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Item Trace Element Distribution in Soils of The Pembina Escarpment, North Dakota(North Dakota State University, 2010) Jyoti, VijayaAssociation of element concentrations for soils of northeastern North Dakota formed from different sources of parent materials were determined based on geochemical data. These soils overlie the Cretaceous Pierre Formation and parent materials consist of shale rich glacial till, residual shale, and colluvial materials. Surface and core sampling locations included a cropped field, Conservation Reserve Program land, and grassland fields in a North Dakota State Wildlife Management Area. Samples were analyzed for cadmium and other trace elements using a nitric acid digestion followed by optical emission spectroscopy. Results of a preliminary study in cropped and CRP fields showed elevated concentrations of cadmium. Later comprehensive field work in a Wildlife Management Area was carried out to examine the landscape scale variation for a suite of elements. Morphologic and laboratory analysis of soil cores indicate high clay content with mixed clay mineralogy, indicative of the influence of shale residuum on the parent materials of the escarpment soils. Chemical properties of the escarpment soils revealed high levels of organic matter (2.62-13.30 %), ultra acidic to slightly alkaline pH range, and low electrical conductivity for the soils. Average cadmium concentration of 0.28 mg/kg was reported for the samples from eight cores while 16.4 mg/kg cadmium was found in the CRP field sample. Correlations of different analytes with cadmium showed significance with shale and argillic horizons. Principal Component Analysis revealed that elevated trace element concentrations for the soils in northeastern North Dakota are linked to a variety of factors including organic matter content, clay mineralogy, pH, elevation, and electrical conductivity. Results of this study suggest that lateral as well as vertical water movement of water could be an important factor leading to transport and elevated trace metal zones in these soils.Item OSL Dating of High-Elevation Alluvial Sediments: McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica(North Dakota State University, 2015) Ramsey, Meridith AnnHigh-elevation alluvial fans in the McMurdo Dry Valleys are a record of short-term, occasional melting events along the margins of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. Sediment samples were dated from five fans using Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating. OSL dates the time since quartz grains were last exposed to sunlight; all sample preparation takes place in a dark room. Thirteen samples were dated for this thesis, the ages were stratigraphically consistent and ranged from 1.1 ka to 105.9 ka. Clusters of fan activity occurred between 1.1 and 3.1 ka and 8.1 and 11.1 ka. The melting events appear to be linked to insolation, with periods of fan activity occurring usually at times of increased mean annual insolation. The alluvial fans show promise as a possible archive for climate proxies in this region of Antarctica.Item Wetland restoration in the North Dakota Prairie Pothole Region: a macroinvertebrate community perspective(North Dakota State University, 2024) Sauskojus, WhitneyThis study assessed the long-term recovery of aquatic macroinvertebrate communities to wetland restoration. Previous research has suggested that even after a decade post restoration, macroinvertebrate communities may not fully resemble those of undisturbed reference sites, and how effective wetland restorations are in recovering macroinvertebrates is unclear. To assess macroinvertebrate recovery to restoration over long-time frames, thirteen restored and five reference wetlands were sampled in the North Dakota Prairie Pothole Region during July and August of 2019. Restored wetlands ranged from 20 to 32 years post-restoration, within restoration dates spanning between 1987-1999. Differences were examined between reference and restored sites, along with differences between four age categories: 20-26 years (n = 4), 29 years (n = 4), 31-32 years (n = 5) and reference sites (n = 5). No significant differences were found in aquatic macroinvertebrate richness and diversity between reference and restored wetlands, or among restoration age groups. Community composition was also similar among all restoration age groups, with no apparent influence from measured chemical and physical water variables and soil organic matter. These results suggest, within the Prairie Pothole Region, that restored wetlands contain diverse macroinvertebrate communities that resemble undisturbed reference sites after 20 to 32 years post-restoration.Item Impact of Artificial Aeration on Nutrients in a Small Eutrophic Lake(North Dakota State University, 2015) Balangoda, Anusha RupikaThe Heinrich- Martin Dam Impoundment (HMDI), located in northcentral LaMoure County, North Dakota, is an important water body for fishing, boating, and other recreational activities. To eliminate the thermal stratification and low dissolved oxygen (DO) zone near the bottom, an artificial aeration system was installed and operated by the North Dakota Game and Fish Department (NDG&F). This study was conducted to investigate whether aeration improved water quality of HMDI and to evaluate aeration as a tool to effectively manage eutrophication in lakes of this type. Field monitoring and laboratory analyses were conducted during three consecutive summers, in 2010, 2011 and 2012, to evaluate the impact of aeration on the spatial and temporal variation of physical, chemical, and biological water quality. Variables monitored included total and dissolved forms of inorganic nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), chlorophyll a, turbidity, water temperature and dissolved oxygen (DO). Field sampling was carried out during aerated conditions in 2010 and 2012 and under non-aerated