Montana State University Library Open Journal Systems
Not a member yet
2608 research outputs found
Sort by
Species-Specific Scaling to Define and Conserve the Northern Great Plains Region
Get PDFPrairie ecosystems are in a continuous state of flux, shifting by processes that include variable weather patterns and climatic conditions, disturbance regimes, and more recently, human-induced modification. Similarly, wildlife resources fluctuate across the landscape as a result of these ever-changing conditions; however, human alterations have increased, removed, and manipulated the ecological processes of the prairie. Specifically, the spatial scales at which humans manage and interact with the landscape are often inconsistent or incompatible with the scales required for the persistence of wildlife populations. Our synthesis demonstrates how the spatial scales at which wildlife in the Northern Great Plains of North America operate have been constrained by human intervention. This process of anthropogenic scaling has affected the decline of many native wildlife populations and in some cases has resulted in the complete extirpation of species from the landscape. We use historical observations and recent quantitative data to describe the primary cause of spatial scale alteration for prairie focal species (i.e. plains bison, pronghorn, grassland birds, Greater Sage-grouse, black-tailed prairie dogs, swift fox, prairie rattlesnakes) using migration, home range, distribution, and dispersal distances as metrics. We then describe the role that spatial scale plays in wildlife management of the prairie landscape from the non-profit, state, and federal perspective and how these entities are managing at the scales of each focal species
Avian Relationships with Wildfire at Two Dry Forest Locations with Different Historical Fire Regimes
Get PDFWildfire is a key factor influencing bird communities in western North American forests. We need to understand species and community responses to wildfire and how responses vary regionally to effectively manage for biodiversity in dry conifer forests. We compared avian relationships with wildfire burn severity between two locations of Arizona and Idaho. We predicted different responses to wildfire corresponding with regional differences in historical fire regime. We conducted point-count surveys for 3 years following wildfire (Arizona: 1997–1999; Idaho: 2008–2010) and used multispecies hierarchical models to analyze relationships of bird occupancy with burn severity. Consistent with our prediction for mixed-severity fire regimes characterizing the Idaho location, we observed proportionately more positive species occupancy relationships and, consequently, a positive species richness relationship with burn severity in Idaho. We also observed the opposite pattern in Arizona, which was congruent with our prediction for the low-severity fire regime characterizing that location. Cavity nesters and aerial insectivores occupied more severely burned sites following wildfire, corresponding with predicted increases in nesting substrate and foraging opportunities for these species. In contrast, canopy-nesting foliage gleaners and pine-seed consumers exhibited negative relationships with burn severity. Congruence with species life histories and with patterns reported in the literature suggests generality of observed patterns. We therefore suggest that optimal management strategies for maintaining avian diversity could differ regionally. Specifically, intensive fuels management may be ecologically less appropriate for promoting biodiversity in areas such as the Idaho location where mixed-severity wildfires and dense forest stands were historically more common
Black-Footed Ferret Restoration; History, Challenges and Current Status
Get PDFBlack-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes) were once found throughout the West on prairie dog (Cynomys spp.) colonies ranging from Canada to Mexico. Ferrets are totally dependent on prairie dogs as prey and for habitat, living exclusively in the burrow and tunnel systems created and maintained by prairie dogs. Cultivation of the Great Plains for crop production and prairie dog eradication efforts in support of domestic livestock production during the 20th century reduced black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) by some 98% of their former extent and black-footed ferrets were thought extinct by the late 1970’s. The surprise finding of a remnant population near Meeteetse Wyoming in 1981 gave new hope for survival of the species. However, devastating diseases resulted in a heroic rescue effort of remaining survivors and the beginnings of an intensive captive breeding effort. All black-footed ferrets in existence today are descendants of 7 founders from that effort. More than 8,500 ferrets have been born in captivity since 1985. The first reintroduction of black-footed ferrets back into the wild was in Shirley Basin, Wyoming in 1991. The first reintroduction in Montana was in 1994 on the UL Bend National Wildlife Refuge in north-central Montana. Notably, wolf reintroduction began 3 months after the first ferrets were released in Montana when wolves were placed in soft-release pens in Yellowstone National Park. More than 4,500 captive-reared black-footed ferrets have been released at 27 reintroduction sites since 1991. A total of about 300 black-footed ferrets were estimated alive in the wild at the end of 2015. Ferrets have been released