The And Its Effects On The Environment

Read "Lab 3: Biodiversity." This lab will allow you to investigate how various organisms alter their environments. Additionally, it will allow you to

“Many plant species have been affected by this, due to deer only eating specific species of plants, some have become overpopulated due to the fact that they are not being controlled by the wildlife in the woods.”

Whitetail deer have come to be known as a keystone species, species known for affecting other organisms in an ecosystem. Deer are known as a keystone species in forest habitats such as in the Eastern United States because they are capable of destroying potential forest habitat of other organisms (McShea and Rappole, 1992). For example, deer have a negative impact on forest ecosystems by trampling and over browsing over vegetation, without creating any habitat for other native species. Throughout the eastern United States, the abundance of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) has increased dramatically over the last century (Taggart and Long, 2015). Population increases could be due to increased habitat fragmentation from land development, reduced predators and/or hunting pressure. Individual deer ranges varied during seasonal times, deer movements are usually greatest during the peak breeding months from late fall through winter (Williams et. al, 2012). Regardless of the cause, high deer densities can have significant effects on plant communities such as plant decay and/or even death. Deer consume a large amounts of plant biomass (leaves, buds, flowers and fruits) and directly reduce the growth, reproduction, and survival of herbaceous and woody plant species (Shen et. al, 2016). The impacts of white-tailed deer on forests along the Eastern United

The grasslands along the Front Range are primarily inhabited by native grasses including, needle and thread grass (Stipa comata) and blue gramma grass (Bouteloua gracilis), as part of the primary producers of the ecosystem. In areas where prairie dogs are present, native grass populations decline at a rather quick rate and are often low in richness, evenness, and diversity (Beals et al. 2014). We will look at how this affects the rest of the grassland ecosystem and changes it where trophic efficiency is concerned. Prairie dogs are useful for trophic efficiency because they help maintain the growth of primary producers in the grasslands.

Such was the case in the study conducted by a Texas AgriLife Research Range ecologist (Ledbetter, 2010).

Grazing cattle on public lands can have many advantages. Monetary gain is a large reason why lands are utilized (Council for Agricultural Science, Livestock Grazing on Federal Land). However grazing may be used as a tool for managing rangelands. Grazing could have possibly been the first form of rangeland management other than fire (Frost, Prescription Grazing). With this method, weeds and other undesirable vegetation were targeted to reduce numbers. However, if prescribed incorrectly it could lead to poor conditions for other organisms living in that environment (Frost, Prescription Grazing). Recently there has been a push toward research for the protection of the sage grouse. In this paper we will explore the effects of rangeland grazing and rangeland treatments on the sage grouse and its habitat.

If we go all the way back to the time when man first began to explore all corners of the earth, they have had to carry food and other provisions with them to sustain themselves along the way. In addition, explorers seeking new land also carried with them familiar animal and plant species to establish colonies in new places. Unbeknownst to them at the time, they were the ones directly responsible for breaching the delicate barriers that isolated biogeographical biotas from one another. On the other hand, this was not the only these non-native species were and are able to wreak havoc on the various ecosystems and communities. What’s more, these intruders have learned to alter themselves and adapt in response to their interactions with native

In 1995 the gray wolf (Canis lupus) was reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park. The park had been without resident wolves for 70 years prior, when they were killed off in the 1930’s. This meant that in those 70 years there was no research on the effects of wolves on the park’s ecosystem. In the decades since the reintroduction, research has been able to proceed and has found some amazing results. Not only did the reintroduction of wolves impact animal life, but it also had an impact on plant life. “In the past it was thought that an ecosystem was built from the bottom up... with plant life as the basis from which everything grew. Almost all conservation and reintroduction efforts were based on this idea.” (Mission: Wolf Education vs Extinction)

Throughout the past few decades, Yellowstone National Park has undergone several amounts of environmental changes for both the positive and the negative. The YNP has mainly had population increases throughout the time period of 1994-2010 in areas of study such as riparian vegetation, ungulates and also other animals. Although the decline of elk and coyotes may prove otherwise, there is enough data to support that the majority of species in the YNP are rapidly growing. Throughout this case study, I noticed how each species played an important role in the overall ecosystem of Yellowstone, proving that all species are intradependant.

The authors Carter, Coppedge, Engle, Fuhlendorf, and Shaw conducted a 2-year study to determine what effects bison wallowing has on soil. They did their study at a tallgrass prairie in Oklahoma where Bison were reestablished in 1993. They chose 20 soil depressions and 20 random active wallows and bulk density, soil pH, and electrical conductivity were measured. Their results suggest that the Bison did not cause the soil depression, but were caused by small patches of landscape and soil heterogeneity.

