Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on Feb 26, 2010). The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file. Dissertation advisor: Dr. Robert J. Kremer. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2009. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 59-67). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.Phil.) - University of Queensland, 2005. / Includes bibliography.

Orientador: José Eduardo Corá / Banca: Afonso Lopes / Banca: José Armando Furlani Júnior / Banca: Nilson Salvador / Banca: Itamar Andrioli / Resumo: Uma semeadura bem realizada é funtfamental para o sucesso de implantação de uma cultura e, as rodas compactadoras utilizadas nesta operação, devem ser capazes de melhorar o contato solo-semente para promover boa emergência das plântulas. O presente trabalho teve por objetivo estudar a influência de três modelos de roda compactadora, três profundidades de semeadura e três níveis de carga sobre a roda compactadora sobre a germinação e o desenvolvimento da cultura do milho, em uma pista de ensaios projetada para esta finalidade. O trabalho foi desenvolvido no município de Uberaba, MG, em LA TOSSOLO VERMELHO distrófico, textura média, preparado com enxada rotativa. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi o de parcelas sub-sub-divididas, com 27 tratamentos e quatro repetições. Os resultados obtidos evidenciaram que aumento da profundidade de semeadura não provocou alterações significativas no teor de água, mas provocou diminuição da temperatura do solo. A profundidade de semeadura foi o fator que mais afetou o desenvolvimento vegetativo da cultura do milho no estádio 2, enquanto que no estádio 4 nenhum dos fatores afetou as medidas de desenvolvimento da cultura. / Abstract: The success of the establishment of a crop depend on several factors and the seeders press wheels should be capable to improve the contact soil-seed to promote good seed germination. The present work had as objedive to study the influence of three models of press wheel, three depths of sowing and three load levels on the press wheel on the germination and the initial and vegetative development of the culture of the corn, in a projected sowing assay lane for this purpose. The experiment was carried in the municipal district of Uberaba, State of Minas Gerais, with split split plot array, 27 treatments and four replications, used to evaluate agronomic characteristics of the corn crop. The results evidenced that the depth of sowing was the fadar that more affected the vegetative development of the culture of the maize in the stadiums 2, while that in stadium 4 did not have significant differences in the measures of development of the culture. / Doutor

Waste rice in harvested fields and natural seeds in moist-soil wetlands are important foods for waterfowl in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV). Waste rice declines significantly between harvest and late autumn. I conducted experiments in 19 rice fields in Arkansas and Mississippi during autumns 2003 and 2004 to evaluate the ability of common post-harvest practices to conserve waste rice between harvest and late autumn. Greatest mean abundance of waste rice in late autumn occurred in standing stubble (x&95 = 105 kg/ha; CL = 72.84, 150.16 kg/ha) followed by burned (x&95 = 72 kg/ha; 49.57, 105.81 kg/ha), mowed (x&95 = 67 kg/ha; 46.65, 97.42 kg/ha), rolled (x&95 = 51 kg/ha; 35.54, 73.076 kg/ha), and disked stubble (x&95 = 48 kg/ha; 33.26, 68.41 kg/ha). I recommend leaving stubble or burning fields to create interspersion of stubble and water after flooding. Additionally, I estimated abundance of moist-soil seed in 72 management units on public lands throughout the MAV for autumns 2002-2004. Mean seed abundance was 496 kg/ha (SE = 62). I recommend increased active management of moist-soil wetlands to mitigate decreased availability of waste rice in the MAV.

No description available.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Pretoria, 2004. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Mar. 11 2005). Includes bibliographical references (p. 99-107).

