Small Mammal Species Richness And Relative Abundance Across The Elevational Gradient And Microhabitats Of Pine Mountain, Eastern Kentucky

Identifying microhabitat conditions influencing species abundance is critical to understanding distributions of species. Pine Mountain has forest types uncommon in Kentucky, but systematic small mammal surveys are dated. My objectives were: investigate variation in small mammal occurrence on Pine Mountain, and update small mammal records in the Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) mammal collection. I deployed pitfall traps, open from May - November 2021, at four state nature preserves (SNPs) on Pine Mountain. I measured microhabitat using 1 m2 quadrats at traps, then used redundancy analysis and generalized linear mixed (GLM) models to determine which conditions best explained variation in occurrence of small mammals. Most of the 95 small mammals I captured were at Bad Branch SNP and Blanton Forest SNP (79%). From the redundancy analysis, canopy openness, number of Kalmia latifolia stems, number of rocks, leaf litter depth, and elevation explained the most variation in abundances of small mammals. Sorex fumeus was more abundant at microsites with deeper leaf litter and more rocks, and less at lower elevation microsites with less canopy openness. Microtus pinetorum abundance was greater at microsites with greater canopy openness, more K. latifolia stems, and less rocky debris. GLM models suggest leaf litter depth, number of rocks, and soil temperature best explained variation in small mammal richness, whereas variation in total abundance was best explained by rocky debris, Rhododendron cover, and soil temperature. Historically, 13 records in the EKU small mammal collection originally came from Harlan and Letcher counties, out of 442 records collected in the state. Novel specimens I collected and accessioned into the EKU small mammal collection included S. fumeus and Sorex hoyi from Harlan and Letcher counties. This investigation updates EKU’s museum efforts, as well as small mammal records on Pine Mountain

“A Process of Controlled Serendipity”: An Exploratory Study of Historians’ and Digital Historians’ Experiences of Serendipity in Digital Environments

We investigate historians\u27 experiences with serendipity in both physical and digital environments through an online survey. Through a combination of qualitative and quantitative data analyses, our preliminary findings show that many digital historians select a specific digital environment because of the expectation that it may elicit a serendipitous experience. Historians also create heuristic methods of using digital tools to integrate elements of serendipity into their research practice. Four features of digital environments were identified by participants as supporting serendipity: exploration, highlighted triggers, allowed for keyword searching and connected them to other people

Creating Context from Curiosity: The Role of Serendipity in the Research Process of Historians in Physical and Digital Environments

Serendipity, the word used to describe an unexpected encounter with information, people, or objects, has drawn much scholarly attention since its 1754 coinage by Horace Walpole. Historians commonly use this term when describing unexpected encounters during their research. However, historians have also been shown to be meticulous, organized researchers whose work is unlikely to contain elements that are unexpected. This thesis is an investigation of serendipity as it is recognized, defined, and experienced by historians in both physical and digital environments. Article One presents a grounded theory analysis of 20 interview transcriptions, Article Two presents a combination of grounded theory, content analysis, and narrative analysis of historians’ responses to an online survey, and Article Three summarizes the quantitative responses to the same survey, but focuses on digital environments. In Article One we found that historians frequently used active verbs to describe serendipity, and concluded that agency plays a prominent role in these experiences. In Article Two, responses from 142 participants reinforce the importance of agency, demonstrating that active research methods lead them to these serendipitous encounters. Article Three reports on the features of digital environments that historians found to support serendipity, including those that encourage exploration, connect people, have options for keyword searching, and highlight potentially relevant links. Taken together, these articles comprise a thesis that advances our current understanding of serendipity. Contributions to the field of LIS include acknowledging the role of agency in serendipitous encounters, and the use of multi-method analysis for investigating serendipity in a single population

Understanding Ultimate Use Data and its Implication for Digital Library Management: A Case Study

Information professionals and librarians have been studying, discussing, and developing digital libraries for over two decades, but understanding ultimate use of images from digital libraries remains a mystery for many of them. Most articles written on digital library use focus on users’ search retrieval needs and behavior. Few mention how digital library patrons use the images they request. Like many digital libraries, archives, and special collections, the University of Houston Digital Library makes high resolution images available to their patrons. Image delivery is achieved by an automated system, titled the Digital Cart Service. An unexpected benefit of the Digital Cart Service is the reporting mechanism that produces data that includes intended use information. This article discusses the analysis of this data to determine why images were used, what products were created from the images, and what implications this has on digital library management. The authors believe that answering these questions creates an environment in which digital library innovators can better promote and design digital libraries, and describe and select the content in them

