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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Geomorphology Of Tidal Wetlands: Impacts Of Extreme And Annual Flood Events To Salt Marsh And Mangrove Systems, Frances R. Griswold Apr 2023

Geomorphology Of Tidal Wetlands: Impacts Of Extreme And Annual Flood Events To Salt Marsh And Mangrove Systems, Frances R. Griswold

Doctoral Dissertations

Tidal wetlands are vital for buffering coastal settings from the threats of accelerated sea level rise and storms. Understanding the factors that are most influential for the maintenance and recovery of tidal wetlands after extreme events compounded by future accelerated sea level rise is of the utmost importance, yet this knowledge is not well established. Two tidal wetland schemas investigated in this dissertation are mangrove systems in Vieques, Puerto Rico (including robust lagoonal-mangrove forest systems and fringing mangrove forests), and salt marshes in New England. While the climatic forcings, vegetation type, and locations are vastly different for these two tidal …


Perceptions Of Historical Climate Change And Park Policy: The Impact On The Fremont Cottonwood In Zion National Park, Kathleen Kavarra Corr Mar 2022

Perceptions Of Historical Climate Change And Park Policy: The Impact On The Fremont Cottonwood In Zion National Park, Kathleen Kavarra Corr

Doctoral Dissertations

Despite its “natural” appearance and the Organic Act 1916 mandate for preservation of the natural environment in National Parks, the Virgin River as it flows through Zion National Park’s Zion Canyon was transformed through massive flood control re-engineering projects in the 1930s. The armoring of the river has had significant impacts on riparian vegetation, particularly on the stands of native Fremont Cottonwood trees that once filled the narrow valley. What was the motivation for this massive flood control project carried out in an arid region with less than 15 inches of rain per year? This dissertation explores the motivations which …


The Effect Of Thermoregulation And Roads On The Movements And Habitat Selection Of Moose In Massachusetts, David W. Wattles Mar 2015

The Effect Of Thermoregulation And Roads On The Movements And Habitat Selection Of Moose In Massachusetts, David W. Wattles

Doctoral Dissertations

Massachusetts, U.S.A. is located along the southern boundary of the geographic range of moose (Alces alces) in North America. This is an atypical environment for moose, because of its extremely high levels of human development and high year-round temperatures, which are possibly at the limits of moose physiological tolerances. I investigated the role of these two factors on moose movements and habitat selection to determine how human development of the landscape and temperature influence moose occupation of this extreme environment. In addition, the response of moose to these factors provides insights into the influence of development and temperature …