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2017

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Articles 211 - 240 of 293

Full-Text Articles in Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology

Natural Environmental Gradients Predict The Microhabitat Use, Fine-Scale Distribution, And Abundance Of Three Woodland Salamanders In An Old-Growth Forest, Joseph Alex Baecher Jan 2017

Natural Environmental Gradients Predict The Microhabitat Use, Fine-Scale Distribution, And Abundance Of Three Woodland Salamanders In An Old-Growth Forest, Joseph Alex Baecher

Online Theses and Dissertations

Woodland salamanders (Plethodonidae: Plethodon)－a group of sensitive, direct developing, lungless amphibians－are particularly responsive to gradients in environmental conditions. Because of their functional dominance in terrestrial ecosystems, woodland salamanders are responsible for the transformation of nutrients and translocation of energy between highly desperate levels of trophic organization (detrital food webs and high‐order predators). However, the spatial extent of woodland salamanders' role in the ecosystem is likely contingent upon the distribution of their biomass throughout the forest. Therefore, a better understanding of woodland salamander spatial population dynamics is needed to further understand their role in terrestrial ecosystems. The objectives of this study …

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Comparison Of Cytochrome B Variation And Morphological Features Of Isolated Banded Pygmy Sunfish (Elassoma Zonatum) Populations In The Lower Green River And Coastal Plain Systems In Western Kentucky, David Cravens Jan 2017

Comparison Of Cytochrome B Variation And Morphological Features Of Isolated Banded Pygmy Sunfish (Elassoma Zonatum) Populations In The Lower Green River And Coastal Plain Systems In Western Kentucky, David Cravens

Online Theses and Dissertations

The banded pygmy sunfish Elassoma zonatum is a wide-ranging species found throughout the Southeastern Coastal Plain of North America. In Kentucky, the populations are found above and below the inner boundary of the Coastal Plain. Due to their geographical separation comparisons in body size and morphological features along with genetic comparisons using mitochondrial cytochrome-b (Cyt-b) were conducted to test relationships between populations. Two sites, Cypress Creek in the Lower Green River system and Rose Creek in the Tradewater River drainage, were sampled from above the inner boundary and two additional sites, Bayou de Chien and Running Slough in the Mississippi …

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Sample Collection And Dna Extraction Methods For Environmental Dna Metabarcoding In Headwater Streams, Michael Triston Mullins Jan 2017

Sample Collection And Dna Extraction Methods For Environmental Dna Metabarcoding In Headwater Streams, Michael Triston Mullins

Online Theses and Dissertations

DNA is found to be free and ubiquitous in the environment where it is no longer associated with the source organism, and is also known as environmental-DNA (eDNA). Methods optimized for specific environments may be able supplement insight to local taxa richness. With the advent of high throughput sequencing and the proliferation of sequence data in public repositories, insights to the biodiversity of communities at the molecular level have been possible. Thus, this study compared commonly used DNA capture (water precipitation and filtration) and extraction (MoBio's PowerWater, Qiagen's DNeasy Blood and Tissue Kit, and a CTAB protocol) methods in their …

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Assessment Of The Macroinvertebrate Assemblages From The Mesohabitats Of A Headwater Stream-Wetland Hydrologic Restoration In Eastern Kentucky, Rebecca Jo Roberts Jan 2017

Assessment Of The Macroinvertebrate Assemblages From The Mesohabitats Of A Headwater Stream-Wetland Hydrologic Restoration In Eastern Kentucky, Rebecca Jo Roberts

Online Theses and Dissertations

The bulk of streams in the U.S. have been negatively impacted by anthropogenic disturbances and the streams of Kentucky are no exception. In recent decades stream restoration has become a common practice in order to improve habitat degradation resulting from land use practices such as channelization. Despite the large amount of effort and funding stream restoration projects represent, only a small portion have undergone post-restoration assessments of the ecological response in the restored streams. Slabcamp Creek, a headwater stream located in the Licking River basin in eastern Kentucky, underwent a stream-wetland hydrologic restoration in 2010 in order to improve hydrologic …

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Distribution Changes, Genetic Population Structure, And A Novel Environmental Dna (Edna) Detection Method For Darters (Subgenus Nothonotus) In The Upper Ohio River Watershed, Anthony S. Honick Jan 2017

