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An Acoustic Monitoring Method For Assessing River Dolphin Presence And Changes In The Context Of Anthropogenic Development, Charles A. Muirhead

Graduate Masters Theses

Populations of river dolphins throughout Asia are in decline as a direct result of intensified anthropogenic activity along river systems. Water development projects, land use change, contamination, and intensified fishing practices are known factors contributing to the probable extinction of the Yangtze river dolphin (Lipotes vexillifer) and declining populations of the South Asian river dolphin (Platanista gangetica spp.), Irrawady dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris), and finless porpoise (Neophocaena a. asiaeorientalis). Although not yet as extensive, river system development in South America is following a similar path as that of Asia, with impacts on dolphin species likely to follow. Currently, the Amazon river …

Understanding The Impacts Of Current And Future Environmental Variation On Central African Amphibian Biodiversity, Courtney A. Miller

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Global climate change is projected to impact multiple levels of biodiversity by imposing strong selection pressures on existing populations, triggering shifts in species distributions, and reorganizing entire communities. The Lower Guineo-Congolian region in central Africa, a reservoir for amphibian diversity, is predicted to be severely affected by future climate change through rising temperatures and greater variability in rainfall. Geospatial modelling can be used to assess how environmental variation shapes patterns of biological variation – from the genomic to the community level – and use these associations to predict patterns of biological change across space and time. The overall goal of …

Do Open Spaces Provide Refuge For Anurans Within An Urban Matrix?, David Ruple Hutto

All Theses

Urbanization is among the largest threats to amphibian populations through habitat fragmentation, isolation, and outright destruction. Urban open spaces, such as parks and golf courses, have the potential to provide amphibians with suitable habitat within an urbanized matrix. During the spring and summer of 2018, I conducted dip net surveys and active call surveys to determine the presence and abundance of anurans at 51 wetland sites within the Piedmont ecoregion of South Carolina. Nearly one-third of these wetlands were located within urban open spaces, while the others were situated along a rural – urban gradient. Impervious surface and road density …

Delineating Metrics Of Diversity For A Snake Community In A Rare Ecosystem, Zachary John Marcou

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Snakes are among the least understood vertebrate groups despite their considerable diversity. A diverse community of snakes in an ecosystem can indicate a complex habitat structure that is capable of supporting a robust assemblage of other biota. I used remote photography arrays (RPA) to quantify metrics of diversity for the snake community occurring in a ~7,000–ha tract of contiguous Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris) Savanna within the Angelina National Forest (ANF; Angelina and Jasper Cos., TX), over the course of two consecutive snake activity seasons. I quantified the snake species richness, Shannon diversity, and Shannon equitability for the snake community in …

Using Anthropogenic Risks To Inform Salmonid Conservation At The Landscape Scale, Andrew W. Witt

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The expansion and industrialization of humanity has caused many unforeseen consequences to the natural world. Due to the importance of freshwater for people, rivers have been particularly altered to meet human needs, often at the expense of the natural world. Supplying water for farms, industries, and cities has reshaped the natural state of rivers by altering river paths, chemistry, and species compositions. These changes have harmed many species that prospered before widespread human alterations, including the native trout and salmon of western North America. As human populations continue to grow, new threats will surface for rivers, and the trout and …

Conservation Of Freshwater Live-Bearing Fishes: Development Of Germplasm Repositories For Goodeids, Yue Liu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Fishes of the family Goodeidae are considered to be among the most imperiled taxa in the world. The goal of this project was to provide a foundation for development of sperm repositories for goodeids and to use them as a model to assist conservation programs for imperiled freshwater live-bearing fishes. Development of such repositories is challenging because of unusual reproductive characteristics of live-bearing fishes, such as sperm bundles, internal fertilization, and the bearing of live young. Standardized methods were established to evaluate quality-related attributes of sperm bundles. The different features between activation of free and bundled sperm were investigated and …

Environmental Clearinghouse Of Schenectady, Kate Van Patten

Honors Theses

This paper analyses Environmental Clearinghouse of Schenectady, a local nonprofit environmental organization. The paper investigates the history of the organization as well as the effectiveness of its organizational and funding habits. A literary review was conducted to analyze the success of ECOS mission as well as the positive effects ECOS has on society using elements such as environmental education, the importance of early environmental education, how well the organization connects urban residents with the outdoors and the effectiveness of environmental programs. This research promotes the importance of early environmental education on our future generations health and environmental conditions. Additionally, through …

Do Climate Shocks Affect Smallholder Farmers’ Conservation Practices? Evidence From Peru, Heleene Tambet

