Digital Commons Network^™

Oregon State Rank Assessment For Sheldon Tui Chub (Siphateles Bicolor Eurysoma), Eleanor P. Gaines

Institute for Natural Resources Publications

Oregon state conservation status assessment for Sheldon tui chub (Siphateles bicolor eurysoma) using NatureServe methodology, 2024.

"The Words We Do Not Yet Have." A Creative Inquiry Into Human-Plant Relationships, Maliheh Ghajargar

Art Faculty Articles and Research

Climate change, loss of plant biodiversity, and ocean pollution signal the drastic changes in our ecology that call us to attend to the needs of more than human forms of life on Earth. Sustainable design and HCI research are responding to this call by offering methods and approaches to design more sustainable products and systems and recently, more than human design is building momentum. This agenda seeks to reform traditional design processes by decentering the creative agency of the dominant socio-economical group of humans and foregrounding those of diverse Others. In this paper, I focus on plants as a nonhuman …

Fire And Ant Interactions Mediated By Honeydew And Extrafloral Nectar In An Australian Tropical Savanna, Fernanda M. P. Oliveira, Carlos H. F Silva, Melinda L. Moir, Inara R. Leal, Alan N. Andersen

Natural Resources Research Articles

Fire is a major disturbance affecting ecosystems globally, but its impact on mutualisms has received minimal attention. Here, we use a long-term field experiment to investigate the impact of different fire regimes on globally important ant–honeydew and ant–extrafloral nectar (EFN) mutualistic interactions in an Australian tropical savanna. These interactions provide ants with a key energy source, while their plant and hemipteran hosts receive protection services. We examined ant interactions on species of Eucalyptus (lacking EFNs) and Acacia (with EFNs) in three replicate plots each of burning every 2 and 3 years early in the dry season, burning late in the …

A Multivariate Approach To Assessing Landscape Structure Effects On Wildlife Crossing Structure Use, Thomas J. Yamashita, Humberto L. Perotto-Baldivieso, David B. Wester, Kevin W. Ryer, Richard J. Kline, Michael E. Tewes, John H. Young Jr., Jason V. Lombardi

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Background

Complexity in landscape structure is often assessed using individual metrics related to ecological processes. However, this rarely incorporates important relationships among metrics and may miss landscape structure effects. Multivariate statistics provide techniques for assessing overall landscape structure effects. We assessed how multivariate statistics could be used to connect landscape structure with an ecological process [bobcat (Lynx rufus) wildlife crossing structure (WCS) use]. We tested how landscape structure at WCS sites compared to the surrounding landscape and how structure affected detections at WCS sites. Our study was conducted in Cameron County, Texas, USA where WCSs are in various …

Oregon State Rank Assessment For Goose Lake Tui Chub (Siphateles Bicolor Thalassinus), Jesse Laney

Institute for Natural Resources Publications

Oregon state conservation status assessment for Goose Lake tui chub (Siphateles bicolor thalassinus) using NatureServe methodology, 2024.

Applying Data-Limited Assessment Methods To Charter Logbook Length Data, Brett Crisafulli, Sybrand Alex Hesp, David Fairclough, Emily A. Fisher, Paul D. Lewis, Jeffrey V. Norriss, Corey B. Wakefield, Fabian Trinnie, Stephen J. Newman

Fisheries Research Reports

Marine waters along the Western Australian coastline are characterised by low ecosystem productivity and high species diversity of fishes. With over 3,000 known species comprising estuarine, nearshore, demersal and pelagic fishes in the region, many contribute to important commercial and recreational fisheries (Lenanton et al. 1991; Molony et al. 2011; Newman et al. 2018). As it is logistically and economically infeasible to conduct intensive monitoring and high-level stock assessments of all exploited fish species in Western Australia, indicator species are used to assess the sustainability of suites of species of biological and ecological similarity, for optimal use of available resources …

How Did The Deer Cross The Road? Reducing Habitat Fragmentation And Wildlife-Vehicle Collision Deaths Through Connective Conservation In The South Mountain Region, Pennsylvania, Jack B. Joiner, Emily R. Kreider, Thomas H. Manning, Madison E. Rowell

Student Publications

While some deleterious effects of road networks and the vehicles that travel them– such as pollution, fossil fuel extraction, and carbon emissions– are widely recognized, their significant role in causing an estimated one million wildlife deaths per day (Shilling et al., 2021) and contributing to habitat loss and degradation, the leading causes of global biodiversity decline (Pinto et al., 2023), has garnered less attention. Connective conservation policies, such as designating wildlife corridors and constructing wildlife crossings on roadways, have been proposed as a means of mitigating these repercussions. This study proposes a connective conservation plan addressing the logistics of a …

Festival Of Research Abstracts, Fall 2024, College Of Science And Mathematics, Wright State University

Festival of Research

The collection of abstracts accepted for the Fall 2024 Festival of Research hosted by the Wright State University College of Science and Mathematics.

