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2019

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Articles 1021 - 1050 of 1905

Full-Text Articles in Biology

Influence Of Indirect Cues And Vegetation Density On Foraging Behavior In Snowshoe Hares (Lepus Americanus), Zachary Lankist Apr 2019

Influence Of Indirect Cues And Vegetation Density On Foraging Behavior In Snowshoe Hares (Lepus Americanus), Zachary Lankist

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

Prey avoid chemical cues from predators at feeding sites because the risk of death outweighs the benefit of food. However, we lack information regarding avoidance of chemical cues from competitors as well as how foraging behavior changes alongside vegetative cover. To test if chemical cues and vegetative cover alter prey vigilance, number of visits, and time spent at feeding sites, I observed snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus) in plots containing coyote (Canis latrans; predator) and moose (Alces alces; competitor) urine across a spectrum of vegetation densities. Snowshoe hares significantly reduced the number of visits to feeding plots when coyote or moose …

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Exploring The Effects Of Dam Removals On Zooplankton In Penobscot Estuary, Erin Bucci, Karen Wilson Apr 2019

Exploring The Effects Of Dam Removals On Zooplankton In Penobscot Estuary, Erin Bucci, Karen Wilson

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

Estuaries provide many ecosystem services such as buffering the negative impacts of storms, offering recreation and commercial fishing opportunities, and they serve as a critical habitat corridor for migratory fish. In New England, estuarine habitats have been dramatically altered over the last 200 years due to dam construction; migratory fish such as Atlantic salmon and alewives have suffered. Recently, there have been several dam removal projects in Maine aimed to restore these populations – the largest of these efforts being the Penobscot River Restoration Project. In 2013, two dams were removed from the Penobscot River Estuary, opening more than 2,000 …

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Distribution Of The Aquaponics Microbiome And Their Division Of Labor, Nathan Melo, Jacob Corney Apr 2019

Distribution Of The Aquaponics Microbiome And Their Division Of Labor, Nathan Melo, Jacob Corney

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

Farming practices have always been labor intensive and required a great deal of resources including space, nutrients, heavy equipment, and a great deal care. Hydroponics sought to remedy this with its space saving, small scale-high yield strategy. However, this brought problems of a more sensitive system that requires constant testing and regulation of chemicals and minerals. The addition of an organic fertilizer from fish and filtration system comprised of a community of microbes reduces the taxing rituals of aquaponics and recategorizes the system as Aquaponics. In aquaponics, the plants receive their nitrogen from a the ammonia produced by fish in …

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The Phytoremediative Effects Of Coriandrum Sativum In Lead Contaminated Soil, Sierra D. Garrett, Timothy Trott Apr 2019

The Phytoremediative Effects Of Coriandrum Sativum In Lead Contaminated Soil, Sierra D. Garrett, Timothy Trott

Research in Biology

Environmental exposure to heavy metals such as lead pose a significant health threat. The goal of this project was to evaluate the effectiveness of Coriandrum sativum (Cilantro) as a potential lead (II), Pb2+, phytoremediator. C. sativumplants were allowed to grow for 43 days while exposed to with different amounts of lead nitrate, Pb(NO3)2. Lead exposure was accomplished by regular watering with a concentration series of lead nitrate solutions. The roots and shoots of these plants were separated and dried. Ground plant material was liquefied by nitric acid digestion. The amount of lead absorbed …

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Painted Bunting (Passerina Ciris) Caught In The Web Of A Giant Lichen Orb-Weaver Spider (Araneus Bicentenarius), Philip Queller, Troy G. Murphy Apr 2019

Painted Bunting (Passerina Ciris) Caught In The Web Of A Giant Lichen Orb-Weaver Spider (Araneus Bicentenarius), Philip Queller, Troy G. Murphy

Biology Faculty Research

Orb-weaver spiders weave large webs that are capable of entrapping various species of birds. We report a case of a male Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris) caught in the web of a giant lichen orb-weaver (Araneus bicentenarius). Most cases of bird entrapment in spider webs involve spiders with larger webs (often Nephila sp.) and very small birds, usually hummingbirds. Our case is noteworthy because we report a relatively large bird caught in a relatively small web. Furthermore, the geographic distribution of A. bicentenarius extends beyond the tropics and subtropics, which is where most reported cases of bird …

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Rapid Evolution Of Testis Size Relative To Sperm Morphology Suggests That Post-Copulatory Selection Targets Sperm Number In Anolis Lizards, A. F. Kahrl, Michele A. Johnson, R. M. Cox Apr 2019

