Carrying Capacity Modeling
This is a collaborative project with Dr. Tom Hanley (US Forest Service,
Pacific Northwest Experiment Station, Juneau, AK) and Dr.
Kenrick Mock (Department of Mathematics and Computer Sciences,
University of Alaska Anchorage). We are developing web-based applications
for the determination of carrying capacity of habitats to support
large herbivores, based on nutritional needs of the animals, and
the availability and nutritional quality of their foods. To date,
we have completed a web-based model for determination of carrying
capacity for Sitka Black-tailed Deer in Alaska (FRESH-DEER),
and are currently working on an equivalent model for moose in Alaska.
Nutritional Evaluation of Plants
for Herbivores
The world is green because plants have evolved sophisticated mechanisms
to defeat their enemies – the herbivores. These include physical
mechanisms (such as thorns and spines), but the most effective defenses
are chemical in nature. My aim is to develop modern and efficient
methods of measuring the nutritional properties of plants to support
herbivores, and to simultaneously determine their anti-nutritional
or toxic properties to herbivores. Currently, my most recent graduate
student, Scott McArt,, has succeeded in developing a rapid and efficient
method of determining the protein-binding properties of tannins
in plant tissues, and relating these assays to the digestibility
of protein in herbivores such as deer and moose. In collaboration
with Dr. Marc Perry (Department of Chemistry, University of Alaska
Anchorage), I am currently investigating the application of mid-infrared
(FTIR) spectroscopy to understanding and predicting the digestibility
and digestion kinetics of forages by moose (Alces alces).
The Efficiency of Nitrogen Use by
Moose
In collaboration with Dr. Bill Collins (Alaska Department of Fish
and Game), we are currently investigating the efficiency of moose
to digest and recycle N from plants, particularly native browses
that are defended by high concentrations of tannins. We have been
conducting complete balance trials on tame moose each winter for
the past two years, and this work will continue over the next year
or so as part of a larger project to determine the potential nutritional
limitations of moose in the Nelchina Basin of Alaska. See Photos.
The Role of N and Tannins in the
Nutritional Ecology of Moose in Alaska
This project focuses principally on moose and moose habitats in
south-central Alaska, and specifically on the role that N may play
in determining the productivity of moose in boreal ecosystems. This
study is a collaboration between Dr. Bill Collins (Alaska Department
of Fish and Game), Dr. Tom Hanley (US Forest Service Pacific Northwest
Experiment Station), Dr. Grant Harris (US Forest Service, Chugach
National Forest), Dr. John Kennish (Department of Chemistry, UAA),
Dr. Marc Perry (Department of Chemistry, UAA), and Dr. Kenrick Mock
(Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, UAA). We are investigating
a variety of parameters on several moose ranges throughout south-central
Alaska, including the diets of moose, the nutritional quality (i.e.,
digestible energy and protein) of the major moose foods on each
range, the protein-binding capacities of the foods, and the availability
of the foods to moose. Our goals are to predict nutritional status
and potential carrying capacities of the ranges. Currently, we are
focusing our investigations in the Nelchina Basin, near Glennallen,
Alaska, and the Placer River Valley, near Anchorage. See Photos.
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