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Emulating Evolutionary Principles For Agriculture: Designing A Biomimetic Vertical Garden By Mimicking Tracheophyte Evolution, Earl M. Riddell

Honors Theses

Biodiversity, particularly in the world’s equatorial regions, is under threat from human industry. Among the most daunting problems facing these biomes is that of the food industry’s continual expansion into what was once rainforest. Expansive monoculture (large cultivated swaths of a single crop species) are the primary threat to tropical biodiversity. This method of agriculture is harmful because it requires the clearing of land that once supported thousands of species in order to replace it with rows of a single crop. If more plants could be grown in a smaller horizontal square footage, farms need not rely so heavily on …

Interactive Effects Of Increased Nestbox Temperature And Vitamin E On Nestling Growth Are Attenuated By Plasticity In Female Incubation Effort, Paige A. Duncan, Ashley M. Tauber, Scott K. Sakaluk, Charles F. Thompson

Faculty Publications – Biological Sciences

In recent years, temperatures have increased globally, and nestlings of many bird species are likely regularly exposed to increased temperatures both pre- and post-natally. Even small increases in nest temperature during incubation affect offspring growth and survival in a variety of species, one cause of which is thought to be increased production of pro-oxidants in embryos and nestlings. Defences marshalled in response to this oxidative stress could, in turn, result in trade-offs that lead to reduced survival or growth. If so, any downstream negative effects on nestlings of increased ambient temperatures during incubation could be counteracted by increasing their antioxidant …

Depaul Digest

DePaul Magazine

College of Education Professor Jason Goulah fosters hope, happiness and global citizenship through DePaul’s Institute for Daisaku Ikeda Studies in Education. Associate Journalism Professor Jill Hopke shares how to talk about climate change. News briefs from DePaul’s 10 colleges and schools: Occupational Therapy Standardized Patient Program, Financial Planning Certificate program, Business Education in Technology and Analytics Hub, Racial Justice Initiative, Teacher Quality Partnership grant, Intimate Partner Violence and Brain Injury collaboration, School of Music Career Closet, Sports Photojournalism course, DePaul Migration Collaborative’s Solutions Lab, Inclusive Screenwriting courses. New appointments: School of Music Dean John Milbauer, College of Education Dean Jennifer …

Concerned But Confused: University Students' Knowledge And Perceptions Of Climate Change, And How They Plan To Address It In Their Future Personal And Professional Lives., Miranda Kistner, Jeremy Jiménez

The SUNY Journal of the Scholarship of Engagement: JoSE

This article explores university students’ knowledge and concern level towards climate change, as well as potential roles they see themselves playing as teachers in a world increasingly affected by its impacts. A survey of 135 university students was conducted at SUNY Cortland, a medium-size state university in Upstate New York. Results show that these university students (among them pre-service teachers) are highly concerned about the potential impacts of climate change, especially for future generations. While they demonstrate some accurate knowledge of climate change, many hold many misconceptions about its causes and consequences. In articulating how they can or do respond …

Mesophotic Coral Bleaching Associated With Changes In Thermocline Depth, Clara Diaz, Nicola L. Foster, Martin J. Attrill, Adam Bolton, Peter Ganderton, Kerry L. Howell, Edward Robinson, Phil Hosegood

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

As global temperatures continue to rise, shallow coral reef bleaching has become more intense and widespread. Mesophotic coral ecosystems (30–150 m) reside in deeper, cooler, water and were thought to offer a refuge to shallow-water reefs. Data now show that mesophotic coral ecosystems instead have limited connectivity with shallow corals but host diverse endemic communities. Given their extensive distribution and high biodiversity, understanding their susceptibility to warming oceans is imperative. In this multidisciplinary study we show evidence of coral bleaching at 90 m in the Indian Ocean, despite the absence of shallow-water bleaching. The bleaching was associated with sustained thermocline …

