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Urban Ecology In North Texas: Native Plants And Nitrogen Deposition, Michelle Lynn Green

Biology Dissertations - Archive

Globally, the human population continues to grow and move into urban areas causing a range of effects on local ecosystems. Elevated temperatures, altered hydrology, and higher concentrations of atmospheric pollutants in urban environments create novel conditions for resident organisms. My research focused on one particular aspect of human alteration to urban environments – nitrogen (N) deposition – and its effects on native plants across an urban to rural gradient in the southern Great Plains, North Texas (NTX), USA. Nitrogen oxides (NOx) – the product of combustion and precursor to nitrate deposition in precipitation – were significantly positively correlated with impervious …

A Comparative, Ecological Analysis Of Male-To-Female Intimate Partner Violence In The United States And Marlboro County, South Carolina, Hannah M. Jefferies

All Theses

Previous intimate partner violence (IPV) research has indicated that many factors potentially influence IPV. These include the attributes of the woman and her personal history, characteristics of her partner or the partnership, dynamics of the family unit, and features of the community or society in which they live. Numerous theories have been advanced to explain why various factors are related to IPV. Separately, these theories fail to explain the breadth of factors associated with IPV. Ecological theories, however, posit that factors at various levels of a social ecology interact with one another to contribute to an observed phenomenon. Due to …

Enhancing The Methane Yield Of A Landfill Leachate Bioreactor, Paul Vecchiarelli

All Theses

Our thriving modern society requires unprecedented amounts of natural resources to maintain pace with rapidly evolving standards of living in industrialized regions. Due to population growth and wide-scale urbanization, over 3.5x106 metric tons of solid wastes are produced daily around the world. In addition to land, water, and raw material strain generated by solid waste dumping, pristine resources are needed for food, energy, and potable water — instead being used through waste management. Reducing landfill leachate volume and toxicity while deriving value-added products from leachate is a sustainable alternative to traditional solid waste management. Carbon mass balances of biomass grown …

Association Between 25-Hydroxyvitamin D And Intact Parathyroid Hormone Levels Across Latitude Among Adults With African Ancestry, Holly Kramer, Pauline Camacho, John Aloia, Amy Luke, Pascal Bovet, Jacob Plange Rhule, Terrence Forrester, Vickie Lambert, Regina Harders, Lara Dugas, Richard Cooper, Ramon Durazo-Arvizu

Faculty Publications

Objective: To compare levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) associated with a plateauing of intact parathyroid (iPTH) across latitudes among adults with African ancestry. Methods: This study included approximately 500 adults of African ancestry ages 25 to 45 years living in 4 sites: Chicago, Illinois (41°N), Jamaica (17°N), Ghana (6°N), and South Africa (34°S). Multivariate linear regression models, a nonlinear logistic growth curve model, and piecewise linear models with a single knot were fitted to estimate the 25OHD level associated with a plateauing of iPTH with adjustment for covariates. Goodness of fit was compared using computer intensive permutation tests. Results: Mean …

Morphological And Ecological Characterization Of Opuntia Miller On The Coast Of South Carolina, Kirk Holmes

All Theses

The genus Opuntia Miller is one of the most misunderstood and ignored genera of plants occurring in the southeastern United States. This study focused on the clarification of Opuntia stricta (Haw.) Haw., Opuntia macrarthra Gibbes, Opuntia pusilla (Haw.), Opuntia dillenii (Ker Gawl.) Haw. and Opuntia tunoidea Gibbes on the coast of South Carolina. A comprehensive literature review was completed to gather an understanding of Opuntia biology, species concepts and geographic range. The objectives of the morphological study were to determine if Opuntia taxa matching past descriptions of the five species chosen were present, what the morphological characteristics of the individuals …

Microbes In Rough Rice – Prevalence, Growth Kinetics And Links To Dry Matter Loss, Supriya Thote

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The prevalence of microorganisms on freshly-harvested long-grain hybrid, long-grain pureline, and medium-grain rice has not been elucidated. The first objective of this two-part study was to determine the relative prevalence of microbes on freshly-harvested, high moisture content rice of different types and cultivars. The total and surface aerobic plate counts (APC) and mold counts were determined in terms of log10 colony forming units per gram of rice (log10 CFU/g) for six rice cultivars over two years. In 2013, among harvested samples of all the studied rice cultivars, the long-grain hybrid cultivars had the lowest APC levels (M = 8.10, SD …

