Natural Resources and Conservation Commons^™

Using Earth Science Research Projects To Develop Collaboration Between Scientists At A Research University And K-12 Educators: Insights For Future Efforts, David C. Gosselin, Richard Levy, Ronald J. Bonnstetter

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The main goal of this pilot project was to improve collaboration between scientists at a large research university and K-12 educators. By involving scientists and K-12 educators in Earth systems research, we hoped to improve scientists’ awareness of current pedagogy and classroom practices, improve K-12 teachers understanding of actual scientific research and expose each group to the other’s unique culture. Eight research teams (comprising a scientist, pre-service teacher and an in-service teacher) participated in a four-week research experience, attended three half-day workshops, and participated in focus group interviews. This experience reinforced K-12 teachers views that scientific inquiry must be integrated …

Ecophysiology Of Seedlings Of Three Mediterranean Pine Species In Contrasting Light Regimes, Tala Awada, Kalliopi Radoglou, Mariangela N. Fotelli, Helen I. A. Constantinidou

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Seasonal dynamics of net photosynthesis (A_net) in 2-year-old seedlings of Pinus brutia Ten., Pinus pinea L. and Pinus pinaster Ait. were investigated. Seedlings were grown in the field in two light regimes: sun (ambient light) and shade (25% of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR)). Repeated measures analyses over a 12-month period showed that A_net varied significantly among species and from season to season. Maximum A_net in sun-acclimated seedlings was low in winter (yet remained positive) and peaked during summer. Maximum A_net was observed in June in P. pinea (12 μmol m^–2 s^–1), …

Fire Climate Interactions And Predicting Fire Season Severity In The Mediterranean Climate Areas Of California, Southern Oregon, And Western Nevada, Alan H. Taylor, Carl N. Skinner, Andrew M. Carleton, Scott L. Stephens, Valerie Trouet, Bernd Haupt, Andrew Pierce

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

• We identified annual area burned for 37 National Forests in Washington, Oregon, and California between 1929 and 2004 from annual fire reports. Variation in area burned each year on National Forest lands is strongly related (r2 = 0.87) to total area burned in California. This indicates area burned in National Forests is a good indicator of total area burned in a state. • Four large groups of National Forests were identified that had similar temporal patterns of fire extent. Three of these groups were spatially coherent and included mainly: 1) Washington and northern Oregon; 2) northern California and California …

Avhrr-Based Spectral Vegetation Index For Quantitative Assessment Of Vegetation State And Productivity: Calibration And Validation, Felix Kogan, Anatoly A. Gitelson, Edige Zakarin, Lev Spivak, Lubov Lebed

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The goal of the work was to estimate, quantitatively, vegetation state and productivity using AVHRR-based Vegetation Condition Index (VCI). The VCI algorithm includes application of post-launch calibration to visible channels, calculation of NDVI from channels’ reflectance, removal of high-frequency noise from NDVI’s annual time series, stratification of ecosystem resources, and separation of ecosystem and weather components in the NDVI value. The weather component was calculated by normalizing the NDVI to the difference of the extreme NDVI fluctuations (maximum and minimum), derived from multi-year data for each week and land pixel. The VCI was compared with wheat density measured in Kazakhstan. …

A Guide To Prairie And Wetland Restoration In Eastern Nebraska, Gerry Steinauer, Bill Whitney, Krista Adams, Mike Bullerman, Chris Helzer

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: White Papers, Conference Presentations, and Manuscripts

This publication documents the restoration methods originally developed by Bill Whitney and later refined by himself and other ecologists from TNC, PRCT, NGPC and USFWS working in eastern Nebraska. Restoration of the following plant community types is covered in this document: tallgrass prairie, mixed-grass prairie, sand prairie, freshwater wet meadow and marsh, Rainwater Basin wet meadow and marsh, and saline wet meadow and marsh.

