Digital Commons Network^™

Indigenous Guardianship And Moose Monitoring: Weaving Indigenous And Western Ways Of Knowing, Jesse N. Popp, Pauline Priadka, Megan Young, Kevin Koch, James Morgan

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Increasing global rates of wildlife species extinctions, extirpations, and declines warrant improvements to population monitoring and management approaches. To address regional environmental and wildlife issues, Indigenous communities globally are re-establishing traditional roles as stewards of the land through emerging Indigenous Guardianship Programs (IGPs). By providing the opportunity for community-level participation in monitoring and management, IGPs help foster cohesive solutions for long-term conservation of species while promoting environmental stewardship at the community level. Addressing challenges in monitoring and management of wildlife is especially critical for species that are of cultural and ecological importance at both community and distribution-wide scales. Herein, we …

Resource Selection At Homesites By Wolves And Eastern Coyotes In A Canis Hybrid Zone, Teresa Oliveira, John F. Benson, Connor Thompson, Brent R. Patterson

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

We modeled resource selection by wolves (Canis spp.), eastern coyotes (C. latrans), and admixed canids during the pup-rearing season at den and rendezvous sites (collectively, homesites) within a largely unprotected landscape proposed as the recovery zone for federally and provincially threatened eastern wolves (C. lycaon) in Ontario, Canada. Overall, canids selected wetlands, while avoiding secondary roads and open-structure rock-grass habitat patches. Packs with greater wolf ancestry selected wetlands and tertiary roads more strongly, while avoiding mixed conifer-hardwood forests. Contrary to our prediction, canids with greater coyote ancestry did not establish homesites closer to roads, which likely mitigated their risk of …

Recovery And Repurposing Of Thermal Resources In The Mining And Mineral Processing Industry, Shannon H. Mclean, Jeffrey Chenier, Sari Muinonen, Corey A. Laamanen, John A. Scott

Journal of Sustainable Mining

The consumption of energy contributes significantly to the overall cost of operations and the environmental impact of the mining and mineral processing industry. However, despite a few notable exceptions, most of the resulting waste heat produced is dissipated, without recovery, into the environment. There is also a lot of stored heat in mine water which can be tapped into long after a mine has closed. There is, therefore, significant opportunity to improve the industry's sustainability through increasing the amount of waste heat recovered and repurposed.

Ammonia-Ca-K Competitive Ion-Exchange On Zeolites In Mining Wastewater Treatment: Batch Regeneration And Column Performance, Roberto Martín Narbaitz, Zachary G. Chartrand, Majid Sartaj, Jason Downey

Journal of Sustainable Mining

This manuscript addresses the treatment explosives-impacted mining wastewaters (EIMWW) using ion-exchange to remove elevated levels of ammonia. Repeated batch loading-regeneration cycles were conducted for two commercially available zeolite media used in the treatment of ammonia-ladenEIMWW to establish the effects of competing ions and regeneration solution composition. The Northern Ontario EIMWW tested contained 3.87 meq/L total ammonia (TA) as well as 2.85 meq/L Kþ and 3.9 meq/L Ca2þ.The media studied were a natural clinoptilolite and a modified clinoptilolite (SIR-600). Five regenerant solutions with different NaCl and KCl concentrations were evaluated. The presence of potassium in the regenerant was found to hinder …

Developing A Model Of Graduate Teaching Assistant Teacher Efficacy: How Do High And Low Teacher Efficacy Teaching Assistants Compare?, Cody R. Smith, Cesar Delgado

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Graduate teaching assistants (TAs) are often responsible for teaching introductory courses to undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics students. The TAs are usually novices at teaching, and an important factor in their resilience and persistence in the face of inevitable challenges is self-efficacy. Little is known about what affects TA teacher efficacy or whether and how high- and low-efficacy TAs differ in their development as teachers. Bridging these gaps in the literature will inform best practices in developing and implementing professional development (PD) for TAs. Using a mixed-methods sequential exploratory research design, this study found differences in high- and low-efficacy …

