Other Environmental Sciences Commons^™

Estimation Of Catchment Response Time Using A New Automated Event-Based Approach, E. Nagy, Jozsef Szilagyi, P. Torma

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Resilience Of Working Agricultural Landscapes, Shana Sundstrom, Jennifer Hodbod, Craig R. Allen

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Many alternative agricultural approaches have been developed as a response to the social and ecological costs of modern industrialized agriculture. These include diversified, organic, sustainably intensified, and ecologically intensified farming systems, each of which addresses different aspects of agriculture as a social-ecological system. However, clear theoretical models that account for human-nature coupling and the importance of scale are lacking. Global change, including climate change, land use change, and other human activities influencing social-ecological systems, is exacerbating uncertainty regarding agriculture system dynamics and increasing the need for comprehensive models that include a dynamical integration of socio-ecological-economic influences. Resilience theory and related …

A Statistical Evaluation Of Earth-Observation-Based Composite Drought Indices For A Localized Assessment Of Agricultural Drought In Pakistan, C. Schwartz, W. Lee Ellenburg, V. Mishra, T. Mayer, R. Griffin, F. Qamer, M. Matin, Tsegaye Tadesse

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Public Search Interests Related To Covid-19: Insights From Google Search Trends In Bangladesh, M. Ahamad, M. Ahmed, Daniel R. Uden

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Association Of Zoonotic Protozoan Parasites With Microplastics In Seawater: Implications For Human And Wildlife Health, E. Zhang, M. Kim, L. Rueda, C. Rochman, E. Vanwormer, J. Moore, K. Shapiro

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Remnant Prairies And High-Diversity Restorations Work Together To Support Wild Bees Season-Long, Katie Lamke, David A. Wedin, Judy Wu-Smart

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The presence of diverse bee communities in an ecosystem is vital for maintaining healthy plant communities, promoting habitat resilience, and supporting agriculture. In the US, wild bee declines have led to increased monitoring efforts, but there remain critical data gaps in much of the Midwest. Here, we sought to examine how variation in richness and abundance of flowering forbs influences the richness and abundance of wild bees across “remnant” tallgrass prairies, “high diversity” prairie restorations, and “low diversity” prairie restorations or degraded grasslands in eastern Nebraska. High-diversity plots attracted no bees in the early season due to a lack of …

Targeted Grazing And Mechanical Thinning Enhance Forest Stand Resilience Under A Narrow Range Of Wildfire Scenarios, V. M. Donovan, C. P. Roberts, D. T. Fogarty, David A. Wedin, D. Twidwell

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

When To Prepare: "Water" You Thinking About Drought?, O. G. Campbell, C. Schwartz, Deborah J. Bathke

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Polycentric Governance In Nebraska, U.S., For Ground And Surface Water, Theresa Jedd, Anthony B. Schutz, Mark Burbach

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

This chapter describes the locally driven, but centrally coordinated, water governance model in Nebraska, U.S. It offers a snapshot of water resources and the importance of agriculture, then moves to the relevant political institutions in the state, and federal controls related to water quantity. The focus of the chapter is on the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources’ (NeDNR) and Natural Resources Districts’ (NRDs) management of surface and groundwater, which has some distinct and some overlapping authority. The main area of overlap is in addressing the connection between ground and surface water, particularly in situations when either or both are over …

A Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory For Nebraska: Livestock And Coal Loom Large, Eric R. Holley, Adam Liska

Adam Liska Papers

Mitigation of climate change requires the systematic identification and cataloging of emissions sources at city, state, and national levels. In this study, an inventory of annual greenhouse gas emissions from the state of Nebraska was created based on industry data, and emissions inventories were completed each year from 1990 to 2016. Nebraska’s net emissions were found to increase from 56.2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents (MMtCO₂e) in 1990 to 87.4 MMtCO₂e in 2016. Agriculture was found to be the sector with the most emissions (36 MMtCO₂e) followed by electricity generation (21 MMtCO …

International Research Experience For Native American Students In Iot-Enabled Environmental Monitoring Technologies, J. Wang, J.M.D. Motschenbacher, A. Finley

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Towards Water Literacy: An Interdisciplinary Analysis Of Standards For Teaching And Learning About Humans And Water, Silvia‑Jessica Mostacedo‑Marasovic, Brooke Colleen Mott, Holly White, Cory T. Forbes

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Water is critical to sustain human existence. Water literacy involves understanding the interactions within and between natural and human dimensions of water systems to support informed decision-making, an important outcome for learners of all ages. It is therefore critical to foster water literacy in today’s global citizens, particularly through formal education. The purpose of this study, in tandem with a parallel study focusing on natural dimensions of water systems (Mostacedo-Marasovic et al., in press), is to examine water-related K-12 standards for teaching and learning about human dimensions of water systems to develop a comprehensive and transdisciplinary perspective on water education. …