Master's Theses

Peruvian agriculture is estimated to be subject to the greatest impacts of climate change in South America. Resulting shifts in rainfall patterns and extreme temperature realizations impose more frequent abnormal weather shocks on farmers and their production decisions. I study the impact of such shocks on agricultural practice choices of farmers growing two main staples, maize and potato; namely, I analyze adoption of practices reducing soil degradation, practices aimed towards water conservation, and application of inorganic fertilizer. I utilize unique cross-sectional data from Peru National Agricultural Survey over the years 2014 to 2016 in conjunction with long-term climate data, and …

'Geaux Guard' And The Shift To The All-Volunteer Force: The Economics Of The Louisiana Army National Guard, 1973-1991, Titus L. Firmin

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

After the Vietnam War, increased defense funds assigned to the Army National Guard stimulated and supported small communities in Louisiana. Recruits from economically depressed regions lined up to join the Guard because of the competitive pay and the generous education benefits it offered. In the mid-1980s, when a state budgetary shortfall threatened to limit the stream of federal funds and close local armories, communities in Louisiana rallied to keep the doors of their armories open. This paper examines how the readiness efforts of the Louisiana Army National Guard affected the economies of small communities as defense dollars increased following the …

Genetic Population And Evolutionary Dynamics Of The Angel Sharks, Squatina Spp., Cristin Keelin Fitzpatrick

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Once so abundant as to be called the ‘common’ angelshark, Squatina squatina has been extirpated from nearly the entirety of its historical range, from the eastern North Atlantic, to the Mediterranean Sea [International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List: Critically Endangered]. The angelshark now only occurs in any abundance in the waters surrounding the Canary Islands. I present the first genetic assessment of the angelshark’s population dynamics and diversity from three locations within the Canary Islands archipelago: Gran Canaria, Tenerife, and Lanzarote. Using a suite of individual mitochondrial genome regions [Control region (CR), NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 …

Sibship Reconstruction For Inferring The Number Of Breeders Of Gulf Sturgeon In The Apalachicola River, Robbilyn Verges

Honors Theses

The Gulf sturgeon is an anadromous fish that inhabits the Gulf of Mexico and its neighboring river drainages. The species is currently listed as threatened due to habitat alterations and overfishing. In this study, we focused on the Apalachicola River in Florida, which has had several historic spawning locations of the sturgeon blocked by the Jim Woodruff Lock and Dam. Age-1 juvenile sturgeon from the year 2013 (n=31) and 2014 (n=131) were genotyped using fourteen microsatellite loci. Sibship reconstruction and parentage assignment was performed in order to determine the effective number of breeders (Nb) and the total number of spawning …

Seabird Distribution And Oil & Gas Potential Along The Northern Sea Route, Russia: An Arctic Marine Conservation Case Study, Meghan Kelly

International Development, Community and Environment (IDCE)

Seabirds are indicator species for the marine environment. Their populations are simultaneously affected by access to food resources and anthropogenic pressures including direct disturbance and habitat degradation associated with industrial development (Parsons et al. 2007). Therefore, using seabird distribution as a policy-relevant indicator for the Arctic marine environment supports an ecosystem based management approach aimed at protecting sensitive habitats from increased offshore oil and gas development.

This research identifies seabird habitat in the Russian Arctic utilizing in situ seabird observations from the Northern Sea Route to create a species distribution model. The spatial location of these areas will be compared …

Genetic Estimates Of The Number Of Breeding Adults In Alligator Gar From The Choke Canyon Reservoir, Texas, E. Blayne Newsome

Honors Theses

Alligator gar were historically found across the coastal drainages of the Gulf of Mexico and up into the Mississippi River basin. However, their populations are experiencing decline in many portions of their range. Texas seems to have large populations of alligator gar, but state resource officers are seeking to better understand its biology so as to provide appropriate management recommendations to maintain the recreational fishery. In this study, I used genetic techniques to examine a cohort of 144 juvenile alligator gar collected in 2016 in the Choke Canyon Reservoir. By estimating the effective number of breeders and number of spawning …

Hearing Conservation Program On A Campus: Worker Noise Exposure Assessment And Training, Tika Nepal

Capstone Experience

Abstract

Introduction: Campus workers are exposed to loud noise from boilers, chillers, generators, snow blowers, leaf blowers, helicopters, utility vehicles, laboratory animals etc. No studies have looked at characterizing noise exposures among campus workers to see who needed to be enrolled in the Hearing Conservation Program (HCP).

Goal: The goal of this study was to determine which employees needed to be enrolled in a HCP.

