Download or read book Climate Change and Ecological Models of Amphibian Communities in Palouse Prairie Wetlands written by Erim Gomez and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 104 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Most wetlands in Palouse Prairie have been lost due to intensive agricultural development and amphibians now occupy a transformed landscape dominated by human use. I used machine learning statistical techniques to evaluate the performance of 30 environmental variables to predict the occurrence of 7 species of amphibians in 99 wetlands in Palouse Prairie and the Columbia River Basin of central Washington. Algorithmic models generally used about 3-5 ecological, landscape, or spatial variables to correctly predict amphibian occupancy in wetlands with high accuracy. These models demonstrate the adverse effects of non-native fish on pond-breeding amphibians and the importance of different wetland hydroperiods and ecological settings to influence amphibian breeding and conservation in novel human-dominated ecosystems.Ephemeral wetlands are productive for many breeding amphibian species partly because they dry up seasonally and are devoid of predatory fish. However, increasing temperatures and altered precipitation patterns that accompany global climate change may threaten these ecosystems if wetlands dry before amphibians can undergo metamorphosis. I studied growth dynamics of long-toed salamanders in Palouse Prairie wetlands to evaluate the hypothesis that growth was influenced by wetland periodicity and that salamander larva would be forced to emerge at a smaller body size in seasonally-flooded wetlands. I used machine learning modeling techniques to compare sizes of salamander larvae among different wetlands across time, elevation, and spatial landscapes in Palouse Prairie and found that size distributions were smaller in ephemeral ponds that dried more quickly and larger in more permanent wetlands. Salamanders originating from ephemeral wetlands were smaller as adults than were those coming from permanent wetlands suggesting a developmental penalty or genetic differences. If climate change alters the seasonal flooding dynamics of wetlands, it may influence population dynamics and survival of amphibians in Palouse Prairie wetlands.

Download or read book Ecological Memory in Farmed Landscapes written by Erim Gomez and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Dynamic Approaches to Modeling Wetland Community Responses to Changing Water Availability written by Courtney Davis and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Of the myriad of issues facing amphibian populations worldwide, the direct and indirect effects of climate change are among the most difficult to isolate and predict. The effects of climate change on distributions of individual species do not occur in isolation but instead are the outcome of interactions between climate, co-occurring species, and the physical environment in which interactions occur. However, current models do not consider community dynamics or complex interactions between climate and the physical environment, making it difficult to predict how community assemblages will be affected. For wetland communities, in particular, shifts in regional climate are likely to have profound and ongoing effects on site suitability and as a result, species composition. We examined how patterns of amphibian occurrence responded to extreme climate events at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge from 2009 -- 2014, where fluctuations in precipitation have resulted in periods of extreme drought as well as expansive flooding. High rainfall associated with Tropical Storm Debby in 2012 allowed for the colonization of predatory fishes to many previously isolated wetlands. Using long-term monitoring data, we parameterized a set of dynamic multispecies occupancy models that incorporate habitat dynamics and species interactions to investigate the occurrence dynamics of three representative amphibian species in response to changing water availability (Chapter 1). Additionally, we investigate how an adaptation to variable environmental conditions -- facultative paedomorphism, as exhibited in one of these three species -- further structures responses to these disturbance events (Chapter 2). Drought and predatory fishes had differing effects on amphibian occurrence dynamics for each of the three species we examined. The occupancy of ornate chorus frogs (Pseudacris ornata), a species that preferentially selects ephemeral wetlands to breed, increased from 30% to 50% of surveyed wetlands during periods of drought in 2010 -- 2011. Mole salamander (Ambystoma talpoideum) occupancy, however, decreased from 40% to 25% due to the reduction of wetland hydroperiod at this time. For both of these species, fishes negatively impacted occurrence; wetlands occupied by fish were rarely, if ever, colonized by either the ornate chorus frog or the mole salamander. Despite the ability to modify its phenotype in favorable environmental conditions, the mole salamander occupied less than 20% of wetlands by 2014, suggesting that conditions remained unfavorable for this species, in particular. Pig frog (Rana grylio) occupancy, however, was not influenced by changes in climate during the study or changes in fish presence on the refuge. Projecting community composition under various climate scenarios (i.e., future increases in drought and/or flood frequency), we further demonstrate that responses to changing water availability are linked to species traits, characteristics of individual wetlands, and the interaction between climate and the physical environment.

