Digital Commons Network^™

Eelgrass Distribution In The Great Bay Estuary For 2013, Frederick T. Short

PREP Reports & Publications

Executive Summary Headlines:

o Great Bay lost 21% of its eelgrass from 2012 to 2013.

o As of 2013, the Great Bay Estuary has lost 50% of its eelgrass since 1996.

Once again, eelgrass in the Great Bay Estuary declined in both distribution and biomass between 2012 and 2013, continuing the long-term trend of eelgrass loss. In 2013, Great Bay itself lost over 20% of its eelgrass (333 acres) and biomass decreased, amounting to about 400 tons, down from 1600 tons in 1996. These eelgrass losses are alarming and not sustainable. In Great Bay, eelgrass distribution has declined 49% since …

Fall 2014, Clean Water And Deep Learning In Gambia, William Maddocks, Drew Obsten

UNH International Educator Newsletter

For UNH students who have an opportunity to engage in overseas development projects, the experience can be life-changing. Andrew Obston ‘14 shares this account of his summer internship in Gambia, working with the global development group Agua Inc.

Kirk Broders Assistant Professor Of Biological Sciences, Colsa, Travels To Mexico, Kirk D. Broders

Faculty Travel Reports

I was able to make my first trip to central Mexico in August 2014, in part due to assistance from the CIE Development Grant, in order to conduct research and develop a collaborative network with agricultural scientists in Mexico. The main purpose of the travel was to initiate a new line of research focused on the evolution of plant-associated microbes with a specific focus on documenting the effect plant domestication has on the associated microbiome of a particular species the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris). Central Mexico is an ideal place to study this phenomenon as it is the center of …

Write Free Or Die: Vol. 01, No. 01, Unh Writing Program

Writing Program Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Carolyn Gamtso And Patricia Halpin Travel To Ireland, Carolyn White Gamtso, Patricia A. Halpin

Faculty Travel Reports

In August 2014, we travelled together to Limerick, Republic of Ireland to participate jointly in a panel discussion at the Information Literacy Section Satellite Meeting of the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) World Library and Information Congress. Hosted by the Limerick Institute of Technology, the conference’s theme was “Facing the Future: Librarians and Information Literacy in a Changing Landscape.” The topics discussed and debated (information literacy and social media; information literacy as a “meta-literacy”; information literacy and distance learning)relate directly to conversations our UNH Manchester colleagues are having about how best to teach our students the transferable critical thinking …

Unh Welcomes New Faculty Members, Tracey Bentley

UNH Today Archive

No abstract provided.

The New Hampshire, Vol. 104 [105], No. 07 (Sep. 30, 2014), The New Hampshire

The New Hampshire Print Edition

An independent student produced newspaper from the University of New Hampshire. This volume was printed as 104, but it is the 105th volume in the series. This was corrected in pencil.

Cultivar Diversity As A Means Of Ecologically Intensifying Dry Matter Production In A Perennial Forage Stand, F. W. Pollnac, Richard G. Smith, Nicholas D. Warren

New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station Publications

The relationship between genotypic diversity and productivity has not been adequately explored in perennial forage production systems despite strong theoretical and empirical evidence supporting diversity's role in ecosystem functioning in other managed and unmanaged systems. We conducted a two-year field experiment with six cultivars of an agriculturally important forage grass, Lolium perenne L. (perennial ryegrass). Dry matter production of L. perenne and the weed community that emerged from the soil seed bank were measured each year in treatments that ranged from cultivar monocultures to three- and six-way cultivar mixtures, all sown at a constant seeding rate. Mean L. perenne dry …

The New Hampshire, Vol. 104 [105], No. 06 (Sep. 26, 2014), The New Hampshire

The New Hampshire Print Edition

An independent student produced newspaper from the University of New Hampshire. This volume was printed as 104, but it is the 105th volume in the series. This was corrected in pencil.

2014-15 Faculty Senate Xix - September 22, 2014 Minutes Summary, Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Agendas & Minutes

No abstract provided.

A Vavilovian Approach To Discovering Crop-Associated Microbes With Potential To Enhance Plant Immunity, Iago L. Hale, Kirk Broders, Gloria Iriarte

New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station Publications

Through active associations with a diverse community of largely non-pathogenic microbes, a plant may be thought of as possessing an “extended genotype,” an interactive cross-organismal genome with potential, exploitable implications for plant immunity. The successful enrichment of plant microbiomes with beneficial species has led to numerous commercial applications, and the hunt for new biocontrol organisms continues. Increasingly flexible and affordable sequencing technologies, supported by increasingly comprehensive taxonomic databases, make the characterization of non-model crop-associated microbiomes a widely accessible research method toward this end; and such studies are becoming more frequent. A summary of this emerging literature reveals, however, the need …

A Suite Of Early Eocene (~ 55 Ma) Climate Model Boundary Conditions, N. Herold, J. Buzan, M. Seton, A. Goldner, J. A. M. Green, R. D. Muller, P. Markwick, M. Huber, Matthew Huber

