Digital Commons Network^™

Assessing The Evaporation Method For Soil-Water Retention Curve Development And Comparison Of Soil-Water Characteristics Across Different Tillage Practices In A Furrow-Irrigated Corn (Zea Mays L.) System, Jeferson Prass Pimentel

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The thesis comprises three studies. The first study in this thesis (Chapter I) focused on a six-year corn field experiment to assess the influence of conservation agricultural practices on soil properties and their long-term effects on water-use efficiency and yield. Non-tillage management did not significantly reduce soil bulk density compared to conventional tillage, as no differences were observed between non-tillage and tillage systems throughout the 6-year experiment. There was no difference in total water-use efficiency among soil management practices in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. Even though in one year of the study, a significant 24 kg ha-1 mm-1 improvement …

Assessing The Morphological And Physiological Traits Of Smooth Brome Pastures Under Long Term Grazing And Nutrient Enrichment In Eastern Nebraska, Hassan Shehab

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Climate change together with the increase in demands for food, feed, fuel, and fiber are becoming a threat to sustainability and resilience of agriculture and pasture lands. Bromus inermis (smooth bromegrass) dominates pastures for cattle grazing in Eastern Nebraska, US, where it is planted in monocultures, and is considered high quality forage because of its palatability and high nutritional value for cattle, especially under intensive management practices. Sustainable management of these pastures is key to long-term resilience. This study aims to assess the performance of smooth bromegrass pastures to the combined effects of long-term management practices (since 2005) of fertilization …

The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic Response On Food Safety Violations Observed In Southern Nevada Food Establishments, Samantha Morales

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Food poisoning is a common term used to describe what is actually foodborne illness. Despite the fact these illnesses can become deadly, foodborne illnesses are endemic and common in the United States. Nonetheless, they are completely preventable simply by following proper food safety procedures. The Food and Drug Administration identified the most common foodborne pathogens responsible for most foodborne infections, as well as the five risk factor categories to target in order to decrease the risk of cases and outbreaks.

To ensure foodborne outbreaks and cases are prevented, health authorities are tasked with conducting routine inspections on permitted food establishments. …

The Evaluation Of Feed Additives On Reducing Enteric Methane Production From Cattle, Reba L. Colin

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Environmental sustainability can be positively impacted by the inclusion of feed additives to reduce enteric methane production from cattle. Methane production can be affected by feed additives that either alter the rumen environment or act as methanogenesis inhibitors. A reduction in methane from cattle can contribute to meeting carbon neutrality.

A metabolism study was conducted to evaluate Alga 1.0, a product containing bromoform, fed to cattle to evaluate the effects on gas emissions. Treatments were (0, 69, or 103 g/d Alga 1.0) fed in a corn-based diet. Headbox-style indirect calorimeters were used to measure gas emissions. Feeding Alga 1.0 linearly …

Globally-Distributed Microbial Eukaryotes Exhibit Endemism At Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vents, Sarah K. Hu, Amy R. Smith, Rika E. Anderson, Sean P. Sylva, Michael Setzer, Maria Steadmon, Kiana L. Frank, Eric W. Chan, Darlene S. S. Lim, John A. Breier

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Single-celled microbial eukaryotes inhabit deep-sea hydrothermal vent environments and play critical ecological roles in the vent-associated microbial food web. 18S rRNA amplicon sequencing of diffuse venting fluids from four geographically- and geochemically-distinct hydrothermal vent fields was applied to investigate community diversity patterns among protistan assemblages. The four vent fields include Axial Seamount at the Juan de Fuca Ridge, Sea Cliff and Apollo at the Gorda Ridge, all in the NE Pacific Ocean, and Piccard and Von Damm at the Mid-Cayman Rise in the Caribbean Sea. We describe species diversity patterns with respect to hydrothermal vent field and sample type, identify …

Activity Patterns Of Whiptail Lizards (Aspidoscelis) Found In The Northern Chihuahuan Desert, Guillermo Alvarez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Traditional lizard pitfall traps were modified to allow organisms to escape, while collecting valuable ecological data. Modified camera traps were capable of detecting the same species as traditional traps in a semi-arid environment, without posing the associated mortality risks. Pitfall-camera traps were used to sample the activity of the Side-blotched Lizard (Uta stansburiana) and the Southwestern Fence Lizard (Sceloporus cowlesi) in an urban wetland during four continuous years. Evaluations on activity pattern and the activity overlap between the two species revealed extensive overlap, with minor but significant seasonal shifts mediating coexistence. Traps were also effective at detecting other reptiles, invertebrates, …

