Managing natural and cultural resources on a department of Defense (DoD) facility presents a difficult challenge. Many DoD facilities contain sensitive resources that are protected by a myriad of state and federal laws. Resource protection is complicated further since, while an important endeavor, it often is subjugated to the fulfillment of the military mission. The ability for resource managers to compare, analyze, and integrate complex resource data determines the speed and efficiency in which planning decisions are made. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can help resource managers make informed accurate resource management decisions in an expedient manner. This project expanded a GIS database for San Nicolas Island (SNI), part of the Point Mugu Naval Air Weapons Station CA, and created prototype computer application to assist in resource management. This application, the Point Mugu Computerized Activity Planning System (PM-CAPS), assists managers in selecting locations on SNI for military activities to occur while minimizing the negative impacts on sensitive cultural and natural resources.

The National Gap Analysis Program (GAP) is currently developing geographic themes in a Geographic Information System format for statewide analyses of biodiversity issues. This study uses several of the Arizona GAP themes to demonstrate how they might be utilized in resources planning. By overlaying the Arizona GAP vertebrate themes, species richness maps were created. The species richness maps were intersected with the Arizona GAP landcover and land management layers to analyze how the richness areas are distributed across the landscape. Areas of high species richness were then analyzed for how well they are represented within existing conservation areas. The development of vertebrate distribution models is also discussed, since their accuracy greatly influences the species richness maps development.

Water use by mature and sprout (coppice) forms of Emory oak (Quercus emoryi) was estimated by the sap-flow method. Five standards and five coppice trees were sampled in an area that had been harvested for fuelwood and five mature trees were sampled in an uncut area. Differences were recognized between coppice and standards in the cut area and between coppice trees and mature trees from the uncut area. Regression equations were derived relating estimated annual water use to tree diameter, height, and crown measurements for both cut- and uncut-area trees. Seasonal water use by each tree form showed relationship to precipitation, but little relationship to temperature and relative humidity. Woodland density and tree size measurements facilitate extrapolation of water use from the 15 sampled trees to a per area basis. Water use was approximately 1900 cubic meters per hectare per year, based upon drc measurements, for the uncut area and 3168 cubic meters for the cut area. Estimated water use on a per unit area was approximately 1.67 times greater for the cut area than the uncut area.

I examined trends in relative abundance and species richness of breeding and wintering grassland birds before (1996) and after (1997, 1998) a spring prescribed burn in a mesquite-dominated desert grassland at Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, Arizona. The burn was moderate in intensity, patchy in extent, and affected ground cover more strongly than shrub cover, smaller shrubs more strongly than larger shrubs, and killed 1% of velvet mesquite (Prosopis velutina). Species richness of breeding birds decreased in the first year post-burn. Of breeding species, black-throated sparrows (Amphispiza bilineata) and mourning doves (Zenaida macroura) increased; whereas Botteri's sparrows (Aimophila botterii), Cassin's sparrows (Aimophila cassinii), and pyrrhuloxias (Cardinalus sinuatus) decreased in relative abundance. Breeding species characterized as not shrub-dependent exhibited changes that were more pronounced than those for shrub-dependent species. Of wintering birds, ladder-backed woodpeckers (Picoides scalaris) and vesper sparrows (Pooecetes gramineus) increased, and cactus wrens (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus) decreased in relative abundance.

I determined density and habitat use of desert mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus crooki) on the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, a semidesert grassland in southeastern Arizona, in 1996. I observed 219 groups of deer; densities varied from 0.9 ± 0.3 (SE) deer/km² in summer to 2.5 ± 1.3 in winter. Herd size varied from 1.5 ± 0.1 deer/group in summer to 9.7 ± 2.0 in winter. Density of females was greater than males (0.9 ± 0.3 and 0.03 ± 0.04, respectively). Mule deer used subshrub-grass more in summer (χ² = 54.8, 6 df, P < 0.0001) and Russian thistle (Sallsola kali) less and cactus more in autumn (χ² = 60.2, 6 df, P < 0.0001) than expected. Deer used mesquite (Prosopis velutina) less than expected, which may have been due to the difficulty of observing deer in dense cover. In general, the mule deer population was widespread, had a high proportion of females, and used vegetation associations as available.

