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Investigating Changes In Permeability Caused By The Transport And Retention Of Microplastics In Saturated Sand Columns, Iliansherry Santiago

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Microplastics (MPs), plastic particles present and continuously moving in our environment, represent a contaminant of global concern to the scientific community and society. MPs are particles less than 5 mm and are ubiquitous in our surroundings and the environment. MPs have been detected in oceans, soils, freshwater, drinking water and groundwater. MPs are considered contaminants of emerging concern (CEC), as they contain toxic components and serve as carriers for other contaminants that may affect the ecology and human health. Limited laboratory and field experiments demonstrate that MPs are transported and retained in porous media of a groundwater aquifer. A research …

Noteworthy Parasites (Trematoda, Cestoda, Phthiraptera) Of Three Birds (Aves: Passeriformes; Pelecaniformes; Piciformes) From Arkansas, C.T. Mcallister, H.W. Robison

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Between November 2020 and March 2021, three species of birds, one each of a tufted titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor), pileated woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus), and great blue heron (Ardea herodias) were salvaged from Lawrence and Polk counties, Arkansas, and examined for parasites. Found were four taxa of parasites, including a dicrocoeliid trematode, a cyclophyllidean cestode, and species of philopterid and menoponid lice. We document new host and distributional records for these parasites from select birds of the state.

Spermiogenesis In The Western Siren, Siren Nettingi (Caudata: Sirenidae), S.E. Trauth

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

I investigated spermiogenesis in the Western Siren, Siren nettingi (formerly Western Lesser Siren, Siren intermedia nettingi) from salamanders collected periodically over a span of 21 yr (1994–2015) in northeastern Arkansas. My primary objective in this study is to present histologically and ultrastructurally, for the first time, the novel sequence of spermatological events of the spermiogenic process in this species. I describe the transformational stages from secondary spermatocytes to mature biflagellated spermatozoa, all of which occur within the lumen of testicular lobules. These new-to-science processes begin with nuclear displacement and expansion within spermatids, which occur after their detachment from Sertoli cells …

Histomorphology Of The Distal Urogenital Ducts In The Male Northern Crawfish Frog, Rana Areolata Circulosa (Anura: Ranidae), S.E. Trauth, R.G. Neal

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

We examined the microanatomy of the distal urogenital ducts in the male Northern Crawfish Frog (Rana areolata circulosa) from a small sample (n = 5) collected in February and March from central Arkansas over a 5-year period (2017–2022). Specifically, we sought information on the following structures: (1) the paired Wolffian (urogenital) ducts caudally from the kidneys to their merging with the urodeum of the cloaca, (2) the paired seminal vesicles (sperm storage structures), and (3) the paired Müllerian ducts and glands. This study provides new information on these urogenital ducts and promotes a clearer understanding of this anatomical region for …

Keynote Address And Meeting Program, Academy Editors

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Instructions To Authors, Academy Editors

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Evaluating Benthic Macroinvertebrate Populations In Response To Scouring Events In The Trinity River, Ca, Liam Hay, Michael W. O'Neil, Chloe Pieper-Wasem

Environmental Science & Management Senior Capstones

River systems across California have been impacted by appurtenant structures such as dams and diversions. These structures have had an adverse impact on Benthic invertebrate (BMI) communities by regulating river systems and changing the natural hydraulic pulses that follow seasonal precipitation. Benthic invertebrates are a critical food resource for salmonids and serve as an indicator of ecosystem health. Our study was interested in seeing the effects of scouring events on BMI in the Trinity River of Trinity County, C.A. Following a large precipitation event that occurred in the region in December 2022, an influx of water entered the river through …

Futures On Dry Ground: Anthropology And Coastal Planning, Theodore Hilton, Sheehan Moore

Publications and Research

Around the world, governments, industry, and other actors are creating plans to save coasts from environmental crisis. Louisiana is one prominent example: levees and other measures protect oil and gas infrastructure from inundation as the wetlands buffer rapidly erodes—in large part due to that same industry. The state’s primary answer to land loss is a $50 billion Coastal Master Plan. To illuminate such responses in Louisiana and globally, this article reviews emerging literature and frames an anthropology of coastal planning around three themes: (1) novel orientations toward time and space, (2) the reproduction of power and capital in the name …

Causes, Responses, And Implications Of Anthropogenic Versus Natural Flow Intermittence In River Networks, Kendra E. Kaiser

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Rivers that do not flow year-round are the predominant type of running waters on Earth. Despite a burgeoning literature on natural flow intermittence (NFI), knowledge about the hydrological causes and ecological effects of human-induced, anthropogenic flow intermittence (AFI) remains limited. NFI and AFI could generate contrasting hydrological and biological responses in rivers because of distinct underlying causes of drying and evolutionary adaptations of their biota. We first review the causes of AFI and show how different anthropogenic drivers alter the timing, frequency and duration of drying, compared with NFI. Second, we evaluate the possible differences in biodiversity responses, ecological functions, …

