Digital Commons Network^™

Environmental Biology Masters Capstone, Antonio Gonzalez-Pita

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Human wildlife interactions (HWI) pose a complex challenge for wildlife managers. Human encroachment into wildlife habitat and the growing number of outdoor recreationists are increasing the frequency of contact and conflict, especially in regions such as the Front Range of Colorado. Geographic information systems (GIS), which use a combination of remote sensing and environmental survey data, allow for predictive spatial analyses of where human wildlife interactions are likely to occur. I used publicly reported observations of moose to create spatial predictive maps in a species distribution model framework. Slope and elevation were shown to be the strongest predictors of HWI, …

Habitat Heterogeneity In Nebraska Streams And Distribution Prediction For Tier-1 Cyprinids Using Multi-Scale Modeling Of Fluvial And Landscape Features, Connor P. Hart

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Multiscale environmental processes determine in-stream habitat conditions which drive species distributions. Habitat constitutes the physical template upon which ecological processes occur and species conduct life stage activities. Habitat heterogeneity promotes biodiversity of aquatic systems. Stream classification informs freshwater conservation by providing a useful framework to account for habitat heterogeneity, often based on landscape regions of similar environmental processes. A greater understanding of landscape-based classification frameworks as means to classify stream systems may improve understanding of drivers of biodiversity. Using Nebraska as a case study, on a statewide scale, objectives were 1) to characterize habitat availability for several at-risk fish species, …

An Ecological Assessment Of An Endangered Lichen From Central California: Sulcaria Isidiifera, The Splitting Yarn Lichen, Elijah C. Balderas

Master's Theses

Lichens are an underrepresented group of organisms when it comes to both research and conservation efforts. At the same time, lichens face increasing threats from anthropogenic sources including wildfires, climate change and urbanization. With this thesis, I seek to ascertain and publish ecological data on a critically endangered lichen to inform future conservation designations and efforts to preserve and protect the species in perpetuity.

In Chapter 1, I provide an ecological overview of the known range of Sulcaria isidiifera and assess the status of Sulcaria isidiifera via a population count. Sulcaria isidiifera occurs in maritime chaparral habitat in the Los …

Do Talus Slopes Provide Hibernacula Resources For Bats In Maine? Site Charecteristics Associated With Winter Occupancy And Sampling Design, Christopher C. Heilakka

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In Maine, the decline of cave dwelling bats has been caused by the fungal disease commonly known as white-nose syndrome discovered in 2006. Northern long-eared bats (Myotis septentrionalis), little brown (Myotis lucifigus) andeastern tricolored bats (Perimyotis subflavus) have experienced 95% or greater population declines, and eastern small-footed (Myotis leibii) and big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) have also declined. In Maine, talus slopes, or piles of sloped rocks found at the base of cliffs, are widely distributed and past research has suggested talus as a potentially important, but previously unrecognized, class …

Connecting Social And Ecological Systems In Small-Scale Fisheries In The Philippines, Sara Eisler Marriott

Dissertations

Nearly 50% of all marine fish capture in the Philippines is from artisanal fisheries, most of which is un- or under-reported. As in many emerging nations around the world, the Philippines cannot fully address overfishing by managing only half of the catch that comes from commercial fisheries. Marine reserves are a popular governance strategy for conservation and of growing interest for fisheries management. Many marine reserves in the Philippines, however, are not considered effective. In 2014, Rare, an international NGO, implemented a community-based management program to increase the effectiveness of the marine reserves, and while it found biomass increased, there …

Biodiversity In Eastern Kentucky: Effects Of Habitat Change, Surface Top Mining, And Current Reclamation Practices, Sydney Pardieu

Undergraduate Theses

Biodiversity is a key component in maintaining the valuable ecosystem services that are vital to the way humans interact with and rely on the environment. The Appalachian Region in Eastern North America is one of the most biodiverse temperate broadleaf forests in the world and is home to hundreds of endangered or endemic species. Despite the high biodiversity, the region is also heavily mined, particularly by mountain top removal, causing habitat change and pollution. Current reclamation practices for mined lands are lacking in effective reclamation criterion, and state statutes provide little or no attention to the preservation of biodiversity. Therefore, …

