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Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

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Articles 4321 - 4350 of 19707

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Table Of Contents Jan 2022

Table Of Contents

Human–Wildlife Interactions

This is the table of contents.

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Revitalizing Conservation And Management Of The American Crocodile (Crocodylus Acutus) In The Dominican Republic, Robert Greco Jan 2022

Revitalizing Conservation And Management Of The American Crocodile (Crocodylus Acutus) In The Dominican Republic, Robert Greco

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Crocodilian populations declined globally during the 20th century because of overhunting and habitat loss. Some crocodilian populations have recovered recently through legal protections and habitat restoration, but the status of many crocodilian populations are still unknown because of a lack of recent data. The American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) population in the Dominican Republic (DR) is one of these data-deficient populations, with country-wide surveys not carried out since the 1980s. From May through July 2021 we surveyed areas within DR where C. acutus is still likely residing. Our surveys yielded no crocodile sightings in Monte Cristi, suggesting that …

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Evolution Of Life-History Characteristics In Gadoidei, Joshua Hittie Jan 2022

Evolution Of Life-History Characteristics In Gadoidei, Joshua Hittie

Master's Theses

Life-history characteristics (e.g., age and growth) have been used extensively to understand the temporal population dynamics of fish species, but less so within a phylogenetic framework. This study investigates life-history characteristics within the suborder Gadoidei (order: Gadiformes) and to test the extent of phylogenetic signal for those characteristics. To accomplish this, a phylogeny of Gadoidei was first constructed based on both mitochondrial and nuclear genes. Within this phylogenetic framework, life-history traits, including growth rate, age at maturity, and longevity, as well as ecological data, such as water depth and diet type, were mapped to the phylogeny using parsimony analysis to …

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Three-Dimensional Staging Series Of Anolis Sagrei, Lilian Epperlein Jan 2022

Three-Dimensional Staging Series Of Anolis Sagrei, Lilian Epperlein

Master's Theses

With the rapid rise of Evo-devo and the concurrent development of new imaging techniques, comparative studies of development have accelerated over the last decade. Squamates, lizards and snakes, lack a traditional experimental model species for developmental investigations, yet are important for understanding fundamental evolutionary questions because of their remarkable diversity. However, several squamate species have growing communities of biologists building new resources for comparative and experimental studies of lizard development. Creation of detailed embryological atlases for these species will help promote their advancement. In the past, scientists have had to rely on destructive methods to take apart biological samples which …

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Can Gdp Be Predictive Of Fertility Rates In Sweden?, Hannah Coleman Jan 2022

Can Gdp Be Predictive Of Fertility Rates In Sweden?, Hannah Coleman

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Fertility rates in a country vary and can be influenced by numerous different aspects of an individual’s life and the society in which they live. One aspect that may influence fertility rates at the national level is the gross domestic product (GDP). GDP is an indicator of a country’s economic productivity. Because fertility is linked to both economic development and individual resources, GDP may be a useful indicator of fertility rates. If so, knowing or predicting GDP could be used to project the fertility rates of a population years into the future. To determine if a reasonable connection between GDP …

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Radon (222rn) As Tracer For Submarine Groundwater Discharge Investigation—Limitations Of The Approach At Shallow Wind-Exposed Coastal Settings, Michael Schubert, Jan Scholten, Matthias Kreuzburg, Eric Petermann, Mariele Lopes De Paiva, Dennis Kohler, V. Liebetrau, John Rapaglia, Michael Schlüter Jan 2022

Radon (222rn) As Tracer For Submarine Groundwater Discharge Investigation—Limitations Of The Approach At Shallow Wind-Exposed Coastal Settings, Michael Schubert, Jan Scholten, Matthias Kreuzburg, Eric Petermann, Mariele Lopes De Paiva, Dennis Kohler, V. Liebetrau, John Rapaglia, Michael Schlüter

Biology Faculty Publications

Mapping radon (222Rn) distribution patterns in the coastal sea is a widely applied method for localizing and quantifying submarine groundwater discharge (SGD). While the literature reports a wide range of successful case studies, methodical problems that might occur in shallow wind-exposed coastal settings are generally neglected. This paper evaluates causes and effects that resulted in a failure of the radon approach at a distinct shallow wind-exposed location in the Baltic Sea. Based on a simple radon mass balance model, we discuss the effect of both wind speed and wind direction as causal for this failure. We show that at coastal …

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Advancing Forest Structure-Function Relationships: Linking Above- And Belowground Structure To Soil Respiration, Laura J. Hickey Jan 2022

