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Full-Text Articles in Other Life Sciences

Ecological Protection Alone Is Not Enough To Conserve Ecosystem Carbon Storage: Evidence From Guangdong, China, Lihan Cui, Wenwen Tang, Sheng Zheng, Ramesh P. Singh Dec 2022

Ecological Protection Alone Is Not Enough To Conserve Ecosystem Carbon Storage: Evidence From Guangdong, China, Lihan Cui, Wenwen Tang, Sheng Zheng, Ramesh P. Singh

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

The increase in atmospheric CO2 caused by land use and land cover change (LUCC) is one of the drivers of the global climate. As one of the most typical high-urbanization areas, the ecological conflicts occurring in Guangdong Province warrant urgent attention. A growing body of evidence suggests LUCC could guide the future ecosystem carbon storage, but most LUCC simulations are simply based on model results without full consistency with the actual situation. Fully combined with the territorial spatial planning project and based on the land use pattern in 2010 and 2020, we have used the Markov and Patch-generating Land …


The Microscopical Evidence Traces Analysis Of Household Dust And Its Statistical Significance As A Definitive Identification Technique, Stephanie Polifroni Sep 2022

The Microscopical Evidence Traces Analysis Of Household Dust And Its Statistical Significance As A Definitive Identification Technique, Stephanie Polifroni

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Evidence found at crime scenes is used to assist in creating a link the suspect, the victim, and the scene. As stated by the Locard’s Principle, every contact leaves a trace, that evidence can be used to link together an investigation. Traces are collected in hopes that they can be identified and associated to an individual or individuals to help solve that particular crime. However, the strongest conclusion for evidence traces is an association to a source, and unless a physical match of some kind is found, an individualization cannot be established even when known sample is available. However, having …


A Study Of Red Snapper (Lutjanus Campechanus) Ecology In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico And The Effect Of Variable River Outflow Using Stable Isotope Analysis Of The Food Web And Eye Lenses, Caitlin C. Slife Aug 2022

A Study Of Red Snapper (Lutjanus Campechanus) Ecology In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico And The Effect Of Variable River Outflow Using Stable Isotope Analysis Of The Food Web And Eye Lenses, Caitlin C. Slife

Dissertations

In the Mississippi Bight and surrounding waters, river outflow impacts the basal resources of the Red Snapper food web, altering carbon sources and impacting prey and predator isotopes. In this study, the impact of riverine outflow on nutrients, particulate organic matter (POM), and physical water parameters on Red Snapper and their food web was analyzed using stable isotope and stomach content analysis over 5 years. The Mississippi, Pearl, Pascagoula, and Mobile rivers were included in the analysis of river impact. The Mississippi and Mobile rivers were found to significantly impact nutrients and POM in the region. River outflow was also …


Open Source Solutions In Experimental Design: An Introduction To The Symposium, Richelle L. Tanner, Kirt L. Onthank Aug 2022

Open Source Solutions In Experimental Design: An Introduction To The Symposium, Richelle L. Tanner, Kirt L. Onthank

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

The Open Science movement has increased dramatically in popularity with deserved calls to action around transparency, access to resources, and inclusion in our field. However, its practical applications within experimental design have been slow to uptake, with researchers unsure where to even start with the dizzying array of open source hardware and software solutions available. The perceived time investment and unknown cost, especially in implementing open source hardware, has stagnated the implementation of inexpensive experimental solutions, but we sought to increase awareness to lower the barrier to participation in this space. While there are countless technical and financial advantages to …


Tissue Decay Tested In Modern Metasequoia Leaves: Implications For Early Diagenesis Of Leaves In Fossil Lagerstätten, Caitlyn R. Witkowski, Qin Leng, Christopher W. Reid, Liang Feng, Hong Yang Jul 2022

Tissue Decay Tested In Modern Metasequoia Leaves: Implications For Early Diagenesis Of Leaves In Fossil Lagerstätten, Caitlyn R. Witkowski, Qin Leng, Christopher W. Reid, Liang Feng, Hong Yang

Science and Technology Department Faculty Journal Articles

Sedimentary deposits yielding extraordinarily-preserved fossils (known as Lagerstätten) may provide significant insights into the physiology and environments of ancient plants, particularly when the fossils represent their original characteristics with limited diagenetic modifications. To better understand molecular, isotopic, and morphological changes during the early stages of diagenesis, degradation experiments were conducted in two time series: 1) a laboratory decay series using fungi on leaves over the course of a month and 2) a natural decay series with leaves collected from different stages of leaf senescence and early diagenesis. Both experiments used modern leaves of the dawn redwood Metasequoia glyptostroboides …


Virtual Expeditions Facilitated By Open Source Solutions Broaden Student Participation In Natural History Research, Richelle L. Tanner, Talia Y. Moore Jun 2022

Virtual Expeditions Facilitated By Open Source Solutions Broaden Student Participation In Natural History Research, Richelle L. Tanner, Talia Y. Moore

