Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
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Item A comparison of techniques for establishing Nebraska sedge and hardstem bulrush(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 1998) Klausmann, Jeffrey M.Item Identifying linkages between aquatic habitat, geomorphology, and land use in Sourdough Creek Watershed(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2004) McIlroy, Susan Kay; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Cliff Montagne.Aquatic systems reflect the geomorphological and land use processes that shape them. System function, structure, and composition are driven by both autogenous and exogenous processes at small- and large-scales. Impacts often act synergistically, increasing the complexity and magnitude of their effects on aquatic systems. To assess these impacts, watershed scale studies are becoming more common, and an integration of research and management is beginning to emerge. Diverse user groups and differing agendas complicate watershed management and restoration, making a collaborative decision-making process imperative. Objectives of this study were to identify linkages between aquatic habitat, geomorphology, and land use in Sourdough Creek Watershed, explore potential land use impacts in the Lower Watershed, and identify a sustainable management plan for the watershed. Specific questions involved identifying potential westslope cutthroat trout reintroduction areas in the Upper Watershed and exploring statistical correlations between six land classes and the response variables of large woody debris and pool length. This study found suitable reintroduction areas as well as identified linkages between predictor variables and LWD and pool length across land classes. Although others have assessed aquatic habitat on a large-scale as well as identified potential management paradigms, this study integrates the two in order to provide a useful document for stakeholders and managers of Sourdough Creek Watershed.Item Measuring ecosystem integrity in agroecosystems and rural communities(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 1997) Knox, David Ernest; Conservation Reserve Program (U.S.)Item Composition and modeling of riparian vegetation in the West Fork of the Gallatin River watershed(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2007) Shoutis, Levia Nima; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Duncan T. Patten.Riparian areas contribute to the health of watersheds through their influence on hydrologic, biogeochemical, physical, and ecological processes. Limited research has focused on riparian systems of small mountain watersheds in the western U.S., which are increasingly under pressure from development activities. Watershed managers would benefit from an increased understanding of environment-riparian relationships in mountainous watersheds, for the purpose of assessing habitat and potential available nutrient buffering. This study assessed vegetation-environment relationships using digitally-derived terrain variables and wetland indicator scores, and used these relationships to assess the composition and model the cross-valley extent of riparian vegetation within the West Fork of the Gallatin River watershed in southwest Montana. Digital terrain analysis was used to extract the following terrain predictors: elevation above and distance from streams, plot gradient, valley width, and a topographic wetness index, which integrates the upslope area that contributes flow to a plot, and the plot gradient, thus serving as a measure of site wetness. Species abundance was used to assign weighted plot wetland indicator scores in order to focus on cross-valley gradients, with plots below a threshold score (mesic plots) designated as riparian plots.