Download or read book Ecological Regions of North America written by and published by . This book was released on 1997 with total page 92 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume represents a first attempt at holistically classifying and mapping ecological regions across all three countries of the North American continent. A common analytical methodology is used to examine North American ecology at multiple scales, from large continental ecosystems to subdivisions of these that correlate more detailed physical and biological settings with human activities on two levels of successively smaller units. The volume begins with an overview of North America from an ecological perspective, concepts of ecological regionalization. This is followed by descriptions of the 15 broad ecological regions, including information on physical and biological setting and human activities. The final section presents case studies in applications of the ecological characterization methodology to environmental issues. The appendix includes a list of common and scientific names of selected species characteristic of the ecological regions.

Download or read book Biology Digest written by and published by . This book was released on 1992 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Multiple Values of Wilderness written by H. Ken Cordell and published by Venture Publishing (PA). This book was released on 2005 with total page 332 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Gone are those of the 1950s and early 1960s who championed preserving wild lands and who influenced and saw the birth of the National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS). Gone too are myriad eager managers and proponents of wild land protection of the late 1960s and 1970s who helped rear the fledgling Wilderness system and bring it into adolescence by adding management practices and policy interpretations. In this, the 40th year since the birth of the NWPS, this middle-age federal land system is surrounded by many new faces as its childhood friends have moved on to other callings, have retired, or are no longer with us. Needed in these new times is a clear, comprehensive articulation of the multiple values of Wilderness. The overall purpose of this book is to tell fully what we know about the range of values Americans hold toward the NWPS in a factual, wide-ranging, and science-based way. A multidisciplinary team of authors and researchers clarify the meaning of different types of Wilderness values and present replicable, science-based evidence of these values in this volume. The intended audience is all those new faces who can and do have power over the future of the U.S. National Wilderness Preservation System as well as all who seek to influence those who have this power. This book is also intended for teachers, students, and other inquisitive people involved in formal or informal learning and research programs. The authors intend this compilation to help better inform interested and engaged members of the general public about the values of their public Wilderness areas. After all, it is the American citizen who is ultimately responsible and can influence public policy in the greatest measure through their individual and collective voices and actions." -- Publisher.

Download or read book The Passenger Pigeon written by Errol Fuller and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2014-09-15 with total page 182 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A haunting, beautifully illustrated memorial to this iconic extinct bird At the start of the nineteenth century, Passenger Pigeons were perhaps the most abundant birds on the planet, numbering literally in the billions. The flocks were so large and so dense that they blackened the skies, even blotting out the sun for days at a stretch. Yet by the end of the century, the most common bird in North America had vanished from the wild. In 1914, the last known representative of her species, Martha, died in a cage at the Cincinnati Zoo. This stunningly illustrated book tells the astonishing story of North America's Passenger Pigeon, a bird species that—like the Tyrannosaur, the Mammoth, and the Dodo—has become one of the great icons of extinction. Errol Fuller describes how these fast, agile, and handsomely plumaged birds were immortalized by the ornithologist and painter John James Audubon, and captured the imagination of writers such as James Fenimore Cooper, Henry David Thoreau, and Mark Twain. He shows how widespread deforestation, the demand for cheap and plentiful pigeon meat, and the indiscriminate killing of Passenger Pigeons for sport led to their catastrophic decline. Fuller provides an evocative memorial to a bird species that was once so important to the ecology of North America, and reminds us of just how fragile the natural world can be. Published in the centennial year of Martha’s death, The Passenger Pigeon features rare archival images as well as haunting photos of live birds.