Solar Irradiance And Enso Affect Food Security In Lake Tanganyika, A Major African Inland Fishery, Michael M. Mcglue, S. J. Ivory, J. R. Stone, A. S. Cohen, T. M. Kamulali, J. C. Latimer, M. A. Brannon, I. A. Kimirei, M. J. Soreghan

Earth and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications

Food security in a warming world is a grave concern for rapidly growing impoverished populations. Low-latitude inland fisheries provide protein for millions of rural poor, yet the impacts of high-frequency climate oscillations on these aquatic ecosystems are unknown. Here, we present a sub-annual-to-annual resolution paleolimnological reconstruction of upwelling, productivity, and algal composition at Lake Tanganyika, one of Africa's largest landlocked fisheries. The data reveal increases in diatom production at centennial-scale solar irradiance maxima, and interannual variability in upwelling linked to La Niña. Our study shows that interactions between global climatic controls and El Niño-Southern Oscillation teleconnections exert profound influences on …

The Life History And Population Dynamics Of Southern Flounder, Kenneth A. Erickson

LSU Master's Theses

Southern Flounder, Paralichthys lethostigma, are a coastal, estuarine-dependent flatfish species that inhabits the Southeastern US Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. Throughout their range, Southern Flounder are exploited by both commercial and recreational fisheries. Recently, numerous sources have expressed concerns about Southern Flounder populations, with stock assessments indicating declines in spawning stock biomass and recruitment. To estimate life history traits needed for informed management, such as age, growth, and maturity, I collected 327 Southern Flounder from Louisiana and obtained 14,184 historical records from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Using a von Bertalanffy growth equation in a Bayesian …

Advancing Best Practices For Aversion Conditioning (Humane Hazing) To Mitigate Human–Coyote Conflicts In Urban Areas, Lesley Sampson, Lauren Van Patter

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Coyotes (Canis latrans) are now recognized as a permanent feature in urban environments across much of North America. Behavioral aversion conditioning, or humane hazing, is increasingly advocated as an effective and compassionate alternative to wildlife management strategies, such as trap and removal. Given a growing public interest in humane hazing, there is a need to synthesize the science regarding methods, outcomes, efficacy, and other relevant considerations to better manage human–coyote conflicts in urban areas. This paper was prepared as an outcome of a workshop held in July 2019 by Coyote Watch Canada (CWC) to synthesize the literature on …

The Identification Of Heavy Metal Accumulator Ferns In Abandoned Mines In The Philippines With Applications To Mine Rehabilitation And Metal Recovery, Rene Juna R. Claveria, Teresita R. Perez, Ian A. Navarrete, Rubee Ellaine C. Perez, Brian Christian C. Lim

Journal of Sustainable Mining

This paper focuses on the identification of some plant accumulators of heavy metals that can facilitate mine remediation and rehabilitation in the Philippines and metal recovery or phytomining. Most of these hyperaccumulators are ferns that thrive very well in different terrains and of particular interest are Pityrogramma calomelanos, Pteris vittata, and Pteris melanocaulon that are abundant in abandoned CueAu mining areas. The amounts of Cu and As in the soil and in the aboveground (AG) and belowground (BG) components of the accumulator ferns were determined and the Bioaccumulation Factor (BF) and the Translocation Factor (TF) were derived. Efforts to …

