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Greenhouse Gas Emissions And Climate Policy In Florida's State And Local Governments (2000 To 2010), Sandra Jo Garren

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to assess the current state of climate policy and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission trends in the state Florida and its local governments. The research is guided by three research questions 1) What has been the policy response from state and local governments to the threat of climate change; 2) What were the GHG emission trends from 2000 to 2010 in Florida and its local governments and what were the drivers of change?; and, 3) what were the issues related to the data and methodologies to quantify GHG emissions at the local government level? Policymakers …

Determination Of The Ecological Condition Of Benthic Communities Affected By Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons In The Elizabeth River, Chesapeake Bay, Usa, Adam M. Webb

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River, a tributary of Chesapeake Bay, has historically been polluted with hydrocarbon based industrial by-products. My study compared benthic community condition from two locations in the Southern Branch: the subtidal region near Money Point, historically affected by pollution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), to a subtidal region near Blows Creek on the opposite shore that is putatively designated as unimpacted by P AH contamination. Samples from both study sites in the Southern Branch were compared to the benthic community condition of samples from the same habitat type designations collected as part of the Chesapeake …

Elucidating The Population Dynamics Of Japanese Knotweed Using Integral Projection Models, Joseph T. Dauer, Eelke Jongejans

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Plant demographic studies coupled with population modeling are crucial components of invasive plant management because they inform managers when in a plant’s life cycle it is most susceptible to control efforts. Providing land managers with appropriate data can be especially challenging when there is limited data on potentially important transitions that occur belowground. For 2 years, we monitored 4 clonal Japanese knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum) infestations for emergence, survival, shoot height until leaf senescence, dry shoot biomass after senescence, and rhizome connections for 424 shoots. We developed an integral projection model using both final autumn shoot height and shoot …

The Value And Propriety Of Reintroduction As A Conservation Tool For Rare Plants, Edward O. Guerrant Jr.

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Three recent reviews of reintroduction for conservation purposes, which draw on substantial and largely non-overlapping data sets, have come to strikingly different conclusions about its value. One concludes that “reintroduction is generally unlikely to be a successful conservation strategy as currently conducted.” Another that “…this review cannot conclusively comment on the effectiveness of re-introductions…” The third concludes there is “strong evidence in support of the notion that reintroduction, especially in combination with ex situ conservation, is a tool that can go a long way toward meeting the needs it was intended to address.” The argument over the conservation value of …

Climate Change And Climate Variability: Personal Motivation For Adaptation And Mitigation, Jan C. Semenza, George B. Ploubidis, Linda Acha George

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Global climate change impacts on human and natural systems are predicted to be severe, far reaching, and to affect the most physically and economically vulnerable disproportionately. Society can respond to these threats through two strategies: mitigation and adaptation. Industry, commerce, and government play indispensable roles in these actions but so do individuals, if they are receptive to behavior change. We explored whether the health frame can be used as a context to motivate behavioral reductions of greenhouse gas emissions and adaptation measures. Methods: In 2008, we conducted a cross-sectional survey in the United States using random digit dialing. Personal …

Compiling, Synthesizing And Analyzing Existing Boreal Forest Fire History Data In Alaska, Diana L. Olson, James B. Cronan, Donald Mckenzie, Jennifer L. Barnes, Anne E. Camp, Mike Tjoelker, Jennifer Northway, Paige Eagle

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

Wildland fires play a critical role in maintaining the ecological integrity of boreal forests in Alaska. Identifying and maintaining natural fire regimes is an important component of fire management. There are numerous research projects that directly or indirectly address historical fire regimes in the Alaskan boreal forest, but many are unpublished, have many unprocessed dendrochronological (tree age and fire scar) samples, or their data were used for other purposes. Furthermore, no assessment of these data exists to understand how fire has historically affected the boreal forest ecosystems of Alaska. The goal of this project was to compile and synthesize existing …

Fire Regimes Of Montane Grasslands Of The Valles Caldera National Preserve, New Mexico, Donald A. Falk, Craig D. Allen, Robert Parmenter, Thomas Swetnam, Clifford Dils

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

Montane grasslands are an important ecosystem type in Southwestern landscapes, occurring from the forest borders of piñon-juniper woodland to high elevation subalpine and alpine ecosystems. Thus, they often represent a mosaic element embedded in the forest landscape matrix, playing key roles in processing water and nutrients, and providing habitat for unique suites of species, often at higher levels of diversity than those found in surrounding uplands. Soils, local temperature and moisture gradients, and disturbance all play roles in determining the distribution and extent of montane grasslands. Of these factors, fire plays the most dynamic role in regulating the location and …

