Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/733
Browse
7 results
Search Results
Item Evaluating grazing and defoliation effects on ponderosa pine grassland following the lodgepole complex wildfire(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2020) Williams, Amanda Rae; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Clayton B. Marlow; Lance T. Vermeire, Richard C. Waterman and Clayton B. Marlow were co-authors of the article, 'Evaluating grazing effects on ponderosa pine grassland following the lodgepole complex wildfire' submitted to the journal 'Rangeland ecology and management' which is contained within this thesis.; Lance T. Vermeire, Richard C. Waterman, Clayton B. Marlow were co-authors of the article, 'Season of defoliation effects on ponderosa pine grassland following the lodgepole complex wildfire' submitted to the journal 'Rangeland ecology and management' which is contained within this thesis.Previous research indicated rangelands need rest from grazing after fire, while others show grazing the first year following fire has no negative effects on the plant community. This caused uncertainty around post-fire grazing management. In July 2017, the Lodgepole Complex fire burned ponderosa pine grasslands of the northern Great Plains, including areas burned in 2003 for fuels mitigation. We examined effects of post-fire grazing and season of defoliation. For the grazing study we wanted to determine 1) plant community response to grazing or rest the first growing season after fire in ponderosa pine grassland communities, and 2) whether prescribed fire alters plant community response to subsequent wildfire. For the season of defoliation study we wanted to determine 1) timing of defoliation effects on the plant community one growing season after fire and 2) whether defoliation effects are altered by prescribed fire preceding the fire. Eight exclosures (25 x 15 m) were built, 4 reburned sites and 4 wildfire sites. A non-grazed (15 x 10 m) section inside each exclosure was paired with a grazed section outside the exclosure. Plots (5 x 10 m) were mowed in the exclosure to 10 cm in June, July, or August, or not mowed during 2018. In 2019, biomass samples were clipped at peak production, with species composition and diversity measured by point-intercept transects. We observed a trend for reduced cool-season grasses (P =0.0675) and annual grasses (P =0.0071) if defoliated earlier; a trend for reduced forbs (P =0.0699) if defoliated later; and reduced total current-year biomass (P =0.0362) if defoliated. Functional group composition was not changed, but some individual species were shifted due to fire history. The grazing study only showed a trend for greater old dead biomass on non-grazed sites (P = 0.0600), higher composition of forbs on reburn sites (P = 0.0324), and a trend for a higher composition of Psoralidium tenuiflorum (Pursh) Rydb. on reburn sites (P = 0.0559). Results indicate mowing the first year following fire shifts the plant community, but the community is resistant to post-fire grazing. Prescribed fire 14 years before wildfire had small impacts on community composition.Item Space use and foraging patterns of the white-headed woodpecker in western Idaho(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2017) Kehoe, Adam Roarke; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Jay J. RotellaThe white-headed woodpecker (Picoides albolarvatus) is a species of conservation concern that is strongly associated with ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa)-dominated forests in the Inland Northwest. More information on home range size and habitat selection patterns is needed to inform conservation of the white-headed woodpecker, a focal management species for dry-forest restoration treatments. We examined whether home range size was associated with food resources and if fine-scale habitat characteristics influenced selection of foraging sites. During the post-fledging periods of 2014 and 2015, we radio-tracked 11 white-headed woodpeckers in forests of west-central Idaho. These forests were historically managed for timber harvest, resulting in removal of large-diameter, cone-producing ponderosa pine trees. We hypothesized that ponderosa pine cones would be a highly-valued food resource providing seeds and arthropods. We expected smaller home ranges to be associated with a greater availability of cones for foraging and that cone foraging would be concentrated in core use areas. We used foraging behavior to test this hypothesis, specifically, the proportion of time foraging on cones as an index of cone availability. Home range sizes ranged from 24 to 169 ha (90% fixed-kernel estimates). Consistent with our hypothesis, individuals with relatively small home ranges spent a greater proportion of foraging time on cones (Beta superscript 1 [SE] = 2.48[1.32], P = 0.096; Beta superscript 2 [SE] = -5.00[1.61], P = 0.014). Cone foraging was also higher in core use areas compared to home range peripheries for individuals exhibiting at least moderate cone foraging. We also expected foraging woodpeckers to favor larger diameter pines in sites with moderate to high canopy closure. