Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The Remipedia (Crustacea): A Study Of Their Reproduction And Ecology, Jill Yager

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Remipedes are an unusual group of troglobitic crustaceans that live exclusively in anchialine caves. Since their discovery in 1979, nine species have been described, seven of which are found in caves in the West Indies, one from the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico and one from the Canary Islands. Most of what is known about these animals has come mainly from taxonomic descriptions. Little has been published about their reproductive biology or ecology. The objectives of this dissertation were to investigate the reproductive biology and ecology of the remipedes inhabiting Sagittarius Cave on Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas.

Sagittarius Cave was chosen …

Picoplankton/Phytoplankton Dynamics In Hampton Roads, Virginia, Leslie E. Dorworth

OES Theses and Dissertations

The biomass distribution of the three main size components of the phytoplankton (net, nano, and picoplankton) was examined in the lower Chesapeake Bay. Work was done at two stations during the spring and neap tidal cycles when freshwater flow into the bay was at its seasonal minimum and maximum. Emphasis was placed on how the picoplankton ( < 2.0 μm, > 0.2 μm) reacted during the sampling period.

Picoplankton made up approximately 13% of the total biomass, during the observed time period, at the more oceanic station. The picoplankton fraction contributed up to 16% of the total biomass at the estuarine station. From this …

Management, Foraging Behavior, Diet Composition And Forage Quality Of Free-Ranging But Herded Camels In Ceeldheer District, Central Somalia, Ahmed A. Elmi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In Somalia, camel (Camelus dromedarius) survivability and milk production has been higher than for other domestic livestock and contributes substantially to the subsistence of Somali pastoralists. The objective of this research was to study management, foraging behavior and nutrition of camels in their natural habitat to determine how production continues under seasonal nutritional stress.

Management systems of Ceeldheer pastoralists are based on available natural pasture and water. The natural rotation grazing system maintained an ecological equilibrium in the District.

Pastoralists manipulate their herds to suit existing environmental conditions, family needs and labor availability for herding. In herd management, …

Root Exploitation Of Fertile Soil Microsites, Robert B. Jackson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Root exploitation of enriched soil microsites was examined for the tussock grasses Agropyron desertorum and Agropyron spicatum and the shrub Artemisia tridentata. Two mechanisms of exploitation of the microsites were examined: root proliferation and changes in nutrient uptake capacity. One day after nutrient solution was applied to small soil patches, the mean relative growth rate of Agropyron desertorum roots in enriched patches was two to four times greater than for roots of the same plants in soil patches treated with distilled water. This rapid and striking root proliferation occurred in response to N-P-K enrichment as well as to P or …

Modeling Forest Dynamics Based On Stand Level Resource Allocation, Geoffrey Candler Poole

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

An ecologically based model of forest succession is presented. In the model, trees compete for a share of limited growth resources available from their environment. Competition is reflected by each tree's effect on the resource pool and is not explicitly modeled. Model parameters were fit to field data from subalpine forests of the Rocky Mountains. A technique for estimating model parameters from understory-tolerance rankings and silvical characteristics of each species is also presented. The model's output was consistent with our current understanding of forest dynamics. Emergent properties of the model also mimicked natural processes such as self-thinning, release, and maximum …

Using Computer Imaging To Assess Visual Impacts Of Forest Insect And Disease Pests, Daniel Rabin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Forest insect and disease pests alter the appearance of trees, thereby impacting visual resources. Because of the complexity of most forest landscapes, the degree of visual impact of pest-infested forest stands is difficult to quantify.

This paper describes a method of measuring visual impacts of pest-infested forest stands. Photographs of healthy Ponderosa pine trees were entered into a computer video-image-processing system. Using this system, images of trees were altered to simulate different degrees of infestation by limb rust, a forest pathogen.

The altered and unaltered images were shown to groups of observers who rated the scenes in terms of "scenic …

The Influence Of Tributyltin On Various Aspects Of Activation And Reactive Oxygen Formation In Oyster Toadfish (Opsanus Tau) Macrophages, Charles D. Rice

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The effects of tributyltin (TBT) on phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)- and calcium ionophore (A23187)-stimulated peritoneal macrophages from oyster toadfish (Opsanus tau) were evaluated in a luminol-dependent chemiluminescence (CL) assay. PMA-stimulated CL responses were increased by in vitro exposure to 50 ug/L TBT, but depressed to baseline values by 500 ug/L TBT. A23187-stimulated CL increased with 5 ug/L and 50 ug/L TBT, and depressed by 500 ug/L TBT. Responses stimulated by synergistic doses of PMA and A23187 were increased by 50 ug/L TBT and depressed by 500 ug/L TBT. Enhanced PMA- and A23187-stimulated CL following TBT exposure returned to baseline values …