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Assessing The Impact Of Industrial Oil Development, Human Population Growth, And Post-Conflict Regrowth In An African Biodiversity Hotspot, Nicholas Sean Dowhaniuk

Master's Theses and Capstones

Understanding the drivers of human population growth and landscape fragmentation surrounding protected areas is vital to the success of conservation initiatives worldwide. However, the drivers of land cover change and population growth can be complex. While natural population growth is a primary cause of population growth in Africa, migration due to major anthropogenic events is increasingly common in Sub-Saharan Africa. Unprecedented mineral and oil extraction is currently occurring in Africa, often in areas of high conservation importance. Additionally, conflict often plays a large role in human migration through refugee resettlement, and many people in the region are now moving in …

Effects Of Mowing And Soil Disturbance On The No-Till Establishment And Productivity Of A Diverse Forage Crop Cocktail In Hayfields, Myers M. Shaiyen

Master's Theses and Capstones

This project examined approaches to establishing a functionally diverse forage crop “cocktail”, a mixture of 15 annual and perennial forage crop species with contrasting functional traits, within a hayfield for the purpose of increasing hayfield forage plant diversity and productivity. The forage crop cocktail was intended to enhance the diversity of the resident hayfield, as well as contribute to enhancements in overall hayfield productivity via biological interactions among the cocktail and resident hayfield species, rather than through external chemical inputs. We examined several strategies for both managing the resident hayfield plant community prior to sowing the cocktail and the timing …

Dominance And Experience: Aggression And The Evolutionary Origins Of Social Behavior, Jacob Withee

Master's Theses and Capstones

Sociality as a life history strategy has many overt benefits, but its origin from solitary living is not fully understood. The cooperation necessary for formation of even basic social groups can present natural selection paradoxes that many models are unable to reconcile. Conversely, aggression is a key component to the formation of dominance hierarchies, a very basic form of social group. These hierarchies can give way to reproductive hierarchies, which are in turn the basis for some of the most complex forms of social organization. The focus of this thesis is to use aggression in an incipiently social bee species …

Fecal Indicator Bacteria Removal By River Networks, Tao Huang

Master's Theses and Capstones

Fecal bacteria have a significant impact on downstream water quality. Removal of fecal bacteria in river systems potentially attenuates downstream impairments and would represent an important ecosystem service. However, few studies aimed to quantify in-stream removal of fecal bacteria. The goal of this study is to understand the ecosystem service of fecal bacteria removal at the river network scale in both water column and hyporheic zone across hydrologic conditions. I developed a module for routing fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) through river networks in the Framework for Aquatic Modeling of the Earth System (FrAMES) model to understand the fate and transport …

Citizen Science And Natural Resource Governance: Program Design For Vernal Pool Policy Innovation, Bridie Mcgreavy, Aram J. K. Calhoun, Jessica S. Jansujwicz, Vanessa R. Levesque

Faculty Publications

Effective natural resource policy depends on knowing what is needed to sustain a resource and building the capacity to identify, develop, and implement flexible policies. This retrospective case study applies resilience concepts to a 16-year citizen science program and vernal pool regulatory development process in Maine, USA. We describe how citizen science improved adaptive capacities for innovative and effective policies to regulate vernal pools. We identified two core program elements that allowed people to act within narrow windows of opportunity for policy transformation, including (1) the simultaneous generation of useful, credible scientific knowledge and construction of networks among diverse institutions, …

Evaluating Biological And Physical Drivers Of Evapotranspiration Trends At Northeastern Us Watersheds, John L. Campbell, Matthew A. Vadeboncoeur, Heidi Asbjornsen, Mark B. Green, Mary Beth Adams, Elizabeth W. Boyer

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Interannual Variability Of Mixed Layer Dynamics In The Ecuadorian Ocean, Maria Jose Marin Jarrin

Master's Theses and Capstones

Long time series spanning up to 22 years of monthly CTD profiles are used to examine upper water column ocean temperature interannual variability near the Ecuador coastline along the equator. The sampling program instituted by Ecuador’s National Institute of Oceanography of the Navy (INOCAR) began in 1992 occupying two stations about 8 nm from the coast, and then expanding to an additional 3 stations in 2004 by Ecuador’s National Fisheries Institute (INP) and National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (INAMHI). The stations are located near 80-81° W and extend from 2° S to 1° N. Climatological (seasonal) signals are removed …

