In grasslands, grazing by large ungulates can influence vegetation structure, composition, primary productivity, and ultimately, ecosystem functioning. While grazing represents a complex disturbance, grazing intensity largely determines the effects of
grazing on vegetation. Structural and compositional changes in the plant community caused by grazing could have bottom-up effects on species...
The N=88 isotones lie on the onset of nuclear deformation and have a complicated nuclear structure. To better understand this region, the nuclear levels of ¹⁵⁰Sm were studied in three different β decay experiments. De-populating γ-rays were measured using the 8π spectrometer, an array of 20 Compton suppressed Ge detectors....
Managers of forest and plantation ecosystems are encountering growing problems involving plant pathogens and the expanding geographic ranges of these pathogens. Historically unexposed stands are exceptionally vulnerable when a non-native pathogen is introduced because these pathogens can cause devastating disease in a host population that lacks co-evolved resistance mechanisms. One...
Food habits and levels of organochlorine compounds, lead, and mercury in resident and wintering bald eagles were studied in southcentral Oregon and California, 1979-83. Food habits were assessed by examination of castings from winter communal roosts, identification of 2938 prey items found at nest sites and foraging areas, and observations...
An Engineering Decision Support System, EDSS, was developed using Bayesian mathematics which incorporates knowledge and confidence components observed in alternative-criterion pair decision making. The separation of knowledge and confidence has been previously unaccounted for in decision-making methods. EDSS provides decision support to individuals or teams which must make choices between...
Networks of distributed, remote sensors are providing ecological scientists with a view of our environment that is unprecedented in detail. However, these networks are subject to harsh conditions, which lead to malfunctions in individual sensors and failures in network communications. This behavior manifests as corrupt or missing measurements in the...
Volatile compounds of eight pear varieties were isolated and identified by
GC/MS. A total of 112 components were identified from headspace of intact fruits,
including 47 compounds reported for the first time in pear. The volatile profiles of
these pear varieties were characterized by esters, alcohols, hydrocarbons, aldehydes
and ketones....