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Emergent Behavior In A Coupled Economic And Coastline Model For Beach Nourishment, Eli D. Lazarus, D E. Mcnamara, M D. Smith, S Gopalakrishnan, A B. Murray Dec 2011

Emergent Behavior In A Coupled Economic And Coastline Model For Beach Nourishment, Eli D. Lazarus, D E. Mcnamara, M D. Smith, S Gopalakrishnan, A B. Murray

Publications

Developed coastal areas often exhibit a strong systemic coupling between shoreline dynamics and economic dynamics. "Beach nourishment", a common erosion-control practice, involves mechanically depositing sediment from outside the local littoral system onto an actively eroding shoreline to alter shoreline morphology. Natural sediment-transport processes quickly rework the newly engineered beach, causing further changes to the shoreline that in turn affect subsequent beach-nourishment decisions. To the limited extent that this landscape/economic coupling has been considered, evidence suggests that towns tend to employ spatially myopic economic strategies under which individual towns make isolated decisions that do not account for their neighbors. What happens …


The Impact Of Category Separation On Unsupervised Categorization, Shawn W. Ell, Gregoryh F. Ashby Nov 2011

The Impact Of Category Separation On Unsupervised Categorization, Shawn W. Ell, Gregoryh F. Ashby

Psychology Faculty Scholarship

Most previous research on unsupervised categorization has used unconstrained tasks in which no instructions are provided about the underlying category structure or the stimuli are not clustered into categories. Few studies have investigated constrained tasks in which the goal is to learn pre-defined stimulus clusters in the absence of feedback. These studies have generally reported good performance when the stimulus clusters could be separated by a one-dimensional rule. The present study investigated the limits of this ability. Results suggest that even when two stimulus clusters are as widely separated as in previous studies, performance is poor if within-category variance on …


Collaborative Research: Gymnosperms On The Tree Of Life: Resolving The Phylogeny Of Seed Plants, Christopher S. Campbell Oct 2011

Collaborative Research: Gymnosperms On The Tree Of Life: Resolving The Phylogeny Of Seed Plants, Christopher S. Campbell

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

An award is made to Sarah Mathews (Lead PI), Jianhua Li (Co-PI), Harvard University; Reed S. Beaman (PI), Nico Cellinese (Co-PI), Yale University; Christopher S. Campbell (PI), University of Maine; Richard C. Cronn (Collaborator), USDA Forest Service; Sean W. Graham (Co-PI), University of British Columbia; Stefanie M. Ickert-Bond (PI), University of Alaska; Dean G. Kelch (PI), University of California-Berkeley and California State Herbarium; Aaron I. Liston (PI), Oregon State University; Linda A. Raubeson (PI), Central Washington University; Gar W. Rothwell (PI), Gene Mapes (Co-PI), Ohio University; Andrea E. Schwarzbach (PI), University of Texas-Brownsville; Dennis W. Stevenson (PI), New York Botanical …


The Lobster Bulletin, Fall 2011, Lobster Institute, University Of Maine Oct 2011

The Lobster Bulletin, Fall 2011, Lobster Institute, University Of Maine

Lobster Bulletin

The Lobster Bulletin newsletter includes research updates, and information on lobsters and the lobster industry. The Lobster Institute at the University of Maine is dedicated to protecting and conserving the lobster resource, and enhancing lobstering as an industry and a way of life.

Headlines in the Fall 2011 issue include:

  • Lobster Institute to Present Two Workshops at the Massachusetts Lobstermen's Association Weekend
  • Number of Right Whales Up in Bay of Fundy
  • Coming 2012 The Lobster Institute's 25th Anniversary
  • A Full House for the Lobster Institute's Holiday Lobster & Wine Fest
  • Research Report: Squid Outweighs Lobster in Rhode Island Fishery
  • Research …


Beals Historical Society Fall 2011 Newsletter, Carol Davis Oct 2011

Beals Historical Society Fall 2011 Newsletter, Carol Davis

Downeast Fisheries Trail

A quarterly newsletter from the Beals Island Historical Society.


