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Orthotrichum Lyellii As An Active Moss Biomonitor: Examining The Interplay Between Ambient Pm10, Bulk Deposition And Heavy Metals In An Urban Environment, Scott Bradley Kiel

Dissertations and Theses

The importance of monitoring and preventing pollution in the environment is a globally recognized issue. Of the criteria pollutants outlined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, particulate matter is among these least understood in relation to toxicity and most wide-spread. Many governments have employed continuous air quality monitoring networks to track ambient levels of particulate matter, but are often too widespread to capture the heterogeneity of the urban environment, especially for heavy metal deposition. In Portland, OR, the epiphytic moss Orthotrichum lyellii was successfully used as a low-cost passive biomonitor to increase the spatial resolution of pollution around the …

Exploring Linkages Between Landscape Patterns And Freshwater And Estuarine Bivalves In The Coast Range Of Oregon, Kaegan Michael Scully-Engelmeyer

Dissertations and Theses

Spatial configurations of landscape variables (biotic, abiotic, and socio-ecological) affect and are affected by ecological processes and species in watersheds. This dissertation explores relationships among landscape patterns, ecosystem processes and bivalve species dynamics in coastal watersheds in Oregon, USA. I approached this broad topic through two primary avenues of research: investigating cross-ecosystem threats from pesticide use in forestland management to downstream aquatic environments, and the landscape ecology of an at-risk freshwater mussel species.

Terrestrial land use activities present cross-ecosystem threats to riverine and marine species and processes. Specifically, pesticide runoff can disrupt hormonal, reproductive, and developmental processes in aquatic organisms, …