Western spruce budworm (Choristoneura occidentalis) outbreaks periodically disturb Western US conifer forests by defoliating canopies, which could alter the quantity and chemistry of throughfall delivered to the forest floor. Our objectives were to: i) quantify throughfall water, carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) fluxes under budworm-impacted canopies, and ii) examine the influence of herbivore intensity on flux magnitudes. In June 2015, we installed throughfall collectors in two watersheds experiencing high and background levels of herbivory. In each watershed, four plots, each with three throughfall collectors, were established (n=24) collectors), and two bulk rainfall collectors were installed in areas without canopy cover. Throughfall and rainfall were collected from late June to early November 2015. Samples were analyzed for dissolved organic carbon (DOC), ammonium (NH4-N), and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP). Over the sampling period, throughfall fluxes ranged 8.57 to 47.59 kg/ha for DOC, 0.004-0.011 kg/ha for NH4-N, and 007 - 0.29 kg/ha for SRP. Percent throughfall was slightly, but not significantly, higher in the high (48%) compared to the background watershed (42%). There were no differences in solute concentrations among the watersheds. Net throughfall fluxes, the sum of canopy uptake and leaching and dry/fog deposition, differed significantly for NH4-N by herbivory level and through time for NH4-N and DOC but not SRP. Over time, net NH4-N throughfall fluxes showed a clear transition from net uptake of NH4-N to net leaching of NH4-N in the high herbivory watershed. There was also a clearn NH4-N pulse in the high herbivory watershed after the first, but not subsequent, rainfall events. In this N-limited forest, altered throughfall N may affect soil nutrient cycling and downstream water quality.

Trees of Slash pine showed reduced growth, by an order of magnitude, following exposure to two hurricanes (Elena and Kate) in 1985. The reduced growth is caused by salt spray chlorosis and/or defoliation from high winds. Ring width, radial tracheid diameter, radial cell number, tracheid length and microfibril angle were measured for samples from before and after major storms. Data for ring width, earlywood radial cell diameter and cell number were not normally distributed, while data for latewood radial cell diameter, tracheid length and microfibril angle showed normal distributions. There were significant statistical differences for all main effects for ring width, earlywood radial cell diameter, cell number and tracheid length. The data for latewood radial cell diameter show significant differences for effects of time and height, but not for compass direction. There are significant differences in earlywood cellulose microfibril angle for height effects, and no difference for time and direction effects. Data for latewood cellulose microfibril angle show significant differences for the effects of time and height. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 55-01, Section: B, page: 0016. / Major Professor: Loran C. Anderson. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1993.

I examine three aspects forest vegetation of northern Florida: the Land Office Survey records of the abundance and distribution of woody species across northern Florida in the early nineteenth century; the abundance and distribution of woody species across a sharp elevation gradient in the hardwood slope forests along the Apalachicola River; and the population decline of Torreya taxifolia. / Land Office Survey data was tabulated for all available bearing trees north of Gainesville. This study includes 131,227 trees sampled at 49,896 section corners and mid-point lines. This data tabulation shows that northern Florida was dominated by pines prior to U.S. settlement. Over 77 percent of bearing trees were pines. Pineland oaks are the next most abundant species after pine. Wetlands trees, such as bay, gum, and cypress were dominant species in the absence of pine. The mixed hardwood species are a diverse group, including beech, magnolia, and dogwood, with no clear dominant among them. / The second portion of this research examines the spatial relationships among the species of the hardwood slope forests along the Apalachicola River. Species distributions were sampled using 80 belt transects in four ravine systems. Species turnover across elevation is high, but measures of species diversity and forest structure do not change with elevation. Distribution patterns of the major species indicate that assemblages in the adjacent elevation samples in the middle and upper slope positions are more similar to one another than are assemblages from the lower elevations. The assemblages do not, however, appear to form sub-communities with respect to elevation. / Finally, I examine hypotheses for the decline of Torreya taxifolia, a narrowly endemic conifer native to ravines along the Apalachicola River. Included in this analysis of the torreya decline is a demographic summary of 108 torreya on preserve land. Most individual torreya are multiple stemmed and less than 14 years old. Further, these individuals are most frequently grown at low elevations and under moderate to dense canopy shade. Among the many hypotheses proposed to explain the decline, I present evidence that fire suppression may have allowed fungal populations to soar, contributing to the onset of disease. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 51-12, Section: B, page: 5692. / Major Professor: Joseph Travis. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1990.