Cosore: A Community Database For Continuous Soil Respiration And Other Soil-Atmosphere Greenhouse Gas Flux Data, Ben Bond-Lamberty, Danielle S. Christianson, Avni Malhotra, Stephanie C. Pennington, Debjani Sihi, Amir Aghakouchak, Hassan Anjileli, M. Altaf Arain, Juan J. Armesto, Samaneh Ashraf, Mioko Ataka, Dennis Baldocchi, Thomas Andrew Black, Nina Buchmann, Mariah S. Carbone, Shih-Chieh Chang, Patrick Crill, Peter S. Curtis, Eric A. Davidson, Ankur R. Desai, John E. Drake, Tarek S. El-Madany, Michael Gavazzi, Carolyn-Monika Görres, Christopher M. Gough, Michael Goulden, Jillian Gregg, Omar Gutiérrez Del Arroyo, Jin-Sheng He, Takashi Hirano, Anya Hopple, Holly Hughes, Järvi Järveoja, Rachhpal Jassal, Jinshi Jian, Haiming Kan, Jason Kaye, Yuji Kominami, Naishen Liang, David Lipson, Catriona A. Macdonald, Kadmiel Maseyk, Kayla Mathes, Marguerite Mauritz, Melanie A. Mayes, Steve Mcnulty, Guofang Miao, Mirco Migliavacca, Scott Miller, Chelcy F. Miniat, Jennifer G. Nietz, Mats B. Nilsson, Asko Noormets, Hamidreza Norouzi, Christine S. O'Connell, Bruce Osborne, Cecilio Oyonarte, Zhuo Pang, Matthias Peichl, Elise Pendall, Jorge F. Perez-Quezada, Claire L. Phillips, Richard P. Phillips, James W. Raich, Alexandre A. Renchon, Nadine K. Ruehr, Enrique P. Sánchez-Cañete, Matthew Saunders, Kathleen E. Savage, Marion Schrumpf, Russell L. Scott, Ulli Seibt, Whendee L. Silver, Wu Sun, Daphne Szutu, Kentaro Takagi, Masahiro Takagi, Munemasa Teramoto, Mark G. Tjoelker, Susan Trumbore, Masahito Ueyama, Rodrigo Vargas, Ruth K. Varner, Joseph Verfaillie, Christoph Vogel, Jinsong Wang, Greg Winston, Tana E. Wood, Juying Wu, Thomas Wutzler, Jiye Zeng, Tianshan Zha, Quan Zhang, Junliang Zou

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Globally, soils store two to three times as much carbon as currently resides in the atmosphere, and it is critical to understand how soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and uptake will respond to ongoing climate change. In particular, the soil-to-atmosphere CO₂ flux, commonly though imprecisely termed soil respiration (R_S), is one of the largest carbon fluxes in the Earth system. An increasing number of high-frequency R_S measurements (typically, from an automated system with hourly sampling) have been made over the last two decades; an increasing number of methane measurements are being made with such systems …

Influence Of Characteristics Of Marine Macroalgae On Feeding Preferences Of The Milkfish (Chanos Chanos) In Peninsular Malaysia, Lim Wai Yin

Student Works (2020-2029)

Herbivores can alter several ecological mechanisms including interactions between native and non-native autotrophs that may determine invasion success of the non-native autotrophs. This study looked into the autotroph-herbivore interactions in coastal marine ecosystems of Peninsular Malaysia, mainly to determine if autotroph nutritional components and geographical differences significantly influence herbivore feeding behaviours. The relative consumption rate (RCR) of milkfish (Chanos chanos Forsskål), a generalist herbivore obtained from the Straits of Malacca was documented through feeding trials using 12 macroalgal species collected from different coastal areas of the Straits of Malacca, the Straits of Johor, and the South China Sea. The herbivore …

Treatment Of A Worn Mineral Oil Effluent By Electrocoagulation Using Aluminium Electrodes, Serge Raoul Tchamango Dr, God Promess Lactio, Inès Estelle Nkenmogne Kamdem, Martin Benoît Ngassoum

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Water pollution by oils is more and more a preoccupation because of its increasing occurrence and the hazard to human life and environment. Depollution of oily effluents can sometimes generate a secondary pollution (with chemical coagulation / flocculation processes) or be very costly (ultracentrifugation). In this work, electrocoagulation with aluminium electrodes was applied to the treatment of a worn mineral oil effluent. For this to be achieved, the influence of the pH and the current density on the turbidity and organic matter was first investigated. A liquid-liquid extraction was then carried out on the oil samples in order to isolate …

The Identification Of Heavy Metal Accumulator Ferns In Abandoned Mines In The Philippines With Applications To Mine Rehabilitation And Metal Recovery, Rene Juna R. Claveria, Teresita R. Perez, Ian A. Navarrete, Rubee Ellaine C. Perez, Brian Christian C. Lim