The methods we use are generally affordable and not complicated. To quickly summarize, we handpick and machine harvest seed, do little seed cleaning and broadcast plant with a fertilizer spreader. We do not mow annual weeds …

2003 Survey Of Priority Natural Communities In Jefferson County, Nebraska, Robert F. Steinauer

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: White Papers, Conference Presentations, and Manuscripts

This survey was undertaken to update information on native plant communities and wildlife habitats in Nebraska to facilitate the development of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s (NGPC) Comprehensive Wildlife Plan. The specific intent of the project was to identify and map all large blocks of privately owned native plant communities within the survey area. In 2003, the surveys focused on eastern Nebraska, specifically deciduous forest communities along the Missouri River, tallgrass prairies of southeastern Nebraska (Pawnee, Gage, Jefferson, and eastern Thayer counties), and loess mixed-grass prairies in central Nebraska. A brief survey of the Elkhorn River valley in Madison …

Indirect Evidence Of Density-Dependent Population Regulation In Aponomma Hydrosauri (Acari: Ixodidae), An Ectoparasite Of Reptiles, Andrew J. Tyre, C. Michael Bull, Brigitte Tenhumberg, Neil Chilton

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The extent to which density-dependent processes regulate natural populations is the subject of an ongoing debate. We contribute evidence to this debate showing that density-dependent processes influence the population dynamics of the ectoparasite Aponomma hydrosauri (Acari: Ixodidae), a tick species that infests reptiles in Australia. The first piece of evidence comes from an unusually long-term dataset on the distribution of ticks among individual hosts. If density-dependent processes are influencing either host mortality or vital rates of the parasite population, and those distributions can be approximated with negative binomial distributions, then general host– parasite models predict that the aggregation coefficient of …

The Ceres-Rice Model-Based Estimates Of Potential Monsoon Season Rainfed Rice Productivity In Bangladesh, Rezaul Mahmood, Mark Meo, David R. Legates, Mark L. Morrissey

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Agricultural practices in Bangladesh are largely dependent on the monsoonal rainfall. Historically, Bangladesh often experiences severe droughts and floods during the monsoon months, with significant crop losses during both extreme conditions. This article provides a quantitative assessment of potential monsoon-season aman rice for four transplanting dates: 1 June, 1 July, 15 July, and 15 August. A crop-growth simulation model, the CERES-Rice, is applied to sixteen locations representing major rice-growing regions of Bangladesh to determine baseline yield estimates for four transplanting dates. The applications were conducted for 1975 through 1987. Average potential yield in Bangladesh is 6,907, 5,039, 3,637, and 1,762 …

Democratizing Science, Management, And Public Policy In The Missouri River Ecosystem: A Pilot Study Of Agricultural Producers' Amenability To Adaptive And Collaborative Management, Meghan Sittler

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

Agricultural stakeholder involvement is central to the National Academy of Sciences' (NAS) National Research Council (NRC)(2002) recommendation for development and implementation of adaptive, ecosystem management principles, as well as the definition of a new management regime for the Missouri River. This document represents a pilot study of fifteen agricultural producers in three counties, Atchison County, Missouri, Fremont County, Iowa, and Otoe County, Nebraska, who were contacted via telephone and completed structured interviews. The interview questions centered upon the producers' relationship to the river, perceptions of the current management of the river, and willingness to support and participate in a proposed …

Crab Louse Infestation In Pre-Columbian America, F. M. Rick, G. C. Rocha, K. Dittmar, C. E. A. Coimbra Jr., Karl J. Reinhard, F. Bouchet, L. F. Ferreira, A. Araújo

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Until now, Pthirus pubis infestation in ancient human populations had only been recorded in the Old World. We found crab lice on South American mummified bodies from the Atacama Desert region. Crab louse eggs were found attached to the pubic hairs of a 2,000-yr-old Chilean mummy. Well-preserved adults were found in sediment and clothing from a Peruvian mummy dated 1,000 yr ago. Paleoparasitological evidence expands the knowledge of the distribution of this ectoparasite in ancient populations. As with many other parasites, pubic lice recorded in Andean populations show the antiquity of this parasite in the New World. It is likely …

