The detection of white-nose syndrome (WNS) in King County, WA in 2016 prompted the National Park Service to mobilize region-wide bat monitoring and disease surveillance. One of the goals of the Pacific West Region WNS response plan was to implement acoustic monitoring to determine the distribution of bat species and...
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We would like to thank our supervisor TaraChestnut for this
internship opportunity, as well as
In the US, significant research is ongoing regarding the interactions of pesticides with species and processes within wetland ecosystems. For example, the effect of such pollutants on amphibian survival and physiology has been an area of focused research. Negative impacts of pesticides to non-target organisms (e.g. amphibians) have been observed....
Biodiversity losses in terrestrial, freshwater, and marine systems are accelerating at a global scale and the most threatened vertebrate taxa are those associated with freshwater habitats. The causes of biodiversity losses are often complex and include synergistic effects of natural and human-induced stressors, such as habitat loss and fragmentation, urbanization,...
Little is known about the fall and winter ecology of hibernating bats in western North America. Filling knowledge gaps for these populations has become more urgent with the westward spread of the white-nose syndrome, a disease that infects bats during hibernation. Due to the thermal requirements of the fungal pathogen...
I studied developmental rates in a suite of temperate and tropical passerine bird species from the New World to test the hypothesis that tropical passerines exhibit slower patterns of growth and development than temperate birds. I also investigated how the expression of several developmental rates varied with life history traits...
In the US, significant research is ongoing regarding the interactions of pesticides with species and processes within wetland ecosystems. For example, the effect of such pollutants on amphibian survival and physiology has been an area of focused research. Negative impacts of pesticides to non-target organisms (e.g. amphibians) have been observed....
Full Text:
of the amphibian chytrid fungus?
Breanne Myers1,2, Bradi Voigt1,3, Tara Chestnut1,4, Andrew R
In the US, significant research is ongoing regarding the interactions of pesticides with species and processes within wetland ecosystems. For example, the effect of such pollutants on amphibian survival and physiology has been an area of focused research. Negative impacts of pesticides to non-target organisms (e.g. amphibians) have been observed....
Full Text:
amphibian chytrid fungus?
Breanne Myers1,2, Bradi Voigt1,3, Tara Chestnut1,4, Andrew R Blaustein1,4,5
For over 100 years, National Parks have existed to preserve America’s natural and cultural heritage for current and future generations. As environmental pressures on wildlife and habitats have increased in recent decades, National Park lands have become important protected areas for many threatened and endangered species. Conservation and management of...
In this study, I examine the influence of habitat gradients created by the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, Washington USA on a recently established Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) population in the Spirit Lake basin. My goal was to evaluate the responses of fish in seven streams across a volcanic...
Biodiversity losses are occurring worldwide due to a combination of stressors. For example, by one estimate, 40% of amphibian species are vulnerable to extinction, and disease is one threat to amphibian populations. The emerging infectious disease chytridiomycosis, caused by the aquatic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), is a contributor to amphibian...
In a population of the European common toad Bufo bufo from a rural pond in the region of Lake Glubokoe Regional Reserve in Moscow province, Russia, unexplained mass mortality events involving larvae and metamorphs have been observed over a monitoring period of >20 yr. We tested toads from this and...
I examined the avian biogeography of the islands of Lago Gatun, Panama, in an effort to better understand the effects of forest fragmentation in this biodiverse region, and specifically to understand the importance of fragment isolation and the mechanism behind its effects on tropical bird distribution. I combined exhaustive surveys...
These datasets were used in the prospective meta-analysis of northern spotted owl reproductive rates over 25 years across 11 study areas located throughout the range of the owl. A multi-state occupancy file was created by collapsing site-specific information on owl reproductive status into bimonthly (2 per month) survey occasions. These...
These datasets were used in the prospective meta-analysis of northern spotted owl reproductive rates over 25 years across 11 study areas located throughout the range of the owl. A multi-state occupancy file was created by collapsing site-specific information on owl reproductive status into bimonthly (2 per month) survey occasions. These...
These datasets were used in the prospective meta-analysis of northern spotted owl reproductive rates over 25 years across 11 study areas located throughout the range of the owl. A multi-state occupancy file was created by collapsing site-specific information on owl reproductive status into bimonthly (2 per month) survey occasions. These...
Field surveys in 2006 confirmed that the
exotic rust fungus Phragmidium violaceum was widespread
on Rubus armeniacus and Rubus laciniatus in
the Pacific Northwest of the USA. The origin and
dispersal pattern of this obligate biotrophic pathogen in
the USA were investigated by comparing the genetic
diversity and structure of...
As a metafictional work of science fiction literature, A Novel Elysium explores the timelessness of
both the human mind and its literary surroundings, comparing the self-awareness of its characters to
the sometimes tragic or empowering metaphysical realizations of human beings. Within this
framework, any concrete place or time is unimportant;...
Fifty-seven species of wildlife rely on or frequently use snags for breeding, roosting, or denning in Oregon and Washington. Several publications offer information on use of snags by wildlife, influence of management activities on snags and snag users, and approaches to managing snags to benefit wildlife. Because of the diverse...