Sea Turtle Response To Climate Change: Analyzing Current And Predicting Future Impacts On Populations, Habitat, And Prey Populations, Eva J. Golden

Honors Theses and Capstones

With the prediction of devastating global climate change effects for the near future, scientists are expanding their research and understanding of some of the most severely affected organisms. Because sea turtles rely on both marine and terrestrial habitats for survival, and because coastal areas are already experiencing great losses due to sea level rising, human development, and pollution, all seven species are already listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. In this literature analysis, I examined the many factors that contribute to a sampling of the current sea turtle population status as well as scrutinized turtle adaptability to the …

Impacts Of Wood Energy On Timber Markets In New England And New York, Iuliia Drach

Master's Theses and Capstones

Renewable energy has a number of environmental and socioeconomic advantages over the energy derived from finite fossil fuels, which is why it has been increasingly promoted on the state and federal levels. Growing interest in renewable energy calls for detailed analysis of the effects the potential increase in production of such energy might have on the existing markets.

The obvious choice for the source of renewable energy in New England and New York is wood biomass due to the region’s abundant forest resources and extensive wood harvesting and processing infrastructure. To analyze the impacts of increased wood biomass consumption for …

An Automated Image Processing And Classification Scheme For Identifying Cancerous Soft-Shell Clam Hemocytes In Unstained Bright-Field Photomicrographs, William Duane Nitsch

Master's Theses and Capstones

Disseminated neoplasia is a type of cancer that is prevalent in marine bivalves. A group of biologists at the University of New Hampshire are frequently tasked with estimating the proliferation of this cancer in soft-shell clam hemocytes using unstained samples and a bright-field microscope without the use of any real means of quantization. Instead, their measurement is a purely visual analysis of confluency where varying individual experience amongst researchers, no usage of stains, cell clustering and the general nature of the microscopy environment make it exceedingly difficult to perform this task with consistent accuracy. This thesis details the application of …

Relating Shell Morphometrics And Heterozygosity To Byssogenesis, Byssal Thread Attachment Strength And Motility In The Blue Mussel, Ellie Daniels

Master's Theses and Capstones

Heterozygote deficiencies have been noted in both wild and farmed populations of Mytilus edulis Linnaeus 1758, yet the underlying causes for this deficit remain unclear. This is especially surprising considering that advantageous fitness traits (i.e., increased fecundity, reduced basal metabolism, higher growth rate in farmed mussels) as well as decreased mortality under environmental stressors (i.e., air exposure, increased water temperature) are positively correlated with heterozygosity in these mussels. The dislodgement hypothesis states that more heterozygous mussels are migrating to the periphery of a rope culture or mussel bed to gain an energetic advantage where they become more susceptible to drop-off. …

Understanding And Controlling The Fouling Of Ceramic Membranes By Manganese, Alyson Lynn Packhem

Master's Theses and Capstones

Manganese is an important drinking water constituent and is often linked to aesthetic and operational problems. The increasing use of membrane filtration in drinking water treatment also shines a spotlight on emerging new processes such as ceramic microfiltration. This research provides a better understanding of how manganese contributes to ceramic membrane fouling through surface chemistry. Research was performed at PWN Technologies (PWNT) in Andijk, The Netherlands on the site of the full-scale Andijk III water treatment facility, which uses ceramic microfilters. Laboratory analysis indicates some transition metals such as manganese and iron are adsorbed by the ceramic membrane. The adsorption …

Analysis Of Vanillin In Maple Sap For The High School Laboratory, Tiffany M. Hatstat

Master's Theses and Capstones

The goal of this research was to adapt a reversed-phase HPLC method and develop associated classroom materials for the analysis of vanillin in maple sap for high school laboratories. The analysis of maple sap has broad applications in assessing tree health and addresses different content areas including: chemistry, biology, environmental science and mathematics. The students use HPLC instruments that are made available for loan to high schools throughout New Hampshire by the University of New Hampshire’s Joan and James Leitzel Center for Mathematics, Science and Engineering Education. Previous work by researchers in our group have analyzed maple sap to determine …

Queer Farmers: Sexuality And The Transition To Sustainable Agriculture, Isaac Leslie

