Biodiversity Commons^™

[2026 Winner] Seed Sovereignty Through The Lens Of Decolonization, Lily A. Marx

Ethnic Studies Research Paper Award

This paper explores the movement of seed sovereignty, a contemporary movement stemming from the history of theft, appropriation, and forced assimilation endured by indigenous peoples. This movement recognizes that consumers alone cannot mend the damage being done to our food systems, but instead encourages communities to take political action by saving seeds and rebuilding connections with the land.

Recreational Fishing Location Guide, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Fisheries Occasional Publications

Please note: this version (6th edition) published in 2026 replaces the version published in 2023.

This guide has been developed to help you identify the fishing locations that you may visit. The purpose of this guide is to enhance consistent and accurate identification of fishing locations and block numbers within each Bioregion. If you are unsure about a particular location, please discuss it with a representative of the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western Australia.

Unearthing Misconceptions And Opinions In An Established Pollinator Project, Stella Holstrom

InnovateHER Meeting 2026

The Sartell High School has 13 acres of pollinator fields that were cultivated within the last 3 years. While the main part of the garden has signage, it is far from the more visible parts of the gardens. Over the last three years, there has been some negative feedback about the gardens, much of which seems to come from a place of ignorance by the public. A literature review about pollinator project and their benefits establishes that most research has surround bees or plants, but not usually both or the public reaction to pollinator gardens. My hypothesis was that most …

Ecological Studies Of Wolves On Isle Royale, Sarah R. Hoy, Rolf O. Peterson, John A. Vucetich

Ecological Studies of Wolves on Isle Royale

Annual Report 2025-2026

Fisheries Occasional Publication No. 151 - Response To 2025 External Review Of Integrated Stock Assessments For Key Wa Demersal Indicator Stocks, Brett Crisafulli, Emily A. Fisher, Matias Braccini, Rubie Evans-Powell, Fabian I. Trinnie, Ainslie Denham, S. A. Hesp

Fisheries Occasional Publications

Consistent with national trends, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) is transitioning to the globally recognised Stock Synthesis (SS) platform to support more robust, transparent, and internationally aligned assessments. To ensure this transition remains scientifically sound, DPIRD commissioned an independent expert review in 2025, following a previous review in 2024. The 2025 review was conducted by Professor André Punt and focused on integrated models for three key WA fish stocks: red emperor in the Kimberley, WA dhufish in the southern West Coast Bioregion, and sandbar shark at the statewide level. This publication summarises the findings and recommendations …

Fisheries Occasional Publication No. 150 - Response To 2024 External Review Of Integrated Stock Assessments For Key Wa Demersal Indicator Stocks, Rubie Evans-Powell, S. A. Hesp, Ainslie Denham, Emily A. Fisher, Rachel Marks, Fabian I. Trinnie, Brett Crisafulli

Fisheries Occasional Publications

In Western Australia (WA), stock assessments for key demersal species, including snapper and red emperor, have traditionally used bespoke integrated models developed in-house by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD). In line with other Australian jurisdictions, DPIRD is transitioning to Stock Synthesis (SS) as its primary platform for integrated stock assessments of WA finfish. To support this transition, DPIRD commissioned an independent expert review of recent integrated models applied to three demersal stocks. This publication responds to recommendations from Professor André Punt (University of Washington and CSIRO) in his 2024 review, which examined assessments for Pilbara red …

Data From: Mass Mortality Of Avian Migrants In New Mexico, Usa, That Coincided With An Extreme Weather Event, Dylan M. Osterhaus, Allison J. Salas, Patricia L. Cutler, Mara E. Weisenberger, Kerry Mower, Abigail J. Lawon, Timothy F. Wright, Jeanne M. Fair, Martha J. Desmond

Fish, Wildlife, & Conservation Ecology: Datasets

No abstract provided.

Fisheries Occasional Publication No. 149 - Economic Contribution Of Wild-Catch Fishing In Western Australia, 2024: Beyond Gross Value Of Production, Dipesh Maharjan, Vilaphonh Xayavong, Ben Fraser, Rebecca Thomas

Fisheries Occasional Publications

The wild-catch fishing industry plays a significant role in Western Australia’s economy, particularly in regional communities. This report summarises the economic contribution of the commercial wild-catch fishing sector in 2024, based on REMPLAN’s input-output (I-O) modelling methodology and DPIRD data and analysis. This report focuses on key economic indicators including total economic output, gross value added (GVA), and employment (FTEs).