Download or read book PRAIRIEMAP a GIS Database for Prairie Grassland Management in Western North America written by and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 6 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The PRAIRIEMAP web site (http://prairiemap.wr.usgs.gov) contains links to partners, documentation of the data, and a directory of GIS data that can be downloaded.

Download or read book Nutrient Criteria Technical Guidance Manual written by and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Invasive Species in Forests and Rangelands of the United States written by Therese M. Poland and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021-02-01 with total page 455 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This open access book describes the serious threat of invasive species to native ecosystems. Invasive species have caused and will continue to cause enormous ecological and economic damage with ever increasing world trade. This multi-disciplinary book, written by over 100 national experts, presents the latest research on a wide range of natural science and social science fields that explore the ecology, impacts, and practical tools for management of invasive species. It covers species of all taxonomic groups from insects and pathogens, to plants, vertebrates, and aquatic organisms that impact a diversity of habitats in forests, rangelands and grasslands of the United States. It is well-illustrated, provides summaries of the most important invasive species and issues impacting all regions of the country, and includes a comprehensive primary reference list for each topic. This scientific synthesis provides the cultural, economic, scientific and social context for addressing environmental challenges posed by invasive species and will be a valuable resource for scholars, policy makers, natural resource managers and practitioners.

Download or read book Predicting Species Occurrences written by J. Michael Scott and published by Island Press. This book was released on 2002-02 with total page 940 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Predictions about where different species are, where they are not, and how they move across a landscape or respond to human activities -- if timber is harvested, for instance, or stream flow altered -- are important aspects of the work of wildlife biologists, land managers, and the agencies and policymakers that govern natural resources. Despite the increased use and importance of model predictions, these predictions are seldom tested and have unknown levels of accuracy.Predicting Species Occurrences addresses those concerns, highlighting for managers and researchers the strengths and weaknesses of current approaches, as well as the magnitude of the research required to improve or test predictions of currently used models. The book is an outgrowth of an international symposium held in October 1999 that brought together scientists and researchers at the forefront of efforts to process information about species at different spatial and temporal scales. It is a comprehensive reference that offers an exhaustive treatment of the subject, with 65 chapters by leading experts from around the world that: review the history of the theory and practice of modeling and present a standard terminology examine temporal and spatial scales in terms of their influence on patterns and processes of species distribution offer detailed discussions of state-of-the-art modeling tools and descriptions of methods for assessing model accuracy discuss how to predict species presence and abundance present examples of how spatially explicit data on demographics can provide important information for managers An introductory chapter by Michael A. Huston examines the ecological context in which predictions of species occurrences are made, and a concluding chapter by John A. Wiens offers an insightful review and synthesis of the topics examined along with guidance for future directions and cautions regarding misuse of models. Other contributors include Michael P. Austin, Barry R. Noon, Alan H. Fielding, Michael Goodchild, Brian A. Maurer, John T. Rotenberry, Paul Angermeier, Pierre R. Vernier, and more than a hundred others.Predicting Species Occurrences offers important new information about many of the topics raised in the seminal volume Wildlife 2000 (University of Wisconsin Press, 1986) and will be the standard reference on this subject for years to come. Its state-of-the-art assessment will play a key role in guiding the continued development and application of tools for making accurate predictions and is an indispensable volume for anyone engaged in species management or conservation.

