Life Sciences Commons^™

Finding Aid To The Collection Of Victoria Sackville-West Materials., Victoria Sackville-West, Colby College Special Collections

Finding Aids

The collection contains 27 letters and 4 greeting cards of personal correspondence written between 1947-1961, from V. Sackville-West at her home at Sissinghurst Castle in Kent, U.K., to Grace Mountcastle Martin in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Many of the letters convey the author's thanks for shipments of sugar and soap during times of rationing in the U.K.

V. [Victoria or "Vita"] Sackville-West, English poet, novelist, socialite and suffragette, was born in 1892 at her family's estate at Knole in Kent. Privately educated, she began writing poetry at age 11, and had produced 8 novels and 5 plays by the time of her …

Finding Aid To The Collection Of Celia Thaxter Materials, Celia Thaxter, Colby College Special Collections

Finding Aids

Celia Laighton Thaxter, 1835-1894, was an American poet and prose writer. Born Celia Laighton in Portsmouth, N.H., she spent her childhood on White Island Lighthouse, part of Isles of Shoals, and Appledore Island. At 16 she married Levi Thaxter and had three sons, Karl, John, and Roland. The family spent winters on the mainland in Massachusetts, where Celia felt imprisoned by domestic duties in a city house. Her first poem, "Land-locked," was published in 1860 and was an immediate success. Soon she became widely published, with poems appearing in Harper's, Scribner's, and the Atlantic. With the means to spend more …

Finding Aid To The Collection Of Louise Helen Coburn Materials, Louise Helen Coburn, Colby College Special Collections

Finding Aids

Louise Helen Coburn was born in Skowhegan, Maine on September 1, 1856, daughter of Stephen Coburn and Helen Sophia Miller. Coburn was Colby's second female graduate (after Mary Low Carver) in 1877, and graduated with Phi Beta Kappa honors. She also later received an honorary Litt. D. degree from Colby in 1914. Coburn's family was deeply tied to Colby College. Her father Stephen graduated in 1839, and the Coburn family was critical to Colby's early development as benefactors. Coburn was a co-founder, along with Mary Low Carver and others, of the Sigma Kappa Sorority. Coburn also later attended the Harvard …

The Kennebec River: A Historic Maine Resource, Elise Begin

Historical Ecology Atlas of New England

The Kennebec River has been considered one of Maine’s most important resources for at least the past 6-8 thousand years; its basin is located in west central Maine and drains 5,893 square miles, an area that is approximately one-fifth the area of the state. The river originates at Moosehead lake and runs 170 miles to the Atlantic Ocean. The river can be divided into two basins: the upper basin, which spans from Moosehead Lake to Waterville; and the lower basin, which spans from Waterville to the ocean.

Before the arrival of Europeans in 1606, the Abenaki Indians controlled the entirety …

Maine Learns To Love Dairying, Erin Love

Historical Ecology Atlas of New England

The transition from subsistence to commercial farming is a defining trend in Maine dairying that continues today. Technological advances that often caused large landscape scale changes were catalysts in the division between small and large farmers. The industry developed in a relatively short time period—the last thirty years of the 19th century—but the characteristic divide between large and small farmers has continued to be exacerbated.

Bath, Maine: A City Of Ships, Taylor Witkin

Historical Ecology Atlas of New England

Known as Maine’s city of ships, Bath sits on the shores of the Kennebec River, about 15 miles from the Gulf of Maine and 40 miles up the coast from Portland. Though small in population, Bath’s impact on Maine, the rest of United States, and even on the world has been anything but small. Today Bath is known mostly for the Bath Iron Works, which supplies the US Navy with a large portion of its fleets, however, in Bath’s early days it built large, wooden yachts and schooners mostly for trade, not war. The next few pages will explore Bath’s …

The Happy Valley, Cassie Raker

Historical Ecology Atlas of New England

On the Connecticut River in Western Massachusetts, there exists the Happy Valley. Surrounded by the humble Holyoke Range, today you will find a bustling New England settlement dominated by local colleges and universities. But it was not always so. The picturesque Mount Holyoke and its accompanying hotel, known as the Summit House, have overlooked the area for hundreds of years, watching it change from forest to farmland to industry to the modern landscape it is today.

