Symposium 2008

Department of Natural Resources
Graduate Student Association
January 15 and 16, 2008

Download Symposium 2008 schedule

Mark Bain

Hydro Peaking and Green Energy: St. Marys River, Ontario and Michigan

Hydropower is a clean, flexible, and renewable energy source but its global benefits can come with significant local impacts and environmental losses. The use of hydropower facilities to track variations in electric supply and demand often causes significant environmental impacts from intermittent generation or hydro peaking. The St. Marys River connecting Lake Superior to Lake Huron was studied for assessing hydro peaking impacts. The river has the morphology of a complex strait, with substantial water turnover and current like a river, and changing water surface elevations from natural and human factors. Impacts of 43 hydro peaking cases were analyzed from North America and Europe. Reports of 149 specific impacts were tabulated to form a data set for relating hydro operations to impacts on downstream river environments. An existing impact significance scale was used to organize the hydro peaking impacts data into ratings spanning undisturbed or natural ecosystem status to severely altered environments with major loss of ecosystem structure and function. This analysis was used to specify a criteria for hydropower operations consistent with river conservation: a green energy standard for peaking hydropower. The standard was applied to hydropower operations on the St. Marys River. The standard allows more flexibility in hydro peaking operation than currently permitted and increased the efficiency and value of hydropower. New operating rules reduce the need to obtain electric power supply for other sources thereby increasing the contribution of clean and renewable energy.

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Bernd Blossey, Evan Cooch, Victoria Nuzzo and Amy Blair

Multiple stressors in eastern forests: implications for management of deer, worms and other invasive species

Eastern forests have undergone dramatic changes and many plant species now exist in isolated or small populations and are threatened, endangered or of special concern (TES). Threats to long-term survival range from habitat loss and fragmentation, to invasive plants, animals, and diseases, acid rain, nutrient deposition and climate change. Ideally, any plant management or of various threats would be informed by an analysis of the severity of a particular threat or of the cumulative threat posed by various stressors and how a particular plant species/population responds to management. Unfortunately, such guidelines are rarely available. In a new project, we will evaluate contributions of deer and introduced species (plants, earthworms, slugs, and weevils) and increased nutrient deposition on demography of TES plant species. We have evidence that earthworms may be the leading cause for plant invasions, at least in eastern forests in the Northeast. Deer browse on adult plants may lead to a collapse of the herbaceous layer and introduced slugs and weevils may prevent recruitment from the seed bank. While we have abundant evidence for the "ecosystem engineering" ability of deer or slug herbivory, plant or earthworm invasions, or nutrient deposition, our work will for the first time combine an assessment of these different stressors into a single study and model. Our working hypothesis postulates that a reduction of the deer herd will prevent declines of many native plant species (or allow their recovery). Simultaneously, we may see a reduced need for invasive plant management.

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Jason Boulanger, Paul Curtis, and Michael Ashdown

Integrated Deer Research and Management for Cornell University Lands

Increasing interactions between white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and Cornell University lands have resulted in the need to evaluate and implement a deer research and management program to reduce negative impacts (e.g., plant damage and deer-vehicle accidents). We will evaluate a novel 5-year program that integrates deer fertility management with controlled hunting to reduce overall deer abundance and associated impacts. For this research, University lands have been divided into two zones, an area near the core campus (Red Zone [666 ha]) where deer will be treated with fertility control, and a surrounding area (Green Zone [1,237 ha]) where controlled archery or gun hunting may be used in accordance with state discharge regulations. Fencing will be used as needed in both zones to further protect research plots and unique plant collections. During the program, 70 to 100 female deer will be captured and transported to the College of Veterinary Medicine for permanent sterilization surgery. Female deer will be marked with numbered livestock ear tags. A portion of these deer (n = 40) aged > one year will be fitted with VHF radio transmitter collars and will be monitored weekly for movement patterns and survivorship. In conjunction with the population control program, a mark-recapture population assessment will be conducted. Each spring, a camera census will be conducted in the Red Zone to determine the proportion of marked and unmarked deer. In the Green Zone, a mandatory deer sighting log for hunters will be used as an index of deer abundance.

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Brian Chabot, Christopher Skinner and Arthur DeGaetano

Predicting Climate Change Impact on Sap Production

Two global climate models were used to predict for a 100 year period the temperature conditions necessary for sap flow in sugar maples. These predictions support long term records showing that the sap season is moving progressively earlier in the spring. There are suitable conditions in the fall for sap production. The impact of climate change is not uniform across the Northeast. Currently cold areas will show slight improvement in sap production while currently warmer areas show decreases. Reducing CO2 emissions will reduce the climate impact on sap production.

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Jillian Cohen

Examining interactions between invasive plants and native amphibians at the population level: does source population determine impact?

