Digital Commons Network^™

Review Of Us And Eu Initiatives Toward Development, Demonstration, And Commercialization Of Lignocellulosic Biofuels, Venkatesh Balan, David Chiaramonti, Sandeep Kumar

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Advanced biofuels produced from lignocellulosic biomass offer an exciting opportunity to produce renewable liquid transportation fuels, biochemicals, and electricity from locally available agriculture and forest residues. The growing interest in biofuels from lignocellulosic feedstock in the United States (US) and the European Union (EU) can provide a path forward toward replacing petroleum-based fuels with sustainable biofuels which have the potential to lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The selection of biomass conversion technologies along with feedstock development plays a crucial role in the commercialization of next-generation biofuels. There has been synergy and, even with similar basic process routes, diversity in the …

Some Effects Of Nutrient And Flooding Stress Manipulation On Coastal Louisiana Wetland Vegetation, James Stephen Ialeggio

LSU Master's Theses

Freshwater diversions are a relatively recently utilized tool in wetland loss mitigation that stimulate an organic accretion response in marsh vegetation, which is based in root production and thus belowground biomass. The effectiveness of freshwater diversions in slowing marsh loss probably varies across a gradient of the factors they supply: decreased salinity, increased nutrient concentrations, and increased inundation. Flooding stress is commonly thought to be the overriding factor limiting wetland vegetation growth, however its influence may vary across salinity and nutrients. Therefore, plugs of Spartina patens were planted in four “marsh organs” consisting each of 36 sediment-filled PVC pipes of …

Recovery Of Understory Bird Movement In Post-Pasture Amazonia, Luke L. Powell

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

I sought to understand how forest fragmentation and secondary growth affect avian movement at the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project (BDFFP) near Manaus, Brazil. When deforested areas are abandoned, secondary forests regenerate, allowing rainforest animals to gradually recovery their ability to use formerly inhospitable habitat. My colleagues and I captured 2773 understory birds of ten foraging guilds along the edges of primary forest fragments and variable secondary forest. Age of secondary forest along edges was the most important variable driving capture rates on primary/secondary edges. Mean recovery to pre-isolation capture rates was 26 years after abandonment, but terrestrial insectivores …

Effects Of Physicochemical Properties And Macrohabitat On The Foraging Ecology And Condition Of The Centrarchid Assemblage Of The Atchafalaya River Basin, Louisiana, Brett A. Miller

LSU Master's Theses

The Atchafalaya River Basin (ARB), Louisiana supports a diverse centrarchid assemblage, characterized by abundant populations of largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides, black crappie Pomoxis nigromaculatus, warmouth Lepomis gulosus, bluegill Lepomis macrochirus, redspotted sunfish Lepomis miniatus, longear sunfish Lepomis megalotis and redear sunfish Lepomis microlophus. This dynamic floodplain ecosystem is comprised of a mosaic of macrohabitats, including natural bayous, shallow lakes, dead-end and open pipeline canals. I conducted an extensive feeding ecology study to determine the influence of these macrohabitats on foraging activity through stomach content and stable isotope analyses. I collected 2,036 centrarchids with electrofishing efforts in the summers of 2011 …

Quantification Of Total And Oil-Degrading Bacteria In Louisiana Marsh Sediment Following The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Using Cultivation And Real-Time Pcr Assays, Kristopher Nolan Ackoury

LSU Master's Theses

Although the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill on the bacterial communities in several Gulf of Mexico habitats have been described, little if any research has been published evaluating the impacts of the spill on bacterial populations in the most severely oiled salt marsh soils of Barataria Bay, Louisiana. The aim of this study was to define the effects of the spill on the total and oil-degrading bacterial communities in these marshes. Using quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) and traditional cultivation methods bacterial communities from contaminated marsh soils were examined thirteen, twenty-two, and twenty-nine months after the initial oiling …

Effects Of Predator Reduction On Nest Success Of Upland Nesting Ducks In Low-Grassland Density Landscapes In Eastern North Dakota, Michael Buxton