Photodissolution Of Sedimentary Organic Matter, Lawrence M. Mayer Aug 2011

Photodissolution Of Sedimentary Organic Matter, Lawrence M. Mayer

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

The field of marine photochemistry has previously focused on dissolved organic matter and trace metals. However, recent studies have shown that sediment suspensions in the ocean are also affected by sunlight and have the potential to dissolve most of their particulate organic carbon to the dissolved organic phase.

A researcher from the University of Maine will determine the importance of photodissolution in the coastal Louisiana area, where riverine particulates are quickly deposited in shallow waters. Optical properties of the particulates will be examined to assess the photon fluxes and to determine the quantum yields of this photodissolution reaction. To determine …


The Lobster Bulletin, Summer 2011, Lobster Institute, University Of Maine Jul 2011

The Lobster Bulletin, Summer 2011, Lobster Institute, University Of Maine

Lobster Bulletin

The Lobster Bulletin newsletter includes research updates, and information on lobsters and the lobster industry. The Lobster Institute at the University of Maine is dedicated to protecting and conserving the lobster resource, and enhancing lobstering as an industry and a way of life.

Headlines in the Summer 2011 issue include:

  • Lobster Institute Cooperating Experts Directory a Valuable Asset
  • Atlantic Lobster Sustainability Foundation Hosts First Lobster Science Symposium
  • Research Report: Using the Invasive Green Crab in Food Product Development
  • Research Report: Progress in the war against sea lice
  • Maine Lobster Chef of the Year Finalists to Compete in Portland


The Physiological Ecology Of Seasonal Interactions: How Do Wintering Ground Events Constrain Breeding Success In Neotropical Migrants?, Rebecca L. Holberton Jun 2011

The Physiological Ecology Of Seasonal Interactions: How Do Wintering Ground Events Constrain Breeding Success In Neotropical Migrants?, Rebecca L. Holberton

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

Migratory birds breed throughout the temperate regions of North America but winter in very different habitats further south. Although 1000 km or more may separate wintering from breeding areas, recent research has revealed that ecological conditions during winter can influence subsequent reproductive success. The major objective of this research is to investigate the underlying physiological factors linking winter events with an individual's ability to breed. The American redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) is an excellent study animal: its ecology and behavior during the wintering and breeding periods have been intensively studied. The degree to which redstarts prepare for breeding, and …


Clearcutting Has A Long-Lasting Effect On Habitat Connectivity For A Forest Amphibian By Decreasing Permeability To Juvenile Movements, Viorel Popescu, Malcolm L. Hunter Jr. Jun 2011

Clearcutting Has A Long-Lasting Effect On Habitat Connectivity For A Forest Amphibian By Decreasing Permeability To Juvenile Movements, Viorel Popescu, Malcolm L. Hunter Jr.

Publications

Conservation of forest amphibians is dependent on finding the right balance between management for timber production and meeting species' habitat requirements. For many pond-breeding amphibians, successful dispersal of the juvenile stage is essential for long-term population persistence. We investigated the influence of timber-harvesting practices on the movements of juvenile wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus). We used a chronosequence of stands produced by clear-cutting to evaluate how stand age affects habitat permeability to movements. We conducted experimental releases of juveniles in 2008 (n = 350) and 2009 (n = 528) in unidirectional runways in four treatments: mature forest, recent clearcut, …


Pathogen-Mediated Evolution Of Immunogenetic Variation In Plains Zebra (Equus Quagga) Of Southern Africa, Pauline L. Kamath May 2011

Pathogen-Mediated Evolution Of Immunogenetic Variation In Plains Zebra (Equus Quagga) Of Southern Africa, Pauline L. Kamath

Animal and Veterinary Sciences Faculty Scholarship

Investigating patterns of variability in functional protein-coding genes is fundamental to identifying the basis for population and species adaptation and ultimately, for predicting evolutionary potential in the face of environmental change. The Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC), a family of immune genes, has been one of the most emphasized gene systems for studying selection and adaptation in vertebrates due to its significance in pathogen recognition and consequently, in eliciting host immune response. Pathogen evasion of host resistance is thought to be the primary mechanism preserving extreme levels of MHC polymorphism and shaping immunogenetic patterns across host populations and species. In this …


Characterization Of The Microbial Associates Of Nematodes Pathogenic To Myrmica Rubra, Jonathan E. Dumont May 2011

