Increased sedimentation caused by post-fire flooding is a risk to people, homes, and buildings. The USDA Forest Service installs straw bale check dams in ephemeral channels to reduce sedimentation rates from small catchments. We set out to study if straw bale check dams effectively reduce sedimentation rates from five paired catchments following the 2010 Twitchell Canyon Fire in south central Utah. Each pair consisted of two adjacent catchments that had similar physical characteristics and areas, with catchment areas ranging from ~0.2 to 1.6 ha (~0.5 to 4.0 ac). For each pair we treated one catchment with four straw bale check dams per ha (two per ac) and left the other catchment untreated as a control. Sediment yields produced from catchments during 2011 and 2012 were measured as well as the mass of sediment trapped by individual straw bale check dam structures. We found straw bale check dams did not significantly reduce annual catchment sediment yields produced by 30-minute rainfall intensities (I30) equal to or less than 14 mm hr-1 (0.5 in hr-1), a 1-year return period event at the study area. The straw bale check dams were filled to sediment holding capacity early in the first post-fire year from sediment yields produced by 1- and 2-year I30 return period rain events, or by two rain events having less than 1-year I30 intensity return periods. Three of the five paired catchments did not capture the total 2011 annual sediment yields because sediment retention structures used to measure catchment yields were overwhelmed by sediment during large rain events, however reliable measurements indicate annual sediment yields of 19.53 to 25.71 Mg ha-1 [8.71 to 11.47 t ac-1] passed over already full straw bale check dams. Straw bale check dams were non-functioning during the second post-fire year, allowing 3.74 to 13.12 Mg ha-1 [1.67 to 5.85 t ac-1] of sediment to pass over structures. The mean mass of sediment trapped by individual straw bale check dams is 1.26 Mg (1.40 t). At a treatment rate of four straw bale check dams ha-1 (two ac-1), they trapped 5.87 Mg ha-1 (2.62 t ac-1) of sediment.

The mountain pine beetle is an economically and ecologically important insect in western North American forests capable of killing millions of trees during outbreaks. This beetle depends on two fungi, Grosmannia clavigera and Ophiostoma montium, to provide the nutrients required for the beetle to develop and reproduce. Competition between these two fungal associates is expected because they use similar resources. Strong competition should lead to the eventual destabilization of the three-way symbiosis and fixation for the most competitive fungus. However, strong direct competition has not been observed, indicating that some mechanism likely allows the two fungi to coexist in a multi-partite symbiosis with the mountain pine beetle. These fungi exhibit different temperature tolerances, indicating that temperature may play a major role in determining the relative prevalence of the two associates over time as well as the outcome of competition between the two species. This, in turn, may support the long-term stability of the three-way symbiosis with the mountain pine beetle. To investigate the effects of temperature on the fungal symbionts, I collected 88 isolates from three locations in two states (50 G. clavigera and 38 O. montium) and measured their growth rates and sporulation at 5, 10, 15, 21, 25, 30, and 35˚C on artificial media. I also measured the growth rates of, and percent resource capture by, each fungus at 10, 15, 21, and 25˚C in the presence of the other species (inter-specific competition) or in the presence of the same species (intra-specific competition). My results indicate that G. clavigera excels at resource capture at 10˚C, while at 30˚C O. montium dominates. There was no significant effect of geographic origin on growth or sporulation of G. clavigera, supporting the findings of previous studies showing low genetic diversity in this species. In contrast, O. montium isolates from different locations exhibited significant differences in growth rate when grown alone and during competition, indicating population sub-structuring. G. clavigera sporulation was greatest at 30˚C while O. montium sporulated similarly across all temperatures. G. clavigera captured more resources than O. montium at most temperatures, and was able to capture a greater percentage of resources at a greater rate during inter-specific competition than during intra-specific competition at 10 and 15˚C. The reverse was true for O. montium which captured resources better during intra-specific competition, and captured a greater percentage of resources at the lower temperatures during intra-specific competition. These results show that temperature affects growth, sporulation and resource capture by these fungi and thus may influence the stability of the three-way symbioses between the fungi and the host beetle in a variable environment.

Gamification, the use of game-based elements to engage people, motivate action, promote learning, and solve problems, is an educational technique that may have merit at the university level. A watershed restoration game was created and played with a junior level college class in order to test the efficacy of gamification. Students who participated in the game were given pre- and post-game quizzes as well as a questionnaire to determine the usefulness of gamification. Quiz scores increased from 7.9 to 9.1 and students provided overwhelmingly positive feedback on their experience playing the game. In summary, gamification is an effective tool that may best be used by college level educators as a supplement to traditional lecture-based classes.