Evaluation Of Reproductive Phenology, Space Use, And Ecology Of The Eastern Wild Turkey (Meleagris Gallopavo Silvestris) In West-Central Louisiana, Chad Argabright

LSU Master's Theses

Nest site selection is a driving demographic force behind eastern wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) populations. However, previous research was likely not focused on the actual time of nest site selection, considering that nest site selection is likely only able to occur on the day of the first egg being laid. My objective was to determine if selection for any vegetation characteristics was occurring on the first day of laying. I estimated the path taken from the roost to the nest on the first day of egg laying (i.e., laying path) using GPS data collected from 164 unique …

A Gis Look At Woody Plant Encroachment (Wpe): Mapping Grassland Degradation Through Habitat Succession, Brandon M. Wolf

Geography and the Environment: Graduate Student Capstones

The grasslands of North America remain at a fraction of their historic range. Estimates of acreage remaining vary between 4% and 13%. Affectionately known as the Great Plains, these grasslands have been converted for agriculture, rangeland, infrastructure, and civilization itself. Woody Plant Encroachment (WPE) on the grasslands is a silent, often overlooked, serious threat. The use of a simple GIS can estimate current acreage of a grassland, its adjacent woodland corridor, riparian buffers, and predict future acreage based on trends and hypothetical management scenarios, or lack thereof. The American prairie, though a remnant of its former self, is still home …

A Return To The Staging Grounds: Reassessment Of Aleutian Cackling Goose Spring Distribution In North Humboldt Bay, Shaun W. Thornton

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

After a 15-year interval in research, spatial and temporal patterns of the Aleutian cackling goose during spring staging was assessed again in 2022. During my study, 3,389 goose flocks were recorded in Arcata Bottoms staging site, 1 January to 21 April 2022, amounting to an estimated total of 2,248,512 goosedays, which was 336.8% higher than 2007 estimates of 667,485 goosedays. Geese continued to use pastures with a wide range of landscape characteristics primarily represented by livestock grazing practices. Goose use was greater than availability on beef-cattle fields early in the season and dairy-cow fields later in the season. Human disturbances …

Classifying The 2022 Status Of Tsuga Canadensis (Eastern Hemlock) Along The Kentucky Portion Of The Pine Mountain Wildlands Corridor., Grace M. Embree

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The invasion of the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA) (Adelges tsugae) has posed a continual threat in the United States to the Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) trees since the 1950s. HWA feed on eastern hemlock needles, reducing the amount of healthy photosynthesizing vegetative area. The use of satellite imagery has been instrumental in identifying areas of eastern hemlock presence. Satellite platforms like Landsat and AVIRIS are commonly used for identification, classification, and mapping of eastern hemlock. Sentinel-2 imagery was released in 2015 for free access. It has a finer spatial grain of with the majority of the …

Making Forests, Making Communities: An Ethnography Of Reforestation In Monteverde, Costa Rica, Megan Brown

Anthropology Theses and Dissertations

Reforestation is not just planting trees in the ground. More than net increase in forest cover, reforestation is a complex political endeavor undertaken by both humans and non-humans and a popular climate change mitigation tactic. However, little research has examined the dynamics between selection of specific reforestation strategies, health, and community resilience, particularly with attention to entanglements between the lives of both human and non-human forest dwellers. This ethnographic work, based on six months of in-person fieldwork and six months of digital ethnography, examines reforestation and forest relations in Costa Rica’s Monte Verde zone, a region which experienced widespread deforestation, …

Spatial And Temporal Patterns Of Fire On Saipan, Cnmi, Ilan E. Bubb, Zachary B. Williams

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Sediment core studies from Saipan suggest that fires did not play a prominent role in the disturbance regime of the Mariana Islands and have increased in frequency since human settlement around 4,000 years ago. On Saipan fires are understood to interrupt the pattern of succession leading to the degradation of native limestone forests, the proliferation of grasslands and the eventual creation of badlands. Little baseline data regarding the spatial and temporal patterns of fire on Saipan exist to create effective Fire Management Plans. This project uses Landsat 8 images from April 2013 to July 2020 and the Normalized Burn Ratio …

Anthropogenic Influences On The Decline, Restoration, And Eco-Evolutionary Dynamics Of Lake Superior’S Coaster Brook Trout, Austin Johnson