Measuring The Social And Ecological Performance Of Agricultural Innovations On Rangelands: Progress And Plans For An Indicator Framework In The Ltar Network, S. Spiegal, N. P. Webb, E. H. Boughton, R. K. Boughton, A. Bentley Brymer, P. E. Clark, C. D. Holifield Collins, D. L. Hoover Et. Al

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Soil Resilience And Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi: How Fungi Can Inform Climate Change Mitigation And Adaptation In Maya Milpa Management, Courtney Mathers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In Mexico’s state of Yucatán, climate change impacts like prolonged and less predictable dry season length are manifesting as threats to agricultural production and food security. Nearly two thirds of Yucatán’s population is indigenous, many of whom live in rural communities that rely on rainfed subsistence agriculture (INEGI 2015). Ensuring sufficient food production in the face of climate change relies on the quality of agricultural soils. With both mismanagement of agricultural soils and climate change posing as threats to food production in Mexico, soil management practices that increase a soil quality should be identified and promoted. The primary objective of …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Readiness Assurance Testing As Part Of Team-Based Ecology Instruction, Danielle Berger, Larkin Powell

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Readiness Assurance Testing (RAT) incorporates content recall, immediate feedback and peer instruction, three strategies known to enhance student learning, into a single classroom activity. While iRAT and tRAT assessments are promising instructional tools, they are time-intensive to administer.

1.Do iRAT/tRAT tests promote student retention of content better than other in-class activities, justifying the investment of instructional time? 2.Are iRAT/tRAT tests beneficial across the spectrum of academic performance?

• Students get a larger proportion of RAT questions correct on exams than other multiple choice questions (Table 1, RAT~MC Intercept), supporting the claim that this instructional technique provides better content-retention than other …

Natural Resource System Size Can Be Used For Managing Recreational Use, D. S. Kane, K. L. Pope, K. D. Koupal, M. A. Pegg, C. Chizinski, M. Kaemingk

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

No Panacea Attractant For Wild Pigs (Sus Scrofa), But Season And Location Matter, Nathan P. Snow, Caitlin A. Kupferman, Michael J. Lavelle, Kim M. Pepin, Madeline H. Melton, Whitney J. Gann, Kurt C. Vercauteren, James C. Beasley

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are a prolific invasive species throughout many regions of the world that cause extensive economic and environmental damage. Trapping is a common strategy for reducing their populations with baits (i.e., food) and attractants (e.g., scents) used to lure wild pigs into traps. However, there is little information on which scent attractants may attract wild pigs more readily and rapidly across regions and seasons. We examined 60 scent attractants for wild pigs that could be used to increase trapping success across three seasons (winter, spring, and fall) and in two geographic regions, including a warm …

Predation Thresholds For Reintroduction Of Native Avifauna Following Suppression Of Invasive Brown Treesnakes On Guam, Robert M. Mcelderry, Eben H. Paxton, Andre V. Nguyen, Shane R. Siers

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The brown treesnake (BTS) (Boiga irregularis) invasion on Guåhan (in English, Guam) led to the extirpation of nearly all native forest birds. In recent years, methods have been developed to reduce BTS abundance on a landscape scale. To help assess the prospects for the successful reintroduction of native birds to Guåhan following BTS suppression, we modeled bird population persistence based on their life history characteristics and relative sensitivity to BTS predation. We constructed individual-based models and simulated BTS predation in hypothetical founding populations for each of seven candidate bird species. We represented BTS predation risk in two steps: …

Conserving Endangered Black-Footed Ferrets: Biological Threats, Political Challenges, And Lessons Learned, Travis M. Livieri, Steven C. Forrest, Marc R. Matchett, Stewart Breck

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

There may be few stories in the annals of wildlife management that are as dramatic as the near demise and comeback of the black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes). Endemic only to North America, this charming little carnivore found only in the continent’s central grasslands was hardly known to science until the mid-20th century. By then, vast colonies of the prey it depended on for food and shelter, the prairie dog (Cynomys spp.), had been wiped out through disease (sylvatic plague) and an agricultural industry with little tolerance for burrowing and grazing rodents. At its low point, the species’ …

Spatial Variability Of Silver Carp Population Demographics In A Large Tributary River, J. P. Werner, Q. J. Dean, Mark A. Pegg, M. J. Hamel

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

An Evaluation Of Carbon Indicators Of Soil Health In Long-Term Agricultural Experiments, D. Liptzin, C. E. Norris, S. B. Cappellazzi, G. Macbean, Andrew E. Suyker Et Al.