Remediation Technology And Study To Remove Nano-Pollutants From Wastewater, Lauretta Ngozi Ndu Nwagu

Dissertations (2016-Present)

Life on Earth depends on water, which also has a direct impact on climate, health, and economic growth. Water poverty, pollution, and scarcity are some of the environmental issues confronting our society today. Water pollution and water poverty are both measurable parameters. Water quality is measured by comparing its physical, chemical, and biological properties to a predefined standard. This study examines remediation techniques for removing nano-pollutants from human-generated wastewater. In order to satisfy the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) standard, this technological approach utilizes gravity and a zero-carbon footprint for wastewater purification.

The research is designed with various pore sizes of …

Study Of Vegetated Islands Along The Middle Rio Grande Using Openet Satellite Toolbox, Athena Victoria Sophia Shapiro Esq.

Water Resources Professional Project Reports

Sustainable water management is a challenging issue facing most of the western United States. This study analyzed evapotranspiration predictions at 14 sites along the Middle Rio Grande, changes have occurred over time as these vegetated sand bar islands have developed. Additionally, this study examines the methods of predictions and analysis of evapotranspiration or ET rates along the river using OpenET. An added area of research is the understanding of the presence of vegetation on the sandbar islands. This was analyzed using satellite imaging data from OpenET, which was used to see how changes in vegetation density change ET values seen …

Drinking Water And Wastewater In Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Communities In New Mexico: The Utilization Of Geographic Information Systems To Identify Communities Most In Need Of Technical Assistance, Alejandra Gaytan Tellez

Water Resources Professional Project Reports

The goal of this study is to identify the most burdened New Mexico community water systems (CWSs) and publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) with National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits to be able to provide them with technical assistance to address their issues, such as health-based and monitoring and reporting violations. Additionally, technical assistance can help them access federal or state funding to improve the infrastructure within their systems. The study evaluated multiple factors to determine the systems with the highest level of burden and reported the results as value numbers. The CWSs were evaluated on 10 factors that …

Proposed Plan To Amend The Remedial Action For The Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit, Environmental Protection Agency

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Red Fox, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity factsheets

This factsheet provides information on the red fox in Western Australia (WA).

The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is a native of the northern hemisphere where it occurs throughout most of Europe, Asia, North America, and the northern coast of Africa. The red fox was first introduced to Australia (Victoria) from Britain as early as 1845 for hunting with foxhounds. Having become successfully established in Victoria by about 1870, it colonised most of mainland Australia over the next 70 years. Foxes are not found in the most northern regions of Australia, including northwest Kimberley.

In WA, the fox is a declared …

Rabbit Control: Fumigation, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity factsheets

Fumigation for rabbit control involves the introduction of poisonous gas into a warren. It is one of the best control methods to use where low numbers of rabbits live in a few widely scattered warrens. The threat to non-target animals is minimal. This factsheet should be read in conjunction with registered product labels and directions for use. Check the Department of Health, Western Australia website (health.wa.gov.au) for public health requirements for the use of phosphine fumigation.

Fumigation may be used in areas where access is limited, such as fence lines, around trees, and on riverbanks, but it may be difficult …

Feral Camel, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity factsheets

No abstract provided.

Feral Donkey, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity factsheets

Donkeys (Equus asinus) were first imported in substantial numbers to Australia in 1866 by Sir Thomas Elder. They were used as pack and draught animals in outlying areas of Western Australia (WA) until the 1930s. They were eventually replaced by the motor vehicle, and unwanted donkeys were released to the wild, where they became feral. The first record of feral donkeys is from the Kimberley in the early 1930s, but it is possible they became feral much earlier.

Feral Goat, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity factsheets

The goat (Capra hircus) was one of the first animals to be domesticated, 8 to 10 thousand years ago. Archaeological work indicates the earliest attempts at domestication were in dry hills surrounding the Mediterranean basin. The ability of goats to utilise the coarse browse of mountainous areas made them suitable for domestication, in preference to sheep. With large-scale domestication of goats throughout the world, goats escaped and established feral goat herds on most continents. Overgrazing by goats has caused severe environmental damage, worldwide.