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The coaster brook trout is a life history variant of the brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) that is characterized by either lake residency or migration between stream and lake habitats. Coaster brook trout were once widespread throughout Lake Superior and its tributaries, but populations declined sharply in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. Historically, brook trout were a popular target of recreational and subsistence fishing in the Lake Superior basin, and it has been hypothesized that angling pressure combined with multiple forms of industrial development are what drove the coaster brook trout’s decline. In the mid …

Machine Learning For Species Habitat Analysis, Abigail Lavallin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Management and conservation initiatives will always be controlled by finite resources, whether financialor temporal. Understanding a species’ spatial ecology, and how its requirements vary across habitats and locations is key to a successful species management plan. During recent decades, it has been noted how many species populations have declined, despite conservation practices working to increase their numbers. The most prevalent impacts affecting fauna populations have come from anthropogenic change in the form of habitat loss and destruction, along with fragmentation, and global climate change. There is a clear need for management practices to now operate on an entire landscape instead …

Observations Of Post-Wildfire Landcover Trends In Boreal Alaska Using A Suite Of Remote Sensing Approaches, Eric John Deutsch

Theses - ALL

Wildfires are a common occurrence in the boreal ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest. Studies suggest that anthropogenic climate change has fostered more frequent and higher severity fires in recent decades in these forests, which may result in substantial changes in vegetation structure and ecosystem functioning. However, large-scale studies examining the linkages between changing boreal wildfire regimes and vegetation structure have historically been limited in spatial scope due to the broad area and inaccessibility of many boreal regions, including the Alaskan interior. The development and advancement of satellite remote sensing instruments and geospatial analysis techniques provide researchers with unmatched abilities to …

Bridging Data Gaps For Strategic Conservation Of Gulf Of Mexico Coastal Region Landscapes, Andrew Challen Shamaskin

Theses and Dissertations

The Gulf Coast Region (GCR) of the United States holds immense ecological and cultural value. However, constant environmental changes, from sea-level rise and hurricanes to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, threaten many of the values that define the region. Additionally, recent financial settlements from civil and criminal penalties of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill have created an unprecedented opportunity to fund conservation throughout the region. With such a large area of interest (over 700,000 km2) and so many conservation priorities throughout the GCR, there is a great need to strategize which lands are most efficacious for conservation to …

Socio-Ecological Analysis Of Andesite Mining Plans In Wadas Village, Purworejo, Central Java, Kismunthofiah Kismunthofiah, Dewi Masyitoh, Ahmad Fauzan Hidayatullah, Ririh Megah Safitri

Masyarakat: Jurnal Sosiologi

The management of natural resources based on local wisdom has become a crucial issue lately. Mainstreaming local values and norms is one of the best practices in managing community resources and can minimize social conf licts. However, the fact that the practice of managing natural resources often has an impact on the emergence of conf lict and community unrest over environmental degradation. As is the case in Wadas Village which became the location of andesite stone mining as material for the construction of the Bener Dam. Environmental degradation arising from the practice of andesite rock mining also has an impact …

Comparison Of Low-Cost Commercial Unpiloted Digital Aerial Photogrammetry To Airborne Laser Scanning Across Multiple Forest Types In California, James Edward Lamping

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Science-based forest management requires quantitative information about forest attributes traditionally collected via sampled field plots in a forest inventory program. Remote sensing tools, such as active three-dimensional (3D) Light Detection and Ranging (lidar), are increasingly utilized to supplement and even replace field-based forest inventories. However, lidar remains cost prohibitive for smaller areas and repeat measurement, often limiting its use to single acquisitions of large contiguous areas. Recent advancements in unpiloted aerial systems (UAS), digital aerial photogrammetry (DAP) and high precision global positioning systems (HPGPS) have the potential to provide low-cost time and place flexible 3D data to support forest inventory …

A Novel Framework To Protect Animal Data In A World Of Ecosurveillance, Robert J. Lennox, Robert Harcourt, Joseph R. Bennett, Alasdair Davies, Adam T. Ford, Remo M. Frey, Matt W. Hayward, Nigel E. Hussey, Sara J. Iverson, Roland Kays, Steven T. Kessel, Clive Mcmahon, Monica Muelbert, Taryn S. Murray, Vivian M. Nguyen, Jonathan D. Pye, Dominique G. Roche, Frederick G. Whoriskey, Nathan Young, Steven J. Cooke

