellites, Yu Shen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.


Plant Available Water Drives Semi-Arid Forage Quality And Quantity In A Common Garden Greenhouse Experiment, Parker J. Witt Jan 2024

Plant Available Water Drives Semi-Arid Forage Quality And Quantity In A Common Garden Greenhouse Experiment, Parker J. Witt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rangeland forage nutrition and biomass production are integral components of sustainable livestock grazing systems and are controlled by soil quality and precipitation. I examined the effects of precipitation on growth and nutrition of three forage species in four different soils that span the longitudinal moisture gradient in South Dakota. I grew little bluestem (Schizachyrum scoparium), western wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithii), and smooth brome (Bromus inermis) in soils representing the eastern tallgrass/mid-grass prairie (Brookings, 700 mm avg. precipitation.), an eastern mid-grass prairie (Highmore, 550 mm avg. precipitation.), a western mid-grass prairie (Cottonwood, 450 mm avg. precipitation.), and a western mid-grass/short-grass prairie (Sturgis, …


Soil Responses To Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus Virginiana L.) Afforestation And Prescribed Fire In South-Central South Dakota, Robert Schaefer Jan 2024

Soil Responses To Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus Virginiana L.) Afforestation And Prescribed Fire In South-Central South Dakota, Robert Schaefer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research was conducted in 2019 and 2020 on rangelands located in south-central South Dakota assessing a number of physical, chemical, and biological properties of mineral ustepts and ustents soils associated with eastern redcedar (ERC) (Juniperus virginiana) afforestation and prescribed fire. ERC afforestation appeared to be associated with significantly higher field-condition soil aggregate stability, cation exchange capacity (CEC), soil pH, and fungi:bacteria (F:B) as well as significantly lower soil moisture, nitrate-N, phosphorus, bacteria biomass, and Gram-positive:Gram-negative (GP:GN) bacteria compared to native grassland conditions, while other mineral soil properties appeared relatively unaffected. Compared to soil conditions under dense, living ERC canopies, prescribed …


Monarch Butterfly (Danaus Plexippus) Oviposition Preferences And A Survey Of Fungal Pathogens On Native Milkweeds (Asclepias) Of The Northern Great Plains, Grace Damiano Jan 2024

Monarch Butterfly (Danaus Plexippus) Oviposition Preferences And A Survey Of Fungal Pathogens On Native Milkweeds (Asclepias) Of The Northern Great Plains, Grace Damiano

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

North American monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) populations are experiencing significant declines due to habitat loss caused by land use changes. Much of the American Midwest where milkweed, the only host plant of the monarch butterfly, was once much more abundant has been converted to a predominantly agricultural landscape. There are nineteen species of milkweed native to the northern Great Plains region occupied by South Dakota, North Dakota, and Minnesota. Some of these milkweed species may be preferable to monarch butterflies for different reasons, including morphological factors such as stem length, species-level chemical factors, and temporal factors. As monarch …


Increasing Retention Of Women In Hunting And Fishing, Shelby Isensee Jan 2024

Increasing Retention Of Women In Hunting And Fishing, Shelby Isensee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite national declines in hunting and fishing, women are making inroads in historically male-dominated sports. To further encourage women’s participation, states established programs to recruit, retain, and reactivate [R3] hunters and anglers. Women are participating in these programs and other recreational groups to access opportunities to learn skills and grow their networks. Yet, very little is known about what programs are offered for women, what aspects of programs are most effective to support women’s retention in these activities, and what women’s hunting and fishing groups are available across the landscape. To address these questions, I collected qualitative data from participant …


Respiratory Disease In Bighorn Sheep: A Varied Investigation Of Immunization, Transmission, And Detection, Katelin Frerichs Jan 2024

Respiratory Disease In Bighorn Sheep: A Varied Investigation Of Immunization, Transmission, And Detection, Katelin Frerichs

