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Weights And Balances: Integrating Models For Prevention And Response To Southern California Offshore Oil Spills, Carmen Watts Clayton, Amoret Bunn

STAR Program Research Presentations

Licensing offshore oil and gas reserves in the United States waters are overseen by the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Safety and Enforcement (BSEE). The licensing application includes planning for any worst-case oil spill scenario between BSEE and the applicant based on lessons learned from historic offshore spills such as the Deepwater Horizon (2010), Exxon Valdez (1989), and the Union Oil Platform Blowout (1969). The process for planning to respond to oil spills involves coordination with multiple agencies, trustees, and stakeholders to ensure that oil spill responses consider multiple factors, including ecologically sensitive species, commercial transportation and fisheries, …

Pollutants And Foraminiferal Assemblages In Torrecillas Lagoon: An Environmental Micropaleontology Approach, Michael Martinez-Colon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Torrecillas Lagoon in the North Coast of Puerto Rico has experienced extensive anthropogenic influence over the past 400 years. Elevated concentrations of Potential Toxic Elements (PTEs) have been reported in surficial sediments. The main goal of this dissertation was to implement in Puerto Rico the use of benthic foraminifers as a bioindicators of PTEs and to compare the impact of Cu(II) on field samples with results of experimental work using cultures.

Analyses included geochemical assessment for bulk and carbonate- soluble bioavailable concentrations of PTEs in surface, core and pore-water samples, as well as analyses of grain-size, Percent Total Organic Carbon …

"Discursion And Excursion:" Poetry Of Bodies, Place, And Landscape In The Ecocritical Movement, Haley N. Littleton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

My thesis project focuses on the current literary field of Ecocriticism, its historical transmutations, and the correlation of the pastoral genre, as one begins to understand current human understandings of "nature." By applying a deeper understanding of the Deep Ecology movement, along with shifting understandings of the human and the non-human, specifically in our usage and attention to landscape and wilderness, I hope to explore the role that the aesthetic, and the function of the poem, can play a crucial role in the environmental movement. By building a foundational understanding of our cultural context and critical theories of Environmental criticism, …

A Comparison Of Macrofaunal And Algal Communities In Oyster Aquaculture Gear, An Eelgrass Bed, Oyster Reef, And A Mudflat In Great Bay, New Hampshire, Megan Elizabeth Glenn

Master's Theses and Capstones

Oysters (Crassostrea virginica) and eelgrass (Zostera marina) are important ecosystem engineers in Great Bay, NH, however despite restoration efforts they have been in decline. In addition to loss of the resource, this degradation results in loss of associated ecosystem services such as habitat provision. It is possible that the recent increase in oyster farming in Great Bay could help mitigate habitat loss. My research objective was to quantify the biotic communities present in three natural habitats (eelgrass beds, oyster reefs and mudflats) in Great Bay NH and compare those to communities living on the type of gear (“racks and bags”) …

The Way Around: Walking Into Revolution, Nicholas T. Triolo

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The Way Around: Walking into Revolution

Chairperson: Phil Condon

The Way Around investigates revolution through personal accounts of pilgrimage, ecopsychology, and activism. For ten years (2006-2016), I engaged in various forms of circular travel across the world to understand the true shape of revolution—its etymology, its use throughout history, and if revolution might be some universal inertia that drives us all forward.