Shifts In Myxomycete Community Structure In Selected Microhabitats Across Nutrient Treatments In A Lowland Tropical Forest Of Panama, Laura M. Walker

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Myxomycetes (plasmodial slime molds) are abundant amoeboid predators of bacteria and other microorganisms. They are found worldwide, largely in association with decaying plant material in terrestrial habitats. Their consumption of bacterial prey puts microbial predators such as myxomycetes in a key position in various ecosystem processes wherein they help regulate the flow of nutrients (e.g., N and C) through the ecosystem. The importance of microbial predators in nutrient cycling and plant productivity is well established. Given the extent to which tropical ecosystems influence global nutrient fluxes, along with the ecologically significant role that myxomycetes play in these processes, there is …

Stream Microbial Communities As Potential Indicators Of River And Landscape Disturbance In North-Central Arkansas, Wilson Howard Johnson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the past decade, 29 shale basins have been actively developed across 20 states for extraction of natural gas (NG) via horizontal drilling/hydraulic fracturing (=fracking). This includes ~5000 wells within the Fayetteville shale of north-central Arkansas. Development often impacts both river- and landscapes, and management requires catchment-level evaluations over time, with organismal presence/absence as indicators. For this study next-generation sequencing was used to identify/characterize microbial communities within biofilm of eight Arkansas River tributaries, so as to gauge potential catchment influences. Streams spanned a gradient of landscape features and hydrological flows, with four serving as ‘potentially impacted catchment zones’ (PICZ) and …

Applications Of Time-Lapse Imagery For Monitoring And Illustrating Ecological Dynamics In A Water-Stressed System, Emma Brinley Buckley

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Understanding and perceiving the natural world is a key part of management, policy, conservation, and inevitably for our future. Increased demand on natural resources has heightened the importance of documenting ecosystem changes, and knowledge-sharing to foster awareness. The advancement of digital technologies has improved the efficiency of passive monitoring, connectivity among systems, and expanded the potential for innovative and communicative approaches. From technological progression, time-lapse imagery has emerged a valuable tool to capture and depict natural systems. I sought to enhance our understanding of a water-stressed system by analyzing imagery, in addition to integrating images with data visualization to illustrate …

Is A History Of Cesarean Section A Risk Factor For Abnormal Uterine Bleeding In Patients With Uterine Leiomyoma?, Tugba Kinay, Zehra O. Basarir, Serap F. Tuncer, Funda Akpinar, Fulya Kayikcioglu, Sevgi Koc, Jale Karakaya

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To determine whether a history of cesarean section was a risk factor for abnormal uterine bleeding in patients with uterine leiomyomas, and to identify other risk factors for this symptom. Methods: We analyzed retrospectively, the medical records of patients who underwent hysterectomies due to the presence of uterine leiomyomas during a 6-year period (2009 and 2014) at Etlik Zubeyde Hanim Women’s Health Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey. Uterine leiomyoma was diagnosed based on histopathological examination of hysterectomy specimens. Demographic characteristics, and laboratory and histopathological findings were compared between patients with uterine leiomyoma with and without abnormal uterine bleeding. …

Morphological And Molecular Identification And Characterization Of Dry Bean Fungal Root Rot Pathogens In Zambia, Chikoti Mukuma

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Dry bean is among the most important food legume crops for direct human consumption in Latin America and Africa. Recently, root and crown rot (RCR) has emerged as an important production constraint. Root and crown rot often involve fungal complexes. Thus, the straw, detached leaf, cup and stem tests were compared on their ability to detect the most common pathogens reported to be associated with RCR: Fusarium solani, Fusarium oxysporum, Pythium ultimum, Rhizoctonia solani and Macrophomina phaseolina.Significant differences (P

Next Generation Sequencing (NGS), conventional Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), and classical fungal culturing methods were compared in identification of …

Ecology Of Megacopta Cribraria (Hemiptera: Plataspidae) And Implications For Management On Soybean, Francesca Louise Stubbins

All Dissertations

Megacopta cribraria (Fabricius) (Hemiptera: Plataspidae) has spread through thirteen states and the District of Columbia since accidental introduction into the United States in 2009. The potential impacts to soybean production necessitated research into the ecology and management of the plataspid in its new invasive range. A two year study in South Carolina using sweep-net and beat-cloth sampling generated sampling plans for M. cribraria population estimates and sequential sampling plans for pest management decision making. At all adult and nymph densities fewer sweep net samples were required for population estimations compared with the number of beat cloth samples. Sequential sampling reduced …