Invasive Earthworms in the Crown of the Continent System and Implications for Land Management

The United States contains invasive earthworms originating from Europe and Asia; the majority are European lumbricids. Direct introduction occurs primarily through human activity and, once established, earthworm populations are difficult to address. When exotic earthworms engage in bioturbation, they negatively alter subterranean food webs and nutrient cycling by disrupting soil layering systems. The most prominent form of physical alteration is the change and removal of the topmost organic layer. This disruption is associated with altered nitrogen and carbon cycling, as well as altered forest floor plant communities. The Crown of the Continent ecosystem is located in southwestern Alberta, southeastern British Columbia and northwestern Montana. This unique transboundary system is home to distinct biodiversity and is less altered by humans than many other ecosystems. The presence of exotic earthworms introduces new challenges for land managers and local soil systems. Current US policy offers an ineffective “innocent until proven guilty” attitude towards introduced species. Preventing spread and mitigating the effects of exotic earthworms is needed to preserve soil quality. Non-native earthworms and earthworm products could be banned and/or restricted by land managers to prevent further spread. Supplemental action, such as invasive species education programs, can enhance preventative practices

Prescribed Fire Impacts to Amphibians and Reptiles in Shelterwood-harvested Oak-dominated Forests

As part of a larger study examining the role of prescribed fire in regenerating upland oaks (Quercus spp.), seasonal prescribed burns (winter, spring, summer, and unburned control) were applied to first-stage shelterwood-harvested stands on Horsepen Wildlife Management Area in the Virginia Piedmont in 1995. Because fire impacts are poorly documented for herpetofaunal communities, we surveyed these stands in 1996 capturing 133 individuals of ten species during over 12,720 pitfall trapnights. We found no significant differences in relative abundance of Eastern Red-backed Salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) (P = 0.26), American Toads (Bufo americanus) (P = 0.93), or all amphibians combined (P = 0.25) among unburned shelterwood stands and those treated with winter, spring, or summer burns. Three species of reptiles (Northern Fence Lizard [Sceloporus undulatus], Ground Skink [Scincella lateralis], and Southeastern Five-lined Skink [Eumeces inexpectatus]) combined were captured more frequently in burned versus unburned stands (P = 0.02). Based on a stepwise multiple regression model, Eastern Red-backed Salamander captures were more strongly influenced by landscape variables (P = 0.0320), including distance to permanent water and mesic (i.e., eastern-northern) aspects, than by fire treatments (P = 0.26). Similar landscape models were not significant (P \u3c 0.05) for toads or reptiles. Based on these results, prescribed fire may not be detrimental to herpetofaunal communities in oak dominated forests in the Virginia Piedmont

Wildfire effects on small mammals in Western North Carolina

Fire can impact an ecosystem by changing environmental factors and small mammal abundances. Historically, wildfires have been uncommon in high elevation northern hardwood forests of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. In addition, little is known about wildfire effects on small mammals. In 2016, after the second hottest summer and fourth driest year on record, wildfires burned parts of Western North Carolina. Three questions were addressed in this study: Does the number of small mammals significantly differ between burned and unburned areas after two years of recovery? Are small mammals more abundant further from or closer to the fire boundary? If the number of small mammal captures differs with proximity to the fire boundary or between burned and unburned areas, do these differences correlate with environmental factors such as temperature, duff depth, and leaf litter depth? To answer these questions, Sherman live traps were placed in an area within the Nantahala National Forest near Wine Springs Bald (WS). Sixty traps were placed along transects located 5 and 15 meters on either side of the fire boundary at WS in the summer of 2018. Traps were opened for 3-4 days and checked every morning and night. Temperature, duff depth, and leaf litter depth were measured at four traps on each transect. The most individuals captured were Peromyscus sp. (194) and the second most captured species was Blarina brevicauda (11). Overall, there was no statistically significant difference in small mammal abundance between the burned and unburned transects. However, more Napaeozapus insignis were caught in the burned area and more Blarina brevicauda in the unburned area. In addition, there was no statistically significant difference in small mammal abundance between transects located five meters away and those fifteen meters away from the fire boundary. Sorex sp. had more individuals captured in 5 m transects and Napaeozapus insignis had more individuals captured in 15 m transects. Duff depth, leaf litter depth, and temperature were also similar between burned and unburned transects and between five meter and fifteen meter transects