Mounting evidence counters the genetic paradox in invasion biology, namely the idea that newly founded (invasive) populations overcome low genetic diversity and low evolutionary potential to become established outside their native range. The majority of successful aquatic invaders do not show low genetic diversity, often because they have been introduced multiple times from different source populations. Reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea), a wetland plant invader, is marked by high genetic diversity. Invasive individuals have highly recombined genomes compared to native ones, and these genetic differences translate into higher growth rates and biomass. No known studies have compared ecological impacts of introduced species from different introduced populations, yet data from a previous field experiment indicates that different populations of reed canary grass can have disparate impacts on native amphibians. I propose to examine the impact of different populations of reed canary grass on native pickerel frogs (Rana pipiens) using a large-scale mesocosm experiment.

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Robin DeBruyne, Tracy L. Galarowicz, and Randall M. Claramunt

Relative abundance and growth models for lake whitefish in Lake Michigan: 25 years of change

Lake whitefish support an important commercial fishery in the Great Lakes and are the primary commercial species in Lake Michigan. Using fishery independent survey data, we examined growth parameters and relative abundance of adult lake whitefish over a historical (1980-1990) and recent (1996-2005) time period for three regions of Lake Michigan. The fishery independent data provides annual estimates of the growth rate parameters and abundance, which can be used as inputs into stock assessment models to set harvest limits. Growth was evaluated using von Bertalanffy models from empirical lengths and size-at-age estimates. Shifts in von Bertalanffy parameters were observed in the mid and south regions but not in the north region. Changes in parameters may be a result of exploitation rates and shifts in food availability as relative abundance varied over the time series. By incorporating growth parameters and relative abundance information from the fishery independent data into stock assessment models, managers will likely be able to improve their ability to determine appropriate harvest limits and management strategies for lake whitefish in the Great Lakes.

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Robin DeBruyne

Modeling the responses of two percid species to fluctuating double-crested cormorant presence in Oneida Lake, New York

The Great Lakes region as a whole has seen an exponential increase in double-crested cormorant abundance since the 1970's, and the same is true for Oneida Lake, NY. In Oneida Lake, when cormorant densities became very high, sport-fish populations, namely walleye and perch, began to decline. Although it has been previously shown that the decline in walleye and yellow perch populations coincided with the increase in cormorant abundance, there may be other factors which are responsible for the declines in fish abundance. Through previous research conducted on Oneida Lake, beginning in 1956, information on cormorant abundance and diet, fish abundances and size structures, and all limnological data are available. I will be using this information to model the two percid species with the following objectives: 1) to explore the potential for alternative scenarios which could also explain the changes in percid populations; 2) to use results of the previous model as inputs to revised catch-at-age models for walleye and yellow perch and then simulate the fish populations under varying cormorant management regimes and other forage fish abundances; and 3) to perform a cost-benefit analysis of the cormorant management conducted on Oneida Lake over the past 10 years. The goal of my research is to provide improved models of the fish-cormorant interactions in order to adjust cormorant management if/as needed to achieve the desired walleye and yellow perch population levels.

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Amielle DeWan and M. E. Richmond

Using Occupancy Models for Conservation Planning

Monitoring the distribution and abundance of non-game species has become a priority for many federal, state and local agencies. For large-scale monitoring, presence/absence surveys have become an attractive alternative to more intensive and expensive abundance estimation designs. As such, the problems associated with traditional presence/absence data have gained serious management attention and consideration. Recent research has demonstrated that detectability, or the ability of a survey method to detect all individuals present, can pose serious problems that could comprise the strength and validity of conclusions when not accounted for in presence/absence studies. Occupancy modeling is a new technique that offers a rigorous and feasible approach to address these challenges. We utilized an occupancy modeling approach to develop robust models for the distribution of forest interior breeding birds in the Hudson River Valley, New York. These predictions will provide baselines for future monitoring and management, while offering sound scientific criteria for open-space protection and conservation planning in this region.

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Laura Eierman

Modeling Connectivity using Landscape Genetics: Effects of Habitat Heterogeneity on Genetic Differentiation in the Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea virginica)

Population connectivity is an emergent property derived from the dispersal ability of a species and relative fitness of individuals across habitat heterogeneities. For sessile marine organisms, such as the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica), dispersal is achieved by larvae and translated into gene flow if larval migrants survive and reproduce. On the Atlantic coast of Florida, where strong ecological and environmental ecotones occur latitudinally, two genetically distinct populations of C. virginica have shown a sharp clinal transition of allele frequencies from north to south in 1991. A preliminary test of cline stability with 2005 samples demonstrated localized allele frequency shifts that could be explained by either selection or dispersal. I plan to continue temporal comparisons with additional samples to determine where (geographically and genomically) population connectivity has been shaped by selection and/or dispersal. Genetic analyses at the landscape scale will be informed by dispersal simulations under a neutral model to determine the rate and pattern of exchange necessary to cause the observed allele frequency shifts. Coupled GIS analysis of genetic and environmental data will be used to map optimal habitat for adults and infer dispersal barriers for planktonic larvae. The resulting map of connectivity for oyster populations along the Florida coast provides a model for comparison to co-distributed species with similar life histories. My connectivity model will also be used to predict changes in the oyster populations with changes in environmental conditions.