Key findings:

• Total Economic Output of the wild-catch fishing industry is $1.22 billion (total value of goods and services produced, including intermediate inputs)
• Gross Value Added (GVA) of the wild-catch fishing industry is $487 million (value of profit, wages, salaries …

Mecanismos De Participación En Temas Ambientales En Colombia, Martha Rocío Castro Rodríguez, Felipe Ramírez Cortázar, Sara Milena Niño Montero

Ciencias Agropecuarias

Mecanismos de participación en temas ambientales en Colombia es un producto editorial, de divulgación y apropiación social del conocimiento, desarrollado en el proyecto de investigación “Participación política en ciudades de Colombia, Italia y Guatemala: un estudio mixto sobre su relación con la anomia y la autoeficacia política en jóvenes”, en el marco de la V convocatoria interna - periodo 2023-1 UCundinamarca Generación Siglo 21.

Ecological Studies Of Wolves On Isle Royale, Sarah R. Hoy, John A. Vucetich, Rolf O. Peterson

Ecological Studies of Wolves on Isle Royale

Annual Report 2024-2025

Бадхызские Архивы. Том 2, Р. И. Горелова, В. Я. Фет

Books Published by MU Libraries in MDS

Gorelova, RI, Fet V, editors. The Badkhyz Archives, Vol. 2. Huntington, WV: Marshall University Libraries; 2025. 387 p.

This book represents the second volume of the series started in 2021. It compiles memoirs and research information about the unique Badkhyz Natural Reserve, now in Turkmenistan, formerly at the southernmost point of the USSR. Established in 1941, the Reserve—nicknamed a Serengeti of Central Asia— housed many unique and endangered species, with an iconic wild ass, or kulan, preserved only there. The second volume includes unique and otherwise unavailable information about the workers of the Reserve in 1940s-1980s. We continuento publish …

Marine Protected Species Identification Guide 2025, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Fisheries Occasional Publications

The Western Australian aquatic environment is home to a number of species that are protected under international agreements and national or state legislation. Many of these species occur in areas where fishing takes place, sometimes resulting in interactions between fishers and protected species. An interaction is considered to be any physical contact between a person, fishing vessel or fishing gear and a protected species, including captures, entanglements and collisions.

This guide has been developed to help you identify some common marine protected species in Western Australia that you may encounter while fishing.

It has been divided into 5 sections:

• …

The Arctic Ocean Region : Biodiversity, Governance And Protective Measures, Antonios Andreadakis, Graeme Chesters, Dimitrios Dalaklis, 90 North Foundation

Reports

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

• The Arctic Ocean region stands at the forefront of global environmental transformation, serving as a harbinger of climate change and a frontier for emergent geopolitical and economic interests.

• The Arctic region's economic potential, particularly in shipping and resource extraction, appears to offer shorter trade routes, reduced fuel consumption, and increased access to high-value resources. However, this analysis largely ignores the complex geo-physical, environmental and geographical limitations of the region.

• The fragility of Arctic Ocean ecosystems – characterized by slow ecological recovery, specialised biodiversity, and extreme environmental conditions – renders them especially vulnerable to anthropogenic disturbances. …

San Diego Collaboration For Conservation: Sustaining The Region's Legacy Of Biodiversity Conservation, Tessa Tinkler, Darbi Berry, A-Bel Gong, Bryan Cardenas, Daniela Olguin, Connelly Meschen, Eo Hanabusa

Environment

We are living through significant environmental, social, political, and economic challenges. These challenges have strained our communities and humanbuilt systems, as well as our interconnected habitats, wildlife, and natural systems. Lack of adequate infrastructure to withstand natural disasters and climate change, as well as historical and presentday inequities in resources across neighborhoods, are examples of the multifaceted and interconnected threats contributing to the accelerated loss of our rich biodiversity. This natural abundance is integral to our region’s health, history, and continued prosperity.