More than 90% of wetlands in the Upper South East of South Australia have been lost, primarily through drainage and clearing vegetation for agriculture. Over the last 20 years, temporary, semi-permanent and permanent wetlands have been, and continue to be, hydrologically restored to enhance and maintain biodiversity. / In this study, habitat in four seasonal temporary wetlands in the Watervalley Wetlands complex, in the Upper South East, was manipulated to determine the potential for natural regeneration and human-induced restoration techniques. The seed banks of three wetlands were studied using the seedling emergence technique and I compared the composition of seed banks and the history of disturbance in these wetlands. The seed bank in the Parkhill wetland contains introduced amphibious and terrestrial plants as well as a suite of native species. Experiments using soil from the Parkhill wetland revealed that the dominant species found in the threatened vegetation association, Selliera radicans herbland, could be restored by transferring soil. The seed bank in Mrs White Lagoon lacks amphibious and terrestrial species. The seed bank in Jaffrays Lagoon is in good condition with an absence of introduced species and a suite of amphibious, submerged, emergent and terrestrial species. Therefore, Jaffrays Lagoon was identified as a donor wetland, from which soil could be transferred to nearby wetlands that have been hydrologically restored, to introduce a suite of plant species and accelerate succession in plant communities. / Soil was transferred from Jaffrays Lagoon to three plots in Mrs White Lagoon to determine the potential for accelerating succession. Biomass of submerged species increased significantly in the first growing season, during a submerged water regime. Further studies are recommended to trial this technique in waterlogged conditions with the aim of triggering the germination of emergent and amphibious species. / In a controlled experiment, in the Mandina Marshes, sedges were subjected to rotary-hoeing, slashing and slashing and removing the clippings to create a mosaic of open water and vegetation. Such a mosaic may enhance waterfowl habitat. The responses of aquatic invertebrates, specifically early colonisers, to the vegetation treatments were measured to determine the potential effects on the invertebrate components of waterfowl diets. Results indicate that rotary-hoeing sedges in the Madina Marshes may increase diversity and evenness of early colonisers without reducing the total abundance of aquatic invertebrates. By contrast, slashing and slashing and removing the clippings appears to reduce both diversity and abundance of early colonisers. / An exclosure was constructed in a section of riparian and littoral habitat in the Parkhill wetland to test the response of plant communities to the cessation of grazing by sheep and cattle. In the first 12 months, Melaleuca species returned, species richness and diversity indices decreased and the biomass of vegetation increased in the littoral zone but not in the riparian zone. Variables other than the cessation of grazing probably contributed to these results and recommendations are made for the first 10 years of a monitoring program. / Recommendations for future wetland restoration and ongoing management of the Watervalley Wetlands are provided, based on the outcomes of these experiments. / Thesis (MApSc(EnvironmentRecreationMg))--University of South Australia, 2003.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

More than 90% of wetlands in the Upper South East of South Australia have been lost, primarily through drainage and clearing vegetation for agriculture. Over the last 20 years, temporary, semi-permanent and permanent wetlands have been, and continue to be, hydrologically restored to enhance and maintain biodiversity. / In this study, habitat in four seasonal temporary wetlands in the Watervalley Wetlands complex, in the Upper South East, was manipulated to determine the potential for natural regeneration and human-induced restoration techniques. The seed banks of three wetlands were studied using the seedling emergence technique and I compared the composition of seed banks and the history of disturbance in these wetlands. The seed bank in the Parkhill wetland contains introduced amphibious and terrestrial plants as well as a suite of native species. Experiments using soil from the Parkhill wetland revealed that the dominant species found in the threatened vegetation association, Selliera radicans herbland, could be restored by transferring soil. The seed bank in Mrs White Lagoon lacks amphibious and terrestrial species. The seed bank in Jaffrays Lagoon is in good condition with an absence of introduced species and a suite of amphibious, submerged, emergent and terrestrial species. Therefore, Jaffrays Lagoon was identified as a donor wetland, from which soil could be transferred to nearby wetlands that have been hydrologically restored, to introduce a suite of plant species and accelerate succession in plant communities. / Soil was transferred from Jaffrays Lagoon to three plots in Mrs White Lagoon to determine the potential for accelerating succession. Biomass of submerged species increased significantly in the first growing season, during a submerged water regime. Further studies are recommended to trial this technique in waterlogged conditions with the aim of triggering the germination of emergent and amphibious species. / In a controlled experiment, in the Mandina Marshes, sedges were subjected to rotary-hoeing, slashing and slashing and removing the clippings to create a mosaic of open water and vegetation. Such a mosaic may enhance waterfowl habitat. The responses of aquatic invertebrates, specifically early colonisers, to the vegetation treatments were measured to determine the potential effects on the invertebrate components of waterfowl diets. Results indicate that rotary-hoeing sedges in the Madina Marshes may increase diversity and evenness of early colonisers without reducing the total abundance of aquatic invertebrates. By contrast, slashing and slashing and removing the clippings appears to reduce both diversity and abundance of early colonisers. / An exclosure was constructed in a section of riparian and littoral habitat in the Parkhill wetland to test the response of plant communities to the cessation of grazing by sheep and cattle. In the first 12 months, Melaleuca species returned, species richness and diversity indices decreased and the biomass of vegetation increased in the littoral zone but not in the riparian zone. Variables other than the cessation of grazing probably contributed to these results and recommendations are made for the first 10 years of a monitoring program. / Recommendations for future wetland restoration and ongoing management of the Watervalley Wetlands are provided, based on the outcomes of these experiments. / Thesis (MApSc(EnvironmentRecreationMg))--University of South Australia, 2003.

No description available.

No description available.