LSU Master's Theses

Nest success of upland nesting ducks is the primary driver of duck population growth in the Prairie Pothole Region. Nest success is greatly influenced by nest predation and the amount of available nesting cover on the landscape. The decline in acres enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) in this region has negatively impacted the amount of available nesting cover, making nesting cover sparse and confined to small patches where predation rates are potentially elevated. I evaluated the efficacy of seasonal predator reduction on increasing nest success on low-grassland density (>10% grassland cover), 93 km2 landscapes in two different …

Effects Of Deepwater Horizon Oil On The Growth Rates And Pigment Composition Of Phytoplankton Isolated From Grand Isle, La, Jie Li

LSU Master's Theses

This research focused on the effects of un-weathered Macondo crude oil on the growth rates and pigment ratios of phytoplankton isolated from Grand Isle, LA. The experiments involved incubating nutrient-enriched artificial media containing a range of oil concentrations up to 19.2 ppm with small aliquots of coastal water from Grand Isle and measuring the growth rates of the phytoplankton during the subsequent 10–14 days and the pigment ratios of the phytoplankton at the end of log-phase growth to determine whether the crude oil affected the growth rate of the phytoplankton and their composition in terms of pigment ratios. Pigment analysis …

Bachman's Sparrow (Peucaea Aestivalis) Population Structure Across The Southeastern Usa, Blain Annette Cerame

LSU Master's Theses

Understanding gene flow and population structure in wildlife populations helps managers to protect distinct genetic lineages and genetic variation in small, isolated populations at high risk of extinction. I assessed genetic diversity in Bachman’s Sparrows (Peucaea aestivalis) to evaluate the role of natural barriers in shaping evolutionarily significant units as well as the effect of anthropogenically-caused habitat loss and fragmentation on population differentiation and diversity. Genetic diversity was assessed across the geographic range of Bachman’s Sparrow by genotyping 226 individuals at 18 microsatellite loci and sequencing 48 individuals at nuclear and mitochondrial DNA genes. Multiple analyses consistently demonstrated high levels …

An Evaluation Of Oyster Stocks, Grow-Out Conditions, And Off-Bottom Culture Methods For Increasing Commercial Production Of Eastern Oysters (Crassostrea Virginica) In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Justin Morgan Leonhardt

LSU Master's Theses

This project examined the ecologically and economically valuable eastern oyster (Crassotrea virginica) in Louisiana with two field experiments. Little information has been gathered on the performance of local Louisiana oyster stocks and no study has focused on a comparison of stocks among variable estuarine conditions. Additionally, the use of alternative grow-out methods and intensive cage aquaculture has never been evaluated in Louisiana. For the first study, a dermo-resistant stock of oysters (LSU-OYS: ‘OBOY’) was compared to three wild oyster stocks along a salinity gradient. The objectives of this study were to determine the optimal oyster stock(s) and the ideal grow-out …

Multi Geophysical Parameters For Earthquake Forecasting, Ramesh P. Singh

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

This article focuses on the importance of keeping the public aware of earthquake forecasting. This article also encourages proper seismic codes to design buildings in the seismic-prone regions because such practice can save lives and property associated with an earthquake.

The Relationship Between The Meaning Of Water And Sense Of Place : A Grounded Theory Study From Northern Thailand, Katesuda Sitthisuntikul

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The literature suggests that a subtle relationship exists for communities between the meaning of water and sense of place, making fertile ground for systematic investigation. The relationship has obvious importance in today’s world, where people’s reliance on water, and the need for reliable supplies, form part of a common discourse in natural resource management. Yet, there has been much less discussion of what water means to people, how it connects with peoples’ sense of place, and what that might mean for the way people interact with their surroundings. The methodology of constructivist grounded theory was therefore appropriate to investigate this …

Lichens As A Biomonitoring Tool For Detecting Heavy Metal Air Pollution Associated With Industrial Activities In Collie, South-Western Australia, Meenu Chathurika Vitarana

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

During the last few decades, various techniques for using lichens as biomonitors have been developed for monitoring air pollution and forest ecosystem health. Lichens have been used effectively to determine the dispersion of heavy metals emitted by industrial point-sources; however the approach has not been commonly used in Australia. This thesis aimed to determine the effectiveness of using a lichen biomonitoring approach to measure the heavy metal pollutants emitted from coal-fired power stations and related industries in Collie, south-western Australia, an area with concern over poor air quality. Three different approaches to lichen biomonitoring were investigated. The first explored lichen …

