Discovering Native Bees,
2011
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Discovering Native Bees, Alison P. Stevens
School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications
NATURAL SYSTEMS PROVIDE humans with a variety of services essential to our survival. Ecosystem services such as climate regulation, water purification, oxygen production, waste treatment and detoxification, flood prevention, and pollination are provided at no cost, yet their true value is immeasurable. In our economydriven world, these systems are often taken for granted, and as a consequence many are in peril. Understanding their role is a critical first step towards ensuring that they endure. Pollination, the process of moving pollen grains from one flower to another to stimulate fruit and seed production, is among the easiest of these services to …
Landscape Structure, Groundwater Dynamics, And Soil Water Content Influence Soil Respiration Across Riparian–Hillslope Transitions In The Tenderfoot Creek Experimental Forest, Montana,
2011
Montana State University - Bozeman
Landscape Structure, Groundwater Dynamics, And Soil Water Content Influence Soil Respiration Across Riparian–Hillslope Transitions In The Tenderfoot Creek Experimental Forest, Montana, Vincent J. Pacific, Diego Andrés Riveros-Iregui, Daniel L. Welsch, Howard E. Epstein
School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications
Variability in soil respiration at various spatial and temporal scales has been the focus of much research over the last decade aimed to improve our understanding and parameterization of physical and environmental controls on this flux. However, few studies have assessed the control of landscape position and groundwater table dynamics on the spatiotemporal variability of soil respiration. We investigated growing season soil respiration in a ~393 ha subalpine watershed in Montana across eight riparian–hillslope transitions that differed in slope, upslope accumulated area (UAA), aspect, and groundwater table dynamics. We collected daily-to-weekly measurements of soil water content (SWC), soil temperature, soil …
An Interannual Assessment Of The Relationship Between The Stable Carbon Isotopic Composition Of Ecosystem Respiration And Climate In A High‐Elevation Subalpine Forest,
2011
University of Nebraska - Lincoln
An Interannual Assessment Of The Relationship Between The Stable Carbon Isotopic Composition Of Ecosystem Respiration And Climate In A High‐Elevation Subalpine Forest, Diego Andrés Riveros-Iregui, Jia Hu, Sean Burns, David R. Bowling, Russell K. Monson
School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications
We measured the carbon isotopic composition (δ13C) of ecosystem respiration (δ13CR) in a subalpine forest across four growing seasons to examine whether patterns in δ13CR were consistent with those expected based on leaf‐level gas‐exchange theory, and in agreement with past studies of the relation between δ13CR and climate conducted across broad geographic regions. Conventional trends (i.e., less negative δ13CR with increased vapor pressure deficit (VPD) and air temperature (TAIR), and decreased soil moisture (θ)) were observed when we focused on the driest portions …
Integrating Info-Gap Decision Theory With Robust Population Management: A Case Study Using The Mountain Plover,
2011
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Integrating Info-Gap Decision Theory With Robust Population Management: A Case Study Using The Mountain Plover, Max Post Van Der Burg, Andrew J. Tyre
School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications
Wildlife managers often make decisions under considerable uncertainty. In the most extreme case, a complete lack of data leads to uncertainty that is unquantifiable.Information-gap decision theory deals with assessing management decisions under extreme uncertainty, but it is not widely used in wildlife management. So too, robust population management methods were developed to deal with uncertainties in multiple-model parameters.However, the two methods have not, as yet, been used in tandem to assess population management decisions. We provide a novel combination of the robust population management approach for matrix models with the information-gap decision theory framework for making conservation decisions under extreme …
Confronting Socially Generated Uncertainty In Adaptive Management,
2011
University of Nebraska at Lincoln
Confronting Socially Generated Uncertainty In Adaptive Management, Andrew J. Tyre, Sarah Michaels
School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications
As more and more organizations with responsibility for natural resource management adopt adaptive management as the rubric in which they wish to operate, it becomes increasingly important to consider the sources of uncertainty inherent in their endeavors. Without recognizing that uncertainty originates both in the natural world and in human undertakings, efforts to manage adaptively at the least will prove frustrating and at the worst will prove damaging to the very natural resources that are the management targets. There will be more surprises and those surprises potentially may prove at the very least unwanted and at the worst devastating. We …
Evaluating The Efficacy Of Adaptive Management Approaches: Is There A Formula For Success?,
2011