Changing Water Quality In Great Pond: The Roles Of Lake Sediments, Invasive Macrophytes, And The Watershed, Colby Environmental Assessment Team, Colby College, Problems In Environmental Science Course (Biology 493), Colby College

Colby College Watershed Study: Great Pond (2012, 2010, 1998)

Eutrophication as a result of human activity is a threat to lake water quality globally and within the state of Maine. Great Pond, in the Belgrade Lakes region of Maine, has traditionally been an oligotrophic lake that is experiencing early signs of eutrophication and is currently classified as a mesotrophic lake. In the fall of 2012, the Colby Environmental Assessment Team (CEAT) measured the primary sources of nutrient loading to Great Pond including the catchment and the lake sediment, current water quality in Great Pond, and the potential impact of the variable milfoil invasion on the lake’s water quality. An …

A Postulate For Tiger Recovery: The Case Of The Caspian Tiger, Carlos A. Driscoll, I Chestin, H Jungius, Y Darman, E Dinerstein, J Seidensticker, J Sanderson, S Christie, S J. Luo, M Shrestha, Y Zhuravlev, O Uphyrkina, Y V. Jhala, S P. Yadav, D G. Pikunov, N Yamaguchi, D E. Wildt, J D. Smith, Marker, Philip J. Nyhus, R Tilson, D W. Macdonald, S J. O'Brien

Faculty Scholarship

Recent genetic analysis has shown that the extinct Caspian Tiger (P. t. virgata) and the living Amur Tigers (P. t. altaica) of the Russian Far East are actually taxonomically synonymous and that Caspian and Amur groups historically formed a single population, only becoming separated within the last 200 years by human agency. A major conservation implication of this finding is that tigers of Amur stock might be reintroduced, not only back into the Koreas and China as is now proposed, but also through vast areas of Central Asia where the Caspian tiger once lived. However, under the current tiger conservation …

The Missing Link: The Ecology Of The Serpentine And The Implications For East And North Ponds [Presentation], Colby Environmental Assessment Team, Colby College, Problems In Environmental Science Course (Biology 493), Colby College

Colby College Watershed Study: East and North Ponds (2011, 1999, 1996, 1991)

No abstract provided.

The Missing Link: The Ecology Of The Serpentine And The Implications For East And North Ponds, Colby Environmental Assessment Team, Colby College, Problems In Environmental Science Course (Biology 493), Colby College

Colby College Watershed Study: East and North Ponds (2011, 1999, 1996, 1991)

During the fall of 2011, the Colby Environmental Assessment Team (CEAT) studied the Serpentine connecting East Pond and North Pond. East and North Ponds are members of the larger seven-lake system known as the Belgrade Lakes, located in central Maine. There are over 5,500 lakes in Maine that contribute $6.7 billion to the economy annually through activities including boating, fishing, swimming etc. Additionally, Maine’s lakes are sources of municipal and agricultural water, act as flood buffers, and host a wide range of plant, animal, and fish life. Lakes in Maine are a crucial part society and should be studied and …

Impacts Of Shoreline Development On The Littoral Zone Of Great Pond, Problems In Environmental Science Course (Biology 493), Colby College, Colby Environmental Assessment Team, Colby College

Colby College Watershed Study: Great Pond (2012, 2010, 1998)

The Colby Environmental Assessment Team (CEAT) investigated the littoral zone of Great Pond in the Belgrade Lakes region of central Maine. Data collection occurred in September and October and analysis followed in October and November of 2010. Physical, biological, and chemical parameters were assessed to examine the impacts of shoreline development on the health of the littoral community. The littoral zone and adjacent riparian areas were sampled to allow comparison of aquatic and terrestrial parameters among different levels of shoreline development.

Where The Tiger Survives, Biodiversity Thrives, Philip J. Nyhus, Ronald Tilson

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Quite A Year And New Life For Panthera Tigris: The St. Petersburg Declaration And The Future Of Wild Tigers, Philip J. Nyhus, Lisa Ann Tekancic

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Reintroduction Of The Chinese Tiger, Philip J. Nyhus, Urs Breitenmoser, Ron Tilson

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

A Watershed Analysis Of Salmon Lake And Mcgrath Pond: Implications For Water Quality And Land Use Management, Colby Environmental Assessment Team, Colby College, Problems In Environmental Science Course (Biology 493), Colby College

Colby College Watershed Study: Salmon Lake and McGrath Pond (2009, 1993)