Distribution Changes, Genetic Population Structure, And A Novel Environmental Dna (Edna) Detection Method For Darters (Subgenus Nothonotus) In The Upper Ohio River Watershed, Anthony S. Honick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the upper Ohio River watershed three species of small-bodied benthic fish the Bluebreast Darter, Etheostoma (Nothonotus) camurum (Cope), the Tippecanoe Darter, Etheostoma (Nothonotus) tippecanoe Jordan and Evermann, and the Spotted Darter, Etheostoma (Nothonotus) maculatum Kirtland previously existed in disjunct distributions due to poor water quality and habitat degradation. Signs of recovery indicated that these species were moving from areas of refugia into the deeper mainstem waters of the Allegheny and Ohio rivers and expanding their distributions. To provide information for the proper conservation management of these species this dissertation was divided into three stages: 1) distribution records were updated …

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Genetic Perspectives On Biodiversity In Rocky Mountain Alpine Streams, Scott Hotaling Jan 2017

Genetic Perspectives On Biodiversity In Rocky Mountain Alpine Streams, Scott Hotaling

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

In alpine regions worldwide, climate change is dramatically altering ecosystems, affecting biodiversity across habitats and taxonomic scales. For streams, the associated recession of mountain glaciers and snowfields, paired with altered precipitation regimes, are driving shifts in hydrology, species distributions, and basal resources – often threatening the very existence of some habitats and biota. Globally, alpine streams harbor particularly substantial species and genetic diversity due to significant habitat insularity and environmental heterogeneity: however, anthropogenic warming threatens to homogenize habitats through the reduction of the cryosphere, thereby reducing biodiversity from micro- to macroscopic organisms and genes to communities. Still, alpine stream biodiversity, …

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Short-Term Effects Of Nutrients On A Barrier Island Grassland Community, Ashley Moulton Jan 2017

Short-Term Effects Of Nutrients On A Barrier Island Grassland Community, Ashley Moulton

Theses and Dissertations

Increased nutrient availability globally has the potential to affect community functional composition of plants in nutrient limited environments, such as coastal grassland systems. Stability of these systems are threatened worldwide by urbanization, as well as effects of sea level rise and increased frequency and intensity of storms, and atmospheric N deposition, associated with climate change. Annual net primary productivity (ANPP), species composition, and functional traits (community weighted specific leaf area (CWSLA), leaf area index (LAI), growth form and photosynthetic pathway) were measured across four treatments to assess multiple resource limitation of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) and functional community response …

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Effects Of Prescribed Fire On Cope’S Gray Treefrog (Hyla Chrysoscelis) Across Habitat Scales And Life Stages, Logan Mcdonald Jan 2017

Effects Of Prescribed Fire On Cope’S Gray Treefrog (Hyla Chrysoscelis) Across Habitat Scales And Life Stages, Logan Mcdonald

Theses and Dissertations

Fire may alter both aquatic and terrestrial habitat used by all amphibian life stages, yet, our knowledge of its effects on amphibians is primarily limited to adult responses. I present an integrated approach to test the response of Cope’s Gray Treefrog (Hyla chrysoscelis) to fire by examining responses in tadpole performance and survivorship, adult abundance, and oviposition. Tadpoles raised with burned leaf litter had similar survival, but total mass and total length were 440% and 170% greater, respectively, for tadpoles raised in unburned litter. I assessed terrestrial and aquatic oviposition cues by embedding burned and unburned litter treatments within burned …

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Quantifying Current Sediment Deposition, Legacy Sediments, And Pre-Impoundment Vertical Accretion And Carbon Dynamics Following Dam Removal In A Recently Restored Tidal Freshwater Wetland, Melissa J. Davis Jan 2017

Quantifying Current Sediment Deposition, Legacy Sediments, And Pre-Impoundment Vertical Accretion And Carbon Dynamics Following Dam Removal In A Recently Restored Tidal Freshwater Wetland, Melissa J. Davis

Theses and Dissertations

Damming disrupts natural sediment flow to downstream resulting in legacy sediment accumulation. Legacy sediments have been well investigated in streams throughout the Piedmont region; however, there is no research of legacy sediments following dam removal in low-gradient Coastal Plain streams. Research objectives were to: characterize legacy sediments in a low-gradient stream restoration, quantify pre-impoundment accretion and carbon dynamics, and assess current sediment deposition rates via 14C analyses within sediment cores and sediment collection tiles. Carbon accumulation and accretion rates of modern tidal sediment have reached that of the tidal relic benchmark and current sediment deposition rates are similar between …