Vulnerability Of Elevation-Restricted Endemic Birds Of The Cordillera De Talamanca (Costa Rica And Panama) To Climate Change, Zhen Lui, Luis Sandoval, Lauren B. Sherman, Andrew M. Wilson

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

Animals endemic to tropical mountains are known to be especially vulnerable to climate change. The Cordillera de Talamanca (Costa Rica and Panama) is a geographically isolated mountain chain and global biodiversity hotspot, home to more than 50 endemic bird species. We used eBird community science observations to predict the distributions of a suite of 48 of these endemic birds in 2006–2015, and in 2070, under four climate change scenarios. Species distributions were predicted using program Maxent, incorporating elevation, satellite derived habitat data, and WorldClim climate variables. Model fit, as assessed by Area under the Receiver Operator Curve (AUC), was very …

Volume 1, Issue 6, Bryant University

Bryant Bulldog Bulletin (2023-2024)

No abstract provided.

Reimagining Large River Management Using The Resist–Accept–Direct (Rad) Framework In The Upper Mississippi River, Nicole K. Ward, Abigail J. Lynch, Erik A. Beever, Joshua Booker, Kristen L. Bouska, Holly Embke, Jeffrey N. Houser, John F. Kocik, David J. Lawrence, Mary Grace Lemon, Doug Limpinsel, Madeline R. Magee, Bryan M. Maitland, Owen Mckenna, Andrew Meier, John M. Morton, Jeffrey D. Muehlbauer, Robert Newman, Devon C. Oliver, Heidi M. Rantala, Greg G. Sass, Aaron Shultz, Laura M. Thompson, Jennifer L. Wilkening

Biology Faculty Publications

Background Large-river decision-makers are charged with maintaining diverse ecosystem services through unprecedented social-ecological transformations as climate change and other global stressors intensify. The interconnected, dendritic habitats of rivers, which often demarcate jurisdictional boundaries, generate complex management challenges. Here, we explore how the Resist–Accept–Direct (RAD) framework may enhance large-river management by promoting coordinated and deliberate responses to social-ecological trajectories of change. The RAD framework identifies the full decision space of potential management approaches, wherein managers may resist change to maintain historical conditions, accept change toward different conditions, or direct change to a specified future with novel conditions. In the Upper Mississippi …

Warmer Temperature Overrides The Effects Of Antidepressants On Amphibian Metamorphosis And Behavior, Peter Fong, Aylin Doganoglu, Eleanor Sandt, Sierra Turbeville

Biology Faculty Publications

Climate change can exacerbate the effects of environmental pollutants on aquatic organisms. Pollutants such as human antidepressants released from wastewater treatment plants have been shown to impact life-history traits of amphibians. We exposed tadpoles of the wood frog Lithobates sylvaticus to two temperatures (20°C and 25°C) and two antidepressants (fluoxetine and venlafaxine), and measured timing of metamorphosis, mass at metamorphosis, and two behaviors (startle response and percent motionless). Antidepressants significantly shortened time to metamorphosis at 20°C, but not at 25°C. At 25°C, tadpoles metamorphosed significantly faster than those at 20°C independent of antidepressant exposure. Venlafax- ine reduced body mass at …

The Coastal Monitor: Vol. 10 No. 2, John Tanacredi Ph.D.

The Coastal Monitor

Stephen J. Gould’s prophetic piece, “The Golden Rule: A Proper Scale for Our Environmental Crisis”, noted that, “Patience enjoys a long pedigree of favor”, which he elaborated, “usually involves a deep understanding of the fundamental principle… rarely grasped in daily life – the effects of scale.” Scientists observe changes incessantly, in dimensions and time, from microscopic conditions of cellular biology to the inconceivable distances of galaxies and their influences on Earth.