Forest fragmentation causes diverse changes to natural communities. Changes in spider communities' species diversity provide tools to understand the effects of area and isolation in a fragmented landscape. Bottomland Hardwood forest provides an excellent opportunity to study fragmentation because it has undergone profound loss and subdivision The present study was carried out in 11 fragments of three size classes, the small ranging from 2.7 to 91 ha, medium from 1,042 to 5,294 ha, and large from 32,348 to more than 460,000 ha. The forest remnants were located inside and around New Orleans, Louisiana. A rapid assessment methodology was used to measure the biological diversity of spiders in the fragments. A total of 3,538 adult female spiders in 127 morphospecies were collected in 274 sampling units. The expected number of species for Bottomland Harwood forest was calculated between 161 and 210 species using EstimateS software. Evaluation of the effects of Bottomland Forest fragmentation on the spider community demonstrated significant negative consequences of area reduction on spider species diversity. Not only did species richness decrease, but also species composition changed with decreased fragment size. Species composition was influenced by both population extirpations in small fragments and by the presence of spider species adapted to open areas moving inside a small forest remnant. Spider species composition inside small sized fragments differed from the species observed both in medium and large sized fragments Functional (guild) community relationships were also distorted by fragmentation. The dominance of some species of spiders was more pronounced in small and medium sized fragments. For example, large-bodied, orb-weaving spiders tended to decrease from, and small theridiids increased proportionately in the small fragments. Size of prey was also affected significantly for hymenopterans, dipterans, and homopterans, suggesting more complex effects of forest fragmentation. Another observation from the present study was the strong effect of the surrounding matrix on the diversity of species, exemplified by the unusually high diversity of a fragment surrounded by agricultural activities in comparison to others engulfed by urban development This study supported the advantages of using rapid assessment techniques in the evaluation of biological diversity and for the first time this technique was used in fragmented habitats. The use of non-parametric analysis to predict species richness provided consistent results for medium and large sized fragments and more variable results in the small ones as a consequence of the elevated proportion of singletons observed there / acase@tulane.edu

Ovenbirds (Seiurus aurocapillus) and Swainson's Warblers (Limnothlypis swainsonii) wintering in Jamaica exhibited divergent foraging behaviors, with Ovenbirds picking prey from the leaf litter surface and Swainson's Warblers flicking leaves aside to search for prey concealed beneath the leaf litter. The two species consumed significantly different prey: Ovenbirds feeding primarily on ants, and Swainson's Warblers most frequently consuming beetles and spiders, but also consuming roaches and small geckos. The differences in foraging strategies help explain the species' different habitat use patterns. Because of the ubiquity of ants, Ovenbirds are habitat generalists whereas Swainson's Warblers are dependent on habitats that have a well-developed canopy, leaf litter layer, and an abundant leaf litter fauna Ovenbird body condition declined seasonally, concurrent with seasonal declines in prey biomass. Rectrix regrowth rates and overwinter change in body mass were significantly correlated with ant biomass on Ovenbird territories. In habitats and years in which prey biomass decreased to <2.5 mg/0.25 m 2, Ovenbirds were not able to maintain body mass. The results confirm the hypothesis that dry season desiccation significantly decreases arthropod populations and the severity of the dry season strongly affects habitat quality for Ovenbirds Swainson's Warblers appear to be more tolerant of dry season leaf litter desiccation than Ovenbirds, as habitats with a deep leaf litter layer provided refugia for invertebrates. Correspondingly, Swainson's Warbler showed no seasonal decline in dry forests where they were relatively common. These results underscore the need for conservation of dry forests for the geographically restricted Swainson's Warblers Ovenbirds defended spatiotemporal territories, such that home ranges of neighboring birds overlapped, but individuals were not in the same place at the same time. Home range size was not significantly correlated with prey biomass. However, I experimentally decreased ant biomass on portions of the home ranges of four individuals. These birds showed a significant increase in home range size and movement rates. Control birds showed no change in either variable. These results strongly suggest that Ovenbirds constantly monitor food resources and adjust home range size accordingly and that food abundance limits winter habitat carrying capacity / acase@tulane.edu