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Laura Eierman

Foraging Behavior, Prey Distribution and Microhabitat Use by Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in a Tropical Atoll

Microhabitats are small zones within a population's habitat that differ biologically and physically from surrounding areas and that may have a profound impact on foraging. Foraging microhabitats have been explored for a range of animals including birds, bats, small terrestrial mammals and fish, but few studies have examined cetaceans on such a fine scale. I examined bottlenose dolphin behavior in relation to seagrass, sand and boundary microhabitats in Turneffe Atoll, Belize. The dolphins were found to feed selectively in boundary microhabitats, areas where dense seagrass beds adjoined open sand flats. Fish distribution, particularly schools of grunts (family Haemulidae), were higher in the boundary than in the seagrass or the sand microhabitats. Extensive acoustic recordings yielded few fish calls, suggesting that passive listening was not the dominant means of diurnal prey detection. Boundary areas were likely preferred due to the abundance and visibility of prey.

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Nighthawk Evensen

Plague or Paradise? Assessing perceptions of risk in wildlife-associated disease

For years the Age of Environmentalism taught society that conservation of nature is a virtue. However, as humans increasingly destroy and encroach on wildlife habitat, negative human-wildlife interactions become more prevalent. Such "conflicts" could potentially reduce humans' desire to interact with nature, as well as cause people to call for management of wildlife more as a nuisance or hazard than a treasure to be preserved and enjoyed. An increasingly powerful type of this conflict is exposure to wildlife-associated disease. In a globalising world, the number of people aware of, and in risk from, wildlife-associated disease is ever expanding. How specific interested parties and the general public view wildlife disease can strongly impact their support for and reaction to wildlife disease management initiatives, and perhaps wildlife conservation in general. I desire to study individuals' perceptions of risk related to wildlife disease, whether risk perceptions are primarily cognitively or affectively motivated across various stakeholder groups, and how risk perceptions may affect behaviours related to certain strategies to manage wildlife disease. This research aims to identify, over different types of diseases: (1) the level to which people perceive risk associated with a wildlife disease, (2) why a wildlife disease poses a personal risk to them, and (3) the actions people would deem both appropriate and necessary to reduce disease risks to an "acceptable" level. The answers to these questions would allow managers and policy makers to build and maintain public trust by designing management plans and education initiatives that address the bases of public concerns.

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Mike Ferrell

Maintaining a Vibrant Maple Industry in a Changing World

Although the current outlook for the NY maple industry is bright, there are numerous factors that could influence change. The outcomes could be both positive and negative and depend on the effects of climate change, demographic shifts, and market forces. In regards to climate change, long term effects include shifting distributions of maples while erratic winter weather is having immediate effects on tapping dates and yields. Demographic challenges and opportunities include the impending retirement of current sugarmakers and the influx of retiring baby boomers, as well as the development of future sugarmakers via school based maple-sugaring programs. Economic forces play a critical role in the profitability and extent of maple production, in particular the exchange rate between the US and Canada could greatly influence production and consumption levels in the US. I will approach the research theme focused on how to sustain a vibrant NY maple industry in a changing world from a coupled-systems perspective. Biologic aspects of my research include the long term shifting distributions of maples as well as the immediate adaptation of production strategies to variable winter climates. In regard to the human dimensions, I will examine what the social, policy, and economic factors are that result in such a small percentage of our maple trees being utilized for syrup production (<1% in NY vs. 35% in Quebec). I will also research the effectiveness of increasing collaboration between existing maple producers and neighboring forest owners as one method of increasing our utilization of this extraordinary untapped resource.

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William Fetzer

Evaluation of shifts yellow perch (Perca flavescens) sub-population dynamics in response to habitat changes associated with the introduction of zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha)

No abstract currently available.

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Brian Greene

Patterns of Privet: land use and invasive species in Piedmont floodplain forests of South Carolina

In the Southeastern United States Chinese Privet (Ligustrum sinense) is an invasive shrub rapidly spreading across the landscape. Yet as ubiquitous as this noxious weed appears to be, some areas are more prone to invasions and others seem to be resistant. I conducted a series of surveys to better understand this biological invasion in order to make predictions about future at risk areas and potential control methods. I conducted a vegetative survey of 12 floodplain forests in the Piedmont ecoregion of South Carolina. The sites varied in distance from urban centers and percent watershed developed. This allowed for analysis to see if patterns of privet invasion are correlated to different land uses. This study provides a base line for further studies into the mechanisms and reasons for privet invasions. Results from the study also indicate that privet has affects on herbaceous plant growth, diversity and woody tree replacement. Preliminary research was conducted in the summer of 2007 into the connection between changes in hydrology and privet invasions. Soil surveys and infiltration rates were measured at each site to identify abiotic properties of invaded and natural locations. The results of this research project are being used to educate and inform landowners and managers in South Carolina.

