Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Back To The Future: The Persistence Of Horse Skidding In Large Scale Industrial Community Forests In Chihuahua, Mexico, David Barton Bray, Elvira Duran, Javier Hernández-Salas, Concepción Luján-Alvarez, Miguel Olivas-García, Iván Grijalva-Martínez

Department of Earth and Environment

Horse skidding for extracting logwood is characterized as a niche activity in small-scale forestry, limited to small tracts and low volumes, where environmental impacts and aesthetics are concerned, and to operations with no wood-processing facilities. This article documents and analyzes the widespread persistence, current magnitude, and multiple advantages of horse skidding in large-scale industrial community forest enterprises in Chihuahua, Mexico. We extracted data from the logging permit files of 59 communities in the Sierra Tarahumara and conducted semi-structured interviews with community leaders and foresters in 18 communities, 17 random selections, and one purposefully selected case. There are nine communities that …

Developing Benthic Class Specific, Chlorophyll-A Retrieving Algorithms For Optically-Shallowwater Using Seawifs, Tara Blakey, Assefa M. Melesse, Michael C. Sukop, Georgio Tachiev, Dean Whitman, Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm

Department of Earth and Environment

This study evaluated the ability to improve Sea-Viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor (SeaWiFS) chl-a retrieval from optically shallow coastal waters by applying algorithms specific to the pixels’ benthic class. The form of the Ocean Color (OC) algorithm was assumed for this study. The operational atmospheric correction producing Level 2 SeaWiFS data was retained since the focus of this study was on establishing the benefit from the alternative specification of the bio-optical algorithm. Benthic class was determined through satellite image-based classification methods. Accuracy of the chl-a algorithms evaluated was determined through comparison with coincident in situ measurements of chl-a. The regionally-tuned …

Dna Aptamer Confirmation And Utilization For The Cyanotoxin, Cylindrospermopsin, Diane M. Catlin

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cyanotoxins are posing an increasing threat to the health of humans and wildlife. Cylindrospermopsin is a cyanotoxin that occurs in warm climates and is harmful when ingested. The toxic effects of CYN can affect multiple organ systems. The effects, coupled with the evidence of a mass contamination of a water supply in Australia, prove that CYN needs to be investigated further.

Aptamers have become a desirable method for detection of CYN as a result of an aptamer’s high specificity and the ability to scale up experiments. Aptamers have been designed to bind with a variety of targets, including cyanotoxins. An …

Community-Governed Multifunctional Landscapes And Forest Conservation In The Sierra Norte Of Oaxaca, Mexico, Barbara Pazos Almada

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Community forestry is an evolving approach to forest management, shown to maintain forest cover, while generating income for local communities. In Sierra Norte (SN), a region with no public protected areas, indigenous communities have been actively conserving their forests for decades, through conservation zoning and careful management of their logging areas. This study found that across 22 communities in SN, an estimated 2,949,116.50 m³ of timber were produced from 1993 to 2013, while the region maintains 78% forest cover. About 75% of the forest is under some form of community conservation. Community governance plays a major role, as rules …

Trees In The Agricultural Matrix: Reforestation Processes In A Tropical Dry Landscape In Chinandega, Nicaragua, Brittany A. Duffy

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Tree management practices in the tropical dry forest region of Nicaragua were examined to determine opportunities and factors influencing tree-planting initiatives and forest recovery within the agricultural matrix. A 217.11 ha tree inventory and 44 social surveys were conducted in three rural communities. The inventory found 88 species, 66.68% were native, and 70 valued for multiple uses. Farmers’ reasons for maintaining trees varied, emphasizing live fencing, wood, and fruit. The landscape also contains a tree plantation and a riparian forest, and the origins and management of these tree cover components of the landscape are also considered. Tree planting interventions should …

Enhancing Algal Biomass And Lipid Production Through Bacterial And Fungal Co-Culture, Erwin David Berthold

