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Evaluation Of Spotlight Surveys For Monitoring Mink Populations In Coastal South Carolina, Michael Waller Dec 2010

Evaluation Of Spotlight Surveys For Monitoring Mink Populations In Coastal South Carolina, Michael Waller

All Theses

Annual commercial fur harvest data suggests a decline in South Carolina's mink (Mustela vison) populations over the past century (Butfiloski and Baker 2005). In 1990, DNR began conducting assessments of South Carolina's coastal marshes, revealing mink populations to be scarce to absent in the northern coastal regions (Baker 1999). Since 1999, restoration efforts have re-established mink populations in the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge and additional areas in the northern coastal marshes of South Carolina. Because mink are a species of high conservation priority throughout the coastal zone of South Carolina, it is important to develop and implement a reliable …


Effects Of Varying Field Conditions On Potential Painted Bunting Habitat In Coastal South Carolina, Kelly Campbell Dec 2010

Effects Of Varying Field Conditions On Potential Painted Bunting Habitat In Coastal South Carolina, Kelly Campbell

All Theses

Daily point counts were conducted during the summer seasons of 2006, 2007 and 2008 in randomly selected agricultural plots at two field sites in coastal South Carolina to examine habitat use by painted buntings, indigo buntings, blue grosbeaks and brown-headed cowbirds. Plots were selected based on their original condition, such as planted, fallow or old field, in 2006. The two sites, James A. Webb Wildlife Management Area and Nemours Plantation, are areas managed in methods similar to those described in several Conservation Reserve Programs (CRPs), and CP33 - Habitat Buffers for Upland Birds - in particular. I propose the management …


Use Of Sub-Saharan Vultures In Traditional Medicine And Conservation And Policy Issues For The African Grey Parrot (Psittacus Erithacus), Kristina Dunn Dec 2010

Use Of Sub-Saharan Vultures In Traditional Medicine And Conservation And Policy Issues For The African Grey Parrot (Psittacus Erithacus), Kristina Dunn

All Theses

ABSTRACT
Wildlife populations worldwide are being negatively affected by the illegal wildlife trade. The severity of the impact to both Sub-Saharan vultures and African Grey Parrot (Psittacus erithacus) (AGP) populations are explored in this thesis. Many species of Sub-Saharan vultures are used in the traditional medicinal trade. Previous studies have found that vultures have mystical powers attributed to them due to their keen
ability to find food. AGP's are sought after for international trade due to their ability to mimic human vocabularies and for their aesthetic beauty.
Due to the illegal, secret, and illusive nature of this trade, the monetary …


Home Range, Habitat Selection, And Migratory Pathways Of Canada Geese Wintering At The Santee National Wildlife Refuge, Molly Giles Dec 2010

Home Range, Habitat Selection, And Migratory Pathways Of Canada Geese Wintering At The Santee National Wildlife Refuge, Molly Giles

All Theses

Information on local and flyway-scale space use is lacking for the cohort of migrant geese (Branta canadensis interior) that winter in and adjacent to the Santee National Wildlife Refuge in Summerton, South Carolina. I examined home range and habitat selection of Canada geese in this region. I deployed transmitters on 17 geese (9 VHF and 8 PTT) on wintering grounds at Santee NWR during the winter of 2009-2010. Estimates of fixed kernel home range size ranged from 214.2 to 263.6 ha for VHF-marked geese and 1190.2 to 1915.6 ha for PTT-marked geese. Home ranges of all birds were compact and …


Using Nestling Bald Eagles To Assess Spatial And Temporal Trends Of Environmental Contaminants, Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota, Henry Pittman Dec 2010

Using Nestling Bald Eagles To Assess Spatial And Temporal Trends Of Environmental Contaminants, Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota, Henry Pittman

All Theses

Bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) are a avian species used to monitor environmental contaminants such as mercury (Hg), methylmercury (MeHg), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and organochlorine pesticides (OCs) in North America. Populations of bald eagles nesting along the Great Lakes were very slow to recover after the ban of PCBs and OCs because these compounds were very persistent. Bald eagles at Voyageurs National Park (VNP) have been monitored since 1973 and provide an opportunity to assess temporal and spatial trends of persistent environmental contaminants. Nestling bald eagle feathers were analyzed for Hg concentrations for the past 12 years. Nestling bald …


Constructed Wetland Treatment Systems For Risk Mitigation Of Energy Derived Waters, Michael Spacil Aug 2010

