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Faecal-Centric Approaches To Wildlife Ecology And Conservation; Methods, Data And Ethics, C. T. Darimont, T. E. Reimchen, H. M. Bryan, P. C. Paquet

Ethics and Conservation Biology Collection

Abundant and commonly encountered in the field, wildlife faeces have long attracted scientists. Recent advances in molecular techniques, however, especially when coupled with creative study designs, can now yield a great variety of high quality data. Herein, we review the opportunities and challenges of faecal-centric approaches to address ecological and conservation questions using wolves of coastal British Columbia, Canada, as a case system. We begin by discussing methodological considerations, which should have broad applicability to any wildlife study system. We then summarize the extensive and unique variety of data that has emerged from our ‘facts from faeces’ approach with wolves, …

Hydrological Characterization Of A Riparian Vegetation Zone Using High Resolution Multi-Spectral Airborne Imagery, Osama Zaki Akasheh

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Middle Rio Grande River (MRGR) is the main source of fresh water for the state of New Mexico. Located in an arid area with scarce local water resources, this has led to extensive diversions of river water to supply the high demand from municipalities and irrigated agricultural activities. The extensive water diversions over the last few decades have affected the composition of the native riparian vegetation by decreasing the area of cottonwood and coyote willow and increasing the spread of invasive species such as Tamarisk and Russian Olives, harmful to the river system, due to their high transpiration rates, …

Soil Moisture Responses In Traditional And Drought Adapted Landscapes In The Intermountain West, James Gregory

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Water conservation in the Intermountain West will be an important issue in the future as population and demand for limited water resources increases. In Utah, outdoor water use accounts for up to 60% of total per capita water use with 67% of that outdoor water being used to irrigate non native plant species to maintain a uniform green appearance. The objective of this study was to measure intra landscape changes in soil water potential during a 21.5 day dry down from DOY 215 to 236.5 in the summer of 2005 and 2006. Four, 2 x 2 replicated traditional and drought …

Decadal-Scale Changes On Coral Reefs In Quintana Roo, Mexico, Thaddeus Allen Nicholls

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In 1988 data on coral reef community composition were collected from two areas, Akumal and Chemuyil, Quintana Roo, Mexico, ranging from 5-35m depth. These areas were revisited in 2005 and data were collected by the same methods and at the same depths as in 1988. Data from 1988 and 2005 were compared to determine if the coral reefs had undergone significant changes, and what specific changes had occurred. Chi-square analysis determined that community composition data collected in 1988 are significantly different from data collected in 2005 at all sites and depths within the categories of corals, gorgonians, sponges, and macroalgae. …

Development And Evaluation Of A Minimally Invasive Sampling Technique To Estimate The Age Of Living Birds, Crissa K. Cooey

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Using pest species in initial studies of pentosidine (Ps) aging research for birds may be the catalyst to discovering more effective population control strategies for pest, invasive, and hard to manage birds. Pentosidine is an irreversible, stable, fluorescent, collagen cross-link, created through the Maillard reaction, which has been found to accumulate throughout the lifetime of an organism in various body parts such as skin, lens crystalline, and dura matter. Pentosidine assays are more accurate at determining the age of adult birds in comparison to plumage coloration, eye and mouth color, feather wear, and molt sequences due to the discovery that …

Ecology Of A Central Appalachian White-Tailed Deer Herd At Low Density, Shawn M. Crimmins

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are the most abundant big game species in North America and serve as the dominant herbivore in the majority of the Appalachian region. Despite the abundance of research conducted on this species, relatively little is known of the ecology of white-tailed deer occurring at low densities. Our study population experienced a 75% decline in population density and a three-fold increase in habitat disturbance via timber harvests between 2002 and 2005. From May 2006 to April 2008 I examined the home-range, survival, and herbivory patterns of a central Appalachian white-tailed deer herd that has recently experienced both …

Eco_Urbanism Restitching Clearwater's Urban Fabric Through Transit And Nature, Daniel P. Uebler

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Downtown Clearwater has grown to be disconnected from its surroundings due to an adjacent buffer area and the lack of a transit system to bring people into the city. The downtown core is also separated from its neighboring residential areas by an area of vacant land that holds in it the potential to become a gateway into the city. On a macro scale the city has grown to be separated from the Tampa Bay area due to the lack of a mass transit system.

