Scholarly Work - Ecology
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Item Comparing citizen science and professional data to evaluate extrapolated mountain goat distribution models(ESA, 2017-02) Flesch, Elizabeth; Belt, JamiCitizen science provides a prime opportunity for wildlife managers to obtain low-cost data recorded by volunteers to evaluate species distribution models and address research objectives. Using mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus) location data collected through aerial surveys by professionals, ground surveys by professionals, and ground surveys by volunteers, we evaluated two mountain goat distribution models extrapolated across Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park. In addition, we compared mountain goat location data by observer and survey type to determine whether there were differences that affected extrapolated model evaluation. We found that all dataset types compared similarly to both mountain goat models. A mountain goat occupancy model developed in the Greater Yellowstone Area (GYA) was the most informative in describing mountain goat locations. We compared Spearman-rank correlations (rs) for occupancy probability bin ranks in the GYA model extrapolation and area-adjusted frequencies of mountain goat locations, and we found that all datasets had a positive correlation, indicating the model had useful predictive ability. Aerial observations had a slightly greater Spearman-rank correlation (rs = 0.964), followed by the professional ground surveys (rs = 0.946), and volunteer ground datasets (rs = 0.898). These results suggest that with effective protocol development and volunteer training, biologists can use mountain goat location data collected by volunteers to evaluate extrapolated models. We recommend that future efforts should apply this approach to other wildlife species and explore development of wildlife distribution models using citizen science.Item Effects of Soil Microbes on Functional Traits of Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda) Seedling Families From Contrasting Climates(Frontiers Media SA, 2020-01) Ulrich, Danielle E. M.; Sevanto, Sanna; Peterson, Samantha; Ryan, Max; Dunbar, JohnExamining factors that influence seedling establishment is essential for predicting the impacts of climate change on tree species’ distributions. Seedlings originating from contrasting climates differentially express functional traits related to water and nutrient uptake and drought resistance that reflect their climate of origin and influence their responses to drought. Soil microbes may improve seedling establishment because they can enhance water and nutrient uptake and drought resistance. However, the relative influence of soil microbes on the expression of these functional traits between seedling families or populations from contrasting climates is unknown. To determine if soil microbes may differentially alter functional traits to enhance water and nutrient uptake and drought resistance between dry and wet families, seeds of loblolly pine families from the driest and wettest ends of its geographic range (dry, wet) were planted in sterilized sand (controls) or in sterilized sand inoculated with a soil microbial community (inoculated). Functional traits related to seedling establishment (germination), water and nutrient uptake and C allocation (root:shoot biomass ratio, root exudate concentration, leaf C:N, leaf N isotope composition (δ15N)), and drought resistance (turgor loss point, leaf carbon isotope composition (δ13C)) were measured. Then, plants were exposed to a drought treatment and possible shifts in photosynthetic performance were monitored using chlorophyll fluorescence. Inoculated plants exhibited significantly greater germination than controls regardless of family. The inoculation treatment significantly increased root:shoot biomass ratio in the wet family but not in the dry family, suggesting soil microbes alter functional traits that improve water and nutrient uptake more so in a family originating from a wetter climate than in a family originating from a drier climate. Microbial effects on photosynthetic performance during drought also differed between families, as photosynthetic performance of the dry inoculated group declined fastest. Regardless of treatment, the dry family exhibited a greater root:shoot biomass ratio, root exudate concentration, and leaf δ15N than the wet family. This indicates that the dry family allocated more resources belowground than the wet and the two family may have used different sources of plant available N, which may be related to their contrasting climates of origin and influence their drought resistance. Examination of variation in impacts of soil microbes on seedling physiology improves efforts to enhance seedling establishment and beneficial plant-microbe interactions under climate change.Item Investigating old‐growth ponderosa pine physiology using tree‐rings, δ13C, δ18O, and a process‐based model(Wiley, 2019-06) Ulrich, Danielle E. M.; Still, Christopher; Brooks, J. Renée; Kim, Youngil; Meinzer, Frederick C.In dealing with predicted changes in environmental conditions outside those experienced today, forest managers and researchers rely on process‐based models to inform physiological processes and predict future forest growth responses. The carbon and oxygen isotope ratios of