LD2668 .T4 1947 S35 / Master of Science

Thesis (M.Ag.Sc.) -- University of Adelaide, Dept. of Agronomy, 1982. / Typescript (photocopy).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1955. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 71-74).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Utrecht University, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (p. [161]-171). "Author's publications": p. [185]-187.

Natural selection should favor selective foraging in deer to choose among nutrients in plant communities to meet their physiological requirements. I designed a two-tier cafeteria-style experiment where I measured plant nutritional quality and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) use on 1) 15 species of herbaceous plants, and 2) 2 species of plants of manipulated nutrient concentrations. I tested the hypotheses: 1) deer use across plants would be influenced by plant nutrients, and 2) soil nutrients would influence plant selection by deer. My analyses indicated deer selected plants of low neutral detergent fiber and sulfur concentrations. However, deer selected for crude protein. I also confirmed soil nutrients indirectly influenced diet selection. Nutrient augmentation altered phosphorus concentrations within plants, and plant phosphorus concentration explained 47% of the variation in diet selection. My data indicated deer use both nutrient maximization and avoidance to balance diet selection and plants mediate the indirect effects of soil nutrients availability on herbivore diet selection.

No description available.

Field studies were conducted to evaluate the effect of crop rotation on annual bluegrass plant population dynamics, seed rain, and seed bank in 1996 and 1997 at two sites. Growth-chamber studies were conducted to determine the influence of the mother plant environment on annual bluegrass germination. The change in population, seed rain, seed in seed bank and germination behavior of annual bluegrass at Site 1 was different from those at Site 2. The highest population of annual bluegrass was observed in the meadowfoam-perennial ryegrass rotation and the lowest population was observed in the continuous perennial ryegrass and meadowfoam-spring wheat rotations at Site 1 in 1997, whereas continuous perennial ryegrass and winter wheat-perennial ryegrass rotations had the highest populations at Site 2 in 1997. Differences in the number of annual bluegrass seed in the seed bank occurred at both sites. The greatest reduction of annual bluegrass seed in the seed bank was observed over time in the meadowfoam-spring wheat rotation at both sites. At both sites, most of the seed was deposited on the surface to 0 to 2.5 cm soil depth and the number of seed decreased with soil depth. The mother plant environment and the date of seed maturity had an effect on annual bluegrass germination. At the seed collection date of 5/8/97, the annual bluegrass seed collected from the canopy of continuous perennial ryegrass and from the seedling perennial ryegrass following meadowfoam had the highest germination at 15/25 C at Site 1. Seed collected from continuous perennial ryegrass on 5/6/97 and 5/22/97 had the highest germination among all test temperatures regimes at Site 2. Seed collected from seedling perennial ryegrass following meadowfoam at the second collection date of 5/28/97 at Site 1 and 5/22/97 at Site 2 had the lowest germination at all temperature regimes except 5 C constant temperature. The 15/25 C was the best temperature regime for germination of annual bluegrass collected from any mother plant environment on any seed collection date at Site 1 and Site 2. / Graduation date: 1999

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1978 A61 / Master of Science

Thesis (M.S.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1993. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 123-139). Also available via the Internet.

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1978 T47 / Master of Science