Egypt’S National Strategy For Adaptation To Climate Change And Disaster Risk Reduction, Egypt’S Cabinet Information And Decision Support Centre

Egypt & Libya

The main objective of Egypt’s National Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction is to increase the flexibility of the Egyptian community when dealing with the risks and disasters that might be caused by climate change and its impact on different sectors and activities. It also aims at strengthening the capacity to absorb and reduce the risks and disasters to be caused by such changes. In essence, the strategy adopts accommodation and protection as the two basic means of defence, taking into consideration systematic retreat based upon predefined plans, in case the coastal zones are exposed to …

Estimating Age From Recapture Data: Integrating Incremental Growth Measures With Ancillary Data To Infer Age-At-Length, Mitchell J. Eaton, William A. Link

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Estimating the age of individuals in wild populations can be of fundamental importance for answering ecological questions, modeling population demographics, and managing exploited or threatened species. Significant effort has been devoted to determining age through the use of growth annuli, secondary physical characteristics related to age, and growth models. Many species, however, either do not exhibit physical characteristics useful for independent age validation or are too rare to justify sacrificing a large number of individuals to establish the relationship between size and age. Length-at-age models are well represented in the fisheries and other wildlife management literature. Many of these models …

Estimating Age From Recapture Data: Integrating Incremental Growth Measures With Ancillary Data To Infer Age-At-Length, Mitchell J. Eaton, William A. Link

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Estimating the age of individuals in wild populations can be of fundamental importance for answering ecological questions, modeling population demographics, and managing exploited or threatened species. Significant effort has been devoted to determining age through the use of growth annuli, secondary physical characteristics related to age, and growth models. Many species, however, either do not exhibit physical characteristics useful for independent age validation or are too rare to justify sacrificing a large number of individuals to establish the relationship between size and age. Length-at-age models are well represented in the fisheries and other wildlife management literature. Many of these models …

Cattle Grazing Reduces Survival And Reproduction Of The Western Prairie Fringed Orchid, Bonnie Warner Alexander, Donald Kirby, Mario Biondini, Edward Dekeyser

The Prairie Naturalist

QuantifYing impacts of livestock grazing and prairie management strategies on the threatened western prairie' fringed orchid (Platanthera praeclara) is difficult due to the erratic appearance of the orchid above-ground. We monitored above-ground survival of orchids from flowering to mature seed capsule production, comparing plant height, flower numbers, and seed capsule numbers from 2002-2004 in rotationally grazed pastures and non-grazed sites. Orchid survival differed significantly between grazed and non-grazed pastures, with the proportion of plants surviving from flower to capsule production consistently lower in grazed pastures. Mean orchid survival in grazed and non-grazed areas was 40% and 87%, respectively. …

Critique Of A Wildlife Habitat Evaluation Method Applied To Residential Open Space, Sarah Rigard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

To this date, little research has been done evaluating the quality of wildlife habitat provided by open space in residential areas. Quality wildlife habitat for the purposes of this study is defined as those areas which contain the physical and biological characteristics necessary to support native wildlife species of the region. This thesis critiqued a wildlife habitat assessment method used in a nationwide study of residential open space for the purpose of better understanding the research conducted by the study and to inform similar, future habitat evaluations of landscapes altered by human activity to accommodate residential land use. The methodology …

Ecological And Genetic Status Of The Purple Pitcher Plant, Sarracenia Purpurea L., In Maryland And Virginia, Philip M. Sheridan

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Sarracenia purpurea is a rare wetland plant in Virginia and a threatened species in Maryland, with two potential subspecies in the region. I utilized restriction fragments from the intron of the chalcone synthase gene to compare S. purpurea populations and determine whether the subspecies concept was supported. I performed a census of existing populations, compiled all known historical data on the species, and investigated the reasons for the species demise and predicted dates of extinction. Bloom phenology was examined to see if climate change may have influenced bloom period. Soil, vegetation, and climatic information was obtained to determine if taxonomic …

Evidence For Recent Population Bottlenecks In Northern Spotted Owls (Strix Occidentalis Caurina), W. Chris Funk, Eric D. Forsman, Matthew Johnson, Thomas D. Mullins, Susan M. Haig

