Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons™
Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Keyword
-
- Climate change (9)
- Conservation (9)
- Invasive species (9)
- Apoidea (5)
- Energy (5)
-
- Sustainability (5)
- Abundance (4)
- Ecosystem services (4)
- Invasive plant (4)
- Management (4)
- Massachusetts (4)
- Biological control (3)
- Climate Change (3)
- Groundwater (3)
- Gulf of Maine (3)
- Habitat (3)
- Land Use (3)
- Soil (3)
- Sustainable (3)
- Adaptation (2)
- African elephant (2)
- Agroforestry (2)
- BIODIVERSITY (2)
- Bee conservation (2)
- Biodiversity (2)
- Bird (2)
- Bombini (2)
- Bombus perplexus (2)
- Bombus sandersoni (2)
- Bombus vagans (2)
- Publication Year
- Publication
-
- Environmental Conservation Faculty Publication Series (92)
- Masters Theses (30)
- Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014 (10)
- Scott D. Jackson (10)
- Doctoral Dissertations (9)
-
- Bethany Bradley (3)
- Environmental Conservation Educational Materials (3)
- Sustainability Education Resources (3)
- Alexander Haro (2)
- Student Showcase (2)
- Center for Economic Development Technical Reports (1)
- Environmental Conservation Datasets (1)
- Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Studio and Student Research and Creative Activity (1)
- Massachusetts GIS Day (1)
- Microbiology Educational Materials (1)
- Publications (1)
- Research (1)
- School of Public Policy Capstones (1)
- Sustainability Reports & Plans (1)
- Water Fact Sheets (1)
Articles 151 - 174 of 174
Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Spatial Ecology Of Eastern Coyotes (Canis Latrans) In The Anthropogenic Landscape Of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Maili Page
Spatial Ecology Of Eastern Coyotes (Canis Latrans) In The Anthropogenic Landscape Of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Maili Page
Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014
Historically, coyotes were associated with the western United States. During their expansion eastward, coyotes have become more tolerant of humans and have been able to live in varying degrees of urbanization. One main question ecologists around the country are asking is how coyotes are surviving in anthropogenic environments. To aid in answering this question, I have compared coyote land use preference generally and specifically during coyote breeding season, winter and summer, human tourist seasons, and day and night. I also compared coyote land cover preference for deciduous and evergreen cover types during natural seasons. I found that, in general, there …
Pollinator Populations In Massachusetts Cranberry, 1990 To 2009: Changes In Diversity And Abundance, Effects Of Agricultural Intensification, And A Contribution To The North American Pollinator Survey., Molly M. Notestine
Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014
It is now widely accepted that over one-third of the global food supply depends upon pollinators. Risking severe ecological and economic implications, the status of the 4000 species of bees native to North America has been poorly understood due to a lack of long-term survey data. In this study, I conducted bee surveys on Massachusetts cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.) bogs from 2007-2009 and compared diversity and abundance data to those from historical surveys performed in 1990-1992 on the same bogs. I found that overall bee diversity declined severely in the 19-year survey period, while total bee abundance remained consistent. My …
Evaluation Of A Rapid Assessment Protocol To Assess Road-Stream Crossings For Aquatic Organism Passage, Scott D. Jackson, Denis Luken
Evaluation Of A Rapid Assessment Protocol To Assess Road-Stream Crossings For Aquatic Organism Passage, Scott D. Jackson, Denis Luken
Scott D. Jackson
The River and Stream Continuity Partnership has developed assessment protocols for evaluating the barrier effects of road-stream crossings. In addition to these protocols, the University of Massachusetts Amherst created an online database and an algorithm for scoring crossing structures according to the degree of obstruction they pose to aquatic organisms. In 2008, The Nature Conservancy and University of Massachusetts collected data to test the robustness and repeatability of the protocol and compare results with those of other fish passage models. A stratified random sample of 317 road stream crossings in Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts that had previously been …
Tools For Sustainable Development: A Comparison Of Building Performance Simulation Packages, Simi Hoque, Akanksha Sharma
Tools For Sustainable Development: A Comparison Of Building Performance Simulation Packages, Simi Hoque, Akanksha Sharma
Environmental Conservation Faculty Publication Series
The paper evaluates the energy performance of a test case (a single family home) using three different simulation software packages – REM Design, Energy Gauge and Treat. It will discuss the results of each simulation run and the reasons for variations in the results. The inputs for each of the three different simulation tools are heating, cooling, and water heating loads, building shell (exterior walls, roof, foundation, windows, doors) features, air leakage and electric consumption (lighting and appliances). The paper will also highlight the differences in data input for all three software and will underscore areas where improvements to the …