conditions in 2011. The study revealed no significant differences between aeration and non-aeration conditions in soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), total phosphorus (TP), or total nitrogen (TN) concentrations in the water column. In contrast, mean ammonia-nitrogen concentration at the near-bottom layers during non-aerated conditions decreased significantly under artificial aeration, while mean nitrate and nitrite concentrations increased significantly under aeration. Under aerated conditions, dissolved inorganic nutrients, TN, TP, temperature, and algae were homogenously distributed throughout the water column. Aeration expanded aerobic habitats for fish and distributed bio-available nutrients, stimulating algal growth throughout the water column. These results indicate that the existing aeration system vertically mixed nutrients throughout the water column of the HMDI. Chlorophyll a results showed that aeration distributed algae throughout the water column and circulated available nutrients for their growth. In addition, the results indicated that aeration improved water quality as measured by Secchi depth, turbidity, DO and algal biomass based on recommended levels by NDDoH. In a nitrogen-limited, phosphorus-rich water body, like HMDI, lowering phosphorus (P) load rather than nitrogen (N) load is recommended as a means of reducing algal biomass.Item Antipredator Behavior and Morphology in Isolated Cyprinodont Fishes(North Dakota State University, 2018) Snider, Madison R.For desert fishes in the American Southwest, predation by invasive species has triggered massive population declines for decades, leaving researchers speculating on the underlying cause. It has been shown that Post-Pleistocene isolation of desert fishes in small habitats with limited predation pressure has led to loss of antipredator traits. Determining the status of antipredator behavioral and morphological traits could identify the most vulnerable desert fishes. In aquatic ecosystems, detection and response to chemical alarm cues derived from epithelial tissue increases the probability of predation survival. In chapter two, I evaluate alarm cue responses of two desert cyprinodontids: endangered Pahrump poolfish and Amargosa pupfish. In chapter three, I assess the prevalence and densities of epithelial club cells, the source of chemical alarm cues, for several desert fishes: Pahrump poolfish, Amargosa pupfish, White Sands pupfish, White River Springfish, and Hot Creek Valley tui chub.Item Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Response to Shifts in Hydroclimatic Variability and Ecohydrological Conditions in Prairie-Pothole Wetlands: Implications for Biodiversity Conservation(North Dakota State University, 2020) McLean, Kyle IanEcosystem degradation and subsequent biodiversity loss has plagued freshwater environments globally. Wetland ecosystems, such as the depressional wetlands found in the Prairie Pothole Region of North America, have been heavily impacted by historical land-use change and continue to be vulnerable to continued landscape modifications and climate change. Using existing literature, I summarized how recent shifts in climate coupled with historic and contemporary landscape modifications have driven a shift in wetland ecohydrological variability. However, clear trends in biodiversity were often limited by the spatial and temporal resolution of published research. I used 24 years (1992–2015) of hydrologic and aquatic-macroinvertebrate data from a complex of 16 prairie-pothole wetlands located in North Dakota to relate wetland ecohydrological variability to biodiversity. I used structural equation modeling techniques to test a set of causal hypotheses linking a wetland’s hydrogeologic setting and local climate conditions (i.e., the Wetland Continuum) to changes in hydrology, water chemistry, and biology, with an emphasis on aquatic-macroinvertebrate community response. I then examined the temporal synchrony of aquatic-macroinvertebrate populations to examine the relative importance of landscape-scale controls (e.g., climate, metacommunity dynamics) and wetland-specific controls on community assembly. Using this information, I then quantified among-wetland and amongyear changes in aquatic-macroinvertebrate beta diversity to investigate patterns of biotic homogenization. I found that spatial and temporal variability in aquatic-macroinvertebrate composition was strongly influenced by ponded-water dynamics. In addition to hydrologic controls, the high levels of temporal coherence of aquatic-macroinvertebrate compositional turnover supported the hypothesis that wetland biodiversity is also dependent on metacommunity dynamics. Analyses of spatio-temporal patterns in beta diversity did not reveal climate driven homogenization of aquatic-macroinvertebrate taxa among wetlands. However, shifts towards more permanently ponded water regimes corresponded with lasting shifts in aquatic-macroinvertebrate community composition. The communities of temporarily ponded wetlands maintained high levels of both temporal and spatial beta diversity. My collective findings indicate that the conservation of aquatic-macroinvertebrate diversity is dependent on the conservation of heterogenous, wellconnected, wetland complexes.Item Body Shape Divergence Among Wild and Experimental Populations of White Sands Pupfish (Cyprinodon Tularosa)(North Dakota State University, 2011) Kowalski, Brandon MichaelReports of contemporary evolution have become ubiquitous, but replicated studies of phenotypic divergence for wild populations are exceptionally rare. In 2001, a series of experimental populations were established to replicate a historic translocation event that led to a case of contemporary body shape evolution in the White Sands pupfish. Using landmark-based geometric morphometric techniques I examined phenotypic variation for seven of these populations, and two wild populations over a 5 year period (5-10 