Digital Commons Network^™

Ecological Restoration Parks In Xi’An, China: An Evolving Type, Han Yan

Dissertations

This dissertation examines four urban ecological restoration projects used as public spaces in the city of Xi'an, China. The overall goal is to understand the social and ecological implications of the site features at both design and planning scale and define what is ecological restoration in China's urban context. The result of the research shows that the top-down planning initiatives approach for establishing ecological restoration sites in urban areas that meet the need for more public open space in addition to restoring healthy urban ecological systems is very different from the definition of what is traditionally understood as "ecological restoration". …

Study Of The Diversity Of Soil Animals Community In The Songnen Plain Grassland Of China, Xiuqin Yin, Tingcheng Zhu

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

This paper dealt with the diversity in eight habitat soil animals communities in Songnen plain grassland. The results showed the better habitat condition the higher diversity index of soil animals, and vice-versa. The diversity of soil animals communities correlated positively with soil organic matter, total nitrogen, and negatively with soil pH; there was a poor correlation with soil water content and total soil phosphorus. The diversity of soil animals communities decreased with increasing depth of soil layer and has surface-collection.

Air Quality And Mental Health: Evidence, Challenges And Future Directions, K Bhui, J Newbury, R Latham, M Ucci, Z Nasar, B Turner, C O'Leary, Hl Fisher, E Marczylo, P Douglas, S Stansfeld, S Jackson, S Tyrrel, A Rzhetsky, R Kinnersley, P Kumar, C Duchaine, F Coulon

School of Biomedical Sciences

No abstract provided.

Otolith Derived Hatch Dates, Growth Rates, And Microchemistry Of Arctic Cod (Boreogadus Saida) Support The Existence Of Several Spawning Populations In Alaskan Waters, Zane M. Chapman

Fisheries

The changing climate in the Arctic is resulting in increased air and water temperatures as well as a reduction in sea ice, affecting native species that evolved to live in the unique habitats of the Arctic Ocean. One species of significant importance to Arctic marine ecosystems is the Arctic Cod (Boreogadus saida), a keystone species that serves as vital prey for many marine mammals, seabirds, and fishes. Arctic Cod have a strong association with sea ice for spawning and for much of their early life history. In the Pacific Arctic, little is known about their early life history, especially with …

Population Ecology Of The Queensnake (Regina Septemvittata) In An Urban Creek, 2008 To 2019, Rachel Beiler, R. Elliot Miller, Norman Reichenbach

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Habitat fragmentation is a common result of urbanization and species living in these fragments are at risk of extirpation. We conducted a 12-y (2008–2019) capture-mark-recapture study on snakes living in a 593-m section of Rock Castle Creek flowing through an urban area in central Virginia, USA. Our study site was occupied primarily by Queensnakes (Regina septemvittata). We used data from 168 individual Queensnakes to examine several aspects of their population ecology including survival rates (0.52), reproductive effort (21.3% juvenile to adult ratio), growth rates (68% and 30.6% increase for 1 to 2 y-old and 2 to 3+ y-old snakes, respectively), …

Analysis Of Camera Trap Footage Through Subject Recognition, Nirnayak Bhardwaj

Master's Projects

Motion-sensitive cameras, otherwise known as camera traps, have become increasingly popular amongst ecologists for studying wildlife. These cameras allow scientists to remotely observe animals through an inexpensive and non-invasive approach. Due to the lenient nature of motion cameras, studies involving them often generate excessive amounts of footage with many photographs not containing any animal subjects. Thus, there is a need for a system that is capable of analyzing camera trap footage to determine if a picture holds value for researchers. While research into automated image recognition is well documented, it has had limited applications in the field of ecology. This …

Low-Level Groundwater Atrazine In High Atrazine Usage Nebraska Counties: Likely Effects Of Excessive Groundwater Abstraction, Moses New-Aaron, Olufemi P. Abimbola, Raheleh Mohammadi, Oluwaseun Famojuro, Zaeema Naveed, Azar M Abadi, Jesse E. Bell, Shannon Bartelt-Hunt, Eleanor G. Rogan