Breakwater: Anti-Blackness In Geoscience Lessons From Long Beach, Ca, Christina Marsh

Pomona Senior Theses

Breakwaters are more than just physical structures that protect against storm surges and in the context of Long Beach, CA, my hometown, they are actualizations of economic, social, environmental, geologic, and policy challenges. Inspired by Trace: Memory, History, Race, and the American Landscape by Lauret Savoy, and Teaching to Transgress by bell hooks, I use an extended metaphor and autoethnographic approach to connect a chronology of my educational life to the physical structure of a breakwater. Where the breakwater also acts as a signifier of my personal experiences of seeing it, questioning its purpose, and not always finding an answer. …

Using 3-Dimensional Mapping To Determine The Possibility Of Structural Control On Development Of The Upper Ordovician Lexington Limestone, Central Kentucky, U.S.A., Sean Davis

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

The upper Lexington Limestone of Late Ordovician age has been interpreted to represent a structurally controlled, complex, facies mosaic. This facies mosaic has historically been interpreted to be a carbonate buildup of shoal complexes with interbedded shale units with intertonguing facies. Due to relatively recent advances in geographic-information-systems (GIS) mapping technologies, it is possible to generate three-dimensional (3-D) compatible maps to offer insight to the complexities of the upper Lexington Limestone and to determine if structural control affected the distribution of members. The resulting two-dimensional (2-D) and 3-D maps show that basement faults likely exerted a significant influence on facies …

Destruction Of Pfoa On Ion-Exchange Resin With Advanced Reduction Processes To Regenerate Resins For Addressing Pfoa Pollution In Drinking Water, Junkui Cui

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been globally incorporated into various industrial and consumer products since the 1940s. However, concerns about PFAS have gradually grown because of their prevalence, mobility, persistence, bioaccumulation, and adverse impacts on human and environmental health. Unfortunately, traditional water treatment processes inefficiently remove PFAS. Therefore, there is an urgent research need to develop innovative, technically viable, and low cost-treatment processes for the removal of PFAS in water.

Among the established PFAS treatment technologies, ion-exchange (IX) has been extensively applied to drinking water treatment practices due to its adsorption capability and technology maturity. However, IX is highly …

Road Salt-Induced Salinization Of The Upper Paulins Kill River In Newton, New Jersey, Kristine Emily Rogers

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Road salt application is a primary factor leading to the salinization of freshwater rivers and streams throughout the Northeastern United States and globally. Rising salinization within fresh water bodies is problematic because it can modify community structure and detritus processing within freshwater ecosystems, induce mortality among macroinvertebrates and other aquatic life, and mobilize metals that can pose harm to human health. Road salts also threaten surface and underground drinking water supplies, kill riparian vegetation, and corrode infrastructure, such as bridges and roads. This research examines 4 1⁄2 years of continuous water quality monitoring data collected from two sensor stations along …

Business Meeting Report (Secretary's And Treasurer's Report), Academy Editors

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Lead Exposure On Birds Breeding In The Southeast Missouri Lead Mining District, Rebecka Brasso, Danielle Cleveland, Frank R. Thompson Iii, David E. Mosby, Kathy Hixson, Melissa Roach, Barnett A. Rattner, Natalie K. Karouna-Renier, Julia S. Lankton

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Lead mining in the Southeast Missouri Lead Mining District began in the 1700s and continued for nearly 300 years; the waste piles associated with smelting, mining, and milling of lead ores have released metal residues that have contaminated soil and water in the region. Previous studies in the district have indicated potential harm to wildlife, including birds, because of elevated lead concentrations associated with mining. Exposure to soil-borne lead was correlated with elevated lead concentrations in tissues, inhibition of δ-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (δALAD), and renal lesions in birds foraging on ground-dwelling invertebrates at contaminated sites (compared to reference sites) in …

Festival Of Research Abstracts, 2023, College Of Science And Mathematics, Wright State University

Festival of Research

The collection of abstracts accepted for the 2023 Festival of Research hosted by the Wright State University College of Science and Mathematics.

