Browsing Range Science Masters Theses by Title
Now showing items 1-20 of 35
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Application of Pyric-Herbivory in the Northern Mixed-Grass Prairie to Enhance Biodiversity
(North Dakota State University, 2021)Pyric-herbivory is a naturally occurring disturbance that historically created shifting mosaics of heterogeneous plant communities and vegetation structure, supporting a biodiverse Great Plains ecosystem. Present land ... -
An Assessment of Annual Forages to Extend Grazing for Beef Cattle in South Central North Dakota
(North Dakota State University, 2015)This study was designed to test 3 grazing treatments using 2 cropping systems during 2012 to 2014. Angus crossbred beef heifers in mid-gestation were assigned to treatments from mid-October to late November or early December. ... -
An Assessment of Integrated Weed Management Strategies for Purple Threeawn-Dominated Rangelands
(North Dakota State University, 2013)Purple threeawn (Aristida purpurea Nutt.) is a native bunch grass that is avoided by grazers. It is capable of dominating old cropland and overgrazed pastures, limiting livestock carrying capacity, and degrading wildlife ... -
Assessment of Watershed Health on Intermittent Watersheds in Southwestern North Dakota
(North Dakota State University, 2017)Watersheds are complex systems that are influenced by many factors including geomorphology, climate, soil, vegetation, and land management. Due to this complexity, a watershed assessment that evaluates both the riparian ... -
Biological Capabilities of Selected Ecological Sites in the Western Dakotas
(North Dakota State University, 2014)The study was conducted on the Dakota Prairie National Grasslands (DPG) within the Little Missouri National Grassland (LMNG) of North Dakota and Grand River National Grassland (GRNG) of South Dakota during the summer and ... -
Brine Impacted Soils in Semi-Arid Rangelands: Greenhouse Electrical Conductivity Thresholds and Ex Situ/In Situ Remediation Comparisons
(North Dakota State University, 2016)Brine is a by-product of oil and gas extraction that can have profound impacts on soil chemistry and vegetation assemblages when discharged onto the soil surface. Brine spill remediation aims to remove or minimize the ... -
Butterfly Community and Behavioral Responses to Restored Disturbance Regimes
(North Dakota State University, 2020)Grassland organisms evolved alongside the interaction of fire and grazing, but modern management often decouples these disturbances. In order to analyze the effects of reintroducing this interaction, we implemented four ... -
A Chronosequence of Scale-Dependent Vegetation and Soil Properties on a Surface Coal Mine over 40 Years of Reclamation
(North Dakota State University, 2016)Surface coal mining has taken place in North Dakota for many decades. Upon the mining process, the mined lands need to be reclaimed to a better state than pre-mining. The reclamation process is a timely and costly procedure. ... -
Community Dynamics of Grassland Birds, Rangeland Vegetation, and Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs on Grazed Mixed-Grass Prairie
(North Dakota State University, 2015)Investigators surveyed vegetation and grassland bird communities on and off black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) towns to investigate community drivers, interactions, and species associations. This study was ... -
Creating Better Working Landscapes in Post-Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Lands: Promoting Butterfly and Floral Resource Populations Through Patch-Burn Grazing (PBG) and Over-Seeding
(North Dakota State University, 2022)Declines in pollinator populations are a concern globally, and more information is needed to help conserve them. We studied how post-Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) lands could be managed as pollinator habitat. Our study ... -
Effect of Livestock Species on Floral Resources and Pollinators in Low-Diversity Grasslands
(North Dakota State University, 2020)Livestock management influences the extent to which grazing lands provide resources for native species. We compared how livestock species – sheep or cattle – affected floral resources and bee and butterfly communities in ... -
Effectiveness of Multiple Restoration Techniques in Reducing the Abundance of Kentucky Bluegrass and Smooth Bromegrass in the Northern Great Plains
(North Dakota State University, 2012)Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) and smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermus L.) are cool-season, perennial, non-native grasses that are invading North Dakota grasslands. Two studies evaluated different restoration techniques ... -
Effects of Grazing of Reed Canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea) in Restored Wet Meadows in the Northern Tall Grass Prairie
(North Dakota State University, 2019)Reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea) is a grass species that can dominate wet meadow plant communities. This study investigated if grazing by cattle on restored wet meadows suppresses reed canarygrass, thereby promoting ... -
The Effects of Herbivory and Vegetation Competition on Seedling Survival and Growth in the Middle Sheyenne River Watershed, North Dakota
(North Dakota State University, 2017)There is a concern about the lack of regeneration of riparian hardwood forest communities in the Middle Sheyenne River Watershed of northeastern North Dakota. Natural resource managers and landowners are unsure if herbivory ... -
Energy-Related Traffic Increases Fugitive Dust, with Mixed Effects on Bakken Cropland Trophic Levels
(North Dakota State University, 2017)We investigated how anthropogenic landscape industrialization affects croplands through increased emissions of fugitive dust along unpaved roads with energy-related traffic. We reviewed literature regarding plants and ... -
Evaluation of Alternative Methods for Leafy Spurge Control in the Northern Great Plains
(North Dakota State University, 2018)Leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula L.) is a costly noxious weed to manage in the Northern Great Plains; it invades rangelands and displaces native and desirable vegetation. Our first objective was to test the recommended full ... -
Fire and Nitrogen Effects on a Purple Threeawn-Dominated Plant Community in the Northern Great Plains
(North Dakota State University, 2012)Purple threeawn (Aristida purpurea Nutt. varieties) is a native grass capable of rapidly increasing on rangelands, forming near monocultures, creating a stable state. Rangelands throughout the Great Plains and Intermountain ... -
Fire Safety Skills Training for Individuals with Severe and Profound Mental Retardation
(North Dakota State University, 2010)The statistics surrounding fire injury and death in the United States are staggering. Literature concerning fire safety has focused largely on children, but persons with mental retardation also are in need of fire safety ... -
Foraging Ecology of Rangeland Bats
(North Dakota State University, 2017)Land-use and land cover changes impact the distribution of landscape features in rangelands and wildlife use of the landscape. To balance the requirements of wildlife groups that respond differently to landscape features, ... -
Gamebird Management in Southwestern North Dakota
(North Dakota State University, 2020)Grassland biodiversity is threatened by habitat loss associated with human expansion. In response, land managers need to collect wildlife data more efficiently and implement management practices that promote wildlife ...