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Respiratory disease has historically been recognized as a limiting factor to wild bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) herds throughout North America with epizootics resulting in large-scale die offs and reductions in recruitment. The primary etiologic agent associated with pneumonia outbreaks in bighorn sheep is Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae. This bacterial pathogen is frequently carried asymptomatically by domestic sheep (Ovis aries) and goats (Capra hircus); however, when these domestic hosts come in contact with and spread this pathogen to bighorns, the disease can cause epizootics and large-scale mortality. Domestic sheep strains are more commonly detected in bighorn sheep than domestic goat strains, and previous …


Reimagining Hunting Through Women's Decision Space, H. Nash Jackson Jan 2024

Reimagining Hunting Through Women's Decision Space, H. Nash Jackson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Approximately 14.4 million people hunt in the United States, yet only 3.1 million (22%) of these hunters are women. To enhance women’s participation, many state natural resource agencies aim to reduce barriers and create pathways for women to hunt. Previously, researchers surveyed women to understand and describe barriers to their full participation in hunting. However, this methodology often just quantifies the different barriers without describing the interconnectedness and how the complexity of barriers can impact women’s participation in hunting. This thesis instead took an inductive research approach with the goal of better understanding women’s perspectives when faced with complex barriers. …


Improving Stream Connectivity In South Dakota, Colton Rainier Curtis Jan 2024

Improving Stream Connectivity In South Dakota, Colton Rainier Curtis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Stream connectivity is crucial for fish movement and genetic diversity in fragmented landscapes. Road-crossings often act as barriers, disrupting hydrology and isolating fish populations. The Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership (SARP) has developed rapid road-crossing assessment protocols and tools to prioritize restoration projects. However, managers lack tools for planning, directing, and initiating roadcrossing assessments. Managers also require modeling approaches to effectively identify and monitor road-crossings across dynamic stream networks. Presented here is a case study offering a roadmap for effective implementation of collaborative road-crossing assessments and prioritization of remediation projects, alongside an exploration of predictive modeling approaches to identify problematic crossings …


Belowground Growth Strategies Of Native And Invasive Rhizomatous Perennial Grasses In Response To Precipitation Variability, Clipping, And Competition, Surendra Bam, Jacqueline P. Ott, Jack Butler, Lan Xu Oct 2023

Belowground Growth Strategies Of Native And Invasive Rhizomatous Perennial Grasses In Response To Precipitation Variability, Clipping, And Competition, Surendra Bam, Jacqueline P. Ott, Jack Butler, Lan Xu

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

Invasive clonal species may exhibit different growth strategies than their native clonal competitors. In this study, we examined the spatial distribution of tiller outgrowth and the bud bank by comparing the investment in phalanx versus guerilla growth of a native and invasive perennial grass in North America. We also examined the efect of altered precipitation frequency, clipping, and competition on their clonal growth strategies. Investment in phalanx and guerilla growth was assessed by examining live propagule and tiller production from the plant crown versus its rhizomes. Although invasive Bromus inermis and native Pascopyrum smithii exhibited similar clonal growth strategies as …


Mineral Licks As A Potential Nidus For Parasite Transmission, William J. Severud, Todd M. Kautz, Jerrold L. Belant, Seth A. Moore Sep 2023

Mineral Licks As A Potential Nidus For Parasite Transmission, William J. Severud, Todd M. Kautz, Jerrold L. Belant, Seth A. Moore

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

Discrete landscape features can concentrate animals in time and space, leading to non-random interspecific encounters. These encounters have implications for predator-prey interactions, habitat selection, intraspecific competition, and transmission of parasites and other pathogens. The lifecycle of the parasitic nematode Parelaphostrongylus tenuis requires an intermediate host of a terrestrial gastropod. Natural hosts of P. tenuis are whitetailed deer, and an aberrant host of conservation concern is moose, which are susceptible to high levels of mortality as a naive host to the parasite. Intermediate hosts become infected when P. tenuis larvae are shed in deer feces, then consumed or enter the gastropod …