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Threads Of Connection: An Offering To Re-Tangle Humanity And Nature With The Patterns Of Our World, Emily Shelton

Graduate Theses

In our world there are patterns of self-similarity that serve as evidence of the interconnectedness between humankind and the rest of the natural world. They are reflected in our bodies, behaviors, and environments, both natural and manmade, and can be found throughout systems at every scale, micro through macro. These organic, linear motifs branch into smaller iterations that seem to shape our existence on this planet as we gravitate towards experiences that echo these patterns. During everyday acts like shopping in a grocery store or a crowd at a concert, we unconsciously participate in self-similar collective movements as we navigate …

Rhizophora Mangle (Red Mangrove) Seedling Success In Different Habitats In Mosquito Lagoon, Florida, Usa, Mekail N. Negash

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Mangroves provide many ecosystem services in coastal environments around the world. These include water quality improvement, creating habitats for terrestrial and aquatic species, and stabilizing shorelines. In central Florida, the red mangrove Rhizophora mangle is a common species in coastal wetlands, and recently the number of individuals successfully recruiting to intertidal oyster reefs has greatly increased, possibly because biogeochemical hot spots are present on oyster reefs due to nutrient-rich biodeposits from the live oysters. To understand how well R. mangle responds in terms of survival and growth to the suite of variables associated within these two unique habitats, I tracked …

Investigating The Role Of Plant Traits And Interactions In Emergent Wetland Nutrient Removal, Andrew Ryan Sample

Theses and Dissertations

Increasing wetland restoration in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley has been identified as a method to reduce nutrient loading in the Gulf of Mexico. Wetlands have historically been used to treat water through processes facilitated by wetland plants, and relatively few species and plant traits have been identified as important in carrying out these processes. This study focuses on some of those species and traits and aims to identify species differences and plant traits that may be important for wetland nutrient mitigation. Chapter I provides background information on nutrient pollution, wetland biogeochemical mechanisms for nutrient sequestration, and the focal species …

Eat Your Invasives: A Practical And Historical Analysis Of Foraging For Invasive Foods, Grace Hartman

Honors Projects

This paper discusses both the historical and modern role of foraging and why people may decide to forage, as well as barriers new foragers may face and how they can be overcome. Furthermore, the paper discusses how foraging for invasive species can be used as a method of conservation and how simple foraging can be encouraged for this reason.

Plant Responses To Drought In A Semiarid Grassland: An Isotopic Approach, Elizabeth V. Fain

Biology ETDs

Dryland ecosystems are facing unprecedented climate extremes as a result of global climate change. Water is the most limiting factor in dryland ecosystems, therefore plants in drylands have developed crucial water-use strategies for drought survival. It is important to understand plant physiological responses to water stress as drylands are projected to experience more frequent, severe droughts in the coming decades. To test how plants respond to drought in a semiarid grassland, we measured δ13C, δ15N, and C/N ratio of common C3 and C4 plants (Bouteloua gracilis, B. eriopoda, Pleuraphis jamesii, Salsola tragus, Machaeranthera pinnatifida, …

Mathematical Modeling Suggests Cooperation Of Plant-Infecting Viruses, Joshua Miller, Vitaly V. Ganusov, Tessa Burch-Smith

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Removal Of Arsenic (Iii) And Arsenic (V) From Aqueous Solution Via Common Sunflower Helianthus Annuus By Phytoremediation, Irving A. Vazquez Hurtado

Theses and Dissertations

Phytoremediation provides a cost-effective, non-invasive technique to remove contaminants from the soil and groundwater. Sunflowers are fast growing and have a showed effective at removing various pollutants from soil, including lead and other heavy metals. Health issues related to arsenic are mainly attributed to exposure of arsenite, whereas arsenate is much less toxic. The common sunflower Helianthus annuus was the species used to remove both arsenic (III) and As(V) ions from hydroponics solutions. In the present study sunflower seeds were germinated for a week, placed under the sun for a day and subsequently placed in a nutrient solution to aid …

Taxonomic And Phylogenetic Diversity Of Pitcher Plant Bogs In Georgia's Coastal Plain, Melanie Flood

Theses and Dissertations

Diversity studies via floristic survey and taxonomic metrics have proven essential for discerning community composition and biodiversity, however, phylogenetic analyses are necessary to reveal underlying evolutionary change and potential community assembly patterns. Pitcher plant bogs are highly diverse, highly understudied habitats that contain numerous listed and at-risk plant and animal species of Georgia.