Coefficients De Diversité Des Populations Dans I'Écosystème Souterrain, R. R. Tercafs

International Journal of Speleology

The evolution of faunal composition in a subterranean cavity of simple structure (Trou des Nutons, Chaudfontaine, Belgium) has been studied. Quantitative comparisons have been carried on in the two most important parts of the cave - the external zone and the deep zone - using diversity and similarity coefficients. It has been found that the external zone presents a great redistribution of the fauna while the deep zone is more stable. However, the whole cave community stays relatively constant during time.

A Spatial Inquiry Into Childhood Lead Poisoning In Shelby County, Tennessee, Cem Akkus

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Review of the recent literature suggests that integration of geographical information systems (GIS) into childhood lead exposure studies significantly enhances identifying lead hazards in the environment and determining at risk children. The purpose of this study is to find at-risk areas of childhood lead poisoning as well as determining risk factors in Shelby County, Tennessee. The two common deduplication methods: the first blood lead level (BLL) test result and the highest BLL test result were compared. Kappa statistic was used to investigate the effect of residential mobility on hot spots. Global and local spatial autocorrelations, Moran’s I and Getis and …

Full Issue 16(3/4)

International Journal of Speleology

No abstract provided.

Twelve Years Of High-Resolution Near-Surface Radiometer Data Provides Insight Into End-Of-Season Controls In A Dry Grassland, Lynn M. Moore, William K. Lauenroth

Western North American Naturalist

The onset of plant dormancy has proven difficult to explain in nearly all ecosystems. Most research has focused on the end-of-season dynamics of deciduous ecosystems, where leaf coloration and leaf fall are the primary phenological responses. More complex are the end-of-season dynamics of grasslands, where the mechanism of dormancy is a gradual response to climatic variables. These complications are magnified in dry grasslands, where the effects of temperature on phenology are modulated by the availability of soil water. Our objectives were to identify the primary drivers influencing the timing of end of season on the shortgrass steppe and determine if …

Full Issue 12(1/4)

International Journal of Speleology

No abstract provided.

An Inquiry Into The Pedagogical Implications Of Dewey’S Ecological Thinking, Simon Jorgenson

Occasional Paper Series

My primary purpose is to (re)examine Dewey in the context of contemporary conceptions of ecology and environmental education. With this in mind, I will focus primarily on what Dewey has to say about the natural world, beginning with his general philosophy and moving through several of his educational works.

Full Issue 9(1)

International Journal of Speleology

No abstract provided.

Full Issue 8(4)

International Journal of Speleology

No abstract provided.

Full Issue 7(1/2)

International Journal of Speleology

No abstract provided.

A Life-History Perspective On The Demographic Drivers Of Structured Population Dynamics In Changing Environments, David N. Koons, David T. Iles, Michael Schaub, Hal Caswell

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Current understanding of life-history evolution and how demographic parameters contribute to population dynamics across species is largely based on assumptions of either constant environments or stationary environmental variation. Meanwhile, species are faced with non-stationary environmental conditions (changing mean, variance, or both) created by climate and landscape change. To close the gap between contemporary reality and demographic theory, we develop a set of transient life table response experiments (LTREs) for decomposing realised population growth rates into contributions from specific vital rates and components of population structure. Using transient LTREs in a theoretical framework, we reveal that established concepts in population biology …

Molecular Response Of Spartina Alterniflora To The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Mariano Alvarez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Although the “genome as a blueprint” metaphor has been pervasive in biology, recent advances in molecular biology have revealed a complex network of regulatory machinery that dynamically regulated molecular processes in response to environmental conditions. However, these patterns, as well as the evolutionary processes that underlie them, remain understudied in natural conditions. In 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill released an estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, making landfall on salt marsh habitat dominated by the foundation species Spartina alterniflora. Despite the severe impacts to phenotype and fitness, S. alterniflora proved remarkably resilient in …

Caesarean Section Surgical Techniques: All Equally Safe, Marleen Temmerman

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

Since 1985, a caesarean section rate of 10–15% has been deemed optimum by the international health-care community.1 When caesarean section rates rise towards 10% across a population, maternal and newborn deaths decrease; when they are higher than 15%, there is no evidence of reduced mortality.1 Complications of caesarean sections can be substantial and sometimes permanent for both mothers and babies, and can result in disability or death, especially in settings with inadequate facilities or capacity to undertake safe surgery and treat surgical complications.