at 5 sites in Montana; 3 on Indian Reservations (Fort Belknap, Northern Cheyenne and Crow), 1 on the UL Bend National Wildlife Refuge and 1 on Bureau of Land Management lands that are part of The Nature Conservancy’s Matador Ranch. There are numerous challenges to recovery of this critically endangered species. Understanding and attempting to manage sylvatic plague, an exotic disease introduced to North America in the early 1900’s, is foremost on the research front and a formidable biological challenge. There are both promising and challenging aspects to plague management. Social tolerance of prairie dogs on the landscape by agricultural interests and some natural resource managers is also a significant obstacle to black-footed ferret recovery. Opportunities are available to develop locales capable of supporting ferret populations if the right synergies of social and biological interactions can be fostered. Despite highly varied and emotional viewpoints, along with intense controversy, Montanan’s have found room for wolves as native fauna and they now occupy more than one-third of the state. Hopefully, Montanan’s can also find room for a few thousand acres of prairie dogs in multiple places that can each support viable ferret populations. Recovering an endangered species that was once thought extinct, and one that is truly indicative of prairie ecosystem function and health, would be an accomplishment. However, continuing investment in recovery of this species in the wild has been, understandably, criticized. Until recovery of black-footed ferrets is no longer deemed a worthy pursuit, efforts to provide a landscape that could support prairie dogs, ferrets and other native wildlife that were once widespread across the Great Plains will continue
Seeking Out the Hoary Marmot: Habitat Characteristics of an Alpine Obligate
Get PDFAlpine ecosystems likely will be impacted by climate change, which will shift distributions of alpine species. To predict these shifts reliably, an increased understanding about the habitat characteristics that are important to alpine species will be necessary to manage for their continued presence on the landscape. We have very limited information about habitat for hoary marmots (Marmota caligata) in Montana. To address this knowledge gap, we investigated the relative importance of habitat characteristics for marmot occupancy. During the summers of 2014 and 2015, we surveyed 184 sites in 5 mountain ranges throughout western Montana. We surveyed each site 2-5 times (average = 4.25 surveys/site) and detected marmots in 61 sites using two survey methods. Wind speed, survey method, cloud cover, and percent of the site that was visible all influenced detection probability. We estimated that marmots occurred in 36% of all sites (95% CI = 29-46%). Occupancy of marmots increased with snow and shrub cover and decreased with slope and distance to water. Given that snowpack, precipitation, and water sources are predicted to be impacted by climate change, our results begin to illustrate where this species of concern may become susceptible. If snowpack and the number of water sources decrease or shift geographically, this may reduce or alter the available habitat for marmots. We hope to augment the paucity of information about hoary marmots at the southern end of their distribution and aid management of this species under an uncertain climate future
Corrosion Inhibition: The Investigation of Lanolin on the Corrosion of 1018 Carbon Steel in Commercial Sea Water
Get PDFThere is a high demand for an environmentally friendly and cost-effective corrosion inhibitor. Due to the relatively low viscosity (high capillary action), commercially available polymeric lanolin has been used as a biodegradable corrosion inhibitor in addition to a natural lubricant for marine steel applications. In this work, corrosion of lanolin-saturated 1018 steel was investigated while completely submerged in stagnant seawater under local atmospheric conditions. Samples were immersed in commercial sea salt solution and analyzed at regular intervals. Determination of corrosion rate change, hardness variation and variation in surface microstructure of each specimen was executed on both standard and lanolin-treated 1018 steel specimens. At this point in the work, lanolin-treated 1018 steel samples retain polymeric coat and infer a high resistance to corrosion under long-term submersion. SEM-based analysis has inferred substantial corrosion attack occurring at the standard sample periphery compared to lanolin-treated samples. The addition of lanolin to the surface of the sample displayed a relatively low consistency in corrosion rate calculations compared to the standard sample
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Metabolic Profiles to Distinguish Geographically Isolated Populations of Mountain Goats
