Browsing by Subject "conservation"

Now showing 1 - 20 of 24
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    Bird Friendly Beaches: Evaluating dog and human interactions with Great Lakes piping plovers (Charadrius melodus) and other shorebirds
    (2016-12) Rutter, Jordan
    Shorebirds are declining at an alarming rate globally. The primary causes identified, and therefore focus of conservation efforts, are climate change and habitat loss. However, other anthropogenic influences are also important and need to be addressed. In doing so, cumulative impacts on shorebirds may not be eliminated but could be decreased. One of the most prevalent issues is dogs (Canis familiaris) on beaches. To date, no extensive research has been conducted on how to address this problem although many studies have focused on obtaining baseline data at specific focal beaches. Chapter 1 is a comprehensive literature review on dog impacts on shorebirds. Current science indicates that dogs on beaches are an issue for all shorebirds, at every age, at any time of year, around the world. However, the best practices for reducing the impacts or interacting with dogs and their owners were not included in the studies reviewed. Chapter 2 describes an in-person survey on beaches throughout Michigan, USA, to better understand the current knowledge and level of support for beach conservation as well as dog beaches by Michigan beach-goers. On the 30th anniversary of federal listing of the Great Lakes piping plover (Charadrius melodus) as an endangered population, the responses obtained provide important information about the current situation on these beaches. Results of the survey indicate: 1) the majority of participants are not aware of what a piping plover is (n=317, 58%), 2) participants are generally supportive of protecting beach wildlife (89% of participants responded “very important”) 3) participants are relatively supportive of restrictions on human recreation if it helps protect beach wildlife (67% of participants responded “very important”). These data will improve current outreach and educational programs as incorporating the human dimensions aspect of conservation into the project will be crucial to the long-term success of the recovery effort.
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    Communities and Local Energy: A Workbook--The Future Is Now
    (2002) Pawlisch, Melissa; Nelson, Carl; Schoenrich, Lola
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    Ecology and Conservation of Common Terns (Sterna hirundo) Breeding in the North American Great Lakes Region
    (2021-05) Bracey, Annie
    The common tern (Sterna hirundo) is a long-distance migratory waterbird that breeds in both freshwater and marine environments in many parts of the world. Although the most wide-spread tern species in North America, populations have experienced extreme fluctuations during the last half century, with significant declines documented in the Great Lakes region and other inland breeding sites. Because of their reliance on coastal habitats, population declines have often been attributed to direct and indirect effects of human activity, such as habitat loss, modification, and degradation. In the Great Lakes most active breeding colonies occur at managed sites. The goal of my dissertation research was to document population dynamics of common terns breeding in western Lake Superior to understand how movement and demographic parameters vary between colonies and among colonies outside the region. A variety of intrinsic and extrinsic tagging methods were used to follow individuals throughout their annual cycle to identify potential risks to survival and fitness. Each chapter identifies potential risks to the population at different life stages and at different spatial and temporal scales. The first chapter documents large-scale movement patterns of adults breeding in the ‘central population unit’ using solar geolocation tracking devices to identify important migratory routes and wintering locations. Chapter 2 examines how adult foraging behavior influences mercury exposure in adults and chicks, to estimate exposure risk for birds nesting in western Lake Superior. Chapter 3 uses 36 years of mark-recapture data to identify drivers of population change by estimating survival, fecundity, and local-scale movements of adults and juveniles in western Lake Superior. These results filled gaps in knowledge about basic life history of Great Lakes nesting Common Terns and identified multiple potential risks (e.g., conditions at important stopover and non-breeding locations, especially coastal Peru, contaminant exposure at industrially-influenced breeding sites) to this population which can be mitigated through targeted conservation and management actions. Because climate change is expected to exacerbate these threats, it is imperative that suitable nesting habitat be restored and maintained for common terns breeding in the Great Lakes region, especially in the face of future environmental uncertainty and an ever-changing landscape.
