Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2012
Publications
John Bruggink (Biology) and former NMU graduate student Sarah Lou Malick were among three coauthors of a paper recently published in The Natural Areas Journal. The article is titled "Influence of spotted knapweed on diversity of small mammals in Grand Sable Dunes, Michigan." Spotted knapweed is an exotic plant that displaces native vegetation, leading to altered plant and animal communities. The trio compared small mammal abundance and diversity in areas with and without spotted knapweed in Grand Sable Dunes to determine whether the presence of this plant affected the small mammal community. “The mean number of mice captures per trap in spotted knapweed was nearly double that in native plots and the amount of total vegetative cover in spotted knapweed plots was almost twice that in native plots. Mice are seed and insect predators, seed and spore dispersers, and serve as prey for numerous species. Thus, the positive response by mice to the spotted knapweed invasion may have caused additional changes to this community.”
Martin Reinhardt (Center for Native American Studies) coauthored an article titled “She has great spirit: insight into relationships between American Indian dads and daughters,” which was published in the International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education. Data from a preliminary study by Reinhardt and collaborators at two other universities shed light on how American Indian fathers think and feel about their relationships with their daughters. Among the many insights into the relationships revealed in these data are common themes involving spirituality, identity and adherence to cultural values. These insights may help educators and others who work with American Indian families gain a greater awareness and understanding of how the relationships between American Indian fathers and their daughters impact both traditional American Indian communities as well as more mainstream westernized American Indian communities.
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