Goats arrived in Australia with the first fleet. They were introduced to many areas by early settlers …

Rabbit Control: 1080 Versus Pindone, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity factsheets

There are two toxins available for controlling pest rabbits in Western Australia: 1080 and pindone. This factsheet provides a brief summary of the main characteristics of both vertebrate pesticides. 1080 is generally the preferred toxin for rabbit control in Western Australia (WA).

Any attempt to reduce the impact of rabbits on the productivity of any agricultural enterprise (for example, pasture, crops, tree farms, horticulture) should be undertaken as part of a pest management plan.

This strategy should be proactive rather than reactive to a problem. It should also include a long term strategy for dealing with potential rabbit damage, including …

Stable Isotope Analysis Of Antipatharian Diets From The Northwestern Gulf Of Mexico, Keir J. Macartney, Victoria Salinas, Zachary Rivera, David Hicks

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Antipatharians, or black corals, form a key component of the benthic fauna found throughout the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). In the northwestern GOM, they are a common member of the communities found on the natural relic coral—algal banks known as the South Texas Banks as well as on artificial reefs. They are known to provide important habitat for many ecologically and economically important species in the area but are relatively understudied. Here we present a study on their trophic ecology using stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen from 2 species, Antipathes atlantica and Stichopathes luetkeni from a mesophotic artificial …

Intrinsic And Environmental Drivers Of Pairwise Cohesion In Wild Canis Social Groups, John F. Benson

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Animals within social groups respond to costs and benefits of sociality by adjusting the proportion of time they spend in close proximity to other individuals in the group (cohesion). Variation in cohesion between individuals, in turn, shapes important group-level processes such as subgroup formation and fission–fusion dynamics. Although critical to animal sociality, a comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing cohesion remains a gap in our knowledge of cooperative behavior in animals. We tracked 574 individuals from six species within the genus Canis in 15 countries on four continents with GPS telemetry to estimate the time that pairs of individuals within …

Amino Acid-Based Protein-Mimic Hydrogel Incorporating Pro-Regenerative Lipid Mediator And Microvascular Fragments Promotes The Healing Of Deep Burn Wounds, Yan Lu, Shanchun Su, Chih Chang Chu, Yuichi Kobayashi, Abdul Razak Masoud, Hongying Peng, Nathan Lien, Mingyu He, Christopher Vuong, Ryan Tran, Song Hong

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Pro-regenerative lipid mediator 1 (PreM1) is a specialized pro-resolving lipid mediator that promotes wound healing and regenerative functions of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), endothelial cells, and macrophages. The healing of third-degree (3°) burns and regenerative functions of MSCs are enhanced by ACgel1, an arginine-and-chitosan-based protein-mimic hybrid hydrogel. Adipose-tissue derived microvascular fragments (MVFs) are native vascularization units and a rich source of MSCs, endothelial cells, and perivascular cells for tissue regeneration. Here we describe an innovative PreM1-MVFs-ACgel1 construct that incorporated PreM1 and MVFs into ACgel1 via optimal design and fabrication. This construct delivered PreM1 to 3°-burn wounds at least up to …

A Brighter Tomorrow With Darker Skies: Understanding The Consequences Of Excessive Light And Combating Light Pollution At West Chester University, Finn Schmidhuber

Sustainability Research & Practice Seminar Presentations

Finn Schmidhuber, Computer Science '25, presents on the importance of Dark Skies and limiting light pollution.

Effects Of Microplastic Biofilms On An Anthropogenically Impacted Suburban Lake, Paris M. Velasquez

Masters Theses

Plastics have been observed in every location on the planet, and their prevalence in the environment is due in part to their strong resistance to degradation. Inland lakes are susceptible to plastic pollution by highway runoff, which contains plastic fragments of brake pads, car tires, litter, and road paint. These plastics eventually enter freshwater environments and degrade into microplastics (

Recent Climate Change In Utah, 1870-2023, Scott Hotaling, Kendall Becker

All Current Publications

Climate change is impacting Utah. Forty-five years of temperature data show that Utah is steadily warming, which, in turn, is driving declines in winter snowpack, shifting the timing and amount of available water, increasing fire risk, and causing ecological change. This fact sheet addresses changes in Utah's temperature, precipitation and snowpack, streamflow, wildfire, and ecology.

