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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
An Overview Of The Potential Effect Of Climate Change On American Pine Marten, Jordyn Morel
An Overview Of The Potential Effect Of Climate Change On American Pine Marten, Jordyn Morel
Honors College
The impacts of climate change are only increasing, and yet not all those impacts have been studied on certain species. The American pine marten Martes americana (Turton, 1806) is one of the species potentially vulnerable to climate change. They are an important component of biodiversity as they hunt a variety of small mammals and feed on numerous plants. Martens are also important prey to many winged and terrestrial species. In Maine, they are an umbrella species that co-occur with eleven other species and their presence is also a good indicator of a healthy forest environment. I conducted a literature review …
Envisioning A Bold Food Waste Policy For Maine: A Mixed-Methods Study Into The Context Of Landfill Diversion Of Food Waste, Dominique Danielle Dispirito
Envisioning A Bold Food Waste Policy For Maine: A Mixed-Methods Study Into The Context Of Landfill Diversion Of Food Waste, Dominique Danielle Dispirito
Honors College
Landfilled organics waste both natural and financial resources by discarding usable materials that could bolster food security programs and composting efforts. According to the Drawdown Project, one-third of the food we produce in the United States goes to the landfill without ever reaching someone’s plate, contributing to leachate at disposal sites and accounting for more greenhouse gasses than the entire airline industry. As communities across the state struggle to support the 1 in 6 Mainers experiencing food insecurity with dwindling financial resources and limited personnel, food waste diversion provides a local solution that bolsters resilience at low cost. The absence …
Communicating Climate Change Through Dance, Alexandra M. Ryan
Communicating Climate Change Through Dance, Alexandra M. Ryan
Honors College
The purpose of this thesis is to study how viewers react to seeing climate issues communicated through dance. Past research states that an effective climate communicator is not necessarily an expert, but a person who uses their platform to create a dialogue, and encourages public engagement with climate change by making the issues interesting and appealing to viewers. With this criterion in mind, three short dance videos were made surrounding three relevant climate issues. Along with climate topic inspired choreography, these videos contained written information regarding coral bleaching, air travel emissions, and renewable energy. These videos were posted to the …
Predicting Range Shifts For The Virginia Opossum In Maine, Sara Griffin
Predicting Range Shifts For The Virginia Opossum In Maine, Sara Griffin
Honors College
Species distribution and movement are increasingly influenced by climate change and human expansion. The Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) has been observed expanding their range northward due to the warming temperatures and urbanization. The Virginia opossums’ northern range is thought to be restricted by two abiotic winter factors, snow cover and low temperatures, which prevents foraging and ultimately leads to starvation. For this study, I predicted the movement of the Virginia opossum northward into central Maine and beyond based on current climate change trends. Microclimate temperatures were recorded using data-loggers and climate variable datasets were used to determine if …
Characterizing The Range Shifts Of Two Peromyscus Species In Maine, Molly Bennett
Characterizing The Range Shifts Of Two Peromyscus Species In Maine, Molly Bennett
Honors College
In a changing climate, two species of mice in Maine (Peromyscus maniculatus and Peromyscus leucopus) are currently undergoing range shifts. The objective of my thesis is to determine the historical and current range of each species within the state of Maine. I used two approaches. I assembled ear biopsies collected this summer in Acadia National Park and throughout the state by the Gardner and Levesque labs to genotype the mice as either P. maniculatus or P. leucopus. Additionally, I summarized research that denotes where the two species were historically present around the state. These species are functionally impossible to tell …
What’S Going To Happen To My Pancakes? The Impacts Of Climate Change Upon Blueberries And Sugar Maple, Ashley Kayser
What’S Going To Happen To My Pancakes? The Impacts Of Climate Change Upon Blueberries And Sugar Maple, Ashley Kayser
Honors College
The United Nations believes that the foremost challenge of the future will be climate change. Because of human use of fossil fuels, greenhouse gases have been released into the atmosphere at unsustainable rates, which have resulted in an altered climate that will impact weather patterns around the globe. There have already been measurable shifts in precipitation and temperature in many regions; in the state of Maine the general trend has been toward higher temperatures and increased precipitation. This is resulting in impacts to agriculture throughout the state. Blueberries and sugar maple are two culturally and economically valuable crops which will …
The Potential Impact Of Climate Change On Blue Whale Migration In The Eastern Pacific, Amanda Shuman
The Potential Impact Of Climate Change On Blue Whale Migration In The Eastern Pacific, Amanda Shuman
Honors College
Climate change is one of the most pressing problems the world is facing today. Due to human emissions, the amount of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere is escalating at a concerning rate. This increase is causing ocean temperatures to rise, pH levels to lower, and altering the habitats of countless species. Balaenoptera musculus, or the blue whale, is a highly migratory species that relies on the stability of its’ habitats for foraging and calving grounds. They rely on the upwelling of nutrients and consistent conditions that allow for substantial prey populations to accumulate. With the effects of climate change altering …
Implications Of Body Size And Habitat Distribution Of Carcinus Maenas For Predation On Mytilus Edulis In The Gulf Of Maine, Mckenzie Thompson
Implications Of Body Size And Habitat Distribution Of Carcinus Maenas For Predation On Mytilus Edulis In The Gulf Of Maine, Mckenzie Thompson
Honors College
The blue mussel, Mytilus edulis, is a commercially important species along the Gulf of Maine. Its rapid decline in population size over the last forty years has led many researchers to question if the invasive green crab, Carcinus maenas, is affecting its distribution. The increase in annual mean water temperature, due to global climate change, has led many to fear an expansion of the green crab’s range and an increase in population density among areas they currently inhabit. The Damariscotta River in Walpole, Maine offers a unique thermal gradient to study the effects of temperature on green crab distribution, abundance, …