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Recent studies observed a correlation between estrogen-related cancers and groundwater atrazine in eastern Nebraska counties. However, the mechanisms of human exposure to atrazine are unclear because low groundwater atrazine concentration was observed in counties with high cancer incidence despite having the highest atrazine usage. We studied groundwater atrazine fate in high atrazine usage Nebraska counties. Data were collected from Quality Assessed Agrichemical Contaminant Nebraska Groundwater, Parameter–Elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model (PRISM), and water use databases. Descriptive statistics and cluster analysis were performed. Domestic wells (59%) were the predominant well type. Groundwater atrazine was affected by well depth. Clusters consisting …

Biodiversity And Fire In Shortgrass Steppe, Paulette L. Ford

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Effects of fire at two levels of intensity on beetle diversity in shortgrass steppe were examined. The experimental design was completely randomized, with 3 treatments and 4 replicates per treatment. Treatments were two levels of fire 1) dormant-season fire (relatively hot), and 2) growing-season fire (relatively cool), and unburned plots. The response variables were arthropod species richness and abundance. The intermediate disturbance hypothesis predicts that maximum species richness occurs at intermediate levels of disturbance. Data obtained in this study support that prediction. Species richness was higher on plots of intermediate fire intensity than the more intensely burned plots, and almost …

1988 August Memphis State University Commencement Program

Commencements

Program for the Summer convocation of the 76th commencement of Memphis State University at Memphis, Tennessee, held at the Mid-South Coliseum on August 14, 1988. Digitized by the Internet Archive.

Systematics And Population Structure Of Amblyomma Maculatum Group Ticks And Rickettsia Parkeri, An Emerging Human Pathogen In Southern Arizona, Usa, Michelle E. J. Allerdice

Theses and Dissertations

The recent discovery of Amblyomma maculatum sensu lato (s. l.) ticks in southern Arizona has renewed discussions around species designations for members of the Amblyomma maculatum tick group. Amblyomma maculatum s. l. from Arizona appear to be morphologically intermediate between A. maculatum sensu stricto (s. s.) and A. triste s. s. At present there is no conclusive species designation for the ticks from Arizona. My research focused on analyzing the systematics of both A. maculatum s. l. and Rickettsia parkeri, a common bacterial pathogen transmitted by these ticks.

In the laboratory, A. maculatum s. l. from Arizona and A. maculatum …

11 Pressing Research Questions On How Light Pollution Affects Biodiversity, Franz Holker, Janine Bolliger, Thomas W. Davies, Simone Giavi, Andreas Jechow, Gregor Kalinkat, Travis Longcore, Kamiel Spoelstra, Svenja Tidau, Marcel E. Visser, Eva Knopp

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Artificial light at night (ALAN) is closely associated with modern societies and is rapidly increasing worldwide. A dynamically growing body of literature shows that ALAN poses a serious threat to all levels of biodiversity—from genes to ecosystems. Many “unknowns” remain to be addressed however, before we fully understand the impact of ALAN on biodiversity and can design effective mitigation measures. Here, we distilled the findings of a workshop on the effects of ALAN on biodiversity at the first World Biodiversity Forum in Davos attended by several major research groups in the field from across the globe. We argue that 11 …

Stink Bug (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) Ecology In Nebraska Agroecosystems, Blessing Ademokoya

Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Stink bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) have gained considerable attention in Nebraska in the last decade due to increasing densities of native stink bug and spread of invasive species in the Midwest. Little is known about stink bug dynamics in Nebraska cropping systems. Based on data from a recent field survey, specimens at the University of Nebraska State Museum and the diagnostic lab of the Entomology Department at the University of Nebraska Lincoln, as well as published literature, we present a checklist of 72 species and subspecies of Pentatomidae (55 Pentatominae, 13 Asopinae, 3 Podopinae and 1 Edessinae) that occur in …

Community Perceptions And Aesthetic Valuation Of Remediation Gardens, Rachel Bechtold

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Creating successfully remediated landscapes may rely on both natural resources and human perception in landscape design. Urban areas present a dynamic environment wherein communities and nature compete for resources and space. This dissertation study was designed to better understand aesthetic perceptions of native plants capable of land remediation in midwestern communities. Findings from this study show the importance of aesthetic perceptions of stakeholders towards rehabilitated landscapes and the importance of organizing indicators for future design decisions in an interdisciplinary fashion. Recommendations include continued evaluation of aesthetic perceptions for plant species in urban landscapes and modeling a more consistent framework for …

