Life Sciences Commons^™

Birds, Bats And Minds. Tales Of A Revolutionary Scientist: Donald R. Griffin. Volume One, Carolyn A. Ristau

eBooks

In this three-volume biography, we revisit the life and accomplishments of the revolutionary scientist, Donald R. Griffin. He encountered a lifetime of initial hostile resistance to his ideas and studies; now they are largely accepted. He and a colleague discovered the phenomenon of echolocation used by bats to navigate and capture insects, proposed that birds navigate guided by such cues as the sun and stars, and suggested that animals are likely aware, thinking and feeling beings. Forty interviews with his colleagues and friends help us understand the young emerging scientist and the mature researcher. We learn about his and others’ …

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 …

Oxen: Status, Uses And Practices In The U.S.A., Encouraging A Historic Tradition To Thrive, Andrew B. Conroy

Faculty Publications

Oxen in the United States of America have played an important role throughout its history. Unlike other countries,oxen were never completely given up for horses, mules, or tractors. Instead, the culture of keeping oxen has been maintained by a small group of teamsters in the North- eastern states collectively called New England. Their continued presence has been largely due to agricultural fairs and exhibitions where they have been used in competition for the last 200 years. Ox teamsters were sur- veyed in 2021via social media using Qualtrics. The 423 ox teamsters responding owned 1791 oxen in 39 states, with the …

Comparative Transmissibility Of Sars-Cov-2 Variants Delta And Alpha In New England, Usa., Rebecca Earnest, Rockib Uddin, Nicholas Matluk, Nicholas Renzette, Sarah E Turbett, Katherine J Siddle, Christine Loreth, Gordon Adams, Christopher H Tomkins-Tinch, Mary E Petrone, Jessica E Rothman, Mallery I Breban, Robert Tobias Koch, Kendall Billig, Joseph R Fauver, Chantal B F Vogels, Kaya Bilguvar, Bony De Kumar, Marie L Landry, David R Peaper, Kevin Kelly, Greg Omerza, Heather Grieser, Sim Meak, John Martha, Hannah B Dewey, Susan Kales, Daniel Berenzy, Kristin Carpenter-Azevedo, Ewa King, Richard C Huard, Vlad Novitsky, Mark Howison, Josephine Darpolor, Akarsh Manne, Rami Kantor, Sandra C Smole, Catherine M Brown, Timelia Fink, Andrew S Lang, Glen R Gallagher, Virginia E Pitzer, Pardis C Sabeti, Stacey Gabriel, Bronwyn L Macinnis, New England Variant Investigation Team, Ryan Tewhey, Mark D Adams, Daniel J Park, Jacob E Lemieux, Nathan D Grubaugh

Faculty Research 2022

The SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant rose to dominance in mid-2021, likely propelled by an estimated 40%-80% increased transmissibility over Alpha. To investigate if this ostensible difference in transmissibility is uniform across populations, we partner with public health programs from all six states in New England in the United States. We compare logistic growth rates during each variant's respective emergence period, finding that Delta emerged 1.37-2.63 times faster than Alpha (range across states). We compute variant-specific effective reproductive numbers, estimating that Delta is 63%-167% more transmissible than Alpha (range across states). Finally, we estimate that Delta infections generate on average 6.2 (95% …

Seasonal Stem Loss And Self-Thinning In Low Marsh Spartina Alterniflora In A New England Tidal Marsh, Clara Chaisson, Chad C. Jones, R. Scott Warren

Botany Faculty Publications

Dense monocultures of the grass Spartina alterniflora dominate the low marsh in typical New England tidal marshes. These marshes provide a number of important ecosystem services; thus, it is important to understand the factors that influence S. alterniflora productivity. End of season live biomass is often used to estimate S. alterniflora productivity, but this measure fails to account for stems lost within the growing season and may lead to a significant underestimate. We explored two possible factors that may influence S. alterniflora stem loss within the growing season: 1) density-dependent mortality (self-thinning), and 2) the physical force of moving water …

The Impacts Of Asian Longhorned Beetle On Forests In Southern New England, Olivia Fay Box