Fisheries Occasional Publication No.147 - Aquaculture Development Zones – Policy Position Relating To Permitted Alternative Species, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Fisheries Occasional Publications

The purpose of this policy is to set out considerations relevant to the assessment of aquaculture proposals within Aquaculture Development Zones (ADZ) for species distinct from the group of species for which the ADZ was initially established (Alternative Species).

And Food Justice For All: Advancing Access To Just And Sustainable Food Systems, Makenna Grace Landry

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

A collection of work exploring food justice and food access programming in Western Montana, as well as a critique of the Bayer-Monsanto merger.

Thamnophis And Their Toxic Relationship: Testing For Intraspecific Venom Variation In The Common Garter Snake, Thamnophis Sirtalis, Grace E. Coppinger

Poster Presentations

Project Objective - Estimate intraspecific venom variation between male and female garter snakes collected from the University of South Alabama of different sizes.

2024 Spring Newsletter, Plaster Creek Stewards

Newsletters

Highlights:

Project GreenER Takes Off

PCS Co-Founders Publish Book About Plaster Creek

Spring Event Brings Hope for Floodplains

Welcoming Jacob Bol and intern Hanna de la Vega

Ecological Studies Of Wolves On Isle Royale, Sarah Hoy, Rolf O. Peterson, John Vucetich

Ecological Studies of Wolves on Isle Royale

Annual Report 2023-2024

The Biomechanics Of Ursine Predation: Investigating The Force Generation And Mechanical Properties Of Bear Claws And Teeth In Predatory Behavior, Katie Dooley, Megan Doxey, Josh Jewell, Tom Smith

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2024

• Studied over 2,200 human-bear conflicts in North America and witnessed the shear force that bears can exert to access food and eliminate any threats.
• Polar bears at the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City punctured and bent high density polyurethane (HDPE) objects when playing with them.
• This prompted research into the force it takes bears to puncture objects with their canines and claws.

Reproduce Or Live Longer?: A Life History Analysis Of Black Bears In A Semiarid Environment, Brenden M. Orocu, Cambria Armstrong, Janene Auger, Hal L. Black, Randy T. Larsen, Brock R. Mcmillan, Mark C. Belk

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2024

In population demographics, each population has an age stage vital rate (fecundity and survival) in its life history that has the greatest influence on the asymptotic population growth rate, λ.

American black bears (Ursus americanus) are found throughout North America. Other studies on population demographics have focused on populations in higher resource availability areas but none in semiarid environments where resource scarcity is a result of the variable climate.

Objective

Our objective was to determine if factors influencing population dynamics of black bears in semi-arid environments were similar to factors affecting population dynamics in mesic environments where …

Tree Damage Patterning In Alaskan Forests, Emma Barton, Richard Gill, Haden Penrod

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2024

• Tree defoliation (from insect parasites) is not abnormal in the densely forested areas of Alaska, but large outbreak events in recent years have led to cause for alarm.

• To better understand the factors affecting defoliation, we used remote sensing and GIS (geospatial information system) technologies to look at mortality spatial patterns across Hemlock and Spruce forests in southeast Alaska.

• Elevation and proximity to water as well as other factors were considered in determining the impacts of outbreak events due to evidence that changes in landscape can alter parasitism behaviors (Roland & Taylor, 1997).

Invasive Phragmites Effect On Utah Wetlands Soil Composition, Cecilia Steffen, Rachel Wood, Madison L. Brown

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2024

Introduction

• Invasive Phragmites australis (referred to as Phragmites), invaded Utah wetlands in the 1980's. Efforts have been made since then to remove Phragmites through various treatments.

• Phragmites outcompetes other wetland plants, causing it to be the dominant species. This is called a monoculture.

• Utah's wetlands are important for many species migrations, filtration, and nutrient cycling.

• How do Phragmites treatments effect soil nutrients and moisture? How do untreated Phragmites wetlands compare to native dominant wetlands?