The goal of this project is to create a new "new urbanism" in which transit and …

Grades 9-10 Energy Sources, Roxana Estrada

Science

This is a science lesson for students in ninth and tenth grade on Energy Sources that can be used in an ecology class. Through this lesson students will be able to make decisions and acknowledge that that their activities had a profound impact on the physical and living environment and students will be able to explain the most common energy sources. Students will be tiered by ability and within their groups they will choose between two topics based on interest.

Virginia Wetlands Report Vol. 23, No. 2, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science, Center For Coastal Resources Management

Virginia Wetlands Reports

No abstract provided.

The Planet, 2008, Fall, Emily A. Linroth, Huxley College Of The Environment, Western Washington University

The Planet

No abstract provided.

Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve In Virginia Management Plan: 2008-2012, W. G. Reay, Sandra Erdle, Scott Lerberg, Sarah Mcguire, Ken Moore

Reports

No abstract provided.

Fish Distributions And Nutrient Cycling In Streams: Can Fish Create Biogeochemical Hotspots, Peter B. Mcintyre, Alexander S. Flecker, Michael J. Vanni, James M. Hood, Brad W. Taylor, Steven A. Thomas

Dartmouth Scholarship

Rates of biogeochemical processes often vary widely in space and time, and characterizing this variation is critical for understanding ecosystem functioning. In streams, spatial hotspots of nutrient transformations are generally attributed to physical and microbial processes. Here we examine the potential for heterogeneous distributions of fish to generate hotspots of nutrient recycling. We measured nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) excretion rates of 47 species of fish in an N-limited Neotropical stream, and we combined these data with population densities in each of 49 stream channel units to estimate unit- and reach-scale nutrient recycling. Species varied widely in rates of N …

Predictive Modeling Of Freshwater Mussels (Unionidae) In The Appalachians, Alison R. Mynsberge

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Freshwater mussels are in decline, particularly in the Appalachian region of North America. This region contains the world's greatest diversity of freshwater mussels, but many species are now threatened or endangered. Little is known of the basic ecology and distributions of species of freshwater mussels relative to other freshwater organisms. The goal of this study was to use predictive modeling to predict distributions of freshwater mussels in the Appalachians and identify correlated factors using a watershed framework. Models were developed in the upper Mid-Atlantic and Ohio drainage regions using subwatersheds and separately in the Tennessee region using catchments. Models developed …

Developing Bayesian Network Models Within A Risk Assessment Framework, C. A. Pollino, Barry T. Hart

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

The risk assessment framework is increasingly being applied to examine both human and non-human stressors on ecological systems. Risk-based decision-making aims to quantify the likelihood of a threat occurring, the consequences of this to an ecological system, process or value, and the associated uncertainty in the predictions. Until recently, the ability to predict changes in dynamic ecosystems due to stressors was limited by both the poor understanding of the drivers of ecological processes and structure, and the lack of modelling tools that could represent such complexity with associated uncertainties. However, the recent growth in the use of Bayesian network tools …

Water Quality Conditions And Restoration Of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (Sav) In The Tidal Freshwater James River 2007, Ken Moore, Betty Neikirk, Erin C. Shields, Jessie Jarvis, David Parrish

Reports

In 2007, wild celery (Vallisneria americana) and water stargrass (Heteranthera dubia) were planted at sites in the Hopewell region of the tidal James River. The SA V transplants from 2007 and previous years were monitoried by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) for survivorship and growth throughout the growing season. Nursery ponds were constructed at the VIMS campus for development of SA V transplant propagules. Water quality sampling was conducted at bi-weekly intervals throughout the year for water column nutrients, chlorophyll a, suspended solids, water transparency and other chemical and physical constituents important for SAV growth. Continuous water quality …

Slides: "Mitaku Oyasin" Means "We Are All Related", Bob Gough

Shifting Baselines and New Meridians: Water, Resources, Landscapes, and the Transformation of the American West (Summer Conference, June 4-6)

Presenter: Bob Gough, NativeEnergy, Inc.