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Over the past several decades, the United States has been experiencing an influx of nonnative pests due to increased globalization, and many of these pests have the potential to permanently alter the composition, structure, and function of forests. Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) is an invasive pest that came into Worcester county, MA in 2008, where the first instance of this species invading both urban and natural forested areas was documented. Within the quarantine area for this novel invasion, 30,000 trees were removed over the course of 10 years as part of management efforts focused on harvesting all host species, primarily …

Occurrence Of Pulmonary Arteritis With Lungworm Infections In Gray Seals From New England, 2013-2020, Jillian R. Broadhurst, Inga Sidor Dvm, Ms, Dacvp

Honors Theses and Capstones

Gray seals (Halichoerus grypus) are a common pinniped species in New England coastal waters. Parasitic infection is an important cause of mortality for this species, and lungworm species are frequently implicated in cases of respiratory infection, especially in pups and weanling seals. The most common of these is Otostrongylus circumlitus, a large nematode found in the bronchi and bronchioles of affected seals. The full life cycle is unknown but its presence in lungs and sometimes pulmonary arteries suggests that migration via arterial circulation occurs. Signs and microscopic findings are widely variable; our cases included dyspnea, bloody mucoid …

Habitat Associations Of Priority Bird Species And Conservation Value On Small, Diversified Farms In New England, Isabel Brofsky

Masters Theses

In recent decades, New England agriculture has become increasingly characterized by small, diversified farming operations with values deeply rooted in community and conservation. In sharp contrast to large-scale, high-intensity agriculture currently typified by the majority of North American farms, New England farmers commonly prioritize ecologically beneficial production practices such as reduced chemical inputs, integrated pest management (IPM), low tillage, cover cropping and crop rotation, and retention of natural habitats like woody hedgerows and herbaceous strips. Public support and demand for local, sustainable food, evidenced by the success of CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) in the region, has helped to bolster this …

'How To' Guide For Synthesizing Nerrs Marsh Monitoring Data, David M. Burdick

Jackson Estuarine Laboratory

The purpose of this guide is to provide a user-friendly and informative guide on ‘How to’ synthesize salt marsh data from theNational Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRs). In this guide, we outline and detail the steps taken from requesting/cataloguing data to summarizing these data through visual and statistical analysis. These methods can be used at a single or multiple site(s) as well as over multiple years. Though this guide is specific to NERRs and focuses on plant community data, it may also be useful for other monitoring parameters and programs to guide protocol design and analyses. Here, we conduct a …

A Guide To Integrate Plant Cover Data From Two Different Methods, David M. Burdick, Chris R. Peter

Jackson Estuarine Laboratory

There is a lack of consensus on how to monitor (measure) plant cover in tidal marshes. Multiple methods exist to estimate plant cover, which can confound interpretation when making comparisons across methods. Here, we provide a novel and more accurate approach, building off of traditional data transformations designed to integrate the two most common methods: Point Intercept and Ocular Cover.

Effects Of The Invasive Asian Shore Crab, Hemigrapsus Sanguineus, On New England Trophic Cascade: Diet And Predation, Madison Bradley

Writing Across the Curriculum

Trophic cascades occur when the community structure is influenced by indirect effects of predation on the lower trophic levels. The trophic cascade can be disrupted when an invasive species is introduced. The Asian shore crab, Hemigrapsus sanguineus has invaded ecosystems in New England and we predict this invasion will negatively affect the classic New England trophic cascade. By the predation indirectly affecting lower trophic levels, H. sanguineus can influence the community structure and diversity at the lower levels. To understand the trophic cascade, we manipulated the food source and competitors in four different mini-ecosystems. By introducing H. sanguineus into an …

Associations Between Avian Spruce-Fir Species, Harvest Treatments, Vegetation, And Edges, Brian W. Rolek

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Habitat loss is the primary cause of species loss and declines of global biodiversity. Several birds associated with the spruce-fir forest type (hereafter spruce-fir birds) have declining populations across the continent in the Atlantic Northern Forest, and the extent of coniferous forest has declined in some areas. This region is extensively and intensively managed for timber products.

