Natural Resources and Conservation Commons^™

Functional Connectivity Varies Across Scales In A Fragmented Landscape, Kate I. T. Bird, Daniel R. Uden, Craig R. Allen

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Species of different sizes interact with the landscape differently because ecological structure varies with scale, as do species movement capabilities and habitat requirements. As such, landscape connectivity is dependent upon the scale at which an animal interacts with its environment. Analyses of landscape connectivity must incorporate ecologically relevant scales to address scale-specific differences. Many evaluations of landscape connectivity utilize incrementally increasing buffer distances or other arbitrary spatial delineations as scales of analysis. Instead, we used a mammalian body mass discontinuity analysis to objectively identify scales in the Central Platte River Valley (CPRV) of Nebraska, U.S.A. We implemented a graph-theoretic network …

Optimizing Edge-Of-Field Water Quality Monitoring Methods To Determine The Effects Of Best Management Practices On Nutrient And Sediment Runoff, Mark Hill

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the impact on water quality of combined agricultural best management practices cover crop and minimum tillage, alongside an examination of techniques used to collect those samples. Edge-of-field (EOF) water quality samples were collected from 11 working farms during a two-year paired field experiment. Results showed significant reductions in nutrient concentrations, increased discharge, and mixed findings regarding nutrient mass transport post-treatment. A suite of EOF collection techniques were compared using in-situ automated water sampling systems sampling the same runoff events. Sampling protocols influenced nutrient concentrations in composite samples, but unexpected variance in velocity sensors affected measured discharge, making …

A Four-Pronged Approach To Addressing A Wild Pig Invasion In A Bottomland And Upland Forested Landscape, Tyler Scott Evans

Theses and Dissertations

Among exotic species that are capable of invading, establishing, and reaching pest status, few pose the range of impacts to biotic (e.g., competition with native species, predation, herbivory, introduction of other exotics) and abiotic (e.g., soil, hydrology) ecosystem components that can be attributed to the wild pig (Sus scrofa). Despite the presence of wild pigs throughout the southeastern United States for centuries, new invasions continue to occur in previously uninhabited and often under-investigated landscapes, including bottomland and upland forests. The recent invasion of the Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge (hereafter, NNWR) in east-central Mississippi represents an …

Investigating The Role Of Plant Traits And Interactions In Emergent Wetland Nutrient Removal, Andrew Ryan Sample

Theses and Dissertations

Increasing wetland restoration in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley has been identified as a method to reduce nutrient loading in the Gulf of Mexico. Wetlands have historically been used to treat water through processes facilitated by wetland plants, and relatively few species and plant traits have been identified as important in carrying out these processes. This study focuses on some of those species and traits and aims to identify species differences and plant traits that may be important for wetland nutrient mitigation. Chapter I provides background information on nutrient pollution, wetland biogeochemical mechanisms for nutrient sequestration, and the focal species …

Can Gulf Ribbed Mussels Enhance Coastal Restoration Projects In A Future With Climate Change?, Skylar Liner

LSU Master's Theses

Living shorelines present one restoration approach using biotic elements (via ecosystem engineers) to stabilize shorelines and increase valuable habitat. Gulf ribbed mussels (Geukensia granosissima) are important ecosystem engineers within brackish and salt marshes in the northern Gulf of Mexico, and can increase nutrient availability, enhance marsh vegetation production, and potentially improve shoreline stability. It is unknown whether mussels will maintain these functions as future climate change predicts increases in temperature and water level, which may exceed the mussel’s tolerance. A field survey conducted during the summer of 2022 identified the daily maximum temperature at the marsh surface, where mussels naturally …

Communication In The Science-Policy Interface: Evidence From A Boundary Organization In Nebraska, Usa, Sechindra Vallury, Brian C. Chaffin, Samantha L. Hamlin, Craig R. Allen

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Boundary organizations have a crucial function in environmental governance by facilitating the processes through which scientists and decision-makers generate, exchange, evaluate, and utilize knowledge to identify societal problems, propose potential solutions, and make decisions on appropriate courses of action. This support for evidence-informed decision making is essential in addressing environmental challenges effectively. Despite the growing popularity of boundary organizations, there remains a significant challenge in designing information dissemination platforms to bridge the communication divide between scientific experts and non-experts. To address this gap, we used natural language processing tools to analyze the communication strategies of a specific boundary organization — …