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Evaluating The Efficacy Of Adaptive Management Approaches: Is There A Formula For Success?, Jamie E. Mcfadden, Tim L. Hiller, Andrew J. Tyre
School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications
Within the field of natural-resources management, the application of adaptive management is appropriate for complex problems high in uncertainty. Adaptive management is becoming an increasingly popular management-decision tool within the scientific community and has developed into two primary schools of thought: the Resilience-Experimentalist School (with high emphasis on stakeholder involvement, resilience, and highly complex models) and the Decision-Theoretic School (which results in relatively simple models through emphasizing stakeholder involvement for identifying management objectives). Because of these differences, adaptive management plans implemented under each of these schools may yield varying levels of success. We evaluated peer-reviewed literature focused on incorporation of …
Review Of Mammalogy, 5th Edition By T. A. Vaughan, J. M. Ryan, And N. J. Czaplewski,
2011
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Review Of Mammalogy, 5th Edition By T. A. Vaughan, J. M. Ryan, And N. J. Czaplewski, Patricia W. Freeman
School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications
Last summer I spent time with old friends. Terry Vaughan and company have significantly updated their text, Mammalogy, for the 5th edition (2011). The book is 62% larger than the 1st edition in 1972 (Vaughan 1972). Vaughan, Ryan, and Czaplewski skewer topics with a simplicity derived from years of mammalian research and teaching, and it is a pure pleasure to read. The synthetic nature of Mammalogy (2011) and exceptional clarity in writing make this edition an ideal book that is not just for class. Because much new research has been integrated into each chapter, all mammalogists will appreciate new …
Review Of Mammalian Teeth: Origin, Evolution, And Diversity By Peter S. Ungar,
2011
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Review Of Mammalian Teeth: Origin, Evolution, And Diversity By Peter S. Ungar, Patricia W. Freeman
School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications
Peter Ungar has written a book on mammalian teeth, a topic close to the heart of mammalogy itself and most mammalogists. His distillation of the massive literature on teeth into a succinct whole will appeal to scientists and professionals across disciplines. With paleontological and extant dental research in one place I no longer have to search these areas separately to find what I want. Ungar’s broad background includes physical anthropology, anatomy, and paleontology. Further, he has been one of the pioneers using dental microwear to analyze diets in primates and geographic information systems (GISs) on a microscale to study cusps …
Estimating Daily Gross Primary Production Of Maize Based Only
On Modis Wdrvi And Shortwave Radiation Data,
2011
National Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan;
Estimating Daily Gross Primary Production Of Maize Based Only On Modis Wdrvi And Shortwave Radiation Data, Toshihiro Sakamoto, Anatoly Gitelson, Brian D. Wardlow, Shashi Verma, Andrew E. Suyker
School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications
Accurate assessment of temporal changes in gross primary production (GPP) is important for carbon budget assessments and evaluating the impact of climate change on crop productivity. The objective of this study was to devise a simple remote sensing- based GPP model to quantify daily GPP of maize. In the model, (1) daily shortwave radiation (SW), derived from the reanalysis data (North American Land Data Assimilation System; NLDAS-2) and (2) smoothed Wide Dynamic Range Vegetation Index (WDRVI) data, derived from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) 250-m observations were used as proxy variables of the incident photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and the …
Seasonal Energy And Water Balance Of A
Phragmites Australis-Dominated Wetland In The
Republican River Basin Of South-Central Nebraska (Usa),
2011
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Seasonal Energy And Water Balance Of A Phragmites Australis-Dominated Wetland In The Republican River Basin Of South-Central Nebraska (Usa), John D. Lenters, Gregory J. Cutrell, Erkan Istanbulluoglu, Durelle T. Scott, Kyle S. Herrman, Dean E. Eisenhauer
School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications
energy and water balance, especially in dry climatic regions, can have a significant impact on local water availability and, therefore, water resource management. The purpose of this study is to quantify the energy and water balance of a riparian wetland in a subhumid region of the central US, as well as the role of seasonal climate variability and vegetation phenology. The site is located in the Republican River basin in south-central Nebraska, where decreases in streamflow have been observed in recent decades. In an effort to reduce consumptive water use from evapotranspiration (ET), and thereby reclaim surface water, invasive species …
Assessing Net Ecosystem Carbon Exchange Of U.S. Terrestrial Ecosystems By
Integrating Eddy Covariance Flux Measurements And Satellite Observations,
2011
Purdue University
