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Articles 1 - 22 of 22
Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Pervasive Thermal Consequences Of Stream-Lake Interactions In Small Rocky Mountain Watersheds, Usa, Jessica D. Garrett
Pervasive Thermal Consequences Of Stream-Lake Interactions In Small Rocky Mountain Watersheds, Usa, Jessica D. Garrett
All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023
Limnologists and stream ecologists acknowledge the fundamental importance of temperature for regulating many ecological, biological, chemical, and physical processes. I investigated how water temperatures were affected by hydrologic linkages between streams and lakes at various positions along surface water networks throughout several headwater basins in the Sawtooth and White Cloud Mountains of Idaho (USA). Temperatures of streams and lakes were measured for up to 27 months in seven 6 – 41 km2 watersheds, with a range of lake influence. When they were ice-free, warming in lakes resulted in dramatically warmer temperatures at lake outflows compared to inflow streams (midsummer …
Effect Of Spatial And Temporal Variability Of Antecedent Moisture Content On Model-Generated Runoff From An Arid Watershed, William J. Meyer
Effect Of Spatial And Temporal Variability Of Antecedent Moisture Content On Model-Generated Runoff From An Arid Watershed, William J. Meyer
UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones
Streams in the arid southwest are typically ephemeral, and stream gages are not commonly available. Consequently, runoff data from storm events is not available, and flood control facility design or other water resource related decisions are based on synthetic hydrographs. In the Mojave Desert region of Southern Nevada, the duration of storm used to develop these synthetic hydrographs is the 6 hour storm. The 6 hour storm is used to simulate high intensity summer storms. Additionally, soils information used in the calculations for these synthetic hydrographs is taken from maps that are generally developed for a broad range of issues …
Steps Toward Butternut (Juglans Cinerea L.) Restoration, Sunshine L. Brosi
Steps Toward Butternut (Juglans Cinerea L.) Restoration, Sunshine L. Brosi
Doctoral Dissertations
Butternut (Juglans cinerea L.), a lesser-known relative of black walnut (Juglans nigra L.), is a native tree species beneficial for wildlife, valuable for timber, and part of the great diversity of species in the eastern forests of North America. Populations of butternut are being devastated by butternut canker disease, caused by the fungus Sirococcus clavigignenti-juglandacearum (V.M.G. Nair, Kostichka, & Kuntz), which is thought to be introduced to North America. The disease causes multiple branch and stem cankers that eventually girdle trees. Small population sizes, lack of sprouting, and shade intolerance exacerbates the disease and results in permanent losses of butternut …
Spatiotemporal Dynamics In A Lower Montane Tropical Rainforest, Robert Michael Lawton
Spatiotemporal Dynamics In A Lower Montane Tropical Rainforest, Robert Michael Lawton
Doctoral Dissertations
Disturbance in a forest’s canopy, whether caused by treefall, limbfall, landslide, or fire determines not only the distribution of well-lit patches at any given time, but also the ways in which the forest changes over time. In this dissertation, I use a 25 year record of treefall gap formation find a novel and highly patterned process of forest disturbance and regeneration, providing a local mechanism by examining the factors that influence the likelihood of treefall. I then develop a stochastic cellular automaton for disturbance and regeneration based on the analysis of this long term data set and illustrate the potential …
Analysis Of Optical Spikes Reveals Dynamics Of Aggregates In The Twilight Zone, Nathan Briggs
Analysis Of Optical Spikes Reveals Dynamics Of Aggregates In The Twilight Zone, Nathan Briggs
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The "biological pump," whereby phytoplankton grow in the surface ocean, aggregate, and sink, is a critical process contributing to global atmospheric CO2 drawdown and provides the vast majority of food for deep ocean and benthic ecosystems. The strength of this pump hinges on the amount of material that stick together to form larger aggregates, the sinking rates of these aggregates, and the rate at which they are consumed as they sink. However, marine aggregates, also called "marine snow," are often fragile and notoriously difficult to sample, their sinking rates are highly variable and difficult to quantify, and their concentrations can …
Optimal Control Of Species Augmentation Conservation Strategies, Erin Nicole Bodine