tree‐ring cellulose (δ13Ccell, δ18Ocell) reveal long‐term, integrated physiological responses to environmental conditions. We incorporated a submodel of δ18Ocell into the widely used Physiological Principles in Predicting Growth (3‐PG) model for the first time, to complement a recently added δ13Ccell submodel. We parameterized the model using previously reported stand characteristics and long‐term trajectories of tree‐ring growth, δ13Ccell, and δ18Ocell collected from the Metolius AmeriFlux site in central Oregon (upland trees). We then applied the parameterized model to a nearby set of riparian trees to investigate the physiological drivers of differences in observed basal area increment (BAI) and δ13Ccell trajectories between upland and riparian trees. The model showed that greater available soil water and maximum canopy conductance likely explain the greater observed BAI and lower δ13Ccell of riparian trees. Unexpectedly, both observed and simulated δ18Ocell trajectories did not differ between the upland and riparian trees, likely due to similar δ18O of source water isotope composition. The δ18Ocell submodel with a Peclet effect improved model estimates of δ18Ocell because its calculation utilizes 3‐PG growth and allocation processes. Because simulated stand‐level transpiration (E) is used in the δ18O submodel, aspects of leaf‐level anatomy such as the effective path length for transport of water from the xylem to the sites of evaporation could be estimated.Item Aplicación de sensores remotos para el análisis de cobertura vegetal y cuerpos de agua (Application of remote sensors for the analysis of vegetation cover and water bodies)(SciELO Agencia Nacional de Investigacion y Desarrollo, 2020-12) Veneros, Jaris; García, Ligia; Morales, Eli; Gómez, Víctor; Torres, Mariana; López-Morales, FernandoThis work analyzes remote sensors’ usefulness to analyze vegetation cover and water bodies in conservation and environmental studies. This research aims to determine satellite images’ applications in coverage studies and to ascertain UAV uses (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) in environmental studies. The determination of the applications of satellite images and the UAV was made by reviewing scientific articles, theses, books, and abstracts at conferences. A total of twenty applications were found for coverage and water body studies using satellite images and UAV. For environmental studies using satellite images, ten studies were reported. These are forest cover, urban expansion, vegetation indices, vegetation cover change, deforestation, the spatial distribution of water, water monitoring, lagoon dynamics, water quality parameters, and the Normalized Difference Snow Index thresholds. Otherwise, for environmental studies using the UAV, ten studies were reported. These are plant abundance, plant population dynamics, ecological conservation, aquatic vegetation, vegetation mapping, water quality, fluvial dynamics, river flow, bathymetric maps of a lake, and aquatic plant variations. It is concluded that the physical principles of remote perception explain through laws the operation of sensors to provide satellite information, such as satellite images that provide information with a resolution less than 10 meters, applied to studies of areas of significant extension (Km). For small areas, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) is used to obtain real and accurate information, which is implemented with a multispectral camera to provide information with a resolution greater than 10 cm. Therefore, it is necessary to know the limitations, advantages, and differences of these two systems to plan investigations that use this information and contribute to the protection and conservation of areas affected by natural and anthropogenic elements.Item Further evidence that Antarctic toothfish are important to Weddell seals(Cambridge University Press, 2020-09) Ainley, David G.; Cziko, Paul A.; Nur, Nadav; Rotella, Jay J.; Eastman, Joseph T.; Larue, Michelle; Stirling, Ian; Abrams, Peter A.Antarctic toothfish Dissostichus mawsoni and Weddell seals Leptonychotes weddellii are important mesopredators in the waters of the Antarctic continental shelf. They compete with each other for prey, yet the seals also prey upon toothfish. Such intraguild predation means that prevalence and respective demographic rates may be negatively correlated, but quantification is lacking. Following a review of their natural histories, we initiate an approach to address this deficiency by analysing scientific fishing catch per unit effort (CPUE; 1975–2011 plus sporadic effort to 2018) in conjunction with an annual index of seal abundance in McMurdo Sound, Ross Sea. We correlated annual variation in scientific CPUE to seal numbers over a 43 year period (1975–2018), complementing an earlier study in the same locality showing CPUE to be negatively correlated with spatial proximity to abundant seals. The observed relationship (more seals with lower CPUE, while controlling for annual trends in each) indicates the importance of toothfish as a dietary item to Weddell seals and highlights the probable importance of intra- and inter-specific competition as well as intraguild predation in seal-toothfish dynamics. Ultimately, it may be necessary to supplement fishery management with targeted ecosystem monitoring to prevent the fishery from having