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Melanie Hayn, R. W. Howarth, R. Marino, E. J. Perrone, P. Berg, K. Foreman, and A. Giblin

Nitrogen Input-Output Dynamics in a Shallow Tidal Estuary on Cape Cod

A shallow estuary on Buzzards Bay, MA (West Falmouth Harbor) has recently begun receiving increased nitrogen loading via groundwater from an aquifer contaminated with effluent from a waste water treatment facility. In shallow estuaries, a combination of hydrologic and biogeochemical processes affects the fate of nitrogen and the system's ability to act as a nitrogen sink. Changes in the rates of biogeochemical processes as a result of excess nitrogen will determine the ability of the ecosystem to mediate the affects of anthropogenic nitrogen additions, including changes in biotic uptake, mineralization, denitrification, and nitrogen fixation. To examine the balance of these processes on an ecosystem scale, we are measuring the nitrogen exchange between the estuary and adjacent oceanic waters across multiple time scales (annually and seasonally). Detailed tidal and bathymetric data will be combined with frequent measures of total nitrogen at the estuary/bay interface to identify the net transport of nitrogen across this boundary. Combined with other concurrent research on the inputs of nitrogen to the estuary, this will allow us to calculate the fraction of nitrogen exported from the system, and the amount removed as the balance of internal nitrogen removal and transformation processes.

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Jamie Herring and James Lassoie

ConservationBridge.org: Linking Conservation Practitioners to Research Institutions

Today's conservation problems require multi-faceted solutions that can only come from collaboration between all areas of science, business, academia, and government. However, conservation practitioners in the field are generally isolated from one another and the community of experts researching environmental problems. This is a major loss since research could provide new insights into environmental management strategies to save time, money, and ecosystems. It is also a loss to conservation science as tighter collaboration with practitioners could lead to more practical research. ConservationBridge.org has been created to help resolve this problem by creating an on-line learning and knowledge-sharing tool geared towards linking conservation practitioners in the field with research institutions. The main asset of the system is a collaborative space where practitioners can post management questions where they need research help. This allows practitioners who are constrained by time to leverage the work of students and researchers to search the relevant literature. This also provides a useful tool for educators who want to use practitioners' experience-based knowledge and case studies in their teaching. A beta version of ConservationBridge.org was developed with funds from CIT. The beta site linked projects from Bhutan, China, Kenya, Idaho and Pennsylvania to the International Conservation course taught by James Lassoie. Partner organizations included TNC, CI, WWF, The Natural Capital Project, Stanford University, the Government of Bhutan, the School for Field Studies, and EcoAgriculture Partners. This presentation will introduce the system as well as data from surveys with students and practitioners that participated in the beta test.

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Scott Krueger, James R. Jackson, Anthony VanDeValk, and Lars Rudstam

An empirical study of angling assessment methods: Catch and harvest rate comparisons

Creel surveys have been used to quantify angler success, the impact of angling regulations and the effects of angling on fish populations since the early 1950s. A variety of techniques have been developed to accommodate the variable nature of fisheries being surveyed, however, all biological creel surveys require two phases: an effort estimate and estimates of catch and/or harvest rates. This study focused on the catch and harvest rate estimation phase of the Oneida Lake Creel Survey. Anglers were interviewed during a roving survey and asked to provide information on duration of trip, catch and harvest (incomplete trip data). They were then given a postage paid postcard coded to the individual angler to be filled out and returned at the completion of the trip providing information for the remainder of their trip (complete trip data). Study design included a variable reward system for returned cards to provide information on incentives necessary to achieve desired levels of angler participation. Return rates did increase as potential reward increased, but comparisons of catch rates at time of interview among anglers who did and did not return cards revealed that returned cards were a representative subsample of all anglers interviewed, regardless of prize category. Comparisons of catch rates (all fish landed) derived from the incomplete trip interview and complete trip data from postcard returns indicated that there were highly significant differences in rate estimates from complete and incomplete trips for walleye (Sander vitreus, P < 0.001), and yellow perch (Perca flavescens, P < 0.001), but not for black bass (Micropterus spp. P = 0.1). Harvest rate (all fish landed and kept) comparisons indicated there was a significant difference for anglers specifically targeting yellow perch ( P < 0.001) only, but all-trip comparisons were significant for walleye (P = 0.025 ). These results indicate that roving creel surveys may not accurately reflect total catch or harvest in all fisheries.