Early Career Aquatic Scientists Forge New Connections At Eco-Das Xv, Olivia J. Graham, Alia Al-Haj, Eleanor C. Arrington, Emily R. Arsenault, Carolina C. Barbosa, Kadir Bice, Evie Brahmstedt, S. River D. Bryant, Xun Cai, Stacy Calhoun-Grosch, Joshua Culpepper, Katherine Dale, Derek J. Detweiler, Katlin D. Doughty, Kyle A. Emery, Kara Gadeken, Laura Griffiths, Atefeh Hosseini, Catriona Jones, Hadis Miraly, Alexander W. Mott, Karla Münzner, Igor Ogashawara, Carly R. Olson, Joseph S. Rabaey, Walter A. Rich, Phoenix A. Rogers, Meredith Evans Seeley, Lorena Selak, Qipei Shangguan, Kelsey J. Solomon, Xinyu Sun, Spencer J. Tassone, Audrey Thellman, John Tracey, Jilian Xiong, Tianfei Xue

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

A sense of kuleana (personal responsibility) in caring for the land and sea. An appreciation for laulima (many hands cooperating). An understanding of aloha ’āina (love of the land). The University of Hawai’i at Manoa hosted the 2023 Ecological Dissertations in Aquatic Sciences (Eco-DAS) program, which fostered each of these intentions by bringing together a team of early career aquatic ecologists for a week of networking and collaborative, interdisciplinary project development (Fig. 1).

Understanding The Factors Affecting Nebraskan Farmers’ And Landowners' Decision To Adopt Precision Agricultural Technologies And Programs, Corrin C. Winter

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

Advisors: Andrew Little, Christopher Chizinski

To gain insights into the challenges faced by Nebraska farmers and landowners when adopting precision agriculture technologies, I analyzed data collected from a 2022 survey involving 7,503 participants, consisting of producers and farmland owners from across the state of Nebraska. The primary objective was to provide valuable insights for agencies seeking to improve their precision agriculture and conservation outreach efforts for the benefit of conservation and Nebraskan farmers and landowners. This study aimed to understand key factors influencing adoption behaviors by evaluating the constraints to precision agriculture adoption, assessing the impact of producer and landowner …

Assessing Determinants Of Participation In Conservation Programs In The U. S., Manita Ale

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has implemented conservation programs through Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Farm Service Agency (FSA). Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), and Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) are some of them. These programs provide financial and technical assistance to farmers and ranchers to adopt land management practices that generate environmental benefits. In this study, we explore the determinants of participation in conservation programs (CRP, CSP, EQIP) in Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska. For this, we use a unique survey-based data set comprising observations from row crop farmers in these states. We are …

Informing Management Strategy For The Relict Leopard Frog (Rana Onca): Insights Into Breeding Biology And An Attempt To Improve Augmentation Success Through Pre-Exposure And Clearance Of An Emerging Amphibian Pathogen, Rebeca Rivera

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Relict Leopard Frog, Rana onca, is a species of conservation concern that suffered a decline sometime during the 20th century. Even after two decades of intensive management, the species currently only occupies 20 spring sites in southern Nevada and northwestern Arizona. The causes for the historical decline are mostly speculative, but relate to habitat loss, introduced predators, and emergent disease. Since 2001, R. onca has been under an intensive conservationprogram managed by a multiagency conservation team. There are several objectives specified in the program including the need to investigate the biology of the species and incorporate findings into …

Leveraging Eco-Evolutionary Models For Gene Drive Risk Assessment, Matthew A. Combs, Andrew J. Golnar, Justin M. Overcash, Alun L. Lloyd, Keith R. Hayes, David A. O'Brochta, Kim M. Pepin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Engineered gene drives create potential for both widespread benefits and irreversible harms to ecosystems. CRISPR-based systems of allelic conversion have rapidly accelerated gene drive research across diverse taxa, putting field trials and their necessary risk assessments on the horizon. Dynamic processbased models provide flexible quantitative platforms to predict gene drive outcomes in the context of system-specific ecological and evolutionary features. Here, we synthesize gene drive dynamic modeling studies to highlight research trends, knowledge gaps, and emergent principles, organized around their genetic, demographic, spatial, environmental, and implementation features. We identify the phenomena that most significantly influence model predictions, discuss limitations of …

Geospatial Wildfire Risk Prediction Using Deep Learning, Abner Alberto Benavides

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This report introduces a thorough analysis of wildfire prediction using satellite imagery by applying deep learning techniques. To find wildfire-prone geographical data, we use U-Net, a convolutional neural network known for its effectiveness in biomedical image segmentation. The input to the model is the Sentinel-2 multispectral images to supply a complete view of the terrain features.