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    Ectomycorrhizal fungal communities of oak savanna are distinct from forest communities
    (2009) Dickie, I A; Dentinger, B T M; Avis, P G; McLaughlin, D J; Reich, Peter B
    Oak savanna is one of the most endangered ecosystems of North America, with less than 0.02% of its original area remaining. Here we test whether oak savanna supports a unique community of ectomycorrhizal fungi, a higher diversity of ectomycorrhizal fungi or a greater proportional abundance of ascomycete fungi compared with adjacent areas where the absence of fire has resulted in oak savanna conversion to oak forest. The overall fungal community was highly diverse and dominated by Cenococcum geophilum and other ascomycetes, Cortinarius, Russula, Lactarius and Thelephoraceae. Oak savanna mycorrhizal communities were distinct from oak forest communities both aboveground (sporocarp surveys) and belowground (RFLP identification of ectomycorrhizal root tips); however total diversity was not higher in oak savanna than oak forests and there was no evidence of a greater abundance of ascomycetes. Despite not having a higher local diversity than oak forests, the presence of a unique fungal community indicates that oak savanna plays an important role in maintaining regional ectomycorrhizal diversity.
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    Floral Enhancement of Turfgrass Lawns for the Benefit of Bee Pollinators in Minneapolis, Minnesota
    (2020-01) Wolfin, James
    The turfgrass lawn is a common feature of urban and suburban communities, often accounting for the largest green spaces by area in these landscapes. Flowering species within turfgrass lawns have the potential to serve as a source of forage for bee pollinators in urban and suburban areas. We intentionally introduced low-growing flowers to turfgrass lawns to promote bee diversity and reduce inputs, while maintaining the traditional aesthetics and recreational uses associated with lawns. We compared bee communities on lawns with naturally-occurring blooms of Trifolium repens to bee communities on florally enhanced lawns that contained Prunella vulgaris ssp. lanceolata and Thymus serpyllum in addition to T. repens. T. repens supported both wild bee communities and A. mellifera colonies, as 56 species of bees were observed on T. repens, with A. mellifera as the most common species observed. We found that florally enhanced lawns supported more diverse bee communities than lawns with just T. repens. Furthermore, the bee communities supported by florally enhanced lawns were significantly different from the bee communities supported by lawns containing just T. repens based on presence-absence (Jaccard’s dissimilarity index). Our research indicates that A. mellifera colonies and wild bee communities can be supported by allowing T. repens to bloom in turfgrass lawns, and that further steps to promote the conservation of bees can be taken by land managers by intentionally introducing low-growing flowers to lawns.
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    Gendered Coping Mechanisms for Human-Tiger Conflict in Chitwan National Park, Nepal
    (2019-06) Helle, Samantha
    Human-tiger conflict (HTC) threatens both tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) conservation initiatives and the lives of local people who depend on tiger-shared forests for subsistence. In buffer zone community forests around Chitwan National Park, Nepal, incidences of human-killings have increased over the past 20 years resulting in widespread research and programs to mitigate HTC. While previous studies have explored conflict mitigation strategies at the government and institutional levels, this study seeks to understand, through a gendered lens, HTC mitigation methods known and practiced by individuals living in three HTC hotspot buffer zone communities south of Chitwan National Park. We applied Feminist Political Ecology theory, with gender as the central analytical variable along with the consideration of other socio-demographic factors, to understand where tigers rank in perceived wildlife threats, what individual HTC mitigation methods are known and practiced, and what barriers exist to implementing known methods. Individual interviews (n=150), sampling men and women equally, revealed that tigers rank second overall as the most threatening wildlife species to residents, with no difference in mean ranking between women and men. Across the three sampled communities, 31 unique HTC mitigation methods were reported. The three most commonly reported methods were going to the forest in groups, taking a weapon for protection, and not wearing the color red. There was no significant difference in mean number of HTC mitigation methods known between men (μ= 2.57) and women (μ=2.29). However, using a repeated measures ANOVA, a significant difference in mean number of methods known and practiced in the last month of the survey was found between men and women. Men reported significantly more barriers to implementing methods than women. Respectively, the top methods men and women reported not using often were traveling in groups and wearing non-red clothing. Dominant socio-cultural practices coupled with known biological factors associated with HTC may contribute to reported implementation barriers and place men from one out of the three study areas who enter the forest alone at high risk for an attack. Further analysis and understanding of how gender and other social constructs play a role in HTC is needed to reduce incidences of HTC and the removal of tigers from core conservation areas.