Charting A New Frontier Integrating Mathematical Modeling In Complex Biological Systems From Molecules To Ecosystems, Katharine A. White, Kira D. Mcentire, Nicole R. Buan, Lecia Robinson, Elisar Barbar

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Advances in quantitative biology data collection and analysis across scales (molecular, cellular, organismal, and ecological) have transformed how we understand, categorize, and predict complex biological systems. This surge of quantitative data creates an opportunity to apply, develop, and evaluate mathematical models of biological systems and explore novel methods of analysis. Simultaneously, thanks to increased computational power, mathematicians, engineers, and physical scientists have developed sophisticated models of biological systems at different scales. Novel modeling schemes can offer deeper understanding of principles in biology, but there is still a disconnect between modeling and experimental biology that limits our ability to fully realize …

Exploring Hydrologic Responses To Different Wildfire Spatial Patterns Through The Lens Of Computational Modeling, Luke M. Telfer

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Severe wildfire disturbances are becoming increasingly common in high-elevation forests of the western United States. These fires alter watershed hydrologic processes, threatening critical downstream water resources and aquatic ecosystems. However, watershed-scale postfire hydrologic responses and water balance changes are highly uncertain. While postfire effects on individual processes such as runoff, infiltration, evapotranspiration, and snow dynamics are relatively well known, the role of wildfire spatial patterns in governing hydrologic connectivity and interactions between water balance components is poorly understood due to challenges associated with measuring and comparing fires at large scales. This thesis aims to examine pattern-related postfire interactions between various …

A Common Redpoll Northern Winter Population In An Irruption Year, Michael R. North

North American Bird Bander

No abstract provided.

Deterring Non-Target Birds From Toxic Bait Sites For Wild Pigs, Nathan P. Snow, Joseph M. Halseth, Justin A. Foster, Michael J. Lavelle, Justin W. Fischer, Michael P. Glow, Ingrid A. Messer, Seth M. Cook, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Toxic baiting of wild pigs (Sus scrofa) is a potential new tool for population control and damage reduction in the US. Field trials testing a prototype toxic bait (HOGGONE 2 containing 5% sodium nitrite [SN]), though, revealed that wild pigs spilled small particles of toxic bait outside of bait stations which subsequently created hazards for non-target species that consumed those particles, primarily passerine birds. To deter non-target birds from consuming particles of spilled bait, we tested four deterrents at mock bait sites (i.e., baited with bird seed) in north-central Colorado, USA during April–May 2020. We found a programable, inflatable deterrent …

Impact Of Covid-19 On Cancer Management In Military Hospitals Of Saudi Arabia, Omar Al Zahrani, Ismail Ghorbel, Osama Mukhtar, Muneera Almajed, Hoda M. Abdelazim, Muhammad N. Hasan, Ahmad Mostafa, Ali Bajouda

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on cancer management in Saudi Arabia’s military hospitals. Methods: This multi-centric, retrospective study compared cancer patients diagnosed from February-July 2019 and 2020, focusing on the time duration for acceptance and time for oncologic treatment initiation. Eligibility and referral status were recorded. Clinical data of COVID-19-positive cancer patients were collected and evaluated their outcomes and survival. Results: Data of 1574 cancer patients (mean age, 57.1 years) were collected. Mean time for acceptance was 7.3 days in 2019 and 8 days in 2020, with no statistically significant difference. Mean time for oncology treatment initiation was …

December 2021 News Releases, University Of Montana--Missoula. Office Of University Relations

University of Montana News Releases, 1928, 1956-present

No abstract provided.