Characteristics Of Fish Yolk Proteins And A Method For Inducing Vitellogenin, Sean M. Lucey
Characteristics Of Fish Yolk Proteins And A Method For Inducing Vitellogenin, Sean M. Lucey
Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014
Teleosts are one of the most diverse groups of vertebrates. They utilize a wide array of reproductive strategies and tactics to overcome the challenges of the many ecological niches they inhabit. The most common reproductive method for teleosts is oviparity. Oviparous animals lay eggs with little or no embryonic development from the mother. The embryos are supplied with nutrition via yolk. Vitellogenesis is the process of the ovary sequestering yolk. It is regulated by exogenous environmental cues that act on the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonad axis. Through a series of hormonal controls, the liver produces the yolk precursor, vitellogenin. Vitellogenin is secreted by …
Conservation Implications Of A Marbled Salamander, Ambystoma Opacum, Metapopulation Model, Ethan B. Plunkett
Conservation Implications Of A Marbled Salamander, Ambystoma Opacum, Metapopulation Model, Ethan B. Plunkett
Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014
Amphibians are in decline globally and a significantly greater percentage of ambystomatid salamander species are in decline relative to other species; habitat loss contributes significantly to this decline. The goals of this thesis is to better understand extinction risk in a marbled salamander (ambystoma opacum) population and how forestry effects extinction risk. To achieve this goal we first estimated an important life history parameter (Chapter 1) then used a metapopulation model to estimate population viability and determine what aspects of their life history put them most at risk (Chapter 2) and finally predicted extinction risk in response to hypothetical forestry …
Climate Change: Helping Nature Survive The Human Response, Will R. Turner, Bethany A. Bradley, Lyndon D. Estes, David G. Hole, Michael Oppenheimer, David S. Wilcove
Climate Change: Helping Nature Survive The Human Response, Will R. Turner, Bethany A. Bradley, Lyndon D. Estes, David G. Hole, Michael Oppenheimer, David S. Wilcove
Environmental Conservation Faculty Publication Series
Climate change poses profound, direct, and well-documented threats to biodiversity. A significant fraction of Earth’s species is at risk of extinction due to changing precipitation and temperature regimes, rising and acidifying oceans, and other factors. There is also growing awareness of the diversity and magnitude of responses, both proactive and reactive, that people will undertake as lives and livelihoods are affected by climate change. Yet to date few studies have examined the relationship between these two powerful forces. The natural systems upon which people depend, already under direct assault from climate change, are further threatened by how we respond to …
Watershed Forest Management Information System (Wfmis), Yl Zhang, Pk Barten
Watershed Forest Management Information System (Wfmis), Yl Zhang, Pk Barten
Environmental Conservation Faculty Publication Series
Maintenance of a sustainable clean water supply is critical for our future. However, watershed degradation is a common phenomenon around the world that leads to poor water quality. In order to protect water resources, the Watershed Forest Management Information System (WFMIS), was developed as an extension of ArcGIS® and is described in this paper. There are three submodels to address nonpoint source pollution mitigation, road system management, and silvicultural operations, respectively. The Watershed Management Priority Indices (WMPI) is a zoning approach to prioritize critical areas for conservation and restoration management. It meets the critical need to spatially differentiate land cover …
Stream Simulation: An Ecological Approach To Providing Passage For Aquatic Organisms At Road-Stream Crossings
Scott D. Jackson
No abstract provided.
Utilizing A Multi-Technique, Multi-Taxa Approach To Monitoring Wildlife Passageways On The Bennington Bypass In Southern Vermont, Mark A. Bellis, Scott D. Jackson, Curtis R. Griffin, Paige S. Warren, Alan O. Thompson
Utilizing A Multi-Technique, Multi-Taxa Approach To Monitoring Wildlife Passageways On The Bennington Bypass In Southern Vermont, Mark A. Bellis, Scott D. Jackson, Curtis R. Griffin, Paige S. Warren, Alan O. Thompson
Scott D. Jackson
Roadways affect wildlife habitat disproportionate to the area of land they occupy while impacting wildlife directly through direct loss of habitat, road mortality and disruption of movement. Roadways indirectly impact wildlife by isolating populations and disrupting gene flow and metapopulation dynamics. A variety of strategies have been used with mixed success to mitigate the impacts of transportation systems on wildlife. Underpasses are commonly used to facilitate movement of wildlife across roadways in Europe, Australia, Canada and the U.S. Through 2005, 460 terrestrial and 300 aquatic crossing structures have been identified throughout the United States but only a small portion of …
