Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
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Item Elucidating the effect of anthropogenic land management on soil nematode community structure(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2019) Burkhardt, Andy; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Jamie Sherman; Shabeg S. Briar, John M. Martin, Patrick M. Carr, Jennifer Lachowiec, Cathy Zabinski, David W. Roberts, Perry Miller and Jamie Sherman were co-authors of the article, 'Perennial crop legacy effects on nematode community structure in semi-arid wheat systems' in the journal 'Applied soil ecology' which is contained within this thesis.; Shabeg S. Briar, John M. Martin, Patrick M. Carr and Jamie Sherman were co-authors of the article, 'Characterization of soil nematode community structure in semi-arid dryland barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) systems' which is contained within this thesis.Nematodes as a taxonomic phylum are incredibly diverse and play an important role in soil biology, nutrient cycling, and soil food web function. Nematodes can be categorized into five major trophic groups including bacterivores, fungivores, herbivores, predators, and omnivores. Plant-parasitic nematodes (PPNs) affect soil food web resources through direct herbivory, while free-living (non-pathogenic) bacterivores and fungivores graze on microbes and contribute significantly to soil nutrient pools. Predatory nematodes regulate the soil food web by preying on other nematodes and invertebrates in the soil. An unbalanced soil food web community can lead to unintended impacts to other species and create a cascading effect. In agriculture, this impact can lead to low crop production and reduced revenue by means of soil ecological degradation. The goal of this project was to elucidate the nematode community structure changes under different management strategies in both agricultural and range settings. The hypotheses we tested were 1) that crop rotations eliminating fallow would positively and significantly impact the soil nematode community that would in turn self-regulate the PPN population and 2) native sagebrush steppe would have a more diverse nematode community than converted sagebrush steppe managed for livestock grazing or other uses. We did so with the following studies: 1. Quantitatively assessed nematode community structure under barley monoculture and barley-fallow vs. barley-pea rotations using multiple ecological measures and indices and correlated those measures and indices with soil chemical and physical properties as well as agronomic parameters of each system. 2. Quantitatively assessed nematode community structure under wheat-tilled fallow, wheat-no-till fallow, and no-till wheat monoculture vs. several no-till wheat-pulse rotations using multiple ecological measures and indices to evaluate long term impacts of cropping system to the nematode community. 3. Quantified taxonomic diversity and ecological indices of disturbed and undisturbed sagebrush steppe in the Bangtail Mountains west of Wilsall, Montana to evaluate disturbance regimes in a reclaimed environment.Item The in vitro digestibility and utilization of Big Sagebrush and Black Sagebrush(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 1985) Striby, Karl DavidItem Effects of ecological changes induced by various sagebrush control techniques on small mammal populations(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 1970) Tschache, Ottley PaulItem Effects of ecological changes induced by various sagebrush control techniques on non-game birds(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 1970) Best, Louis BrownItem A preliminary classification and characterization of big sagebrush, Artemisia tridentata Nutt., communities in central Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 1969) Smith, Darrel WayneItem Populations of small mammals in central Montana with special reference to tentative sagebrush control sites(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 1968) Cada, John DavidItem Effects of grazing on vegetation in the Artemisia tridentata-Festuca idahoensis habitat type(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 1982) Husby, Peter OddItem Antelope range use, food habits, and behavior in relation to sagebrush eradication(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 1970) Roberts, David AlanItem The effect of spring burning of big sagebrush -grassland (Artemisia tridentata Nutt - grassland) on the soil and vegetation(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 1974) Nimir, Mutasim BashirItem Elk effects on sagebrush-grassland after fire on Yellowstone's Northern Range(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2001) Rens, Reyer Jan
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