Arid Recovery, a fenced reserve free of feral predators in arid South Australia, has successfully reintroduced two critical weight range (CWR) mammals, greater bilbies (Macrotis lagotis) and burrowing bettongs (Bettongia lesueur) to facilitate the restoration of arid Australian ecosystems. This thesis evaluates the ecological roles of these reintroduced species and their relationship to ecosystem functioning and the restoration of these ecosystems. Surveys of foraging diggings and soil seed banks, and dietary analysis were used to measure impacts of these species on three main habitats within the Reserve. The results showed that bilbies and bettongs have three major roles in ecosystem functioning: consumers, ecosystem engineers, and dispersers of seeds and fungi. Both bilbies and bettongs were omnivorous, though their diets were distinctly different, with the bilbies focused more on invertebrates and seeds, while the bettongs consumed a greater proportion of coarser plant materials. The seed portion of the diets of both species during 2003-04 differed from a similar study three years previously, shortly after the animals had been reintroduced to Arid Recovery in 2000- 01. During 2003-04, the bilbies consumed a lower proportion of seeds of species of grasses and more of forbs, while seed consumption by bettongs narrowed to be almost exclusively the seeds of shrubs. The number of bilby and bettong diggings varied significantly both spatially and temporally, with averages of 7,530 ± 820 diggings ha-1 in Dunes, 10,560 ± 980 diggings ha-1 in Mulga, and 7,120 ± 610 diggings ha-1 in Swale. This resulted in an average of 2 to 3% disturbance of soil surface area, which is similar to or higher than reported for other Australian or overseas semi-fossorial species. The temporal variation in rates of digging was correlated with minimum daily temperatures and rainfall but not moonlight. This variation was also correlated with counts of bilby but not bettong tracks, suggesting that the temporal variability of diggings was related to levels of bilby activity. The persistence of bilby and bettong diggings differed between the three habitat types, with the majority of the diggings in the Mulga (94%) and Swale (87%) persisting for over 12 months, while Dune diggings filled much faster, with only 15% persisting over 12 months. These diggings were shown to accumulate and bury seeds and litter, and, under some conditions, enhance germination. The seeds of two plant species, the annual grass, Dactyloctenium radulans, and the shrub, Enchylaena tomentosa, germinated from bilby faecal pellets, and over a third of bilby faecal pellets contained fungal spores. Therefore bilbies have the potential to be dispersers of both seeds and fungi. All three major roles of the bilbies and bettongs in ecosystem functioning (consumers, ecosystem engineers, and dispersers of seeds and fungi) have the potential to affect the flows of organic, soil and water resources, and therefore vegetation structure and overall productivity. Soil seed bank densities differed between areas with and without bilbies and bettongs. However, the heterogeneity of the system made it difficult to confidently relate these differences to any particular effects of the bilbies and bettongs. Both bilbies and bettongs were able to locate and dig seeds buried 20 cm deep, and the caches of seed-harvester ants. Experiments showed that in areas of high digging density, 71 to 94% of seed rain accumulated and became buried in diggings. Since bilbies and bettongs have the potential to use buried seed resources, they have the potential to significantly affect soil seed banks through their consumption of seeds, redistribution of seeds through their digging activities and their interactions with other granivorous species. This study is a first step towards understanding the roles of reintroducing CWR mammals to arid ecosystems. Possible longer term effects of these reintroductions will depend on suitable regulation of animal numbers, and climatic patterns, as restorative effects of diggings would be greatest during periods of good rainfall, whereas droughts would slow restorative processes. Although the results of this research are unique for Arid Recovery, the principles of evaluating all major ecological roles of reintroduced species and their interactions with their environment could provide guidance for other reintroductions. These interactions are complex and would require longer-term studies over a range of conditions and locations to further understand the role of reintroducing CWR mammals to ecological restoration. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1348600 / Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Adelaide, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, 2009