Constructed Wetland Treatment Systems For Risk Mitigation Of Energy Derived Waters, Michael Spacil

All Theses

Energy derived waters (EDWs) (e.g. petroleum refinery effluents, produced waters) can contain a variety of constituents [e.g. selenium (Se), arsenic (As), low molecular weight organics (LMWOs)]. The overall objective of this research was to provide an approach for remediation of specific constituents of concern in these waters and to measure a relationship between Se removal and abundance of Se reducing microbes. The specific objectives of this research were to: (1) evaluate removal of Se from simulated refinery effluent (SRE) using a pilot-scale constructed wetland treatment system (CWTS); (2) evaluate removal of Se, As, and LMWOs from a generic simulated fresh …


Metalloporphyrin-Catalyzed Reduction Reactions Of Hexavalent Chromium, Rong Zhang Aug 2010

Metalloporphyrin-Catalyzed Reduction Reactions Of Hexavalent Chromium, Rong Zhang

All Theses

Previous studies have demonstrated that the reduction of oxidized organic and inorganic contaminants could be catalyzed by electron shuttle systems, which generally were biological organic macrocycle complexes with transition metals. Metalloporphyrins (MPs) and their derivatives are well known electron shuttles for many biogeochemical systems. The objective of this research was to study the catalytic capabilities of selected MPs for the reduction of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) in the presence of reducing agents. Zero valent iron (ZVI) was chosen as the primary electron donor in the experimental systems. Protoporphyrin IX (Proto) and Uroporphyrin I (Uro) are naturally occurring porphyrins produced during heme …


Factors Influencing The Adsorption Of Synthetic Organic Compounds By Carbon Nanotubes In Aquatic Environments, Ting Shao Aug 2010

Factors Influencing The Adsorption Of Synthetic Organic Compounds By Carbon Nanotubes In Aquatic Environments, Ting Shao

All Theses

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are allotropes of carbon consisting of sheets of carbon atoms covalently bonded in hexagonal arrays that are seamlessly rolled into a hollow, cy-lindrical shape with both ends rounded by fullerene-like caps. As large amounts of CNTs have been manufactured and significant growth is expected in commercial CNT produc-tion, there is a major concern over their health and environmental risks once they enter into the environment. In aquatic systems, CNTs are likely to adsorb organic chemicals and aggregate as bundles due to their extremely hydrophobic surfaces. The aggregation state of CNTs plays a significant role in their fate …


Community Ecology Approaches To Amphibian Conservation, Joanna Hawley Aug 2010

Community Ecology Approaches To Amphibian Conservation, Joanna Hawley

All Theses

Amphibian declines have been observed globally for several decades and populations continue to decline in many areas today. Through an extensive literature review of amphibian `impact studies,' I evaluated the use of multiple species, multiple spatial and temporal scales in an effort to ascertain a more complete, community-wide perspective on the causes of amphibian declines as well as management and conservation implications aimed at reversing these declines. Additionally, I performed multivariate analysis of an amphibian community dataset from southern Maine, USA using a multi-species and scalar approach to identify potentially important environmental variables associated with high levels of amphibian reproductive …


Effect Of Abiotic Factors On Lead Corrosion In Drinking Water Systems, Bin Yang Aug 2010

Effect Of Abiotic Factors On Lead Corrosion In Drinking Water Systems, Bin Yang

All Theses

A major shift in water disinfection has been happening over the past few years from chlorination to chloramination. Chloramination is considered advantageous to chlorination due to the decreased formation of hazardous disinfection byproducts (DBPs) that are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Disinfectants/Disinfection By-Products Rule. Despite the advantage of chloramination in generating less DBPs, unexpected increases in lead concentrations have recently been uncovered and receiving intensive attention. Because lead is neurologically toxic, research is needed to investigate the mechanisms involved in lead corrosion in such systems and to develop counteractive approaches. Currently, there is a very poor …


Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis For The Selection Of A Land Use Impact Method For A Life Cycle Assessment Of Switchgrass As A Bioenergy Feedstock In The Pee Dee Region Of South Carolina, Joel Kohn Aug 2010

Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis For The Selection Of A Land Use Impact Method For A Life Cycle Assessment Of Switchgrass As A Bioenergy Feedstock In The Pee Dee Region Of South Carolina, Joel Kohn