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Rebecca Lohnes and Janis Dickinson

Nest site selection of the Common Nighthawk on the tallgrass prairie of Kansas

My research focuses on using a behavioral ecology approach to understand Common Nighthawk declines and to inform nest site manipulations in urban and suburban landscapes, where the birds have all but disappeared. I am basing my approach on the premise that understanding the native breeding biology of nighthawks will point to manipulations that, when conducted in urban and suburban habitats, will demonstrate which characteristics of nest sites are most likely to lead to successful restoration of populations in northeastern cities. The consensus in the monitoring community is that Common Nighthawks and most other nightjars in North America are experiencing large-scale population declines. Relatively little is known about these birds, and nearly all we know about their breeding biology was discovered in the highly altered landscapes of eastern cities where, until recently, they were common. By returning to more natural landscapes to study their nesting biology, I hope to uncover aspects of nest site selection and mating behavior that will inform restoration efforts in cities. I present the results of my first field season during which I investigated nest site selection on the tallgrass prairie.

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Ursula Mahl, Anna Christina Tyler, Natalie McLenaghan, Robert W. Howarth, Anne E. Giblin, Roxanne M. Marino

Effect of variation in invertebrate density & diversity on nutrient cycling in shallow estuaries

Benthic invertebrates affect transformation and transport of nutrients in shallow estuaries. Consequently, temporal and spatial variation in invertebrate distributions and changes in community composition that occur as eutrophication progresses could influence the response of an estuary to nutrient loading. We used laboratory microcosms to test the effects of variation in invertebrate density and diversity on sediment-water column fluxes and porewater nutrients. Controls lacked invertebrates, and experimental treatments contained Nereis virens (a gallery diffusing polychaete), Mya arenaria (a biodiffusing clam) or both species. Increasing density resulted in significantly lower porewater ammonium and sulfide concentrations, particularly for N. virens monocultures and sediments containing both species. The contribution of each individual to whole community effects was significantly greater at lower densities. Oxygen consumption and ammonium efflux from sediments increased significantly from low to high densities, particularly for M. arenaria. However, ammonium efflux was higher in controls than in low density treatments. These results indicate that microcosm experiments utilizing a single density of a single organism will either over- or underestimate the actual contribution of this organism to estuarine nutrient cycling. These results also suggest that, if invertebrate abundance decreases as eutrophication progresses, sediment processes could become progressively more sensitive to changes in invertebrate density and diversity.

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Paswel Marenya and Christopher B. Barrett

State-conditional fertilizer yield response on western Kenyan farms

Sub-Saharan Africa lost 4.4 million tons of nitrogen, 0.5 million tons of phosphorous, and 3 million tons of potassium between 1980 and 2004, costing the continent more than $4 billion worth of soil nutrients per year. Experts concur that declining soil quality undermines prospects for ending chronic poverty and food insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa. As a result fertilizer interventions are now prominent in rural poverty reduction programs in Africa. What has not been factored in such discussions is the phenomenon that, at the field level, yield response to fertilizer and therefore fertilizer use patterns depend on complementary soil conditions. Using data from maize plots operated by small farmers in western Kenya, we find a von Liebig-type relationship between soil organic matter (SOM), a broad proxy for soil fertility status, and maize yield response to nitrogen application. On a third of the plots, degraded soils limit the marginal productivity of fertilizer such that it becomes unprofitable at prevailing prices. Since poorer farmers most commonly cultivate SOM-deficient soils, stand-alone fertilizer interventions might therefore be less pro-poor than is widely assumed. Our findings underscore the importance of integrated soil fertility management for smallholder farmers.

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Laura Martin

The ecological and economic dimensions of /Phragmites australis/ invasion

This will be an ideas presentation, based on my proposed MS and PhD work. Phragmites australis invasion provides a well-suited system in which to examine the phenomenon of invasion from an ecological, economic, and socio-cultural perspective. An initial field study will compare the invertebrate assemblages associated with native and introduced haplotypes of Phragmites. In order to explore post-invasion community dynamics, study sites will be situated along a transect representative of time-since-invasion. Results from these experiments will help inform a novel welfare economics model of Phragmites australis value. The proposed model will incorporate measures other than the cost of management (the most commonly used measure of invasion impact), such as quasi-option value and existence value. Valuation in the United States will be compared to valuation in other countries, where Phragmites is considered a key component of healthy wetland ecosystems.

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Marci Meixler and Mark Bain

Evaluating the impact of barriers on fish movement

Fish migrate to spawn, feed, seek refuge from predators, and escape harmful environmental conditions. The success of upstream migration is limited by the presence of barriers that can impede the passage of fish. If migration is delayed or halted by barriers, the life cycle of that species may be disrupted resulting in decreased population health. Some barriers are impassable at all levels of flow to all species while other barriers may experience periods with favorable conditions for migratory fish. We used geographic information systems (GIS) to assess each barrier's role in blocking migratory fish passage. Using readily available data, we estimated barrier height, the depth of the plunge pool, and the velocity of the water (estimated at the time of spawning for each species modeled) and the burst swimming speed and jumping ability of migratory fish species of interest. A barrier was considered passable if its height was lower than the maximum jumping height of the fish, its plunge pool deeper than the average length of the fish, and the velocity of the water slower than the burst swimming speed of the fish. Model predictions were tested against observed presence/absence data. The map produced from the execution of this model is a useful tool for evaluating the extent of habitat lost to migratory fish as a result of habitat fragmentation by barriers. This information can be used to inform managers concerned about migratory fish population viability and to guide future restoration and conservation efforts.