Analysis Of Integrated Farming Systems In Eastern Nebraska, Lori A. Hoagland

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

Agroecosystems in the U.S. are beset with social, ecological and environmental problems as large industrial farming methods are edging out small family-sized farms and replacing ecological services provided by biodiversity with synthetic inputs and practices. While many of the benefits of smaller diversified or integrated farming systems are well known, farm producers need a concrete model that shows how integration is possible and with what crops. The objective of this study was to investigate some of these supplemental farm activities, and identify and evaluate whether they were compatible given the time and resource constraints of a typical eastern Nebraska farm. …

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 34, No. 3/4 September/December 2002

The Prairie Naturalist

SEASONAL FOOD HABITS OF COYOTES IN NORTHEASTERN KANSAS ▪ J. F. Kamler, P. S. Gipson, and C. C. Perchellet

SELECTION OF NESTING HABITAT BY SHARP-TAILED GROUSE IN THE NEBRASKA SANDHILLS ▪ B. L. Prose, B. S. Cade, and D. Hein

PATTERNS OF REPRODUCTION FOR WESTERN HARVEST MICE IN NORTH-CENTRAL KANSAS ▪ J. R. Goheen, G. A. Kaufman, and D. W. Kaufman

THE IMPACT OF RECREATIONAL TRAILS AND GRAZING ON SMALL MAMMALS IN THE COLORADO PIEDMONT ▪ C. A. Meaney, A. K. Ruggles, N. W. Clippinger, and B. C. Lubow

CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNTS FOR NORTH DAKOTA 2001 ▪ R. N. Randall …

Environmental Controls Over Carbon Dioxide And Water Vapor Exchange Of Terrestrial Vegetation, B. E. Law, E. Falge, L. Gu, D. D. Baldocchi, P. Bakwin, P. Berbigier, K. Davis, A. J. Dolman, M. Falk, J. D. Fuentes, A. Goldstein, A. Granier, A. Grelle, D. Hollinger, I. A. Janssens, P. Jarvis, N. O. Jensen, G. Katul, K. Mahli, G. Matteucci, T. Meyers, R. Monson, W. Munger, W. Oechel, R. Olson, K. Pilegaard, K. T. Paw U, H. Thorgeirsson, R. Valentini, Shashi Verma, T. Vesala, K. Wilson, S. Wofsy

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The objective of this research was to compare seasonal and annual estimates of COM₂ and water vapor exchange across sites in forests, grasslands, crops, and tundra that are part of an international network called FLUXNET, and to investigating the responses of vegetation to environmental variables. FLUXNETs goals are to understand the mechanisms controlling the exchanges of CO₂,water vapor and energy across a spectrum of time and space scales, and to provide information for modeling of carbon and water cycling across regions and the globe. At a subset of sites, net carbon uptake (net ecosystem exchange, the net …

Phase And Amplitude Of Ecosystem Carbon Release And Uptake Potentials As Derived From Fluxnet Measurements, Eva Falge, John Tenhunen, Dennis D. Baldocchi, Marc Aubinet, Peter Bakwin, Paul Berbigier, Christian Bernhofer, Jean-Marc Bonnefond, George Burba, Robert Clement, Kenneth J. Davis, Jan A. Elbers, Matthias Falk, Allen H. Goldstein, Achim Grelle, Andre Granier, Thomas Grunwald, Jon Gundmondsson, David Hollinger, Ivan A. Janssens, Petri Keronen, Andrew S. Kowalski, Gabriel Katul, Beverly E. Law, Yadvinder Malhi, Tilden Meyers, Russell K. Monson, Eddy Moors, J. William Munger, Walt Oechel, Kyawtha Paw U, Kim Pilegaard, Ullar Rannik, Corinna Rebmann, Andrew E. Suyker, Halldor Thorgeirsson, Giampiero Tirone, Andrew Turnipseed, Kell Wilson, Steve Wofsy

