Global ETD Search
Search theses and dissertations gathered from participating repositories worldwide. Every result links back to the library that holds it. No account is needed.
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Showing 1 to 17 of 17 for “"invasion ecology"”.
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Pattern and process of plant invasion in an African savanna ecosystem, with emphasis on multiple spatial and temporal scales
Biological invasions are a significant ecological and economic global crisis. Protected areas also suffer from the increased burden that invasions place on their resources and the impacts placed on the ecosystem. However, management requires an ecological foundation which can inform best practice …
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The effects of herbivory, competition, and disturbance on island meadows
… has persisted because third party processes in invasion ecology have been overlooked. Ungulate densities are increasing due to the eradication of predators and landscape change and I asked how herbivory and invasion might interact to cause declines of native species. In Garry oak meadows, …
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An Experimental Investigation of Life History Variation in Native and Introduced Populations of <em>Silene latifolia</em>
<p>The majority of studies in invasion ecology have focused on the individual in its new habitat or attributes of habitats that are invaded. There is a need for studies that explore the biology of species in native and introduced ranges. The goal of my thesis is to determine if an invasive plant …
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Spread of Red Imported Fire Ant, Solenopsis invicta, in Virginia and effects of sub-lethal exposure to agrochemicals on its behavior
… Virginia. In this study, we explored the invasion ecology of S. invicta through two main objectives. First, we established a comprehensive distribution map of S. invicta in Virginia through multiple survey techniques. We then compared our findings with published models quantifying the …
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Exploring the mechanisms and impacts of plant invasions in grasslands
… that contradicts prevalent assumptions in invasion ecology. Results showed that invader density is rarely proportional to impact and that changes to soil properties resulting from plant invasion reduced litter decomposition rates, while changes in litter quality had no effect. There was no …
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Fish Assemblage Structure, Trophic Ecology, and Potential Effects of Invading Asian Carps in Three Missouri River Tributaries, South Dakota
… invaded populations is necessary to understand invasion dynamics in general and to predict the impacts Asian carps may be having on the newly invaded community. We found that historically, assemblage structure of eastern South Dakota tributaries to the Missouri River (i.e., James, Vermillion, …
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The impact of pine plantations and alien invertebrates on native forest and fynbos invertebrate communities in Table Mountain National Park
… diversity and endemism, extensive alien plant invasions and exotic pine plantations threaten and reduce native species richness. This study frames invasion ecology theory in a conservation context, and examines the impact of planting and felling pine on litter invertebrate communities, by …
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Biogeochemical effects of an invasive grass across a land-use gradient: linking alterations of nitrogen cycling to depleted soil carbon pools
An emerging synthesis in invasion ecology is that the effects of invasive plant species depend on spatial context. Therefore, to predict how the functioning of invaded systems will change across spatially heterogeneous landscapes, there is a need to understand the mechanisms underlying the effects …
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Fish scales as ecological indicators: empirical approaches to improve their practical application to fish ecology
… their application to freshwater trophic ecology, with a particular focus on advancing their utilisation within stable isotope analysis (SIA). The research used fishes of the Cyprinidae family as the focal species. Cyprinids are of substantial global, socio-economic importance as their …
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Unraveling an uncertain future for the Great Basin: how climate, grass invasion, and wildfire interact to drive ecosystem function
… are shifting precipitation regimes, annual grass invasion, and wildfire. Understanding how these drivers interact to influence ecosystem function, and how such interactions may change in the future, can provide critical insight for building ecological resilience. This dissertation explores how …
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Population Dynamics Modeling and Management Strategy Evaluation for an Invasive Catfish
Blue Catfish were introduced in the tidal tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay in the 1970s and 1980s to establish new fisheries during a time period when many fisheries were in decline due to pollution, habitat alteration, disease, overfishing, and environmental catastrophes. Having expanded their …
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Patterns of association in a co-introduced insect herbivore and parasitoid wasp
… geographically widespread areas. By tracing the invasion routes of co-introduced species that share a close evolutionary history in their native range, I address the relative importance of long-term historical associations versus ecological fitting in community assembly. In the context of …
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Rooting for the Home Team: Arbuscular Mycorrhizas and Root Traits in Native and Invasive Woody Shrubs
<p>Exotic species invasions present a global issue that is expected to worsen with the extreme conditions brought about by global climate change and anthropogenic disturbance. Invasive plant species in particular exhibit ecological, economic, and cultural effects on contemporary issues such as …
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Feeding Ecology of Invasive Catfishes in Chesapeake Bay Subestuaries
… of the Chesapeake Bay, where their feeding ecology and potential impact on native species was largely unknown. We collected stomach contents from 16,110 Blue Catfish at 698 sites in three large subestuaries of the Chesapeake Bay (James, York, Rappahannock rivers). Cumulative prey curves …
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Invasive species: fundamental and applied science
… IAS and native impact upon a system across invasion stages. At low saturation, the IAS was shown to have a significantly higher feeding rate relative to the native, RIP revealed that low oxygen exacerbated the high relative impact of the invader, and RTIP was consistently higher at low …
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Influence of fire and habitat on the removal of invasive plant seeds by granivores in longleaf pine savannas
Invasions of fire-dependent ecosystems by exotic woody plant species can disrupt fire cycles and alter successional trajectories. Prescribed fire is an important tool for managing such ecosystems, yet the role of top-down processes in mediating fire effects on invasion remain poorly understood. …