To investigate the influence from harvest treatments on the spruce-fir bird assemblage during the breeding and post-breeding period in lowland conifer and mixed-wood forests, we used avian point count detection data to test for associations between avian assemblages and seven common harvest treatments. …

Developing A Collaborative Research Program To Evaluate Fine-Scale Groundfish Dynamics In Eastern Maine, Mattie Rodrigue

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Fisheries science conducted and used for management strategies in the Gulf of Maine (GOM) is conducted at broad spatial and temporal scales. There is a tendency for fisheries-independent monitoring programs, which play a critical role in fisheries assessment and management, to miss fine-scale dynamics, especially given the complex hydrographic structures characterizing the GOM. In New England, fishermen participating in a heterogeneous groundfish fishery within the GOM may have varied perceptions of fish abundance or distribution depending on the scale at which they participate in the fishery. Overlooking fine-scale life-history dynamics coupled with scale-mismatch in science and management may perpetuate a …

Newsroom: The Legal Impact Of Marine Debris 10-21-2016, Roger Williams University School Of Law

Life of the Law School (1993- )

No abstract provided.

Changes In Job Satisfaction Through Time In Two Major New England Fishing Ports, Tarsila Seara, Richard Pollnac, John J. Poggie

Biology and Environmental Science Faculty Publications

Fishing communities in the U.S. have been the subject of great transformation due to changes in availability of resources and the implementation of different rules and regulations to manage the fisheries and conserve fish stocks. Job satisfaction has been widely regarded as an important component of well-being especially among fishermen because the occupation of fishing includes attributes of ‘adventure,’ ‘challenge,’ and ‘being outdoors’ infrequently found in other employment. It has been previously demonstrated that management driven changes to fishing communities can directly and indirectly affect aspects of fishermen’s job satisfaction and, consequently, their wellbeing. This paper presents a unique through …

The Real Footprint Of Electric Vehicles, And What That Could Mean For Our Future, Krista Brown

Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics at Colby

This paper looks at the impact of electric vehicles on CO2 emissions specifically based on the type of electricity used in each New England state analyzed. The research looks at the question of whether or not emissions will in fact be lowered as electric cars start to take the majority of vehicles used instead of the conventional cars that take up a much larger percent of the motor vehicles used today. Taking into account the use of electricity and how many sources of electricity also release a substantial amount of emissions, we see how valid the public opinion of electric …

Forest Harvesting Productivity And Cost In Maine: New Tools And Processes, Patrick Hiesl

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Computer simulations have been used in forestry and forest operations since around 1960. In many cases such simulations can be used to answer questions that would be time consuming and expensive to investigate in a real-life environment. This dissertation focuses on the use of computer simulation in forest operations to answer questions regarding the profitability of technological advancements, investments in precommercial thinning (PCT), and the use of different harvesting systems. To explore the benefits of decoupling a harvesting system, a new simulation method, called agent based modeling was used. Agent based modeling is primarily used in social sciences but now …

A Survey Of Horse Training In New England, Shelby C. Ashworth, W. Michael Sullivan

Senior Honors Projects

New England no longer has a significant horse training industry. It has many small operations with no obvious and overlapping training philosophies or practices. Show and competition programs are intense and competitive at regional, national and even international levels leading to the observation that techniques employed are equally strategic and tediously designed in order to encourage the exemplary results in the show ring. This study aimed to examine the methods, routines, and strategies that are used by top tier trainers in the New England region of the United States. This information was collected both in survey form and in interview …

The Distance From Necessity: A Bourdieusian Analysis Of Gathering Practices In Vermont, Alan Robert Pierce

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

This study examines why contemporary Americans continue to gather wild plants and fungi. Vermont, a state with a rich history of gathering, serves as a study site. I interviewed twenty-four gatherers using ethnographic methods. I applied a Bourdieusian framework to analyze the differences between gathering practices as they related to gathering knowledge, views of nature, and uses of gathered products. The interviews indicated that gathering is important to the physical and mental well-being of its practitioners and instills a connection to nature as well as to place. Interviewees cited spending time in nature and enjoyment of engaging the senses as …