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Polycentric Governance In Nebraska, U.S., For Ground And Surface Water, T. Jedd, A. Schutz, M. Burbach

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Island Stories: Mapping The (Im)Mobility Trends Of Slow Onset Environmental Processes In Three Island Groups Of The Philippines, Sonja Ayeb-Karlsson, Noralene Uy

Environmental Science Faculty Publications

There is an immediate lack of people-centred empirical evidence investigating how slow onset events influence human (im)mobility across the globe. This represents an important knowledge gap that makes it difficult for climate policy to safeguard vulnerable populations (whether on the move or left behind). In this study, 48 qualitative focus group discussions in the Philippines elaborated around people’s (im)mobility pathways in the context of slow onset events. The selected collective storytelling approach effectively mapped out the (im)mobility trends of 12 different origin- and destination locations involving the perceptions of 414 women and men across six provinces on Luzon, the Visayas …

Does Fire And Herbicide Benefit Cattle Production In Invaded Grassland Landscapes?, N. A. Mcmillan, S. D. Fuhlendorf, L. E. Goodman, C. A. Davis, B. Luttbeg, R. G. Hamilton

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Foot Injuries In Michigan, Usa, Gray Wolves (Canis Lupus), 1992–2014, Daniel J. O'Brien, Dean E. Beyer Jr., Erin Largent, Julie R. Melotti, Caitlin N. Ott-Conn, Donald H. Lonsway, Thomas M. Cooley, Robert Atkinson, Michelle Clayson, Kelly A. Straka

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The range of gray wolves (Canis lupus) in the contiguous US is expanding. Research and monitoring to support population recovery and management often involves capture via foothold traps. A population-level epidemiologic assessment of the effect of trap injuries on wolf survival remains needed to inform management. We describe the baseline rate, type, and severity of foot injuries of wolves born 1992–2013 in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, evaluate the reliability of field-scoring trap-related injuries, and the effect of injuries on wolf survival. We assessed foot injuries by physical and radiographic exam at postmortem and/or time of capture for 351 wolves using the …

Olfactory Lures In Predator Control Do Not Increase Predation Risk To Birds In Areas Of Conservation Concern, Page Klug, Amy A. Yackel Adams, Robert N. Reed

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Context. Lethal control of predators is often undertaken to protect species of conservation concern. Traps are frequently baited to increase capture efficacy, but baited traps can potentially increase predation risk by attracting predators to protected areas. This is especially important if targeted predators can escape capture due to low trap success. Snake traps using live mouse lures may be beneficial if traps effectively remove snakes in the presence of birds and do not attract additional snakes to the area.

Aims. The present study evaluated whether mouse-lure traps in areas occupied by birds (simulated by deploying birdlure traps) could influence predation …

Wild Pig Removal Reduces Pathogenic Bacteria In Low-Order Streams, Sara A. Bolds, B. Graeme Lockaby, Latif Kalin, Stephen S. Ditchkoff, Mark D. Smith, Kurt Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Invasive wild pig populations have undergone enormous increases in the United States and particularly across the southern U.S. in recent years. High fecundity rates and abilities to adapt quickly to varied habitats have enabled pig populations to become entrenched and difficult to eliminate. The pigs cause many negative impacts on ecosystems including degradation of water quality through infusion of fecal contamination and other non-point source pollutants. Our goal was to determine the effects of pig removal on water quality in streams that were known to be significantly polluted by pig activity Bolds (J Environ Qual 50: 441–453, 2021). We compared …

How Is Pelagic Sargassum-Associated Biodiversity Assessed? Insights From The Literature, Kristie S.T. Alleyne

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Over the past decade unprecedented blooming of pelagic Sargassum has occurred across the Equatorial Atlantic from West Africa to the Caribbean. Although pelagic Sargassum mats are considered beneficial in the open ocean, providing valuable habitat for a diverse array of endemic and associated species, they also inundate coastal areas and cause a plethora of management challenges for fisheries, tourism, nearshore coastal ecosystems, public health and the socioeconomic welfare of coastal communities. In—water harvesting has been suggested as a desirable management solution to prevent shoreline inundation, but destruction of the associated biodiversity is a concern with this approach and has not …

Regenerating Agroecosystems By Overcoming Human Exceptionalism In Designing For Increased Equity Of Benefits From Ecoservices, Ali Loker, Charles A. Francis

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Our commentary explores three critical issues related to ecosystem services. First is how ecoservices are currently designed and implemented primarily for human benefit without concern for how these impact other species. We conclude that awareness of this imbalance is the first step toward meaningful change. Second we observe that human exceptionalism guides most decisions, and ask whether we can overcome this mind-set to embrace ecoregeneration and design of resilient and mutually beneficial agroecosystems. Our attitude toward the challenge and moving toward greater humility about human roles that guide management decisions in the ecosystem is a requisite for change. Third we …

Plague Risk In The Western United States Over Seven Decades Of Environmental Change, Colin J. Carlson, Sarah N. Bevins, Boris V. Schmid

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

After several pandemics over the last two millennia, the wildlife reservoirs of plague (Yersinia pestis) now persist around the world, including in the western United States. Routine surveillance in this region has generated comprehensive records of human cases and animal seroprevalence, creating a unique opportunity to test how plague reservoirs are responding to environmental change. Here, we test whether animal and human data suggest that plague reservoirs and spillover risk have shifted since 1950. To do so, we develop a new method for detecting the impact of climate change on infectious disease distributions, capable of disentangling long-term trends (signal) and …