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    The Genetic Diversity and Conservation Potential of Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carrière) in Minnesota
    (2017-09) Ellingson, Emily
    Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carrière) is a slow-growing and long-lived conifer in the Pinaceae family. Its range extends from Nova Scotia west into Wisconsin and Minnesota and south along the Appalachian Mountains, Northern Georgia, and Alabama with outlier populations along the western range limits in Minnesota, Ohio, Indiana, Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Eastern hemlock is a foundation species across its range that has transformational effects on its surrounding ecosystem. As of 2013, eastern hemlock has been listed as near threatened due to the presence of an invasive insect, the hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae Anaand.), which is destroying populations in the eastern United States. Eastern hemlock has historically existed in Minnesota in disjunct and marginal populations and it is listed as endangered in the state. Additionally, trees of known native provenance at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum were collected from a now extirpated population near Mille Lacs Lake, Minnesota and there are additional trees of unknown provenance in state and municipal parks and public gardens. The objectives of this research were to understand the propagation potential and genetic diversity of native and unknown provenance eastern hemlock in Minnesota with the aim of using this information to inform conservation strategies. Field site visits revealed that there are less than 40 known native mature eastern hemlock trees in Minnesota, with scattered seedlings and saplings. Information on individual trees and herbarium specimens including details on height, diameter at breast height (DBH), location, and notes on tree health, are included in the supplementary spreadsheet Appendix B. Using previously published microsatellite markers (SSRs) derived from eastern hemlock, we observed inbreeding in disjunct Minnesota native trees when compared with trees in the main range. Hemlock Ravine was the most genetically distinct from all other sites sampled, as were native origin trees at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Interestingly, neither of these two sites were similar to the other Minnesota disjunct site, West Duluth. The West Duluth trees were more genetically similar to populations sampled in Wisconsin and Michigan. Seedlings grown from native Minnesota trees also displayed inbreeding. From paternity analyses, we found that trees at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum are potentially outcrossing with non-native trees. Additionally, trees in Minnesota of both native and non-native origin can be propagated successfully via seed. Trees at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in particular are amenable to seed propagation, but had little overall success when propagated vegetatively, with the exception of a singular accession (MLA19). These discoveries can be used to inform conservation practices in Minnesota. We recommend that land managers continue in situ preservation of sites across Minnesota and continue ex situ maintenance of eastern hemlock trees in parks and gardens. We also recommend that land managers focus on native Minnesota trees when sourcing material for propagation, planting, and seed-banking in national and local repositories.
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    Genetic structure and phenotypic differences among and within extant populations of Chrysanthemum arcticum L. and C. a. subsp. arcticum
    (2020-07) Liu, Yunjia
    Chrysanthemum arcticum L., Arctic daisy, (=Arctanthemum arcticum; =Dendranthema arcticum) and its two subspecies (C. arcticum L. subsp. arcticum, C. arcticum L. subsp. polaré Hulten), collectively the C. arcticum species complex, are the only chrysanthemum species native to North America. The species are of interest since they are salt tolerant, growing only along the oceans, with a groundcover habit and may possess other ornamental traits of value to chrysanthemum breeders. However, evidence of decline in species’ range of distribution were detected, which may be reducing the genetic diversity. Understanding the genetic diversity and population structure is important in order to develop conservation strategies and utilize valuable germplasm resources. Thus, we have collected and genotyped 529 genotypes in nine C. arcticum and 21 C. a. ssp. arcticum extant populations from the State of Alaska mainland and Attu Island (the westernmost Aleutian Island). Population genetic diversity was analyzed using 7,449 SNP markers from DArTseqLD. Simultaneously, 16 quantitative morphological traits and 5 qualitative morphological traits were investigated for phenotypic differences. Three distinct genetic clusters were detected by STRUCTURE 2.3.4 within C. arcticum populations and consistent results were obtained with Principal coordinate analysis (PCoA), Discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC), and the Unweighted pair group method with arithmetic means (UPGMA), while a mixture of subgroups were present in C. a. subsp. arcticum populations genetic cluster analyses, which may be the result of gene flow among close populations capable of gene exchange (Chapter 2). The study on the species’ variation in morphological and diagnostic traits is of importance to enhance diagnostic traits for species identification and link morphological traits with single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. Soil samples revealed extremely high levels of Na, which confirmed that the species are salt-tolerant. Univariate ANOVAs revealed significant differences among species and morphological traits, similar to the genetic structure analysis for variation among populations within members of the C. arcticum species complex. Overlaps in the genetic cluster analysis for C. a. subsp. arcticum verified the possibility of a higher frequency of gene flow among Attu island collection sites (chapter 3).