The journey begins in 2006, where I travel around the world for a year. I weave together discoveries of place and planet with a 500-year historical account of human circumnavigation. Returning to Portland, Oregon, I’m introduced to …

3d Tool Evaluation And Workflow For An Ecological Approach To Visualizing Ancient Socio-Environmental Landscapes: A Case Study From Copan, Honduras, Heather Richards-Rissetto, Shona Sanford-Long, Jack Kerby-Miller

Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications

Architectural reconstructions are the centerpieces of ancient landscape visualization. When present, vegetation is relegated to the background, resulting in underutilized plant data—an integral data source for archaeological interpretation—thus limiting the capacity to take advantage of 3D visualization for studying ancient socio-environmental dynamics. Our long-term objective is to develop methods of 3D landscape visualization that have value for examining changes in land use and settlement patterns. To begin to work toward this objective, we have (1) identified 3D tools and techniques for vegetation modeling and landscape visualization, (2) evaluated the pros and cons of these tools, (3) investigated biological and ecological …

Animism Among Western Buddhists, Daniel S. Capper

Faculty Publications

Myriad instances of animist phenomena abound in the Buddhist world, but due to the outdated concepts of thinkers such as Edward Tylor, James George Frazer, and Melford Spiro, commonly scholars perceive this animism merely as the work of local religions, not as deriving from Buddhism itself. However, when one follows a number of contemporary scholars and employs a new, relational concept of animism that is based on respectful recognition of nonhuman personhoods, a different picture emerges. The works of Western Buddhists such as Stephanie Kaza, Philip Kapleau Roshi, and Gary Snyder express powerful senses of relational animism that arise specifically …

The Philosophy Of Ecology In John Steinbeck's The Grapes Of Wrath, Stephanie A. Steinbrecher

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis explores the possibilities for ecocritical study in fiction through John Steinbeck’s 1939 novel The Grapes of Wrath. Major ecocritical interpretation has yet to gain much traction in novels; by focusing on human nature, this form’s “anthropocentric” posture seems itself to be antithetical to ecocritical efforts, which aim to unseat humans as the center of the moral universe. However, by analyzing The Grapes of Wrath’s formal, narratorial, and thematic valences, I argue that principles of social justice concurrently imply environmental justice in the philosophical currents of the text. Tenets of deep ecology and Aldo Leopold’s “land ethic” …

Abejas Silvestres (Himenóptera: Apoidea) En La Neblina: Análisis De La Diversidad, Interacciones, Y Potencial Para Miel En Un Remanente De Bosque Nublado, Jen Hayes

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Las abejas (Himenóptera: Apoidea) se encuentran en casi cada una de las bioregiones en el mundo. Su composición es muy diversa en los neotrópicos. Las abejas silvestres (no-Apis) representan casi el 90% de las especies de abejas en todo el mundo (Parra, 2005). Los objetivos principales de este estudio fueron realizar un inventario de las especies de abejas al final de la estación seca, observar sus interacciones intra-específicas, y determinar el potencial de producción de miel medicinal de las abejas sin aguijón (Apidae: Meliponini). El estudio fue realizado en la Reserva Inti Llacta, un remanente de bosque nublado …

Root Associated Microbes: The Mediators Between Plants And Soil, Sarah Livingston Dean

Biology ETDs

Globally, increasing human populations have either caused or accelerated several types of environmental change. Symbiotic microbes have powerful effects on plant fitness, yet little study has been done on how microbial-plant relationships are affected by environmental changes. In two different ecosystems I explore how either nitrogen (N) pollution or drought can alter root associated microbe (RAM)-plant relationships using Next Generation Sequencing. In moist-meadow alpine tundra at Niwot Ridge, CO, I examine the relative contribution of host identity, N enrichment, and plant neighborhood on RAM diversity and community composition in two co-dominant plant species; Geum rossii and Deschampsia cespitosa. In New …

Too Wet For Frogs, Too Dry For Lizards: Role Of Changing Precipitation On Tropical Frogs And Arid Lizards, Mason J. Ryan

Biology ETDs

During the course of the Anthropocene, humans have modified the landscape and atmosphere resulting in increased global temperatures and intensification of the hydrologic cycle over the last 100 years. Amphibians and reptiles are especially vulnerable to climate change because of their ectothermic physiology and sensitivity to changes in water availability. The role of moisture or precipitation in ectotherm responses to climate change has not been well studied, but moisture plays a vital role in all aspects of the lives of lizards and frogs. It is exceedingly difficult to study the ecological effects of changing precipitation patterns due the stochastic nature …

