Digital Commons Network^™

Is It Time For Synthetic Biodiversity Conservation?, Antoinette J. Piaggio, Gernot Segelbacher, Philip J. Seddon, Luke Alphey, Elizabeth L. Bennett, Robert H. Carlson, Robert M. Friedman, Dona Kanavy, Ryan Phelan, Kent H. Redford, Marina Rosales, Lydia Slobodian, Keith Wheeler

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Evidence indicates that, despite some critical successes, current conservation approaches are not slowing the overall rate of biodiversity loss. The field of synthetic biology, which is capable of altering natural genomes with extremely precise editing, might offer the potential to resolve some intractable conservation problems (e.g., invasive species or pathogens). However, it is our opinion that there has been insufficient engagement by the conservation community with practitioners of synthetic biology. We contend that rapid, large-scale engagement of these two communities is urgently needed to avoid unintended and deleterious ecological consequences. To this point we describe case studies where synthetic biology …

Solar, Why Not?, Emily Hergenrader

Op-Eds from ENSC230 Energy and the Environment: Economics and Policies

Imagine yourself standing outside for an hour wearing a black shirt on a 90-degree day. Now touch your shirt. Notice how warm it is? This warming is due to the sun’s energy. According to Daniel Nocera, a member of the Division of Chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, that same heat from one hour of sun exposure is more energy than all of the energy consumed by humans in an entire year.

Energy is one of the hottest topics debated in our world today. Human existence on Earth depends on energy usage and the availability of its consumption. Due …

Teaching Place: Heritage, Home And Community, The Heart Of Education, Judy Kay Lorenzen

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This dissertation examines the implementation of a Place-conscious pedagogy as a means to teach heritage and sense of place. This pedagogy is framed upon the premise that trying to understand our heritage and place—ourselves—are crucial elements in our ability to live well as individuals who are connected school/community members, who help our schools/communities thrive, becoming Place-conscious citizens. I argue that in teaching in such a culturally diverse community, tensions rise as immigration has become a main focus. Our school/community has experienced many ethnic groups with vast social differences for which Place-conscious education offers practical solutions. These students have a great …

Review Of Plants Have So Much To Give Us, All We Have To Do Is Ask: Anishinaabe Botanical Teachings By Mary Siisip Geniusz (Edited By Wendy Makoons Geniusz, Illustrated By Annmarie Geniusz), Natasha Myhal, Kelly Kindscher

The Prairie Naturalist

Plants Have So Much to Give Us, All We Have to Do Is Ask offers a new look at Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) ethnobotany as told through traditional stories. Botanical teachings through stories are a way to pass down traditional knowledge from generation to generation. For example, Anishinaabe knowledge on plants was written and recorded in communities willing to share their knowledge with early scholars, such as Albert B. Reagan (1928), Huron H. Smith (1932), and Melvin R. Gilmore (1933). Each of these scholars spent time with an Anishinaabe community to learn about plants and primarily to provide written descriptions of plants …

Plant Community Composition And Structure Monitoring For Scotts Bluff National Monument, 2016 Data Report, Molly B. Davis, Daniel J. Swanson

United States National Park Service: Publications

Abstract

This report presents the results of vegetation monitoring efforts in 2016 at Scotts Bluff National Monument (SCBL) by the Northern Great Plains Inventory and Monitoring Network (NGPN) and Northern Great Plains Fire Ecology Program (NGPFire).

During the sixth full year of field work, crew members from NGPN visited eight long-term monitoring plots on May 23-25, 2016 to collect data on the plant communities at SCBL. This is part of a long-term monitoring effort to better understand the condition of the vegetation at SCBL. NGPN staff captured data relating to species richness, herb-layer height, abundance of individual native and non-native …

Plant Community Composition And Structure Monitoring For Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, 2016 Data Report, Aaron T. Rasor, Daniel J. Swanson

United States National Park Service: Publications

Abstract

This report presents the results of vegetation monitoring efforts in 2016 at Agate Fossil Beds National Monument (AGFO) by the Northern Great Plains Inventory and Monitoring Network (NGPN).