72 slides

What Is Education For?: A Review Essay, Delmar Vander Zee

Pro Rege

Reviewed Titles: Orr, David W. Earth in Mind: On Education, Environment, and the Human Prospect (Island Press, 1994; 2004); Ecological Literacy: Education and the Transition to a Postmodern World (SUNY, 1992); and The Nature of Design: Ecology, Culture, and Human Intention (Oxford University Press, 2002).

Harnessing The Power Of Science In Environmental Law: Why We Should, Why We Don't, And How We Can, Mary Jane Angelo

UF Law Faculty Publications

To illustrate how legal scholars, lawmakers, environmental agencies, and practicing lawyers have attempted to incorporate new scientific developments into environmental law, particularly in the administrative context, this Article traces the journeys of three distinct scientific developments -- risk assessment, adaptive management, and emergy synthesis -- from scientific academia to environmental administrative law. The Article concludes by making observations about what types of scientific developments are most likely to be incorporated into the law and suggesting ways for improving the likelihood that new beneficial developments will be adopted to inform the law.

The Reproductive Ecology Of Graptemys Geographica In The Central Canal, Kati Keppen Rush

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Life for all organisms involves carefully managing a limited amount of resources. In many cases these resources affect how organisms Jive on a daily basis. In addition to competition from other species, organisms face competition within their own species, populations, and niches. Those individuals that manage their resources effectively will increase their chances of survival, reproduction, and the continuation of their genes in the gene pool. Studies that focus on life history characteristics of organisms aim to understand the mechanisms used by organisms to increase the chances that their genes will remain in thegenepoolpasttheirown Iifetime.Thegoal ofthesemechanisms istoensuresurvival and maximize reproduction. …

Records Of Natural Fires And The Sorption Of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (Pahs) By Black Carbon And Carbon Chars In Sediments From Oriole Lake (Sequoia National Park), Kevyn Bollinger

Senior Honors Projects

This project investigates the interaction between Black Carbon and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in lake sediments from Oriole Lake in Sequoia National Park California. The interaction between Black Carbon and PAHs is of interest because little is known with respect to the availability and the time scale within which black carbon adsorbs PAHs in a natural system. Black Carbon and PAHs both will eventually be degraded in the environment but the relevant timescales of sorption and degradation are unknown. Field work for this project was conducted July 16-21, 2007 at Oriole Lake in Sequoia National Park California. Sequoia National Park …

Ecology, Problem Framing And Local Land Use Controls: A Case Study Of Socio-Ecological Governance In Franklin County, Idaho, Alissa Salmore

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Due to the continuity of energy and material flows, the persistence of an ecological network necessarily includes a linking of ecological units from local and immediate to regional and broad-ranging scales. Humans are an integral part of ecosystems acting as resource consumers and agents of change, and all systems can be considered combined 'socio-ecological' systems. Where environmental and social systems lack coordination, mismatches between the temporal, spatial or functional scales at which these systems operate lead to resource use inefficiencies and the loss of ecosystem components and functioning. This case study of Franklin County, Idaho documents a recent land use …

Review Of: Inescapable Ecologies: A History Of Environment, Disease, And Knowledge By Linda Nash, Douglas Cazaux Sackman

All Faculty Scholarship

This article reviews the book "Inescapable Ecologies: A History of Environment, Disease, and Knowledge" by Linda Nash.

The Katrina Project, Alison Traver

Senior Honors Projects

No abstract provided.