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    Heritage Perceptions: A Study of Southwest Minneapolis
    (2016-06) Sundberg, Madelyn
    Heritage is integral both to the character of a community and to the identity of an individual. This study argues that heritage resources – the cultural, natural, and historical sites that a community feels are important to save for future generations – require systematic assessment that brings together the expertise of professionals and residents through public participation. A void in the existing literature, based primarily on conjecture from professional assumptions, provides an opportunity for exploratory research into methods of community engagement during the designation of heritage resources. An online questionnaire, collecting both qualitative and quantitative data, assesses local perceptions of heritage importance and explores specific places valued by residents. This study specifically focuses on the heritage of neighborhoods in Southwest Minneapolis; however, the methods utilized provide a precedent for future research and professional investigations, by architectural historians and preservation planners, into community participation in heritage preservation in the United States.
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    Historical and contemporary biological diversity of Minnesota caddisflies: a case study of landscape-level species loss and trophic composition shift
    (University of Chicago Press, 2010) Houghton, David C.; Holzenthal, Ralph W.
    The biological diversity reflected by nearly 300,000 caddisfly specimens collected throughout Minnesota since 1985 was compared with that of 25,000 specimens recorded prior to 1950 and was analyzed based on the 5 caddisfly regions of Minnesota. In the Lake Superior, Northern, and Southeastern regions, .90% of species known historically from each region were recovered and additional species were discovered. In the Northwestern and Southern regions—the most disturbed areas of Minnesota—species recovery ranged from 60 to 70%. Historical and contemporary assemblages were similar to each other in the former 3 regions and markedly different in the latter 2. Prior to 1950, species in all trophic functional groups were widespread in all regions. A similar pattern still exists in the Lake Superior, Northern, and Southeastern regions, whereas the Northwestern and Southern regions are now dominated by filtering collectors in all sizes of lakes and streams. Over 65% of species extirpated from any region were in the long-lived families Limnephilidae and Phryganeidae, and 70% of these same species were in the shredder functional group. Almost 30% of the statewide fauna has been found from ,5 localities since 1950, suggesting a degree of imperilment on par with that of freshwater bivalves, gastropods, and fish. These observed losses of biodiversity and changes in trophic composition have probably occurred as a result of anthropogenic disturbance throughout most of the northcentral US.
