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Oceanographic Conditions And Diversity Of Sea Stars (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) In The Gulf Of California, México, Carlos E. Cintra-Buenrostro, Hector Reyes-Bonilla, Maria Dinorah Herrero-Perezrul

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Species richness is one of the best indicators of biodiversity. However, there are few investigations on concordance of diversity patterns and environmental settings for marine regions. The objectives of this study were to correlate species richness of shallow water (< 200 m deep) sea stars with key oceanographic factors in the Gulf of California, México, and to predict species richness of Asteroidea using multiple regressions. In these analyses the Gulf was divided into nine sections of one degree in latitude (from 23 - 31° N), at each section we recorded: continental shelf area (at 100 and 200 m depth), temperature mean and range at three depth levels (0, 60 and 120 m), thermocline depth, surface nutrient concentrations (nitrates, phosphates and silicates), surface photosynthetic pigment concentration, and integrated productivity. Sea star species richness at each latitudinal section was estimated from literature data, new collections and museum records. Species were assigned to one of the following feeding guilds: predators of small mobile invertebrates (I), detritivores (D), predators of colonial organisms (C), generalist carnivores (G), and planktivores (P). There are 47 shallow water asteroid species in the Gulf of California (16 I, 15 D, eight C, six G, one P and one not assigned). Total species richness and guild species richness showed strong latitudinal attenuation patterns and were higher in the southernmost Gulf, an area characterized by a narrow shelf, high temperature, and low nutrient concentrations. Species diversity for each guild was correlated to a set of oceanographic parameters: temperature, nitrate concentration, and integrated productivity were linked to richness in must cases. We detected that nutrients and surface pigments always presented negative relationships with species richness, indicating that productive environments limit asteroid diversity in the study area. Finally, the postulated regression models to estimate species richness from oceanographic data were significant and highly precise. We conclude that species richness of Asteroidea in the Gulf of California is related to oceanographic conditions and can be estimated from regional oceanographic information.

Rich Mesic Forests: Edaphic And Physiographic Drivers Of Community Variation In Western Massachusetts, J. Bellemare, G. Motzkin, D. R. Foster

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Rich Mesic Forest, a Northeastern variant of the species-rich Mixed Mesophytic Forest association of eastern North America, is an Acer saccharum-dominated forest type typically associated with calcareous bedrock and nutrient-rich, mull soils. Rich Mesic Forest (RMF) is a priority for conservation in the Northeast due to its limited areal extent, high plant species richness, and numerous rare taxa, yet the community characteristics and environmental correlates of this forest type are incompletely understood. This study undertook a quantitative classification of RMF of the northeastern edge of the Berkshire Plateau in western Massachusetts. Cluster analysis of data from ten sites identified two …

Delineation Of The Fractured-Rock And Unconsolidated Overburden Ground-Water Flow Systems, On The Southern Part Of Manhattan, New York, Through Use Of Advanced Borehole-Geophysical Techniques, Frederick Stumm

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Advanced borehole-geophysical techniques were used to assess the geohydrology of crystalline bedrock in 31 of 64 boreholes on the southern part of Manhattan Island, N.Y. Ten wells were screened in the unconsolidated overburden (glacial aquifer) to determine water-table elevation, transmissivity, and chloride concentration. The borehole-logging techniques included natural gamma, single-point resistance, short-normal resistivity, mechanical and acoustic caliper, magnetic susceptibility, borehole-fluid temperature and resistivity, borehole-fluid specific conductance, dissolved oxygen, pH, redox, heat-pulse flowmeter (at selected boreholes), borehole deviation, acoustic and optical televiewer, and borehole radar (at selected boreholes). The boreholes penetrated gneiss, schist, and other crystalline bedrock that has an overall …

Ridding Ships' Ballast Water Of Microorganisms, Fred C. Dobbs, Andrew Rogerson

OES Faculty Publications

( First paragraph) A complex assemblage of microorganisms exists in nearly every aquatic system on earth. In lakes and oceans, every milliliter of water contains about 10² protists (single-celled eukaryotes), 10⁶ bacteria, and 10⁷–10⁹ viruses. Therefore, billions of microorganisms inevitably enter ships’ ballast tanks during normal operations. It has been argued that microorganisms must certainly be frequent invaders of coastal ecosystems, given the high densities of bacteria and viruses in ballast water—10⁸ and 10⁹ organisms per liter, respectively (1)—their potentially high reproductive rates, broad tolerances to physical conditions, and ability to form resting …