The Restoration Process: Lessons From A Community-Based Conservation Initiative In Tunkhel, Mongolia, John Wendt

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As policy makers transition away from central planning, Mongolia’s natural resource professionals are challenged with cultivating community support for stewardship in a time of escalating ecological disturbance. Nutag Action Research Partners has partnered with community members and government officials in Tunkhel, a small village in north-central Mongolia, to develop local resource management capacity and jointly draft a Conservation Plan for a commonly grazed riparian pasture. This study is a preliminary assessment of the ecological and social factors influencing project implementation. Information was collected using a variety of qualitative methods including meeting observation, surveys, interviews, photographs, and a review of previous …

Ficus Sp. Y La Frugivoría: Una Investigación Sobre Un Recurso Importante Para Las Aves En El Bosque Nublado Occidental Del Ecuador, Hilary Niles

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Ocho plantas fructíferas de Ficus sp. (Moraceae) fueron monitoreadas durante 16 días en la reserva La Hesperia en el bosque nublado al oeste del Ecuador; esto con el objetivo de entender mejor los patrones de la frugivoría aviar y la relación entre las aves y el género Ficus. Se observaron aves durante el 70.8% de las visitas de observación, en las que se registraron 326 individuos, 28 especies, y 7 familias comiendo la fruta de las plantas de Ficus. La mayoría (74.5%) de las aves observadas perteneció a la familia Thraupidae, siendo las dos especies predominantes Tangara gyrola …

Comparative Evolutionary Diversity And Phylogenetic Structure Across Multiple Forest Dynamics Plots: A Mega-Phylogeny Approach, D. L. Erickson, F. A. Jones, N. G. Swenson, N. Pei, N. Bourg, W. Chen, S. J. Davies, X. Ge, Z. Hao, R. W. Howe, C. L. Huang, A. Larson, S. Lum, James A. Lutz, K. Ma, M. Meegaskumbura, X. Mi, J. D. Parker

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Forest dynamics plots, which now span longitudes, latitudes, and habitat types across the globe, offer unparalleled insights into the ecological and evolutionary processes that determine how species are assembled into communities. Understanding phylogenetic relationships among species in a community has become an important component of assessing assembly processes. However, the application of evolutionary information to questions in community ecology has been limited in large part by the lack of accurate estimates of phylogenetic relationships among individual species found within communities, and is particularly limiting in comparisons between communities. Therefore, streamlining and maximizing the information content of these community phylogenies is …

Moishe Postone And The Critique Of Traditional Marxism: Helplessness And The Present Moment Of The Great Acceleration, Alexander M. Stoner, Andony Melathopoulos

Book Sections/Chapters

This chapter situates Moishe Postone's critique of traditional Marxism in relation to the present moment of the Great Acceleration. We engage a close reading of Postone reinterpretation of Marx's mature theory of capital with specific focus on the linkage between economic growth and ecological degradation, and how this linkage is necessary connected to social domination in modern capitalist society. Postone's Marxian theory is significant because, as we demonstrate, it allows one to grasp societally induced environmental degradation following WWII in a critical and reflexive manner. The chapter concludes by discussing the growing sense of helplessness that defines the present moment …

“Bring Home The Salmon”: Examining The Klamath Dams And The Largest Dam Removal In World History, Darcey Evans

Theses & ETDs

The Klamath River, stretching between California and Oregon, has been used as an artery of life support by Native American peoples in the region for thousands of years. The river provides the tribal peoples with a connection to their creators, ancestors, and environment, and continuing into the 21st century, the subsistence, ceremonies, identities, and worldviews of the tribal peoples are deeply connected to the Klamath River and its surrounding landscape. During the 20th century, six dams were constructed on the Klamath River, causing unprecedented levels of ecological and cultural disruption. The four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River are potentially …