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The Status Of Snapping Turtles (Chelydra Serpentina) In Virginia: Population Viability, Demography, Regulatory Analysis, And Conservation, Benjamin C. Colteaux Jan 2017

The Status Of Snapping Turtles (Chelydra Serpentina) In Virginia: Population Viability, Demography, Regulatory Analysis, And Conservation, Benjamin C. Colteaux

Theses and Dissertations

Snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina) are being harvested in unprecedented numbers in the United States (US) to meet the needs of international markets. Over three million live snapping turtles from farm and wild caught stock were exported from the US to Asia in 2012-14 alone. In the Commonwealth of Virginia, records indicate that 29,860 snapping turtles were commercially harvested between 2000 and 2015. Size limits are often used to regulate harvest pressure in snapping turtles and other game species. I analyzed the historic harvest of eleven US states to test the efficacy of minimum-size limit regulations at reducing commercial …

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Silver Nanoparticle Fate And Accumulation In The Aquatic Food Web Of Stream Microcosms, Stefan J. Petersen Jan 2017

Silver Nanoparticle Fate And Accumulation In The Aquatic Food Web Of Stream Microcosms, Stefan J. Petersen

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are used in 25% of all nano-enabled products and applied for anti-microbial properties. Silver nanoparticles are discharged into aquatic environments through wastewater discharge, runoff, and chemical spills. Once in aquatic environments silver nanoparticles have the potential to harm aquatic organisms. While the fate of silver nanoparticles in lentic systems has been investigated, limited information is available for the fate of silver nanoparticles in flowing environments. The purpose of this study was to compare the fate of AgNPs following a one-time pulsed application simulating a chemical spill, or small repetitive applications simulating effluent discharge, in artificial stream communities …

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Quantification And Characterization Of Net Precipitation Bacterial Flux From A Subtropical Epiphyte-Laden Oak Forest, Preston Pound Jan 2017

Quantification And Characterization Of Net Precipitation Bacterial Flux From A Subtropical Epiphyte-Laden Oak Forest, Preston Pound

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Transport pathways of microbes between ecosystem spheres (atmosphere, phyllosphere, and pedosphere) represent major fluxes in nutrient cycles and have the potential to significantly affect microbially-mediated biogeochemical processes. We quantified a previously unexamined microbial flux from the phyllosphere to the pedosphere during rainfall via throughfall (rainfall dripping from the canopy and through gaps) and stemflow (rainwater funneled down the stem). Bacterial concentrations were quantified using flow cytometry and validated with quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) assays for samples from a Quercus virginiana (oak)- forest with heavy epiphyte cover (Tillandsia usneoides, Spanish moss) in coastal Georgia (Southeastern USA). Bacteria concentrations …

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Are Weevils Picky Eaters? Community Structure And Host Specificity Of Neotropical Saproxylic Beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), Jhunior A. Morillo Jan 2017

Are Weevils Picky Eaters? Community Structure And Host Specificity Of Neotropical Saproxylic Beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), Jhunior A. Morillo

Dissertations and Theses

Abstract Primary saproxylic beetles play a major role in forest nutrient cycling and making deadwood accessible to other decomposers. Understanding beetle host preferences and patterns of community assembly is critical for their conservation, and for predicting which species might become invasive. This project aims to investigate the ecological and host specificity, as well as the community composition of curculionids in a mosaic of old-growth (OG) and secondary forest on the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica. The subfamily Scolytinae was expected to be the most species-rich and abundant. Ambrosia beetles were expected to have more generalist species than other curculionids. Old growth …

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A Comparison Of Computational Methods For Estimating Estuarine Production And Respiration From Diel Open Water Dissolved Oxygen Measurements, Spencer Tassone Jan 2017

A Comparison Of Computational Methods For Estimating Estuarine Production And Respiration From Diel Open Water Dissolved Oxygen Measurements, Spencer Tassone

Theses and Dissertations

Diel dissolved oxygen (DO) data were used to characterize seasonal, inter-annual, and longitudinal variation in production and respiration for the James River Estuary. Two computational methods (Bayesian and bookkeeping) were applied to these data to determine whether inferences regarding DO metabolism are sensitive to methodology. Net metabolism was sensitive to methodology as Bayesian results indicated net heterotrophy (production < respiration) while bookkeeping results indicated net autotrophy (production > respiration). Differences in net metabolism among the methods was due to low seasonal variation in respiration using the Bayesian method, whereas bookkeeping results showed a strong correlation between production and respiration. Bayesian results suggest a dependence on allochthonous organic matter (OM) whereas …