We evaluated the wildfire risk prediction model’s performance using several metrics. The model showed high accuracy, with a weighted average F1 score of 0.91 and an AUC-ROC score of 0.972. These results suggest that the model is exceptionally good at predicting the location of …

Light Alters Leaf Breakdown Rates And Metabolic Activity In Anthropogenically Impacted Nebraska Streams, William Reilly Farrell

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

Algal growth influences carbon breakdown rates in aquatic ecosystems; however, the magnitude and direction of these effects differ based on ecosystem context. To explore algal priming effects on decomposition in anthropogenically impacted ecosystems, I conducted light manipulation experiments in three streams, each surrounded by different land uses (i.e., predominantly urban, row crop, or concentrated animal feeding operation) across Nebraska. I measured leaf breakdown rates, metabolic activity, fungal and algal biomass, and leaf percent carbon (C) and phosphorus (P) to assess the effect of light differences. These streams were impacted by sedimentation and turbidity over the course of the leaf incubation. …

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 …

Critical Factors And Individual Decision Making In Earthquake And Tsunami Preparedness Among Coastal Communities In Oregon U.S.A., Shelley Olds

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

Earthquakes and tsunamis are natural hazards that cause considerable loss of life, destruction of property and infrastructure, and economic damage. Preparedness is critical in regions of significant earthquake and tsunami risk. A key challenge for organizations that manage hazard preparedness and response is mobilizing earthquake preparedness among individuals and families. This dissertation provides an examination of individual earthquake and tsunami preparedness from both a global and regional perspective. It comprises two publications that explore various aspects of disaster preparedness.

Chapter One provides an overview of global seismic and tsunami hazards, along with potential impacts, and addresses the challenges in promoting …

Annotation Of Non-Model Species’ Genomes, Taiya Jarva

Master's Theses

The innovations in high throughput sequencing technologies in recent decades has allowed unprecedented examination and characterization of the genetic make-up of both model and non-model species, which has led to a surge in the use of genomics in fields which were previously considered unfeasible. These advances have greatly expanded the realm of possibilities in the fields of ecology and conservation. It is now possible to the identification of large cohorts of genetic markers, including single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and larger structural variants, as well as signatures of selection and local adaptation. Markers can be used to identify species, define population …

Waterbody Size Predicts Bank- And Boat-Angler Efforts, Derek S. Kane, Kevin L. Pope, Keith D. Koupal, Mark A. Pegg, Christopher J. Chizinski, Mark A. Kaemingk

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Bank- and boat-angler efforts are logistically difficult and costly to estimate, preventing landscape-scale estimates that are required to address current and future challenges (e.g., climate change, invasive species) for inland recreational fisheries. Using a large Nebraska, USA, recreational fishery dataset (N = 67 waterbodies), we demonstrate that waterbody size can be used to predict bank- and boat-angler efforts across a heterogeneous landscape of extra small (< 104 ha) and large (> 647 ha) waterbodies. Bank and boat anglers respond to waterbody size, however these relationships appear to be unique between the two angler types. Boat-angler efforts increased as a function of waterbody size, whereas bank-angler …

Xianghe Integrated Observatory Of Climate And Environment, Institute Of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy Of Sciences

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

No abstract provided.