Timing Of Diversification, Dispersal, And Biogeography Of Parrots In The Genus Amazona (Psittaciformes: Psittacidae) Throughout The Caribbean, Visualized In Gis, Christopher Kingwill

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Avian fossil records from across the Caribbean (Greater and Lesser Antilles) demonstrate higher avian diversity prior to extinction events due to climate change at the end of the Pleistocene and human impact across the Caribbean throughout the Holocene. Amazon parrots (Amazona) are a diverse genus of New World parrots found throughout Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean. Their phylogeny and evolutionary history, specifically for Caribbean species, has been debated in terms of source areas in Central and South America and the timing of and number of colonization events to different islands that preceded diversification into …

Hypogene Speleogenesis In The Grand Canyon; Observational, Mineralogical, And Geochemical Investigations From The Bopper Cave System, Sierra Heimel

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

One of the most prominent features of the Grand Canyon is the iron-stained Redwall Limestone, which has been documented to contain extensive cave systems with significant storage potential in the karstic Redwall-Muav (R-M) aquifer. The hydrogeologic relationships between the R-M aquifer and cave formation in the Grand Canyon via descending (epigenic) surface waters have been well documented. However; the potentially large role of deeply sourced (hypogenic) waters rising from depth in relation to cave formation is poorly understood. The Bopper Cave System (BCS) is a relict feature of the ancient abandoned hydrologic system at Grand Canyon and displays unique network …

Alexander Von Humboldt: Explorer, Naturalist, And Environmental Pioneer (2019) By Danica Novgorodoff, Peter Shea

Picture Books

As a young boy, Alexander Von Humboldt came up with divergent questions about the birds and mountains and animals he saw, and brought all those questions together under two big questions that stayed important for him over a long life: “How are these things different?” and “How are they nevertheless connected?” As the reader watches Humboldt looking at a hawk and a mouse, volcanoes and farmland, palm trees and pine trees, Europe and Ecuador, Europeans and Indigenous people, one comes to expect what he will say: “They are different, and yet they are connected.” This idea is much bigger than …

Least Flycatchers Under-Reported In Fall Migration In Arkansas —A Citizen Science Conundrum, L. Barnes, R. Kannan

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

The Least Flycatcher Empidonax minimus is a small passerine migrant bird that passes through Arkansas in fall and spring migration. The birds are vocal during spring passage but relatively quiet and unobtrusive during fall migration, leading to many fewer reports by birdwatchers in fall than spring. We use eBird maps and data to present evidence to support this discrepancy between fall and spring observations. We also show that the species is under-reported in Arkansas during the fall compared to neighboring regions. This may be in part due to the reluctance of some birders to provide the minimal evidence required to …

Citizen Science: Role Of Inaturalist In Biodiversity Documentation And Education In Arkansas, K. Baker, L. Barnes, S. Rana, J. Jackson, R. Kannan

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

iNaturalist is a global online digital platform for documenting and fostering interest in biodiversity, with Research Grade (RG) entries being vetted and scientifically valid observations. Here we present a review of the role of approximately 16,000 Arkansans using the iNaturalist tool for recording 445,000 verifiable observations comprising 10,800 species, with 40 percent RG, and one third of observations still pending confirmation. Overall, plants lead in RG observations followed by invertebrates and birds. Within these groups, reptiles lead in proportion of RG observations, followed by birds and amphibians. Less charismatic or infrequently encountered organisms are less represented. Arkansas ranks about average …

Energy Content Of Grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Acrididae) In The Diet Of Scaled Quail (Callipepla Squamata) In Southeastern New Mexico, J.L. Hunt, M.E. Grilliot, T.L. Best, C.M. Wilkerson, A.F. Huitt

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Acrididae) are common insects that are important food items for many kinds of wildlife, including many species of upland game birds such as scaled quail (Callipepla squamata). We analyzed the energy content of grasshoppers obtained from the crops of scaled quail collected from plainsmesa sand-scrub in Lea and Eddy counties, New Mexico. Grasshoppers were removed from crops and dried for 48 hours at 60°C to remove moisture and standardize masses. Grasshoppers were then pulverized and analyzed for gross caloric value (i.e., energy content) in an oxygen bomb calorimeter. Energy content of grasshoppers from New Mexico averaged 19.2 J/kg …

The Anatomy And Phylogeny Of A New Large Plioplatecarpine Mosasaur From The Campanian Bearpaw Shale Of Montana (Usa), Richard A. Carr

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

In 2018, a large and associated plioplatecarpine mosasaur skull, pectoral girdle, and rib cage, whose total body length may have exceeded five meters, was uncovered in the Late Campanian Bearpaw Shale of Northeast Montana (USA). Phylogenetic analysis of this specimen, MOR 10855, recovers this individual as a basal member of the genus Plioplatecarpus. This specimen, is unique in that it is estimated to be nearly twice the size of any of the other species of Plioplatecarpus found in the Western Interior Seaway during this part of the Cretaceous. While the included phylogenetic study suggests MOR 10855 represents a new …