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The North American River Otter (Lontra Canadensis) On The Department Of Energy's Savannah River Site, Emily B. Mccallen Jan 2017

The North American River Otter (Lontra Canadensis) On The Department Of Energy's Savannah River Site, Emily B. Mccallen

Masters Theses

The Department of Energy's (DOE) Savannah River Site (SRS) faces a legacy of radionuclide and metal contamination from industrial processes that occurred within the site. The risks posed to ecosystems on the site from contaminants are quantified using the ecological risk assessment process, which often uses the health of a particular species as an ecological endpoint. Northern river otters (Lontra canadensis) are appropriate receptors for studying the effects of long-term, low-level contamination because they are long-lived, higher trophic level organisms likely to accumulate high levels of pollutants. However, little information about river otters on the SRS is known; …

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Population Genetics And Distribution Of The Oriental Weatherfish, Misgurnus Anguillicaudatus, In Chicago Area Waterways, John Belcik Jan 2017

Population Genetics And Distribution Of The Oriental Weatherfish, Misgurnus Anguillicaudatus, In Chicago Area Waterways, John Belcik

Master's Theses

Oriental Weatherfish (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus), native to Southeast Asia, are freshwater fish belonging to the family Cobitidae (loaches). They are benthic fish with the ability to breathe atmospheric air, and exhibit an unusual behavior of swimming vertically in the water column in response to changes in barometric pressure. Oriental Weatherfish appear to be successful invaders to North American waterways. Within the last century they have been sighted in freshwater systems throughout the United States, yet the distribution and source of this invasion are largely unknown. This study investigates the distribution patterns, surveying methods, and population genetics of the Oriental Weatherfish within …

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The Influence Of Canopy Cover And Climate On Early Life-Stage Vital Rates For Northern Red-Legged Frogs (Rana Aurora), And The Implications For Population Growth Rates, Kecly Mcharry Jan 2017

The Influence Of Canopy Cover And Climate On Early Life-Stage Vital Rates For Northern Red-Legged Frogs (Rana Aurora), And The Implications For Population Growth Rates, Kecly Mcharry

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Many amphibian species are in decline due to habitat loss and changing climates. Understanding how habitat characteristics and climate influence vital rates, and if they act in concert or in opposition can inform management decisions. This study investigated the potential interaction of canopy cover and climate on early stage vital rates of northern red-legged frogs. Demographic data were collected from sample populations in experimental canopy cover treatments across a latitudinal distribution. Rearing cages were used to estimate hatch success, and mark-recapture surveys to estimate tadpole survival. Ambient air temperature was used as an index of climate because it is easily …

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An Estimation Of Potential Salmonid Habitat Capacity In The Upper Mainstem Eel River, California, Emily J. Cooper Jan 2017

An Estimation Of Potential Salmonid Habitat Capacity In The Upper Mainstem Eel River, California, Emily J. Cooper

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

In Northern California’s Eel River watershed, the two dams that make up the Potter Valley Project (PVP) restrict the distribution and production of anadromous salmonids, and current populations of Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and steelhead trout (O. mykiss) in the upper mainstem Eel River are in need of recovery. In anticipation of the upcoming FERC relicensing of the PVP, this project provides an estimation of the extent of potential salmonid habitat and its capacity for steelhead trout and Chinook Salmon in the upper mainstem Eel River watershed above the impassable Scott Dam. Using three fish passage …

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Movement, Habitat, And Home Range Of Introduced Bullfrogs (Lithobates Catesbeianus) On Mad River Gravel Ponds (Humboldt Co., Ca, Usa), With Implications For Hydro-Modification As A Method Of Management, Madeline C. Cooper Jan 2017

Movement, Habitat, And Home Range Of Introduced Bullfrogs (Lithobates Catesbeianus) On Mad River Gravel Ponds (Humboldt Co., Ca, Usa), With Implications For Hydro-Modification As A Method Of Management, Madeline C. Cooper