During the sixth full year of field work, crew members from NGPN visited six long-term plant community monitoring (PCM) plots and the Northern Great Plains Fire Effects Crew (NGPFire) visited nine fire plant community monitoring (FPCM) plots to collect data on the plant communities at AGFO. This effort is part of a long-term monitoring program established to better understand the condition of the mixed-grass prairie, riparian, and upland regions in AGFO. …

Modeling The Effects Of Tile Drain Placement On The Hydrologic Function Of Farmed Prairie Wetlands1, Brett Werner, John Tracy, W. Carter Johnson, Richard A. Voldseth, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, Bruce Millett

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The early 2000s saw large increases in agricultural tile drainage in the eastern Dakotas of North America. Agricultural practices that drain wetlands directly are sometimes limited by wetland protection programs. Little is known about the impacts of tile drainage beyond the delineated boundaries of wetlands in upland catchments that may be in agricultural production. A series of experiments were conducted using the well-published model WETLANDSCAPE that revealed the potential for wetlands to have significantly shortened surface water inundation periods and lower mean depths when tile is placed in certain locations beyond the wetland boundary. Under the soil conditions found in …

Water Current, Volume 48, No. 4, Fall 2016

Water Current Newsletter

Water and natural resources tour examines Platte River basin June 27-29, 2017

Research workshops are local to global; efforts on grants, collaborations continue

Secretarial Order 3336 Science Priorities: The Role Of Science Past, Present, And Future, Stephen W. Barrett

Joint Fire Science Program Digests

Within sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystems, which are home to more than 350 species of plants and animals, potentially more frequent and severe fires are causing an increased threat to human safety, property, rural economies, and wildlife habitat. In particular, the habitat of the greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), an iconic sagebrush-dependent species, is at risk. In response to this reality, on January 15, 2015, Secretary Sally Jewell signed Secretarial Order 3336 (S.O. 3336), titled “Rangeland Fire Prevention, Management, and Restoration.” The main purpose of the order is to implement enhanced policies and strategies for managing rangeland fire and …

Oceanic Top-Down Trophic Cascades And The Link To Anthropogenic Effects, Amanda Gangwish

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

As the human population continues to grow, it has become obvious that we are changing Earth’s ecosystems. These anthropogenic effects can create top-down trophic cascades throughout much of the Earth’s ecosystems – including the oceans. The oceans and the species that reside there are of extreme importance to the human population because they provide food and are sources of income for much of the world. Due to this importance, there has been a growing interest in researching the anthropogenic effects on the oceans and their species. The purpose of this review is to examine the current understanding of some major …

Soil Compaction Of Hardin Hall Green Space Social Trail On The University Of Nebraska-Lincoln's East Campus, Danielle Jones

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Soil compaction is a common agricultural and urban landscape problem, particularly along cow paths and social trails, respectively. The social trail in the green space of Hardin Hall on the University of Nebraska- Lincoln East Campus has visual cues of soil compaction, due to the slow rate of water infiltration and lack of vegetation. Being the focus area of this study, a sampling grid was placed on the trail by measuring and sectioning it into equal sections. These sections were further divided into subsections of on-path and off-path for comparison. Soil structure, texture, bulk density, and water infiltration were analyzed …

How Renewable Energy Benefits Businesses And The Environment, Carson Schwalbach

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This project is being conducted in Lincoln, Nebraska, through a literature review and survey review. World energy consumption is continuing to rise, and global power generation is responsible for more pollution than any other single activity. Virtually all regions of the world have renewable energy sources, and businesses need to become leaders in the renewable energy movement, in order to preserve our environment for generations to come. The importance of our environment should not be overlooked, and the potential benefits of thinking sustainably are quantifiable. Conducting a literature review will help determine if there has been an increase in companies …

Urban Heat Island Of Lincoln, Nebraska, Evan Malloy

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

The purpose of this research was to prove Lincoln Nebraska is an urban heat island, and temperatures within canopy are on average warmer than outside of canopy. This research is important because an urban heat leads to negative impacts on the human health, higher energy costs are evident, and has detrimental effects on aquatic ecosystems. In the study, temperatures under canopy and outside of canopy were recorded both in the dense urban area of Lincoln, as well as its rural counterpart 10.9 miles from the city center at Deer Springs Winery. The temperatures were then graphed to analyze the differences. …