Characterization Of The Microbial Associates Of Nematodes Pathogenic To Myrmica Rubra, Jonathan E. Dumont

Honors College

Pristionchus entomophagus is a necromenic nematode commonly associated with dung beetles (Geotrupes spp.) in Europe. Recently, it has been found in Maine emerging from cadavers of M. rubra, an ant native to Europe that is currently established and pestiferous in Maine (Groden and Stack 2011). Laboratory assays inoculating M. rubra with these nematodes caused significant mortality. This study aimed to characterize the bacterial associates of P. entomophagus in order to further understand its pathogenic relationship with M. rubra. Bacterial samples were collected from the cuticle and gut of the nematodes, and the hemolymph of infected hosts. Single spore isolates were …


The Lobster Bulletin, Spring 2011, Lobster Institute, University Of Maine Apr 2011

The Lobster Bulletin, Spring 2011, Lobster Institute, University Of Maine

Lobster Bulletin

The Lobster Bulletin newsletter includes research updates, and information on lobsters and the lobster industry. The Lobster Institute at the University of Maine is dedicated to protecting and conserving the lobster resource, and enhancing lobstering as an industry and a way of life.

Headlines in the Spring 2011 include:

  • “Give Back” Programs Becoming a Popular Way to Support the Lobster Institute
  • 2011 Canadian/U.S. Lobstermen’s Town Meeting Transcript Now Available
  • Lobster Institute on Facebook
  • Research Report: Gardner Pinfold Long-term Value Strategy for the Canadian Lobster Fishery report discussed at Town Meeting
  • Research Report: Right whale population monitoring explained at Town Meeting …


The Dandy Scroll, Spring 2011, University Of Maine Pulp And Paper Foundation Apr 2011

The Dandy Scroll, Spring 2011, University Of Maine Pulp And Paper Foundation

General University of Maine Publications

The Spring 2011 issue of The Dandy Scroll newsletter produced by the University of Maine Pulp and Paper Foundation.


The Lobster Bulletin, Winter 2011, Lobster Institute, University Of Maine Jan 2011

The Lobster Bulletin, Winter 2011, Lobster Institute, University Of Maine

Lobster Bulletin

The Lobster Bulletin newsletter includes research updates, and information on lobsters and the lobster industry. The Lobster Institute at the University of Maine is dedicated to protecting and conserving the lobster resource, and enhancing lobstering as an industry and a way of life.

Headlines in the Winter 2011 issue include:

  • Massachusetts Lobster Fishery Invited to Participate in New "Commonwealth Quality" Program
  • Laitram Machinery Donates Lobster Cooking Equipment to the Lobster Institute & University of Maine
  • 2010 Friends of the Lobster Institute
  • Research Report: Does less bait mean fewer lobsters?
  • Lobster Institute to Host 2011 Canadian/U.S. Lobstermen's Town Meeting - March …


Can Ecosystem-Based Deep-Sea Fishing Be Sustained?, Les Watling, R L. Haedrich, J Devine, J Drazen, M R. Dunn, M Gianni, K Baker, G Cailliet, I Figueiredo, P M. Kyne, G Menezes, F Neat, A Orlov, P Duran, J A. Perez, J A. Ardon, J Bezaury, C Revenga, C Nouvian Jan 2011

Can Ecosystem-Based Deep-Sea Fishing Be Sustained?, Les Watling, R L. Haedrich, J Devine, J Drazen, M R. Dunn, M Gianni, K Baker, G Cailliet, I Figueiredo, P M. Kyne, G Menezes, F Neat, A Orlov, P Duran, J A. Perez, J A. Ardon, J Bezaury, C Revenga, C Nouvian

Marine Sciences Faculty Scholarship

Can there ever be a truly sustainable deep-sea fishery and if

so, where and under what conditions? Ecosystembased

fisheries management requires that this question be

addressed such that habitat, bycatch species, and targeted

fish populations are considered together within an ecosystem

context.

To this end, we convened the first workshop to develop an

ecosystem approach to deep-sea fisheries and to ask whether

deep-sea species could be fished sustainably. The workshop

participants were able to integrate bycatch information into

their framework but found it more difficult to integrate other

ecosystem indicators such as habitat characteristics.

(First two paragraphs from the Executive …