Master's Theses and Capstones

Intimate relationships are foundational to farm viability. Such relationships affect how farmers share tasks, earn income, and access land, yet the role of sexuality and heteronormativity in agriculture remains understudied. Furthermore, queers are largely ignored as potential farmers by the sustainable agriculture and LGBT movements. Through participant observation and interviews with 30 sustainable farmers of various genders and sexualities in New England, I document the lived experiences of queer sustainable farmers, an under-researched group, and examine whether sexuality and gender affects why they farm. Whereas the perception of rural heterosexism can discourage queer participation in agriculture, queer farmers faced less …

Ipm2.0: Precision Agriculture For Small-Scale Crop Production, Matt Wallhead

Doctoral Dissertations

In order to manage pests impacting New England crop production integrated pest management (IPM) practices should be reevaluated or updated regularly to ensure that effective control of crop pests is being achieved. Three fungal taxa, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, C. acutatum, and Glomerella cingulata, are currently associated with bitter-rot of apple (Malus domestica), with C. acutatum typically being the dominant species found in the northeastern United States. However, a recent phylogenetic study demonstrated that both C. gloeosporioides and C. acutatum are species complexes with over 10 distinct species being recovered from apple between the two studies. Based on this recent information, the …

Cuticular Hydrocarbons Of The Small Carpenter Bee Ceratina Calcarata Robertson (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Xylocopinae), Nicholas James Pizzi

Master's Theses and Capstones

The formation and maintenance of eusocial insect groups, in which there are overlapping generations, cooperative brood care, and reproductive division of labor is a major evolutionary transition. To understand the origins of eusociality, simple societies must be studied. Subsociality is the simplest form of social behavior and is defined as prolonged maternal care for offspring. Studies with subsocial species can provide powerful insights into the transition from basic to advanced social behaviors. In this thesis I use the subsocial small carpenter bee Ceratina calcarata Roberton (Hymenoptera: Xylocopinae) as a model organism. Specifically I study cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) of this species …

Tradeoffs Between Three Forest Ecosystem Services Across The State Of New Hampshire, Usa: Timber, Carbon, And Albedo, David A. Lutz, Elizabeth A. Burakowski, Mackenzie B. Murphy, Mark E. Borsuk, Rebecca M. Niemiec, Richard B. Howarth

All Materials

Forests are more frequently being managed to store and sequester carbon for the purposes of climate change mitigation. Generally, this practice involves long-term conservation of intact mature forests and/or reductions in the frequency and intensity of timber harvests. However, incorporating the influence of forest surface albedo often suggests that long rotation lengths may not always be optimal in mitigating climate change in forests characterized by frequent snowfall. To address this, we investigated trade-offs between three ecosystem services: carbon storage, albedo-related radiative forcing, and timber provisioning. We calculated optimal rotation length at 498 diverse Forest Inventory and Analysis forest sites in …

New Hampshire Water Resources Research Center University Of New Hampshire Program Evaluation Report Fiscal Years 2011 - 2015, William H. Mcdowell, Michelle Daley Shattuck

NH Water Resources Research Center Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Sensation, Intuition, Space, And Time In Hegel’S Philosophy Of Subjective Spirit, Willem A. Devries

Faculty Publications

The subject of space, time, sensation, and intuition in Hegel is complicated, more so in Hegel than in Kant, and for good reason. Hegel rejected Kant’s Transcendental Idealism; besides the subjective reality Kant attributed to space and time, Hegel also attributed to them a truly objective reality. According to Hegel, space and time qualify finite things as they really are. Moreover, I shall argue, space and time, in Hegel’s view, have two different modes of subjective presence. We can illuminate these distinctive modes of subjective presence by comparing Hegel’s with Wilfrid Sellars’ strikingly similar arguments against Transcendental Idealism.

Depot Pond, Cooperative Extension

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

Contrast Response Functions Of On- And Off-Cells In Motion-Induced Blindness, Megan E. Lusignan

Honors Theses and Capstones

Motion-Induced Blindness (MIB) is the perceived, spontaneous disappearance of a salient target when it is viewed in the presence of a moving mask, and is believed to be controlled by extrastriate area 5 (Donner et al., 2008). The ON and OFF pathways in the human visual system are responsible for the detection of increments and decrements of light, respectively. The OFF pathway is more sensitive to decrements than the ON pathway is to increments before the middle layers of V1. However, after this point, the sensitivities are comparable in strength. Past experiments in this lab have shown that the ON …