Effect Of Different Pre-Growth Temperatures On The Survival Kinetics Of Salmonella Enterica And Listeria Monocytogenes In Fresh-Cut Salad During Refrigerated Storage, Avninder Kaur, Veerachandra K. Yemmireddy

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

The effect of the pre-growth temperature of bacterial cultures on their subsequent survival kinetics in fresh-cut produce during refrigerated storage was investigated in this study. Three-strain cocktails of Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella enterica, cultured at different growth temperatures (4, 21, and 37 °C) were inoculated on fresh-cut mixed salad and on individual produce in the mixed salad. The inoculated samples were stored at 4 °C and 80 ± 2% relative humidity (RH) for up to 72 h and the growth, survival, or death kinetics were determined at regular intervals. The results indicate that depending upon the type of pathogen …

Breaking The Loop: Strategies For Fighting Climate Change On U.S. Farms, Ashley Barry

Honors Capstones

Climate change is an increasingly urgent area of research due to the hardships it causes for lands and communities across the globe. Specifically in regard to the United States (U.S.), climate change has many concerning implications on our agricultural system. Increased weather hazards, decreased crop production, and drought are just a few of the hardships American farmers are facing in their fight to keep their farms alive and feed their communities, despite a rapidly changing climate. This study investigates how farmers can fight and prevent climate change through the use of specific mitigation and adaptation strategies on their farms. Semi- …

Evaluation Of Water Quality And Identification Of Pollution Factors In Mining Subsidence Area With High Phreatic Water Level, Hu Lin, Chen Yongchun, Xu Yanfei, Li Bing, Wang Jin, An Shikai, Chen Chen, Sun Hongjie, Miao Wei

Coal Geology & Exploration

Huainan mining area is characterized by a high phreatic water level, as well as a wide range and large area of coal mining subsidence areas, with the water quality monitoring data missing and prominent water environment. Therefore, the evaluation of water quality monitoring and identification of pollution factors in large subsidence area is of great significance to regional water environmental governance. Specifically, the water quality of the subsidence area was evaluated with the Nemerow pollution index method by testing the water samples collected from 175 sampling points in the study area. Meanwhile, the eutrophication state of water bodies was evaluated …

Emerging Sensing, Imaging, And Computational Technologies To Scale Nano-To Macroscale Rhizosphere Dynamics – Review And Research Perspectives, Amir H. Ahkami, Odeta Qafoku, Tiina Roose, Quanbing Mou, Yi Lu, Zoe G. Cardon, Yuxin Wu, Chunwei Chou, Joshua B. Fisher, Tamas Varga, Pubudu Handakumbura, Jayde A. Aufrecht, Arunima Bhattacharjee, James J. Moran

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

The soil region influenced by plant roots, i.e., the rhizosphere, is one of the most complex biological habitats on Earth and significantly impacts global carbon flow and transformation. Understanding the structure and function of the rhizosphere is critically important for maintaining sustainable plant ecosystem services, designing engineered ecosystems for long-term soil carbon storage, and mitigating the effects of climate change. However, studying the biological and ecological processes and interactions in the rhizosphere requires advanced integrated technologies capable of decoding such a complex system at different scales. Here, we review how emerging approaches in sensing, imaging, and computational modeling …

Ecosystem Service Valuation Of Blue Carbon Habitats: A Review For Saltmarshes And Seagrasses, Geraldine Doolan, Stephen Hynes

Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics

Oceans and coastal marine ecosystems, particularly vegetated coastal habitats such as mangroves, seagrass, and saltmarsh, play a significant role in the global carbon cycle as long-term carbon sinks. Ensuring that these habitats continue to function as sinks and do not become sources of emissions through habitat degradation is vital for climate and environmental policy goals. These blue carbon ecosystems also provide a number of other important ecosystem services to societies. Understanding the economic value of blue carbon ecosystems is necessary to make informed policy decisions that weigh the costs and benefits of ecosystem management plans. This paper reviews the current …