Hybrid Zone Dynamics Between Saltmarsh (Ammodramus Caudacutus) And Nelson's (Ammodramus Nelsoni) Sparrows, Jennifer Walsh

Doctoral Dissertations

Hybrid zones in nature have long been equated to “windows on the evolutionary process” providing unique environments to understand patterns of gene flow and introgression and the role of these mechanisms in maintaining biodiversity. Ongoing hybridization and introgression can lead to a number of conservation and evolutionary outcomes; as such, identifying the role of introgression in natural populations can provide new insights into species interactions while contributing to our understanding of evolutionary theory.

The research presented below characterizes hybrid zone dynamics between two tidal marsh endemics – the Saltmarsh (Ammodramus caudacutus) and Nelson’s (Ammodramus nelsoni) sparrow. Both species co-inhabit salt …

A Basic Guide For Empirical Environmental Social Science, Michael Cox

Dartmouth Scholarship

In this paper, I address a gap in the literature on environmental social science by providing a basic rubric for the conduct of empirical research in this interdisciplinary field. Current literature displays a healthy diversity of methods and techniques, but this has also been accompanied by a lack of consistency in the way in which research in this area is done. In part this can be seen as resulting from a lack in supporting texts that would provide a basis for this consistency. Although relevant methods texts do exist, these are not written with this type of research explicitly in …

Space Use And Habitat Affinities Of The Singing Vole On The Northern Foothills Of The Brooks Range, Alaska, Andrew Maguire

Master's Theses and Capstones

Arctic tundra is being affected by a rapidly warming climate, which is accompanied by shifts in plant community composition and structure. Shrub expansion, a predominant consequence of this warming, is linked with changes in nutrient cycling and has direct implications to global change biology. Habitats are being altered across the landscape, with subsequent changes to arctic faunal communities. While herbivory has been noted as important in contributing to plant community composition in the arctic, with the potential to both exacerbate and mitigate shifts toward shrub-dominated tundra landscapes, little research has been conducted on herbivore dynamics. Microtine rodents (i.e., voles and …

Provisioning And Its Effects On The Social Interactions Of Tibetan Macaques (Macaca Thibetana) At Mt. Huangshan, China, Brianna I. Schnepel

All Master's Theses

The dispersal patterns of food resources has a significant effect on the composition of primate groups and social interactions within those groups. Humans often alter the dispersal of food. Non-humans often use affiliative behaviors to elicit tolerance or support from other group members. I investigated whether provisioned food resources alter the social interactions and group dynamics of Macaca thibetana. All-occurrence sampling and scan sampling were used for data recorded by camera traps. Trail-cameras were placed at six locations that contain natural and human food resources and recorded 60-second videos. Social behavior and proximity of the monkeys were recorded. I …

Dispersal: A Multidisciplinary Investigation Of Plant Life, Alexandra E. Arzt

Theses and Dissertations

Using plants as a basis for exploring the interstices between the human and nonhuman, this thesis investigates ideas of awareness, intelligence, deep time, animism, and the fluctuating human perception of the agency of Nature. It outlines environmental art practices since the 1950s involving vegetal life. In addition, the paper provides a critical analysis of plant perception of Jakob von Uexküll’s work and theories of vital materialism and “critical plant studies” while noting recent studies in plant neurobiology. In my work, plants become active participants via their movement, seeding, and smell. This study takes the form of imitation, purposeful symbiosis, anthropomorphism, …

Reconciliation Ecology: A New Paradigm For Advancing Creation Care, Dave P. Warners, Michael Ryskamp, Randall Van Dragt

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

Current global environmental challenges—species loss, overconsumption, climate change, and others—have not been countered in the faith community with a response worthy of their signifi cance. While the prevailing faith-based creation-care paradigm, environmental stewardship, has been invaluable in moving us beyond the utilitarian notion of “dominion,” the stewardship concept does not suffi ciently emphasize our embedded, dependent relationship with the creation. To better represent our creationcare responsibilities, we propose a new paradigm based on a model of servanthood and informed by the concept of reconciliation ecology, which focuses on mending broken relationships between human beings and nonhuman creation. Drawing from the …