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) is one of the most controversial threatened subspecies ever listed under the US Endangered Species Act. Despite protection of its remaining forest habitat, recent field studies show continued declines of northern spotted owls. One potential threat to northern spotted owls which has not yet been shown is loss of genetic variation from population bottlenecks. Bottlenecks can increase the probability of mating among related individuals, potentially causing inbreeding depression, and can decrease adaptive potential. Here we report evidence for recent bottlenecks in northern spotted owls using a large genetic dataset (352 individuals …

Analysis Of Mammoth Cave Pre-Park Communities, Matthew Brunt

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Before the creation of Mammoth Cave National Park, this area was home to numerous communities, each with a sense of identity. To prepare for the creation of the National Park, all residents living within these communities were relocated, and many of these communities were lost to the passage of time. Today, public memory of these lost communities is being fostered by the descendents of the pre-park area.

Through the use of a Historical Geographic Information System, 1920 Edmonson County manuscript census data, and statistical analysis, the demographic composition of these lost communities was explored. This project not only brought to …

Lake Mead Symposium Plenary Schedule, Kent Turner

Lake Mead Science Symposium

Preliminary schedule for the symposium.

Lake Mead Science Symposium, January 13 An 14, 2009, Las Vegas, Nevada: Program, Kent Turner

Lake Mead Science Symposium

Conference program for the 2009 Lake Mead Science Symposium. Includes abstracts of presentations, registration packet, exhibitor and sponsor information.

Life History Parameters Of The Humpback Whale (Megaptera Novaengliae) In The Waters Of The Gulf Of Maine For The 2007 Feeding Season, Meghan Wert

Undergraduate Review

The humpback whale (Megaptera novaengliae) is an endangered species of baleen whale that feeds in the waters of the Gulf of Maine during the spring, summer and fall. The worldwide population of humpback whales ranges from 60,000 to 80,000 individuals and the population within the Gulf of Maine is estimated between 9,000 to 11,000. Humpback whales are a large baleen whale that reaches an average length of 40 to 50 feet and a weight of 35 to 40 tons. Although protected worldwide since the International Whaling Commission in 1964, this population has increased slowly and is still considered …

Grassland Songbird Survival And Recruitment In Agricultural Landscapes: Implications For Source-Sink Demography, Noah G. Perlut, Allan M. Strong, Therese M. Donovan, Neil J. Buckley

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

Population growth and decline are particularly sensitive to changes in three key life-history parameters: annual productivity, juvenile survival, and adult survival. However, for many species these parameters remain unknown. For example, although grassland songbirds are imperiled throughout North America, for this guild, only a small number of studies have assessed these parameters. From 2002 to 2006, in the agricultural landscape of the Champlain Valley of Vermont and New York, USA, we studied Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) and Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) demography on four grassland treatments: (1) early-hayed fields cut before 11 June and again in early- …

Post-Fire Demography Of A Dry Eucalypt Forest In The Midlands, Tasmania: A Pilot Study, Christine Urbanowicz

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

There have been many efforts to regenerate the threatened and declining dry eucalypt forests found within the Midlands of Tasmania. This pilot study was completed as part of a larger research project on eucalypt regeneration. Researchers need to know where recruits are most successful in order to appropriately place regeneration microsites. I have begun characterizing the baseline demography of a recently burnt remnant forest. I had two objectives: 1. to characterize the stand structure where recruits are successful, and 2. to describe where the recruits are within this structure. Data on location, size, and life history stage of trees were …

Unlv Magazine, Holly Ivy De Vore, Nancy Syzdek, Patrice E.M. Hollrah, Douglas Unger, Eugene Moehring, Gillian Silver, John F. Gallagher, Lori Bachand, Gian Galassi, Hal Rothman, Mark Hoversten, Phil Hagen, Donna Mcaleer, Suzan Dibella

UNLV Magazine

No abstract provided.

Tree Thinning And Prescribed Burning Effects On Ground Flora In Arizona Ponderosa Pine Forests: A Review, Scott R. Abella

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Research

Ground flora is an important response variable to monitor after tree thinning and prescribed burning treatments designed to restore Arizona ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa P.& C. Lawson) forests. This paper reviews published literature on the effects of thinning and burning on ground flora in Arizona ponderosa pine forests in five main categories of research: ground flora biomass, species diversity, plant community composition, population processes, and individual species ecology. Research published to date suggests that thinning and burning generally increase ground flora biomass, whereas other categories of research such as community composition and population processes have been little studied in Arizona …

Impacts Of Biological Invasions On The Management And Recovery Of Rare Plants In Haleakala National Park, Maui, Hawaiian Islands, Lloyd Loope, Arthur Medeiros