Environmental Science Faculty Publications

This paper focuses on the identification of some plant accumulators of heavy metals that can facilitate mine remediation and rehabilitation in the Philippines and metal recovery or phytomining. Most of these hyperaccumulators are ferns that thrive very well in different terrains and of particular interest are Pityrogramma calomelanos, Pteris vittata, and Pteris melanocaulon that are abundant in abandoned CueAu mining areas. The amounts of Cu and As in the soil and in the aboveground (AG) and belowground (BG) components of the accumulator ferns were determined and the Bioaccumulation Factor (BF) and the Translocation Factor (TF) were derived. Efforts to …

Recent Advancements In The Removal Of Cyanotoxins From Water Using Conventional And Modified Adsorbents—A Contemporary Review, Tauqeer Abbas, George William Kajjumba, Meena Ejjada, Sayeda Ummeh Masrura, Erica J. Marti, Eakalak Khan, Tammy L. Jones-Lepp

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

The prevalence of cyanobacteria is increasing in freshwaters due to climate change, eutrophication, and their ability to adapt and thrive in changing environmental conditions. In response to various environmental pressures, they produce toxins known as cyanotoxins, which impair water quality significantly. Prolonged human exposure to cyanotoxins, such as microcystins, cylindrospermopsin, saxitoxins, and anatoxin through drinking water can cause severe health effects. Conventional water treatment processes are not effective in removing these cyanotoxins in water and advanced water treatment processes are often used instead. Among the advanced water treatment methods, adsorption is advantageous compared to other methods because of its affordability …

Ideas And Perspectives: The Same Carbon Behaves Like Different Elements - An Insight Into Position-Specific Isotope Distributions, Yuyang He, Xiaobin Cao, Huiming Bao

Faculty Publications

It is expected that information on the source, reaction pathway, and reaction kinetics of an organic compound can be obtained from its position-specific isotope compositions or intramolecular isotope distribution (Intra-ID). To retrieve the information, we could use its predicted equilibrium Intra-ID as a reference for understanding the observed Intra-IDs. Historically, observed, apparently close-to-equilibrium carbon Intra-ID has prompted an open debate on the nature of biosystems and specifically the pervasiveness of reversible biochemical reactions. Much of the debate remains unresolved, and the discussion has not clearly distinguished between two states of equilibrium: (1) the equilibrium among the corresponding bond-breaking and bond-forming …

Application Of Excitation-Emission Matrices To Fluorescent Dye Tracing Of Groundwater Flow, Cayla M. Baughn

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Fluorescent dye tracing of groundwater is a technique employed particularly in carbonate rock karst regions to examine karst hydrology by mapping underground flow paths. It is important to understand the hydrology of karst environments because solutionally-enlarged conduits may allow the rapid influx of contaminants into the groundwater system. Fluorescent dye tracing involves the injection of a fluorescent dye into an appropriate injection site (sinking streams, sinkholes, or even through soil flushed with water) and is followed by sampling at sites where the dye may be recovered (typically springs). Various methods exist by which sampling may occur, but all methods ultimately …

The Coastal Monitor Winter/Spring 2020 (Volume 6, No 2), John Tanacredi Ph.D.

The Coastal Monitor

It is a distinct pleasure to welcome our new President, Dr. James Lentini, who epitomizes the STEAM connection between Art and Science at Molloy College. Dr. Lentini has been a leader in higher education for more than 30 years and has had stellar academic training in the arts which include his passion for music. From composer, to classical guitarist, to music technology on an international level, receiving countless awards, honors, and praise from the most prestigious entities in the Arts. His transition to Molloy College was at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic and his leadership, under these most difficult …

Nest Moisture Content Affects Loggerhead Hatchling Size And Neonate Development, Kelly M. Detmer

Scientific Communication News

No abstract provided.