Arid Recovery, a fenced reserve free of feral predators in arid South Australia, has successfully reintroduced two critical weight range (CWR) mammals, greater bilbies (Macrotis lagotis) and burrowing bettongs (Bettongia lesueur) to facilitate the restoration of arid Australian ecosystems. This thesis evaluates the ecological roles of these reintroduced species and their relationship to ecosystem functioning and the restoration of these ecosystems. Surveys of foraging diggings and soil seed banks, and dietary analysis were used to measure impacts of these species on three main habitats within the Reserve. The results showed that bilbies and bettongs have three major roles in ecosystem functioning: consumers, ecosystem engineers, and dispersers of seeds and fungi. Both bilbies and bettongs were omnivorous, though their diets were distinctly different, with the bilbies focused more on invertebrates and seeds, while the bettongs consumed a greater proportion of coarser plant materials. The seed portion of the diets of both species during 2003-04 differed from a similar study three years previously, shortly after the animals had been reintroduced to Arid Recovery in 2000- 01. During 2003-04, the bilbies consumed a lower proportion of seeds of species of grasses and more of forbs, while seed consumption by bettongs narrowed to be almost exclusively the seeds of shrubs. The number of bilby and bettong diggings varied significantly both spatially and temporally, with averages of 7,530 ± 820 diggings ha-1 in Dunes, 10,560 ± 980 diggings ha-1 in Mulga, and 7,120 ± 610 diggings ha-1 in Swale. This resulted in an average of 2 to 3% disturbance of soil surface area, which is similar to or higher than reported for other Australian or overseas semi-fossorial species. The temporal variation in rates of digging was correlated with minimum daily temperatures and rainfall but not moonlight. This variation was also correlated with counts of bilby but not bettong tracks, suggesting that the temporal variability of diggings was related to levels of bilby activity. The persistence of bilby and bettong diggings differed between the three habitat types, with the majority of the diggings in the Mulga (94%) and Swale (87%) persisting for over 12 months, while Dune diggings filled much faster, with only 15% persisting over 12 months. These diggings were shown to accumulate and bury seeds and litter, and, under some conditions, enhance germination. The seeds of two plant species, the annual grass, Dactyloctenium radulans, and the shrub, Enchylaena tomentosa, germinated from bilby faecal pellets, and over a third of bilby faecal pellets contained fungal spores. Therefore bilbies have the potential to be dispersers of both seeds and fungi. All three major roles of the bilbies and bettongs in ecosystem functioning (consumers, ecosystem engineers, and dispersers of seeds and fungi) have the potential to affect the flows of organic, soil and water resources, and therefore vegetation structure and overall productivity. Soil seed bank densities differed between areas with and without bilbies and bettongs. However, the heterogeneity of the system made it difficult to confidently relate these differences to any particular effects of the bilbies and bettongs. Both bilbies and bettongs were able to locate and dig seeds buried 20 cm deep, and the caches of seed-harvester ants. Experiments showed that in areas of high digging density, 71 to 94% of seed rain accumulated and became buried in diggings. Since bilbies and bettongs have the potential to use buried seed resources, they have the potential to significantly affect soil seed banks through their consumption of seeds, redistribution of seeds through their digging activities and their interactions with other granivorous species. This study is a first step towards understanding the roles of reintroducing CWR mammals to arid ecosystems. Possible longer term effects of these reintroductions will depend on suitable regulation of animal numbers, and climatic patterns, as restorative effects of diggings would be greatest during periods of good rainfall, whereas droughts would slow restorative processes. Although the results of this research are unique for Arid Recovery, the principles of evaluating all major ecological roles of reintroduced species and their interactions with their environment could provide guidance for other reintroductions. These interactions are complex and would require longer-term studies over a range of conditions and locations to further understand the role of reintroducing CWR mammals to ecological restoration. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1348600 / Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Adelaide, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, 2009

Thesis (M.Sc. Agriculture (Pasture Science)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / Savanna rangelands are ecosystems which are characterized by the co-existence of scattered trees and shrubs with a continuous grass layer. However, the grass and tree balance has been highly altered as a result of disturbances caused by bush encroachment. Encroaching woody species have been shown to decrease species richness and abundance of the seed bank and ground‐layer diversity. So far little is known on the effect of bush encroachment and soil depth on the soil seed bank diversity in savanna rangelands. The objectives of this mini-dissertation were to (1) determine the influence of soil depth on soil seed bank diversity in bush encroached savanna rangelands, and (2) determine the relationships between soil seed bank herbaceous vegetation and physicochemical properties in encroached rangeland. In order to address these objectives, a savanna rangeland was demarcated into two encroachment gradients spanning from open to encroached rangeland. Within each encroachment gradient, six plots of 10 m x 10 m were randomly selected, whereby soil sampling and herbaceous vegetation were carried out and determined. In each replicate plot per encroachment level, five soil samples were randomly collected at 0-10 and 10-20 cm depths. The number of seedlings of different species emerging from the soil samples was used as a measure of the number of viable seeds in the soil and the composition of the seed bank using the seedling emergence method. The total seed densities showed significant differences (P<0.05) in the 0-10 cm depth layer in the open rangeland and encroached rangeland. Bush encroachment significantly (P<0.05) decreased the seed density of perennial grasses, specifically in 0-10 cm depth layer. Further, species diversity increased with bush encroachment in the 10-20 cm depth layer. Menhinick’s richness index showed no significant difference in the open and encroached rangeland, while species evenness decreased in the 0-10 cm depth layer and increased at 10-20 cm depth.The study also revealed negative correlations between organic carbon, calcium, clay, silt and forbs while mean weight diameter (MWD), a measure of soil aggregate stability was positively correlated with forbs. The canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) showed that pH, phosphorus, potassium and calcium were positively correlated to Eragrostis curvula and magnesium was negatively correlated to Panicum maximum. In open rangeland, CCA revealed that clay content was negatively correlated with species evenness while xii magnesium was negatively correlated to the Shannon Weiner index. Further, silt content was positively correlated with species richness and evenness. In the encroached rangeland, the CCA showed a negative correlation between magnesium and the Shannon Weiner index. The Sørensen’s index between soil seed banks and aboveground vegetation was low with index values of 0.22 and 0.24 in open and encroached rangeland, respectively. / AgriSeta