In this study I investigated the taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity of pitcher plant bogs by asking the following questions:

1) What is the taxonomic diversity of pitcher plant bogs,

2) What is the dispersion of phylogenetic diversity within bog habitats, and

3) Does taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity …

A Flora Of Coyote Ridge And Flat, Inyo County, California, Martin Purdy

CGU Theses & Dissertations

California’s Sierra Nevada mountain range contains a disproportionate share of the state’s plant diversity and is one of the most floristically diverse regions of its size in the United States. The high Sierra Nevada, in particular, has been identified as an important center of species richness and endemism within California. Anthropogenic climate warming is expected to disproportionately affect mountain ecosystems, and models have predicted serious habitat contraction and extirpation for many alpine plant taxa. A specimen-based inventory of the vascular and non-vascular plants of Coyote Ridge and Flat was conducted to establish baseline data for one such sensitive alpine and …

Ecology And Vegetation In A Passively Managed Urban Park In Worcester, Ma, Raphaella Mascia

College Honors Program

As urbanization continues to expand globally, urban parks are becoming critical habitats for human and non-human species alike. Understanding the various contexts and conditions of local parks prompts improved management and conservation efforts for such expanding urban habitats. Therefore, I assess the ecology and vegetation of a local park, Cookson Field, located in Worcester, MA, US, through a comprehensive series of vegetation surveys and examine its urban context through an examination of land-use history. I find that Cookson Field is primarily an oak (Quercus sp.) woodland with an ericaceous understory consisting mainly of blueberry (Vaccinium sp.) …

Wildlife Forage Recovery Following Boreal Wildfire, Alexis Jorgensen, Jennifer Baltzer

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Climate change is altering the boreal wildfire regime through increases in the extent and severity of burning and reductions in fire return intervals. These changes can alter the regeneration trajectory of canopy species and ground vegetation, with implications for wildlife habitat. There is some uncertainty about the timelines of when different animal species will use burned areas as their preferred forage taxa recover following fire, and how such recovery is mediated by environmental factors. Here, we aim to address these knowledge gaps through the following questions: 1) What are the main forage types consumed by boreal wildlife and how much …

Applied Species Delimitation In Microbial Taxa And Plants, Austin C. Koontz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Species are a fundamental concept in biology, and many subdisciplines in biology utilize species in aspects of theory and in the communication of results. Given the centrality of species in biological science, it can seem surprising that there is no universal definition amongst biologists of what, strictly speaking, a species is. In fact, there are, by some estimates, over 20 different "species concepts", and this lack of a consensus is termed "the species problem". This problem has theoretical underpinnings, but has become more relevant as advances in sequencing technologies over the past two decades have allowed researchers to probe the …

Comparative Secretomics And Functional Analysis Of Effectors Utilized By The Microbotryum Genus Of Anther-Smut Fungal Pathogens, And Their Role In Host-Specificity., William Christopher Beckerson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Understanding how pathogens evolve in response to changes in their host is paramount to combating the spread of emergent strains of disease. This is particularly true for plant pathogens that cause billions of dollars of damages to crops globally, every year. Understanding the molecular interactions between pathogens and their hosts therefore sheds light on the coevolutionary arms race that can result in host-specificity and host-shifts in plant pathogens. This research approaches the question of how fungal pathogens interact with their plant hosts utilizing both unique and shared arsenals of secreted proteins (SPs) during infection, and addresses the question of whether …

Plant Evolution And Urbanization: Quantifying The Effects Of Natural Selection In Shaping Shepherd’S Purse (Capsella Bursa-Pastoris) Populations In New York City, Rebecca Panko

Dissertations

The aim of this study is to quantify the effects of natural selection in shaping Capsella bursa-pastoris populations along an urban-rural gradient in New York City.

A reciprocal transplant experiment with 168 lab-germinated C. bursa-pastoris seedlings from both urban and rural populations are grown in eight paired home and away sites distributed throughout the New York metropolitan area. Sites are visited approximately thirteen times to record plant fitness. There is evidence for local adaptation of urban populations: urban plants have longer reproductive durations and produce more seed pods in urban environments. These findings suggest that urban plants are better adapted …

Higher Temperatures Have Contrasting Effects On Different Components Of Forage Quality For Caribou In Northern Alaska, Heidi Becker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rising temperatures in the Arctic may affect vegetation, which in turn can affect herbivores, such as caribou, that rely on these plants for forage. Several plant traits contribute to forage quality, including digestibility, nitrogen content, and antiherbivory secondary compounds, but the effect of temperature on these traits individually and combined is unclear. I conducted a three-component study on the effect of higher temperatures on the forage quality of graminoids, deciduous shrubs, and evergreen dwarf shrubs on the North Slope of Alaska. The components included: 1) short and long-term experimental warming, 2) natural temperature variation between south and north-facing slopes, and …

Long-Term Effectiveness Of Fuel Treatments In Oak And Chaparral Stands Of Northern California, Caroline Ann Martorano

