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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Improving Understanding Of Forest Communities And Biodiversity With Multi-Dimensional Landscape Gradients, Ben J. Padilla
Improving Understanding Of Forest Communities And Biodiversity With Multi-Dimensional Landscape Gradients, Ben J. Padilla
Doctoral Dissertations
This dissertation was motivated by a desire to understand the effects of habitat degradation and urbanization on a single species in a single study system in western Massachusetts, the red-backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus), but along the way unexpected conceptual and methodological hurdles caused the work to grow into a multi-species, multi-region, and multi-scale endeavor. As I designed my dissertation research and began considering approaches to quantifying heterogeneity and human influence in my study landscape, I recognized inconsistencies in methods used to define and quantify landscape metrics, particularly in urban systems. To investigate further, I conducted a critical review …
The Environmental Condition Of Tan Brook And Campus Pond, A Community And University Concern, Marita Clay, Robert F. Smith
The Environmental Condition Of Tan Brook And Campus Pond, A Community And University Concern, Marita Clay, Robert F. Smith
Research
Small streams have the unfortunate ability to be greatly impacted by human intervention. Civilizations for centuries have attempted to alter the natural state of their environment, and Amherst's own Tan Brook is a local example of the consequences of human alterations on a stream. The brook flows over and under what many local citizens call home, and where many UMass students go to learn. A healthier Tan Brook would be expected to provide for improvement of ecosystem services such as flood control and nutrient processing, resulting in a cleaner campus pond and a better connection between the stream and the …
Qualitative And Comparative Analysis Of Stormwater Management In The Tan Brook Watershed, Natalia Von Hausen, Robert F. Smith
Qualitative And Comparative Analysis Of Stormwater Management In The Tan Brook Watershed, Natalia Von Hausen, Robert F. Smith
Research
The Tan Brook Watershed is both a daylighted and diverted underground stream that runs through the Town Center of Amherst and the campus of UMass Amherst. Various stormwater management practices have been used to infiltrate stormwater runoff from streets, lots, buildings and/or vehicles. These systems are custom-designed relative to the surrounding permeability of the soil, vegetation and geographical topography. Some systems have higher success rates than others.