Forest floor depth mediates understory vigor in xeric Pinus palustris ecosystems

Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) woodlands and savannas are among the most frequently burned ecosystems in the world with fire return intervals of 1-10 years. This fire regime has maintained high levels of biodiversity in terms of both species richness and endemism. Land use changes have reduced the area of this ecosystem by >95%, and inadequate fire frequencies threaten many of the remnants today. In the absence of frequent fire, rapid colonization of hardwoods and shrubs occurs, and a broad-leaved midstory develops. This midstory encroachment has been the focus of much research and management concern, largely based on the assumption that the midstory reduces understory plant diversity through direction competition via light interception. The general application of this mechanism of degradation is questionable, however, because midstory density, leaf area, and hardwood species composition vary substantially along a soil moisture gradient from mesic to extremely xeric sites. Reanalysis of recently reported data from xeric longleaf pine communities suggests that the development of the forest floor, a less conspicuous change in forest structure, might cause a decline in plant biodiversity when forests remain unburned. We report here a test of the interactions among fire, litter accumulation, forest floor development, and midstory canopy density on understory plant diversity. Structural equation modeling showed that within xeric sites, forest floor development was the primary factor explaining decreased biodiversity. The only effects of midstory development on biodiversity were those mediated through forest floor development. Boundary line analysis of functional guilds of understory plants showed sensitivity to even minor development of the forest floor in the absence of fire. These results challenge the prevailing management paradigm and suggest that within xeric longleaf pine communities, the primary focus of managed fire regime should be directed toward the restoration of forest floor characteristics rather than the introduction of high-intensity fires used to regulate midstory structure.Peer reviewedForestr

Age and Histamine metabolism

The age carve of histamine in the rat skin exhibits a general, fairly constant level of 10 to 20 microg./g. ap to 500 days. 'I'here are, however, two exceptions, the peak about birth and the peak about weaning. Between these two disturbances values not much above the normal adult figures are obtained. The rise at weaning has been shown to be separable into two parts. Observations on the histamine content of bread and milk (less than 0.5 microg./g.) and of rat cake (about 5 microg./g.) show that these cannot account for the steady rise observed between 16 and 24 days. This may be due to alterations in the intestinal flora on changing from a milk diet to solid food or to hormonal imbalance. These causes probably account, in large measure, for the other irregularities noted in the literature at about this age. Changes in epidermal thickness and tissue fat content may influence the change but are not of prime importance.The peak observed at 22 days in large but not in small litters is ascribed to the shock of premature weaning. Not weaning . a large litter eliminated this peak and the suggestion is further supported by weaning a small litter prematurely and by the results obtained after traumatic stress. These results indicate that the increase in skin histamine after such treatment may be caused by a relative hypocortism.Apart from this theoretical aspect the results reported here indicate that careful consideration should he given to weaning schedules to ensure that all litters are, as far as possible, similar. The practice of some authors of allowing the litter to remain with the mother till thirty days has much to recommend it.The rise before birth may again be related to changes in the thyroid and adrenal glands and forms part of the general metabolic changes at parturition.An important point arising from Section 4. is that shin not affected directly by the stressing agent did show a change in histamine content. The use of unaffected areas as simultaneous controls i should clearly be used with caution.It would appear that, in general, changes in the histamine content of the skin indicate a disturbance! of the hormonal balance of the adrenal and thyroid. These changes may also be an indicator of disturbed protein metabolism (133, 134). The gerontological importance of such disturbances has been pointed out in the Introduction, and theory suggests that work on successive stresses might be informative. The results indicate that animals about 50 days old might show differences in their skin histamine reactions which could be related to their previous experience; Such differences do not appear to exist in adult (330 day) animals

Spartan Daily, May 28, 1935

Volume 23, Issue 144https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/spartandaily/2321/thumbnail.jp