Bacterial Colonization And Extinction On Marine Aggregates: Stochastic Model Of Species Presence And Abundance, Andrew M. Kramer, M. Maille Lyons, Fred C. Dobbs, John M. Drake

OES Faculty Publications

Organic aggregates provide a favorable habitat for aquatic microbes, are efficiently filtered by shellfish, and may play a major role in the dynamics of aquatic pathogens. Quantifying this role requires understanding how pathogen abundance in the water and aggregate size interact to determine the presence and abundance of pathogen cells on individual aggregates. We build upon current understanding of the dynamics of bacteria and bacterial grazers on aggregates to develop a model for the dynamics of a bacterial pathogen species. The model accounts for the importance of stochasticity and the balance between colonization and extinction. Simulation results suggest that while …

Understanding The Critical Role Of A Wetland In Maintaining The Ecosystem: A Case Study, Sushil Tuladhar

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Beaver Valley Wetland in north-east Iowa was studied to determine its functionality in filtering incoming contaminants from the surrounding agricultural fields. The study was conducted from May through November of 2011. Altogether 78 water samples (from 13 sites), 84 soil samples (from 14 sites), and some sediment samples were collected for chemical analysis. Heavy metals in three different soil categories, such as surface, 6” deep, and sediments were found to be at or below the acceptable concentrations, indicating no immediate concern for metal toxicity in the wetland environment. The chemical tracers that were used to study the sub-surface flow regime …

Daily Temperature Fluctuations Unpredictably Influence Developmental Rate And Morphology At A Critical Early Larval Stage In A Frog, Juliana M. Arrighi, Ezra S. Lencer, Advait Jukar, Daesik Park, Patrick C. Phillips, Robert H. Kaplan

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Environmental temperature has profound consequences for early amphibian development and many field and laboratory studies have examined this. Most laboratory studies that have characterized the influence of temperature on development in amphibians have failed to incorporate the realities of diel temperature fluctuations (DTF), which can be considerable for pond-breeding amphibians.

Results: We evaluated the effects of different ecologically relevant ranges of DTF compared with effects of constant temperatures on development of embryos and larvae of the Korean fire-bellied toad (Bombina orientalis). We constructed thermal reaction norms for developmental stage, snout- vent length, and tail length by fitting …

Evaluation Of Patterns And Spatial Trends Of Pesticide Residues From Vikuge Farm, Coast Region, Tanzania By Principal Components Analysis, Kf Kilulya, Gs Mhinzi

Tanzania Journal of Science

This paper reports on the analysis of organochlorine pesticides pollution data obtained from samples collected from Vikuge farm, Coast Region, Tanzania between 2000 and 2003 by principal component analysis (PCA). PCA of the data sets for pesticide residues in water, soil and sediments samples from Vikuge has shown that the obsolete pesticides dumped at Vikuge pasture farm for a number of years undergo degradation with time and the distribution pattern of the pesticides in the three environments is similar. Strong outliers were also identified in the data by the use of PCA score plots. Further analysis of the data by …

Status Of Pesticides And Degradation Products In Soil After Clean-Up Of Stockpiles And Treatment With Sodium Hydroxide At A Former Storage Site In Korogwe, Tanzania, Jam Mahugija

Tanzania Journal of Science

The status of pesticide residues in soil samples collected from a former storage site one year after clean-up of stockpiles and treatment with NaOH was investigated. The analytes were extracted from samples by pressurized fluid extraction using n-hexane:acetone (75:25) mixture. Clean-up of extracts was conducted by using silica gel and alumina with 3% H2O and the extracts were eluted with hexane:dichloromethane (1:1). Extra clean-up was performed through C18 SPE cartridges using acetonitrile as the eluting solvent. Labelled internal standards were used for identification and quantification. Analysis of the analytes was performed using a high resolution GC–MS. The dominant contaminants detected …

Interannual Variability Of Wintertime Sea Surface Temperatures In The Eastern Taiwan Strait, Mu-Tun Tzeng, Kuo-Wei Lan, Jui-Wen Chan