adverse effects on dependent species.Item Size-specific apparent survival rate estimates of white sharks using mark–recapture models(Canadian Science Publishing, 2019-02) Kanive, Paul E.; Rotella, Jay J.; Jorgensen, Salvador J.; Chapple, Taylor K.; HInes, James E.; Anderson, Scot D.; Block, Barbara A.Abstract: For species that exist at low abundance or are otherwise difficult to study, it is challenging to estimate vital rates such as survival and fecundity and common to assume that survival rates are constant across ages and sexes. Population assessments based on overly simplistic vital rates can lead to erroneous conclusions. We estimated sex- and length-based annual apparent survival rates for white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias). We found evidence that annual apparent survival differed over ontogeny in a system with competitive foraging aggregations, from 0.63 (standard error (SE) = 0.08) for newly recruiting subadults to 0.95 (SE = 0.02) for the largest sharks. Our results reveal a potential challenge to ontogenetic recruitment in a long-lived, highly mobile top marine predator, as survival rates for subadult white sharks may be lower than previously assumed. Alternatively, younger and competitively inferior individuals may be forced to permanently emigrate from primary foraging sites. This study provides new methodology for estimating apparent survival as a function of diverse covariates by capture–recapture study, including when sex assignment is uncertain. Résumé : Pour les espèces qui existent en faible abondance ou dont l’étude présente par ailleurs un défi, il est difficile d’estimer des indices vitaux comme la survie et la fécondité et il est couramment présumé que les taux de survie ne varient pas selon le sexe et le groupe d’âge. Des évaluations de populations reposant sur des indices vitaux trop simplistes peuvent mener à des conclusions erronées. Nous avons estimé les taux de survie annuels apparents en fonction du sexe et de la longueur pour de grands requins blancs (Carcharodon carcharias). Nous avons relevé des preuves de variation du taux de survie annuel apparent au fil de l’ontogénie dans un système caractérisé par des regroupements concurrents d’individus en quête de nourriture, ce taux allant de 0,63 (l’écart-type (ÉT) = 0,08) pour les individus subadultes récemment recrutés à 0,95 (ÉT = 0,02) pour les requins les plus grands. Nos résultats révèlent une difficulté potentielle en ce qui concerne le recrutement ontogénique chez un prédateur marin de niveau trophique supérieur très mobile et longévif, puisque les taux de survie de grands requins blancs subadultes pourraient être plus faibles que présumés auparavant. Une autre explication est que les individus plus jeunes ou moins concurrentiels pourraient être forcés d’émigrer des meilleurs sites d’approvisionnement de manière permanente. L’étude présente une nou-velle méthodologie pour estimer la survie apparente en fonction de différentes variables reliées, par une approche de capture–recapture, y compris pour les cas où l’affectation du sexe est incertaine. [Traduit par la Rédaction]Item Ectomycorrhizal and Dark Septate Fungal Associations of Pinyon Pine Are Differentially Affected by Experimental Drought and Warming(Frontiers Media SA, 2020-10) Gehring, Catherine; Sevanto, Sanna; Patterson, Adair; Ulrich, Danielle E. M.; Kuske, Cheryl R.Changing climates can cause shifts in temperature and precipitation, resulting in warming and drought in some regions. Although each of these factors has been shown to detrimentally affect forest ecosystems worldwide, information on the impacts of the combined effects of warming and drought is lacking. Forest trees rely on mutualistic root-associated fungi that contribute significantly to plant health and protection against climate stresses. We used a six-year, ecosystem-scale temperature and precipitation manipulation experiment targeted to simulate the climate in 2100 in the Southwestern United States to quantify the effects of drought, warming and combined drought and warming on the root colonization (abundance), species composition and diversity of ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF), and dark septate fungal endophytes in a widespread woodland tree, pinyon pine (Pinus edulis E.). Our results show that pinyon shoot growth after 6 years of these treatments was reduced more by drought than warming. The combined drought and warming treatment reduced the abundance and diversity of EMF more than either treatment alone. Individual ectomycorrhizal fungal taxa, including the drought tolerant Cenococcum geophilum, were present in all treatments but the combined drought and warming treatment. The combined drought and warming treatment also reduced the abundance of dark septate endophytes (DSE), but did not affect their diversity or species composition. The current year shoot growth of the trees correlated positively with ectomycorrhizal fungal diversity, highlighting the importance of diversity in mutualistic relationships to plant growth. Our results suggest that EMF may be more important than DSE to aboveground growth in P. edulis, but also more susceptible to the negative effects of combined climate stressors.Item Evaluating wildlife translocations using genomics: A bighorn sheep case study(Wiley, 2020-12) Flesch, Elizabeth P.; Graves, Tabitha A.; Thomson, Jennifer