Gray Bat Migration In Missouri, Cheyenne Leigh Gerdes

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Migration is an important and understudied aspect of the life histories of many species, particularly bats. Migration impacts conservation efforts, including efforts to manage the impacts of wildlife disease. The federally endangered gray bat (Myotis grisescens) is a migratory species with documented infections by Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the fungus that causes White-nose Syndrome (WNS). To better understand migration as it might relate to WNS, I quantified the timing and location of gray bat movements in Missouri using acoustic detectors and bat banding. I recorded calls at 4 maternity sites from January to May 2015, and used the R package PVAClone to …

A Multidimensional Investigation Of The Niche: Geographic Distributions, Body Size, And Interspecific Interactions Of Late Quaternary North American Canidae, Melissa Irene Pardi

Biology ETDs

A pressing conservation challenge is understanding how organisms will be impacted by climate change. From the paleontological record, we know organisms have options when facing change: they can do nothing, move, or adapt. These responses shape an organism's niche (a foundational concept in biology) that is abiotically constrained, but modified by biotic interactions. The greatest disturbances in recent North American geologic history is the human mediated extinction of megafauna ~11,700 years B.P. and climate change following the last glacial period. We used the fossil record to address ecological questions concerning conservationists; our focus was on Canidae and humans. Species distribution …

Examining The Role Of The Catholic Environment In Students’ Search For Meaning, Jody E. Jessup-Anger, Jonathan C. Dooley, Rachel Leih, Elizabeth Mueller, Kathleen Lis Dean

College of Education Faculty Research and Publications

Emerging research illustrates that undergraduate students are searching for meaning in their lives, yet postsecondary institutions generally do little to support them in exploring such issues (Astin et al., 2005b). We speculated that religiously affiliated institutions might offer guidance on supporting students’ spiritual development, and thus examined students in the context of Catholic postsecondary environments, focusing on whether the students’ religious affiliations and perceptions of their institution as supporting their spiritual development affected their search for meaning. Further, we examined the aspects of the environment that strengthened students’ perceptions of their college environment as closely aligned with the Catholic mission, …

Making The Case For Place: An Exploration Of Urbanization Measures On A Model Of Social Capital And U.K. Crime Rates, Kyshawn K. Smith

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Studies of social capital and crime have become quite popular in recent history, and a plethora of empirical tests have sought to clarify relationships between the two variables. However, most of these studies center on communities in the United States, and often overlook the many differentiating features between urban and rural communities that would affect such models. Reasons offered for such skew in the past and current research on this subject are middling at best, and largely cite either a lack of availability in data for crime and social capital in non-urban communities, or questionable accuracy for what data is …

Interconnectedness, Complicity And Ambiguity: Reading With Dark Ecology, Rachel Dene Whipple

Theses and Dissertations

There are many aspects of ecological thinking. When reading texts through a lens of dark ecology, certain conflicts that arise from the imposition of human expectations on natural systems are revealed. These include interconnectedness, complicity, and ambiguities. Within a system, boundaries are contingent and transitory. Beginnings and ends are gradual, not definite. Ecological systems change over time, but it is a category error to imagine that change represents progress or to assume a teleological purpose. While there are hierarchies of power, and different roles, no species is, ecologically speaking, more advanced than another. Ecological criticism focuses on interconnectedness, complicity, and …

Bayesian Methods For Comparing Species Physiological And Ecological Response Curves, Michael B. Ashcroft, Angélica Casanova-Katny, Kerrie Mengersen, Todd N. Rosenstiel, Johanna D. Turnbull, Jane Wasley, Melinda J. Waterman, Gustavo E. Zúñiga, Sharon A. Robinson

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Many ecological questions require information on species' optimal conditions or critical limits along environmental gradients. These attributes can be compared to answer questions on niche partitioning, species coexistence and niche conservatism. However, these comparisons are unconvincing when existing methods do not quantify the uncertainty in the attributes or rely on assumptions about the shape of species' responses to the environmental gradient. The aim of this study was to develop a model to quantify the uncertainty in the attributes of species response curves and allow them to be tested for substantive differences without making assumptions about the shape of the responses. …