Assessing Net Ecosystem Carbon Exchange Of U.S. Terrestrial Ecosystems By Integrating Eddy Covariance Flux Measurements And Satellite Observations, Jingfeng Xiao, Qianlai Zhuang, Beverly E. Law, Dennis D. Baldocchi, Jiquan Chen, Andrew D. Richardson, Jerry M. Melillo, Kenneth J. Davis, David Y. Hollinger, Sonia Wharton, Ram Oren, Asko Noormets, Marc L. Fischer, Shashi Verma, David R. Cook, Ge Sun, Steve Mcnulty, Steven C. Wofsy, Paul V. Bolstad, Sean P. Burns, Peter S. Curtis, Bert G. Drake, Matthias Falk, David R. Foster, Lianhong Gu, Julian L. Hadley, Gabriel G. Katul, Marcy Litvak, Siyan Ma, Timothy A. Martin, Roser Matamala, Tilden P. Meyers, Russell K. Monson, J. William Munger, Walter C. Oechel, U. Kyaw Tha Paw, Hans Peter Schmid, Russell L. Scott, Gregory Starr, Andrew E. Suyker, Margaret S. Torn
School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications
More accurate projections of future carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere and associated climate change depend on improved scientific understanding of the terrestrial carbon cycle. Despite the consensus that U.S. terrestrial ecosystems provide a carbon sink, the size, distribution, and interannual variability of this sink remain uncertain. Here we report a terrestrial carbon sink in the conterminous U.S. at 0.63 pg C yr−1 with the majority of the sink in regions dominated by evergreen and deciduous forests and savannas. This estimate is based on our continuous estimates of net ecosystem carbon exchange (NEE) with high spatial (1 km) and …
Comparison And Analysis Of Empirical Equations
For Soil Heat Flux For Different Cropping
Systems And Irrigation Methods,
2011
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Comparison And Analysis Of Empirical Equations For Soil Heat Flux For Different Cropping Systems And Irrigation Methods, Ayse Kilic, R. K. Singh, Elizabeth A. Walter-Shea, Shashi Verma, Andrew E. Suyker
School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications
We evaluated the performance of four models for estimating soil heat flux density (G) in maize (Zea mays L.) and soybean (Glycine max L.) fields under different irrigation methods (center‐pivot irrigated fields at Mead, Nebraska, and subsurface drip irrigated field at Clay Center, Nebraska) and rainfed conditions at Mead. The model estimates were compared against measurements made during growing seasons of 2003, 2004, and 2005 at Mead and during 2005, 2006, and 2007 at Clay Center. We observed a strong relationship between the G and net radiation (Rn) ratio (G/Rn) and the normalized difference …
Farmer Perceptions Of Sustainable
Agriculture Practices And Drought Risk
Reduction In Nebraska, Usa,
2011
University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Farmer Perceptions Of Sustainable Agriculture Practices And Drought Risk Reduction In Nebraska, Usa, Cody L. Knutson, Tonya Haigh, Michael J. Hayes, Melissa Widhalm, J. Nothwehr, M. Kleinschmidt, L. Graf
School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications
Social factors, such as farming methods, have an impact on farm vulnerability to drought, but have received little research or policy attention. Some researchers and advocates have argued that sustainable agriculture systems are less vulnerable to climate risk than conventional systems because sustainable agriculture requires producers to have skills promoting adaptability. In this paper, we investigate producers’ perceptions on the use of sustainable agriculture in reducing drought risk, and what they believe would help them better adapt to drought. We surveyed and interviewed farmer members of two sustainable agriculture organizations in Nebraska, USA, during a multi-year drought period from 1999 …
Adaptive Harvest Management And Harvest Mortality
Of Greater Prairie-Chickens,
2011
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Adaptive Harvest Management And Harvest Mortality Of Greater Prairie-Chickens, Larkin A. Powell, J. Scott Taylor, Ty W. Matthews
School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications
Adaptive harvest management (AHM) can assist biologists with decisions made under uncertainty. There have been few applications of AHM to manage wildlife at the state level, and we provide a theoretical exercise using AHM in the context of Greater Prairie-Chicken harvest in southeast Nebraska. Our goals were to develop and evaluate an AHM framework for a state specific harvest decision, and to use the AHM process to evaluate uncertainties associated with harvest mortality for Greater Prairie-Chickens in Nebraska. Harvest of prairie chickens in southeast Nebraska was restarted 2000, using a special limited permit system, and was controversial with respect to …
Estimating Nest Density When Detectability Is Incomplete:
Variation In Nest Attendance And Response To Disturbance
By Western Meadowlarks,
2011
University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Estimating Nest Density When Detectability Is Incomplete: Variation In Nest Attendance And Response To Disturbance By Western Meadowlarks, Matthew D. Giovanni, Max Post Van Der Burg, Lars C. Anderson, Larkin A. Powell, Walter H. Schacht, Andrew J. Tyre
School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications
Researchers commonly model nest density as a function of ecological variables, but nests, like birds, can be undetected while present. In the Nebraska Sandhills in 2007, we used the rope-drag method on previously located Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta) nests to model nest-detection error and nest density. Detecting nests by rope dragging (commonly used for nests of grassland birds) is conditional on two primary sources of nest availability, adults attending nests and adults flushing from nests in response to disturbance from the rope, the behavioral cue necessary for nest detection. On the basis of our trials with rope dragging, …
Chapter Thirteen-
Habitat Selection And Brood Survival
Of Greater Prairie-Chickens,
2011
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Chapter Thirteen- Habitat Selection And Brood Survival Of Greater Prairie-Chickens, Ty W. Matthews, Andrew J. Tyre, J. Scott Taylor, Jeffery J. Lusk, Larkin A. Powell
School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications
The Greater Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus) is a species that may benefit from conversion of crop ground to grassland through the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). CRP grasslands could provide nesting and brood-rearing habitat, an important component of population persistence. Managers and policymakers currently lack evidence of CRP’s relative contribution to populations of Greater Prairie-Chicken. We used radiotelemetry to mark females (n =100) in southeast Nebraska, in a landscape which had >15% of land area enrolled in CRP. We examined macrohabitat and microhabitat selection of brood-rearing females (n=36) using discrete choice models, and examined the variability in brood survival …
Nest Survival Of Long-Billed Curlew In Nebraska,
2011
Iowa State University
Nest Survival Of Long-Billed Curlew In Nebraska, Cory J. Gregory, Stephen J. Dinsmore, Larkin A. Powell, Joel G. Jorgensen
School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications
Long-billed Curlew Numenius americanus is an imperiled shorebird of western North America. Populations have declined dramatically in the last 150 years from the conversion of prairie to agriculture and it is now listed as a “Tier I at-risk” species in Nebraska. We undertook a 3-year project (2008–2010) to study the nest survival of Long-billed Curlews in Nebraska. We measured vegetation characteristics at each nest site (n = 14 nests) on two different spatial scales and used program MARK to model nest survival as a function of multiple covariates. Apparent nest survival was 29% (n = 4 successful nests) and our …
Fluctuation Of Hyporheic Zone Thickness Due To
Inflow And Outflow Across The Water-Sediment
Interface,
2011
University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Fluctuation Of Hyporheic Zone Thickness Due To Inflow And Outflow Across The Water-Sediment Interface, Xunhong Chen
School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications
Determination of hyporheic zone thickness in streams is an important step for study of stream-aquifer interactions. Knowledge about hyporheic zone thickness is useful in stream restoration. However, because there is a lack of standard techniques for such study, evaluation of the hyporheic zone thickness for a given stream reach remains a challenge task for researchers. This paper presents Galerkin finite element flow and stream function models that can simulate the hyporheic zone thickness. The flow and stream function equations are solved for 2-D profile domains that can be across a stream or parallel to a stream. The numeral schemes for …
Post-Disaster Assessment Of Northeastern Coastal Region For The 2011 Sendai Earthquake And Tsunami,
2011
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Post-Disaster Assessment Of Northeastern Coastal Region For The 2011 Sendai Earthquake And Tsunami, Ruopu Li, Shishi Liu, Qingfeng Guan, Yi Peng
School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications
The 2011 Sendai Earthquake has hit the north-east of Japan triggering a destructive tsunami that has caused extensive damage. A fast and effective post-disaster assessment is highly imperative for the recovery of this region. This study modeled the tsunami-affected areas of coastal Fukushima Prefecture using Landsat-7 ETM+ data and terrain analysis. The result shows that most of the coastal areas were significantly affected by the tsunami. The low-lying plains along the coast are particularly vulnerable to the tsunami.
Understanding Weather, Climate, And Birthweight:
Findings From The U.S. Natility Data Files 1969-78,
2011
University of Nebraska Medical Center
Understanding Weather, Climate, And Birthweight: Findings From The U.S. Natility Data Files 1969-78, Ge Lin, Song Feng
School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications
Weather and extreme weather events are thought to be related to low birth weight. If this relation is held, it will have a wide range of public health impacts as birth weight is a key indicator of many life course health outcomes, and climate change increases the intensity of extreme weather events. The current study examines the relationship between birth weight and weather variables during the birth month while controlling other known risk factors. While the preliminary results seem to suggest a relationship between birth weight and extreme hot temperature, the result does not hold when individual and other risk …