M.; Proffitt, Kelly M.; Stephenson, Thomas R.; Garrott, Robert A.Wildlife restoration often involves translocation efforts to reintroduce species and supplement small, fragmented populations. We examined the genomic consequences of bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) translocations and population isolation to enhance understanding of evolutionary processes that affect population genetics and inform future restoration strategies. We conducted a population genomic analysis of 511 bighorn sheep from 17 areas, including native and reintroduced populations that received 0–10 translocations. Using the Illumina High Density Ovine array, we generated datasets of 6,155 to 33,289 single nucleotide polymorphisms and completed clustering, population tree, and kinship analyses. Our analyses determined that natural gene flow did not occur between most populations, including two pairs of native herds that had past connectivity. We synthesized genomic evidence across analyses to evaluate 24 different translocation events and detected eight successful reintroductions (i.e., lack of signal for recolonization from nearby populations) and five successful augmentations (i.e., reproductive success of translocated individuals) based on genetic similarity with the source populations. A single native population founded six of the reintroduced herds, suggesting that environmental conditions did not need to match for populations to persist following reintroduction. Augmentations consisting of 18–57 animals including males and females succeeded, whereas augmentations of two males did not result in a detectable genetic signature. Our results provide insight on genomic distinctiveness of native and reintroduced herds, information on the relative success of reintroduction and augmentation efforts and their associated attributes, and guidance to enhance genetic contribution of augmentations and reintroductions to aid in bighorn sheep restorationItem Method for Integrating Components of a CURE into an Introductory Biology Traditional Laboratory(American Society for Microbiology, 2020-01) Brusa, Jamie L.; Lupardus, Randi C.Undergraduate biology instructors face the challenge of balancing critical thinking procedures with biology content (1). Evidence has revealed that directed “cookbook” laboratory exercises alone severely limit opportunities to interpret data and practice higher-order thinking (2, 3). However, concurrently learning complex biological concepts and practicing higher-order thinking, such as inquiry laboratory activities, is thought to enhance comprehension of biological concepts (4, 5). Course-based undergraduate research experiences, or CUREs, have become a popular method of instruction because they provide access to research experience for all students (6–8). However, financial barriers, increased time investment, lack of institutional support, and the narrow scope of topics and laboratory skills gained in CUREs relative to traditional laboratory activities can present challenges for laboratory instructors who desire to provide a robust curriculum (5, 9). Ideally, laboratory curricula include learning outcomes for students to gain a diversity of laboratory skills, reinforce biology concepts, practice higher-order thinking, and develop an understanding of the research process.Item Leveraging public harvest to reduce invasive hybridization in Yellowstone National Park: field identification and harvest of cutthroat × rainbow trout hybrids(2020) Heim, Kurt C.; McMahon, Thomas E.; Ertel, Brian D.; Koel, Todd M.Leveraging public harvest can be a cost-effective invasive species management tool, but target taxa must be correctly identified and removed at rates that achieve biological objectives. We explored the potential role of recreational anglers to curtail expanding hybridization between invasive rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss; RT) and native Yellowstone cutthroat trout (O. clarkii bouvieri; YCT) in the Lamar River watershed in Yellowstone National Park. We sought to (1) develop a hybrid identification key that could be used by anglers and (2) estimate angler participation, catch, and potential exploitation rates. We assessed seven morphological features of trout in the field (n = 251, 15 locations) and collected fin clips to estimate RT ancestry proportion using genetic analysis. An identification key was built using recursive partitioning to objectively distinguish YCT from RT and hybrids. A single-choice dichotomous key (white pelvic fin tip present/absent) correctly classified 93% of fish as native (YCT) or containing RT ancestry (RT or hybrid). Success increased to 97% when a second criterion was added (head spot count ≥ 6). Using angler surveys (2013–2017), we estimated that 10,000 anglers catch 50,000 trout annually. In a popular road-accessible area, most trout are probably caught and released ~ 5 times each year. The combination of high angler participation, substantial annual catch, and an accurate and easy to use identification method indicate that leveraging public harvest is a promising management tool. Invasive hybridization is a global conservation issue threatening many native taxa; this case study highlights some factors for resource managers to consider prior to implementing public harvest regulations and the benefits of standardized keys to distinguish hybrids in the field.