Contextual Variations In Associations Between Measures Of Aggression And Withdrawal And Functioning With Peers: A Replication Study, William M. Bukowski, Meelanie Dirks, Ryan Persram, Jonathan Santo, Dawn Delay, Luz Stella Lopez

Psychology Faculty Publications

Data from 790 older school-age (Mage = 10.2 years, SD = 1.2 years) girls (N = 427) and boys from Barranquilla, Colombia (N = 449) and Montréal, Canada (N = 331) were used to replicate findings reported by Valdivia et al. (2005). This prior study revealed contextual variations in the association between two measures of social behavior, specifically aggression and withdrawal, and two measures of effective functioning with peers, specifically sociometric preference and friendship. The Montréal participants were primarily from families with European backgrounds. The ethnicity of the participants from Barranquilla can be described as Latinx/Caribbean. Multilevel analyses provided evidence …

American Bullfrog (Lithobates Catesbeianus) Diet In Uruguay Compared With Other Invasive Populations In Southern South America, Gabriel Laufer, Noelia Gobel, Mauro Berazategui, Matías Zarucki, Sofía Cortizas, Alvaro Soutullo, Claudio Martinez Debat, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

Between 2000-2020, more than ten new populations of the invasive American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus) have been reported in the southern cone of South America. We studied the stomach contents of 126 bullfrogs from a population at an early invasion stage in Uruguay (Acegua, Cerro Largo Department). We observed a rich diet, with extensive prey volume range (1 mm3 to more than 7 000 mm(3)); the most frequent items were Hymenoptera (19.6%), Coleoptera (16.4%), Amphipoda (13.3%), Anura (8.9%) and Heteroptera (8.7%). Despite some overlap, differences were observed in volume (chi(2) = 54.6, p <0.001, d.f. = 2) and prey quantity (F = 8.1, p <0.001, d.f. = 79) between males, females, and juveniles. Juveniles showed significantly higher consumption of terrestrial prey by count (82% of their total ingestion) than adults (29% for males and 32% for females) (chi(2) = 28.5, p <0.001, d.f. = 2). Adults, especially females, showed a high frequency of cannibalism (33% of their total ingestion; chi(2) = 20.9, p <0.001, d.f. = 2). Comparing our data with other bullfrog regional studies, we found great plasticity in trophic habits and differences in the incidence of cannibalism (higher incidence in the populations of Acegua, Uruguay, and Buenos Aires, Argentina). These differences could be related to local biodiversity, but also could be affected by the invasion phase. Cannibalism frequency was higher in small bullfrog populations, where it could be favoring the establishment success. This shift in foraging strategies during the invasion process had been insufficiently evaluated in amphibians. Knowing the ecological determinants for the invasion by bullfrogs can be useful to the development of management strategies.

Assessing The Relationship Between Geophytes And The Archaeological Presence Of Maize In North America, Paige Dorsey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis investigates the possible relationship between the archaeological presence of maize, in the United States, and historical environmental variables, rainfall and temperature, in addition to the number of underground plants that store energy and nutrients, in a given area. The thought behind this is that where the abundance of these underground plant species is highest, the lower the number of archaeological sites containing maize because such resources were a more attractive alternative food than maize. Conversely, where geophytes are less abundant, archaeological instances of maize should be more abundant because maize is a better option in such environments for …

Drivers Of Understory Plant Communities In Sierra Nevada Mixed Conifer Forests With Pyrodiversity, Kate Wilkin, Lauren Ponisio, Danny L. Fry, Brandon M. Collins, Tadashi Moody, Scott L. Stephens

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Background: Fire suppression in western North America increased and homogenized overstory cover in conifer forests, which likely affected understory plant communities. We sought to characterize understory plant communities and their drivers using plot-based observations from two contemporary reference sites in the Sierra Nevada, USA. These sites had long-established natural fire programs, which have resulted in restored natural fire regimes. In this study, we investigated how pyrodiversity—the diversity of fire size, severity, season, and frequency—and other environment factors influenced species composition and cover of forest understory plant communities. Results: Understory plant communities were influenced by a combination of environmental, plot-scale recent …

Species And Population Specific Gene Expression In Blood Transcriptomes Of Marine Turtles, Shreya M. Banerjee, Jamie Adkins Stoll, Camryn D. Allen, Jennifer M. Lynch, Heather S. Harris, Lauren Kenyon, Richard E. Connon, Eleanor J. Sterling, Eugenia Naro-Maciel, Kathryn Mcfadden, Margaret M. Lamont, James Benge, Nadia B. Fernandez, Jeffrey A. Seminoff, Scott R. Benson, Rebecca L. Lewison, Tomoharu Eguchi, For Full Author List, See Comments Below