Optimal Control Of Species Augmentation Conservation Strategies, Erin Nicole Bodine
Doctoral Dissertations
Species augmentation is a method of reducing species loss via augmenting declining or threatened populations with individuals from captive-bred or stable, wild populations. In this dissertation, species augmentation is analyzed in an optimal control setting to determine the optimal augmentation strategies given various constraints and settings. In each setting, we consider the effects on both the target/endangered population and a reserve population from which the individuals translocated in the augmentation are harvested. Four different optimal control formulations are explored. The first two optimal control formulations model the underlying population dynamics with a system of ordinary differential equations. Each of these …
Temporal And Spatial Assessment Of Evaporation, Transpiration, And Soil Moisture Redistribution, Brian M. Bird
Temporal And Spatial Assessment Of Evaporation, Transpiration, And Soil Moisture Redistribution, Brian M. Bird
UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones
At a native stand of creosote bush (Larrea tridentata) in North Las Vegas, a rainfall simulation study was conducted over a 12 month period from October 2005 to October 2006. Simulated rainfall occurred during the winter, spring, summer, and fall periods. Rainfall simulation systems were positioned on each of 12 plots, each containing a single creosote bush. Simulated rainfall events occurred at night with multiple short pulses designed to maximize infiltration while minimizing ponding. Yearly simulated rainfall amounts were set at 0, 15, 30 and 60 cm (replicated three times) and were approximately 0, 1.5, 3.0 and 6.0 times the …
The Mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) Fauna Of The Blackwater Ecological Preserve: Effects Of Prescribed Burns And Habitat Type On Mosquito Abundance And Distribution, Norman A. Grefe Lll
The Mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) Fauna Of The Blackwater Ecological Preserve: Effects Of Prescribed Burns And Habitat Type On Mosquito Abundance And Distribution, Norman A. Grefe Lll
Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations
While mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) are among the most studied of insect groups, much remains unknown about their distribution and response to environmental impacts such as prescribed burns. Blackwater Ecological Preserve, located near Zuni, Virginia, is a relict long leaf pine barren, parts of which undergo periodic prescribed burns to maintain and restore this fire-dependent ecosystem. To assess the impact of prescribed burns on mosquito activity and to determine associations between seasonal patterns of adult mosquito activity and habitat type, CDC light traps baited with dry ice were set (rom late April through October at Blackwater Ecological Preserve during the 2005 …
Fire: Ecology & Prevention, Justin R. Frey
The Effects Of Spruce Beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) On Fuels And Fire In Intermountain Spruce-Fir Forests, Carl Arik Jorgensen
The Effects Of Spruce Beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) On Fuels And Fire In Intermountain Spruce-Fir Forests, Carl Arik Jorgensen
All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023
In spruce-fir forests, there are many biotic and abiotic disturbances that can alter stand structure and composition. Many of these disturbances can produce high percentages of tree mortality at different scales. Spruce beetle has been considered a devastating disturbance agent, capable of creating high levels of mortality that will alter fuel complexes that may affect fire behavior. For comparison, stand data were gathered in endemic (near Loa and Moab, UT), epidemic (near Loa and Fairview, UT), and post-epidemic (near Salina and Loa, UT) condition classes of spruce beetle activity. Generally, fine fuels were higher during the epidemic and returned to …
Maternal Effects In Transmission Of Self-Medicative Behavior From Mother To Offspring In Sheep, Udita Sanga
Maternal Effects In Transmission Of Self-Medicative Behavior From Mother To Offspring In Sheep, Udita Sanga
All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023
Mammals begin learning food preferences in utero and maternally mediated influences early in life help offspring develop their feeding habits. Mammals also learn by individual experience to ingest medicinal compounds such as polyethylene glycol (PEG), which attenuates the negative post-ingestive effects of tannins, a group of potentially toxic plant secondary compounds. The objective of this study was to investigate the transmission of acquired self-medicative behavior from mother to offspring using polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a medicine to relieve malaise caused by tannins. I hypothesized that: 1) mothers trained to associate the beneficial effects of PEG while consuming tannins will pass …