generations) in the field. Significant body shape divergence was observed, but divergence patterns were not parallel, suggesting that the ponds were ecologically dissimilar. Considerable body shape variation found among populations suggests that the observed divergence maybe governed by temporal environmental variance. In this study, body shape variation was correlated with population density. These data suggest that habitat intrinsic factors or unmeasured habitat features may have strong affects on body shape, warranting continuous monitoring of recently translocated fishes.Item An Agent-Based Model for the Water Allocation and Management of Hydraulic Fracturing(North Dakota State University, 2022) Lin, TongAn agent-based model (ABM) is developed to simulate the impacts on streamflow and groundwater levels by the dramatic increase of hydraulic fracturing (HF) water use. To develop the agent-based model, institution theory is used to model the regulation policies, while evolutionary programming allows agents to select appropriate strategies when applying for potential water use permits. Cognitive maps endow agents’ ability and willingness to compete for more water sales. All agents have their influence boundaries that restrict their competitive behavior toward their neighbors but not to non-neighboring agents. The decision-making process is constructed and parameterized with both quantitative and qualitative information. By linking institution theory, evolutionary programming, and cognitive maps, our approach is a new exploration of modeling the dynamics of coupled human-natural systems (CHNS) to address the high complexity of the decision-making process involved in the CHNS. The ABM is calibrated with HF water-use data, and the calibration results show that it is reliable in simulating water depot number, depot locations, and depot water uses. The SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) model of the Little Muddy River basin and the MODFLOW of the Fox Hill-Hell Creek regional aquifer are coupled with the ABM to simulate the changes in streamflow and groundwater level, respectively, under different scenarios such as HF water demand, climate, and regulatory policies. The integrated modeling framework of ABM, SWAT, and MODFLOW can be used to support making scientifically sound policies in water allocation and management for hydraulic fracturing.Item Ex Situ Analyses of Non-Native Species Impacts on Imperiled Desert Fishes(North Dakota State University, 2019) Paulson, BrandonThis thesis focuses on interactions between two invasive species, the western mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) and the red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii), and two desert fishes, the Amargosa pupfish (Cyprinodon nevadensis) and the endangered Pahrump poolfish (Empetrichthys latos latos). Chapter one is a literature review on the impacts of invasive species on various desert fishes. Chapter Two reports the results of multiple mesocosm experiments that show poolfish are unlikely to persist in the presence of mosquitofish. Chapter Three reports the results of a mesocosm experiment that tested the combined impacts of crayfish and mosquitofish on poolfish populations. Chapter Three mimics a historic case study in Nevada, where the Lake Harriett poolfish population crashed following the introduction of crayfish and mosquitofish. Chapter Four reports results of a mesocosm experiment that revealed density dependent effects of invasive crayfish on pupfish populations, with pupfish populations negatively affected when crayfish were at high densities.Item Crop Acreage Response Modeling in North Dakota and Greater Midwest(North Dakota State University, 2017) Chowdhury, Nazea H KhanOur research consists of two papers. First paper focus on the trend of North Dakota (ND) crop acreage changes and include economic factors (expected prices of crops, input price, crop yield, revenue of crops) and climate factors (precipitation, minimum and maximum temperature, growing degree days, and palmer drought severity index). We are using Geographic Information System (GIS) database for cropland areas throughout ND for the years 1998 through 2013. But we are using five crops for our analysis. We use Seemingly Unrelated Tobit Left Censored Regression and Monte Carlo Simulation techniques for our analysis. We also include renewable fuel standard dummy (year 2005 and 2007). Findings suggest that prices of crop, yield, revenue, input price significant impact on crop acreage. Marginal effects of crop price increase by $1 to own acreage of barley, corn, soybean, wheat, and oilseeds ranges between 50 to 295 acres, 28 to 572 acres, -24 to 45 acres, -198 to -39 acres, and 7 to 48 acres throughout ND and statistically significant except soybean. Elasticity of own-price to acreage of barley, corn, soybean, wheat, and oilseeds are 1.16%, 1.23%, 0.17%, -0.16%, and 0.53%, respectively, and statistically significant except soybean. Second paper mainly focus on three states ND, South Dakota (SD), and Minnesota (MN) causes of crop acres planted changes due to economic factors as well as weather factors. We are using Seemingly unrelated regression and Monte Carlo Simulation technique for that paper. We produce a balanced panel dataset with annual observations of the planted acreages of each of the five crops in each of the three states, along with the relevant price and yield variables for each crop and pertinent precipitation and temperature variables for each year in each state. Monte Carlo Simulation technique used to calculate own-price elasticity of MN state barley, corn, soybean, wheat, and sunflower to their own acreage are -0.506%, 0.197%, 0.116%, 0.566 %, and 11.34%, respectively; in SD state are -0.739%, 0.312%, 0.290%, 0.309%, and 1.72%, respectively and statistically significant except barley crop elasticity. This research findings will help forecast future agricultural land use trends & crop area response.