The Effects Of The Big-Headed Turtle (Platysternon Megacephalum) On Community And Ecosystem In Hong Kong Hill Streams, Wing Lam Fok

Lingnan Theses (MPhil & PhD)

Freshwater turtles and tortoises are ecologically important organisms; however, they are underappreciated, and conservation attention often focuses on the more charismatic animals such as birds and mammals. Although turtles are the most traded group of animals and many species are at the brink of extinction, little research has been done to understand their ecology in Asia because of the rarity of wild populations. Hong Kong is a biodiversity hotspot for freshwater turtle species. The Big-headed Turtle (Platysternon megacephalum) is a critically endangered species that still maintains small populations in Hong Kong, providing a rare opportunity to study the …

Building Urban Sustainability With Quality Elites, Havovi Joshi

Asian Management Insights

Do elites contribute to a society more than they extract from it? In many countries where populism has surged in tandem with declining trust in elites in the political and other spheres, the answer.

Building The Soil Carbon Sponge At Murray Wells Farm, Tambellup, Western Australia, Wendy Bradshaw

Natural resources published reports

Peter and Wendy Bradshaw farmed at Murray Wells Farm about 25 km west of Tambellup for around 46 years until they sold and retired in 2022. They produced barley, oats, merino and prime lambs on an annual rainfall of 450 mm over 1,000 arable hectares. The farm was on a moderately undulating landscape with a mix of soils including sandy duplex, well-drained sand over gravel over clay, shallow sandy or loamy gravel over cemented laterite and red to brown loamy soils.Their farming philosophy was to view agriculture as an ecological enterprise that included them as part of the ecosystem, and …

Biochemical Charactrization Of A Fructosyltransferase Enzyme From A Halophilic Archaeon, Haloarcula Marismotui, For Biotechnological Applications, Ahlam Khalifa Al Ameri

Theses

Fructosyltransferase enzymes are involved in the production of fructans, which are polymers of fructose and naturally present in many foods like fruits, vegetables, legumes, and cereals. Fructans with short chain lengths are called Fructooligosaccharides (FOS), which are small dietary fibers having low caloric values and are known as “prebiotics”. Fructans have a broad range of applications in the food, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and chemical industries. They have unique physiochemical properties and functionalities depending on the source of enzyme used for their production. The present study aimed at the utilization of a recently discovered unique fructosyltransferase enzyme from an extremely halophilic microorganism, …

Characterization Of Environmental Levels Of Pesticide Residues In Household Air And Dust Samples Near A Bioenergy Plant Using Treated Seed As Feedstock, Jabeen Taiba, Eleanor G. Rogan, Daniel D. Snow, Chandran Achutan, Muhammad Zahid

Nebraska Water Center: Faculty Publications

Exposure to neonicotinoid insecticides is associated with adverse human health outcomes. There is environmental contamination in Saunders County, Nebraska, due to the accumulation of fungicides and insecticides from a now-closed ethanol plant using seed corn as stock. A pilot study quantified environmental contamination in nearby houses from residual pesticides by measuring dust and air (indoor/outdoor) concentrations of neonicotinoids and fungicides at the study site (households within two miles of the plant) and control towns (20–30 miles away). Air (SASS^® 2300 Wetted-Wall Air Sampler) and surface dust (GHOST wipes with 4 × 4-inch template) samples were collected from eleven study …

Wics Conference 2023: Moving Beyond The Ordinary, Daren Redfearn, Daran Rudnick

Water and Integrated Cropping Systems Conferences

The theme of this year’s WICS Conference is Moving Beyond the Ordinary with the goal of addressing Team Science. Our vision is to provide opportunities and connection points among IANR faculty to leverage their individual knowledge, skills, abilities, and passions. A tendency for land grant institutions is often to deliver information biased from a single, primary discipline and perspective. This is known as comfort zone mega bias and has been defined as “the tendency to drag a problem into our comfort zone and solve the problem that we know how to solve, rather than solving the problem that needs to …

Nutritional Challenges Of Substituting Farmed Animals For Wild Fish In Human Diets, Sebastian A. Heilpern, Rafael M. Almeida, Kathryn J. Fiorella, Alexander S. Flecker, Demetra Williams, Peter B. Mcintyre