United States National Park Service: Publications

Biological invasions assisted by humans are impoverishing biological diversity worldwide (MacDonald et al. 1989, Diamond 1989). Such invasions are particularly devestating to the biota of oceanic islands such as Hawaii (Williamson 1981, Brockie et al. 1988, Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources et al. 1991). Ecosystems of the Hawaiian Islands are much more vulnerable to biological invasions than are continental ecosystems, because the organisms in them have evolved in isolation from many of the forces that have shaped continental organisms, including foraging and trampling by herbivorous mammals, predation by ants and mammals, virulent diseases, and fires (Loope & Mueller-Dombois …

Problem Analysis For The Vegetation Diversity Project, David A. Pyke, Michael M. Borman, U.S. Department Of The Interior, Bureau Of Land Management

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

Management of the majority of public rangeland in the Great Basin and Columbia-Snake River Plateau falls under the authority of the Bureau of Land Management. The flora of this land ranges from highly diverse native plant communities to deteriorated lands dominated by exotic annuals. Approximately nine percent of the BLM’s 78 million acres of public land in this region is degraded to such a degree that changes in land management alone will not result in significant improvement. The BLM intends to restore native plant communities on these deteriorated lands, but current revegetation techniques used to establish introduced perennial grasses are …

The Place Of Farm Animals In Humane Sustainable Agriculture, M. W. Fox

eBooks

It is not yet widely recognized that the livestock industry has become a major threat to the world's economy, the environment, consumer health, and the food security of nations and generations to come. Farm animals do have a place in ecologically sound agriculture, but, as will be shown, they have not been properly integrated either in the United States or in other developed and less-developed nations of the world.

Relationship Between Seasonal Changes In Forage Quality And Feeding Patterns In Meadow Voles (Microtus Pennsylvanicus), Ronald J. Brooks, Stephan A. Struger

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Forage analyses revealed that mowed orchards provide a relatively high quality forage to meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus), especially in the fall. Mowed forage was characterized by significantly higher protein and moisture content and significantly lower acid and neutral detergent fibre and lignin than forage from an abandoned orchard. Energy and fat were not significantly affected by mowing. However, vole numbers declined markedly in mowed regions in comparison to undisturbed areas. Voles preferred to inhabit areas with dense cover even though vegetative dieback had occurred. Voles did not exhibit any distinct preference for either cracked corn (rodenticide carrier agent) …

Relationship Between Seasonal Changes In Forage Quality And Feeding Patterns In Meadow Voles (Microtus Pennsylvanicus), Ronald J. Brooks, Stephen A. Struger

Eastern Wildlife Damage Control Conference: 2nd (1985)

Forage analyses revealed that mowed orchards provide a relatively high quality forage to meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus), especially in the fall. Mowed forage was characterized by significantly higher protein and moisture content and significantly lower acid and neutral detergent fibre and lignin than forage from an abandoned orchard. Energy and fat were not significantly affected by mowing.. However, vole numbers declined markedly in mowed regions in comparison to undisturbed areas. Voles preferred to inhabit areas with dense cover even though vegetative dieback had occurred. Voles did not exhibit any distinct preference for either cracked corn (rodenticide carrier agent) …

Historical And Projected Municipal And Industrial Water Usage In Utah 1960-2020, Roger D. Hansen, Herbert H. Fullterton, A. Bruce Bishop, Trevor C. Hughes, Ronald Christensen, Davis S. Bowles, Kyle Matteson, Hershel G. Hester Iii, Ronald Mead, Randy Simmons

Reports

This publication reports the results of a municipal and industrial water use inventory. Data reported covers the period 1960 through 1976. Time series information is aggregated from municipal and industrial system level to country and state totals. Total municipal and industrial withdrawals are divided between surface and groundwater sources. Yearly per capital withdrawal rates are estimated for 50 Utah municipalities and for each of Utah’s 29 counties. Per capita withdrawal rates range from a high of over 400 gallons per capita per day (gcd) in the communities of Delta, Fillmore, Hyrum, Logan, and Morgan to a low of 100 gcd …

Demographic Studies Of Sagebrush Insects As Functions Of Various Environmental Factors, T. H. Hsiao, A. K. Temte

Memorandum

No abstract provided.

Plant Demographic Studies Of Desert Annual Communities In Northern Utah Dominated By Non-Native Weedy Species, D. R. Duba, B. E. Norton

Memorandum

No abstract provided.