Time Post-Hatch Caloric Value Of Artemia Salina, Jessie M. Sanders

Senior Honors Projects

In aquatic animal collections, such as those in the collection of Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration’s Fish & Invertebrate department, live food is an essential part of the diet of animals that are on display, used in education, and kept in reserve for exhibits. For Mystic Aquarium’s Fish & Invertebrate department, newly hatched Artemia salina, or brine shrimp, are fed to an assortment of fishes and invertebrates, including soft corals and jellyfish. Hatch brine is an important source of fatty acids, which are essential for proper growth and development. Hatch brine starts encapsulated in a cyst form and are …

Spatial Modeling Of Propagule Pressure In Ailanthus Altissima, Matthew A. Kaproth

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Ailanthus altissima (tree of heaven) is a non-native invasive tree spreading within central Appalachia. This dioecious, deciduous, and allelopathic species copiously produces samaras, capable of traveling at least 200 m through primary wind-dispersal. Removal of A. altissima individuals prior to timbering and other forest disturbances may help prevent spread into forest interiors. To aid in species management, this study investigated the use of remote sensing to identify the location and abundance of samaras in mixed mesophytic forests through supervised classifications. From empirical measurements, the estimated number of seeds per classified unit area was determined and the relationship between quantified propagule …

Evaluation Of The Impacts Of Highway Construction On Sediment And Benthic Macroinvertebrates In Appalachian Streams, Lara B. Hedrick

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Corridor H is a four-lane highway under construction in north eastern West Virginia. I used a variety of methods to assess the impacts of highway construction in the Lost River watershed, Hardy County, West Virginia. I designed a two part sediment sampler to be used to monitor sediment in paired sites upstream and downstream of highway construction. The two-part design, a base that remains embedded in the substrate, and a removeable trap, allowed for long-term placement of samplers without continual disturbance of the streambed. I used a laboratory flume to compare my sediment sampler design with other devices used to …

Evolution Of Dioecy In Echinocereus Coccineus: Relative Influence Of Pollinators, Resources And Elevation Over Multiple Spatial Scales, Summer Ann Scobell

Open Access Dissertations

"Why have separate sexes?" is a fundamental question in biology and has been investigated intensively since Darwin first proposed two hypotheses: Separate sexes evolve 1) to avoid detrimental effects of self-fertilization or 2) to improve allocation of scarce resources to each sex's reproductive function. In animal-pollinated plants dioecy is hypothesized to be favored when small, generalized pollinators predominate because they increase self-fertilization rates of plants. I concurrently tested Darwin's hypotheses using Echinocereus coccineus (Cactaceae). I found, as predicted, when specialized pollinators (hummingbirds) were excluded from plants and only generalized pollinators (bees) visited, selfing rates of plants increased 238%. High selfing …

The Destructive Legacy Of Deforestation In The Amazon, Jennifer Rodriguez

ESSAI

As the global penalties of industrialization and human land use become more evident in the world we call home, more questions are raised about the future of our Earth and its inhabitants. This paper intends to look back and revisit history and why the Earth has fallen prey to global warming and the alarmingly rapid rate of destruction of its biodiversity through the means of deforestation. While the current state of the Earth and its rapidly disappearing rainforests are of global concern, the global community hungry for profits, development, and expansion of industrialization is also destroying them. In Brazil, the …

Understanding And Predicting Ecological Dynamics: Are Major Surprises Inevitable?, Daniel F Doak, James A Estes, Benjamin S Halpern, Ute Jacob, David R Lindberg, James Lovvorn, Daniel H Monson, M Timothy Tinker, Terrie M Williams, J Timothy Wootton, Ian Carroll, Mark Emmerson, Fiorenza Micheli, Mark Novak

Publications

Ecological surprises, substantial and unanticipated changes in the abundance of one or more species that result from previously unsuspected processes, are a common outcome of both experiments and observations in community and population ecology. Here, we give examples of such surprises along with the results of a survey of well-established field ecologists, most of whom have encountered one or more surprises over the course of their careers. Truly surprising results are common enough to require their consideration in any reasonable effort to characterize nature and manage natural resources. We classify surprises as dynamic-, pattern-, or intervention-based, and we speculate on …

The Planet, 2008, Spring, Page A. Buono, Huxley College Of The Environment, Western Washington University

The Planet

No abstract provided.