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Wild fisheries provide billions of people with a key source of multiple essential nutrients. As fisheries plateau or decline, nourishing more people will partially rely on shifting consumption to farmed animals. The environmental implications of transitions among animal-sourced foods have been scrutinized, but their nutritional substitutability remains unclear. We compared concentrations of six essential dietary nutrients across >5000 species of wild fishes, aquaculture, poultry and livestock species, representing >65% of animals consumed globally. Wild fishes are both more nutrient-dense and variable than farmed animals; achieving recommended intake of all nutrients with farmed species could require consuming almost four times more …

Widespread Dominance Of Methane Ebullition Over Diffusion In Freshwater Aquaculture Ponds, Renske J. E. Vroom, Sarian Kosten, Rafael M. Almeida, Raquel Mendonça, Ive S. Muzitano, Icaro Barbosa, Jonas Nasário, Ernandes S. Oliveira Junior, Alexander S. Flecker, Nathan Barros

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

An ever-increasing demand for protein-rich food sources combined with dwindling wild fish stocks has caused the aquaculture sector to boom in the last two decades. Although fishponds are potentially strong emitters of the greenhouse gas methane (CH₄), little is known about the magnitude, pathways, and drivers of these emissions. We measured diffusive CH₄ emissions at the margin and in the center of 52 freshwater fishponds in Brazil. In a subset of ponds (n = 31) we additionally quantified ebullitive CH₄ fluxes and sampled water and sediment for biogeochemical analyses. Sediments (n = 20) were …

Water Current, Volume 55, No. 3, Fall 2023

Water Current Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Community Complexity Of A Pollination Network: Analysis Of Plant-Pollinator Interactions In The Eastern Ecuadorian Cloud Forest, Anisa López-Ruiz

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Global declines in pollinators and temporal/spatial mismatches between plants and pollinators threaten the integrity of plant-pollinator networks. Ecological network analysis provides a powerful framework for understanding the dynamics of plant-pollinator networks and measures of community complexity that can help inform areas of priority in conservation. This study observed a plant-pollinator network in a secondary forest close to the Río Zuñac Reserve in the eastern Ecuadorian cloud forest to identify assemblages of plants and pollinators and evaluate measures of community complexity, including specialization and nestedness. Flowering plants were identified and observed along a 1.2 km transect, and floral visitors to these …

A Case Study Of Sustainable Development At The Penonomé Wind Farms, A Cdm Registered Project In Coclé, John Matuszewski

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The Penonomé wind projects fit into a long history of previous internationally financed development projects in Panama, including those from the Clean Development Mechanism. A moderate level of research has been conducted on other Clean Development Mechanism projects, but despite contributing to 5% of Panama’s energy needs and constituting the largest wind park in Central America, the Penonomé wind farms remain little researched. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with relevant people associated with the project or with relevant information to gain more information about the case study. Using the information processed from these reviews and information from publicly available resources, the …

Assessing The Performance Of Agricultural Systems In The Inland And Coastal Regions Of Northern Portugal Using Indicators: Establishing The Foundation Towards Better Agricultural Practices, Genevieve Gehlken

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study conducts a comprehensive evaluation of agricultural systems in the distinct coastal and inland regions of Northern Portugal. Employing key indicators, including soil erosion, nitrogen surplus, irrigation practices, Agricultural Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and crop yield, the analysis reveals statistically significant disparities and unique challenges in each region. The coastal areas, marked by higher agricultural GDP, exhibit distinct economic dependencies on agriculture, while the inland regions face challenges related to water scarcity, soil erosion, and rural isolation. The looming threat of climate change adds complexity to these dynamics, further highlighting the need for region-specific, sustainable agricultural practices. In the …

The Truth Behind Avocado Expansion In The Algarve: A Synthesis Of Public, Environmental Associations, And Government Perspectives And Response, Mandy Ausman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Avocado expansion has exponentially increased in the Algarve region of southern Portugal in recent years. The surge in expansion has provoked contention and discrepancy in the media regarding how and if avocado production can persist in the water-scarce region due to worsening drought conditions related to climate change coupled with the fruit’s significant water footprint. This paper aims to synthesize the arguments and response of the public, environmental associations, and government agencies to the expansion of avocado production in the water- scarce region of the Algarve, highlight the region’s current challenges of avocado expansion and water management regulation, and analyze …