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

American Bullfrogs are a non-native, invasive species in California (USA), where they are known to have deleterious effects on many native species. Carnivorous adults prey on native amphibians and fish, while herbivorous tadpoles outcompete native tadpoles for algal food resources. Bullfrogs have been successful at colonizing old tailing ponds and other pools left over from mining activities, and these relict pools are common on many rivers in California. Information on the dispersal capabilities of Bullfrogs could help predict range expansions and inform management decisions. Unfortunately, this information is lacking from both their native and invaded range. From May to August …

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Modeling The Spread Of Sudden Oak Death Across A Heterogeneous Landscape In Redwood National Park Using A Spatially-Explicit Epidemiological Model, Laura A. Morgan Jan 2017

Modeling The Spread Of Sudden Oak Death Across A Heterogeneous Landscape In Redwood National Park Using A Spatially-Explicit Epidemiological Model, Laura A. Morgan

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The pathogen Phytophthora ramorum, the causal agent of Sudden Oak Death (SOD), is responsible for the deaths of millions of oak (Quercus spp.) and tanoak (Notholithocarpus densiflorus) trees in California and Oregon (USA). A recent infection in Redwood National Park (RNP) in California (USA) provided an opportunity to adapt an existing SOD model to assess the efficacy of current and proposed management strategies. A common method of SOD treatment includes killing both infected and uninfected hosts in the area of infection, as well as the area surrounding the infection to create buffers to account for undetected …

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Darlingtonia Californica Phytotelma Organisms: Spatial Relations Within The Metacommunity, Stefani Marie Brandt Jan 2017

Darlingtonia Californica Phytotelma Organisms: Spatial Relations Within The Metacommunity, Stefani Marie Brandt

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The California pitcher plant, Darlingtonia californica, provides a unique setting to research community ecology because it harbors small ponds of water, or phytotelmata, in its modified leaves. Each phytotelma hosts a unique community of various invertebrates who live among carcasses of drowned plant prey. These pitchers and their inquiline communities are relatively small yet abundant in the wild, resulting in an ideal natural setup for community composition comparisons. There have been no previous studies that research D. californica inquiline communities across multiple geographic regions concurrently. This study sought to survey phytotelma communities throughout the range of D. californica at …

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Behavioral Responses Of Sub-Adult Atlantic Sturgeon (Acipenser Oxyrinchus Oxyrinchus) To Electromagnetic And Magnetic Fields Under Laboratory Conditions, Andrew Mcintyre Iii Jan 2017

Behavioral Responses Of Sub-Adult Atlantic Sturgeon (Acipenser Oxyrinchus Oxyrinchus) To Electromagnetic And Magnetic Fields Under Laboratory Conditions, Andrew Mcintyre Iii

Theses and Dissertations

Electromagnetic fields (EMF) produced by high voltage (HV), submarine transmission cables leading from offshore wind energy generation facilities could affect foraging or migratory behaviors of electro-receptive fishes, including endangered Atlantic Sturgeon. However, no published studies have quantitatively evaluated the possible behavioral effects of EMF exposure on sturgeon during residence in coastal waters. This study evaluated behavioral responses by sub-adult Atlantic Sturgeon to electromagnetic and magnetic fields under controlled laboratory conditions. Fabricated EMF generators were used to emulate a range of field EMF conditions that migratory fishes could encounter in proximity to submarine HV sources. Sensor arrays and digital video recorders …

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Dissonance Reduction In Nonhuman Animals: Implications For Cognitive Dissonance Theory, Cindy Harmon-Jones, Nick Haslam, Brock Bastian Jan 2017

Dissonance Reduction In Nonhuman Animals: Implications For Cognitive Dissonance Theory, Cindy Harmon-Jones, Nick Haslam, Brock Bastian

Animal Sentience

We review the evidence for dissonance reduction in nonhuman animals and examine the alternative explanations for these effects. If nonhuman animals engage in dissonance reduction, this supports the original theory as proposed by Festinger (1957) over the revisions to the theory that focused on the self-concept. Evidence of animal sentience, including dissonance reduction, may be a source of cognitive dissonance.

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Clarifying Concepts In Cognitive Dissonance Theory, Eddie Harmon-Jones Jan 2017

Clarifying Concepts In Cognitive Dissonance Theory, Eddie Harmon-Jones

Animal Sentience

This commentary on Zentall’s target article focuses primarily on clarifying some postulates and variables in cognitive dissonance theory. I discuss the adaptive motivational functions of dissonance arousal and dissonance reduction, and attempt to clarify some past dissonance experiments and to tease apart a dissonance theory and contrast explanation of effort-justification-type effects. The evidence and arguments reviewed here support the explanatory power of cognitive dissonance theory in a wide variety of circumstances in human and nonhuman animals, but they depend on first defining concepts such as “cognitions” quite broadly, as Festinger did when he originally proposed the theory.