Advancing Forest Structure-Function Relationships: Linking Above- And Belowground Structure To Soil Respiration, Laura J. Hickey

Theses and Dissertations

Variation in the soil-to-atmosphere C flux, or soil respiration (Rs), is influenced by a suite of biotic and abiotic factors, including soil temperature, soil moisture, and root biomass. However, whether canopy structure is tied to soil respiration through its simultaneous influence over these drivers is not known. We assessed relationships between measures of above- and belowground vegetation density and complexity, and evaluated whether Rs is linked to remotely sensed canopy structure through pathways mediated by established biotic and abiotic mechanisms. Our results revealed that, at stand-scale, canopy rugosity–a measure of complexity–and vegetation area index were coupled to soil respiration through …

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Biotic Characteristics Of Managed And Unmanaged Coastal Dunes In The Outer Banks, North Carolina, Andrew E. White Jan 2022

Biotic Characteristics Of Managed And Unmanaged Coastal Dunes In The Outer Banks, North Carolina, Andrew E. White

Theses and Dissertations

Under future climate change and sea level rise scenarios, Natural and Nature-Based Features (e.g., dunes) that protect coastal habitat and infrastructure will be exposed to increased wave energy and storm surge. Understanding how these forces will impact coastal dunes is necessary for their continued use as protective features. Coastal dunes develop through feedback between vegetation and sediment deposition, a process complicated by species-specific growth rates and responses to burial. Wave flume studies have tested the effects of dune vegetation on erosion and found multiple plant organs across several functional types to be important for resisting erosion. Although dune building and …

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Identifying The Human Homologs Of Yeast Rab Proteins Ypt10 & Ypt11 And A Global-Scale Louse Endosymbiont Genome Variation, Nathaniel P. Smith Jan 2022

Identifying The Human Homologs Of Yeast Rab Proteins Ypt10 & Ypt11 And A Global-Scale Louse Endosymbiont Genome Variation, Nathaniel P. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a late-onset fatal neurodegenerative disease that causes loss of upper and/or lower motor neurons, and currently has no treatment or cure available. Over 90% of cases occur spontaneously with unknown causes, highlighting the complexity of the disease, and only 10% of cases are linked to heritable genetic mutations. Numerous ALS-linked genes are conserved through evolution, and model organisms may therefore provide opportunities to understand disease pathology at a molecular or cellular level, proving instrumental in identifying therapeutic targets. ALS subtype 8 (ALS8) is caused by an autosomal dominant P56S mutation in the VAPB gene that …

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Ecological Changes Of The Lower Niobrara River Valley And Lewis And Clark Lake Delta From Past To Present, Madalyn Christine Bollig Jan 2022

Ecological Changes Of The Lower Niobrara River Valley And Lewis And Clark Lake Delta From Past To Present, Madalyn Christine Bollig

Dissertations and Theses

Over half of the world’s large river systems are impacted by dams. These may prevent sediment flow downstream, resulting in accumulation in the upstream reservoir. On the Missouri River, deltas and associated backwater-affected areas occur in nine locations across six reservoirs. One of these, the Lewis and Clark Lake delta-backwater, is influenced by sediment inputs from both the Missouri River and the Niobrara River. While the extension of the prograding delta into the reservoir has been well documented, there has been little research on upstream (backwater) effects of the delta on the lower Niobrara River. This study examined ecological changes …

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Phylogenetic And Geographic Relationships Of Cheilostome Bryozoans In The Eastern Pacific, Hannah E. Lee Jan 2022

Phylogenetic And Geographic Relationships Of Cheilostome Bryozoans In The Eastern Pacific, Hannah E. Lee

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The phylum Bryozoa is an incredibly diverse group of marine invertebrates with a widespread global distribution that is well suited for evolutionary studies but whose phylogenetic relationships are still poorly understood. Although recent studies on bryozoan taxonomies and phylogenies have increased, there is still a lack of assessment of species found at shallow water (<1 m) to intertidal depths. In this study, I aimed to expand the taxonomic sampling and assessment of the phylogenetic diversity of cheilostome bryozoans along the California coastline by utilizing mitochondrial DNA as well as inferring potential correlations between species presence and dispersal range both within and between rocky outer coast and sheltered harbor habitats. Illumina high-throughput sequencing was used to produce mitogenomes for cheilostome bryozoan samples collected off rocks from two rocky intertidal sites and off settlement panels from two harbor sites. Phylogenetic analyses generated evolutionary hypotheses of species relationships alongside geographic mapping of their distribution. This study identified 15 distinct species that represent 10 different families to form the first comprehensive phylogeny for multiple bryozoan families in California across a total range of approximately 973 km of coastline. Three genetically distinct species were found at multiple sites that are separated by a combination of rocky shores and sandy beaches, which indicates that the dispersal range of these species are not limited by geographic barriers along the coast of California. These results provide a future opportunity for further integration of this data with the phylogenies generated in this study to examine more robust evolutionary hypotheses for the phylogenetic and geographic relationships of Californian bryozoan species.