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

As length and timing of the growing season are major factors explaining differences in carbon exchange of ecosystems, we analyzed seasonal patterns of net ecosystem carbon exchange (F_NEE) using eddy covariance data of the FLUXNET data base (http://www-eosdis.ornl.gov/FLUXNET). The study included boreal and temperate, deciduous and coniferous forests, Mediterranean evergreen systems, rainforest, native and managed temperate grasslands, tundra, and C3 and C4 crops. Generalization of seasonal patterns are useful for identifying functional vegetation types for global dynamic vegetation models, as well as for global inversion studies, and can help improve phenological modules in SVAT or biogeochemical models. …

Seasonality Of Ecosystem Respiration And Gross Primary Production As Derived From Fluxnet Measurements, Eva Falge, Dennis D. Baldocchi, John Tenhunen, Marc Aubinet, Peter Bakwin, Paul Berbigier, Christian Bernhofer, George Burba, Robert Clement, Kenneth J. Davis, Jan A. Elbers, Allen H. Goldstein, Achim Grelle, Andre Granier, Jon Gundmundsson, David Hollinger, Andrew S. Kowalski, Gabriel Katul, Beverly E. Law, Yadvinder Malhi, Tilden Meyers, Russell K. Monson, J. William Munger, Walt Oechel, Kyaw Tha Paw U, Kim Pilegaard, Ullar Rannik, Corinna Rebmann, Andrew E. Suyker, Riccardo Valentini, Kell Wilson, Steve Wofsy

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Differences in the seasonal pattern of assimilatory and respiratory processes are responsible for divergences in seasonal net carbon exchange among ecosystems. Using FLUXNET data (http://www.eosdis.ornl.gov/FLUXNET) we have analyzed seasonal patterns of gross primary productivity (F_GPP), and ecosystem respiration (F_RE) of boreal and temperate, deciduous and coniferous forests, Mediterranean evergreen systems, a rainforest, temperate grasslands, and C₃ and C₄ crops. Based on generalized seasonal patterns classifications of ecosystems into vegetation functional types can be evaluated for use in global productivity and climate change models. The results of this study contribute to our understanding …

Prairie Dogs And The Prairie Ecosystem, Scott E. Hygnstrom, Dallas R. Virchow

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Prairie dogs play an important role in the prairie ecosystem by creating unique patches of habitat in the expansive prairies of the American West. Their daily activities change the physical characteristics of the community, which leads to increased plant and animal diversity. Prairie dogs are a source of food for several predators, and their burrows provide homes for a variety of species, including the burrowing owl and endangered black-footed ferret. They also provide recreational opportunities for nature observers, photographers, and the sporting public. The presence of large, healthy prairie dog towns, however, is not always compatible with agriculture and other …

Field Guide To The Geology Of The Harlan County Lake Area, Harlan County, Nebraska, With A History Of Events Leading To Construction Of Harlan County Dam, Robert F. Diffendal Jr., Duane R. Mohlman, R. George Corner, F. Edwin Harvey, K. J. Warren, Scott Summerside, Roger K. Pabian, Duane A. Eversoll

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The year 2002 will mark the fiftieth anniversary of completion of the Harlan County Dam and Multi-Purpose Reservoir. This seems a good time to write about the history of and reasons for building the dam, the effects of the dam and reservoir on the Republican River valley, and the geologic features seen along the shores of the lake and areas nearby. As many junior authors helped produced this educational circular, they are listed in the table of contents. All other sections were written by the senior author.

Includes July 2016 update: Addendum of photographs showing fault traces on drought-exposed lake …

Effectiveness Of Frightening Devices For Reducing Deer Damage In Cornfields, Jason M. Gilsdorf

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

No abstract provided.

A Regional Gis-Based Analysis Of Elk Habitat Suitability In Northeast Nebraska, J W. Fisher

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

No abstract provided.