Integrative Biology Publications

Surveillance of animal movements using electronic tags (i.e., biotelemetry) has emerged as an essential tool for both basic and applied ecological research and monitoring. Advances in animal tracking are occurring simultaneously with changes to technology, in an evolving global scientific culture that increasingly promotes data sharing and transparency. However, there is a risk that misuse of biotelemetry data could increase the vulnerability of animals to human disturbance or exploitation. For the most part, telemetry data security is not a danger to animals or their ecosystems, but for some high-risk cases, as with species' with high economic value or at-risk populations, …

Creating A Comprehensive Western American/Canadian Fire Dataset, 1880-2018, Katherine Welch

WWU Graduate School Collection

The currently available fire-history data of Western North America (US/Canada) available for geographic and other analyses is largely piecemeal and difficult to find. Data from before the 1980s is scattered among many sources and held by a plethora of different agencies. The aim of this project was to change that daunting reality and provide a single dataset that would fill that data gap and make doing research on and mapping of fires in the late 19th and early 20th centuries more accessible.

This data encompasses 138 years (1880 - 2018), 12 US states, three Canadian provinces and two Canadian territories. …

An Examination Of The Influence Of Multi-Scale Processes And Connectivity On The Population And Assemblage Dynamics Of Headwater Fishes, Josh P. Hubbell

Dissertations

Typified by their branching pattern, headwaters are numerically abundant as the density of these habitats increases with increasing distance from the base of a dendritic river system. Connectivity among headwaters is complex, resulting in the spatial isolation of populations. Headwater specialists have evolved a suite of traits that permit these species to permanently reside within these habitats. The spatial configuration and connectivity of headwaters has repercussions for metapopulations and meta-assemblages. I investigated how multi-scale processes and connectivity influenced the patch occupancy, coexistence, movement ecology, population structure, and gene flow of headwater specialists. In chapter two, I used occupancy modeling to …

Effects Of Urbanization And Habitat On The Diet And Reproduction Of Red-Shouldered Hawks In Central California, Catherine Y. Fisher

Master's Theses

Urbanization alters biological community interactions and trophic structures compared to natural habitats; these changes may be reflected in the diets of apex predators such as raptors. The red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus) is a dietary generalist that is expanding from natural and rural habitats into urbanized areas. In this study, direct observation was used to quantify the diet and reproductive success of red-shouldered hawks in Santa Clara County, California during the 2019 breeding season. GIS methods were used to quantify the nesting habitat and level of urbanization at each nest. Hawk diet consisted of mammals (50.4% by frequency and 77.7% by …

Potential Impact Of Climate Change On The Distribution Of Alpine Tundra In The Adirondack Mountains Of New York, Terry Allard

Atmospheric & Environmental Sciences

Given the potential for significant changes in climate over the next century, understanding how biome locations may shift in response to these changes may be useful in informing conservation efforts. In this work the potential effect of climate change on the distribution of alpine tundra in the Adirondack Mountains of New York is examined. The ecological niche modelling software Maxent was used to analyze the distribution of alpine tundra relative to 30 year 800m PRISM climate normal data and terrain aspect over the Adirondacks. Random points from surveyed areas of alpine tundra in the Adirondacks were used as presence data …

Ecological Influences On Dietary Behavior: The Interaction Between Person And Neighborhood Environment In A Low-Ses, Hispanic Community, Emily Kiresich

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Despite existing knowledge about lifestyle choices and their relationships to obesity and diabetes, the prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is increasing, and the number of Americans at risk is greater than 70% (CDC, 2019). Obesity is a complex, multifactorial, and largely preventable disease, affecting, along with overweight, over a third of the world's population today. A significant factor in lifestyle management is the ecology of food choice. Literature suggests that environment and exposure can predict food-related health risk behaviors and health outcomes. The objective of this dissertation was to conceptualize and carry out a series of pilot studies …

Developing Spectral Metrics As Early Indicators Of Water Stress Detection At The Canopy Level, Korik Vargas

