PRE-PARTURITION MOVEMENT PATTERNS AND BIRTH SITE CHARACTERISTICS OF MOOSE IN NORTHEAST MINNESOTA

Habitat used immediately after parturition is important to survival of moose calves, though different habitat types may be functionally similar and thus contribute to the variability in habitat use reported in the literature. Neonates are relatively immobile, which restricts movement of the cow-calf pair and makes both vulnerable to predation. The cow also requires adequate access to forage during the period when calf mobility is limited. We used fine-scale movement data to determine linear distance traveled to the birth site as well as habitat use by cow-calf pairs in northeast Minnesota. All cows made long distance movements (x = 6 km) to the birth site where they localized in 1.72 ± 0.48 ha (95% kernel polygon) for approximately 7 ± 0.7 days. A mosaic of cover types that reflected availability across the landscape were used by the cow prior to localization at the birth site. Birth site areas consisted of one cover type rather than the mosaic used before birth, and varied among cows, though bogs were used most often (40%). The small birth site area and use of bog habitat were likely a consequence of low calf mobility post-parturition. Upon exiting the birth site, cow-calf pairs shifted toward use of mixed and young/regenerating forest which likely reflects the need and use for highly nutritious browse to meet the high energetic cost of lactation

Characteristics of post-parturition areas of moose in northeast Minnesota

Habitat used in the three to four weeks after parturition could be important to calf survival.  Newborn calves are vulnerable to predation, and the cow needs adequate forage reserves during the period when calf mobility is limited.  Radio collared cows were located by visual observation from helicopters between May 21 and June 5 from 2004-2007.  A post-parturition area was defined as 100 ha surrounding the cow/calf location.  We determined cover type composition in post-parturition areas compared to the 95% kernel home ranges of moose.  Buffers of 5, 10, 25, and 50 ha were created around post-parturition areas to determine cover type composition at smaller spatial scales.  Post-parturition areas were also compared to equivalent areas surrounding cows without calves.  Post-parturition sites had more lowland conifer and shrubland or regenerating/young forest cover types than random locations within the home range.  Cows with calves selected areas with larger proportions of lowland conifer, shrublands, and regenerating forests than did cows without calves.  These cover types could have been used for cover and for foraging, respectively.  There was no difference in the amount of water available in post-parturition areas (3.5% ± 0.8) when compared to home ranges (3.5% ± 0.8).  Distances between consecutive post-parturition locations (1.7 ± 0.4 km) were less than expected when compared to distances to random points within the home ranges (3.3 ± 0.4 km)

EFFECTIVE TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCES AMONG COVER TYPES IN NORTHEAST MINNESOTA

Climate is probably one of the ultimate influences on the southern boundary of moose (Alces alces) distribution because moose are sensitive to warm temperatures in both summer and winter. In 4 different cover types in northeastern Minnesota we compared ambient temperatures to black globe temperatures that measures mean radiant temperature of the environment. The 4 cover types were mixed forest, treed bogs, coniferous forest, and deciduous forest that comprised ~85% of home ranges of radio-collared moose in northeastern Minnesota. Ambient temperature measurements taken from a weather station within the study area exceeded assumed physiological thresholds of 14 and 20º C for 50 and 33% of the study period, respectively. Black globe temperatures varied among cover types and temperature differences increased within cover types as ambient temperature increased. The greatest difference between deciduous and conifer cover was 2º C in black globe temperature and occurred during warm periods when skies were clear. The biological significance of these temperature differences is not clear and suggests the presence of alternative cooling mechanisms of cover types, such as water and possibly soil and duff layers acting as heat sinks. Use of these potential alternative cooling mechanisms should be considered in future research

AN ADVISORY COMMITTEE PROCESS TO PLAN MOOSE MANAGEMENT IN MINNESOTA

Concern over the decline of moose in Minnesota led to a Legislative Session Law mandating that the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) develop a Moose Management and Research Plan (MMP).  Prior to developing the MMP, the DNR was required to form a Moose Advisory Committee (MAC).  The MAC met 8 times in August 2008-July 2009 and  provided management and research recommendations to the DNR in a 45-page report available on the internet.  This paper details the MAC process and serves as a reference for agencies that find themselves in a similar management circumstance.  Procedural decisions, planning needs, and development of the final report are discussed herein