Effects Of Changing Climate Extremes And Vegetation Phenology On Wildlife Associated With Grasslands In The Southwestern United States, Tyler G. Creech, Matthew A. Williamson, Steven E. Sesnie, Esther S. Rubin, Daniel R. Cayan, Erica Fleishman

Human-Environment Systems Research Center Faculty Publications and Presentations

Assessments of the potential responses of animal species to climate change often rely on correlations between long-term average temperature or precipitation and species' occurrence or abundance. Such assessments do not account for the potential predictive capacity of either climate extremes and variability or the indirect effects of climate as mediated by plant phenology. By contrast, we projected responses of wildlife in desert grasslands of the southwestern United States to future climate means, extremes, and variability and changes in the timing and magnitude of primary productivity. We used historical climate data and remotely sensed phenology metrics to develop predictive models of …

Itlos Advisory Opinion On Climate Change: Summary Of Briefs And Statements Submitted To The Tribunal, Maria Antonia Tigre, Korey Silverman-Roati

Sabin Center for Climate Change Law

This report provides a summary of the briefs and statements submitted to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) in response to the Co-Chairs of Commission of Small Island States (COSIS)’ request for an advisory opinion on climate change-related legal questions. The central issue before the ITLOS is whether State Parties to UNCLOS have specific obligations regarding the prevention, reduction, and control of marine environmental pollution stemming from climate change, as well as the protection and preservation of the marine environment concerning climate change impacts. While States and civil society organizations have put forward a variety of …

A Marine Protected Area Network Does Not Confer Community Structure Resilience To A Marine Heatwave Across Coastal Ecosystems, Joshua G. Smith, Christopher M. Free, Cori Lopazanski, Julien Brun, Clarissa R. Anderson, Mark H. Carr, Joachim Claudet, Jenifer E. Dugan, Jacob G. Eurich, Tessa B. Francis, Scott L. Hamilton, David Mouillot, Peter T. Raimondi, Richard M. Starr, Shelby L. Ziegler, Kerry J. Nickols, Jennifer E. Caselle

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Marine protected areas (MPAs) have gained attention as a conservation tool for enhancing ecosystem resilience to climate change. However, empirical evidence explicitly linking MPAs to enhanced ecological resilience is limited and mixed. To better understand whether MPAs can buffer climate impacts, we tested the resistance and recovery of marine communities to the 2014–2016 Northeast Pacific heatwave in the largest scientifically designed MPA network in the world off the coast of California, United States. The network consists of 124 MPAs (48 no-take state marine reserves, and 76 partial-take or special regulation conservation areas) implemented at different times, with full implementation completed …

Towards Effective Governance Of Marine Geoengineering In West Africa: Aligning With Global And Regional Best Practices, Abdul Hafez Mahamah

LLM Theses

The impacts of climate change have compelled humanity to produce innovative ways of counteracting this phenomenon. Marine geoengineering technologies are regarded as an avenue to forestall climate change. However, these technologies pose a danger to the environment and threaten the survival of living organisms and humanity. The deployment of these technologies could exacerbate the adverse impacts that climate change has on the environment. Using doctrinal, legal history, and comparative legal analysis, this thesis studies how West Africa can ensure the effective governance of marine geoengineering activities in the subregion. The study examines the global and selected regional governance regimes and …

Magnitude, Trends, And Variability Of The Global Ocean Carbon Sink From 1985 To 2018, Tim Devries, Kana Yamamoto, Rik Wanninkhof, Nicolas Gruber, Judith Hauck, Jens Daniel Müller, Laurent Bopp, Dustin Carroll, Brendan Carter, Thi Tuyet Trang Chau, Scott C. Doney, Marion Gehlen, Lucas Gloege, Luke Gregor, Stephanie Henson, Ji Hyun Kim, Yosuke Iida, Tatiana Ilyina, Peter Landschützer