Rapid Evolution Of Testis Size Relative To Sperm Morphology Suggests That Post-Copulatory Selection Targets Sperm Number In Anolis Lizards, A. F. Kahrl, Michele A. Johnson, R. M. Cox

Biology Faculty Research

Post-copulatory sexual selection is thought to be responsible for much of the extraordinary diversity in sperm morphology across metazoans. However, the extent to which post-copulatory selection targets sperm morphology versus sperm production is generally unknown. To address this issue, we simultaneously characterized the evolution of sperm morphology (length of the sperm head, midpiece and flagellum) and testis size (a proxy for sperm production) across 26 species of Anolis lizards, a group in which sperm competition is likely. We found that the length of the sperm midpiece has evolved 2–3 times faster than that of the sperm head or flagellum, suggesting …

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Optimal Control Theory And Estimation Of Parameters In A Differential Equation Model For Patients With Lupus, Peter Agaba Apr 2019

Optimal Control Theory And Estimation Of Parameters In A Differential Equation Model For Patients With Lupus, Peter Agaba

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

System Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disorder that affects many parts of the body including skin, joints, kidneys, brains and other organs. Lupus Nephritis (LN) is a disease caused by SLE. Given the complexity of LN, we establish an optimal treatment strategy based on a previously developed mathematical model.For our thesis work, the model variables are: Immune Complexes (I), Pro-inflammatory mediators (P), Damaged tissue (D), and Anti-inflammatory mediators (A). The analysis in this research project focuses on analyzing therapeutic strategies to control damage using both parameter estimation techniques (integration of data to quantify any uncertainties associated with …

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Male Determining Gene Nix May Bring An End To Transmission Of Diseases Through Mosquitoes, Mohammed Mahdi Apr 2019

Male Determining Gene Nix May Bring An End To Transmission Of Diseases Through Mosquitoes, Mohammed Mahdi

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

Female mosquitoes take blood from humans to gain protein needed to produce eggs, and in the process they can transmit viruses, such as Zika, Dengue, and chikungunya, or parasites, such as malaria. Male mosquitoes do not transmit diseases. This literature review will examine what is known about how sex is determined in mosquitoes and how this can be used to manipulate the females that spread diseases to humans. Using CRISPR Cas9, the lab of Zhijian Tu removed the Nix gene from mosquito embryos; all of these were feminized. Ectopic overexpression of Nix gene product in mosquito embryos caused even genetically …

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Trait-Based Community Assembly Pattern Along A Forest Succession Gradient In A Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest, Suresh C. Subedi, Michael S. Ross, Jay P. Sah, Jed Redwine, Christopher Baraloto Apr 2019

Trait-Based Community Assembly Pattern Along A Forest Succession Gradient In A Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest, Suresh C. Subedi, Michael S. Ross, Jay P. Sah, Jed Redwine, Christopher Baraloto

Faculty Publications - Biological Sciences

We aimed to determine the important functional dimensions that may drive forest succession and community assembly patterns in dry tropical forests. We investigated whether there were patterns in specific functional strategies during succession in the dry tropical forests of the Florida Keys, whose unique physical setting includes nutrient-stressed, salt-stressed, and water-limited environments. The study, which focused on ten traits, determined the leading trait dimensions by which species differentiate from one another in the study area. The general patterns of trait covariation at individual sites and among species were analyzed using principal component analysis. Trait niche overlap indices were calculated for …

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Speciation Rate Is Independent Of The Rate Of Evolution Of Morphological Size, Shape, And Absolute Morphological Specialization In A Large Clade Of Birds, Nicholas Crouch, Robert Ricklefs Apr 2019

Speciation Rate Is Independent Of The Rate Of Evolution Of Morphological Size, Shape, And Absolute Morphological Specialization In A Large Clade Of Birds, Nicholas Crouch, Robert Ricklefs

Biology Department Faculty Works

Whether ecological differences between species evolve in parallel with lineage diversification is a fundamental issue in evolutionary biology. These processes might be connected if conditions that favor the proliferation of species, such as release from competitors, facilitate the evolution of novel ecological relationships. Despite this, phylogenetic studies do not consistently identify such a connection. Conversely, if higher diversity caused species to become increasingly specialized ecologically, then lineage diversification might become dissociated from ecological diversification. In this analysis, we ask whether the rate of lineage diversification in a large clade of birds is correlated with morphological specialization and with rates of …

