http://hdl.handle.net/1957/29 This Collection supports the <a href="http://www.oregonexplorer.info/">Oregon Explorer</a>, a portal to the OSU Libraries Natural Resources Digital Library. 2013-05-22T16:46:14Z http://hdl.handle.net/1957/36202 Use of tethered prey for estimating the impact of the invasive European green crab Hauck, Laura L. Various mollusks, including small bivalves and gastropod snails, are a common food source for intertidal crabs. Prey opening techniques used on hard-shell prey are dependent on claw size and morphology. For example, large, strong claws can crush a snail outright while smaller, weaker claws leave characteristic peels, pulls and upper whorl peels. It is therefore often possible to identify the predator responsible for a specific breakage pattern. A feeding study was conducted to "fingerprint" the shell opening techniques of the European green crab and five common native Pacific Northwest crab species on three size classes of the intertidal snail Littorina sitkana. A multiple linear regression analysis utilizing a statistical program resulted in an odds ratio that identified the crab species most likely to perform a given technique. For example, the green crab was 19 times more likely to utilize the pulling technique than a Dungeness crab, while the Dungeness crab primarily relied on crushing. The green crab was the only crab species to utilize an upper whorl peel technique. Shell breakage patterns found on snails tethered to predation lines at various sampling sites in Coos Bay and Yaquina Bay, Oregon, were then used to identify the size and species of foraging crab predators at those sites. A predation line is a tool designed to quantify the foraging impact upon small gastropod snails by various crab species in the intertidal zone. A given number of Littorina sitkana snails are attached to monofilament line with marine epoxy. These lines are then tied to metal rebar rods and left in the intertidal for one full tidal cycle. The fate of the snails on the lines is then scored as: live, attempted peel, peeled, pulled or crushed. The final results yield the overall crab foraging rate and indicate the most likely crab species responsible for the predation. This information can be very useful when comparing predation rates between sampling sites that host the invasive European green crab, and those sites that have not yet been invaded. Senior thesis for the Bachelor of Science in the Department of Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon. 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1957/35621 Effectiveness monitoring at tidal wetland restoration and reference sites in the Siuslaw River estuary: A tidal swamp focus Brophy, Laura S. This project was part of the Siuslaw Watershed Restoration Initiative. We designed and established a monitoring program at five sites totaling 319 A: two tidal wetland restoration sites (97A) and two reference sites (205 A) in the Siuslaw River estuary, and one 17 A reference site in the Yaquina River estuary. Both restoration sites were historically Sitka spruce tidal swamp, but one has subsided and is currently restoring to tidal march. The three reference sites -- two least-disturbed tidal swamps and one least-disturbed tidal marsh -- were selected to represent the full range of historic and current conditions at the restoration sites. 2009-06-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1957/35590 Ni-les’tun tidal wetland restoration effectiveness monitoring: Baseline: 2010-2011. Brophy, Laura S.; van de Wetering, Stan This report describes results of baseline monitoring at the Ni-les’tun tidal wetland restoration site, Bandon National Wildlife Refuge, Coquille River estuary of Oregon. Baseline monitoring provides a basis for comparison to post-restoration conditions, allowing future determination of project effectiveness. The report focuses on 2010-2011 baseline data, but it also includes information from our team’s earlier monitoring efforts during 2003-2005. These earlier monitoring data leverage the 2010-2011 effort, providing a longer-term perspective and better understanding of site dynamics. We also provide some early glimpses of likely post-restoration conditions, based on data from the reference site and some preliminary post-restoration monitoring in fall 2011. 2012-06-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1957/35519 Tidal Wetland Prioritization for the Necanicum River Estuary Brophy, Laura S. This study identified and characterized current and likely former tidal wetlands in the Necanicum River estuary (in the emergent, shrub, and forested classes), and used ecological criteria to prioritize these wetlands for conservation and restoration activities. The project is intended for use in strategic planning of voluntary conservation and restoration efforts; products are not intended for regulatory use and do not meet federal mapping standards. 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z