The Effect of Brief Anxiety Interventions on Reported Anxiety and Math Test Performance

Research suggests that math and test anxiety have detrimental impacts on performance in math. To prevent these effects, a number of interventions have been developed, but these interventions have not been extensively tested. In the current study, we examine whether four brief anxiety interventions reduce state anxiety and/or increase math performance. We also examine whether any of the interventions weaken the relation between math or test anxiety and math performance. Participants were 300 college students varying in math and test anxiety levels. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four single-session interventions, which each took 5 minutes or less (reappraisal as challenge, reappraisal as excitement, expressive writing, and look ahead), or a no intervention control group. Results generally show that none of the interventions had an effect on reports of state anxiety or performance on a difficult math assessment, with the exception that students in the expressive writing condition reported higher levels of state anxiety. None of the interventions served to attenuate the relation between math or test anxiety and math performance. These findings were not consistent with results of previous work, and suggest that interventions may need to be more extensive in order to have an effect on state anxiety and math performance

The Case for Stand Management Guideliens as Dynamic as Global Change: Aspen Forest Stockings of the Western Great Lakes

Since the development of contemporary stocking techniques a century ago, the combination of climatic, atmospheric, financial, and social factors that determine forest management strategies have changed, altering aspen stand dynamics in the western Great Lakes, USA. Despite this, aspen management is still informed by 1970s management guides that are based on 1920s inventories; hence, a century exists between the data that underlie current management guidelines and current stand conditions. We hypothesized that current aspen stands may support higher stocking and height growth than nearly a century ago at relatively similar age and site indices, due to increased atmospheric CO2 concentrations and fertilization, intensive coppice harvests, and other factors. To explore this question, we compared historic aspen observations with comparable contemporary data from the USDA Forest Service\u27s Forest Inventory and Analysis program. The results show increased stand stocking levels as well as increased height growth of aspen throughout the region over the historic inventory data. Although other controlled experimental studies support the hypothesis of increased carbon fertilization altering aspen size-density relationships, our study is the first to examine an empirical application to forest management guides. Our results suggest a comprehensive reevaluation of aspen growth dynamics under contemporary environmental conditions is warranted. We highlight the need to assess the value of current stocking standards in an era of increasingly variable environmental conditions and to reimagine a more dynamic, responsive, and predictive approach to guide forest management for future application as global change may accelerate

Synthesis of plant-soil feedback effects on eastern North American tree species: implications for climate-adaptive forestry

Climate change represents an existential threat to many forest ecosystems because tree populations are often adapted to local climate means and variability. If tree populations cannot migrate or adapt, they risk becoming increasingly maladapted with climate change. This emerging mismatch underscores the need for climate adaptive management techniques, such as assisted migration of tree species, to help mitigate climate change impacts on forest ecosystems. Although biotic and abiotic factors are known to constrain tree establishment success, the extent to which they may determine the success of assisted migration plantings is poorly understood. Thus, defining the extent to which trees affect—and in turn are affected by local soil environments and microbial communities (i.e., plant-soil feedbacks; hereafter PSFs) remains important for guiding effective climate-adaptive forest management. Our objectives were to synthesize the current state of knowledge about the direction and magnitude of PSF effects on temperate tree species of eastern North America, and to identify key hypotheses important for guiding future research. To accomplish these goals, we conducted a meta-analysis of 26 peer-reviewed publications that addressed our criteria. Our compiled database included 61 tree species and was composed primarily of short-term greenhouse experiments that studied PSF effects by manipulating the soil biota in three ways: (1) soil was previously inoculated by a conspecific or heterospecific tree species (i.e., home vs. away), (2) soil was live or sterilized, or (3) soil was untreated or treated with fungicide. We found that PSF had significant effects on tree growth, with the direction and magnitude of PSF strongly dependent on tree mycorrhizal guild. Arbuscular mycorrhizal tree species grown in live or home soils grew 13–33% less than those in sterile or away soils, while ectomycorrhizal tree species grew 11–44% more in live or home than sterile or away soils. PSF effects were associated with several plant functional traits, including specific leaf area, tissue nitrogen, and specific root length. We provide suggestions on incorporating PSFs into assisted migration trials and outline key knowledge gaps for future research. Our synthesis of context-dependent effects of PSFs on tree performance will help inform management decisions involving assisted migration