<p> Within Mediterranean ecosystems, conservation and restoration action is becoming increasingly necessary to preserve biological diversity within these working landscapes. Many of these systems have been managed to increase forage production through the removal of canopy trees and shrubs, resulting in understories dominated by herbaceous species. In California, woody plant regeneration can be constrained by exotic annual grasses, particularly in the presence of grazing. <i>Quercus douglasii</i> and other oak species are known to indirectly facilitate and provide spatial refuges to native plants through competitive suppression of herbaceous productivity. Mature trees can also compete with understory recruits and shrub species, limiting their occurrences to interstitial canopy gaps and resulting in reduced competition for resources. This study surveyed the overstory composition of 34 study plots at the Sierra Foothill Research and Extension Center to determine the effects of tree canopies on the occurrence and distribution of native woody species in the undergrowth. Because other studies have shown safesites, which include rock outcroppings, woodpiles, and nurse plants to facilitate woody plant establishment in this system, the microsites containing individual plants were recorded to determine the distribution of different woody species. Multivariate regressions showed that understory plant richness and abundance increased with higher levels of canopy cover, suggesting that mature trees play a role in maintaining understory diversity. The majority of stems were found growing directly underneath the canopy, with only one species established primarily in interstitial areas. Restoration strategies can utilize the natural distributions of woody species in the understory in order to increase the survival of plantings while continuing to manage these systems for multiple ecosystem services.</p>

<p> What drives invasive species success? My research consists of four studies aiming to answer this question for <i>Ligustrum sinense</i>. The four projects are: (1) Synthesis of invasion literature within passenger-driver-backseat driver frameworks; (2) hydrochory investigation of water as a dispersal mechanism for invasion; (3) ecohydrology investigation of inundation effects on seed viability of <i>L. sinense</i>; (4) dendrochronology study of the effects of stream channelization and <i>L. sinense</i> invasion on bottomland oak tree growth. Results suggest that <i>L. sinense</i> initially invaded habitats that were hydrologically altered, resulting in drier conditions and a "novel niche." Dispersal <i>via</i> hydrochory allowed <i>L. sinense</i> to quickly colonize the novel niches. Once established, <i>L. sinense</i> competed with native oak species contributing to reduced growth rates, an "invasion meltdown." Control strategies should aim to remove <i>L. sinense</i> and return natural hydrologic regimes, or should consist of human-assisted re-establishment of native species that can thrive in altered conditions.</p>

<p>I investigated percent coverage, plant height, species richness, and woody stem density in plant communities in ten study plots during spring and fall (2010&ndash;2012) within 3 different treatments (continual mowings, one fall mowing, and one fall mowing with native wildflower seeds) on Highway 25 right-of-way in Oktibbeha and Winston counties, Mississippi. I recorded 277 plant species including native and non-native forbs, legumes, grasses, rushes/sedges, and woody plants. Non-native agronomic grasses exhibited greatest coverage greater than 90 percent occurring in all treatments. Percent coverage of plants less than 0.46m height category exceeded 100 while, greater than 0.46m plant height categories averaged 55 percent. Woody stem density ranged from 7,772 year 1 to 10,025 stems/hectare year 2. I detected no significant differences in plant height or woody stems among treatments. One mowing per year retained agronomic plant cover for erosion control and annual cost savings up to 75 percent for roadside maintenance. </p>

Thesis (M. Sc.) (Hons) -- University of Western Sydney, 2003. / "Submitted in accordance with guidelines for the Degree of Master of Science (Hons), College of Science, Technology and the Environment, University of Western Sydney, Hawkesbury, Richmond NSW, Australia, March 2003." Includes bibliography : leaves 229 - 254, and appendices.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Australian National University, 2004.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of North Carolina at Wilmington, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves : 78-82).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Pretoria, 2004. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Mar. 10, 2005). Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, Davis and San Diego State University, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available via the World Wide Web. (Restricted to UC campuses)

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Illinois State University, 1999. / Title from title page screen, viewed July 18, 2006. Dissertation Committee: Roger C. Anderson (chair), George F. Aspbury, Victoria A. Borowicz, Angelo P. Capparella, James Fralish. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 133-140) and abstract. Also available in print.

The thesis explores various aspects of ecology of endangered damselfly Coenagrion ornatum, the specialists for lowland headwaters, in post-mining streams of Radovesicka spoil. The first part of thesis is manuscript which has been already submitted in Journal of Insect Conservation. In the first part, we focused on population estimate of the local population using capture-recapture method, and explored its habitat requirements across life stages and spatial scales. In the next part, I assess mobility of the focal species and reveals basic distribution patterns. Finally, the thesis suggest various implications for restoration of post-mining freshwaters and conservation of the studied species.