In the summer and fall of 2009, the Colby Environmental Assessment Team (CEAT) studied the water quality of Salmon Lake and McGrath Pond, located in the Belgrade Lakes Region of Maine. The physical, chemical and biological characteristics of water quality were measured and analyzed to evaluate the current health of these lakes. Water quality data collected during the summer and fall of 2009 were compared with data from previous years to study the historic water quality trends. Land use patterns in the Salmon/McGrath watershed were also examined to investigate their impact on the lake water quality. The water quality trends …

A Watershed Analysis Of Pattee Pond: Implications For Water Quality And Land Use Management, Problems In Environmental Science Course (Biology 493), Colby College, Colby Environmental Assessment Team, Colby College

Colby College Watershed Study: Pattee Pond (2008, 1992)

The Colby Environmental Assessment Team (CEAT) investigated the impact of land use patterns on the water quality of Pattee Pond in Winslow, Maine, during the summer and fall of 2008. Physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of water quality were analyzed to evaluate the current health of the lake. Data collected were compared with previous studies conducted by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and CEAT to examine changes in water quality and land use over time. Trends in Pattee Pond water quality suggest an improvement since the 1970s. However, the lake is still experiencing algal blooms resulting from phosphorus …

A Watershed Analysis Of Long Pond South: Implications For Water Quality And Land-Use Management [Presentation], Colby Environmental Assessment Team, Colby College, Problems In Environmental Science Course (Biology 493), Colby College

Colby College Watershed Study: Long Pond, South (2007, 1995)

No abstract provided.

A Watershed Analysis Of Long Pond South: Implications For Water Quality And Land Use Management, Colby Environmental Assessment Team, Colby College, Problems In Environmental Science Course (Biology 493), Colby College

Colby College Watershed Study: Long Pond, South (2007, 1995)

The water quality of the South Basin of Long Pond, located in the Belgrade Lakes region of Maine, was investigated by the Colby Environmental Assessment Team (CEAT) from May to September of 2007. The physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of water quality were analyzed to evaluate the current health of the lake. The Long Pond South watershed was examined to investigate the effect of land-use patterns, including residential and commercial development, on the lake water quality. Data were also collected from road and shoreline surveys to produce maps highlighting areas that could potentially contribute to the degradation of water quality. …

Environmental Studies: Interdisciplinary Research On Maine Lakes, Philip J. Nyhus, F Russell Cole, David H. Firmage, Daniel Tierney, Susan W. Cole, Raymond B. Phillips, Edward H. Yeterian

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Tackling Biocomplexity With Meta-Models For Species Risk Assessment, Philip J. Nyhus, Robert C. Lacy, Francis R. Westley, Philip S. Miller, Harrie Harrie Vredenburg, Paul C. Paquet, John Pollak

Faculty Scholarship

We describe results of a multi-year effort to strengthen consideration of the human dimension into endangered species risk assessments and to strengthen research capacity to understand biodiversity risk assessment in the context of coupled human-natural systems. A core group of social and biological scientists have worked with a network of more than 50 individuals from four countries to develop a conceptual framework illustrating how human-mediated processes influence biological systems and to develop tools to gather, translate, and incorporate these data into existing simulation models. A central theme of our research focused on (1) the difficulties often encountered in identifying and …

Analysis Of Optimum Location, Viability, And Potential Effects Of Wind Farm Construction In Maine, Elizabeth Benson, Ryan Scott

Undergraduate Research Symposium (UGRS)

Maine has the highest potential for wind energy in New England and falls within the top twenty states in the nation. It falls just behind Wisconsin and California with an estimate electrical output of 56 billion kWhs. The geological makeup of Maine’s mountains in the western part of the state, and the exposed coastline provide opportune areas to capture wind and convert it into energy. The information included in this poster will suggest the most likely areas for wind development based on a number of factors as recommended by the American Wind Energy Association.

The Movement Of The Gastrop Littorina Littorea In The Intertidal Zone During The Onset Of Winter, Jon Lefcheck

Undergraduate Research Symposium (UGRS)

The movement of the snail Littorina littoreaon the North Atlantic coast is poorly understood. Most research has concentrated on the vertical distribution of the snail, and suggests that it prefers the low intertidal zone where its food source is most plentiful. In the winter, this distribution is reinforced by a documented seaward migration of snails from the high intertidal zone in response to falling temperatures. From October 14, 2006 to January 22, 2007, I examined the individual movements and recovery of snails in response to the onset of winter. I proposed that falling water and air temperatures drive the majority …

Characterization Of Afn1, A Gene Associated With Cereal Grain Germination, Tenzin Tsewang, Russell Johnson