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Looking For Brpf1 Presence In Differentiating Osteoclast Cells, Nicholas Khoury, Mark J. Birnbaum Apr 2019

Looking For Brpf1 Presence In Differentiating Osteoclast Cells, Nicholas Khoury, Mark J. Birnbaum

Honors Program Contracts

Through this semester-long experiment, professor Birnbaum and I attempted to identify the presence of BRPF1 (Bromodomain And PHD Finger Containing 1) in harvested RAW osteoclast cells. This was done through a series of steps, beginning with growing RAW osteoclasts, differentiating them, harvesting them and finally running a Western Blot test to look for our target protein. Unfortunately, no major discoveries were made with this project, but there is still reason to be optimistic about the presence of other members of the BRPF family (BRPF3, BRPF4). With some knowledge on our procedure, future researchers should be able to note specific points …

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Putting The I In Science, Naomi Kirkvold Apr 2019

Putting The I In Science, Naomi Kirkvold

Honors Program: Expanded Learning Clubs

This club gets kids interested in science in ways that they may not have experienced in a classroom by doing weekly experiments.

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A Phylogenetic Analysis Of Bostrichoidea (Coleoptera) And Revisions Of The Southern African Spider Beetle Genera Meziomorphum And Eutaphroptinus (Ptinidae: Coleoptera), Olivia M. Gearner Apr 2019

A Phylogenetic Analysis Of Bostrichoidea (Coleoptera) And Revisions Of The Southern African Spider Beetle Genera Meziomorphum And Eutaphroptinus (Ptinidae: Coleoptera), Olivia M. Gearner

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Proposals for the internal relationships and classification of the bostrichoids are currently poorly supported, and almost all are based on morphology alone. This study improves upon on previous phylogenetic analyses of the group by including more taxa using the standard genes for many phylogenetic analyses. Cytochrome C oxidase subunit 1 (CO1), 28S small subunit rRNA, and 16S small subunit rRNA mitochondrial genes were sequenced or obtained from Genbank, then analyzed using parsimony and Bayesian analyses. Topologies differed depending on genes used. A three gene tree and a two gene (28S and CO1) tree both supported relationships in which a basal …

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Evaluating The Success Of Female Selected Sex-Sorted Semen At Western Kentucky University's Dairy Farm, Briley Loggan Apr 2019

Evaluating The Success Of Female Selected Sex-Sorted Semen At Western Kentucky University's Dairy Farm, Briley Loggan

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of female selected sex-sorted semen and to determine the association of variables on the success of Western Kentucky University’s Dairy Farm. Official breeding and calving records (n=144) were used to determine the relation of lactation number, breeding season, breeding number, breeding year and semen type on pregnancy results, sex of offspring, and the mortality of the offspring. Previous research has shown pregnancy results can be influenced by lactation number, breeding season, number of breedings and semen type. Results from this study show that pregnancy results were not associated with lactation …

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Overwintering Red Velvet Mites Are Freeze Tolerant, Susan E. Anthony, Brent J. Sinclair Apr 2019

Overwintering Red Velvet Mites Are Freeze Tolerant, Susan E. Anthony, Brent J. Sinclair

Biology Publications

Although many arthropods are freeze tolerant (able to withstand internal ice), small-bodied terrestrial arthropods such as mites are thought to be constrained to freeze avoidance. We field-collected active adult red velvet mites, Allothrombium sp. (Trombidiidae), in winter in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, where temperatures drop below −20°C. These mites froze between −3.6° and −9.2°C and survived internal ice formation. All late-winter mites survived being frozen for 24 h at −9°C, and 50% survived 1 wk. The lower lethal temperature (LLT50; low temperature that kills 50% of mites) was ca. −20°C in midwinter. Hemolymph osmolality and glycerol concentration increased in midwinter, accompanied …

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Microplastic Contamination In Karst Groundwater Systems, Samuel V. Panno, Walton R. Kelly, John Scott, Wei Zheng, Rachel E. Mcneish, Nancy Holm, Timothy Hoellein, Elizabeth L. Baranski Apr 2019

Microplastic Contamination In Karst Groundwater Systems, Samuel V. Panno, Walton R. Kelly, John Scott, Wei Zheng, Rachel E. Mcneish, Nancy Holm, Timothy Hoellein, Elizabeth L. Baranski

Biology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Groundwater in karst aquifers constitutes about 25% of drinking water sources globally. Karst aquifers are open systems, susceptible to contamination by surface‐borne pollutants. In this study, springs and wells from two karst aquifers in Illinois, USA, were found to contain microplastics and other anthropogenic contaminants. All microplastics were fibers, with a maximum concentration of 15.2 particles/L. The presence of microplastic was consistent with other parameters, including phosphate, chloride and triclosan, suggesting septic effluent as a source. More studies are needed on microplastic sources, abundance, and impacts on karst ecosystems.