Soil And Compost Tea: A New Restoration Technique?, Carol E. Day

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Historically, prairie restorations have lacked the plant diversity seen in remnant prairies. Most restoration practices focus on reestablishing the plant community but overlook the soil microbial community even though microbes are critical to habitat functioning. Developing techniques that increase soil microbes in prairie restorations is critical to ensuring diverse restored habitats. We compared how microbial communities differed between remnant and restored prairie sites. We also investigated if soil and compost teas could be used to reintroduce microbes to restored prairie soil and if the teas affected native plant establishment. We found significant differences in the levels of bacterial taxa between …

Neoichnological Framework Of Coastal Habitat Shifts Represented By Bahamian Decapod Burrows, Ilya Val Buynevich, Karen Kopcznski, Christopher Sparacio, H. Allen Curran

Geosciences: Faculty Publications

In coastal settings, the cumulative spatial and temporal impacts of burrowing, ichnofabric formation, and biodeposition by large crustaceans have been largely neglected at zoogeomorphic scales. These traces also serve as important (paleo-)environmental and (paleo)hydrologic indicators, both vertical (tidal or groundwater level) and lateral (areal wetland or basin extent). To date, 354 only few studies have addressed the comparative value of decapod ichnites generated by land crabs in carbonate settings. The aim of this paper is to introduce a general conceptual framework for burrows created by three crab species in the Bahama Archipelago, using examples from San Salvador Island.

New Host Records Of Apicomplexan Blood Parasites (Haemogregarinidae And Hepatozoidae) Infecting Two Reptiles (Testudines; Ophidia) From Arkansas, C.T. Mcallister, H.W. Robison

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Relatively few records of apicomplexan blood parasites from reptiles in Arkansas have been published although the effects of these parasites on reptilian health may be of concern. Using photomicrographs we describe the morphotypes of parasite gamonts found in blood samples from the Midland smooth softshell turtle, Apalone mutica mutica, and a western Milksnake Lampropeltis gentilis from Arkansas. The turtle possessed four distinct morphological gamont forms of a Haemogregarina sp. The snake possessed two morphological forms of gamonts of a Hepatozoon sp. Both infections are new host records and the western milksnake has not been described as a host elsewhere for …

Estimating Evapotranspiration And Analyzing Soil Moisture And Heat Flux Parameters At Taneum Creek, Central Washington, Edward Vlasenko

All Master's Theses

In the past two decades, stream restoration work, primarily in the form of wood emplacement, has been undertaken in the Taneum Creek watershed, resulting in increased channel-floodplain connectivity. One of the goals of stream restoration was to boost dry season groundwater storage in the shallow floodplain aquifer. However, any gains in groundwater due to increased connectivity may be nullified by increased evapotranspiration (ET) losses because of denser floodplain vegetation. Within the floodplain aquifer budget, ET is a major flow of water out of the system and is not well quantified.

In order to quantify ET, a monitoring site was established …

Effects Of Velocity And Substrate Size On The Formation Of Zebra Mussel Druses, Ian Mott

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Zebra Mussels Dreissena polymorpha are an invasive bivalve species that are highly successful at dominating new environments. These invaders have been known to colonize substrate so thoroughly that all they have to attach to are members of their own species. When large mats of interconnected mussels completely cover a riverbed, it can have a drastic effect on the surrounding environment. This study serves to create a better understanding of the hydrologic parameters needed for Zebra Mussels to create these ecosystem-transforming colonies known as druses. Data was collected on a small stretch of the Upper Mississippi River in Northern Minnesota, previously …

Effects Of Peri-Urbanization On Coastal Sage Scrub Ant Species In Baja California, Alejandro E. Mieles, Margaret A. Voss, Estelí Jiménez-Soto

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

Increasing urbanization on the Baja California Peninsula threatens ant diversity. Reductions in ant species diminish ecosystem services provided to semiarid coastal scrub areas. Peri-urban areas in particular are at high risk of reductions in ant biodiversity due to development. To document and evaluate ant species diversity and richness in a rapidly developing area, nine sites were sampled within areas of coastal sage scrub (CSS) encircling the urban periphery of Ensenada, Baja California. Forty species and 17 genera of ants were collected, only one of which was non-native. Although the sampled area represents less than 1% of the peninsula and 3% …

Naturally Occurring Vegetation Connectivity Facilitates Ant-Mediated Coffee Berry Borer Removal, Sanya Cowal, Jonathan R. Morris, Estelí Jiménez-Soto, Stacy M. Philpott

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

Vegetation connectivity is an essential aspect of the habitat complexity that impacts species interactions at local scales. However, agricultural intensification reduces connectivity in agroforestry systems, including coffee agroecosystems, which may hinder the movement of natural enemies and reduce the ecosystem services that they provide. Ants play an important role in regulating the coffee berry borer (CBB), which is the most damaging coffee pest. For arboreal ant communities, the connections between trees are important structures that facilitate ant mobility, resource recruitment, foraging success, and pest control ability. To better understand how connectivity impacts arboreal ants in coffee agroecosystems, we conducted an …