Parental Care In The Cuatro Ciénegas Cichlid, Herichthys Minckleyi (Teleostei: Cichlidae), Ronald G. Oldfield, M. Xavier Nieves

Faculty Scholarship

Behavioral studies have often examined parental care by measuring phenotypic plasticity of behavior within a species. Phylogenetic studies have compared parental care among species, but only at broad categories (e.g., care vs. no care). Here we provide a detailed account that integrates phylogenetic analysis with quantitative behavioral data to better understand parental care behavior in the Cuatro Ciénegas cichlid, Herichthys minckleyi. We found that H. minckleyi occurs in a clade of sexually monochromatic or weakly dichromatic monogamous species, but that male and female H. minckleyi have dramatically different reproductive coloration patterns, likely as a result of sexual selection. Furthermore, we …

A Dendrochronological Analysis Of Insect Outbreaks And Climate Effects On Tamarack From Indiana And Michigan, Nicholas Lorin Flinner

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Disturbances have a strong impact on tree stand dynamics across the world. In North America, the larch sawfly (Pristiphora erichsonii) and larch casebearer (Cleophora laricella) are two non-native species of insects affecting tamarack across much of their native range. The majority of research on the effects of larch sawfly on tamarack (Larix laricina) has been conducted in Canada with very little dendrochronological work in the United States along the geographical boundary of tamarack or on the effects of larch casebearer on radial growth. As a consequence, very little is known about the relationship between tamarack and these insects’ outbreaks in …

Saving The Tallgrass Prairie, Hayley Hickson

ESSAI

No abstract provided.

Review: The Rediscovery Of The Wild, Jillian M. Slater

Marian Library Faculty Publications

Copyright (c) 2014, Jillian Slater. This review is available for non-commercial, educational use, provided that the user identify the author and the publication listed as the place of first publication, along with the volume and the year of the work's publication.

The Influence Of Topographic And Dynamic Cyclic Variables On The Distribution Of Small Cetaceans In A Shallow Coastal System, Marijke N. De Boer, Mark P. Simmonds, Peter J.H. Reijnders, Geert Aarts

Ecology Collection

The influence of topographic and temporal variables on cetacean distribution at a fine-scale is still poorly understood. To study the spatial and temporal distribution of harbour porpoise Phocoena phocoena and the poorly known Risso’s dolphin Grampus griseus we carried out land-based observations from Bardsey Island (Wales, UK) in summer (2001–2007). Using Kernel analysis and Generalized Additive Models it was shown that porpoises and Risso’s appeared to be linked to topographic and dynamic cyclic variables with both species using different core areas (dolphins to the West and porpoises to the East off Bardsey). Depth, slope and aspect and a low variation …

The Pikeminnow Against The Dam, Lucy Andrews

Gateway Prize for Excellent Writing

No abstract provided.

Alewives On The Little Androscoggin: An Intersection Of Politics And Ecology, Jordan J. Buetow, Ashleen O'Brien, Benjamin James Mccormack, Hallie Grossman

Community Engaged Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Restraurant Regions : An Ecological Community Based Model Of Restaurant Chain Distribution In The United States, Stephen Griego

Geography ETDs

The scope of this paper is an exercise in regional identification within the geography of the United States. This paper applied a hierarchical clustering methodology to analyze the distribution of restaurants in the landscape. The clustering model utilized in this study is commonly used in analysis of ecological communities. Each restaurant chain was treated as an individual biological species, and the clustering software analyzed it as such. The individual restaurant chain locations were treated as individual samples in the environment. Wards (1963) algorithm was used to group the individual restaurant chain locations into related clusters using simple correlation as the …