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Matthew Mirabello

Using 15N and 13C isotope dilution to measure the effect of worms on soil Glomalin concentrations and turnover rates in a Sugar maple sapling plot at the Arnot forest

Glomalin has been identified as one of the most important forms of soil organic matter, occurring in soils from the temperate zone to the tropics and across multiple soil orders. It can be as much as 33% of the soil organic carbon and is estimated that its production can range from 5-33% of the above ground primary production thus it represents a significant amount of the world's soil carbon stores. Glomalin is a sticky protein produced by root-dwelling fungal hyphae and sloughed into soil as roots and hyphae grow. It positively associated with soil aggregate stability, a condition which is important to understanding soils as it can influence infiltration capacity, hydraulic conductivity, water retention capacity, structure, gas exchange, erodibility, organic matter decomposition and accrual. By gluing soil particles and organic matter together glomalin stabilizes soil and keeps carbon from escaping into the atmosphere. Glomalin turnover rates are poorly quantified with studies reporting numbers ranging from weeks to decades. Invasive earthworms influence soil nutrient dynamics and soil aggregate stability. They have the potential to increase the rate of glomalin turnover, which has direct consequences to soil organic matter retention in the soil. The 15N and 13C isotope pulse labeling chambers at the Arnot forest are an opportunity to measure glomalin turnover rates and how it is influenced by invasive earthworms. This will lead to a better understanding of the legacy of earthworm disturbance to the recovery of carbon storage capacity of the soil.

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Nirav Patel

Bioeconomics and the Agro-Ecology of Biofuels: Renewable Energy Generation and Production through Farm Management and Grassland Restoration

The aim of the proposed research project is to study various aspects of farm productivity enhancement, biomass production and distribution through feedstock development of energy crops in the Northeast, primarily focusing on NY State. The project will emphasize on studying, modeling and developing guidelines for sustainable systems that will cater to the production of biomass feedstock and evaluate the economic and agro-environmental consequences of energy crop production. Through an initial step of gathering data from small, medium and large-scale farms, a conduit could be established that looks at the aspects of farm productivity enhancement, biomass production and feedstock aggregation for development of energy crops initially focusing on NY State. There is limited research addressing the use of Conservation Reserve Program lands, buffer strips, wetlands, and grass seed crop residues as potential sites or sources for biomass production. To answer the effectiveness of large-scale cultivation of cellulosic energy crops in the Northeast the following questions will need to be addressed: 1) Can the Northeast agricultural systems support large-scale cellulosic ethanol production? 2) Do we have sufficient land? 3) What percentage of land is aggregated around the conversion and production centers? 4) Can the biomass be supplied without impacting the cost of agricultural land, competing with food production, or damaging the environment? Furthermore, the agro-ecological study needs to have a sound economic model that will be able take in to account the net energy output-input ratio as well as the influence of farm subsidies on this ratio.

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Daniel Pendleton, Andrew J. Pershing, Charles A. Mayo, Moira W. Brown, Robert D. Kenney, Nicholas R. Record

Response of North Atlantic right whales to regional-scale copepod concentrations in Gulf of Maine: Climatological and inter-annual trends

Each winter and spring a portion of the endangered North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) population enters Cape Cod Bay to feed and to nurse their young. Later in the spring, aggregations of right whales are found feeding and socializing in the Great South Channel, east of Cape Cod. Right whale movements are thought influenced in large part by the whale's need to feed on ultra-dense patches of copepods, particularly Calanus finmarchicus. Using aerial sightings of right whales and measurements of copepod concentrations from vessel-based oceanographic sampling in the Cape Cod Bay and Great South Channel Critical Habitats, we tested the hypothesis that the regional-scale average copepod concentration is an indicator of the number of right whales within each habitat. During springtime in the Bay, Centropages sp. and Pseudocalanus sp. are a better indicator of the number of right whales (r2=0.53, p<0.05) than C. finmarchicus (r2=0.35, p=0.12). During summertime in the Channel, C.finmarchicus concentrations are a good indicator of the number of right whales (r2=0.62, p<0.05). Our results suggest regional-scale physical and biological processes are coupled to small-scale processes that form dense copepod patches. Cape Cod Bay may be a multiple use habitat preferred by a specific demographic group of right whales, while the Great South Channel is probably a feeding habitat used by a broad demographic cross-section of the population.