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Background: Transcriptomic data has demonstrated utility to advance the study of physiological diversity and organisms’ responses to environmental stressors. However, a lack of genomic resources and challenges associated with collecting high-quality RNA can limit its application for many wild populations. Minimally invasive blood sampling combined with de novo transcriptomic approaches has great potential to alleviate these barriers. Here, we advance these goals for marine turtles by generating high quality de novo blood transcriptome assemblies to characterize functional diversity and compare global transcriptional profiles between tissues, species, and foraging aggregations. Results: We generated high quality blood transcriptome assemblies for hawksbill (Eretmochelys …

Used Cars Price Prediction And Valuation Using Data Mining Techniques, Abdulla Alshared

Theses

Due to the unprecedented number of cars being purchased and sold, used car price prediction is a topic of high interest. Because of the affordability of used cars in developing countries, people tend more purchase used cars. A primary objective of this project is to estimate used car prices by using attributes that are highly correlated with a label (Price). To accomplish this, data mining technology has been employed. Null, redundant, and missing values were removed from the dataset during pre-processing. In this supervised learning study, three regressors (Random Forest Regressor, Linear Regression, and Bagging Regressor) have been trained, tested, …

Compositional Analysis By Pxrf Of Obsidian Artifacts From Pete Creek (41cb1) In Crosby County, Texas, Matthew Boulanger

Anthropology Research

No abstract provided.

Diversity And Composition Of Plant Species In The Geita Gold Mining Catchment Area, Tanzania, Mariam G. Mgendi, Mkabwa Lawrence Manoko, William J.S. Mwegoha

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

A study on the diversity of plant species is of vital importance for the conservation of natural ecosystems that are increasingly being threatened by various anthropogenic activities. Greater diversity makes ecosystems healthier and resilient to stress, thus providing its services on which humans depend. This study aimed to assess the health of the ecosystem around the Geita Gold Mine (GGM) based on the diversity and composition of plant species. Two transects with a total of 14 sampling sites were established where the number of plant species were systematically recorded using nested quadrats. The diversity of species was determined using species …

Analisis Spasial Gizi Kurang Balita Di Kota Tangerang Tahun 2019, Nanthyan Khampa Usada, Kartika Sari Wanodya, Nadia Trisna

Jurnal Biostatistik, Kependudukan, dan Informatika Kesehatan

Kekurangan gizi pada balita dapat menyebabkan kematian hal ini dikarenakan balita lebih rentan terinfeksi penyakit. Adapun penyebab tidak langsung gizi kurang yaitu ketahanan pangan di keluarga, pola pengasuhan anak, pelayanan kesehatan dan kesehatan lingkungan. Pada tahun 2018 prevalensi gizi kurang balita di Provinsi Banten sebesar 12,6%. Di kota tangerang sendiri terdapat 5.555 kasus atau 5,99% kejadian kasus gizi kurang pada balita pada tahun 2019. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui gambaran distribusi faktor risiko kejadian gizi kurang pada balita di Kota Tangerang tahun 2019 dengan menggunakan analisis spasial. Penelitian ini merupakan rancangan deskriptif kuantitatif dan desain studi ekologi menggunakan data sekunder …

Cognitive Ecology Of Color Vision In Orchid Bees, Andreia Queiroz Santos A Figueiredo

Dissertations

Animals interact with their environment and acquire information from it. Information can be processed by their sensory systems and influence behavior, often mediated through mechanisms of decision-making and learning. Animal pollinators acquire information from flowers and use this information to make decisions about the flowers they visit. My research aimed to understand the role of color vision in a tropical pollinator, the orchid bee Euglossa dilemma. Chapter 1 is a review exploring pollination through the lens of prepared learning. Prepared learning proposes that animals learn some associations better than others due to an evolved match with the environment. I …

The Legume – Rhizobia Symbiosis. Does It Vary For The Tropics Relative To The Mediterranean Basin?, J. G. Howieson, A. Mcinnes

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Symbiotic N fixation from legumes is one of the most important biological processes on the planet. It currently provides the majority of the N requirement in agriculture, yet will have to double if cereal crop production is to meet world demand by 2020 (Kennedy and Cocking 1997). To effectively harness the value of biological N fixation from legumes we need to more fully understand G² x E; where G refers to the genotypes of both the legume (G_l) and its microsymbiont (rhizobia; G_r), and E refers to the edaphic environment in which the symbiosis is …