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    Population and community responses to anthropogenic environmental changes

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    Collins_ku_0099D_10226_DATA_1.pdf (2.359Mb)
    Issue Date
    2009-04-01
    Author
    Collins, Cathy Diane
    Publisher
    University of Kansas
    Format
    143 pages
    Type
    Dissertation
    Degree Level
    Ph.D.
    Discipline
    Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
    Rights
    This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
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    Abstract
    Humans are dramatically altering the planet. I use classic ecological theory, original conceptual models, and a novel analytical tool (Rank Occupancy-Abundance Profiles; ROAPs) to explore the effects anthropogenic changes have on plant communities and bird populations. Chapter one investigates the influence of nutrient deposition on native prairie grass communities. I show that soil phosphorus levels alter plant diversity by changing the degree to which mycorrhizae benefit plant species. Chapter two investigates plant extinctions in a fragmented landscape. Extinction rates of early-successional plant species on large versus small habitat patches vary according to species' life history traits. In Chapter three I quantify declines in North American bird species over the past 30 years. Nearly 20% of the 209 birds sampled are declining significantly; local densities tend to decline prior to occupancy. Results from this dissertation confirm that humans are dramatically altering the relative abundance of species--at local, landscape, and continental scales.
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/1808/6304
    Collections
    • Dissertations [4475]
    • Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Dissertations and Theses [349]

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    KU Libraries
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    785-864-8983

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    Lawrence, KS 66045
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    Contact KU ScholarWorks
    785-864-8983
    KU Libraries
    1425 Jayhawk Blvd
    Lawrence, KS 66045
    785-864-8983

    KU Libraries
    1425 Jayhawk Blvd
    Lawrence, KS 66045
    Image Credits
     

     

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