All Theses

The interactions of a growing human population and increasing demand for food and energy have led to governmental and social pressures encouraging the adoption of biofuels as a substitute for fossil energy sources; however, several potential biofuel feedstocks can compete directly with food products for valuable land area. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a tool that examines the environmental impacts of a product or process and can assist decision makers in the development of policy. The environmental impacts of land use are not well incorporated into LCA. As an emerging field, there is no consensus regarding the best methods by …


Impact Of Microsparticle Concentration Levels Upon Toxicity Of Phenol To Artemia, Federico Sinche Aug 2010

Impact Of Microsparticle Concentration Levels Upon Toxicity Of Phenol To Artemia, Federico Sinche

All Theses

Plastic pollution constitutes a threat to marine wildlife because of the deleterious impacts ranging from entanglement to ingestion of plastic debris. However, knowledge regarding the impacts of fragmented plastics into micron sizes and their interaction with other toxicants in the marine environment is still limited. In the present study the impact of polystyrene microspheres, 3 µm in diameter, upon toxicity of phenol to the brine shrimp Artemia was investigated in acute toxicity tests. The brine shrimp are employed as a model organism in marine toxicity tests. Phenol is a hydrophobic compound used as an intermediate resin discharged to the environment. …


Developing A Management Tool To Estimate Unmarked Puma (Puma Concolor) Populations With A Remote Camera Array, Megan Pitman Aug 2010

Developing A Management Tool To Estimate Unmarked Puma (Puma Concolor) Populations With A Remote Camera Array, Megan Pitman

All Theses

Puma (Puma concolor) ecological research, puma management, and puma conservation require a technique to efficiently estimate puma populations. Adequate population estimates for pumas are difficult to produce due to natural history characteristics of the species. Remote camera arrays present a promising new tool for surveying cryptic mammals, but techniques for estimating population levels of unmarked animals or species that are difficult to individually identify in photographs are needed. Our goal was to develop techniques to (1) determine the camera effort needed to detect resident pumas with 95% certainty and (2) estimate puma population density for unmarked pumas with a remote …


Analysis Of Egg-Lay Dates Of Bald Eagles As A Potential Indicator Of Global Climate Change, Jennifer Garrison May 2010

Analysis Of Egg-Lay Dates Of Bald Eagles As A Potential Indicator Of Global Climate Change, Jennifer Garrison

All Theses

The effects of climate change on many wildlife species is a new area of research. Long&ndashterm data sets on raptor populations may hold the key to documenting these impacts from local to ecosystem scales. The Michigan bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) population has been monitored continuously since 1961, and virtually all reproductive outcomes are known since 1963. The bald eagle population at Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota has been monitored continuously since 1973. Though these data sets are extensive, little is known about the effects of climate change on egg laying dates in sea eagles (Haliaeetus spp). Understanding these effects could ultimately …


A Statewide Seidment And Water Quality Approach To Characterize Pollution In Wadable Streams Of South Carolina, Alan Jones May 2010

A Statewide Seidment And Water Quality Approach To Characterize Pollution In Wadable Streams Of South Carolina, Alan Jones

All Theses

At present, little data is available concerning the overall quality of small aquatic ecosystems in South Carolina. The data presented here comprises the elemental contamination results from the first two years of an ongoing study with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources of wadeable streams in South Carolina. The overall goal of this thesis is to assess overall ecosystem quality in order to provide information needed for improved management strategies. The data focus on elemental contaminants found in water and sediments in 2006 and 2007 and relationships between metals and land cover in the drainage areas or watersheds of …


Conservation Biology Of The Diamondback Terrapin In North America, Amanda Hackney May 2010

Conservation Biology Of The Diamondback Terrapin In North America, Amanda Hackney

All Theses

Reptiles are experiencing global declines and pond turtles (Emydidae) are particularly vulnerable. The diamondback terrapin uses multiple habitats to fulfill its life history requirements, in the estuarine environments of the Gulf Coast and Atlantic states (US). Interacting effects of coastal development, overharvesting, abandoned crabbing gear, road mortality, climate change, and nest predation are likely causing population declines throughout its distribution. Protection levels were assessed by referencing each state's Wildlife Action Plan for the species' Conservation Status Ranking Code. At least 7 federal laws directly or indirectly regulate take, wetland, and/or coastal activities (Lacey Act, CWA, FWCA, NAWCA, WPFPA, CBRA, NEPA). …