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Evaluating Relative Abundance, Fish Length, And Marine Protected Area Effectiveness For Four Key Rocky Reef Species Along The Northern Californian Coast, Leon Davis Jan 2022

Evaluating Relative Abundance, Fish Length, And Marine Protected Area Effectiveness For Four Key Rocky Reef Species Along The Northern Californian Coast, Leon Davis

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Marine protected areas (MPAs) were created with the purpose of helping conserve and restore diminished populations of marine organisms. Measuring the effectiveness of MPAs requires long-term monitoring, investigating the abundance and size distributions of the species that utilize the conservation areas, and comparing the results to neighboring reference sites that are not currently protected. In this study, observations from long-term MPA monitoring in northern California (2010-2019) were modeled with substrate, oceanographic, spatial, temporal, and body size variables to describe the variability in abundance and size of three fish groups: Black rockfish (Sebastes melanops), the Blue rockfish group (comprised …

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Northern Elephant Seal (Mirounga Angustirostris) Colony Establishment And Growth In The King Range National Conservation Area, California, Emma Hatton Levy Jan 2022

Northern Elephant Seal (Mirounga Angustirostris) Colony Establishment And Growth In The King Range National Conservation Area, California, Emma Hatton Levy

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The King Range colony is the northernmost successful and expanding breeding site for northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris). To evaluate the composition and growth of this colony, I conducted systematic surveys recording counts, age classes, births, and resighting seals with individually identifiable flipper tags. The timing of life-history events (breeding, molting, and resting) of all elephant seal sex and age groups at the King Range was consistent with observations at other colonies. Colony counts during breeding and molting have increased steadily over the 4-year study period (2018-2021), and pup production has increased by 87% since the first year …

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Demographic Modeling Of Conservation Strategies For The Yosemite Toad (Anaxyrus Canorus), Corrina Rebecca Kamoroff Jan 2022

Demographic Modeling Of Conservation Strategies For The Yosemite Toad (Anaxyrus Canorus), Corrina Rebecca Kamoroff

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The Yosemite toad (Anaxyrus canorus) is an anuran species endemic to the Sierra Nevada in California that, like many amphibians globally, has suffered population declines. The documented decline in A. canorus populations across their historic range highlights the need for an effective management strategy to protect the species from future extirpation. For this study, I estimated survival rates of A. canorus using a Cormack-Jolly-Seber model populated with data from a demographic study. I then used a female-only post-birth pulse stochastic Lefkovitch matrix model using vital rates I estimated and from the literature to simulate the effect of different …

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Behavioral Differences In Urban Sciurus Carolinensis With Varying Human Exposure As A Model For Synanthropic Human-Animal Relationships, Tiffany M. Jordan Jan 2022

Behavioral Differences In Urban Sciurus Carolinensis With Varying Human Exposure As A Model For Synanthropic Human-Animal Relationships, Tiffany M. Jordan

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Synanthropic animals are considered a halfway point between wild and domestic animals that live in urban environments and depend on humans for their survival. Sciurus carolinensis, the eastern gray squirrel, symbolizes a distinctive coexistence between human and wildlife as they are commonly fed in parks and gardens. They are native to the eastern United States. Where they are invasive, they are found only in urban areas and not in rural or wildlife areas. This study examined how different levels of human exposure impact the behavior of S. carolinensis in its non-native range from two different perspectives by using flight initiation …

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Population Assignment Of Entrained Migratory Westslope Cutthroat Trout In North Idaho, Craig D. Wells Jan 2022

Population Assignment Of Entrained Migratory Westslope Cutthroat Trout In North Idaho, Craig D. Wells

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

The Clark Fork-Pend Oreille River basin of northeastern Washington and the Idaho Panhandle historically supported a robust metapopulation of Westslope Cutthroat Trout (WCT) Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi, a western native salmonid of high cultural and economic value. The construction of impassible hydroelectric dams and smaller in-stream barriers has prevented the return of migratory WCT to spawning tributaries, likely leading to the fragmentation of this metapopulation over the last 100 years. One such impassible barrier is Albeni Falls Dam near Newport, Washington. Completed without fish passage capabilities in 1955, Albeni Falls Dam has been of interest as a site for restoring fish …

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Connectivity Shapes Functional Diversity And Maintains Complementarity In Surf Zones On Exposed Coasts, Christopher J. Henderson, Ben L. Gilby, Andrew D. Olds, Jesse Mosman, Rod M. Connolly, Glenn Hyndes, Brendan Kelaher, Brooke Maslo, Alan Williams, Thomas A. Schlacher Jan 2022

Connectivity Shapes Functional Diversity And Maintains Complementarity In Surf Zones On Exposed Coasts, Christopher J. Henderson, Ben L. Gilby, Andrew D. Olds, Jesse Mosman, Rod M. Connolly, Glenn Hyndes, Brendan Kelaher, Brooke Maslo, Alan Williams, Thomas A. Schlacher

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Habitat complexity and connectivity can influence the number of species and their diversity across a landscape. For the surf zones of ocean-exposed beaches, globally one of the longest habitat interfaces, the assumed low structural complexity, and apparent homogeneity, of the sandy seafloor habitats predicts low taxonomic and functional diversity. Here, we assessed how the configuration of the seascape and the context of different beach structure functional diversity and functional niche space of fish assemblages in surf zones. We expected that beaches that were well connected with highly productive and complex estuarine and reef habitats would support a greater level of …

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A Post-Pneumonia Epizootic Evaluation Of The Rapid City, South Dakota Bighorn Sheep Herd, Amanda N. Ensrud Jan 2022

A Post-Pneumonia Epizootic Evaluation Of The Rapid City, South Dakota Bighorn Sheep Herd, Amanda N. Ensrud

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pneumonia is a major factor affecting populations of free-ranging bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) across western North America. Pneumonia can occur in large-scale epizootics, during which greater than half of the population typically dies. After these epizootics, surviving ewes continue to conceive and bear lambs. However, lamb recruitment may remain low due to periodic or annual pneumonia outbreaks causing high lamb mortality rates, sometimes greater than 90%. Our study focused on the Rapid City, South Dakota bighorn sheep (BHS) herd that has recorded pneumonia-induced population decline since 2009. The first objective was to improve lamb health and survival by identifying and …

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Post-Fledging Habitat Selection And Movements Of Juvenile Mallards In The Prairie Pothole Region, Cynthia E. Anchor Jan 2022

Post-Fledging Habitat Selection And Movements Of Juvenile Mallards In The Prairie Pothole Region, Cynthia E. Anchor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of North America provides critical habitat for waterfowl across life stages, but anthropogenic changes to the landscape have negatively impacted habitat quality for waterfowl. The mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) is abundant and socioeconomically valuable in the PPR, as it is a preferred target species of waterfowl hunters. Extensive research has evaluated breeding ecology of mallards in the PPR, but the period between juvenile mallards fledging and migrating has rarely been studied. The post-fledging ecology of juvenile mallards is a vital consideration for comprehensive waterfowl management. Further, juvenile mallards are a significant portion of hunter harvest at …

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Evaluating The Use Of Camera Traps To Monitor Populations Of Ungulate Prey In The Russian Far East, Scott Johnston Waller Jan 2022

Evaluating The Use Of Camera Traps To Monitor Populations Of Ungulate Prey In The Russian Far East, Scott Johnston Waller

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Efforts to recover endangered carnivore populations are often limited by insufficient populations of prey. When recovering prey populations, estimates of population density are invaluable metrics to monitor recovery efforts. In Russia, wildlife managers use the Formozov-Malyushev-Pereleshin (FMP) snow tracking method to estimate densities of ungulate prey of the Amur tiger (Panthera tigris). Yet, increasing variability in snow conditions and other challenges have limited its reliability. Camera traps offer a promising alternative approach since managers already use cameras to monitor tigers. However, the assumptions and study design necessary to implement capture-recapture models for tigers are different from those needed …

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Evaluating The Use Of Barn Owl Nest Boxes For Rodent Pest Control In Winegrape Vineyards In Napa Valley, Ashley N. Hansen Jan 2022

Evaluating The Use Of Barn Owl Nest Boxes For Rodent Pest Control In Winegrape Vineyards In Napa Valley, Ashley N. Hansen

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Attracting natural enemies to farms to reduce pests has long been a part of integrated pest management for insects, but knowledge of the impact of raptors on rodents and other vertebrate pests is comparatively sparse. In this study, I compared rodent prey on winegrape vineyards in Napa California with and without occupied barn owl nest boxes. We collected data before the breeding season, when hunting pressure should be light, and again when adult owls were hunting actively to feed their chicks. I used the open-hole method to quantify an index of gopher activity, and Sherman live traps to estimate the …

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Small Mammal Species Richness And Relative Abundance Across The Elevational Gradient And Microhabitats Of Pine Mountain, Eastern Kentucky, Sarah Elizabeth Baker Jan 2022

Small Mammal Species Richness And Relative Abundance Across The Elevational Gradient And Microhabitats Of Pine Mountain, Eastern Kentucky, Sarah Elizabeth Baker

Online Theses and Dissertations

Identifying microhabitat conditions influencing species abundance is critical to understanding distributions of species. Pine Mountain has forest types uncommon in Kentucky, but systematic small mammal surveys are dated. My objectives were: investigate variation in small mammal occurrence on Pine Mountain, and update small mammal records in the Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) mammal collection. I deployed pitfall traps, open from May - November 2021, at four state nature preserves (SNPs) on Pine Mountain. I measured microhabitat using 1 m2 quadrats at traps, then used redundancy analysis and generalized linear mixed (GLM) models to determine which conditions best explained variation in occurrence …

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Phenotypic Plasticity Of Geographically Central And Peripheral Populations Of Jefferson Salamanders (Ambystoma Jeffersonianum) In Response To Simulated Climate Change, Aaron Devine Jan 2022

Phenotypic Plasticity Of Geographically Central And Peripheral Populations Of Jefferson Salamanders (Ambystoma Jeffersonianum) In Response To Simulated Climate Change, Aaron Devine

Online Theses and Dissertations

Climate change will elicit various species responses as it causes habitats to change. Species with limited dispersal must respond to these changes “in place”, yet some biogeographical hypotheses indicate isolated and less abundant populations experience reduced gene flow and genetic diversity that may limit phenotypic plasticity, contrasting with evidence suggesting more variable habitats select for increased plasticity in peripheral populations. To gain insight into associations between range position and intensity of plasticity, mesocosm experiments were done to assess plasticity in larval growth, size at, and time to, metamorphosis, and survivorship in larval Ambystoma jeffersonianum salamanders from geographically core and peripheral …

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Comparison Of Spawning Habitat And Nest Density Between Buck Darter (Etheostoma Nebra) And Striped Darter (Etheostoma Virgatum) Populations In The Cumberland River Drainage, Kentucky, Jacob Charles Murphy Jan 2022

Comparison Of Spawning Habitat And Nest Density Between Buck Darter (Etheostoma Nebra) And Striped Darter (Etheostoma Virgatum) Populations In The Cumberland River Drainage, Kentucky, Jacob Charles Murphy

Online Theses and Dissertations

The Buck Darter (Etheostoma nebra) is an imperiled, small-stream species in the Cumberland River drainage in southern Kentucky. It was originally thought to be a population of the Striped Darter (E. virgatum) species and was prevalent throughout the Buck Creek system. It was separated from the Striped Darter and deemed a separate species in 2015; however, the population has declined dramatically. Presently, the species is found in three streams of the Flat Lick Creek system, two originally established populations in Big Spring Branch and Stewart Branch, and one newly introduced population, established in 2018, in an unnamed tributary. The decline …

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Body Size And Habitat Shading Influence The Consumptive And Non-Consumptive Effects Of Wood Frog (Lithobates Sylvaticus) Tadpoles On Aquatic Invertebrate Communities, Brady Patrick Parlato Jan 2022

Body Size And Habitat Shading Influence The Consumptive And Non-Consumptive Effects Of Wood Frog (Lithobates Sylvaticus) Tadpoles On Aquatic Invertebrate Communities, Brady Patrick Parlato

Online Theses and Dissertations

Consumptive (direct) effects of predation have been well-studied in most aquatic systems, but non-consumptive (indirect) effects on prey have only recently received limited attention in some groups. As aquatic consumers, tadpoles have traditionally been considered strict herbivores, leaving their predatory impacts via consumptive and non-consumptive interactions on aquatic invertebrates largely unexplored. The objectives of this study were to quantify omnivory among wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus) tadpoles, determine their consumptive and non-consumptive effects on invertebrate communities, and investigate whether such effects are mediated by habitat shading and tadpole body size. Lithobates sylvaticus tadpoles and egg masses were randomly sampled from 11 …

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Genetic And Morphological Assessment Of Pigtoe Mussels (Unionidae: Pleurobemini: Fusconaia/Pleurobema Spp.) In Ozark Drainages, Logan Tyler Phelps Jan 2022

Genetic And Morphological Assessment Of Pigtoe Mussels (Unionidae: Pleurobemini: Fusconaia/Pleurobema Spp.) In Ozark Drainages, Logan Tyler Phelps

Online Theses and Dissertations

North America is home to nearly 300 species of native freshwater mussels. Many species within this group are in need of conservation efforts and for these efforts to be effective, species delimitations must be as accurate as possible. Intraspecific variation and interspecific convergence are sources of confusion within morphology-based taxonomy, particularly within the Pleurobemini. Molecular phylogenetic work has revealed multiple problems within currently accepted Pleurobemini classifications. Specifically, Fusconaia has been shown to harbor cryptic diversity within drainages of the Ozarks. Further, Pleurobema rubrum and P. sintoxia have been shown to be possible conspecifics despite have differing shell morphologies. This study …

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Seasonal Niche Differentiation Among Closely Related Marine Bacteria, Adrià Auladell, Albert Barberán, Ramiro Logares, Esther Garcés, Josep M. Gasol, Isabel Ferrera Jan 2022

Seasonal Niche Differentiation Among Closely Related Marine Bacteria, Adrià Auladell, Albert Barberán, Ramiro Logares, Esther Garcés, Josep M. Gasol, Isabel Ferrera

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Bacteria display dynamic abundance fluctuations over time in marine environments, where they play key biogeochemical roles. Here, we characterized the seasonal dynamics of marine bacteria in a coastal oligotrophic time series station, tested how similar the temporal niche of closely related taxa is, and what are the environmental parameters modulating their seasonal abundance patterns. We further explored how conserved the niche is at higher taxonomic levels. The community presented recurrent patterns of seasonality for 297 out of 6825 amplicon sequence variants (ASVs), which constituted almost half of the total relative abundance (47%). For certain genera, niche similarity decreased as nucleotide …

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Changes In Plant Community Composition, Structure, And Function In Response To Permafrost Thaw, Katherine Standen Jan 2022

Changes In Plant Community Composition, Structure, And Function In Response To Permafrost Thaw, Katherine Standen

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Air temperature is increasing at three or more times the global average in high latitudes, causing widespread permafrost thaw across the boreal biome. Since the boreal biome stores 30-40% of global terrestrial carbon (C), of which about 30-45% is found in permafrost soils, this temperature increase could cause a large efflux of C to the atmosphere. Climate warming and permafrost thaw are also expected to alter plant community composition and productivity and, given the link between plant functional traits and ecosystem C fluxes, may alter overall ecosystem function. Across the boreal biome of western Canada, we know surprisingly little about …

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Impact Of Orthophosphate As A Corrosion Inhibitor And Chloramine Disinfectant On Drinking Water Biofilm Communities, Mitchell Cooke Jan 2022

Impact Of Orthophosphate As A Corrosion Inhibitor And Chloramine Disinfectant On Drinking Water Biofilm Communities, Mitchell Cooke

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

A drinking water distribution system (DWDS) must maintain conditions within quality standards which assure the effective and safe transport of finished drinking water from treatment plants to the household tap. Although safe to drink, finished water is not sterile, and may contain hundreds of microorganisms in a single milliliter. These microorganisms are present from the source waters, such as lakes, rivers and aquifers, and have passed through early treatment steps. Final treatment steps, such as the maintenance of disinfectant residuals, are used to further minimize viable cells present and focus on the reduction of harmful organisms. Microbial cells entering the …

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Design And Validation Of Artificial Feeders To Study Feeding Preferences And Growth Of Hematophagous Juvenile Sea Lamprey (Petromyzon Marinus), Gracie Li-Ting-Wai Jan 2022

Design And Validation Of Artificial Feeders To Study Feeding Preferences And Growth Of Hematophagous Juvenile Sea Lamprey (Petromyzon Marinus), Gracie Li-Ting-Wai

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The parasitic and invasive land-locked sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus populations contributed to the collapse of the Great Lakes fisheries in the mid-1900s, while native anadromous populations are currently under threat and require conservation efforts for protection. Despite the increasing concern for both populations of this species, the juvenile stage of the sea lamprey’s life cycle has not been well studied. This is due, in part, to ethical concerns raised around holding live host fish with juveniles and the lack of an alternative feeding method to maintain these juveniles in the laboratory. The feeder should be designed to minimize fouling of …

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