A Regional Gis-Based Analysis Of Elk Habitat Suitability In Northwestern Nebraska, Justin W. Fischer

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

The need to accurately assess the use and suitability of elk (Cervus elaphus spp.) habitat at regional scales will continue to increase as human development encroaches into what was once optimum elk habitat. The objectives of this research were to calculate the relative proportions of habitat use by elk in the Pine Ridge region of Northwestern Nebraska from a set of radio-collared elk locations and generate a habitat suitability model. Habitat variables (Iandcover type, aspect, slope, distance to a road, road density, and distance from the ponderosa pine edge) were measured for each elk location (n = 5,787 dating …

Influence Of Light And Nutrients On Atrazine Toxicity To Freshwater Algae, Crystal J. Hansen

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

No abstract provided.

Impact Of Irrigation On Midsummer Surface Fluxes And Temperature Under Dry Synoptic Conditions: A Regional Atmospheric Model Study Of The U.S. High Plains, Jimmy O. Adegoke, Roger A. Pielke Sr., J. Eastman, Rezaul Mahmood, Kenneth G. Hubbard

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The impact of irrigation on the surface energy budget in the U.S. high plains is investigated. Four 15-day simulations were conducted: one using a 1997 satellite-derived estimate of farmland acreage under irrigation in Nebraska (control run), two using the Olson Global Ecosystem (OGE) vegetation dataset (OGE wet run and OGE dry run), and the fourth with the Kuchler vegetation dataset (natural vegetation run) as lower boundary conditions in the Colorado State University Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS). In the control and OGE wet simulations, the topsoil in the irrigated locations, up to a depth of 0.2 m, was saturated at …

Structural And Geomorphological Evolution Of Huangshan (Yellow Mountain), Anhui Province, China, Pei-Hua Huang, Robert F. Diffendal Jr., Ming-Qing Yang

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Huangshan (Yellow Mountain) is an 1864-m granite massif situated at 30° 10′ N and 118° 11′ E, south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. The granite formed during the Early Cretaceous and was subsequently uplifted several times along faults. After the initial uplift, about 54 Ma, erosion proceeded to wear away the mountain for the next 30 Ma. By 24 Ma the Bright Summit Peneplain had formed. Renewed uplift in the Miocene along the same fault systems produced a mountain in the same place as the original one. This mountain was eroded to produce a second mature denudational …

Effect Of Time Of Temperature Observation And Estimation Of Daily Solar Radiation For The Northern Great Plains, Usa, Rezaul Mahmood, Kenneth Hubbard

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Daily incident solar radiation is an important input for numerous crop growth simulation models. However, lack of recorded solar radiation is a significant impediment for most crop–climate studies. The present study aimed to overcome the problem of sparse historical data of solar radiation over the northern Great Plains. The approach was to develop a physically based solar radiation model wherein estimates were possible with minimum input data. In addition, this study investigates impacts of time of observation bias on the model formulation. The proposed model (M-H) requires measured daily range of air temperature (maximum minus minimum) and estimated daily clear-sky …

Quality Control For Usda Nrcs Sm–St Network Soil Temperatures: A Method And A Dataset, Q. Steven Hu, Song Feng, Garry Schaefer

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

In 1991, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) established its Soil Moisture–Soil Temperature (SM–ST) Pilot Network consisting of 21 stations in 19 states in the contiguous United States. At each station, soil temperatures were measured at up to six different depths from 5.08 to 203.20 cm (or 2–80 in.) below the surface. Before 1997, the observations were made every 6 h, and they increased to hourly beginning in 1997. The goal of this network is to provide near–real time soil temperature and soil moisture observations in different regions across the United States for agricultural and …

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 34, No. 1/2 March/June 2002

The Prairie Naturalist

LOCALIZED MOVEMENTS AND SITE FIDELITY OF WHITETAILED DEER IN THE NORTHERN GREAT PLAINS ▪ B. J. Kernohan, J. A. Jenks, and D. E. Naugle