Isolation And Identification Of Bacterial Endosymbionts In The Brooding Brittle Star Amphipholis Squamata, Abbey Rose Tedford

Honors Theses and Capstones

Symbiotic associations with subcuticular bacteria (SCB) have been identified and studied in numerous echinoderms, including the SCB of the brooding brittle star, Amphipholis squamata. These SCB, however, have not been studied using current next generation sequencing technologies. Previous studies on the SCB of A. squamata placed these bacteria in the genus Vibrio (γ-Proteobacteria), but subsequent studies suggested that the SCB are primarily composed of α-Proteobacteria. The present study examines the taxonomic composition of SCB associated with A. squamata from the Northwest Atlantic. DNA was extracted using a CTAB protocol and 16S rRNA sequences were amplified …

Project Oasis: Optimizing Aquaponic Systems To Improve Sustainability, Siddharth Nigam, Paige Balcom

Honors Theses and Capstones

Started in Fall 2015, Project OASIS (Optimizing Aquaponic Systems to Improve Sustainability) is an interdisciplinary capstone project with the goal of designing a sustainable and affordable small-scale aquaponic system for use in developing nations to tackle the problems of malnutrition and food insecurity. Aquaponics is a symbiotic relationship between fish and vegetables growing together in a recirculating system. The project’s goals were to minimize energy consumption and construction costs while using universally available materials. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software OpenFOAM was used to create transient and steady-state models of fish tanks to visualize velocity profiles, streamlines, and particle movement. …

Examining The Overlapping Traits Of Athletes And Entrepreneurs Through A Series Of Case Studies, Harrison M. Quast

Honors Theses and Capstones

Today’s psychologists have paid close attention to personality and how it can affect many areas of a person’s life. From career success to criminal behavior psychologists continuously are trying to define key characteristics that may be contributing factors in the prediction of future happenings. This paper will look closely at theories regarding personality traits that are key to success. Those traits are identified in eight case studies relating to both entrepreneurial and athletic success with the findings showing a possible link between success and some key traits and an overlap of some traits between athletes and entrepreneurs.

The Ability Of Horseshoe Crabs (Limulus Polyphemus) To Detect Changes In Temperature, Vilma Vaattovaara, Winsor H. Watson Iii

Honors Theses and Capstones

Previous studies have suggested that horseshoe crabs prefer warm water, suggesting that they may be able to detect changes in water temperature. The overall goal of this study was to test this hypothesis. Our specific objectives were to: 1) find out if horseshoe crabs can detect temperature changes; 2) determine the magnitude of temperature change they can detect, and; 3) determine whether their temperature receptors are located internally or externally. Animals were placed in a light-tight chamber that received a constant flow of cooled seawater. Their heart rates were continuously recorded and a change in heart rate following the addition …

Ultrasonic Vocalizations As A Predictor Of Resilience To Intermittent Swim Stress-Induced Anxiety: An Investigation Of Re-Exposure Effects, Yandan Wang, Robert C. Drugan, Nathaniel Stafford

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Attached Algae As An Indicator Of Water Quality: A Study Of The Viability Of Genomic Taxonomic Methods, Allison R. Wood

Honors Theses and Capstones

This research involved evaluating algae as an indicator of water quality in New Hampshire's rivers, with a focus on the Great Bay Estuary. The project had three main goals. First, determining whether or not algae would work as an indicator of water quality in the great bay ecosystem, an environment where tidal currents are strong and water composition is mixed. The second goal was to compare traditional microscopic methods of taxonomy with emerging genomic methods, increasing the economic viability of attached algae monitoring. The third project goal, still underway, is to evaluate massive amounts of genomic data from the Great …

Choosing An Allograft Or Autograft In Orthopedic Surgeries For Athletes, Cassandra M. Izzo

Honors Theses and Capstones

Athletes and their doctors have the choice of using an allograft or autograft in reconstruction surgeries. The purpose of this study is to see if there is a difference in the healing mechanism and surgical outcome in using an allograft or autograft during orthopedic surgical procedures, as well as to analyze graft rejection and disease transmission through donor tissue.

Doctors and athletic trainers were interviewed in order to learn about the healing mechanisms and advantages and disadvantages of allografts and autografts in order to conclude if one was better than the other. College level athletes on different sports teams were …

Bow Lake, Cooperative Extension

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

Chocorua Lake, Cooperative Extension

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.