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    Humans, Livestock, and Lions in Northwest Namibia
    (2019-12) Heydinger, John
    Humans, livestock, and lions have inhabited shared landscapes in northwest Namibia for hundreds of years. Currently, human-lion conflict (HLC) threatens pastoral livelihoods and the viability of the region’s desert-adapted lion population. In this dissertation I examine the history of human-livestock-lion relationships in the region. The goal is to create historically-informed solutions to HLC that are locally-inclusive. Drawing on archival, scientific, and governmental material, as well as social surveys and oral histories that I have performed, this is the first time that the disparate sources on human-livestock-lion relationships in northwest Namibia have been unified. While scholars of African environments have problematized interpretations of Africa’s environmental colonial and postcolonial past, this is the first work to examine human-predator relationships as a fulcrum for understanding colonial and postcolonial politics and the current challenges of conserving African lions. As a document informing ongoing conservation interventions, this is the first attempt to explicitly frame applied lion conservation activities within historical contexts, critically assessing livestock as mediators of human-lion interactions. I begin by showing how the precolonial and early-colonial experience of the region’s ovaHerero people was mediated through the control of livestock. I then examine how colonial era policies remade, and were aided by, the geography of predators. The effects of apartheid on the region’s wildlife showcase some of the important legacies of colonial-era policies. I then reveal the long history of human-lion interactions with particular emphasis on the transformative role of livestock. I then focus on the behavior and ecology of the desert-adapted lions, highlighting important contrasts with other lion populations and emphasizing how recent monitoring induced a paradigm shift. Finally, I center ongoing HLC within communal rangelands as experienced by pastoralists and suggest one way of reframing HLC that is founded in local perspectives.
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    Literature Review Summary of the Influences to Soil Health Practice Adoption Behavior in the Midwest
    (2022-11-16) Roth, Sarah
    Increasing voluntary adoption of conservation practices by producers is key to reducing agricultural pollution in Minnesota’s waterways. In order to do this, we must understand producer adoption behavior including the drivers of and barriers to adoption. A literature review was conducted that was exclusive to studies in the Midwest, published since 2000, and focused on soil health practices of interest including cover crops, conservation tillage, perennials, and livestock integration. The major factors that influence producer behavior related to adoption were grouped into 5 main categories: farm characteristics, personal characteristics, perceived practice characteristics, social factors, and structural factors.
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    Measuring what matters: Assessing the full suite of benefits of OHF investments
    (2021-01-08) Noe, Ryan; Locke, Christina; Host, George; Gorzo, Jessica; Johnson, Lucinda; Lonsdorf, Eric; Grinde, Alexis; Joyce, Michael; Bednar, Josh; Dumke, Josh; Keeler, Bonnie
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    Northern Minnesota Logger Conservation Action: Social, Moral, and Business Norms and Profitability
    (2015-05) Fellows, Sarah
    This study explores the drivers of decision making and conservation action among northern Minnesota loggers, and in particular the relationship between perceived norms and profitability. Twenty interviews were conducted with loggers in northern Minnesota and analyzed using an adapted grounded theory approach. Study findings reveal that personal, business and social norms are powerful determinants of logger decision making. However, recent strains on profitability, as well as a perceived disconnect within the supply chain (i.e., wood suppliers, loggers and mills) constrain conservation action. This study adds to the growing body of research on conservation behaviors (e.g., recycling, energy consumption, and farming) of resources users through an inductive investigation of the conservation decisions of loggers, a relatively understudied social group. A better understanding of logger decision making will enable forest managers and policy makers to better evaluate and enhance conservation programming, timber sale policies, and forest management guidelines based on the experiences and perceptions of loggers.
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    Population Genetic Structure Of The Freshwater Mussel Potamilus Alatus In The State Of Minnesota
    (2020-05) Smith, Ashley
    Freshwater mussels (family Unionidae) have been declining across North America at an alarming rate. Numerous conservation strategies have been invoked to slow or reverse this decline, with hatcheries and transport of individuals from healthy populations to ailing ones being a common technique. However, moving individuals from one population to another can have unintended consequences if the individuals from the source population are genetically distinct, so it is imperative that conservationists understand the underlying patterns of genetic diversity of the species they are trying to save. This study examines populations of the mussel Potamilus alatus across the state of Minnesota in order to determine the extent of genetic connectivity among different geographic populations are. Analyses of seven different microsatellite loci found that populations within the Mississippi River watershed are genetically similar; however, a population along the Red Lake River is isolated and unique. Any future conservation efforts with Potamilus alatus should take these differences in to account when taking broodstock for hatcheries or transporting individuals between populations, in order to avoid outbreeding depression, or transplanting individuals into environments for which not be genetically suited.