Methods: This was a cross sectional study conducted among campus workers. We identified utility plant workers, comparative medicine workers, landscaping crew, security officers and facility staff who used utility vehicles as employees potentially exposed to …

Critical Habitat Assessment And Recovery Plan For The Kansas State Threatened Broad-Headed Skink, Allison Hullinger

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Scattered Feathers, Dason Sebastian Pettit

LSU Master's Theses

Scattered Feathers is the story of a ghost that lives in the imagination now: the ivory-billed woodpecker. Those that know this bird call it the God Bird or Grail Bird because of its mythic stature. This thesis is also a story about the loss and obsession that can fuel human pursuits. It is a study in observation and subsequent mythmaking, an examination of extinction and preservation. Perhaps most of all it is a chronicle of entropy and the cyclical nature of our existence. The visual work herein examines the mythos of the ivory-billed woodpecker, its once pristine environment and the …

A Surprising Symbiosis: Examining The Mutualism In Department Of Defense Conservation Partnerships, Andrew J. Lankow

Theses and Dissertations

Because of the DoD’s unique and significant role in the conservation of natural resources, military leaders and natural resource managers need a trail guide to frame interagency collaboration in a way that shapes productive partnerships. The purpose of this research was to examine successful DoD conservation partnerships in order to identify key success factors (KSFs) and the most prominent challenges faced, and how those characteristics enable the accomplishment of each partner’s objectives. The research questions were answered through a comprehensive literature review and the use of the multiple-case study method. 19 key informants from three installations participated in semi-structured interviews, …

An Examination Of Image Repair Theory And Bp’S Response To The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, William Anthony Korte Jr.

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The 2010 explosion of BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil rig was an environmental disaster unparalleled in United States history. Because of this, there has been a great deal of research studies regarding the matter.

The purpose of this study was to determine what inshore fishing guides in the Tampa Bay Area feel should be a response to future oil spills using Image Repair Theory, as well as how this important group of stakeholders felt about the image repair responses employed by BP in the wake of the spill.

In depth interviews were used to gather data and answer the pertinent research …

Linking Ecotourism Livelihood Strategies To Post-Displacement Homemaking In Internally Displaced Communities In Southern Nepal, Sophia Graybill

International Development, Community and Environment (IDCE)

National park creation and ecotourism development often cause the internal displacement of local communities and shifts in traditional lifestyles. Loss of the physical and intangible home is frequently accompanied by changes to livelihood strategies that, for generations, supported a critical social order, set of power dynamics, and means of producing life meaning for people. Therefore, communities affected by displacement and confronted by rapid modernization often experience protracted risks and instability. This paper draws on information from thirty interviews in four communities surrounding the Royal Chitwan National Park in Southern Nepal to analyze how resettlement and ecotourism development have affected the …

Militarization Of Conservation, Daniel Ryan Michel

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The world is facing biological diversity extinction of its wildlife solely caused by humans. One of the leading causes of the extinction crisis is attributed to poaching and the illegal trade of wildlife products. In search of finding suitable methods to curb the crisis, a dichotomy of overarching solutions has arisen: those who have advocated for community-based natural resource management and those who support militarized conservation. The focus of this paper is to delineate which method is, if any, the most appropriate when combatting poaching and the illegal wildlife trade. Concentrating on elephants (both African and Asian) and the rhinoceros, …

Knowing Water: Science And The Politics Of Knowledge Production Along The Saw Kill, Carlo Diego Raimondo

Senior Projects Spring 2018

Beginning with globally oriented ideological constructions of water as resource, this project explores the materiality of water and how it comes to understood within our current geological era. Specifically exploring the politics of scientific knowledge production, I follow the methodological processes of the Bard Water Lab as they monitor water quality of a local stream, exploring how different apparatuses of observation are utilized in order to make a stream a legible and knowable object.

Spot The Difference: Using Camera-Traps To Analyse The Spotted-Tailed Quoll Population In The Illawarra Highlands, Nsw Australia, J Nicholson

Science, Medicine & Health - Honours Theses

The deleterious effects of habitat loss, modification, and fragmentation continue to drive mammal extinctions worldwide. Understanding population-specific responses to changing landscapes are essential for effective conservation management. In southeast Australia, the spotted-tailed quoll is a threatened marsupial carnivore that occupies large home ranges in low-density populations, therefore increasing the possibility of encountering a multitude of threatening processes. Despite their known vulnerability to these threats, the knowledge of size, distribution, and ecology for stronghold populations are often inadequate to apply effective conservation efforts. This study aimed to investigate the population dynamics of spotted-tailed quolls located in Budderoo National Park, Barren Grounds …

Biodiversity And Evolution In The Guiana Shield, South America, Andrew Michael Snyder