Diversity And Community Of Macroinvertebrates In Timpanogos Caves, Utah, Erika Frandsen, C. Riley Nelson

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2024

The Timpanogos Cave System consists of three caves in American Fork, Utah. In 2003, the National Park Service (NPS) commissioned Dr. Riley Nelson and laboratory students to conduct a survey of the diversity and abundance of terrestrial arthropod species found within the caves. Over the two years they sampled in Timpanogos Caves, they identified 55 species of macroinvertebrates in an unpublished report. In the 20 years since the last sampling, many environmental factors could have changed in these caves, contributing to an overall decrease in both abundance and biodiversity of fauna. Therefore, we repeated the sampling done by the Nelson …

A Survey Of Molecular Diagnostics Education, Kristina Berman, Ryan Cordner, Mary Davis

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2024

Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) is vital for healthcare, involving the analysis of clinical samples to diagnose and monitor diseases. However, there's a scarcity of courses focused on molecular diagnostics, which could greatly benefit medical laboratory scientists.

Variation In Vital Rates Among Least Chub (Iotichthy Phlegethontis), Lauren Applebee, Mark C. Belk, Nathan St. Andre

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2024

Conservation plans for a species often requires knowledge of population trends. These trends can be difficult to acquire, but one piece of information that can be attained from populations is the catch per unit effort (CPUE). We are trying to use CPUE in a new way to determine population demography for populations of Iotichthys phlegethontis, Least Chub.

Bird And Small Mammal Preference For Water Developments, Lizzie Wilson, Randy Larsen

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2024

 Different types of water developments nicknamed “guzzlers” have been installed in many different arid and semi-arid environments to provide water resources to game species in the state of Utah.

 Upland game guzzlers are usually covered by a sheet of metal and are used to target species like chukar partridge and quail (Figure 1).

 Big game guzzlers are open pools of water that are used to target species like mule deer and desert big horn sheep (Figure 2).  Most visitations to guzzlers are by native species not targeted by the guzzlers or wildlife management efforts (3).

El Retamo Espinoso (Ulex Europeaus L.) En La Provincia Del Sumapaz, Arlette Ivonne Gil Clavijo, Jenny Paola Moreno Lopez, Laguandio Del Cristo Banda Sánchez, Alba Gissela Fajardo Ortiz, Ángela Ginet Prieto Chitiva, Anyela Patricia Guaidia Gómez, César Alfonso Ariza Castillo, Daniela Rincón Garzón, Erika Katerina Romero González, Gloria Adriana Velosa Cruz, Héctor Emilio Tinjacá Torres, Iván Camilo Perilla Domínguez, Jader Yedfrey Rodríguez Velásquez, Juan Gabriel Niño Castillo, Juliana Andrea Martínez Chiguachi, Juliet Andrea Clavijo Giraldo, Karen Lorena Herrera Delgado, Lina Ximena Galindo Castillo, María Del Carmen Sierra Garzón, Natalia Arias Rodríguez, Odair Andrade Andrade

Ciencias Agropecuarias

El retamo espinoso ( Ulex europaeus L.), una planta europea altamente agresiva en Colombia, afecta los páramos y desplaza especies nativas, generando preocupación ecológica. Este estudio investiga su biología, a partir de un banco de semillas (113 semillas/m² a 5 cm), acumulación de biomasa (0,006732 g/día en 481 días), fenología en estado juvenil durante 378 días sin floración, y resultados preliminares del uso de herbicidas en los tallos. Estos datos iniciales son cruciales para desarrollar métodos de control, abordando disciplinas como ecología, fenología, hábitat, herbicidas, malezas, biodiversidad y bioseguridad.

Lycosidae Abundance And Diversity Across Lawn And Leaf Litter Substrate, Sage O. Lockett, Dan Albrecht-Mallinger

Undergraduate Research Posters

Significant knowledge gaps exist in how land-cover impacts ground-hunting spider populations. To fill these gaps, this study investigates a common family of ground-hunting spiders, Lycosidae, to determine differences in their abundance and diversity in deciduous leaf litter and managed turfgrass (lawn). The study was conducted within a forested ecosystem at Virginia Commonwealth University's Rice Rivers Center in Charles City County, Virginia. I placed 10 belt transects (1m x 20m) on lawn substrate and 10 identical transects in deciduous forest leaf litter substrate. I performed repeated visual census via eyeshine and manual capture of up to three individuals per transect …

2023 Fall Newsletter, Plaster Creek Stewards

Newsletters

Highlights:

Our Year at a Glance

Marketing as Education

Plaster Creek Mystery

Insect Biodiversity Study

Green Team and Wellbeing

Coming in 2024