The current rate of global biodiversity loss and extinctions is unparalleled and a major concern. Freshwater organisms are facing particularly rapid rates of biodiversity loss. Amphibians, which require an aquatic environment for part of their life cycle, are one of the most vulnerable vertebrate groups. Amphibians are experiencing population declines,...
This dissertation presents a different approach to understanding how amphibians are responding to disease through ontogeny. Although numerous efforts have been conducted to understand host responses to the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), studies have been restricted to distinct developmental stages. This dissertation provides information on host response to Bd across...
Emerging infectious diseases are increasing globally and are a threat to human, wildlife, and ecosystem health. The emerging fungal pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), or amphibian chytrid fungus, is associated with worldwide amphibian population declines and extinctions. Bd has been found on every continent where amphibians exist and has been documented...
Earth is experiencing unprecedented biodiversity loss. Amphibians are at the forefront of this biodiversity loss, with species declines estimated to be more severe than those of birds and mammals. Amphibian population declines and extinctions are driven by a number of factors including climate change, habitat destruction, contaminants and disease but...
Published July 1975. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
Rapid rates of biodiversity loss have supported the notion that Earth is experiencing a sixth major extinction event. The causes of worldwide biodiversity loss are multifaceted and context dependent. One of the most prominent groups experiencing population declines and extinctions are amphibians. Several pathogens and their associated diseases are especially...
The ongoing worldwide loss of biodiversity has been described as a "biodiversity crisis," "the Anthropocene defaunation," and alternatively "an extinction spasm." More recently, many scientists have come to the conclusion that we are witnesses to Earth's sixth major mass extinction event, which has the potential to fundamentally alter basic ecological...
Revised edition of the author's "Vegetation of Oregon and Washington", originally published by the U.S. Forest Service in 1973. Reprinted with new bibliographic supplement by the OSU Press in 1988.
The College of Forestry Integrated Research Project (CFIRP) is an on-going experiment in the eastern Coast Range foothills of western Oregon. Started in 1989, a team of scientists, resource managers, and students at Oregon State University designed and implemented silvicultural alternatives to clearcutting. These silvicultural practices aimed to create and...
Forecasts of the impacts of climate change have traditionally focused on individual species and their phenotypes, phenology, or distribution. However, shifts in species distributions and the resulting reorganization of community composition represent an important violation to the assumption of species acting in isolation. Whereas species may respond individualistically to climate...
Pollution by pesticides is a ubiquitous concern for wildlife. The effects of
pesticides are especially concerning in aquatic environments, which are particularly
vulnerable as they have several exposure routes for the influx of chemicals. These
effects are of particular concern as biodiversity loss reaches unprecedented rates. This
includes recent declines...
This dissertation uses manipulative experiments to explore amphibian-Bd infection dynamics. Although there has been almost two decades research since the discovery of Bd, many questions still remain regarding what conditions mediate chytridiomycosis virulence. My research shows how certain host and pathogen factors can influence disease virulence. Identifying how host and...
The causes of the global biodiversity crisis are varied and complex. Anthropogenic threats may act in isolation, or interact additively or synergistically with each other or with natural stressors to affect sensitive taxa. The recent emergence of many infectious diseases in wildlife has brought attention to the role of disease...
Giant chinquapin (Chrysolepis chrysophylla) is an evergreen hardwood often found as a shrubby understory component of coniferous forests in the Pacific Northwest United States. Due to its ability to sprout quickly after disturbances such as fire and logging it is often viewed as a pest by forest managers. Like its...
The Northern Rubber Boa (Charina bottae) is a small, secretive boa native to the Pacific Northwest. Despite this being possibly the highest latitude boas and one of only two boas native to the continental U.S., it has received surprisingly little attention. Most of the research on the natural history of...
Investigation into how animals move within the landscape is important for both understanding of ecological processes and conservation management. Animal movement is important in shaping life history transitions, demographics, individual fitness, and species distributions. However, as landscapes become increasingly affected by human activities, movement becomes important as species navigate landscapes...
The earth is undergoing a “biodiversity crisis” characterized by loss of populations, species, genetic diversity, and ecosystem services. Part of this crisis consists of population declines, extinctions, and increased incidence of deformities in amphibians. It is unknown whether deformities contribute to these declines. Many cases of population declines in amphibians...
The climate of the Pacific Northwest is in flux, and existing forest ecosystems are stressed and poised to shift in fundamental ways, with or without human intervention. This dissertation probes the nature of forest responses to environmental change through investigations of morphology and genetics of three species of alder co-occurring...
With continual and worldwide human population growth, our impact on the natural environment expands and intensifies every day. We consume natural resources, burn fossil fuels, and release toxic compounds into the air, water, and earth. We build roads that fragment the landscape, construct new settlements, and develop agricultural lands in...
Ectomycorrhizal fungi (EmF) form symbioses with trees. These symbioses profoundly influence forest ecology. Certain EmF form specialized profusions of hyphae, known as ectomycorrhizal fungal mats (mats) which are visible to the naked eye, alter forest soil biogeochemistry, substantially contribute to soil microbial biomass/respiration and support unique microbial communities. Piloderma and...
The Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management propose to adopt coordinated ecosystem management direction for the lands they administer within the range of the northern spotted owl. This Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SETS) presents as alternatives the options, with slight modifications, developed by the Forest Ecosystem Management Assessment...