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Fuel reduction treatments are broadly implemented to reduce the risk of extreme wildfire. Yet, research on the long-term effectiveness and ecological consequences among these treatments is lacking. In this study, I examined short- and long-term changes in fuels and understory vegetation after treatment in chaparral and oak-dominated stands of Whiskeytown National Recreation Area. Treatments included mastication and spring burning, spring burning only, mastication only, and hand-thinning. Treatments were applied randomly to 1 to 2 units within each of 10 blocks. Two plots were established in each treatment unit and fuel and vegetation data was collected and analyzed at the block …

Plant Hormone Lab Module: Assessing Different Factors To Create The Most Effective Lab, Ahmed El-Kulak

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The research project focused on evaluating 3 different factors in creating a plant hormone lab module for Principles of Biology II lab. The main hormone of focus was brassinosteroid. In the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, brassinosteroids promote cell elongation, cell division, root growth, and seed germination. Three goals were established to create the most efficient lab module possible. First, mutant (bes1,bri1) root length was assessed without addition of brassinolide (BL), a synthetic brassinosteroid. Then, ½ MS and ½ MS + 20% sucrose plates were compared to see which media produced the greatest difference in root growth between the mutant lines. …

Uncovering The Drivers Of Non-Native Plant Invasions Using Ecological Data Synthesis, Marina Golivets

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Understanding what promotes invasiveness of species outside their native range and predicting which ecosystems and under which conditions will be invaded is an ultimate goal of the field of invasion ecology. Obtaining general answers to these questions requires synthesis of extensive yet heterogeneous empirical evidence, coupled with a solid theoretical background. In this dissertation, I sought to provide insight into the drivers of non-native plant invasions through combining and synthesizing ecological data from various sources using advanced statistical techniques. The results of this work are presented as three independent research studies.

In the first study, I aimed to understand what …

The Impacts Of Gold Mining On Vegetation And Mycorrhizal Colonization In Northern Canada, Sarah Mediouni

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Gold mining is an important part of economic development in Northern Canada. A large portion of the gold that is found in the North is contained within arsenopyrite ores, therefore, arsenic contamination is of special concern. Little is known regarding the impacts of arsenic on plants and mycorrhizae in Northern Ecosystems. Arsenic has been shown to negatively impact plant growth and seed germination in some temperate species, while others are tolerant and can accumulate arsenic concentrations over 1000 mg/kg. In temperate regions, arbuscular mycorrhiza can accelerate the remediation process in gold mines by supporting plant growth in poor soil conditions …

Evaluating Effects Of Gene Mutations And Light Intensity On Arabidopsis Thaliana Development, Carolanne Bekus

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

Arabidopsis thaliana is a model organism often compared to commercial crops. The completion of sequencing A. thaliana’s genome has led to the next crucial challenge of determining gene function in these plants. The discovery of gene function within these plants will provide insights on how gene function can affect commercial crop production. This work compared wild-type Columbia (Col-O) A. thaliana to single gene mutants VPI/ABI3-like 1 (VAL1) and basic region/leucine zipper motif (bZIP). These single gene mutations may affect several traits that, in turn, can result in morphological changes and/or time of development in seedlings. Wild-type and …

Landscape Foundations: A Practical & Technical Guide To Landscape Maintenance, Marco Crosland

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Many homeowners struggle to maintain healthy landscapes. Often, they simply don’t understand basic principles that, if followed, would make a significant difference in the health and appearance of their landscape. The hope of Landscape Foundations is to help homeowners maintain healthy and excellent landscapes by teaching these “correct principles”.

What makes Landscape Foundations different than other landscape guides is that it brings in current research and explains it in a simple way. This guidebook provides pictures and additional resources to explain landscape maintenance principles. It teaches both the practical and technical sides.

Landscape Foundations is written for both beginners and …

Converting Agricultural Lesson Plans To Be Common Core Compliant For Grades 3-5, Hattie Kaymarie Jameson, Brittany Rose Withnell

Agricultural Education and Communication

There are few Common Core approved lesson plans for teachers to incorporate into traditional science programs in California. The Farm Bureau’s Ag in the Classroom (AITC) program provides K-12 educators lesson plans with an agricultural focus. Only 13 out of 45 of the lesson plans that the California AITC website offers are Common Core approved (Learn About Ag, 2017).