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Using Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) sea surface temperatures (SSTs) at a 1.1-km spatial resolution, we investigated the long-term SST variability in winter in the eastern Taiwan Strait (TS) in 1995~2008. We performed an empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis of spatial and time series variances for 15-day mean images. The first three modes in the EOF analysis respectively accounted for 25.9%, 16.61% and 4.59% of variances. In the first mode, the spatial amplitude showed positive values in the northeastern TS and negative values south of Chang-Yuen Rise (CYR). This suggests that warmer water occurred south of the CYR and …

Evaluating The Uncertainty Of The Population Growth Parameter Estimates Of Larval Anchovy In The Southwestern Waters Of Taiwan Using Monte Carlo Simulations, Sheng-Ping Wang, Ming-An Lee, Wen-Yu Chen

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

To estimate the population growth parameter (maximum sustainable yield, carrying capacity, catchability, the ratio of initial biomass to carrying capacity and model shape parameter) of larval anchovy in the southwestern waters of Taiwan, a non-equilibrium production model was used to fit to historical catch data and standardized CPUE series. The results of standardized CPUE indicated that the sea surface temperature was the most effective variable for explaining the CPUE variation of larval anchovy abundance. This study also evaluated impact of the uncertainty associated with the catch and CPUE data on the model estimations using Monte Carlo simulations. Although the impacts …

Development Of A Best Practices Manual For The U.S. Department Of Energy's Wind For Schools Project, Jessica Coleman Fox

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The Development of a Best Practices Manual for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind for Schools Project is an effort to provide the necessary research and data to make the completion of a Best Practices Manual possible. The Best Practices Manual will be used to help with the future development of Wind for Schools Projects nationally. The Wind for Schools Project was developed in 2005; currently 11 states are actively participating. As the Wind for Schools Project developed, various approaches and techniques were used to meet the goals of the program. A Best Practices Manual will serve as a repository …

Early-Summer Ichthyoplankton Biodiversity Associated With Oceanic Factors On The Continental Shelf Of The Southern East China Sea, Wen-Yu Chen, Yi-Chen Wang, Ming-An Lee

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Ichthyoplankton communities associated with oceanic factors on the continental shelf of the southern East China Sea were studied in early summer 2009. Temperature and salinity of the stations in this survey respectively varied 13.78~ 27.86°C and 33.14~34.77 psu. In total, 1204 fish larval individuals belonging to 62 families and 120 taxa were identified. Using a cluster analysis, the spatial distributions of larval fish were classified into 3 groups: a coastal group, a shelf group, and an offshore group. The offshore group was further divided into 2 subgroups: a mixed shelf group and a Kuroshio group. The coastal group consisted of …

Stream-Associated Amphibian Habitat Assessment In The Portland-Vancouver Metropolitan Region, Andrew Evans Dietrich

Dissertations and Theses

This study assessed the influence of landscape development on stream-associated amphibians in forested riparian areas within the Portland-Vancouver metropolitan region. Human alteration of landscapes may dramatically affect the ecology of neighboring aquatic systems. It was hypothesized that lotic amphibians would be negatively associated with greater amounts of landscape development and positively associated with forested area within the surrounding watershed. Thirty-seven 1st-3rd order streams were sampled between June 21st and September 21st in 2011. Streams potentially providing adequate habitat for stream-obligate amphibians were randomly selected. Amphibians were surveyed along 30-meter stream transects using an active-cover search (ACS). Environmental variables associated with …

Assessing The Human Impact Deer Frequency And Activity In The Depauw University Nature Park, Amanda Faulkenberg

Student Research

Introduction
White-tailed deer are abundant in the DePauw Nature Park. There are many deer trails located in forested areas in the park. The goal of our research was to assess the relationship between the amount of deer trails and the abundance of deer.

Hypotheses
We hypothesized that more deer would be photographed by cameras located in areas with the most deer trails.