Filtration And Growth Rate Of Lake Mead Quagga Mussels (Dreissena Bugensis) In Laboratory Studies And Analyses Of Bioaccumulation, Carolyn Louise Link
Filtration And Growth Rate Of Lake Mead Quagga Mussels (Dreissena Bugensis) In Laboratory Studies And Analyses Of Bioaccumulation, Carolyn Louise Link
UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones
In January of 2007, Quagga Mussels (Dreissena bugensis) were identified in Lake Mead, Nevada. An aquatic invasive species, these mussels can significantly alter ecosystems. This study sought to quantify three ecological traits of the species through a series of laboratory experiments and analyses, providing information both for comparison with Dreissena in other locations, as well as for limnologic management decisions. Filtration rate of quagga mussels was quantified using algal strains and natural seston. Two strains of green algae, Nannochloris and Scenedesmus were used to determine mussel filtration rates with a spectrophotometer. Quagga filtration rates of collected Lake Mead seston were …
Transforming Space Into Place: Development, Rock Climbing, And Interpretation In Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, 1960-2010, Megan Sharp Weatherly
Transforming Space Into Place: Development, Rock Climbing, And Interpretation In Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, 1960-2010, Megan Sharp Weatherly
UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones
Though Americans tend to view wilderness as separate from nature, environmental historians have argued that wilderness is a cultural construct more than a quantifiable geographic category. Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area (NCA), a 195,000-acre tract located west of Las Vegas, Nevada, is one such cultural construction. Since 1960, this BLM-managed parcel has served as a local and regional expression of broader, national trends in outdoor recreation, interpretation, and development and thereby forced visitors to engage (often unknowingly) in a cultural dialogue about consumerism, technology, and identity. With information from newspapers, archival collections, oral histories, and government documents, this thesis …
A Test Of The Area Of Refuge Hypothesis In Indo-Pacific Marine Biogeography, Jonnell C. Sanciangco
A Test Of The Area Of Refuge Hypothesis In Indo-Pacific Marine Biogeography, Jonnell C. Sanciangco
Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations
Many hypotheses have been proposed to explain the marine biogeographic patterns of species richness of the Indo-Pacific. One of these hypotheses suggests that available habitat area is the main predictor of species richness. This is the basis for the area of refuge hypothesis that attempts to explain the global maxima of species richness found in the Coral Triangle, the area encompassing mostly the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia. This species-area effect also has habitat heterogeneity as a potential component. The purpose of this study is to test the effects of habitat availability predictors, such as shallow water area and coastline length …
Persistent Organic Pollutants(Pops) As Tracers Of Environmental Change And Antarctic Seabird Ecology, Heidi N. C. Geisz
Persistent Organic Pollutants(Pops) As Tracers Of Environmental Change And Antarctic Seabird Ecology, Heidi N. C. Geisz
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
Antarctic seabirds including Adelie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae), south polar skuas (Catharacta maccormicki), southern giant petrels (Macronectes gigantus) are high trophic level predators that accumulate persistent organic pollutants (POPs) present in the food webs in which they forage. Little is known about the levels of POPs in some Antarctic organisms (e.g. southern giant petrels), as well as the long-term trends of POPs in the Antarctic ecosystem. Samples from all three seabird species were collected post mortem, including eggs, from the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) and in the Ross Sea throughout the austral summer breeding seasons of 2004--2006. The samples were analyzed …
Assessing The Functional Status Of Created Wetlands In Eastern Virginia Via A Soil And Vegetative Developmental Trajectory, Sara Elizabeth Kreisel
Assessing The Functional Status Of Created Wetlands In Eastern Virginia Via A Soil And Vegetative Developmental Trajectory, Sara Elizabeth Kreisel
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
No abstract provided.