Analyzing Human - Nonhuman Primate Conflict Mitigation Techniques In Mto Wa Mbu, Northern Tanzania, Lily Adams

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Human – non-human primate conflict is particularly crucial due to primates’ high capacity to live among human populations. The study to analyze Human - Nonhuman Primate Conflict Mitigation Techniques, was carried in November 2023 at Mto wa Mbu, Northern Tanzania. To analyze techniques currently being used to mitigate human – non-human primate conflict, this study collected data through semi-structured interviews. Over 87% (n=35) of respondents used multiple mitigation techniques simultaneously. 80% of respondents (n=32) reported using projectiles to ward off foraging primates, 75% of respondents (n=30) reported using loud noises (made either by the voice/body or by manipulating noisemakers), 67.5% …

Creating A Framework For An Effective Koala Recovery Center: A Case Study Of Friends Of The Koala, Nsw, Finley Scoular

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Koala populations in New South Wales, Queensland, and the Australian Capital District are currently faced with factors that threaten their survival. Within one decade, their status has shifted from stable to vulnerable to endangered. The cause of this is attributed to increased exposure to dog attacks, vehicle collisions, diseases, and habitat fragmentation and destruction. The koalas' status of endangered in these territories has illuminated the need for human intervention. This study focuses on the specific form of human intervention that involves the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of wild koalas. Due to the recent koala status change from vulnerable to endangered, …

Building The Health Silk Road Within The Belt And Road Initiative From A Systematic View, Shouyang Wang, Qin Bao, Qi Zhang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Life and health are common challenges faced by mankind, and the building of the Health Silk Road is the fundamental content of the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative. There are great differences in the level of economic and social development of the countries and regions along the Belt and Road. Under the increasingly complex and severe global biosecurity situation, scientific guidance from a systematic perspective is required for comprehensively improving the medical and health conditions and life and health quality of different countries and regions. Aiming at the challenges faced by the building of the Health Silk …

The Influence Of Polystyrene Microplastics On Juvenile Steelhead Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss), Kaitlyn Marie Baker

Dissertations and Theses

Mass production of plastic within the past decade has led to over 100 billion tons of plastics being added to the world’s oceans through rivers and effluent disposal and decomposition. For marine environments, the sudden and constant growth of microplastics (plastics 1 µm to 5 mm in diameter), is of particular concern to top-predatory fish such as steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), who passively or actively uptake microplastics while consuming prey. Previous research has demonstrated clear detrimental impacts of microplastic accumulation in bivalves, seabirds, and zebrafish, including decreased diet, reproduction rates, and metabolism, as well as increased rates of …

Explaining Students’ Attitudes Towards A Sustainable Future: Evidence From Sea-Plm 2019 Data, Syeda Kashfee Ahmed, Petra Lietz

Global education monitoring

This report, published by the Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Centre, discusses how students’ attitudes towards global issues are now crucial more than ever to build a sustainable world for future generations. The first section describes why students’ attitudes towards school and learning are important and how they are linked to the Educational Prosperity Framework (Willms & Tramonte, 2015). The second section highlights the literature about the key factors which can influence students’ attitudes towards school and learning and how they are related to students’ attitudes towards sustainable development. The third section discusses the methods used for analysing the relationships between …

White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) Fawn Survival And The Influence Of Landscape Characteristics On Fawn Predation Risk In The Southern Appalachian Mountains, Usa, Adam C. Edge, Jacalyn P. Rosenberger, Cheyenne J. Yates, Andrew R. Little, Charlie H. Killmaster, Kristina L. Johannsen, David A. Osborn, John C. Kilgo, Karl V. Miller, Gino J. D’Angelo

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

In the Southern Appalachian region of the United States, harvest data has indicated the occurrence of low deer densities while exposing a trend of declining white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) populations over the past several decades in northern Georgia. A triumvirate of increasing fawn predator populations reside in the Southern Appalachian Mountains including coyotes (Canis latrans), black bears (Ursus americanus) and bobcats (Lynx rufus). This region is also characterized by a homogenous landscape composed of mature forests and sparse understory vegetation, likely lacking adequate cover to offer fawns refugia from predators. Our objectives …