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The neotropics are characterized as the most species rich region in the world. Unfortunately, the region's unparalleled biodiversity has not protected it from ongoing threats such as agriculture, mining, logging, oil extraction, and climate change. I studied the biodiversity and evolution of the herpetofauna of South America in order to investigate the influence of historical geological and climatological events in shaping extant neotropical diversity, particularly the Guiana shield. For my research, I set out to explore the processes involved in shaping the remarkable extant diversity using anuran amphibians as models. With my dissertation, I provide a comprehensive review of the …

A Case-Study Of The African Leopard (Panthera Pardus Pardus) Population On The Nambiti Private Game Reserve, Erica Castaneda

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The Nambiti Private Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa is a nature reserve that aids in the conservation of some of the world’s most renown species. This includes members of the "Big Five," which is comprised of the African lion (Panthera leo), the African elephant (Loxidonta africana), the Cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer), the black & white rhinoceroses (Diceros bicornis and Ceratotherium simum, respectively), and the African leopard (Panthera pardus pardus). These animals represent the top five African animals desired by trophy hunters and by tourists hoping to view wildlife (Caro …

Ecology And Management Of Golden-Winged Warblers (Vermivora Chrysoptera) And Associated Avian Species In The Allegheny Mountains Of West Virginia, Kyle R. Aldinger

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

No abstract provided.

Preparing The Yucatan Black Howler Monkey For Its Return To The Wild: An Assessment Of Wildtracks' Approach To Rehabilitation And Reintroduction, Blanca Ponce

All Master's Theses

Nearly half of non-human primates are in danger of extinction due to the negative impact of anthropogenic activities. Among the species most negatively affected is the family Atelidae (Di Fiore, Link, & Campbell, 2011). For this reason, non-human primates remain a central focus in global conservation efforts. Some of these efforts include welfare-based rehabilitation, re-introduction, and habitat preservation (Guy et al., 2014). Re-introduction projects have contributed significantly to conservation efforts, improved the lives of individual organism, promoted community education, and conservation values (Baker, 2002). However, Seddon et al. (2007) reveals that often, very little development and post-release monitoring goes into …

Step-Selection Functions For Modeling Animal Movement -- Case Study: African Buffalo, Maia Adar

CMC Senior Theses

Understanding what factors influence wildlife movement allows landscape planners to make informed decisions that benefit both animals and humans. New quantitative methods, such as step-selection functions, provide valuable objective analyses of wildlife connectivity. This paper provides a framework for creating a step-selection function and demonstrates its use in a case study. The first section provides a general introduction about wildlife connectivity research. The second section explains the math behind the step-selection function using a simple example. The last section gives the results of a step-selection model for African buffalo in the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area. Buffalo were found to …

Investigating The Ecology Of A Rare Species On St. John, Usvi: Reintroducing Solanum Conocarpum In Light Of Climate Change, Cecilia Rogers

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Approximately two thirds of St. John is National Park territory. However, the land has been threatened with tourism and development, greatly impacting island biodiversity. One species that may become extinct due to this degradation is Solanum conocarpum. S. conocarpum is a rare shrub, endemic to the dry tropical forests of St. John, USVI. This plant is a species of conservation concern and is one of very few native and endemic plants on this island. Very little is known about the ecology and reproduction of S. conocarpum. Most plants are found on the southern half of the island. Recent observations …

Evidence For The Genetic Basis And Inheritance Of Ocean And River-Maturing Ecotypes Of Pacific Lamprey (Entosphenus Tridentatus) In The Klamath River, California, Keith A. Parker

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Surveys of genetic variation have improved our understanding of the relationship between fitness-related phenotypes and their underlying genetic basis. However, how this information can be used to inform conservation has been unclear in many cases. The objective of this study was to combine next-generation genetic sequencing with traditional ecological knowledge to evaluate imperiled anadromous Pacific lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus) and apply the findings to conservation in the context of resolving Native American traditional food security issues. In the Klamath River of California, a previously identified Pacific lamprey ocean-maturing ecotype was distinguished by a relatively advanced maturity of female fish …

Zoning And Complementary Incentives To Protect Farmland: A Case For Missoula County, Kaitlin Mccafferty

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Urban sprawl reflects an inefficient use of land that diminishes both rural landscapes and quality of life turning farms, ranches and open space into siloed suburban communities. This results in less walkable cities with more traffic and air pollution, among other negative consequences. Farmland constitutes a particularly important resource that often faces degradation or loss due to sprawl. Higher quality agricultural soils are particularly desirable for development because they are flat and well-drained. Farmland is also important for urban communities concerning food security, environmental health, and economic well being. As American cities continue to grow, farmland around urban areas has …