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed foraging-site selection by comparing habitat characteristics between foraging trees and available trees, which provided support for our foraging site prediction (Beta superscript TREEDIAMETER [SE] = 3.50[0.43], P <0.001; Beta superscript CANOPY [SE] = 1.74[0.41], P <0.001; Beta superscript SPECIES [SE] = 1.43[0.33], P <0.001). Our results suggest that large diameter pines provide important foraging resources, and that landscapes with more productive cone crops could support greater numbers of white-headed woodpeckers. We recommend restoration treatments that retain high-density patches of large diameter pines while promoting mosaics of open and closed canopies at larger spatial scales.Item Characterization of non-polar compounds from Pinus ponderosa needles causing reproductive failure in mice during early gestation(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 1979) Kubik, Yolanta MiroslawaItem A phytoestrogen from Pinus ponderosa assayed by competitive binding with 17-estradiol to mouse uterine control(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 1982) Wagner, William DouglasItem Seasonal water relations in native and reconstructed mine soils : implications for ponderosa pine establishment(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 1998) Jennings, Karin MarieItem Toadflax, fire, Mecinus janthinus, and compensatory growth(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2005) Anthony, Antoinette; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Theodore Weaver.Dalmatian toadflax is a noxious weed of the western United States. In western Montana it invades in the foothills zone where bunchgrasses (Agropyron spicatum and Festuca idahoensis) meet low forests (Pinus ponderosa and Pseudosuga menziesii). Our results show that wildfire strengthens toadflax, probably at the expense of native grasses. The stem boring weevil, Mecinus janthinus, is being tested as the most likely biocontrol agent for the weed. On our toadflax infested sites in the Agropyron spicatum/Pinus ponderosa zone Mecinus established, survived, and spread slowly (2-4m/yr) for two years following introduction. At the low initial densities Mecinus induced compensatory growth in toadflax i.e. stem density, plant height, branch number, and seed capsule number all increased. In a garden experiment, we exposed plants to Mecinus at increasingly higher densities (0-32 insects per plant) to measure the effect of a higher attack rate. With exposure rates of 2-4 insects per plant compensatory growth occurred. With exposure rates greater than 8 insects per plant total biomass and especially flower biomasses were reduced. If Mecinus densities in the field exceed eight weevils per plant this may indicate eventual exhaustion and decline of the weed.Item Soil and plant response to slash pile burning in a ponderosa pine forest(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2009) Meyer, Natalie Jo; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Catherine A. Zabinski; Thomas DeLuca (co-chair)Slash pile burning is the most common method of forest residue disposal following ponderosa pine restoration harvests, which are intended to reduce the risk of catastrophic fire and restore the historical structure and function of forests in western Montana. The impact of high-intensity, long-duration fire (pile burning) on soil processes and plant community dynamics is not well understood. The objectives of this study were: (1) to characterize the influence of slash pile burning on soil nutrient availability, soil microbial activity, and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) infection; (2) to compare seeding and soil amendment effects on burn scars. In May 2006, slash piles were burned in a ponderosa pine stand near Florence, Montana and 45 scars were sampled. Soil samples were collected from three locations in each slash pile to a depth of 10 cm and characterized for available soil NH 4 + -N, NO 3 - -N, potentially mineralizable nitrogen (PMN), and total C and N, water-soluble PO 4 ³- -P, microbial biomass, and mycorrhizal inoculum potential (MIP). In the burned center, soil NH 4 + -N was greatest one month post-burn and remained elevated one year later. There was no observable increase in NO 3 - -N until one year post-burn. Soluble PO 4 ³- -P was not impacted by burning. Microbial biomass was reduced by burning and did not recover one year later. Pile burning greatly reduced MIP. In October 2006, fire scars were either seeded with native graminoids or left non-seeded, divided into subplots, and assigned to one of five treatments: control, addition of local organic matter, scarification, scarification and organic matter addition, or scarification and commercial compost addition. Soils were monitored for the previously measured soil parameters and resin-sorbed inorganic N. Scarification with organic matter amendment and scarification with compost amendment both ameliorated soil properties. Seeding most effectively increased plant cover and suppressed non-native invasive species, while scarification or scarification with organic matter amendment further improved early plant establishment. Collectively, these data help characterize the impacts of slash pile burning as a management technique in ponderosa pine forests and illustrate potential treatments for restoring burn pile scars.