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the effects of co-culturing microorganisms including 37 yeast, 38 bacteria, nine diazotrophic cyanobacteria, and three fungi on biomass and lipid production in fresh- and saltwater algae. Algal lipid content was measured using Nile Red method and gravimetric techniques. Among the algal strains tested, freshwater Coelastrum sp. 46-4, and saltwater Cricosphaera sp. 146-2-9, showed enhanced biomass yield and lipid content in response to co-culture with bacteria, cyanobacteria, and fungi. While co-culture with yeast caused inhibition of algal productivity, no difference in algal productivity was observed between nitrogen-free diazotrophic cyanobacterial co-culture and nitrogen-replete monoalgal culture. Results indicated that extracellular …

Water-Rock Interactions And Seasonal Hydrologic Processes In Constructed Everglades Tree Islands, Andres E. Prieto Estrada

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The decline of tree islands in the freshwater-Everglades wetland because of hydrologic manipulation, has compromised valuable ecosystem services. Although the role of tree islands in maintaining freshwater quality stems largely from evapotranspiration processes, fundamental questions remain about the effects of different geologic materials on their hydrogeochemical functioning. To reduce this uncertainty, the lithological composition of a set of man-made tree islands was investigated coupled with long-term hydrologic and hydrochemical data. Key results indicate that limestone substrates and peat substrates with elevated proportions of sand, facilitated surface water-groundwater interactions and mineral dissolution. However, limestone-based islands were more effective in lowering the …

Analyzing Spatial Variability Of Social Preference For The Everglades Restoration In The Face Of Climate Change, Abu Hena Mustafa Kamal Sikder

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The South Florida Everglades is a unique ecosystem. Intensive water management in the system has facilitated agricultural, urban, and economic development. The Everglades offers a variety of ecosystem services (ES) to the people living in this region. Nevertheless, the ecosystem is under imminent threat of climate change, which would alter the way water is managed today and ultimately affect the ES offered by the system. On the other hand, substantial restoration is underway that aims to restore the Everglades closer to its historic condition. This research tried to map the public’s preference for Everglades restoration. Using a geocoded discrete-choice survey …

A Study On Residents' Perceptions And Attitudes Towards The Vieques National Wildlife Refuge In Puerto Rico, Ana C. Guzman

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Conflicts between local people and protected areas can undermine conservation goals. This study explores perceptions towards Vieques National Wildlife Refuge (VNWR), a complex former military site containing a combination of high ecological value along with an array of unexploded ordnances. The purpose of this research is to evaluate how residents perceive VNWR and elucidate conflicts associated with former and current uses of the wildlife refuge. Here, I interviewed 235 residents of Vieques Island, Puerto Rico using semi-structured surveys and 33 key informants representing various stakeholder groups to assess attitudes toward VNWR.

A combination of factors influencing attitudes about VNWR included …

Eyes Team, Students Present On Slr Work, Robert E. Gutsche Jr.

Sea Level Rise Collection

SJMC faculty members Susan Jacobson, Juliet Pinto, Kate MacMillin, and Ted Gutsche presented the work of their students, FIU faculty, and local community members to a group of the university’s leading sea level rise researchers and communicators. The “All Hands” meeting was hosted by FIU’s Sea Level Solutions Center.

Potential Effects Of Chemical Contamination On South Florida Bonefish Albula Vulpes, Christine P. Beck

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An ecological risk assessment was conducted on the risk to fish of chemical contaminants detected in the habitat of Albula vulpes in South Florida, to evaluate whether contaminants may be a driver of declines in the recreational bonefish fishery. All available contaminant detection data from Biscayne Bay, Florida Bay, and the Florida Keys were compared to federal and state guidelines for aquatic health to identify Contaminants of Potential Ecological Concern (COPECS). For these COPECs, species sensitivity distributions were constructed and compared with recent detections at the 90^th centile of exposure. Copper in Biscayne Bay was identified as the highest …