Get PDFBasic physiological studies on mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus) are conspicuously lacking in the literature, and the physiology of this species is perhaps the least known of the high mountain ungulates. The objective of this study was to evaluate metabolic profiles of female mountain goats from five geographically distinct populations using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Serum samples were collected from nannies located in Alaska in September (AK) from Glacier in August (GMT), from the Grand Tetons in November-December (GT), from NE Yellowstone in December (NEY) and from Absaroka in March (AB). Serum was extracted with acetone, dried and re-suspended in a standard NMR buffer. NMR spectra were analyzed with Chenomix™ software. Metabolites were identified and concentrations determined using the Chenomix™ database and the Human Metabolome Database. We identified 55 metabolites in the serum of mountain goats using this emerging technology. Of these 42 metabolites differed among the herds (P < 0.05). Of these 42 metabolites; creatinine, lactate and pyruvate distinguished (P < 0.05) each herd from another. Furthermore, using Principal Component Analyses of these metabolites allowed us to clearly differentiate metabolic profiles in carbohydrate, protein and lipid metabolism in nannies from these five populations. This study has the potential to enhance our understanding of how changes in nutrition, reproduction, susceptibility to disease, and survival rates drive population dynamics
Rescuing Convergent Extension after Inhibition of an Aquaporin (Poster)
Get PDFMuch is known about how aquaporins function within individual cells. Aquaporins are membrane protein channels that are permeable to water and a subset, aquaglyceroporins, are also permeable to glycerol. Little research has been conducted on how they contribute to larger processes such as gastrulation. Gastrulation organizes cells into germ layers, which will later form different body tissues. Convergent extension cell movements are critical in driving gastrulation. During convergent extension, cells that folded into the embryo at the dorsal lip of the blastopore merge to help form the long body axis. An aquaglyceroporin, Aqp3b, is expressed during convergent extension. When it is inhibited using a morpholino oligonucleotide, convergent extension does not occur properly, which we assay using Keller tissue explants from gastrula embryos. The aquaporin aqp2 and aquaglyceroporins aqp7 and aqp9 were cloned in order to conduct rescue experiments to determine whether it is the water or glycerol permeability of Aqp3b that functions in convergent extension. I have successfully cloned the aqp7 coding region, but errors made by Taq polymerase introduced mutations into the aqp2 and aqp9 sequences. I am still working to resolve these issues. In the meantime, I have begun to determine how Aqp3b interacts with noncanonical Wnt signaling, the primary signaling pathway involved in convergent extension, utilizing the same techniques. The embryos are injected with the aqp3b morpholino oligonucleotide, as well as the mRNA for a protein involved in noncanonical Wnt signaling. If convergent extension is rescued in the explants, then Aqp3b acts though noncanonical Wnt signaling
3D Printing: Establishing a Legitimate Service through Skyforge
Get PDF3D printing seems to be blowing up the internet and the world right now. From ownersprinting prosthetic legs for their dogs, to a Sonic Screwdriver for our Teen Doctor WhoChristmas Party, the applications and uses of this technology continue to excite andamaze us. In addition to democratizing manufacturing, it has equipped entrepreneurswith easy access to prototyping, and given students the ability to see their theoreticaldesigns take shape in the real world. Although several staff members, and a few Friendsof the Library, were interested in 3D printers, it didn’t seem like an attainable projectfor my library. The Community Library Network is a rural county system in North Idaho.We have seven library locations including Athol, Harrison, Hayden, Pinehurst, Post Falls,Rathdrum, Spirit Lake, as well as a Bookmobile. Altogether we serve over 100,000 Idahoresidents across 1,150 square miles and two counties
The Author: Kent Davis
Get PDFKent Davis is a Montana based author of “A Riddle in Ruby” and the soon to be released sequel, “The Changer’s Key”
Development of a Regional Fence Model with Implications for Wildlife Management
Get PDFBarbed and woven wire fence are ubiquitous features across much of western North America, yet their effects on wildlife have received less attention than those of other anthropogenic features. At this time, no geospatial fencing data is available at broad level scales; potentially making wildlife modeling of vagile species less accurate and conservation planning less reliable at various scales. Here, we model fence density across 13 counties in Montana’s Hi-Line region, based on publicly available GIS data and assumptions created from local, expert knowledge. The resulting fence location and density GIS layers are based on assumptions about where fence locations occur in association to different types of land tenure, land cover and roads. Locations of fences were collected via GPS along random 3.2 km long road transects (n = 738) to assess overall model accuracy. Using a confusion matrix to determine variation between field and modeled fence locations, the total accuracy of the model was 73% and Kappa was .40. Although we found inaccuracies associated with large parcels (>3 contiguous sections) of cultivated agriculture, our model is a promising step towards delineating fencing across the west. These general rules may be used and refined in the other areas based on the regional historical context. This new data may advance both wildlife research and management/mitigation activities. Using the relative density of fences across a region can prioritize conservation efforts at this broad scale. In addition, modeled fence locations provide useful and accurate information at a local scale