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

This contribution to the RECCAP2 (REgional Carbon Cycle Assessment and Processes) assessment analyzes the processes that determine the global ocean carbon sink, and its trends and variability over the period 1985–2018, using a combination of models and observation-based products. The mean sea-air CO2 flux from 1985 to 2018 is −1.6 ± 0.2 PgC yr−1 based on an ensemble of reconstructions of the history of sea surface pCO2 (pCO2 products). Models indicate that the dominant component of this flux is the net oceanic uptake of anthropogenic CO2, which is estimated at −2.1 ± 0.3 PgC yr−1 by an ensemble of ocean …

Increasing Temperatures Can Pose An Opportunity To Recover Endemic And Endangered Oriental Sweetgum Tree (Liquidambar Orientalis Mill.) From Extinction, Okan Ürker, Nurbahar Usta Baykal, Eren Ada

Turkish Journal of Botany

Evidence suggests that past climatic oscillations caused many species to drastically change their distribution range and had significant impacts on their survival capabilities. There is significant evidence suggesting that today's changing climate threatens many species to face a rapid extinction period in the coming decades and centuries. Understanding the changing range patterns provides significant input on biodiversity and conservation biology studies. However, warming climatic conditions may also present an opportunity for some species to expand their habitats?particularly those adapted to warmer environments. In this study, we asked how near-future climate change will affect the distribution range of the oriental sweetgum …

Rising Coastal Groundwater As A Result Of Sea-Level Rise Will Influence Contaminated Coastal Sites And Underground Infrastructure, K. Hill, D. Hirschfeld, C. Lindquist, F. Cook, S. Warner

Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning Faculty Publications

Sea-level rise (SLR) will cause coastal groundwater to rise in many coastal urban environments. Inundation of contaminated soils by groundwater rise (GWR) will alter the physical, biological, and geochemical conditions that influence the fate and transport of existing contaminants. These transformed products can be more toxic and/or more mobile under future conditions driven by SLR and GWR. We reviewed the vulnerability of contaminated sites to GWR in a US national database and in a case comparison with the San Francisco Bay region to estimate the risk of rising groundwater to human and ecosystem health. The results show that 326 sites …

Combining Expert Opinions To Assess Risk Of Change In Earth Systems: Permafrost Collapse, Global Wildfire, And Water Security, Sayedeh Sara Sayedi

Theses and Dissertations

In a world of uncertainty and change, leaders should base their decisions on best available scientific evidence. However, history has shown that science is often inadequately incorporated into the decision-making process. This dissertation investigates three environmental issues to identify the challenges of considering Earth system dynamics in policymaking and management. I also propose solutions for improving the two-way exchange of knowledge and values between researchers and policymakers. In chapter one, I investigate subsea permafrost carbon sensitivity to climate change using an expert assessment. The analysis revealed that subsea permafrost contains significant carbon stocks and is already contributing to climate change …

Is Climate Change Causing The Range Contraction Of Cape Rock-Jumpers (Chaetops Frenatus)?, Gregory D. Duckworth, Raquel A. Garcia, Rheinhardt Scholtz, Res Altwegg

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Species distribution models often suggest strong links between climate and species' distribution boundaries and project large distribution shifts in response to climate change. However, attributing distribution shifts to climate change requires more than correlative models. One idea is to examine correlates of the processes that cause distribution shifts, namely colonization and local extinction, by using dynamic occupancy models. The Cape Rock-jumper (Chaetops frenatus) has disappeared over most of its distribution where temperatures are the highest. We used dynamic occupancy models to analyse Cape Rock-jumper distribution with respect to climate (mean temperature and precipitation over the warmest annual quarter), …

Regulating Greenhouse Gas Emissions Under The Endangered Species Act, Eric Biber

Michigan Journal of Environmental & Administrative Law

Despite the devastating impact climate change will have on biodiversity, most legal scholars and policymakers are skeptical that the flagship statute for protecting biodiversity in the United States, the Endangered Species Act (ESA), should be deployed to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. This skepticism has been driven by the concern that using the ESA to regulate greenhouse gases could lead to administrative issues, legal chaos, and political backlash that might endanger the Act overall.