Methods
We conducted our research in two forested areas, Quarry Hillside and Quarry South, in the DePauw Nature Park. We randomly selected five plots in each area. We mapped each deer trail and measured the length, width, and …

Seasonal Dimorphism In The Horny Bills Of Sparrows, Russell Greenberg, Matthew Etterson, Raymond M. Danner

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Bill size is often viewed as a species-specific adaptation for feeding, but it sometimes varies between sexes, suggesting that sexual selection or intersexual competition may also be important. Hypotheses to explain sexual dimorphism in avian bill size include divergence in feeding niche or thermoregulatory demands, intrasexual selection based on increased competition among males, or female preference. Birds also show seasonal changes in bill size due to shifts in the balance between growth rate and wear, which may be due to diet or endogenous rhythms in growth. Insight into the function of dimorphism can be gained using the novel approach of …

Moving Forward: Preventing Water Shortage For Nevada, Sandra Blandon, Brianna Lyon

Anthropology 100: Feast and Famine In a Global World Poster Assignment

Southern Nevada is located in the arid Mojave Desert, which averages about 4 inches of rain each year. Southern Nevada gets about 90% of its water supply from the Colorado River. Seven western states and Mexico share the river. This means that The Colorado River provides water to 25 million people.

Background Reading: Department Of The Interior, 2013 Departmental Overview, United States. Department Of The Interior, Ken Salazar

The Future of Natural Resources Policy (December 6)

18 pages (DO-5 through DO-22).

"Background Reading"

The Future of Natural Resources Policy: This forum will provide a post-election perspective on some of the challenges and opportunities that natural resources, public lands, and energy policymakers in Washington are likely to face in the next four years. An expert panel will discuss the dynamics in the Department of the Interior, the Department of Agriculture, and Congress, and how their evolving policies are likely to affect Colorado in the coming years.

Phosphorus Transport And Distribution In Kentucky Soils Prepared Using Various Biochar Types, Anvesh Reddy

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Conserving the environment is an issue that is gaining popularity day by day. Phosphorus transfer from agricultural soils is an important environmental issue that is being closely observed as the transport of phosphorous to water bodies is adversely affecting water quality due to accelerated eutrophication. It is important to establish phosphorous models that accurately account for soil test phosphorous. Standard models like SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) and EPIC (Environmental Policy Integrated Climate) were designed for serving this purpose. They are now used as the basis for developing new models that can more accurately account for the phosphorus transport, …

The Effects Of Bison On Cattle Winter Range In The Henry Mountains Of South Central Utah: Resolving A Conflict, Ian M. Ware

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The American Bison in the Henry Mountains are one of the last free-roaming, genetically pure herds of bison remaining in North America. Over the last decade, the herd has used a cattle winter range during the summer and early fall, creating a conflict between the wildlife officials who manage the bison population, and Bureau of Land Management officials and local ranchers who manage the rangeland. At the heart of this conflict is the question of whether bison are negatively impacting the rangeland resource, potentially reducing the abundance of preferable plant species. Negative impacts could include reduced forage availability in the …

Terrestrial And Semi-Aquatic Vertebrates In Diets Of Largemouth Bass In Central Nebraska, Seth A. Lundgren, Keith Geluso, Casey W. Schoenebeck

The Prairie Naturalist

Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) are opportunistic predators often feeding in littoral areas during crepuscular periods (Snow 1971). Adult largemouth bass primarily are piscivorous, whereas juveniles generally consume zooplankton, insects, and small fish (Zweiacker and Summerfelt 1974, Carlander 1977, Post 2003). Age-0 largemouth bass generally consume zooplankton and macroinvertebrates (Keast and Webb 1966, Keast 1985, Phillips et al. 1995, Post 2003) and shift to piscivory at 50-70 mm in length (Phillips et al. 1995, Olson 1996, Post 2003). Few studies have documented detailed accounts of other vertebrates besides fish in diets of largemouth bass, which include amphibians (Hodgson and …

Plant Community Composition And Structure Monitoring For Scotts Bluff National Monument, 2012 Annual Report, Isabel W. Ashton, Michael Prowatzke, Stephen K. Wilson

United States National Park Service: Publications

Executive Summary

the last remnants of native mixed-grass prairie in the region. The Northern Great Plains Inventory & Monitoring Network (NGPN) surveyed 8 long-term monitoring plots in Scotts Bluff National Monument in 2012 as part of an effort to better understand the condition of plant communities in the park. We measured plant diversity and cover, estimated tree and shrub density, looked for the presence of exotic species that are of concern to park management, and evaluated the amount of human and natural disturbance at all plots. This effort was the second year in a multiple-year venture to document the current …