Bioavailability Of Biosolids- And Consumer Product-Associated Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether (Pbde) Flame Retardants To Terrestrial Invertebrates, Michael O. Gaylor
Bioavailability Of Biosolids- And Consumer Product-Associated Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether (Pbde) Flame Retardants To Terrestrial Invertebrates, Michael O. Gaylor
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
The primary objectives of this research were therefore to evaluate polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) bioavailability to ecologically distinct soil invertebrates exposed to Penta-BDE-treated consumer polyurethane foam (PUF) products and biosolid products with incurred PBDEs. In laboratory bioassays, earthworms (Eisenia fetida) bioaccumulated SigmaPBDEs (47+99+100+183) up to 11,000 mug/kg lipid after 28 days from a mixture of artificial soil and anaerobically-digested sludge biosolid (ADB). Earthworms also bioaccumulated SigmaPBDEs (47+99+100+153+154+183) up to 13,500 and 838,000 mug/kg lipid after 28 d from a mixture of artificial soil and composted sludge biosolid (CB) and Penta-BDE-spiked artificial soil (SAS), respectively. No previous lab studies on bioaccumulation …
Effects Of Habitat Quality On Secondary Production In Shallow Estuarine Waters And The Consequences For The Benthic-Pelagic Food Web, David James Gillett
Effects Of Habitat Quality On Secondary Production In Shallow Estuarine Waters And The Consequences For The Benthic-Pelagic Food Web, David James Gillett
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
Anthropogenic degradation of coastal and estuarine habitats is an ongoing problem facing scientists, natural resource mangers, and the general public. Decreases in habitat quality produce relatively predictable changes in the structure and composition of macrobenthic communities and it has traditionally been assumed that the ecosystem functions of the community change as well. In Chesapeake Bay, the most pervasive cause for the degradation of benthic habitats is the excessive inputs of nutrients that lead to eutrophication and the accumulation of organic matter in the system. Working within this framework, a study was conducted investigating changes in macrobenthic (i.e., secondary) production along …
Habitat Complexity And Habitat Function Of Native (Crassostrea Virginica) And Non-Native (C. Ariakensis) Oysters In The Chesapeake Bay Region, Heather D. Harwell
Habitat Complexity And Habitat Function Of Native (Crassostrea Virginica) And Non-Native (C. Ariakensis) Oysters In The Chesapeake Bay Region, Heather D. Harwell
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
Complex oyster reefs created by the Eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, though once prominent features of the Chesapeake Bay region, have become relatively scarce in comparison to historic descriptions. This decline, caused by a combination of overfishing, disease, habitat destruction and pollution, this decline continues despite substantial restoration efforts that have spanned decades. In response to this decline, the states of Virginia and Maryland considered the intentional introduction of the non-native Suminoe oyster, C. ariakensis. Previous studies questioned the reef-building capability of this Crassostrea species, which may affect its habitat function. Through a combination of field and mesocosm studies, I examined …
Acoustics Of Anthropogenic Habitats: The Impact Of Noise Pollution On Eastern Bluebirds, Caitlin Rebecca Kight
Acoustics Of Anthropogenic Habitats: The Impact Of Noise Pollution On Eastern Bluebirds, Caitlin Rebecca Kight
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
An increasing number of habitats are affected by anthropogenic noise pollution, which is often louder, has a different frequency emphasis, and may occur over a different temporal scale, than natural noise. An increasing number of studies indicate that acoustically-communicating animals in such areas can modify their vocalizations in order to make themselves heard over the noise, but many questions still remain, including: How taxonomically widespread is vocal flexibility in response to anthropogenic noise, and do all vocally flexible species employ the same mechanisms to escape acoustic masking? Are there fitness repercussions for living, communicating, and breeding in noisy habitats? and, …
Copepod Carcasses, Mortality And Population Dynamics In The Tributaries Of The Lower Chesapeake Bay, David Thomas. Elliott
Copepod Carcasses, Mortality And Population Dynamics In The Tributaries Of The Lower Chesapeake Bay, David Thomas. Elliott
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
Several studies have documented the occurrence of substantial numbers of zooplankton carcasses in marine field samples. However, the potential effect of carcasses on conclusions resting on zooplankton abundance estimates, and the reasons for carcass occurrence have been largely disregarded. Many field studies do not account for the presence of carcasses in their sampling methodology. Zooplankton carcasses in situ are significant for several reasons. as concentrated particles of organic matter in the water column, zooplankton carcasses can be important vehicles for organic matter transport and hotspots of microbial abundance and activity. If dead animals are treated alive, carcasses could bias the …
Impacts Of The Spotted Spiny Lobster (Panulirus Guttatus) On The Long-Spined Sea Urchin (Diadema Antillarum) And Patch Reef Communities In The Florida Keys, Meredith D. Kintzing
Impacts Of The Spotted Spiny Lobster (Panulirus Guttatus) On The Long-Spined Sea Urchin (Diadema Antillarum) And Patch Reef Communities In The Florida Keys, Meredith D. Kintzing
Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations
Caribbean coral reefs have undergone a phase shift from a system dominated by corals to one where algae are pervasive. This shift was precipitated by the loss of herbivores, including the mass mortality of the long spined sea urchin (Diadema antillarum), coupled with disease and the recruitment failure of hermatypic corals. Diadema populations have recovered in some areas of the Caribbean, but are still below historical levels in the Florida Keys, likely due to low larval supply coupled with predation on juveniles. Lobsters are sea urchin predators in other systems and the spotted spiny lobster (Panulirus guttatus …