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Minnesota’S Third Tufted Duck, Philip C. Chu Apr 2019

Minnesota’S Third Tufted Duck, Philip C. Chu

Biology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

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Investigating The Effects Of Cancer Mutations On The Activity Of P300, Meghan Hall Apr 2019

Investigating The Effects Of Cancer Mutations On The Activity Of P300, Meghan Hall

Spring Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

Investigating the effects of cancer mutations on the activity of p300

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The Effect Of Ethyl And Butyl Parabens To Mimic Estrogen To Alter Differentiation Of Myeloid Derived Suppressor Cells, Lyndi Earnshaw, Jessica Savas, Caitlin Harris, Rayven Brown, Annie Choi Apr 2019

The Effect Of Ethyl And Butyl Parabens To Mimic Estrogen To Alter Differentiation Of Myeloid Derived Suppressor Cells, Lyndi Earnshaw, Jessica Savas, Caitlin Harris, Rayven Brown, Annie Choi

Spring Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

Estrogens have been proven to increase estrogenic activity seen in some cancers. Our research aims to elucidate the effects of xenoestrogens, specifically parabens, on the same oncogenic mechanisms. To compare the effects of ethyl and butyl parabens to natural estrogen, T cell activation and proliferation was measured after exposure to each compound. Understanding the potential effects of parabens as estrogen agonists would allow for safer regulations for use in common food and health products

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Methyl And Butyl-Parabens Initiate Myeloid Derived Suppressor Cell (Mdsc) Activity, Amanda Moses, Sandra Ghali, Tiffany Yun, Juwairyah Gunter Apr 2019

Methyl And Butyl-Parabens Initiate Myeloid Derived Suppressor Cell (Mdsc) Activity, Amanda Moses, Sandra Ghali, Tiffany Yun, Juwairyah Gunter

Spring Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

Examined if methyl and butyl parabens would mimic estrogen within the body and lead to an increase in MDSC activity

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An Evaluation Of Elemental Composition Of Soils Associated With Ground Nesting Ants In The Family Formicidae In Somerset County, Maine, Haley H. Depner Apr 2019

An Evaluation Of Elemental Composition Of Soils Associated With Ground Nesting Ants In The Family Formicidae In Somerset County, Maine, Haley H. Depner

All Student Scholarship

Ants are keystone organisms and engineers in many ecosystems, playing an important role in nutrient cycling and rearrangement of organic and inorganic materials through foraging, waste management and, in subterranean species, nest construction and maintenance. In this study, I conducted elemental analysis of soils for calcium, copper, iron, potassium, manganese and zinc in and around the colonies of subterranean nesting ants. The two-step analysis used in this study utilizes the efficiency of X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) Spectrometry to look for overall trends in elemental composition followed by Flame Atomic Absorbance (AA) to achieve higher resolution of select elements of interest as …

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Growth, Lipid Production And Biodiesel Potential Of Chromulina Freiburgensis Dofl., An Acidophilic Chrysophyte Isolated From Berkeley Pit Lake, June E. Mohler Mitman Apr 2019

Growth, Lipid Production And Biodiesel Potential Of Chromulina Freiburgensis Dofl., An Acidophilic Chrysophyte Isolated From Berkeley Pit Lake, June E. Mohler Mitman

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Microalgae remain a promising, but underdeveloped source of lipids for sustainable biodiesel. Some of the obstacles to cost-effective commercial-scale production have been culture contamination and expensive harvest methods. A chrysophyte isolated from Berkeley Pit Lake and identified as Chromulina freiburgensis, was found to grow rapidly in a pH 2.5 liquid medium and to amass numerous intracellular lipid bodies. This research addresses the scarcity of published knowledge on the topic of chrysophyte species as potential lipid sources for biodiesel. It investigates how growth phase, culture conditions, and harvest timing influence the quantity and composition of lipids produced by this alga. …

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Thermal Safety Of Childrens Outdoor Play Equipment, Adam Gyori Apr 2019

Thermal Safety Of Childrens Outdoor Play Equipment, Adam Gyori

Spring Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

A literature review looking into the newer field of research in the thermal regulation of children’s outdoor play equipment and its effects it may be causing to the health of children.

