Managing invasive species is vital to preserving native species and maintaining the integrity of environments and ecological roles. Rats are one of the most prolific and intrusive invasive species that have successfully cohabitated with humans over centuries as we have expanded and advanced our societies. Thus, rats have historically been...
Food webs consist of a combination of bottom-up (resource-driven) and top-down (predator-driven) effects. The strength of these effects depends on the context in which they occur. I investigated food web (trophic) relationships between wolf (Canis lupus) predation, elk (Cervus elaphus) herbivory, aspen (Populus tremuloides Michaux) recruitment, and fire. The study...
With the emergence of big data and the Open Data Movement, and the wide availability to the public of large databases, Data Literacy is a necessary learning goal for students. Understanding the data process in its entirety is now a vital skillset required across industry, government, and scientific disciplines. The...
Interior least tern (Sternula antillarum athalassos) populations and productivity have been declining in Indiana for the past ten years, which is thought to be the result of predation. Methods for protecting nesting Interior least terns include fence exclosures and artificial shelters for chicks, but their effectiveness is unknown. Each Indiana...
A seasonal hair-loss syndrome of native deer began to occur in the Pacific Northwest United States in the mid-1990s. Clinical manifestations of the disease typically include large numbers of chewing lice on Columbia Black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) and Columbia White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus leucurus). Expenditure of energy responding to...
In contrast with other Odocoileus species, Columbian black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) population dynamics are not well understood throughout the species’ range. Concerns over apparent long-term population declines have prompted efforts to fill basic knowledge gaps including estimates of vital rates (fecundity, recruitment and survival) and cause-specific mortality. The Oregon...
Resilience-based management in rangelands implies maintaining desirable ecological states and avoiding thresholds to less desirable ones; however, the efficacy of resilience-based management depends upon several driving forces. These forces include management by those who depend upon rangelands for their livelihoods, the current state of ecological health of rangelands, and changing...
Animal pollination is critical to plant reproduction in agricultural and wildland ecosystems. Much of the production of seeds and fruits in natural areas, which underlie many food webs, depends on pollination services by insects. The taxon responsible for delivering the bulk of these services in most temperate systems is bees....
Increased globalization has greatly increased the ability for species to travel outside of their native range and reach all parts of the world. While most species do not have an impact in new habitats, a small percentage are able to establish a new population and spread, causing ecological damage and...
Science is one of the fundamental building blocks of modern societies, and though some science topics are easily accepted by public audiences, others generate intense social controversy by challenging beliefs that are fundamental to a person’s, or group’s, identity. The Theory of Evolution is one of these “hot-button” issues, as...