Tools, Techniques And Teamwork: Transferring New Technologies For Wildlife Management, Conservation And Economic Development, John Eisemann, Gail Keirn

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Did you ever wonder who invented radio telemetry? Or breakaway snares? What about the bird repellent methyl anthranilate or the livestock protection collar? These and many other tools used in wildlife damage management resulted from creative thinking by biologists, technicians, researchers and managers working to solve complex wildlife issues. Over the past 90 years, these “aha moments” within the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services program have ranged from developing novel scare devices, traps and vaccines to exploiting an animal’s visual capabilities to stop unwanted behaviors. Once discovered, these unique ideas may lead to practical, feasible and cost-effective wildlife damage …

Population Dynamics Of Waterfowl Wintering In The Mid-Atlantic Region, Usa, Abigail Harris, Thomas Hoke

Fall Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

A recent study (Rosenberg et al. 2019) has shown that bird populations in North America are experiencing major declines except for a few groups including waterfowl. However, this study focused only on the summer breeding populations and did not focus on regional dynamics. We utilized data from 62 Christmas Bird Count (CBC) count circles to evaluate population dynamics of common wintering waterfowl in the coastal Mid-Atlantic region (Delaware=7, Maryland=16, Virginia=18, North Carolina=21) since 1950. We found a 36% decline of wintering waterfowl relative abundance compared to 1950s. American wigeon and Canada goose had major population decreases while Snow goose had …

Factors Contributing To The Decline Of Bees, Coleman Behne

Fall Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

Pesticides and parasites are the main causes for the decline in honey bees. This presentation focuses on four of the main factors contributing to bee decline and the stakeholders involved as well as potential solutions.

The Dynamic Trophic Niche Of An Island Bird Of Prey, Ulises Balza, Nicolas A. Lois, Michael J. Polito, Klemens Puetz, Amira Saalom, Andrea Raya Rey

Faculty Publications

Optimal foraging theory predicts an inverse relationship between the availability of preferred prey and niche width in animals. Moreover, when individuals within a population have identical prey preferences and preferred prey is scarce, a nested pattern of trophic niche is expected if opportunistic and selective individuals can be identified. Here, we examined intraspecific variation in the trophic niche of a resident population of striated caracara (Phalcoboenus australis) on Isla de los Estados (Staten Island), Argentina, using pellet and stable isotope analyses. While this raptor specializes on seabird prey, we assessed this population's potential to forage on terrestrial prey, especially invasive …

Hot But Not Dry: Modest Changes In Water Relations For An Epiphytic Bromeliad In A Tropical Dry Deciduous Forest, Saúl Hernández-Robinson, Eric A. Graham, Olivia Hernández-González, Roberth Us-Santamaría, José Luis Simá, Fernando Arellano-Martín, José Luis Andrade

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

Premise of research. Epiphytic bromeliads endure intense seasonal environmental changes in the canopy of dry tropical deciduous forests. The analysis of the physiological responses of these epiphytes to environmental changes can be useful in assessing their plasticity, vulnerability, and adaptations to such extreme habitats.

Methodology. We measured microenvironmental variables and water relations for plants of the epiphytic bromeliad Tillandsia brachycaulos in three microhabitats within the canopy of a dry tropical forest. We measured individual plants for seasonal and spatial differences in light, leaf temperature, osmotic potential, cell wall elasticity, and relative capacitance as indications of their physiological responses …

Low-Cost Adsorbents For Urban Stormwater Pollution Control, Yang Deng

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Stormwater represents a major non-point pollution source at an urban environment. To improve the treatment efficacy of stormwater infrastructure, low-cost adsorbents have increasingly gained attention over the past decades. This article aims to briefly discuss several key aspects and principles for utilization of low-cost adsorbents for urban stormwater treatment. To determine whether a low-cost adsorbent is suitable for stormwater treatment, two aspects should be carefully assessed, including: 1) its adsorption mechanisms and behaviors that can influence the binding strength, adsorption kinetics, and treatment capacity; and 2) unwanted chemical leaching patterns that can affect the extent of water quality degradation. Furthermore, …