In this article, I draw on three different elements to argue that the ESA could plausibly be used to regulate greenhouse gases. Specifically, I draw on recent …

The Ecology, Biology, And Biogeography Of The Invasive Red Alga Dasysiphonia Japonica (Rhodophyta: Ceramiales) In The Southern Gulf Of Maine, Brandon Scott O'Brien

Doctoral Dissertations

Many coastal ecosystems are under threat from the combined pressures of climate change and introduced species. The Gulf of Maine is one such region under siege, being one of the fastest warming bodies of water in the world and being host to a variety of introduced species. In this dissertation, I investigate the invasion potential of the invasive red alga Dasysiphonia japonica in the Gulf of Maine and beyond through a combination of field, laboratory, and modeling studies. Despite being a recent introduction, Dasysiphonia has rapidly spread along the New England coastline. In areas where it has become established, Dasysiphonia …

Expanding The Role Of The Temporal Dimension In Ecological Niche Models: A Study On Mexican Montane Small Mammals, Gonzalo E. Pinilla Buitrago

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Ecological niche models (ENMs) are commonly used to estimate the potential geographic distributions of species and have various uses, such as predicting invasive species' potential distribution, assessing vulnerability to climate change, or estimating paleodistributions. However, ENM developments have primarily focused on solving spatially related issues, underemphasizing the temporal dimensionality of occurrence and environmental data collected over the last century. One limitation of ENMs is the common practice of using recent environmental averages that fail to capture the gradual environmental change over the time span of the occurrence records and can hide trends in environmental variables, a critical piece of information …

Tongues Out Of Place: Narratives Of Hereness And Images Of Be(Long)Ing, Christopher Hoffman

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

What is the role of the psychologist during times of gentrification, climate change, and inequity? Using Hall & Massey’s (2010) term conjunctural crisis, or the overlapping of multiple disasters that bleed into each other, I argue that psychologists have a responsibility to combat social inequity and work towards tangible strategies in collaboration with communities to dismantle structures of oppression. In times of gentrification and climate change, I argue that psychologists must play a role in promoting public science, a praxis of research committed to applying social science with communities in order to work towards social justice and build a more …

The Impact Of Climate Change On Mental Health, Taylor Brewer, Chelsea Holbrook, Alison Hong

URGENT Matters

No abstract provided.

Using Terrestrial Laser Scanning To Estimate Canopy Structure In Peatland Conifers Under A Climate Manipulation, Angela D. Seibert

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Northern peatlands are major terrestrial carbon sinks, storing 415 ± 150 Gt of carbon. The composition of peatland vegetation affects this carbon storage capacity, and thus quantifying the vegetation helps to constrain uncertainty in peatland carbon storage estimates. Ground layer vegetation, such as Sphagnum sp. moss contributes greatly to carbon storage capacity. In forested peatlands, the tree canopy structure directly influences peatland solar insolation, soil temperature, and water table levels. Each of these factors impacts the ground layer vegetation. Currently, there is uncertainty about how the peatland tree canopy structure is influenced by elevated levels of carbon dioxide (CO_{2 …}

The Ecological Effects Of Nitrogen Enrichment In Aridlands, Jennifer Holguin

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Anthropogenic nitrogen (N) deposition is one of the most prominent factors driving global change. Across the globe, N deposition has driven major changes in terrestrial ecosystems, such as declines in plant biodiversity, enhanced exotic plant growth, and changes to biogeochemical processes involved in carbon and nutrient cycling. While noteworthy effort has been put forth to investigate the effects of N deposition on terrestrial ecosystems, a disproportionate number of N addition studies have been conducted in temperate mesic systems. Thus, we lack a holistic and mechanistic understanding of how N deposition impact aridland ecosystems. Additionally, our predictions of the effects of …

Genomic Underpinning Of Drought-Associated Phenotypes In A Keystone Shrub Species Of Western North America, Carlos Dave Contreras Dumaguit