Practical Experience And Achievements In Sustainable Development Of World Network Of Biosphere Reserves, Weihua Xu, Zuchen Ma, Günter Köck, Wenlu Chen, Zhiyun Ouyang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

As the core of the UNESCO “Man and the Biosphere Programme” (MAB), the World Network of Biosphere Reserves holds irreplaceable strategic value in harmonizing ecological conservation with regional sustainable development. Based on the four strategic objectives outlined in the Strategy for the Man and the Biosphere Programme (2015–2025), this study systematically analyzes the innovative practices across representative global reserves, revealing critical pathways and implementation outcomes for the sustainable development of biosphere reserves. The research demonstrates that the scientific conservation measures—including the establishment of biodiversity monitoring systems, systematic habitat restoration, and the development of genetic resource conservation networks—have significantly enhanced biodiversity …

Empowering Ecological Monitoring With Science And Technology, Driving Conservation And Development Through Innovation—A Case Study Of Wolong World Biosphere Reserve, Tingmei He, Shufeng Wang, Fan Wu, Yongfeng Wang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Ecological monitoring can provide basic data and decision-making support for ecological environment management and policy formulation. The technologies and methods adopted in ecological monitoring by the Wolong National Nature Reserve, located in Sichuan, China, hold extensive representativeness and influence on a global scale. Based on a review of the main monitoring practices of the Wolong World Biosphere Reserve, this paper presents the adoption of different technical paths and collaborative applications in the “sky-Earth-space integrated” monitoring, as well as the practices in promoting the “Five Ones” goals (i.e., one set of data, one platform, one set of algorithms, one cloud, and …

Transboundary Conservation Of Biosphere: Case Study From Xishuangbanna World Biosphere Reserve, Lin Wang, Lifan Wang, Xiaoyan Yi, Yun Yang, Ruichang Quan

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Transboundary conservation, as a pivotal strategy in addressing the global biodiversity crisis, plays a critical role in maintaining ecological connectivity and promoting regional ecological security and sustainable development. Under the initiative of the Xishuangbanna World Biosphere Reserve and with bilateral governmental support from China and Laos, a contiguous transboundary protected area spanning approximately 220 km and encompassing 200 000 hectares was established along their shared border in 2012. This study elucidates the importance of transboundary conservation. Using the Xishuangbanna World Biosphere Reserve as a case study, the joint efforts between China and Laos are examined, and the effectiveness in the …

Ecology Of Tetrodotoxin Toxicity And Ectoparasite Burden Of Hong Kong Newt Populations, Wing Yan Yip

Lingnan Theses (MPhil & PhD)

Many amphibians have defensive chemicals in their skin. Newts from the family Salamandridae possess a potent neurotoxin - tetrodotoxin (TTX). TTX toxicity has been studied intensively, with the aim of revealing the function and origin of TTX in this family. Research has found within- and between-population variations in North American newts like Taricha, possibly related to co-evolution with its predator, symbiotic bacteria, or several life history traits (e.g., sex and life stage). However, our knowledge about TTX ecology in the Asian newt clade is relatively limited. Additionally, a group of water mites, Lurchibates, specifically parasitizes Asian newts, but …

Biochar And Biosorbents Derived From Biomass For Arsenic Remediation, Gaurav Sharma, Yaksha Verma, Chin Wei Lai, Mu Naushad, Jibran Iqbal, Amit Kumar, Pooja Dhiman

All Works

Global groundwater contamination by Arsenic (As) presents a grave danger to the health of living beings and wildlife, demanding comprehensive remediation strategies. This review delves into the complex landscape of arsenic remediation, encompassing its chemical forms, occurrences, sources, and associated health risks. Advanced techniques, notably biomass-derived adsorbents, emerge as promising and cost-effective solutions. The exploration spans preparing and modifying biomass-derived adsorbents, unraveling their adsorption capacity, influencing factors, isotherms, kinetics, and thermodynamics. Noteworthy attention is given to plant-agricultural waste, algal-fungal-bacterial, and iron-modified biomass-derived adsorbents. The comprehensive discussion of the adsorption mechanism highlights the efficacy of low-cost biomass, particularly from plant, animal, …

Low-Emission Beef Production In The Southern Rangelands Of Western Australia: An Analysis Of Herd Structure And Stocking Rate Experiencing Droughts, Christophe D'Abbadie

Animal production and livestock research articles

Reconciling profitable cattle production with rangeland health and reduced emissions is a key challenge in the southern rangelands of Western Australia (WA). Stocking rate and herd structure selection are crucial decisions to achieve this balance. This study assessed the emission profiles of three contrasting herd structures (weaner production, live export, and slaughter production), and three stocking rates within a herd–carbon accounting modelling framework. The analysis considers the impact of varying drought frequencies on these cattle production systems. Herd models were developed for the semiarid southern WA rangelands. Stocking rates were set at 100%, 80% and 66% of the government recommended …