Master's Theses and Capstones

Drought has become an increasing concern over the last few years in forest ecosystems. Understanding how forests respond to drought is critical to elucidate possible drought consequences for forest ecosystem structure and function. There is growing consensus that future climates will be characterized by extreme droughts and extreme precipitation events that will fall outside the historical range to which species and ecosystems are adapted. The limited information of how Northeastern U.S. forest tree species will respond to moderate to extreme drought events have promoted an increasing need to develop monitoring techniques which help us better understand the implications of future …

The Real Snowbirds Of South Florida: Using Citizen Science To Assess The Ranges Of South Florida's Overwintering Birdsh, Alexander V. Levine

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The overwintering ranges of North American bird populations are shifting and the winter ranges of south Florida’s landbirds remain understudied. Expert-drawn range maps used for scientific studies and environmental public policy could therefore be depicting inaccurate ranges for many migratory birds. This study used citizen science data from eBird (2001–2017) to evaluate patterns in overwintering avian species richness and identify discrepanciesin expert-drawn species range maps for overwintering passerines in south Florida. Most of Florida’s overwintering bird species were sighted in south Florida. Of the species observed there between 2001 and 2017, 66% had range map discrepancies. Fifteen target species were …

Woodpeckers In The City: Habitat Use And Minimum Area Requirements Of Woodpeckers In Urban Parks And Natural Areas In Portland, Oregon, Adam Baz

Dissertations and Theses

Urbanization has contributed to the fragmentation and alteration of natural habitats around the globe, and is rapidly increasing. In this context, forested parks play a critical role for many species by providing patches of usable habitat within the urban matrix. Such patches may be particularly valuable to forest-specialists like woodpeckers (Picidae). Yet many woodpeckers require large forest patches, which are limited in fragmented landscapes. Despite their recognized value as ecosystem engineers and keystone species, almost no research exists on woodpecker ecology or space-use in urban settings. What habitat components influence woodpecker abundance and what are their functional minimum area requirements …

Managing Riparian Succession And Stabilizing Native Plant Assemblages In The Middle Rio Grande State Park, Roman M. Lopez

Architecture and Planning ETDs

Anthropogenic alterations of hydro geomorphological conditions of the Rio Grande River have changed the processes that have created the mosaic of riparian habitats valuable for ecosystem functioning, wildlife, and enjoyment by residents. These changes have created conditions that have increased the frequency of historically unprecedented disturbances such as fire and aggressive invasion of exotic species. Restoration activities and planning efforts have begun to reverse these effects, yet large areas of the Middle Rio Grande State Park, commonly called the Bosque, are still being affected by ecosystem changes. Studies of the Rio Grande and other Riparian corridors suggest that lack of …

Estuarine Geomorphodynamic Assessment Of Environmental Change And Stressor Impacts: A Geographic Information Systems And Remote Sensing (Geoinformatic) Modelling Approach For Sustainable Management Of Southeast Australian Coastal Ecosystems, Ali K. M. Al-Nasrawi

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 2017+

Increased habitation and global warming is posing growing threats to the coastal zone and estuarine settings through direct and indirect environmental and anthropogenic modification of sensitive coastal systems and their relevant catchments. It is essential to understand the impact of the different stressors on the coastal environment under current conditions and within the historical record in order to predict future responses of estuaries and coastal wetlands.

Short-term remote sensing and GIS modelling and field assessment have made a significant contribution to our knowledge on estuarine and coastal wetland dynamism within the last few decades. This thesis assesses the potential impacts …

Evaluation Of The Stream Function Assessment Methodology (Sfam) In Watersheds Of The Puget Sound Lowlands, Michelle Bahnick

WWU Graduate School Collection

Effective stream management requires identification of anthropogenic degradation effects on stream functioning. However, few stream assessment protocols aim to evaluate stream functions (i.e., ecosystem processes), integrate multiple disciplines, and combine stream reach assessment with landscape-level context. To address these shortcomings, several agencies in Oregon collaborated to develop the Stream Function Assessment Methodology (SFAM). However, SFAM has yet to be tested against established protocols and some SFAM metrics have no equivalent data sources outside of Oregon. I conducted SFAM (2015 draft version) on 36 stream reaches in Water Resource Inventory Area 8 in Washington State. I compared SFAM scores to commensurate …