The Role Of Underutilized Fish In New England's Seafood System, Taylor Witkin

Honors Theses

The global fisheries crisis has led to an increasing recognition for the need to relieve pressure on overfished, popular food fish stocks. Opportunities exist to shift consumer demand toward more sustainable choices, including fish that may be locally abundant. Attempts have been made to market underused fish (sometimes termed “trash fish”) that represent more sustainable alternatives; however, it is unclear whether consumers will choose to purchase these more sustainable options, particularly if underused fish are also unfamiliar. Chapter 1 reviews existing research and current issues surrounding sustainable seafood and the recent shift toward local, abundant, undervalued species in New England’s …

Habitat Heterogeneity Concentrates Predators In The Seascape: Linking Intermediate-Scale Estuarine Habitat To Striped Bass Distribution, Cristina Kennedy

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Predators are key components of aquatic ecosystems and innovative approaches to understanding their spatial distribution are imperative for research, effective management, and conservation. Discontinuities, created by abrupt changes between two unlike entities, are irregularly-distributed, intermediate-scale features that can have a disproportionate effect on organismal distribution within the seascape. Here I use the discontinuity concept to relate the distribution of a predator, striped bass (Morone saxatilis), to physical features within Plum Island Estuary (PIE), MA. I mapped the distribution of 50 acoustically-tagged striped bass during four monthly surveys at 40 sites to evaluate if heterogeneity in physical features concentrated …

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.

The New England Food System In 2060: Envisioning Tomorrow's Policy Through Today's Assessments, Margaret Sova Mccabe, Joanne Burke

Law Faculty Scholarship

This Essay analyzes how the New England states' planning processes are envisioning revitalized local, state, and regional food systems. This Essay has five parts. First, it begins with examining compelling reasons for promoting more sustainable food systems based on national and global trends, and identifies strategies for promoting regional food systems approaches with a brief introduction to the major influences on the national and New England food system. Second, it describes the states' planning efforts and their enabling legislation or source of authority.

The Essay then introduces the New England Food Vision 2060 (the Vision) an emerging discussion of food …

The Heat Is On: A Look Into New England's Future Climate, David Nicosia

Wrack Lines

What will New England's climate be like over the next century, given global warming and climate change? Could New England lose its colorful fall foliage?

First Breeding Records And Historical Status Of Sandhill Cranes In New England, Scott M. Melvin

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) nested at 4 sites in south-central Maine between 2000 and 2008 and at single sites in western Massachusetts and west-central Vermont in 2007 and 2008, continuing their eastward range expansion. Of 13 nests observed, 5 were in a lacustrine marsh, 2 were in a riverine marsh, and 2 were in beaver-impounded palustrine marshes, all dominated by cattail (Typha spp.); 2 were in lacustrine fen habitat dominated by sedges (Carex spp.), sphagnum, and leatherleaf (Chamaedaphne calyculata); 1 was in a lacustrine fen dominated by slender sedge (Carex lasiocarpa …

Aquaculture Situation And Outlook Report 2009: Maine, Dana Morse, Mike Pietrack

Maine Sea Grant Publications

The Maine aquaculture industry is diverse, with a variety of marine and freshwater species raised. Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) production dominates in terms of value and pounds harvested. The 2008 data from the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) estimate over 19 million pounds produced with a value of $56.6 million. This figure is down from a high of over 36 million pounds in 2000.

Shellfish production is dominated by the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) and the blue mussel (Mytilus edulis); DMR 2008 figures estimate landed values of $2 million and $640K USD for …

The Future Of Mineral Development On Federal Lands In The United States, John D. Leshy

The Future of Natural Resources Law and Policy (Summer Conference, June 6-8)

11 pages.

Includes bibliographical references

"Outline of presentation of John D. Leshy, Harry D. Sunderland Distinguished Professor, U.C. Hastings College of the Law, Natural Resources Law center, June 7, 2007" (pp. 3-5)

"Leshy draft 4.27.07 For Natural Resources Law Center" (pp. 6-13)