Water Quality On Reservations In Nebraska, Nathan A. Reece

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

The study of water comes in many different shapes and sizes, as well as many different situations and with many different perceptions across the globe. This meta-analysis will be focused on reservations in the state of Nebraska as compared to issues in other states. As we hear more and more about unrest and unjust of some other places in America in the news we must remember that water is essential to ALL life on the Earth near and far and we should be aware of the state of the water we drink daily. In this frame of mind, let it …

Fungi In The Healthy Human Gastrointestinal Tract, Heather E. Hallen-Adams, Mallory J. Suhr

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Many species of fungi have been detected in the healthy human gut; however, nearly half of all taxa reported have only been found in one sample or one study. Fungi capable of growing in and colonizing the gut are limited to a small number of species, mostly Candida yeasts and yeasts in the family Dipodascaceae (Galactomyces, Geotrichum, Saprochaete). Malassezia and the filamentous fungus Cladosporium are potential colonizers; more work is needed to clarify their role. Other commonly-detected fungi come from the diet or environment but either cannot or do not colonize (Penicillium and Debaryomyces species, which are …

Sympathy For The Devil: Conserving Tasmanian Devils In The Face Of A Devastating Disease, Hollie Konold

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Devil Facial Tumor Disease (DFTD) is a highly transmissible cancerous disease that has contributed to a rapid decline in Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) populations since the first documented case in 1996 ^{(12, 14)}. Tasmanian devils are social animals and the disease, thought to be spread through facial bites, is highly contagious ^{(5, 10, 11)}. The disease results in large facial tumors near the mouth. Devils die within three months of diagnosis. Devils’ now shortened average lifespans and decreasing populations are not only problematic for the devils themselves, but also for the Tasmanian ecosystem as a whole …

Linking The New Ecological Paradigm Scale To How Pro-Environmental Behavior Is Developed, Sydney Lawton

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This exploratory study uses the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) Scale paired with semi-structured interviews of participants that had a positive predisposition towards the environment to better understand how pro-environmental behavior is developed. Following closely previous qualitative studies on pro-environmental behavior development, dominant background influences including parental exposure to sustainability, growing up in a rural environment, exposure to gardening during childhood, and time spent with family outdoors during childhood were found to be important aspects of development of individuals with positive environmental attitudes that exhibit pro-environmental behaviors. In order to engender a positive future with a population of individuals with positive …

Acute Toxicity Study On The Impact Of Chlorpyrifos And Propiconazole In Apis Mellifera, Ryan Becker

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

There are a number of different ways for the decline of Apis melifera or the honey bee. It could be a lack of flowers (food), pesticides, viruses and even parasites. There is an accumulation of things, but this study focuses on the synergism between the fungicide propiconazole and the insecticide chlorpyrifos. These two pesticides are used to dose around 2,100 honeybees with an LD50 test for chlorpyrifos and a relative dose test for propiconazole. The two pesticides are then mixed into a 1:1 mixture ratio of chlorpyrifos and propiconazole and diluted with acetone. The bees are dosed and looked after …

Mdpi Annual Report 2015: Academic Open Access Publishing Since 1996, Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (Mdpi)

Copyright, Fair Use, Scholarly Communication, etc.