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Investigating The Effects Of Cancer Mutations On The Mrn Complex Using Yeast, Caitlin Harris Apr 2019

Investigating The Effects Of Cancer Mutations On The Mrn Complex Using Yeast, Caitlin Harris

Spring Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

A screening method using yeast to determine which cancer mutations disrupt the function of Mre11 after exposure to DNA damaging agents.

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Proposal For Curing Multiple Sclerosis By Genetically Engineering Obligodendrocytes, Amanda Moses Apr 2019

Proposal For Curing Multiple Sclerosis By Genetically Engineering Obligodendrocytes, Amanda Moses

Spring Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

A novel proposal to find a cure for multiple sclerosis by genetically engineering neural stem cells with chemotherapy and the three key myelin producing genes to help promote remyelination on the myelin sheath, thereby removing lesions and symptoms of the disease.

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Ability Of Flavonoids To Mimic The Estrogen Receptor To Drive Myeloid Derived Suppressor Cell Differentiation, Megan Bland, Cecilie Elliott, Kathryn Kosiorek Apr 2019

Ability Of Flavonoids To Mimic The Estrogen Receptor To Drive Myeloid Derived Suppressor Cell Differentiation, Megan Bland, Cecilie Elliott, Kathryn Kosiorek

Spring Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

Flavonoids are natural compounds found in dietary elements such as soy, grains, and vegetables that have the potential to bind to the estrogen receptor. Activation of the estrogen receptor drives myeloid derived suppressor cell (MDSC) accumulation, cells that increase during cancer, inflammation, and infection. In this study, we are investigating specific flavonoids, such as epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), kaempferol, naringenin, daidzein, and genistein, for their ability to mimic estrogen. After examination, we expect that MDSC differentiation will decrease upon treatment of the chosen flavonoids, leading to reduced carcinogenic effects.

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Double Gene Knockout Of Pdx-1 And Hnf1Β Leads To Possible Novel Gene Therapy For Type 1 Diabetes, Kathryn Kosiorek Apr 2019

Double Gene Knockout Of Pdx-1 And Hnf1Β Leads To Possible Novel Gene Therapy For Type 1 Diabetes, Kathryn Kosiorek

Spring Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

Diabetes Mellitus is a disease characterized by uncontrolled and elevated blood glucose which is the effect of inadequate levels of plasma insulin. Type I diabetes (T1D) ultimately stems from the autoimmune destruction of beta cells because of defects in the PDX-1 and possibly HNF1B. If both of these genes knocked out together increase the detriment effect of T1D, then a gene therapy can be created using the AAV vectors that not only targets one gene but both at the same time, increasing the strength of the gene therapy and the quality of life for the T1D patient.

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Modifying The Effects Of Aβ40 And Aβ42 Proteins In Patients With Alzheimer's Disease, Angelica Romero Apr 2019

Modifying The Effects Of Aβ40 And Aβ42 Proteins In Patients With Alzheimer's Disease, Angelica Romero

Spring Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

My project looks over the effects of two proteins that induce memory loss in the brain for patients with Alzheimer's Disease. My proposal is to modify these proteins in order to create a type of therapy for people diagnosed with this insufferable disease.

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The Effects Of Releasing Balloons: Soft Plastic Pollution In Our Oceans, Morgan Pearce, Nicole Copenhaver Apr 2019

The Effects Of Releasing Balloons: Soft Plastic Pollution In Our Oceans, Morgan Pearce, Nicole Copenhaver

Spring Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

Our art piece is intended to showcase how balloons are killing sea animals, like sea turtles, whale, and birds. We wanted to use re-purposed balloons in our piece to draw our audiences attention with brightly colored balloons and to create an actual sense of balloons. We made the animals out of mud stencils to connect the the natural resource of mud to wildlife.

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Successfulness Of Live Capture Eradication Efforts Of The Golden Eagle On The Channel, Rana Haboush Apr 2019

Successfulness Of Live Capture Eradication Efforts Of The Golden Eagle On The Channel, Rana Haboush

Spring Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

Study the eradication efforts of the Golden Eagle on the Channel Island Fox, and determine the successfulness of the eradication efforts implemented.

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