Identification Of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia Coli In The Uae, Khawla Hamad Mohd Al-Areef Al-Dhaheri

Theses

Identification of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli in the UAE

By

Khawla Hamad Mohd Al-Areef Al-Dhaheri

Abstract

Various patho-groups of Escherichia coli strains are important causes of diarrheal diseases worldwide. Among these strains Shiga toxin producing isolates are particularly important. They are carried by various animals and upon infection, in humans, they may cause serious bloody diarrhea, and in some cases even life threatening sequels as hemolytic uremic syndrome. However, these infections are often under-diagnosed due to the fact that pathogenic strains do not differ from their nonpathogenic counterparts in characters investigated by standard microbiological techniques. Consequently, they can only be …

High Dispersal In A Frog Species Suggest That It Is Vulnerable To Habitat Fragmentation, W. Chris Funk, Allison E. Greene, Paul Stephen Corn, Fred W. Allendorf

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Global losses of amphibian populations are a major conservation concern and have generated substantial debate over their causes. Habitat fragmentation is considered one important cause of amphibian decline. However, if fragmentation is to be invoked as a mechanism of amphibian decline, it must first be established that dispersal is prevalent among contiguous amphibian populations using formal movement estimators. In contrast, if dispersal is naturally low in amphibians, fragmentation can be disregarded as a cause of amphibian declines and conservation efforts can be focused elsewhere. We examined dispersal rates in Columbia spotted frogs (Rana luteiventris) using capture– recapture analysis …

Population Structure Of Columbia Spotted Frogs (Rana Luteiventris) Is Strongly Affected By The Landscape, W. Chris Funk, Michael S. Blouin, Paul Stephen Corn, Bryce A. Maxell, David S. Pilliod, Stephen Amish, Fred W. Allendorf

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Landscape features such as mountains, rivers, and ecological gradients may strongly affect patterns of dispersal and gene flow among populations and thereby shape population dynamics and evolutionary trajectories. The landscape may have a particularly strong effect on patterns of dispersal and gene flow in amphibians because amphibians are thought to have poor dispersal abilities. We examined genetic variation at six microsatellite loci in Columbia spotted frogs (Rana luteiventris) from 28 breeding ponds in western Montana and Idaho, USA, in order to investigate the effects of landscape structure on patterns of gene flow. We were particularly interested in addressing …

Marketing Locally Produced Foods: Consumer And Farmer Opinions In Washington County, Nebraska, Mindi L. Schneider, Charles A. Francis

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Local food system potentials were studied in Washington County, Nebraska, United States. As a departure from most studies of locally based systems, farmers were surveyed in addition to consumers for potential participation. Data about the current food system and opinions and preferences for local production, marketing, and purchasing of food were collected using self-administered mail questionnaires. The response rate was 35% for the farmer survey and 37% for the consumer survey. Results indicated that, on the farming side of the food system, conventional corn and soybean production and marketing predominated in Washington County, and farmer interest in producing for local …

The Use Of Culmen Length To Determine Sex Of The American White Pelican, Brian S. Dorr, D. Tommy King, Patrick Gerard, Marilyn G. Spalding

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Culmnen length has been suggested as being diagnostic for sex in the American White Pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos). However, the literature on the use of culmen length to determine sex is inconsistent, with reported overlap in culmen lengths for males and females ranging from 1 mm to >120 mm. Morphological measurements from 188 American White Pelicans collected in Mississippi and Louisiana whose sex was determined by dissection and gonadal inspection were measured. The use of culmen length alone was used to determine gender for this sample by establishing the minimum obsewed culmen length for males and the maximum observed …

Coyote Movements And Social Structure Along A Cryptic Population Genetic Subdivision, Benjamin N. Sacks, Brian R. Mitchell, Christen L. Williams, Holly B. Ernest

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

A recent region-wide study determined that the central California coyote ( Canis latrans ) population was genetically subdivided according to habitat bioregions, supporting the hypothesis that coyotes exhibit a dispersal bias toward their natal habitat type. Here, we further investigated this hypothesis using radio-collared coyotes captured on a 150-km 2 study site on the border of (i.e. overlapping) two bioregions (Great Valley and Cascade Mountains). As predicted, most coyotes were assigned (based on a priori genetic criteria) to genetic clusters corresponding to one of these two bioregions. All of those assigned to the Great Valley genetic cluster were caught in …

Identification Of 'Structural Alerts' And Associated Mechanisms Of Action Of Mammary Gland Carcinogens In Female Rodents, Shanna Tommika Moss