New Hampshire EPSCoR

We describe a set of early Eocene (~ 55 Ma) climate model boundary conditions constructed in a self-consistent reference frame and incorporating recent data and methodologies. Given the growing need for uniform experimental design within the Eocene climate modelling community and the challenges faced in simulating the prominent features of Eocene climate, we make publicly available our data sets of Eocene topography, bathymetry, tidal dissipation, vegetation, aerosol distributions and river runoff. Major improvements in our boundary conditions over previous efforts include the implementation of the ANTscape palaeotopography of Antarctica, more accurate representations of the Drake Passage and Tasman Gateway, as …

Marine Biology Bootcamp, Jeremy Gasowski

UNH Today Archive

No abstract provided.

2014-15 Faculty Senate Xix - September 8, 2014 Minutes Summary, Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Agendas & Minutes

No abstract provided.

Science Can Be Slow – Like Brewing A Good Cup Of Tea, Jody Record

UNH Today Archive

No abstract provided.

Eos Spheres (Fall 2014), University Of New Hampshire. Institute For The Study Of Earth, Oceans And Space

EOS Spheres

Newsletter of the Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space, at the University of New Hampshire.

The Lotic Intersite Nitrogen Experiments: An Example Of Successful Ecological Research Collaboration, Linx Collaborators, Walter K. Dodds, Jackson R. Webster, Chelsea L. Crenshaw, Ashley M. Helton, Jonathan M. O'Brien, Eugenia Marti, Anne E. Hershey

Faculty Publications

Collaboration is an essential skill for modern ecologists because it brings together diverse expertise, viewpoints, and study systems. The Lotic Intersite Nitrogen eXperiments (LINX I and II), a 17-y research endeavor involving scores of early- to late-career stream ecologists, is an example of the benefits, challenges, and approaches of successful collaborative research in ecology. The scientific success of LINX reflected tangible attributes including clear scientific goals (hypothesis-driven research), coordinated research methods, a team of cooperative scientists, excellent leadership, extensive communication, and a philosophy of respect for input from all collaborators. Intangible aspects of the collaboration included camaraderie and strong team …

Project Report: Green Infrastructure For Sustainable Coastal Communities, James J. Houle, Julie Labranche, James Gruber, Robert M. Roseen, Alison Watts, Thomas P. Ballestero, Dan Bourdeau, James Gorham, Chris Keeley, Steve Miller, Timothy A. Puls, Paul Stacy, Christos Tsiamis

UNH Stormwater Center

No abstract provided.

Biology Program Pays Off For Graduate, Unh Communications And Public Affairs

UNH Today Archive

No abstract provided.

Over Their Heads In Algae At Shoals Marine Laboratory, Unh Communications And Public Affairs

UNH Today Archive

No abstract provided.

Dynamics Of Methane Ebullition From A Peat Monolith Revealed From A Dynamic Flux Chamber System, Zhongjie Yu, Lee D. Slater, Karina V. R. Schafer, Andrew S. Reeve, Ruth K. Varner

Faculty Publications

Methane (CH4) ebullition in northern peatlands is poorly quantified in part due to its high spatiotemporal variability. In this study, a dynamic flux chamber (DFC) system was used to continuously measure CH4 fluxes from a monolith of near‐surface Sphagnum peat at the laboratory scale to understand the complex behavior of CH4 ebullition. Coincident transmission ground penetrating radar measurements of gas content were also acquired at three depths within the monolith. A graphical method was developed to separate diffusion, steady ebullition, and episodic ebullition fluxes from the total CH4 flux recorded and to identify the timing and CH4 content of individual …

Assessing Effects Of Permafrost Thaw On C Fluxes Based On Multiyear Modeling Across A Permafrost Thaw Gradient At Stordalen, Sweden, Jia Deng, C Li, Steve Frolking, Y Zhang, K Backstrand, P Crill

Earth Sciences

Northern peatlands in permafrost regions contain a large amount of organic carbon (C) in the soil. Climate warming and associated permafrost degradation are expected to have significant impacts on the C balance of these ecosystems, but the magnitude is uncertain. We incorporated a permafrost model, Northern Ecosystem Soil Temperature (NEST), into a biogeochemical model, DeNitrificationDeComposition (DNDC), to model C dynamics in highlatitude peatland ecosystems. The enhanced model was applied to assess effects of permafrost thaw on C fluxes of a subarctic peatland at Stordalen, Sweden. DNDC simulated soil freeze–thaw dynamics, net ecosystem exchange of CO2 (NEE), and CH4 fluxes across …

Genetic Disruption Of The Core Circadian Clock Impairs Hippocampus-Dependent Memory, Sarah M. Wardlaw, Trongha X. Phan, Amit Saraf, Xuanmao Chen, Daniel R. Storm

Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences

Perturbing the circadian system by electrolytically lesioning the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) or varying the environmental light:dark schedule impairs memory, suggesting that memory depends on the circadian system. We used a genetic approach to evaluate the role of the molecular clock in memory. Bmal1−/− mice, which are arrhythmic under constant conditions, were examined for hippocampus-dependent memory, LTP at the Schaffer-collateral synapse, and signal transduction activity in the hippocampus. Bmal1−/− mice exhibit impaired contextual fear and spatial memory. Furthermore, LTP in hippocampal slices from Bmal1−/− mice is also significantly decreased relative to that from wild-type mice. Activation of Erk1,2 MAP kinase (MAPK) …

A Phylogenetic Analysis Of The Genus Fragaria (Strawberry) Using Intron-Containing Sequence From The Adh-1 Gene, Laura M. Dimeglio, Gunter Staudt, Hongrun Yu, Thomas M. Davis

New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station Publications

The genus Fragaria encompasses species at ploidy levels ranging from diploid to decaploid. The cultivated strawberry, Fragaria×ananassa, and its two immediate progenitors, F. chiloensis and F. virginiana, are octoploids. To elucidate the ancestries of these octoploid species, we performed a phylogenetic analysis using intron-containing sequences of the nuclear ADH-1 gene from 39 germplasm accessions representing nineteen Fragaria species and one outgroup species, Dasiphora fruticosa. All trees from Maximum Parsimony and Maximum Likelihood analyses showed two major clades, Clade A and Clade B. Each of the sampled octoploids contributed alleles to both major clades. All octoploid-derived alleles in Clade A clustered …

Integrating Microbial Physiology And Physio-Chemical Principles In Soils With The Microbial-Mineral Carbon Stabilization (Mimics) Model, William R. Wieder, A. Stuart Grandy, Cynthia M. Kallenbach, Gordon B. Bonan

Faculty Publications

A growing body of literature documents the pressing need to develop soil biogeochemistry models that more accurately reflect contemporary understanding of soil processes and better capture soil carbon (C) responses to environmental perturbations. Models that explicitly represent microbial activity offer inroads to improve representations of soil biogeochemical processes, but have yet to consider relationships between litter quality, functional differences in microbial physiology, and the physical protection of microbial byproducts in forming stable soil organic matter (SOM). To address these limitations, we introduce the MIcrobial-MIneral Carbon Stabilization (MIMICS) model, and evaluate it by comparing site-level soil C projections with observations from …

Teens Connect With... Mutant Bacteria?!, Unh Communications And Public Affairs

UNH Today Archive

No abstract provided.

Land-Use Legacies Regulate Decomposition Dynamics Following Bioenergy Crop Conversion, Cynthia M. Kallenbach, A. Stuart Grandy

Faculty Publications

Land-use conversion into bioenergy crop production can alter litter decomposition processes tightly coupled to soil carbon and nutrient dynamics. Yet, litter decomposition has been poorly described in bioenergy production systems, especially following land-use conversion. Predicting decomposition dynamics in postconversion bioenergy production systems is challenging because of the combined influence of land-use legacies with current management and litter quality. To evaluate how land-use legacies interact with current bioenergy crop management to influence litter decomposition in different litter types, we conducted a landscape-scale litterbag decomposition experiment. We proposed land-use legacies regulate decomposition, but their effects are weakened under higher quality litter and …

Amphibian Contributions To Ecosystem Services, Daniel J. Hocking, Kimberly J. Babbitt

New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station Publications

Ecosystems provide essential services for human society, which include provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting services. Amphibians provide provisioning services by serving as a food source for some human societies, especially in Southeast Asia. They also serve as models in medical research and provide potential for new pharmaceuticals such as analgesics and anti-viral drugs derived from skin secretions. Amphibians contribute to regulating services by reducing mosquito recruitment from ephemeral wetlands, potentially controlling other pest species, and indirectly through predation of insect pollinators. Often neglected, ecosystems also provide cultural services to human societies that increase the quality of human life through recreation, …

Optimization Of Bioretention Soil Mix For Nutrient Removal, James J. Houle, Thomas P. Ballestero, Iulia Barbu, Timothy A. Puls

UNH Stormwater Center

No abstract provided.

Pathways To Service Receipt: Modeling Parent Help-Seeking For Childhood Mental Health Problems, Nicholas D. Mian

Life Sciences Faculty Scholarship

Understanding parent appraisals of child behavior problems and parental help-seeking can reduce unmet mental health needs. Research has examined individual contributors to help-seeking and service receipt, but use of structural equation modeling (SEM) is rare. SEM was used to examine parents’ appraisal of child behavior, thoughts about seeking help, and receipt of professional services in a diverse, urban sample (N = 189) recruited from women infant and children offices. Parents of children 11–60 months completed questionnaires about child behavior and development, parent well-being, help-seeking experiences, and service receipt. Child internalizing, externalizing, and dysregulation problems, language delay, and parent worry about …