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Taza Schaming

Impact of Ambient Air Temperature on Patterns of Clutch Size and Onset of Incubation in House Wrens (Troglodytes aedon)

It is generally accepted that global climate change is occurring and mean global surface temperature is increasing. A better understanding of species-specific behavioral and reproductive responses to ambient temperatures will enable us to predict and model responses to global climate change. It is therefore necessary to understand patterns and mechanisms underlying expression of avian life history traits, which includes seeking an explanation for the patterns of latitudinal and seasonal trends in clutch size and variation in the onset of incubation. Typically, within a species, at lower latitudes and later in the season, clutch size decreases. Multiple hypotheses have been proposed to explain the intraspecific variation along these gradients, suggesting that individual responses to environmental conditions, such as temperature and photoperiod, as well as individual behavioral variation in patterns of incubation, result in these observed trends. The onset of incubation varies in birds, both between species and between individuals within a population, and the functional significance of early onset of incubation has rarely been studied. Previous research has shown trends relating onset of incubation and clutch size to ambient temperature; however, fine-scale research comparing actual ambient temperatures in the nest microclimate of individuals throughout the laying and incubation period has rarely been carried out. In the initial phase of my study, I will investigate incubation rhythms and clutch size in relation to nest box microclimate temperature in the House Wren (Troglodytes aedon).

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Rebecca Schneider, Todd Walter, Juan Diaz-Robles, and Art Lembo

Altered stream channel networks -impacts of roadside ditches on flooding, droughts and stream health

An increase in the frequency of floods and degraded water quality are causing problems nationally. Stormwater runoff has been identified as a contributor and EPA Phase II Stormwater Regulations were implemented to reduce runoff from impervious surfaces of small towns. These regulations focus on construction activities but generally overlook the contributions from roadside ditch networks. Ditches are directly linked to streams but are managed by town highway staff using a diversity of management practices, such as periodic scraping. We investigated roadside ditch networks for their influence on natural stream channel systems. The study was conducted in two watersheds (Enfield, Six-Mile Creek) draining north to Lake Ontario and a third, Doolittle Creek watershed, a tributary to the Susquehanna River located in Candor, N.Y. GPS and GIS analyses were used to map the ditch networks and replicated ISCOTM autosamplers and bedload traps were installed in eight roadside ditches (four vegetated and four with exposed substrates) in Doolittle Creek watershed to measure the relative contributions of suspended and bedload sediment, dissolved chemicals, and water discharge to an associated 4th order stream. A ninth sampler was installed downstream to directly sample Doolittle Creek. 800 water and 150 bedload samples, and discharge data were collected from 24 storms over a 15 month period. Results indicate that roadside ditches are contributing to degradation of streams and associated riparian habitats by: (a) intercepting and shunting shallow runoff farther down in the stream channel network as high velocity flow, (b) acting as a significant internal source of suspended sediment and associated contaminants, and (c) discharging large quantities of bedload as deltas throughout the stream channel which influence patterns of stream flow and erosion. We have developed a set of recommendations and delivered these in an outreach program in 45 workshops to ~2000 town highway staff, town government officials, and water resource professionals throughout New York and surrounding states.

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Hannah Shayler and Clifford Kraft

Mercury contamination in the Adirondacks: Science-based decision making about fish consumption

Mercury contamination poses a known threat to human and ecosystem health, yet the degree of contamination and resulting human exposure remains unknown in many regions. Information about fish consumption behaviors and the mercury levels in fish consumed is essential for developing effective and targeted risk communication programs. This research builds upon ongoing assessments of mercury contamination in New York State waters by linking existing fish mercury data to humans. High mercury concentrations measured in fish from Adirondack waters, including sport fish harvested and prized by anglers, indicate an important water quality issue. We will gain a more comprehensive perspective of how mercury contamination affects Adirondack communities by quantifying historical angling catch records, surveying fish consumption by anglers and their families, testing hair samples from community volunteers, and estimating exposure using a mercury toxicity model. The findings from this study will inform our understanding of: (1) the influence of the availability and communication of mercury data on decision making about fish consumption, and (2) how data collection and communication efforts can better foster informed decision making about fish consumption.

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Michael Stastny

When marginal becomes better: how temperature drives geographic range expansion in a forest insect

Global warming is predicted to cause distributional changes in organisms whose geographic ranges are controlled by temperature. Here I synthesize a series of studies that explored the recent range expansion of the pine processionary moth, Thaumetopoea pityocampa, a gregarious forest insect of economic importance in the Mediterranean Basin. We documented substantial latitudinal and altitudinal range boundary shifts in France and Italy in the last three decades. By experimentally determining temperature thresholds on larval feeding activity, we attributed the expansion of T. pityocampa to increased winter feeding and survival due to a recent warming trend. Distribution of suitable host plants, including novel hosts, is another key factor that can prevent or facilitate range expansion in phytophagous insects. We found that while oviposition behaviour of T. pityocampa in the Italian Alps favours the current host species, larval performance is similar on all hosts including the novel hosts, as long as climatic habitat characteristics allow larval development. Consequently, the future expansion is not constrained by the distribution of the potential hosts. Finally, extreme climatic events can influence range dynamics of organisms. During the record hot summer of 2003, T. pityocampa increased its altitudinal range limit in the Italian Alps by one third of the total altitudinal expansion over the previous three decades, in response to warmer nights that enhanced the flight activity of the short-lived females. Our work thus highlights the importance of integrating long-term climatic trends, extreme climatic events, and ecology and ecophysiology in understanding the ongoing and future range expansions in phytophagous insects.

