Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The Peculiar Nature Of Florida’S Sandhill Wetlands, Ponds & Lakes— Their Ecohydrology, Relationship With The Regional Aquifer & Importance Within The Landscape., Renae Starr Nowicki

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the ecohydrology of Florida’s peculiar and poorly studied sandhill wetland and water features, particularly those located in west-central Florida. The primary research goals include: compilation and summarization of the available ecohydrologic information for features across Florida; comparison of water level and water geochemistry data between sandhill wetlands and waters and the regional aquifer to provide evidence of regional hydrologic control; and use of geophysical applications to examine the hydraulic connections between sandhill wetlands and waters and the regional aquifer.

From this research, a natural history of sandhill wetland and water ecohydrology is presented, highlighting: the differences between …

Untapped Potential Of Gorgonian Octocorals For Detecting Environmental Change In Biscayne National Park, Florida, Usa, Selena A. Kupfner Johnson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

One consequence of dramatic stony-coral loss has been recognition that gorgonian octocorals (Anthozoa: Octocorallia) have emerged among the dominant reef fauna. However, gorgonians are notoriously difficult to field-identify and consequently have been underrepresented in most monitoring efforts resulting in a lack of long-term data. The rich diversity of habitats, close proximity to the urban center of Miami, and connectivity to other areas of Florida have made Biscayne National Park an active location for reef research since its establishment in 1968. As such, a plethora of data (e.g., museum specimen and species abundance data) has been collected and stored in archives …

Design And Implementation Of Degenerate Qpcr/Qrt-Pcr Primers To Detect Microbial Nitrogen Metabolism In Wastewater And Wastewater-Related Samples, Ryan F. Keeley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nitrogen cycling processes can be tracked using quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) to determine the presence and qReverse Transcriptase-PCR (qRT-PCR) to determine expression of key genes, or ‘biological markers’, for nitrogen metabolism. Nitrification is catalyzed in part, by two enzymes: ammonia monooxygenase (AMO; NH3 NH2OH) and nitrite oxidoreductase (NXR; NO2- NO3-). For denitrification, four enzymes act sequentially: nitrate reductase (NAR/NAP; NO3- NO2-), nitrite reductase (NIR; NO2- NO), nitric oxide reductase (NOR; NO  N2O), and nitrous oxide reductase (NOS; N2O  N2). A principle of wastewater treatment (WWT) is to remove excess nitrogen by taking advantage of natural nitrogen cycling …

Stable Isotope Geochemistry Of Shelled Marine Invertebrates: Wide-Ranging Applications, Nasser M. Al-Qattan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Mollusks grow by adding discrete growth layers throughout their lifetime (i.e., accretion). More specifically, most marine mollusks precipitate their shells in oxygen isotopic equilibrium with seawater or with a constant offset from equilibrium. The stable oxygen isotope values (δ¹⁸O) of their shells are determined by the temperature and δ¹⁸O values of the surrounding water during calcification without significant vital effects. In comparison, the stable carbon isotope values (δ¹³C) of their shells reflect those of the dissolved inorganic carbon (δ¹³C- DIC) and respired carbon dioxide. Therefore, variations in the oxygen and carbon isotope …

Habitat Suitability Index Model Of The Florida Sandhill Crane (Grus Canadensis Pratensis) In West-Central Florida, Courtney E. Buck

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Florida Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis pratensis) is a state threatened endemic subspecies of the Sandhill Crane (Nesbitt & Tacha, 1997). With a population that was estimated at a maximum of 5,000 individuals in 2003 (Nesbitt & Hatchitt, 2008), it is imperative to identify potentially viable habitats, as Florida is rapidly developing. This research develops a Habitat Suitability Index model to determine unsuitable to optimally suitable habitat locations throughout west-central Florida. To do so, six suitability variables based on the crane’s life history were evaluated: Potential nesting area, immediate nesting area, wetland coverage, foraging area, brooding area, and road proximity. …

Documenting Evolution: Comparing And Contrasting Late Mesozoic And Late Cenozoic Molluscan Patterns, Joshua Slattery

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite major advances, evolutionary theory still has numerous shortcomings in terms of fully understanding the controls on speciation and diversification. A major factor limiting our knowledge is how biology and paleobiology view speciation from separate micro- and macro-evolutionary perspectives, respectively. Biologists typically examine microevolutionary changes within species from various biogeographic, behavioral, morphological, and genetic perspectives, which contrasts to the macroevolutionary approach of most paleobiologists, who have examined the same phenomena at larger scales but with the standpoint of time, have also concentrated on aspects of global or regional diversification (e.g., richness, origination rates, and extinction rates) over the long-term. Noticeably …