Integrated Observation And Research On Climate And Environment From Boundary Layer To Middle And Upper Levels Of Atmosphere, Xiang’Ao Xia, Yufang Tian, Yunfei Wu, Jing Yang, Dongsheng Ji, Jinqiang Zhang, Renjian Zhang, Pucai Wang, Hongbin Chen, Xiushu Qie, Daren Lü

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

After more than 50 years of development, the Xianghe station (XH), Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has been equipped with comprehensive detection capabilities covering from the boundary layer to the middle and upper levels of the atmosphere. As one of the few atmospheric integrated field scientific test stations in the world, XH has joined a number of important networks. Many large international field campaigns have been carried out. Long-term continuous observation data are widely used to study exchange of energy and mass in the middle and upper atmosphere, atmospheric physical chemistry and air quality in the boundary …

Implementation Path And Strategic Planning Of Winning The Battle Of “Three-North” And Reconstructing “New Three-North”, Qi Lu, Chunlei Xiao, Yingshuang Bao, Mengchun Cui, Xiaoming Cao, Xiao Que, Liu Yang, Guipeng Cui

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Over the past 45 years, China has accomplished great achievements in carrying out “Three-North” project. Through largescale vegetation construction, the trends of land desertification, soil salinization, soil erosion and the deterioration of people’s living environment in the “Three-North” areas have been effectively restrained. The people in the desert area are getting rid of poverty and living a healthy life. In the new era, the “Three-North” project has encountered new demands, new challenges and new opportunities, and it is urgent to achieve a significant transform and upgrade and to improve quality and efficiency. This paper summarizes the current situation of the …

The Battle On The Edge Of Hexi Corridor–Taklimakan Desert: Wind-Blown Sand Situation And Prevention Tasks Of Desertification Control, Jiaqiang Lei, Xin Gao, Yongcheng Zhao, Heqiang Du, Qing He, Hongjing Ren, Xiaoyu Meng, Zihao Hu, Zuowei Yang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

In order to implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech on strengthening the comprehensive control of desertification and promoting key ecological engineering projects such as the “Three-North Shelterbelt Program”, this study is designated to make concrete efforts to win the battle against desertification on the edge of Hexi Corridor—Taklimakan Desert. The study deeply explores the situation of wind-blown sand flux and prevention tasks in the area. Based on the characteristics of desertified land and wind-blown sand activities on the edge of Hexi Corridor—Taklimakan Desert, the goal is set to effectively prevent the spread of sand and control …

China’S Governance: Strategy Choice And Future Vision For Combating Desertification, Guipeng Cui, Chunlei Xiao, Jiaqiang Lei, Xiaosong Li, Yingshuang Bao, Qi Lu

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

China has made remarkable achievements in combating desertification over the past 70 years. At present, China has entered a new stage of combating desertification while facing many problems such as large desertification land base and high difficulty in combating desertification, and it is more important to meet the national strategic needs of ecological construction, rural revitalization, and the development and utilization of renewable energy in desert, Gobi, and wasteland areas. The strategic choice of combating desertification in China in the new era is overall improvement and key breakthroughs. The core of the strategy is whole-area governance, innovation-driven, and technology integration. …

A Thermodynamics-Based Versatile Evapotranspiration Estimation Method Of Minimum Data Requirement For Water Resources Investigations, Jozsef Szilagyi, Richard D. Crago

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

A recent, two-parameter version of the thermodynamically derived complementary relationship (CR) of evaporation has been tested on a monthly basis at 124 FLUXNET stations around the globe. Local, station-by-station calibration explained 91% (R2) of the variance in eddy-covariance (EC) obtained latent-heat fluxes with the same Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) value. When the dimensionless Priestley-Taylor parameter (α) was expressed as a universal function (f) of the estimated wet-environment air temperature (Tw), station-by-station calibration of the single dimensionless parameter, b (accounting for moisture advection), yielded an R² value of 87% and NSE of 86%. Global calibration (all stations …

Droughtscape, Summer 2023, National Drought Mitigation Center

DroughtScape: Quarterly Newsletter of the National Drought Mitigation Center (2007–2023)

DroughtScape, Summer 2023

Mentoring Experiences Of Undergraduate Students And Faculty Members In Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics, Pamela Martínez Oquendo

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

I present a comprehensive view of mentoring experiences of undergraduate students and faculty members in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). In Chapter 1, I describe a brief outline of this dissertation. In Chapter 2, I present an interpretative phenomenological analysis of the lived experiences of former STEM undergraduate mentors of the Nebraska STEM For You (NE STEM 4U) afterschool mentoring program. In Chapter 3, I describe how the ramifications of faculty mentorship influence the science pipeline using a qualitative synthesis. In Chapter 4, I describe how the STEM faculty-student mentoring engagement involves a strong psychological support component using a …