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Heather Van Den Berg

Social Conflicts Over Wildlife Harvest Activities

Social conflicts over wildlife harvest activities are increasingly prevalent in suburban areas, creating contentious management environments. As residents join together to advance their positions on wildlife harvest activities seeking to change local or state laws through political activism, social conflicts emerge. In New York State, the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) must respond to the politically active and disputing stakeholders to mediate these social conflicts, maintaining the agency's central role in wildlife conservation. Research is needed to more fully understand the factors contributing to social conflicts involving wildlife harvest activities, enabling the DEC to more effectively engage and mediate among disputing stakeholders. Using waterfowl hunting and furbearer trapping as case studies, my proposed research study is a systematic inquiry into stakeholder interests, motivations for wildlife political activism, and stakeholder social networks. I will use theoretical frameworks from collective action and the network theory of social capital to examine characteristics of social conflicts. Through my research, I hope to: (1) identify motivations for wildlife political activism; (2) analyze individuals' benefits and costs from participating in wildlife political activism; (3) map the social networks among wildlife stakeholders; and (4) describe the costs and benefits associated with stakeholders' social networks for conflict resolution. Results from this study will inform more effective stakeholder engagement for resolving conflicts, but also provide insights into how state wildlife agencies can develop relationships with new stakeholders, beyond the traditional constituencies, toward maintaining the agency's central role in wildlife conservation.

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Sonan Wang and Jim Lassoie

Building a National Strategy for Resolving Human Wildlife Conflicts in Bhutan

Worldwide conflicts between wildlife and humans are increasing, as population growth and its associated development bring these two communities into ever-closer proximity to one another. These problems are most critical in developing countries where rural people depend on crop and livestock production for survival. Recurring losses of either to wildlife exacerbate poverty and food insecurity and often force local people to retaliate against problematic species and to lose confidence in conservation measures promulgated by government agencies and/or conservation organizations. Attempts at comprehensive solutions are significantly hampered by the ecological, social, and institutional complexities associated with understanding and managing human-wildlife conflicts. The Royal Government of Bhutan's Nature Conservation Division has taken unprecedented action to solve such problems in this small Kingdom located between India and Tibet in the Greater Himalayas Region of South Asia. We will summarize the planning process designed to develop a comprehensive national strategy for addressing human-wildlife conflicts in Bhutan. This strategy addresses the critical demands of rural communities to immediately mitigate crop damage from wild boars and elephants, and identifies longer-term research priorities and approaches for understanding the behavior of these species as well as other damaging wildlife, including tiger, leopard, bear, wild dog, and deer. We will illustrate that the uniqueness of this strategy is that it is based on inter-agency cooperation and interdisciplinary collaboration. Hence, the 'Bhutan Model' may prove useful to other countries facing intractable conflicts between wildlife and rural people.

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Steven Wolf

Environmental conservation competencies: A research program on adaptation for sustainability

Sustainability is a goal and a process. Progress rests on critical analysis and departure from existing practices and patterns and the creation and diffusion of new behaviors and new modes of interaction. In these terms, sustainability is a challenge of innovation, adaptation and learning. I outline a conceptual framework for thinking about sustainability in these terms, and I introduce a research program based on these ideas. Data from NY maple syrup production, nitrogen management in agriculture in the Mississippi River basin, and biodiversity conservation in Finnish forestry provide empirical cases to support evaluation of my approach.

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Joseph Yavitt

Microbial Activity in Deep Peat Soils

The goal of this research is to better understand the accumulation and maintenance of carbon in temperate peatlands by studying the trajectory of past peat accumulation as well as microbial decomposition of the peat soil. After the last glacial maximum (ca. 18 to 20 ka) the ice covering the Northeastern United States retreated creating an environment in which wetlands formed and peat accumulated. The initiation of peat accumulation created a new terrestrial sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide. As the deposition of plant tissues outpaced decomposition through time the peatland carbon sink grew to hold about 1/3 of the global soil carbon pool. Predicted climate change may alter the balance of peat accumulation and decomposition in peatlands, converting them from atmospheric carbon sinks to sources. However, factors other than climate may regulate this process. For example, the botanical origin of the plant tissue as well as its rate of accumulation may dictate its palatability to decomposers and regulate the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere.

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