SPAWNING-SEASON HOMING OF COMMON CARP AND RIVER CARPSUCKER ▪ J. L. Bonneau and D. L. Scamecchia

HOME RANGES OF RING-NECKED PHEASANTS IN NORTHWESTERN KANSAS ▪ R. D. Applegate, B. E. Flock, P. S. Gipson, M. W. McCoy, and K. E. Kemp

RESPONSES OF BIGHORN SHEEP TO DISTURBANCE IN LOW-ELEVATION GRASSLANDS ▪ R. W. Sayre, R. W. Seabloom, and W. F. Jensen

DISTRIBUTION OF CHANNEL CATFISH LIFE STAGES IN A PRAIRIE RIVER BASIN ▪ . J. C. …

Anthropogenic Land-Use Change In The North American Tall Grass-Short Grass Transition And Modification Of Near-Surface Hydrologic Cycle, Rezaul Mamood, Kenneth Hubbard

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

During the 19th and 20th centuries, the landscape of the North American Great Plains was rapidly modified from natural grasslands to agricultural farmlands. These changes affected much of the continent with potential impacts in grasslands equal to deforestation elsewhere. Therefore, the resulting impacts on weather and climate should be studied. In this study, a soil water balance model is applied for 3 land uses at 3 locations. These locations are representative of the east to west declining precipitation gradient of the Great Plains. It was found, in McCook, Nebraska, for example, that annual total evapotranspiration for irrigated maize is 36% …

Pre-/Post-Knowledge Assessment Of An Earth Science Course For Elementary/Middle School Education Majors, David C. Gosselin, Joy L. Macklem-Hurst

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Many K-12 educators never experience active learning processes in their science courses that are part of their formal teacher preparation program because of the prevalence of the didactic teaching approach (lecture-read-answer) used in undergraduate science classrooms. From an educational perspective there are substantial benefits to experiencing the process of science through active learning strategies. A 16-week, one semester course entitled, “Earth Systems Science for Educators” has been designed at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to use an active learning approach to improve student knowledge of basic Earth science concepts. To evaluate the extent to which their knowledge has improved, we developed …

Rapid Ecological Assessment Of The Northern Mixedgrass Prairie Ecoregion (Nebraska Portion), Gerry Steinauer

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: White Papers, Conference Presentations, and Manuscripts

This study was conducted as part of The Nature Conservancy’s (TNC) project to conduct ecoregional conservation planning throughout the continental United States. TNC contracted with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (NGPC) to conduct a rapid ecological assessment (REA) of the portion of the Northern Mixedgrass Prairie ecoregion (NMGP) occurring in Nebraska. This report concludes that agreement. Roughly the northern 1/5 of central Nebraska occurs within the NMGP (Figure 1). This ecoregion also includes extensive area of central South Dakota and central North Dakota. The objective of this study was to conduct a REA of the untilled landscapes within the …

Energy Balance Closure At Fluxnet Sites, Kell Wilson, Allen Goldstein, Eva Falge, Marc Aubinet, Dennis D. Baldocchi, Paul Berbigier, Christian Bernhofer, Reinhart Ceulemans, Han Dolman, Chris Field, Achim Grelle, Andreas Ibrom, B. E. Law, Andy Kowalski, Tilden Meyers, John Moncrieff, Russ Monson, Walter Oechel, John Tenhunen, Shashi Verma, Riccardo Valentini

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

A comprehensive evaluation of energy balance closure is performed across 22 sites and 50 site-years in FLUXNET, a network of eddy covariance sites measuring long-term carbon and energy fluxes in contrasting ecosystems and climates. Energy balance closure was evaluated by statistical regression of turbulent energy fluxes (sensible and latent heat (LE)) against available energy (net radiation, less the energy stored) and by solving for the energy balance ratio, the ratio of turbulent energy fluxes to available energy. These methods indicate a general lack of closure at most sites, with amean imbalance in the order of 20%. The imbalance was prevalent …