Agricultural literacy is valuable to consumers, can lead to careers in agriculture, and can create a greater understanding of the world and of science for students. The agricultural lessons give students a real life relationship with what they are learning and …

The Tensile Root Strength Of Emergent Coastal Macrophytes, Lauris Olivia Hollis

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Spartina patens is a dominant emergent macrophyte in fresh, intermediate, and brackish marshes along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of United States where its biomechanical properties are a key component of wetland health and resilience. Its root biomass and tensile root strength are essential for anchorage, erosion protection, and are important determinants of soil strength. Nutrients and the herbicide atrazine are suspected of negatively impacting this wetland plant and others. The objectives of this study were to: 1) ascertain the tensile root strength of five emergent coastal macrophytes in coastal estuaries, and 2) test the effects of nutrient addition, atrazine …

Whole-Canopy Net Ecosystem Exchange And Water Use Efficiency In An Intermittent-Light Environment -- Dynamic Approach, Sergey Nikolayevich Kivalov

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

An observed 20-30% increase in forest net ecosystem exchange (NEE) on partly cloudy days is often attributed to there being more uniform canopy illumination by diffuse radiation when clouds are present. However, the sky on such days is typically populated by fair-weather cumulus clouds, bringing dynamically changing shadow-to-light conditions on the order of minutes to the forest, with radiation alternating from 1000 W m^-2 in the clear sky to less than 400 W m^-2 in under-cloud shadows. These dynamically changing conditions cannot be investigated by the conventional time-averaged eddy-covariance flux method, which requires nearly steady-state turbulent conditions over much longer …

Amphibian And Plant Communities Of Natural And Constructed Upland-Embedded Wetlands In The Daniel Boone National Forest, Rachel Fedders

Online Theses and Dissertations

Wetlands fulfill many vital ecological functions, including providing habitat for amphibians and plants. Some wetlands, known as upland-embedded wetlands (UEWs), are depressional wetlands surrounded completely by upland habitat. This wetland type has been constructed in many areas for conservation and mitigation purposes, but constructed UEWs often do not function equivalently to natural wetlands, and often have different physical and chemical characteristics. In the Daniel Boone National Forest (DBNF), numerous UEWs have been constructed on ridge-tops to benefit game and bat species. Previous studies have shown that many of these constructed wetlands have permanent hydroperiods and different amphibian communities than co-occurring …

Varying Water Stress In Mimulus Ringens, Sara Stiles

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

A wetland plant’s ability to tolerate flooding is important to determining where that plant can grow. Previous studies have shown the optimal flood tolerance of Mimulus ringens is between -2cm and -6cm (Fraser & Karnezis, 2005). This experiment expands on these previous experiments by testing variation in water levels instead of maintaining the water levels at one height throughout the experiment. The hypothesis of the experiment is that Mimulus ringens that have variation in water levels will show signs of better growth than plants with a constant water level. Contrary to predictions, the results showed the final height, number of …

Effects Of Manual And Mechanical Ammophila Arenaria Removal Techniques On Coastal Dune Plant Communities And Dune Morphology, Monique R. Silva Crossman

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The removal of invasive species as part of the restoration process can allow natives organisms to rebound. An ecosystem that incurs damages from invasive species is coastal sand dunes, which are dynamic systems. Some coastal sand dunes on the west coast of the United States have been invaded by Ammophila arenaria. The invasive grass, A. arenaria, is thought to alter and stabilize foredune morphology and reduce populations of native species. The objectives of my research are to examine the effects that manual and mechanical A. arenaria removal techniques have on coastal sand dune morphology and vegetative cover over time. …

Foliar Mineral Accumulation Patterns Of Gypsophiles And Their Relatives From The Usa And Spain, Clare Muller

Masters Theses

Gypsum endemism in plants (gypsophily) is common on gypsum outcrops worldwide, but little is known about the functional ecology of Chihuahuan Desert gypsophiles. We investigated whether leaf chemistry of gypsophile lineages from the northern Chihuahuan Desert are similar to leaves of related non-endemic (gypsovag) species relative to their soil chemistry. We expected widely-distributed gypsophiles, hypothesized to be older lineages on gypsum, would have distinct leaf chemistry from narrowly-distributed, relatively younger lineages endemic to gypsum and gypsovags, reflecting adaptation to gypsum. We collected leaves from 23 gypsophiles and related non-endemic taxa growing on non-gypsum soils. Soils and leaves were analyzed for …

Environmental Factors, Not Plants, Contribute To Functional Diversity Of Soil Bacteria In The Dunes Of Lake Michigan., Andrea Stark Howes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Soil bacteria play important roles in nutrient cycling and other ecosystem functions, and many biotic and abiotic factors can influence bacterial functional diversity. The goal of this field study was to examine differences among bacterial communities in sand dunes of Lake Michigan. I used Biolog Ecoplates™ to compare bacteria functional diversity associated with four different plant species: the native dune-building grass Ammophila breviligulata, invasive species Leymus arenarius and Gypsophila paniculata, and native legume Lathyrus japonicus across 13 sites in Michigan, representing a gradient in abiotic factors such as precipitation and temperature. I found no differences in bacterial function associated with …

Grazing And The Coupling Of Vascular Plant And Soil Microbial Diversity In Agricultural Landscapes Of Eastern New York, Caroline Belle Girard-Cartier

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

ABSTRACT