Characterizing The Landscape Dynamics Of An Invasive Plant And Risk Of Invasion Using Remote Sensing, Bethany Bradley, J. F. Mustard
Characterizing The Landscape Dynamics Of An Invasive Plant And Risk Of Invasion Using Remote Sensing, Bethany Bradley, J. F. Mustard
Bethany Bradley
Improved understanding of the spatial dynamics of invasive plant species may lead to more effective land management and reduced future invasion. Here, we identified the spatial extents of nonnative cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) in the north central Great Basin using remotely sensed data from Landsat MSS, TM, and ETM+. We compared cheatgrass extents in 1973 and 2001 to six spatially explicit landscape variables: elevation, aspect, hydrographic channels, cultivation, roads, and power lines. In 2001, Cheatgrass was 10% more likely to be found in elevation ranges from 1400 to 1700 m (although the data suggest a preferential invasion into lower elevations by …
Characterizing The Landscape Dynamics Of An Invasive Plant And Risk Of Invasion Using Remote Sensing, Bethany Bradley, John F. Mustard
Characterizing The Landscape Dynamics Of An Invasive Plant And Risk Of Invasion Using Remote Sensing, Bethany Bradley, John F. Mustard
Environmental Conservation Faculty Publication Series
Improved understanding of the spatial dynamics of invasive plant species may lead to more effective land management and reduced future invasion. Here, we identified the spatial extents of nonnative cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) in the north central Great Basin using remotely sensed data from Landsat MSS, TM, and ETM+. We compared cheatgrass extents in 1973 and 2001 to six spatially explicit landscape variables: elevation, aspect, hydrographic channels, cultivation, roads, and power lines. In 2001, Cheatgrass was 10% more likely to be found in elevation ranges from 1400 to 1700 m (although the data suggest a preferential invasion into lower elevations by …
Ecological Considerations In The Design Of River And Stream Crossings, Scott D. Jackson
Ecological Considerations In The Design Of River And Stream Crossings, Scott D. Jackson
Scott D. Jackson
As long linear ecosystems, rivers and streams are particularly vulnerable to fragmentation. There is growing concern about the role of road crossings – and especially culverts – in altering habitats and disrupting river and stream continuity. Most of the culverts currently in place were designed with the principal objective of moving water across a road alignment. Little consideration was given to ecosystem processes such as the natural hydrology, sediment transport, fish and wildlife passage, or the movement of woody debris. It is not surprising then that many culverts significantly disrupt the movement of aquatic organisms. Survival of individual animals, facilitation …
Medusae Fossae Formation: New Perspectives From Mars Global Surveyor, Bethany Bradley, S. E.H Sakimoto, H. Frey, J. R. Zimbelman
Medusae Fossae Formation: New Perspectives From Mars Global Surveyor, Bethany Bradley, S. E.H Sakimoto, H. Frey, J. R. Zimbelman
Bethany Bradley
The nature and origin of the Medusae Fossae Formation (MFF) on Mars has been debated since the return of the first Viking images. The MFF's young age, distinctive surface texture, and lack of obvious source have prompted multiple hypotheses for its origin. This study uses data from the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) mission to examine the MFF at all available scales. We discuss and quantify observations from Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) topography and Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) images to better constrain the origin of the MFF. Topographic grid estimates yield a present extent of 2.1 × 106 km2 and …
Does Availability Of Anthropogenic Food Enhance Densities Of Omnivorous Mammals? An Example With Coyotes In Southern California, Jose M. Fedriani, Todd K. Fuller, Raymond M. Sauvajot
Does Availability Of Anthropogenic Food Enhance Densities Of Omnivorous Mammals? An Example With Coyotes In Southern California, Jose M. Fedriani, Todd K. Fuller, Raymond M. Sauvajot
Environmental Conservation Faculty Publication Series
To evaluate whether the abundance of coyotes Canis latrans was influenced by the availability of anthropogenic foods in a humanized landscape, we compared three neighboring areas (hereafter referred to as NA, CA, and SA) under contrasting human pressures within the Santa Monica Mountains of California, USA. We quantified the use of anthropogenic foods by coyotes and assessed local densities within these three regions. Overall, 761 coyote feces were analyzed; identified food items were categorized into 11 food types (7 native and 4 anthropogenic). Though small mammals (lagomorphs and rodents) were the main prey of coyotes in all areas and seasons, …
Notes On The Ecology Of Sympatric Small Carnivores In Southeastern China, H Wang, Tk Fuller
Notes On The Ecology Of Sympatric Small Carnivores In Southeastern China, H Wang, Tk Fuller
Environmental Conservation Faculty Publication Series
No abstract provided.