Environmentally Clean Access To Antarctic Subglacial Aquatic Environments, Alexander B. Michaud, Trista (Vick-Majors, Amanda M. Achberger, Mark L. Skidmore, Brent C. Christner, Martyn Tranter, John C. Priscu

Faculty Publications

Subglacial Antarctic aquatic environments are important targets for scientific exploration due to the unique ecosystems they support and their sediments containing palaeoenvironmental records. Directly accessing these environments while preventing forward contamination and demonstrating that it has not been introduced is logistically challenging. The Whillans Ice Stream Subglacial Access Research Drilling (WISSARD) project designed, tested and implemented a microbiologically and chemically clean method of hot-water drilling that was subsequently used to access subglacial aquatic environments. We report microbiological and biogeochemical data collected from the drilling system and underlying water columns during sub-ice explorations beneath the McMurdo and Ross ice shelves and …

Water Current, Volume 52, No. 3, Fall 2020

Water Current Newsletter

NWC Convenes August 3 Mini-Conference

Water and Public Safety

University Receives $5 million Gift to Create Program on Water, Climate and Health

Interests And Priorities In Sockeye Salmon Management: How Are Policies Enacted And Interpreted On Three Alaskan Rivers?, Jake P. Palazzi

University Honors Theses

The large export abundance of Alaskan salmon is well documented, and many studies have been performed to assess the economic and environmental viability of the industry and its management. Less research has been done to characterize how state intentions regarding fisheries allocation are conceived of by management or perceived by vulnerable groups in the user pool. This study seeks to qualitatively characterize the disconnect between state and Native Alaskan perceptions of management effectiveness, public interest, and Native Alaskan involvement using interviews. Results showed that Native Alaskan and state manager respondents had very different perceptions of management effectiveness and equity. When …

Global Patterns In Seagrass Herbivory: Why, Despite Existing Evidence, There Are Solid Arguments In Favor Of Latitudinal Gradients In Seagrass Herbivory, K. L. Heck Jr, M. Samsonova, A. G. B. Poore, Glenn A. Hyndes

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The ecological paradigm that biological interactions are more intense in the tropics than in temperate or polar regions has existed since the mid-twentieth century, but several recent meta-analyses have provided scant evidence for latitudinal gradients in the intensity of herbivory. This contradictory evidence led us to carefully review the data and results of several of those papers that failed to find latitudinal gradients in rates of seagrass herbivory. To re-evaluate the arguments around the presence or absence of latitudinal gradients in herbivory in seagrass, we began by expanding the selection criteria to include more studies to compare the published latitudinal …

The Relationships Between Benthic Macroinvertebrate And Local Water Quality And Physical Habitat Characteristics In The Rio Chama, New Mexico, Monika Hobbs

Water Resources Professional Project Reports

Incorporating the process of adaptive management in rivers management can assist with mitigating impacts of altered streamflow and prevent loss of aquatic biodiversity. Streamflow regimes are important drivers of stream ecology and structuring adaptive management around benthic macroinvertebrates could be an efficient means to understand ecological responses to management of streamflow regime. Over the past decade, there has been interest in implementing adaptive management practices to managing stream flow in the Rio Chama below El Vado Dam in northern New Mexico. The goal of this research project is to improve understanding of environmental drivers shape the benthic macroinvertebrate communities in …

Instability Of Glucocorticoid Metabolites In Coyote Scats: Implications For Field Sampling, Erika T. Stevenson, Eric M. Gese, Lorin A. Neuman-Lee, Susannah S. French

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Studying physiologic stress responses can assist in understanding the welfare of animals. One method of measuring the physiologic stress response is evaluating concentrations of glucocorticoid metabolites in feces. Previously, using an adrenocorticotropic hormone challenge, we found fecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels were a reliable indicator of physiologic stress response in coyotes (Canis latrans). We determine whether glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations remain stable when collecting feces over a 2-week period, a timeframe commonly used in scat surveys for wild canids. We collected feces from 6 captive coyotes maintained at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Predator …