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

From its genesis in the Victorian era as an activity for the elite to today's emphasis on “Big Data” and continuous monitoring, natural history has a prominent role in scientific discoveries for many fields. However, participation in field expeditions is limited by funding, space, accessibility, and safety constraints. Others have detailed the active exclusion of minoritized groups from field expeditions and harm/discrimination faced by the few who do participate, but we provide one solution to broaden opportunities for participation in natural history: Virtual Expeditions. Virtual Expeditions are broadly defined as open source, web-facilitated research activities designed to analyze bulk-collected digital …


The Utilization Of Volatile Organic Compounds And Human Leukocyte Antigen Genes For Ethnic-Specific Differentiation Within Target Populations, Alice Breia Boone Mar 2022

The Utilization Of Volatile Organic Compounds And Human Leukocyte Antigen Genes For Ethnic-Specific Differentiation Within Target Populations, Alice Breia Boone

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Human scent has been previously defined as a complex mixture of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) detected in the headspace above a scent sample. Humans generate odor from several areas of the body including hair, mouth, hand, axillae, and foot. Due to the novelty of human scent research, human scent evidence has been undervalued in the court of law. However, this type of evidence has significant value when physical evidence is not available at crime scenes. To increase the individualization and differentiation power of human scent evidence, this study aimed to further investigate the identification of chemical signatures within axillae of …


A Push For Inclusive Data Collection In Stem Organizations, Nicholas P. Burnett, Alyssa M. Hernandez, Emily E. King, Richelle L. Tanner, Kathryn Wilsterman Mar 2022

A Push For Inclusive Data Collection In Stem Organizations, Nicholas P. Burnett, Alyssa M. Hernandez, Emily E. King, Richelle L. Tanner, Kathryn Wilsterman

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Professional organizations in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) can use demographic data to quantify recruitment and retention (R&R) of underrepresented groups within their memberships. However, variation in the types of demographic data collected can influence the targeting and perceived impacts of R&R efforts - e.g., giving false signals of R&R for some groups. We obtained demographic surveys from 73 U.S.-affiliated STEM organizations, collectively representing 712,000 members and conference-attendees. We found large differences in the demographic categories surveyed (e.g., disability status, sexual orientation) and the available response options. These discrepancies indicate a lack of consensus regarding the demographic groups that …


Emory-Tibet Science Initiative: Changes In Monastic Science Learning Motivation And Engagement During A Six-Year Curriculum, Kelsey M. Gray, Cindy Achat-Mendes, Ann Cale Kruger, Tashi Lhamo, Rinchen Wangyal, Gelek Gyatso, Carol M. Worthman Jan 2022

Emory-Tibet Science Initiative: Changes In Monastic Science Learning Motivation And Engagement During A Six-Year Curriculum, Kelsey M. Gray, Cindy Achat-Mendes, Ann Cale Kruger, Tashi Lhamo, Rinchen Wangyal, Gelek Gyatso, Carol M. Worthman

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Led by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the initiative taken by the Tibetan Buddhist monastic community to connect with western science and scientists presents a unique opportunity to understand the motivations and engagement behaviors that contribute to monastic science learning. In this study, we draw on quantitative data from two distinct surveys that track motivations and engagement behaviors related to science education among monastic students. The first survey was administered at one monastic university in 2018, and the second follow-up survey was completed by students at two monastic universities in 2019. These surveys assessed the reception of science education related …


Fish And Invertebrate Use Of Restored Vs. Natural Oyster Reefs In A Shallow Temperate Latitude Estuary, Jonathan H. Grabowski, Christopher J. Baillie, Adam Baukus, Rachael Carlyle, F. Joel Fodrie, Rachel K. Gittman, A. Randall Hughes, David L. Kimbro, Juhyung Lee, Hunter S. Lenihan, Sean P. Powers, Kevin Sullivan Jan 2022

Fish And Invertebrate Use Of Restored Vs. Natural Oyster Reefs In A Shallow Temperate Latitude Estuary, Jonathan H. Grabowski, Christopher J. Baillie, Adam Baukus, Rachael Carlyle, F. Joel Fodrie, Rachel K. Gittman, A. Randall Hughes, David L. Kimbro, Juhyung Lee, Hunter S. Lenihan, Sean P. Powers, Kevin Sullivan

University Faculty and Staff Publications

Coastal marine habitats continue to be degraded, thereby compelling largescale restoration in many parts of the world. Whether restored habitats function similarly to natural habitats and fully recover lost ecosystem services is unclear. In estuaries, oyster reefs have been degraded by multiple anthropogenic activities including destructive fishing practices and reduced water quality, motivating restoration to maintain oyster fisheries and other ecosystem services, often at relatively high cost. We compared fish and invertebrate communities on recently restored (0–1 year post-restoration), older restored (3–4 years post-restoration), and natural oyster reefs to determine if and when restored reefs support functionally similar faunal communities. …