3 20 YEARS OF OPEN ACCESS PUBLISHING

5 2015 KEY FIGURES

5 Papers Published in MDPI Journals by

Region

5 Geographical Distribution of Authors and

Reviewers

5 Publication by Subject Area

5 Growth Based on Published Articles

6 Summary of Key Performance Indicators

6 Readership

6 Quality of Service

6 Papers Published in Flagship Journals

7 2015 FINANCIAL INFORMATION

7 Information on Article Processing Charges

7 Sources of Income

8 JOURNAL IMPACT FACTOR

DEVELOPMENT

8 Impact Factors

9 Journal Rankings by Quartile in Science

Citation Index Expanded ( SCIE )

10 NEW JOURNALS LAUNCHED IN 2015

11 SCIFORUM CONFERENCES IN …

Industrial Ecology Analysis Of The Potential For An Eastern Nebraska Industrial Symbiosis Network (Enisn): A Comparative Study, Bradley A. Behne

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

The area of Eastern Nebraska north of Omaha, including the municipality of Blair is host to a collection of unique companies and industries. These industries, driven by the agricultural and urban economy of the area, as well as the geographic proximity to each other, make it an advantageous area to study the potential for a network where individual entities utilize the concept of industrial symbiosis. This potential network is referred to as the Eastern Nebraska Industrial Symbiosis Network (ENISN). Industrial symbiosis, a sub-set of industrial ecology, engages separate industries in a collaborative and collective approach, concerning itself with the flow …

Morphological And Molecular Identification And Characterization Of Dry Bean Fungal Root Rot Pathogens In Zambia, Chikoti Mukuma

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Dry bean is among the most important food legume crops for direct human consumption in Latin America and Africa. Recently, root and crown rot (RCR) has emerged as an important production constraint. Root and crown rot often involve fungal complexes. Thus, the straw, detached leaf, cup and stem tests were compared on their ability to detect the most common pathogens reported to be associated with RCR: Fusarium solani, Fusarium oxysporum, Pythium ultimum, Rhizoctonia solani and Macrophomina phaseolina.Significant differences (P

Next Generation Sequencing (NGS), conventional Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), and classical fungal culturing methods were compared in identification of …

Using An Equilibrium Displacement Model To Simulate The Impact Of An Environmental Meat Tax On Grain And Livestock Markets, Regan Gilmore

UCARE: Research Products

Research Question

What are the potential effects of imposing a hypothetical environmental tax on meat consumption, including beef, pork, and poultry, on the livestock and grain markets in the United States from farm to fork?

Faculty advisor: Azzeddine Azzam

This was the first half of my research project; the second half (with the results) is shown on the following poster: "Simulating the Impact of a CO2-equivalent Meat Tax on Grain and Livestock Markets" @ https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/ucareresearch/151/

An Extendable Visualization And User Interface Design For Time-Varying Multivariate Geoscience Data, Yanfu Zhou

School of Computing: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Geoscience data has unique and complex data structures, and its visualization has been challenging due to a lack of effective data models and visual representations to tackle the heterogeneity of geoscience data. In today’s big data era, the needs of visualizing geoscience data become urgent, especially driven by its potential value to human societies, such as environmental disaster prediction, urban growth simulation, and so on. In this thesis, I created a novel geoscience data visualization framework and applied interface automata theory to geoscience data visualization tasks. The framework can support heterogeneous geoscience data and facilitate data operations. The interface automata …

Place-Based Learning: Instilling A Sense Of Wonder., Jeanne L. Surface

Rural Futures Institute: Publications

Place-based learning is powerful. It can be implemented in rural, suburban and urban school districts as well as universities. Contextualizing learning with the students lived experiences will increase student achievement and in the words of Rachel Carson, create “a sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last throughout life (2011).”

Comparative Genomics, Transcriptomics, And Physiology Distinguish Symbiotic From Free-Living Chlorella Strains, Cristian F. Quispe, Olivia Sonderman, Maya Khasin, Wayne R. Riekhof, James L. Van Etten, Kenneth Nickerson

Kenneth Nickerson Papers

Most animal–microbe symbiotic interactions must be advantageous to the host and provide nutritional benefits to the endosymbiont. When the host provides nutrients, it can gain the capacity to control the interaction, promote self-growth, and increase its fitness. Chlorella-like green algae engage in symbiotic relationships with certain protozoans, a partnership that significantly impacts the physiology of both organisms. Consequently, it is often challenging to grow axenic Chlorella cultures after isolation from the host because they are nutrient fastidious and often susceptible to virus infection. We hypothesize that the establishment of a symbiotic relationship resulted in natural selection for nutritional and metabolic …