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Anthropogenic climate warming and habitat loss threaten species and ecosystem sustainability. Given this, it is urgent to determine whether populations can adapt at a rate sufficient to combat climate change or if human intervention is needed to preserve community ecosystem health. Assessing whether populations could adapt includes inferring whether key phenotypic traits associated to abiotic tolerance are under genetic control and therefore heritable. This thesis focused on the imperiled western North American sagebrush steppe and its widespread eponymous keystone species Artemisia tridentata, (common name, big sagebrush). To determine the adaptive capacity of any population, standing variation for phenotypic traits across …

Operation Wasatch: Scenario Based Planning To Assess The Cold Weather Preparedness Of The National Disaster Medical System, Alison Matthews

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Background: The National Disaster Medical System has little experience with sustained mission operations under anything other than temperate environmental conditions. Extreme weather events increase the complexity of disaster response by presenting significant logistic, operational, and safety challenges. Identifying gaps and vulnerabilities in response capabilities can promote improved Disaster Medical Assistance Team preparedness.

Methods: This discussion based exercise utilized a scenario involving a 7.0 magnitude earthquake along the Wasatch Fault in winter. This exercise was conducted with members of the Wisconsin-1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team. Team members provided oral and written feedback in response to exercise objectives and prompts. This feedback …

Multi-Campaign Ship And Aircraft Observations Of Marine Cloud Condensation Nuclei And Droplet Concentrations, Kevin J Sanchez, David Painemal, Matthew D Brown, Ewan C Crosbie, Francesca Gallo, Johnathan W Hair, Chris A Hostetler, Carolyn E Jordan, Claire E Robinson, Amy Jo Scarino, Taylor J Shingler, Michael A Shook, Kenneth L Thornhill, Elizabeth B Wiggins, Edward L Winstead, Luke D Ziemba, Scott Chambers, Alastair Williams, Ruhi S Humphries, Melita D Keywood, Jason P Ward, Luke Cravigan, Ian M Mcrobert, Connor Flynn, Gourihar R Kulkarni, Lynn M Russell, Gregory C Roberts, Greg M Mcfarquhar, Athanasios Nenes, Sarah F Woods, Jeffery S Reid, Jennifer Small-Griswold, Sarah Brooks, Simon Kirschler, Christianne Voigt, Jian Wang, David J Delene, Patricia K Quinn, Richard H Moore

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

In-situ marine cloud droplet number concentrations (CDNCs), cloud condensation nuclei (CCN), and CCN proxies, based on particle sizes and optical properties, are accumulated from seven field campaigns: ACTIVATE; NAAMES; CAMP2EX; ORACLES; SOCRATES; MARCUS; and CAPRICORN2. Each campaign involves aircraft measurements, ship-based measurements, or both. Measurements collected over the North and Central Atlantic, Indo-Pacific, and Southern Oceans, represent a range of clean to polluted conditions in various climate regimes. With the extensive range of environmental conditions sampled, this data collection is ideal for testing satellite remote detection methods of CDNC and CCN in marine environments. Remote measurement methods are vital to …

Addressing The Ocean-Climate Nexus In The Bbnj Agreement: Strategic Environmental Assessments, Human Rights And Equity In Ocean Science, Elisa Morgera, Kirsty Mcquaid, Giulia La Bianca, Holly Niner, Lynne Shannon, Mia Strand, Sian Rees, Kerry Howell, Bernadette Snow, Alana Malinde Sn Lancaster, Warwick Sauer

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

The Agreement on Marine Biodiversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement) opens a new path in international law towards addressing issues at the ocean-climate nexus, as well as considering implications for the protection of human rights and achieving equity among States in the context of ocean knowledge production and environmental management. Based on an interdisciplinary reflection, the new international obligations on strategic environmental assessments (SEAs), and new institutional arrangements, are identified as crucial avenues to addressing climate change mitigation and ensuring fair research partnerships, mutual capacity-building and technology co-development between the Global North and South. SEAs can also support …