Overview Of Transportation Impacts On Wildlife Movement And Populations, Scott D. Jackson
Overview Of Transportation Impacts On Wildlife Movement And Populations, Scott D. Jackson
Scott D. Jackson
As long linear features on the landscape, railways, roads and highways have impacts on wildlife and wildlife habitat that are disproportionate to the area of land that they occupy. In addition to impacts on habitat, highways and railways are sources of road mortality that threaten wildlife populations. Indirect effects on wildlife include reduced access to habitat due to road avoidance and human exploitation. Transportation infrastructure also undermines ecological processes through the fragmentation of wildlife populations, restriction of wildlife movements, and the disruption of gene flow and metapopulation dynamics. A variety of techniques have been used to mitigate the impacts of …
A Strategy For Mitigating Highway Impacts On Wildlife, Scott D. Jackson, C. R. Griffin
A Strategy For Mitigating Highway Impacts On Wildlife, Scott D. Jackson, C. R. Griffin
Scott D. Jackson
Animal passage systems can be designed to facilitate movement of certain wildlife species across highways. Where the conservation of a particular species or group of species is concerned, specifically designed mitigation has proven successful for a number of species. However, the effectiveness of highway mitigation systems has not been evaluated with respect to the vast majority of wildlife. It is probable that some species do not require specific design features while others will require careful attention to factors such as placement, size, substrate, noise, temperature, light and moisture. In areas where road and highway density is high, conservation of particular …
Behavior And Passage Of Silver-Phase American Eels, Anguilla Rostrata (Lesueur), At A Small Hydroelectric Facility, Alex Haro, Ted Castro-Santos, Jacques Boubee
Behavior And Passage Of Silver-Phase American Eels, Anguilla Rostrata (Lesueur), At A Small Hydroelectric Facility, Alex Haro, Ted Castro-Santos, Jacques Boubee
Alexander Haro
Downstream migrant eels were monitored near a small (51 MW) hydroelectric facility on the Connecticut River (Massachusetts, USA) for two seasons using acoustic and radio telemetry. Eels frequently made several attempts over periods of one to several days to pass the station. Diel activity of eels was variable, although most movements occurred at night. Eels occupied a variety of depths in the forebay area, but spent the greater proportion of time at or near the bottom (10 m), occasionally venturing to the surface. Horizontal movements usually spanned across the entire width of the forebay. There was no significant relationship between …
Competition And Intraguild Predation Among Three Sympatric Carnivores, Jose M. Fedriani, Todd K. Fuller, Raymond M. Sauvajot, Eric C. York
Competition And Intraguild Predation Among Three Sympatric Carnivores, Jose M. Fedriani, Todd K. Fuller, Raymond M. Sauvajot, Eric C. York
Environmental Conservation Faculty Publication Series
We examined the relative roles of dominance in agonistic interactions and energetic constraints related to body size in determining local abundances of coyotes (Canis latrans, 8–20 kg), gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus, 3–5 kg) and bobcats (Felis rufus, 5–15 kg) at three study sites (hereafter referred to as NP, CP, and SP) in the Santa Monica Mountains of California. We hypothesized that the largest and behaviorally dominant species, the coyote, would exploit a wider range of resources (i.e., a higher number of habitat and/or food types) and, consequently, would occur in higher density than the other two carnivores. We evaluated our …
Infectious Disease And The Conservation Of Free-Ranging Large Carnivores, Dennis L. Murray, Cynthia A. Kapke, James F. Evermann, Todd K. Fuller
Infectious Disease And The Conservation Of Free-Ranging Large Carnivores, Dennis L. Murray, Cynthia A. Kapke, James F. Evermann, Todd K. Fuller
Environmental Conservation Faculty Publication Series
Large carnivores are of vital importance to the stability and integrity of most ecosystems, but recent declines in free-ranging populations have highlighted the potentially devastating effect of infectious diseases on their conservation. We reviewed the literature on infectious diseases of 34 large (maximum body mass of adults >20 kg) terrestrial carnivore species, 18 of which are considered to be threatened in the wild, and examined reports of antibody prevalence (seroprevalence) and cases of infection, mortality and population decline. Of 52 diseases examined, 44% were viral, 31% bacterial and the remainder were protozoal or fungal. Many infections were endemic in carnivores …
A Build-Out Study Of The Mid-Connecticut Valley Of Massachusetts, Center For Economic Development
A Build-Out Study Of The Mid-Connecticut Valley Of Massachusetts, Center For Economic Development
Center for Economic Development Technical Reports
This is a study of growth potential in seven towns located along an east-west axis in the mid Connecticut River Valley in western Massachusetts. It employs a planning method commonly described as a build-out analysis in which lands are identified that are both physically suitable and available for future development. Zoning regulations, population growth projections, land conservation trends, and other constraints are then used to project different growth scenarios that result in estimations of the number of new residences that can be accommodated over time and the increases in population that would be likely based on those. The results of …
Underpass Systems For Amphibians, Scott D. Jackson
Underpass Systems For Amphibians, Scott D. Jackson
Scott D. Jackson
No abstract provided.
Effectiveness Of Drift Fences And Tunnels For Moving Spotted Salamanders Ambystoma Maculatum Under Roads, Scott D. Jackson, T. F. Tyning
Effectiveness Of Drift Fences And Tunnels For Moving Spotted Salamanders Ambystoma Maculatum Under Roads, Scott D. Jackson, T. F. Tyning
Scott D. Jackson
No abstract provided.