LSU Master's Theses

A new structure-activity relationship (SAR) approach to modeling was utilized to study mammary gland carcinogens. A set of chemicals tested for mammary tumorigenesis that have been analyzed in the Carcinogenic Potency Database (CPDB) were subjected to several computational analyses in an attempt to predict each chemical’s carcinogenic potential. A total of six learning sets (rat and mouse mammary gland carcinogen, CPDB rat and mouse, and female-specific rodent models) were developed and validated using a SAR modeling algorithm called categorical-SAR (cat-SAR). The predictive cat-SAR program evaluates active and inactive compounds of known biological activity and predicts their biological activity from this …

Effects Of White-Tailed Deer Herbivory On The Growth And Survival Of Seedlings In A Coastal Wetland Forest, Seth Taylor Bordelon

LSU Master's Theses

Studies in upland forests of the northeastern and upper mid-western U.S. indicate that high densities of white-tailed deer can reduce vegetation abundance, survival, and richness through over-browsing. In the southern U.S., few studies have examined the effects of deer herbivory on vegetation, and even fewer have done so in forested wetlands. At Jean Lafitte National Park's Barataria Preserve in south Louisiana, managers were concerned that white-tailed deer were concentrating and limiting forest regeneration near a walking trail, where hunting is not allowed. An exclosure study was started there in December 2002 and was conducted through July 2004 to quantify the …

Detection And Evaluation Of Temperature Effects On Cell Proliferation In Somatic Tissues Of The Eastern Oyster, Crassostrea Virginica, By Flow Cytometry, Fernando Jimenez

LSU Master's Theses

The goal of this thesis was to evaluate temperature effects on cell proliferation of eastern oyster somatic tissues for the development of an oyster cell line. Understanding the in vivo cell proliferation of an organism is essential for the development of cell culture. Cell proliferation can be measured by identifying nuclear cellular proteins involved in growth regulation and cellular transformation. The primary objectives of this study were to: 1) develop an assay to evaluate cell proliferation, 2) develop an assay to analyze nuclear RNA content, and 3) evaluate temperature effects on cell proliferation in somatic tissues. Proliferating cell nuclear antigen …

Evaluation Of A Novel Method Of Predicting Estrogen Activity Of A Group Of Structurally Diverse Compounds, Daniel Consoer

LSU Master's Theses

The number of environmental chemicals found to have some level of endocrine activity has led to concern about the possible effects these compounds could have on human health and the health of other species, populations, and possibly whole ecosystems. The United States Environmental Protection Agency has been charged with testing a large number of these compounds, called endocrine-disrupting chemicals or hormonally active agents for hormonal activity. Limited testing resources have led to a call for alternate methods of screening, possibly for use in prioritizing this list to assist in efficient allocation of resources for further testing. This study describes a …

Winter Bird Use Of The Chinese Tallow Tree In Louisiana, Michael John Baldwin

LSU Master's Theses

Chinese tallow (Triadica sebifera) is a non-native invasive tree that is of particular concern in the Southeastern United States. It has become naturalized in a variety of habitats and can be found in monospecific stands. The use of tallow woodlands by overwintering birds is poorly documented. I compared use of tallow woodlands to use of bottomland hardwood forests by birds in the Mermentau River Basin, Louisiana. Species richness and evenness were greater in the bottomland hardwood sites. Three species were more abundant in tallow woodlands, six species were more common in bottomland hardwoods, and six species exhibited no difference between …

Theoretical Modeling Of Protective Oxide Layer Growth In Non-Isothermal Lead-Alloys Coolant Systems, Yitung Chen

Transmutation Sciences Materials (TRP)

The goal of the proposed research project is to provide basic understanding of the protective oxide layer behaviors and to develop oxide layer growth models of steels in non-isothermal lead-alloys (lead or lead-bismuth eutectic) coolant systems. It is widely recognized that the corrosiveness of the lead-alloys is a critical obstacle and challenge for which it can be safely used or applied in the nuclear coolant systems. Active oxygen control technique can promote the formation of the “self-healing” oxide films on the structural material surface, drastically reducing steel corrosion and coolant contamination. Many experiments of steels exposed to flowing lead-alloys have …

Advisory Circular: Reporting Wildlife Aircraft Strikes, J.R. White

Other Bird Strike and Aviation Materials

This Advisory Circular (AC) explains the importance of reporting collisions between aircraft and wildlife, more commonly referred to as wildlife strikes. It also examines recent improvements in the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Bird/Other Wildlife Strike Reporting system; how to report a wildlife strike; what happens to the wildlife strike report data; how to access the FAA National Wildlife Aircraft Strike Database; and the FAA’s Feather Identification program.