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The Potential For Sentience In Fishes, Jay R. Stauffer Jr. Jan 2017

The Potential For Sentience In Fishes, Jay R. Stauffer Jr.

Animal Sentience

Balcombe’s book is filled with information on the biology, behavior, and life history of fishes. I do not agree with all his premises. I am still somewhat perplexed about the discussion of whether fish feel pain; I am not sure whether the distinction between nociception and pain makes any difference. Overall, however, his treatment of the principles of both natural and sexual selection is comprehensive and accurate, and has greatly increased my knowledge and awareness of the biology, ethology, and potential for sentience in fishes. In summary, this work has exposed me to new ideas about how to examine fishes …

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Daily Distance Moved And Home Range Analysis Of Female Cheetahs On Namibia's Commercial Farmland, Elisabeth Nicole Wise Jan 2017

Daily Distance Moved And Home Range Analysis Of Female Cheetahs On Namibia's Commercial Farmland, Elisabeth Nicole Wise

Honors Theses and Capstones

Fewer then 10,000 cheetahs remain in Sub-Saharan Africa. Namibia has the largest population, estimated to be 4,000. Habitat fragmentation and prey depletion from human expansion for agriculture has pushed 90% of cheetahs to reside on commercial farmland where there is an absence of larger predators. Radio telemetry was used to investigate the seasonal variation in home range size among nine female cheetahs on commercial farmlands on or near the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Otjiwarongo, Namibia. ArcGIS 10.3 and Geospatial Modeling Environment were used to calculate the overall and core home range size. This was estimated for the overall, annual, monthly, …

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Shoring Up The Precautionary Bar, Jon Mallatt Jan 2017

Shoring Up The Precautionary Bar, Jon Mallatt

Animal Sentience

I offer four ways to reinforce Birch’s precautionary principle so it can be used effectively and practically in deciding which animals to cover by legislation for humane treatment: (1) add one more credible indicator of sentience to the BAR rule; (2) use phylogenetic classification, not the outdated Linnaean classification, to test which animal clades have sentience; (3) disentangle the pain of suffering from sentience; and (4) reconsider the sentient status of decapods and insects to remove potential inconsistencies in the proposed framework.

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What Harmful Practices? The Material Scope Of Animal Protection Legislation, Eze Paez Jan 2017

What Harmful Practices? The Material Scope Of Animal Protection Legislation, Eze Paez

Animal Sentience

Jonathan Birch proposes a criterion for the subjective scope of animal protection legislation. He says nothing about its material scope: which harmful practices it should regulate. I argue, first, that most moral views would agree that the worst forms of animal exploitation should be legally forbidden, even if there will inevitably be disagreement about some cases of animal experimentation. I also argue that, when feasible, there should be legal provisions to help wild animals.

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Chicken Of The Sea, Jonathan Balcombe Jan 2017

Chicken Of The Sea, Jonathan Balcombe

Animal Sentience

Marino summarizes research showing that chickens perform cognitively and emotionally at a higher level than previously assumed. Here, I describe capacities of teleost fishes that parallel those of chickens, including the ability to recognize human faces, perspective-taking, and referential communication. Research on chickens and on fishes reveals an emerging trend in cognitive ethology: abilities once thought limited to a scant few highly intelligent non-humans may actually occur broadly across taxa.

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The Effect Of Chronic Nutrient Addition From Wastewater On Forest Ecosystems At The Rice Rivers Center, Michael Beck Jan 2017

The Effect Of Chronic Nutrient Addition From Wastewater On Forest Ecosystems At The Rice Rivers Center, Michael Beck

Theses and Dissertations

Wastewater application to land can be a useful tool for mitigating impacts of nutrient enrichment on aquatic systems. A land application treatment system at VCU’s Rice Rivers Center in Charles City County, VA provided an opportunity to study the impact of wastewater addition on the biogeochemistry of forests representative of the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain. Nutrient concentrations in throughfall and leachate were measured at Treatment and Control sites to assess differences in nutrient deposition and retention. Wastewater amended plots from the Walter L. Rice education building received 20-fold (N) and 6-fold (P) higher inputs relative to Control plots and plots located …

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