Undergraduate Research Symposium (UGRS)

The AFN1 gene is transiently expressed in germinating oat grains. As AFN1 is not expressed in dormant oat grains during imbibition, we hypothesize that AFN1 may be involved in stimulating the germination process. Sequence analysis of an AFN1 cDNA clone indicates that the AFN1 polypeptide is similar to a previously identified abscisic acid (ABA) glucosyl transferase. This suggests that AFN1 may be acting to glucosylate ABA, thereby inactivating it. As the hormone ABA is known to inhibit germination, ABA glucosylation/inactivation could lead to germination in grains expressing AFN1. To test this hypothesis, we have constructed an expression plasmid that encodes …

A Pollen Chase Experiment; Examining Varying Levels Of Embryonic Inbreeding Depression, Emily Wilson, Judy Stone

Undergraduate Research Symposium (UGRS)

A pollen chase experiment was performed upon three Costa Rican populations of Witheringia solanacea to examine the breakdown of genetically enforced self incompatibility (SI) and the extent of embryonic inbreeding depression. Self-pollen was applied in the bud, with outcross pollen applied one day later, and outcross pollinations at both intervals as a control. A variety of responses were found among the populations. BOHS readily accepted self pollen and suffered from very low inbreeding depression. Monteverde and Las Cruces both have lower fruit set with self-pollination precedence indicating that bud pollinations can overcome the self-incompatibility response and that embryonic death due …

Measuring Ultrasonic Communication Between Mouse Pups And Adult Mother Mice, Katie Ludwig

Undergraduate Research Symposium (UGRS)

Measuring ultrasonic communication provides us with a way to study parental influence on animals. In this study I measured the ultrasonic communication between mouse pups and two maternal females, one of which who had given birth to the pups and the other had raised them. I found that there was no significant difference between the amount of noise expressed by pups in response to each the biological mother and foster mother test groups. Mouse pups call to maternal females regardless of genetic relatedness. Communication in mice may be a more complicated model because of their communal nature.

Watershed Assessment Of Long Pond North [Presentation], Colby Environmental Assessment Team, Colby College, Problems In Environmental Science Course (Biology 493), Colby College

Colby College Watershed Study: Long Pond, North (2006, 1994)

No abstract provided.

A Watershed Analysis Of Long Pong North: Implications For Water Quality And Land-Use Management, Colby Environmental Assessment Team, Colby College, Problems In Environmental Science Course (Biology 493), Colby College

Colby College Watershed Study: Long Pond, North (2006, 1994)

The Colby Environmental Assessment Team (CEAT) investigated the water quality of Long Pond North, located in the Belgrade Lakes region of Maine, from June through December 006. CEAT analyzed several physical, chemical, and biological water quality parameters to determine the current health of the lake. Attributes of the watershed such as land-use patterns and residential and commercial development were also studied to determine their impact on water quality. Data collected were used to produce models of the watershed that enabled CEAT to identify possible sources of degradation to the current and future water quality of Long Pond. To examine historic …

Differential Habituation Of Male Betta Splendens To Qualitatively Different Stimuli, Lauren Baard

Undergraduate Research Symposium (UGRS)

Habituation is a learning mechanism that functions to decrease the amount of energy and attention focused on a certain stimuli. Male Siamese Fighting Fish, Betta splendens, are territorial animals that defend their territories using a number of aggressive displays. Male Bettas have previously shown the ability to habituate to the presence of a conspecific male when visually exposed to each other. Due to the costly nature of many of the male Betta’s displays, I hypothesized that male Bettas should differentially habituate to qualitatively different stimuli. I presented each of three groups of male Betta splendens with a different stimulus, each …

The Isolation And Characterization Of Multiply Antibiotic Resistant Strains Of Fish Pathogenic Flavobacterium Species, Sarah E. Clark, Jaehee Yun, Justin Guay

Undergraduate Research Symposium (UGRS)

Since the development of the first antibiotics in the 1940’s, there has been widespread overuse in both clinical and agricultural applications. Antibiotic resistance has become a significant problem as a result of subsequent dissemination of antibiotics into the environment, and multiply-resistant strains of bacteria are now a major pathogenic threat. In this study eight separate strains of Flavobacterium responsible for recent disease outbreaks in fish hatcheries throughout Maine were collected and analyzed. All eight strains were found to be resistant to high levels of a number of different antibiotics, including those used for aquaculture as well as human chemotherapeutic applications. …