Probabilistic Risk Assessment For Snails, Slugs, And Endangered Honeycreepers In Diphacinone Rodenticide Baited Areas On Hawaii. Usa, John J. Johnston, William C. Pitt, Robert T. Sugihara, John D. Eisemann, Thomas M. Primus, Melvin J. Holmes, Joe Crocker, Andy Hart

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Three probabilistic models were developed for characterizing the risk of mortality and subacute coagulopathy to Poouli, an endangered nontarget avian species, in broadcast diphacinone-baited areas on Hawaii, USA. For single-day exposure, the risk of Poouli mortality approaches 0. For 5-d exposure, the mean probability of mortality increased to 3% for adult and 8% for juvenile Poouli populations. For Poouli that consume snails containing diphacinone residues for 14 d, the model predicted increased levels of coagulopathy for 0.42 and 11% of adult and juvenile Poouli populations, respectively. Worst-case deterministic risk characterizations predicted acceptable levels of risk for nonthreatened or endangered species …

Atrazine Runoff In The Blue River Basin: Geomorphology, Rainfall, And Agronomic Practices, Kundan Dhakal

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Atrazine concentrations in the Big Blue River Basin (BRB) in Nebraska and Kansas periodically exceed the U.S. EPA Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 3 µg L^-1. The present study is focused on watershed variables influencing surface runoff of atrazine. The assessment includes the impact of corn and sorghum planting progress (indicating atrazine application), rainfall, antecedent soil water content, and soil restrictive layer on stream-measured weekly atrazine load in independent BRB subwatersheds for 1997 - 2004. Maximum atrazine loading occurred after most of the corn had been planted but during sorghum planting from mid-May to early June, immediately following …

The John Muir Newsletter, Winter 2004/2005, The John Muir Center For Environmental Studies

Muir Center Newsletters (1981-2015)

Newsletter UNiVfeftsnY or the Pacific, Stockton, cA Volume 15, Number 1 Winter 2004/2005 Black Sheep of the in Muir's Motivations for Yosemite National hi] Jeimij Krone ERRA: GREAT! Park (he expansive 760,000-acre Yosemite National Park consists of meadows, forests, and mountains that presently awe over three million visitors annually.1 Yosemite Valley became the second national park in 1890 after an intense nationwide conflict that most tourists neglect to acknowledge when scaling the glacial-smoothened sides of Half Dome or navigating woodlands of sugar pines and giant sequoias. John Muir, a foremost figure in the early conservation movement, spearheaded the proposal and …

South East Humps Focus Catchment Report, A Hollick

Resource management technical reports

This report provides a record of the activities carried out by the Lockhart Focus Support Team and the Catchment Group. It covers the results of the investigations and a summary of the group's catchment plan for the South East Humps Catchment east of Hyden in Western Australia. It covers the current best available information on soils, groundwater hydrology, surface water control, alternative crops and pastures, and revegetation options.

Dissolution, Reactor, And Environmental Behavior Of Zro2-Mgo Inert Fuel Matrix: Quarterly Report, October 2004 To December 2004, Earl Wolfram, Thomas Hartmann, Kenneth Czerwinski

Fuels Campaign (TRP)

This project will examine inert matrix fuels containing ZrO₂ and MgO as the inert matrix, with the relative amount of MgO varied from 30% to 70% in ZrO₂. Reactor physics calculations will be used to examine suitable quantities of burnable poisons from the candidate elements Gd, Er, or Hf with reactor grade Pu providing the fissile component, with up to 10% of ²³⁹Pu. Ceramics will be synthesized and characterized based on the reactor physics results. The solubility the fuel ceramics, in reactor conditions, reprocessing conditions, and repository conditions, will be investigated in a manner to provide …

Risk Perceptions Of Adults In The Town Of Unicoi, Tennessee, Regarding The Possible Building Of A Uranium Enrichment Plant., Shannon Kathleen Sellards

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A prolonged siting controversy for a uranium enrichment facility has occurred in the Town of Unicoi, Tennessee. One hundred-seventy residents of Unicoi were interviewed using a questionnaire regarding the building of a proposed uranium enrichment facility for Unicoi. The questionnaire sought to determine relationships between residents’ risk perceptions and 18 variables. When the Fisher’s exact procedure was applied at α< 0.05, the results indicated several associations. Odds ratio measured the strength of association. Results are reported as crude measures of association. Risk perceptions were influenced by the choice of possible locations for the facility [p=0.0003; OR=32.6]. Residents' risk perceptions were associated with a history of working with nuclear materials [p=0.0476; OR=3.2]. Finally, risk perceptions were associated with residents' beliefs that the nuclear facility would affect their health [p=0.0001; OR=18.8]. These results are discussed in light of risk perception and communication theories.