Download or read book Prairie Conservation written by Fred B. Samson and published by Island Press. This book was released on 1996-08 with total page 358 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The area of native prairie known as the Great Plains once extended from Canada to the Mexican border and from the foothills of the Rocky Mountains to western Indiana and Wisconsin. Today the declines in prairie landscape types, estimated to be as high as 99%, exceed those of any other major ecosystem in North America. The overwhelming loss of landscape and accompanying loss of species constitute a real threat to both ecological and human economic health.Prairie Conservation is a comprehensive examination of the history, ecology, and current status of North American grasslands. It presents for the first time in a single volume information on the historical, economic, and cultural significance of prairies, their natural history and ecology, threats, and conservation and restoration programs currently underway. Chapters cover: environmental history of the Great Plains the economic value of prairie prairie types -- tallgrass, mixed grass, shortgrass, wetlands -- and the ecological processes that sustain each type prairie fauna -- invertebrates, fish and other aquatic creatures, amphibians and reptiles, birds, and mammals conservation programs such as the Great Plains Partnership, Canada's Prairie Conservation Action Plan, the U.S. Prairie Pothole Joint Venture, and others The book brings together knowledge and insights from a wide range of experts to describe and explain the importance of prairies and to position them in the forefront of North American conservation efforts. Praire Conservation is an essential reference for anyone interested in prairie ecology and conservation and will play a critical role in broadening our awareness and understanding of prairie ecosystems.

Download or read book The Rough Guide to Climate Change written by Robert Henson and published by Rough Guides UK. This book was released on 2011-05-02 with total page 418 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Rough Guide to Climate Change gives the complete picture of the single biggest issue facing the planet. Cutting a swathe through scientific research and political debate, this completely updated 3rd edition lays out the facts and assesses the options-global and personal-for dealing with the threat of a warming world. The guide looks at the evolution of our atmosphere over the last 4.5 billion years and what computer simulations of climate change reveal about our past, present and future. This updated edition includes scientific findings that have emerged since the 2007 report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), as well as background on recent controversies and an updated politics section that reflects post-Copenhagen developments. Discover how rising temperatures and sea levels, plus changes to extreme weather patterns, are already affecting life around the world. The Rough Guide to Climate Change unravels how governments, scientists and engineers plan to tackle the problem and includes information on what you can do to help.

Download or read book Forgotten Grasslands of the South written by Reed F. Noss and published by Island Press. This book was released on 2012-12-03 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Forgotten Grasslands of the South is the study of one of the biologically richest and most endangered ecosystems in North America. In a seamless blend of science and personal observation, renowned ecologist Reed Noss explains the natural history of southern grasslands, their origin and history, and the physical determinants of grassland distribution, including ecology, soils, landform, and hydrology. In addition to offering fascinating new information about these little-studied ecosystems, Noss demonstrates how natural history is central to the practice of conservation. Although theory and experimentation have recently dominated the field of ecology, ecologists are coming to realize how these distinct approaches are not divergent but complementary, and that pursuing them together can bring greater knowledge and understanding of how the natural world works and how we can best conserve it. This long-awaited work sets a new standard for scientific literature and is essential reading for those who study and work to conserve the grasslands of the South as well as for everyone who is fascinated by the natural world.

Download or read book Ecological Landscape Design and Planning written by Jala Makhzoumi and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2003-09-02 with total page 348 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The authors of this book offer an holistic methodological approach to the design and planning of landscape, based on both research and practical experience.

Download or read book Adaptive Governance written by Ronald D. Brunner and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2005 with total page 346 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Drawing case studies, the authors of this work examine how adaptive governance breaks the gridlock in natural-resource policy. Unlike scientific management, which relies on science as the foundation for policies made through a central authority, adaptive governance integrates other types of knowledge into the decision-making process. The authors emphasize the need for open decision making, recognition of multiple interests in questions of natural-resource policy, and an integrative, interpretive science to replace traditional reductive, experimental science.

Download or read book A Classification of North American Biotic Communities written by David Earl Brown and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Building upon existing classification systems of natural environments, this visually-oriented guide--from the Arctic Circle to Central America--advocates a universal, biogeographic standard for inventorying regional habitats as now used by the Environmental Protection Agency and some state agencies. The separate digitized map, dramatically unfolding to 42x42", is color-coded to depict gradients in moisture and temperature: factors which delimit vegetation and adaptations by flora and fauna. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR