Digital Commons Network^™

Temporal Shift Of Sea Turtle Nest Sites In An Eroding Barrier Island Beach, Ikuko Fujisaki, Margaret Lamont, Ray Carthy

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Shoreline changes affect functionality of a sandy beach as a wildlife habitat and coastal erosion is among the primary causes of the changes. We examined temporal shifts in locations where loggerheads placed nests in relation to coastal erosion along a barrier island beach in the northern Gulf of Mexico. We first confirmed consistency in long-term (1855–2001), short-term (1976–2001), and more recent (2002–2012) shoreline change rates in two adjacent beach sections, one historically eroding (west beach) and the other accreting (east beach). The mean annual shoreline change rate in the two sections was significantly different in all time periods. The recent …

Degradation Of Crude 4‑Mchm (4-Methylcyclohexanemethanol) In Sediments From Elk River, West Virginia, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli, Denise M. Akob, Mary Jo Baedecker, Tracey Spencer, Jeanne Jaeschke, Darren S. Dunlap, Adam C. Mumford, Amisha T, Poret-Peterson, Douglas B. Chambers

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

In January 2014, approximately 37 800 L of crude 4-methylcyclohexanemethanol (crude MCHM) spilled into the Elk River, West Virginia. To understand the long-term fate of 4-MCHM, we conducted experiments under environmentally relevant conditions to assess the potential for the 2 primary compounds in crude MCHM (1) to undergo biodegradation and (2) for sediments to serve as a long-term source of 4-MCHM. We developed a solid phase microextraction (SPME) method to quantify the cis- and transisomers of 4-MCHM. Autoclaved Elk River sediment slurries sorbed 17.5% of cis-4-MCHM and 31% of trans-4-MCHM from water during the 2-week experiment. …

The Aerosphere As A Network Connector Of Organisms And Their Diseases, Jeremy D. Ross, Eli S. Bridge, Diann J. Prosser, John Y. Takekawa

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Aeroecological processes, especially powered flight of animals, can rapidly connect biological communities across the globe. This can have profound consequences for evolutionary diversification, energy and nutrient transfers, and the spread of infectious diseases. The latter is of particular consequence for human populations, since migratory birds are known to host diseases which have a history of transmission into domestic poultry or even jumping to human hosts. In this chapter, we present a scenario under which a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) strain enters North America from East Asia via postmolting waterfowl migration. We use an agent-based model (ABM) to simulate the …

Resilience In Ecotoxicology: Toward A Multiple Equilibrium Concept, Mirco Bundschuh, Ralf Schulz, Ralf B. Schäfer, Craig R. Allen, David G. Angeler

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The term resilience describes stress-response patterns across scientific disciplines. In ecology, advances have been made to clearly define resilience based on underlying mechanistic assumptions. Engineering resilience (rebound) is used to describe the ability of organisms to recover from adverse conditions (disturbances), which is termed the rate of recovery. By contrast, the ecological resilience definition considers a systemic change, that is, when ecosystems reorganize into a new regime following disturbance. Under this new regime, structural and functional aspects change considerably relative to the previous regime, without recovery. In this context, resilience is an emergent property of complex systems. In the present …

Assessment Of A Channel Catfish Population In A Large Open River System, A. J. Blank, M. J. Hamel, Jonathan J. Spurgeon, Mark A. Pegg

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Estimates of dynamic rate functions for riverine channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus (Rafinesque), populations are limited. The open nature and inherent difficulty in sampling riverine environments and the propensity for dispersal of channel catfish impede estimation of population variables. However, contemporary population models (i.e. robust design models) can incorporate the open nature of these systems. The purpose of this study was to determine channel catfish population abundance, survival and size structure and to characterize growth in the lower Platte River, Nebraska, USA. Annual survival estimates of adult channel catfish were 13%–49%, and channel catfish abundance estimates ranged from 8,281 to 24,261 …

A Review Of The Occurrence Of Pharmaceuticals And Personal Care Products In Indian Water Bodies, Keshava Balakrishna, Amlan Rath, Yerabham Praveenkumarreddy, Keerthi Siri Guruge, Bikram Subedi

Faculty & Staff Research and Creative Activity

Little information exists on the occurrence and the ultimate fate of pharmaceuticals in the water bodies in India despite being one of the world leaders in pharmaceutical production and consumption. This paper has reviewed 19 published reports of pharmaceutical occurrence in the aquatic environment in India [conventional activated sludge wastewater treatment plants (WTPs), hospital WTPs, rivers, and groundwater]. Carbamazepine (antipsychoactive), atenolol (antihypertensive), triclocarban and triclosan (antimicrobials), trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole (antibacterials), ibuprofen and acetaminophen (analgesics), and caffeine (stimulant) are the most commonly detected at higher concentrations in Indian WTPs that treat predominantly the domestic sewage. The concentration of ciprofloxacin, sulfamethoxazole, amoxicillin, …

Potential For Asymmetric Competition Among Co-Inhabiting Invasive Silver Carp And Native Shad Species In The Lower Midwest, Dalton D. Lebeda

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

In the United States, Silver Carp are an invasive voracious planktivorous fish that are capable of competing with many native fish species. Until the last decade, very little was known about how Silver Carp would interact with native fish species or how quickly their populations would expand. In the early 2000’s, established Silver Carp populations were reported in Kentucky Lake although they were reported in the Tennessee River much earlier (1987). Kentucky Lake is the first large flood storage reservoir that has been invaded by a reproducing population of Silver Carp in the United States. To date, control measures for …

The Balancing Act: Ecological Interventions And Decision Tradeoffs To Preserve Wilderness Character, Lucy A. Lieberman

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Global climate change, land use intensification and increasing development are impacting federal wildernesses in new and unprecedented ways. Ecological restoration is one tool that that wilderness managers are using to combat degradation, though the decision to intervene in wilderness is complicated by the Wilderness Act’s legal mandate to preserve wilderness character and demonstrate managerial restraint. The purpose of this study is to document a baseline of ecological interventions that have occurred in the NWPS over the last five years, and to understand how wilderness managers make decisions related to ecological interventions. I sent a quantitative survey to over five hundred …

Response Of Amphibian And Invertebrate Communities To Wetland Mitigation In The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, Leah K. Swartz

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Wetlands play a critical role in supporting freshwater biodiversity and ecosystem services, but human activities have resulted in large-scale loss and degradation of these habitats across the globe. To offset the decline of wetland area, mitigation wetlands are now frequently constructed, but their ability to replace the functions of natural habitats, including providing habitat for native fauna, remains uncertain. A recent highway reconstruction project in northwestern Wyoming caused impacts to and the destruction of multiple natural wetlands. To mitigate this loss, new wetlands were constructed along the highway corridor. To evaluate the performance of these created wetlands relative to reference …

Sustainability Practices That Influence Profitability In The Petroleum Industry, Lionel Bryan Small

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Petroleum industries in the U.S. attract increased scrutiny from governmental bodies, businesses, and the civil society for their lack of sustainability practices, such as air emissions control, the use of cleaner fuels, and water pollution mitigation. Although the short-term cost of implementing these practices may be high as stated by a sample of the industry's leaders, long-term benefits include lower business costs and a reduction of the adverse impacts on society, the environment, and the economy. This multiple-case study highlighted the practices of several petroleum industry leaders who demonstrated an exception to these practices-who have been clear thought leaders in …

Using A Mixed-Methods Approach To Understand Urban Children's Nature Conceptions, Ecological Worldviews And Environmental Perceptions And Preferences Before And After Attending An Environmental Education Program, Alejandra Maria Bozzolasco

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The main objective of this dissertation is to utilize multiple instruments to measure urban children’s nature conceptions, ecological worldviews, and environmental perceptions and preferences, and to determine whether they are impacted by an environmental education (EE) intervention. This information is critical today in light of growing urbanization that is considered a contributor to nature deficit disorder (NDD) in which children, particularly urban children, are growing up distanced from the natural world, thereby impacting children’s development, public health, and the environment. Urban children from northern New Jersey who attended the New Jersey School of Conservation’s (NJSOC) EE program participated in this …

Achieving Sustainability In Hazard-Prone Territories: A Case Study, Denise J. Roberts

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Achieving sustained economic growth and development has been an area of concern for policy-makers in the Anglophone Caribbean since the transition from colonial rule to self-governance. To date, the researcher did not find any research that has explicitly examined the role of policy-making effectiveness as a strategy for achieving the goals of sustainable development. This qualitative multiple case study of Barbados and Grenada was conceptualized from the perspective of critical theory from the World Commission on Environment and Development to explore and understand why sustainability has not been sufficiently realized and how sustainable development may be pursued in territories that …

Relationship Between Oil Theft, Pipeline Vandalism, And Security Costs With Revenue Losses, Ijeoma Ogechi Nwachukwu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The oil and gas multinational companies (MNCs) in the Niger Delta continue to face numerous challenges operating in the region, especially concerning the loss of revenue. Based on the resource dependence theory, the purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between oil theft, pipeline vandalism, security costs, and revenue. Eighty-eight mid- to high-level managers of oil and gas completed the Factors That Affect Company Revenue instrument. The results of the multiple linear regression analyses indicated the model was able to significantly predict revenue, F(3,88) = 947,279.44, p < .001, R2 = 1.000. All 3 predictors contributed significantly to the model, with pipeline vandalism recording the highest beta value (Ã? = .553, p = .000), the oil theft predictor with the next highest beta weight (Ã? = .451, p = .000), and the security costs predictor with the next highest beta weight (Ã? = .387, p = .000). The leaders of the oil and gas MNCs could use the outcome of this study in creating strategies and policies that guide their operations in the region, which would improve the relationship with host communities and mitigate their efforts in reducing the loss of revenue. Improved relations would result in a reduction of oil theft, pipeline vandalism, and security costs, thereby reducing revenue losses. The implication of positive social change includes implementation of more corporate social responsibility strategies and improving the economy of the region and the livelihood of the host communities.

Sustainability And Social Responsibility In Small Food Enterprises: Barriers And Enablers, Aurora Dawn Reinke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small to medium enterprises (SMEs) in the food industry contend with a variety of corporate sustainability and social responsibility (CSSR) issues, ranging from the environmental impact of food waste to human health concerns about specific ingredients and production methods. In this qualitative multicase study, based on the conceptual frameworks of strategic development, stakeholder management, and institutional theory, I explored barriers and enablers for Washington, DC-based food SMEs as they proactively addressed CSSR issues. I interviewed five SME owner-managers. The transcripts were then coded and analyzed. Three themes emerged. Strategic development tended to be ad hoc and experimental, but with equal …

Food Waste Reduction Strategies In Supermarkets: The Lived Experiences Of Perishable Food Managers In Michigan, Kelly K. Zimmermann

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

At the retail level, 25% of sellable food is wasted, and perishable foods account for 72% of food waste in the United States. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the food waste reduction strategies used by supermarket perishable food department managers, which are covered under the Good Samaritan Food Donation Acts (state and federal). The participant population was comprised of 17 managers who are responsible for perishable foods departments (bakery, deli, meat, dairy, and produce) at local, regional, and national supermarkets in Midland, Michigan. Goal systems theory served as the conceptual framework lens for which the …

The Last Best Hope: Are Voluntary Conservation Agreements Effective Tools For Protecting Imperiled Species?, Sophie B. Tsairis

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Candidate Conservation Agreements with Assurances, or CCAAs, are little known, voluntary conservation agreements that protect imperiled wildlife on private lands. These agreements have emerged over the past decade and have had mixed results in providing adequate protections for candidate species.

Landowners, private industries, state and federal agencies, and environmental nonprofits, are using CCAAs as tools to eliminate the need for an endangered species listing. An Endangered Species Act listing can lead to land-use uncertainty for private landowners and this threat is the main incentive to enroll in a CCAA. When landowners enroll in CCAAs they are agreeing to provide specific …

Easier To Break From Inside Than From Outside / Mai Ușor Să Distrugi Din Interior Decât Din Exterior, Florentin Smarandache, Andrusa R. Vatuiu

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

Abstract in English:

This book contains concrete examples from history, economy, biology, digital world, nuclear physics, agriculture and so on about breaking a neutrosophic dynamic system (i.e. a dynamic system that has indeterminacy) from inside.

We define a neutrosophic mathematical model using a system of ordinary differential equations and the neutrosophic probability in order to approximate the process of breaking from inside a neutrosophic complex dynamic system.

It shows that for breaking from inside it is needed a smaller force than for breaking from outside the neutrosophic complex dynamic system.

Methods that have been used in the past for breaking …

The Effects Of Early Pruning On The Near-Ground Branch Density Of Four Live Fencing Species, Aric Devens

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Crop losses in home gardens greatly impact the wellbeing of rural West African families. Herbivory by migratory or local livestock represents a significant source of crop loss. Live-fencing gardens with thorny hedges is a low-cost and sustainable strategy for reducing losses due to herbivory. However, guidance on the establishment of thorny hedges is inconsistent, poorly publicized, and often anecdotal. Therefore, this study evaluated the effects of three early pruning treatments on near-ground branch density of four thorny species: Vachellia nilotica, Senegalia laeta, Senegalia mellifera, and Prosopis juliflora. Physical measurements and photographic data indicated that after one growing season, V. …

Dynamics Of Wild Red Raspberry (Rubus Idaeus L.) And The Influence On Tree Regeneration Within Silvicultural Openings In A Northern Hardwood Stand, Matthew J. Widen

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Previous studies have investigated how the abundance of raspberries (Rubus idaeus L.) impacts tree regeneration, but few have linked these impacts to location within canopy openings with a legacy tree. To fill this knowledge gap, we investigated the presence, abundance, and location of raspberries within openings containing legacy trees and the resulting impacts on tree regeneration. During the winter of 2003, 49 openings were created of three sizes: small, medium, large and 20 reference single-tree selection sites in a northern hardwood stand in Ford Forest near Alberta, Michigan. Tree regeneration and vegetative species cover were recorded in 2005 and …

Utilizing Historical Mosquito Surveillance Data To Investigate The Efficacy Of Municipal Fogging In Controlling Mosquito Population Density, Andrea Betina Carzoli

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Background: Mosquito borne diseases are the cause of many different disease syndromes and deaths in animals, both wild and domesticated, and humans of all ages and ethnicities. Though El Paso, TX is located in an arid region, mosquito populations are still rapidly growing in urban and agricultural communities and so are the mosquito borne illnesses. The most common vectors associated with mosquito borne illnesses in El Paso County are Culex quinquefasciatus, Culex tarsalis, and Aedes aegypti. Vector management is often the primary option to prevent and control outbreaks of mosquito borne illnesses and very often utilize fogging as the primary …

A Comparison Of Uvr-Induced Mortality In Bdelloid Rotifers, Maite Martin

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Increases in UV radiation (UVR) reaching Earth's surface as a result of anthropogenic activities and changing climate patterns are having a variety of effects on ecosystems. Such effects have been observed in aquatic environments, although certain parameters such as dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations can modulate the level of exposure. Bdelloid rotifers are aquatic micro-invertebrates that pose a remarkable variety of special abilities to survive adverse conditions, including a resistance to UVR. Previous studies have suggested this resistance may have evolved in response to episodes of desiccation that they experience in their natural habitats. This characteristic may be especially important …

Report Card On Sustainable Natural Resource Use In The Rangelands: Status And Trend In The Pastoral Rangelands Of Western Australia, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia

Books & book chapters

This report card provides a regional overview of the status and trend of the natural resource base of the pastoral rangelands in Western Australia (WA). It covers the pastoral lease areas of the 2.2 million square kilometres of rangelands in WA (87% of the state). Pastoral leases cover 857 833km² or 40% of the rangelands, based on active leases as at June 2016.

The drivers of change in the rangelands — seasonal quality, grazing pressure and fire — interact and their effect is expressed in the condition and trends of natural resources used in pastoralism. The natural resource themes …

Using Pentosidine And Hydroxyproline To Predict Age And Sex In An Avian Species, Brian S. Dorr, Randal S. Stahl, Katie C. Hanson-Dorr, Carol A. Furcolow

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

All living organisms are subject to senescence accompanied by progressive and irreversible physiological changes. The error damage and cross-linking theories suggest that cells and tissues are damaged by an accumulation of cross-linked proteins, slowing down bodily processes and resulting in aging. A major category of these cross-linked proteins are compounds called advanced glycation end products (AGEs). We investigated the relationship between accumulation of the AGE, pentosidine (Ps), and hydroxyproline (HYP) a post-translationally modified amino acid, with age, sex, and breeding status (breeder/ nonbreeder) from skin samples of known age (i.e., banded as fledglings), free-ranging Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus, …

The Future Of Blackbird Management Research, Page E. Klug

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Human society values birds for their intrinsic and aesthetic value as well as the ecosystem services they provide as pollinators, consumers of pests, and distributors of nutrients and seeds (Wenny et al. 2011). At the same time, conflict between birds and humans is an age-old phenomenon that has persisted as society has transformed and the scale of agriculture has expanded (Conover 2002). Managing conflict between birds and agriculture is challenging for many reasons. Foremost, the need to consider both human welfare and conservation of protected bird species is paramount, with nonlethal management methods preferred to lethal measures from societal, economical, …

Accountability, Conservation And Community: Measuring The Local Economic Impacts Of Protected Areas, Catharine A.M. Brazeau

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

As a signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity, Canada has committed to help protect biodiversity through an increase in effectively and equitably managed systems of protected areas (PAs) by 2020. If Canada fulfills this commitment, the country will see the largest expansion of PA networks in its history. Although employing ‘equitable and effective management’ suggests PAs have a responsibility to consider their effects on local stakeholders, on the whole, Canada’s PA agencies do not publicly and systematically report on their jurisdictions’ local economic impacts. To address this gap, this thesis aims investigate mechanisms for PA agencies to identify and …

An Ecological Characterisation Of A Shallow Seasonal Claypan Wetland, Southwestern Australia, Nakisa Shahrestani

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Perched, seasonal claypans of southwestern Australia are poorly understood in terms of their ecological character, such as relationship between hydrology and their biota. An example is Little Darkin Swamp, located on the Darling Plateau in southwestern Australia. The overall aim of this thesis was to describe its ecological character, to understand what drives this claypan system and how its ephemeral nature affects wetland processes and functions.

This study first comprised a detailed characterisation of the wetland’s attributes, following the geomorphic-hydrological approach proposed by Semeniuk and Semeniuk (2011). This revealed that its hydrology is highly dependent on rainfall, that it is …

Effects Of Silvopasture Establishment On Aqueous And Gaseous Soil N Losses At The University Of New Hampshire Organic Dairy Research Farm, Kathryn Ann Slebodnik

Honors Theses and Capstones

The expansion of local agriculture in the New England region is putting increased pressure on farmers to expand their arable land base. While clear-cutting is a traditional method of converting forested land to agriculture, it is known for having adverse ecological impacts. To minimize these impacts, farmers can create a silvopasture which incorporates a portion of the original forest canopy into pastures or crop fields. This study evaluates the impact of land-use changes for agriculture on soil nitrogen (N) retention. In particular, this study investigates the differences in soil N turnover, gaseous loss, and aqueous loss among an established forest, …

More Than Food: An Analysis Of Multidimensional Relationships In Our Food System, Jessica Erin Newnan

Honors Theses and Capstones

Food is an integral part of everyday life for human beings, thus meriting particular attention from research and education. Looking further in depth at the factors that influence food, it becomes apparent that this is a complex topic that is related to several systems within the constructs of society. Here, the food system is approached with the understanding that several systems influence food consumption options and decisions including the agricultural, economic, education, energy, health, and political systems. To identify the relationships more closely, a three-dimensional model was built to represent the food system and depict several key factors, their relationships, …

Calculating The Methan-Matics Of Our Future, Victoria Salinas

Op-Eds from ENSC230 Energy and the Environment: Economics and Policies

In the first two decades after its release, methane, a green house gas, is 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Historically, atmospheric concentrations of methane remained fairly stable at around 750 ppb, significantly less than today’s levels of 1,800 ppb. Unfortunately, agricultural activity accounts for about one-fifth of total global greenhouse gas emissions, while the current production of ruminants contributes nearly 80% of these emissions due to their large populations, body size and appetites, and the anaerobic microbial fermentation that occurs during digestion. Because of methane’s severe impact on the climate, methane emissions, specifically due to the production of …

An Exploratory Study On The Possible Effect Of Hydraulic Fracturing Activities On Air Quality In The Eagle Ford Shale Region Of Texas., Laura B. Fimibama

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Eagle Ford Shale (EFS) play is one out of five major oil and gas formations in Texas, found in the South-Eastern region with approximately 30 counties. In addition to natural gas, it produces crude oil and petroleum liquids which in recent times has resulted in a surge in drilling due to a new drilling technology – hydraulic fracturing that injects massive quantities of water along with sand and chemical additives into a well to create tiny hairline cracks in rock formations. The success of this technology has made gas extraction more economically feasible. However, this technique has generated an array …