Genetic Methods Improve Accuracy Of Gender Determination In Beavers, Christen Lenney Williams, Stewart W. Breck, Bruce W. Baker

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Gender identification of sexually monomorphic mammals can be difficult. We used analysis of zinc-finger protein (Zfx and Zfy) DNA regions to determine gender of 96 beavers (Castor canadensis) from 3 areas and used these results to verify gender determined in the field. Gender was correctly determined for 86 (89.6%) beavers. Incorrect assignments were not attributed to errors in any one age or sex class. Although methods that can be used in the field (such as morphological methods) can provide reasonably accurate gender assignments in beavers, the genetic method might be preferred in certain situations.

Absorption, Distribution, And Excretion Of [14C]-3-Chloro-4 Methylaniline Hydrochloride In Two Species Of Birds Following A Single Oral Dose, David A. Goldade, John D. Tessari, John J. Johnston

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Ring-labeled [¹⁴C]-3-chloro-4-methylaniline hydrochloride (250 μg per bird) was delivered to 21 red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) and 21 dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis) via oral gavage, and the distribution and excretion of radioactivity were determined at 15 and 30 min and 1, 4, 8, 12, and 24 h (n = 3 per time point). Direct measurement of radioactivity as well as measurement following combustion was accomplished using a liquid scintillation counter. Elimination from most tissues followed a two-compartment model, with very rapid elimination occurring between time 0 and 4 h and a much slower elimination …

An Exploratory Study That Examines Perceptions, By The Regulated Community, On The Effectiveness Of Air Quality Permitting For Clark County, By The Department Of Air Quality And Environmental Management, Scott Jelinek

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Clean Air Act of 1970 (CAA) made the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) responsible for establishing and maintaining federal programs that control air quality. In turn, each state was delegated responsibility for air quality within its borders, although this responsibility may be shared with Native Americans or tribal lands. In many states, jurisdiction has been delegated to regional or local agencies that are then responsible for air quality in their respective air basins. Even though terrain or water bodies define the physical boundaries of air basins, they are usually designated by County boundaries for regulatory convenience (Wooley, David R., 1997).

South Yarding Focus Catchment Report, A Hollick

Resource management technical reports

This report provides a record of the activities carried out by the South Yarding Focus Support Team and Catchment Group. It covers the results of investigations and summarises the group's catchment plan of South Yarding, Western Australia, based on the best available information on soils, groundwater hydrology, surface water control, alternative crops and pastures and revegetation options.

Soil-Landscape Mapping In South-Western Australia : An Overview Of Methodology And Outputs, Noel R. Schoknecht, Peter J. Tille, B R. Purdie

Resource management technical reports

This report provides an overview of the soil-landscape mapping program for south-Western Australia. It outlines the techniques and standards used in describing the soil-landscape as well as the outputs of the mapping program and their uses.

Immobilization Of Fission Iodine By Reaction With A Fullerene Containing Carbon Compound And Insoluble Natural Organic Matrix, Spencer M. Steinberg, Gary Cerefice, David W. Emerson

Separations Campaign (TRP)

The recovery of iodine released during the processing of used nuclear fuel poses a significant challenge to the transmutation of radioactive iodine. During the first two years of this program we have examined the potential of Fullerene Containing Carbon compounds (FCC) developed by KRI, and natural organic matter (NOM) as sorbents for iodine released during the reprocessing of nuclear fuel. This work involved the development of bench-scale testing of the FCC and NOM material in a simulated process off-gas environment.

Research Objectives and Goals

• Develop bench-scale experimental set-up and procedures for simulating PUREX head-end vapor phase; Develop experimental procedures …

Survey And Census Techniques For Canids, E. M. Gese

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

We already know that the status and distribution of canid populations throughout the world is of growing concern for biologists and the public alike. Habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation, human persecution, decreases in prey, disease, poaching, and increased competition with other carnivores due to reduced space and habitat, have led to some canid species facing extinction, while others occupy only a fraction of their former range. While reintroductions of some species have been successful (e.g., grey wolves Canis lupus to the Northern Rockies of the U.S.), other species face an uncertain future (e.g., African wild dogs Lycaon pictus). Paramount …