A Spatio-Temporal Comparison Of Avian Migration Phenology Using Citizen Science Data, Ali Arab, Jason R. Courter, Jessica Zelt

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The effects of climate change have wide-ranging impacts on wildlife species and recent studies indicate that birds’ spring arrival dates are advancing in response to changes in global climates. In this paper, we propose a spatio-temporal approach for comparing avian first arrival data for multiple species. As an example, we analyze spring arrival data for two long-distance migrants (Rubythroated Hummingbird Archilochus colubris; and Purple Martin Progne subis) in eastern North America from 2001–2010 using Citizen Science data. The proposed approach provides researchers with a tool to compare mean arrival dates while accounting for spatial and temporal variability. Our results show …

Modeling Of Soybean Under Present And Future Climates In Mozambique, Manuel António Dina Talacuece, Flávio Barbosa Justino, Rafael De Ávila Rodrigues, Milton Edgar Pereira Flores, Jéssica Garcia Nascimento, Eduardo Eduardo Santos

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

This study aims to calibrate and validate the generic crop model (CROPGRO-Soybean) and estimate the soybean yield, considering simulations with different sowing times for the current period (1990–2013) and future climate scenario (2014–2030). The database used came from observed data, nine climate models of CORDEX (Coordinated Regional climate Downscaling Experiment)-Africa framework and MERRA (Modern Era Retrospective-Analysis for Research and Applications) reanalysis. The calibration and validation data for the model were acquired in field experiments, carried out in the 2009/2010 and 2010/2011 growing seasons in the experimental area of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Angónia, Mozambique. The yield …

Gamma Sigma Delta, Nebraska Chapter Newsletter, Issue #52 Spring 2016

Gamma Sigma Delta, Nebraska Chapter: Newsletters

President’s Message — Dana W. R. Boden, President, Nebraska Chapter

GAMMA SIGMA DELTA NEW MEMBERS

2015 Gamma Sigma Delta Awards
Award of Merit for Service, Recipient: Steven Waller
Award of Merit for Service, Recipient: Paul Hay
Excellence in Research Award, Recipient: Andrea Cupp
Excellence in Teaching Award, Recipient: Merlyn Nielsen
Excellence in Extension Award, Recipient: Cheryl Burkhart-Kriesel
Lauren Skrabal –Outstanding Undergraduate
Kevin Sargent –Outstanding Graduate Student
Hillary Fischer -Arthur von Bergen Memorial Award
Elizabeth Carreiro –Outstanding Undergraduate Finalist

In Memoriam:
Charles Robert Fenster, 96, of Gering
Walter Thaine Bagley, 88, of Lincoln

Gamma Sigma Delta Committees 2016

Plant Community Composition And Structure Monitoring For Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, 2011-2015 Summary Report, Isabel W. Ashton, Christopher J. Davis

United States National Park Service: Publications

Executive Summary

The Northern Great Plains Inventory & Monitoring Program and Fire Effects Program have been monitoring vegetation in Agate Fossil Beds National Monument for over 18 years. While methods have changed slightly, this report summarizes data from over 80 locations from 1998-2015. We use these data to explore status and trends in upland and riparian plant communities, the occurrence of rare plants, and the effects of the Fossil Hills trail installation on the surrounding vegetation. A summary of the current condition (2011-2015) and trends (based on 1998-2015) in plant communities at Agate Fossil Beds NM (AGFO) is found in …

Bio-Accumulation Of A Soil Fungicide In Western Barred Tiger Salamanders Via Earthworm Prey, Reece Allen

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Western Tiger Salamander in eastern Nebraska have experienced population declines in recent years. In eastern Nebraska there is a high degree of agricultural production compared to other regions of the state. Pyraclostrobin fungicide, a substance that has been shown to cause numerous deleterious effects to amphibian species via direct contact, is applied to cornfields in large amounts. While a number of experiments have been conducted showing the effects of pyraclostrobin via dermal contact in amphibians, little is known about the effects of fungicide bioaccumulation. In this study, 24 salamanders were split into 4 groups with each group ingesting earthworms which …