These effects were seen when predation on the elk reduced the stress experienced by willow populations in riparian ecosystems. This reduction in stress allowed the willow populations to experience a slight increase in height and range (Wolf et al., 2007). This initial recovery in willow population allowed the beaver population to recover as well by providing food and materials for dam construction. The presence of dams in streams subsequently allowed for an increase in both water table height and deposition of sediment (Johnston et al., 2011). These two primary factors, coupled with other factors including the decrease in elk herbivory, allowed for an even greater increase in willow height and range. As beavers and willow populations benefited and grew because of each other’s growth, riparian ecosystems in Yellowstone experienced disturbance and hydrologic regimes similar to those found before the extirpation of the grey wolf (Bilyeu et al., 2008). When these riparian ecosystems attained such conditions, they inhabited a new state in which the biotic and abiotic interactions within Yellowstone National Park were once again in equilibrium (Wolf et al.,

Abstract As the human population grows to unprecedented levels reducing our impact on water resources is of utmost importance. The significance of our effect on freshwater becomes much greater as more people are relying more on safe, sustainable water therefore; we must try to understand every component of our ecosystems. With increases in human population nutrient loading has increased in our waterways through fertilizer runoff of agricultural lands and through waste water treatment facility stream enrichment. Nutrient enrichment has been studied more with excessive loading from agriculture and also untreated waste water, but the effects of nutrient loading from modern waste treatment facilities is lack luster. Our designed experiment tested the effect of external nutrient input into a stream on rate of leaf litter decomposition in two water systems. The study consisted of a single species of leaf, Populus balsamifera, we determined leaf breakdown rates using percent leaf mass remaining over the eight week study. Also measured was the biomass of macroinvertebrates relative to the mass of the cottonwood leaves at three weeks. Our results showed a 2x greater leaf litter decomposition rate on Bozeman creek than the East Gallatin below the water reclamation facility and 4x greater rate than the East Gallatin above the water reclamation facility. Macroinvertebrate shredder numbers were the highest at the

Erosion is destruction on the rangeland from wind, water, cattle, and other natural agents. The process where the Earth gets worn down and removes material from the top of the soil. Erosion has been dated back to Plato and Aristotle (Montgomery et al 2007). There are many types of erosion, water erosion, sheet erosion, gravitational erosion, and wind erosion (Zonghu et al 1991). Water erosion is mainly in fields, where rilling would take place (Evan and Morgan 1974). Water erosion usually happens due to the lack of cover on the rangelands, and heavy rainfall will destroy plants, and even move the soil. Wind erosion is the most common type of erosion. One of the greatest problems in the United State is the wind shifting the soil surface (Pierson et al 1961). Livestock such as cattle (Bos taurus) also pose a threat to the landscape. Hart (1949) did a study on dairy farms, and found excessive gully erosion. Land with erosion losses the ability to hold water for the soil (Gifford and Whitehead 1982; Boardman and Mortlock 1993) while also losing key nutrients such as

Prairie dogs inhabit among the Great Plains and grasslands in North America. They live underground in an extensive network of burrows that they build. Their burrows allow them to nurse their young and keep an eye out for certain predators that might be near by. Prairie dogs interact with other species in the area by allowing some species, such as snakes, owls, and ferrets to use their underground tunnels. This leads into the necessity of prairie dogs in their ecosystem. Prairie dogs’ tunnels provide habitats for many different species in the grasslands. They are also a food source for several different predators such as ferrets, coyotes, eagles, and badgers. The prairie dogs’ burrowing of the network of holes and tunnels also churns up the earth, allowing the soil to better support and sustain plant life. If the prairie dogs were to disappear or become extinct, then the food source of many animals would be lost, species that use their tunnels as shelter would be exposed to predators, and the soil will not be able to support the different species of

The native Flora and Fauna of the United States is being threatened by numerous invasive species, one of which is considered to be the most destructive. The wild boar is known to dwell in 35 states and is costing the US an estimated $1.5 billion each year in damages. Eating almost everything it sets its eyes on, boars dig up anything it desires to eat in a process called rooting. When a wild boar does a rooting behavior to dig up food it destabilizes the soil surface which leads to surface erosion. The surface erosion removes the top layer of soil that is responsible for having the richest organic matter leading to the soil losing nutrients needed to support plant life. Wild board also feed on a large quantity of native vegetation leaving the native plants not enough time to fully recover before being trampled over again by the damaging heathens. Males also tusks small trees removing the bark layer on an area of the tree in order to mark their territory and display their dominance. This tusking behavior causing serious harm to trees and has the potential to kill the tree. There is a phloem layer under the bark of a tree that comes up when boars do their tusking behavior. Nutrients such as water and minerals travel up the Phloem layer of the tree from the roots to the leaves, but if the phloem layer is removed from a portion of the tree it restricts the nutrients distributed throughout the tree and leads