Influence Of Woody Vegetation Composition And Structure On Fuels And Prescribed Fire In Mountain Longleaf Restoration, Collin J. Anderson

Master of Science in Integrative Biology Theses

Longleaf pine (LLP) ecosystems have experienced a widespread ecological state shift largely due to fire exclusion which has allowed mesophytes, i.e., shade-tolerant, often fire-sensitive species to encroach, reducing flammability and biodiversity through a process known as “mesophication.” Although prescribed fire is commonly used to reverse mesophication, fire behavior, and thus prescribed fire utility for this purpose, is poorly characterized in mixed pine-hardwood stands with mesophyte encroachment. This study aimed to identify mechanisms by which tree composition, structure, and fuels contribute to fire behavior, focusing on the understudied mountain longleaf pine (MLLP) ecoregion in northwest Georgia. I hypothesized that woody vegetation …

Convergence And Transdisciplinary Teaching In Quantitative Biology, Robert Mayes, Joseph Dauer, David Owens

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The United States National Science and Technology Council has made a call for improving STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education at the convergence of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The National Science Foundation (NSF) views convergence as the merging of ideas, approaches, and technologies from widely diverse fields of knowledge to stimulate innovation and discovery. Teaching convergency requires moving to the transdisciplinary level of integration where there is deep integration of skills, disciplines, and knowledge to solve a challenging real-world problem. Here we present a summary on convergence and transdisciplinary teaching. We then provide examples of convergence and transdisciplinary …

Mass Spectrometry Of The White Adipose Metabolome In A Hibernating Mammal Reveals Seasonal Changes In Alternate Fuels And Carnitine Derivatives, Frazer I. Heinis, Sophie Alvarez, Matthew T. Andrews

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Mammalian hibernators undergo substantial changes in metabolic function throughout the seasonal hibernation cycle. We report here the polar metabolomic profile of white adipose tissue isolated from active and hibernating thirteen-lined ground squirrels (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus). Polar compounds in white adipose tissue were extracted from five groups representing different timepoints throughout the seasonal activity-torpor cycle and analyzed using hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry in both the positive and negative ion modes. A total of 224 compounds out of 660 features detected after curation were annotated. Unsupervised clustering using principal component analysis revealed discrete clusters representing the different seasonal timepoints throughout …

Biological Case Against Downlisting The Whooping Crane And For Improving Implementation Under The Endangered Species Act, Andrew J. Caven, Hillary L. Thompson, David M. Baasch, Barry K. Hartup, Amanda M. Hegg, Stephanie M. Schmidt, Irvin Louque, Craig R. Allen, Carter G. Crouch, Craig A. Davis, Joel G. Jorgensen, Jane E. Austin, Bethany L. Ostrom, Richard D. Beilfuss, George W. Archibald, Anne E. Lacy

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The Whooping Crane (Grus americana; WHCR) is a large, long-lived bird endemic to North America. The remnant population migrates between Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, USA, and Wood Buffalo National Park, Canada (AWBP), and has recovered from a nadir of 15-16 birds in 1941 to ~540 birds in 2022. Two ongoing reintroduction efforts in Louisiana and the Eastern Flyway together total ~150 birds. Evidence indicates the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is strongly considering downlisting the species from an endangered to a threatened status under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). We examined the current status of the WHCR through the …

Combining Cosmic-Ray Neutron Sensor And Fallout 137Cs To Explore The Connection Of Soil Water Content With Soil Redistribution In An Agroforestry Hillslope, Leticia Gaspar, Trenton E. Franz, Arturo Catalá, Iván Lizaga, María Concepción Ramos, Ana Navas

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

To ensure sustainable agricultural management, there is a need not only to quantify soil erosion rates but also to obtain information on the status of soil water content and soil loss under different soil types and land uses. A clear understanding of the temporal dynamics and the soil moisture spatial variability (SMSV) will help to control soil degradation by hydrological processes. This study represents the first attempt connecting cosmic-ray neutron sensors (CRNS) with soil erosion research, a novel approach to explore the complex relationships between soil water content (SWC) and soil redistribution processes using two of the most powerful nuclear …