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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Aligning Natural Resource Conservation, Flood Hazard Mitigation, And Social Vulnerability Remediation In Florida, Juliano Calil, Sarah Newkirk Aug 2017

Aligning Natural Resource Conservation, Flood Hazard Mitigation, And Social Vulnerability Remediation In Florida, Juliano Calil, Sarah Newkirk

Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics

Flooding continues to be the most common and damaging of all natural disasters in the United States. In 2016, twelve individual weather and climate events caused more than $1billion in damages each. During 2016, the U.S. was hit by at least five once-in-1,000 years precipitation events, and severe floods resulted in more than $17 billion in damages. Currently, more than 5.5 million active policies under the National Flood Insurance Program, underwrite more than $1.6 trillion in assets. Since 1978, NFIP has paid out more than $38 billion in claims – nearly 30% was paid to the 1% of properties classified …


Predictors Of Exotic Plant Species In United States National Parks, Rachel S. Fried Jun 2017

Predictors Of Exotic Plant Species In United States National Parks, Rachel S. Fried

Honors Theses

Invasive species are recognized as a major threat to biodiversity. Understanding what factors facilitate invasion is of great conservation value, as this will allow for more specific and targeted conservation efforts related to non-native species. Knowledge of factors that contribute to invasion play an important role in conservation of particularly unique habitats, such as the iconic United States National Parks. Though National Parks have some legal protections against some forms of habitat degradation, they are still vulnerable to the introduction of non-natives. The purpose of this study is to characterize species invasion in National Parks and identify what environmental conditions …


Coexistence Of Confamilial, Folivorous Indriids, Propithecus Diadema And Indri Indri, At Betampona Strict Nature Reserve, Madagascar, Lana Kerker Oliver May 2017

Coexistence Of Confamilial, Folivorous Indriids, Propithecus Diadema And Indri Indri, At Betampona Strict Nature Reserve, Madagascar, Lana Kerker Oliver

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, I examine how two confamilial and ecologically similar indriids, indri (Indri indri), and diademed sifakas (Propithecus diadema) maintain coexistence in Betampona Nature Reserve (BNR), an eastern lowland rainforest in Madagascar. These two species occur sympatrically throughout much of their species ranges and are similarly-sized folivorous primates. As anatomic folivores, they present an opportunity to investigate how niche differentiation and resource partitioning allow two sympatric primate species with similar feeding patterns to coexist. I examined coexistence strategies and the general behavioral ecology of each species by examining their activity patterns, dietary profiles, home range use, and daily path …


Understanding Urban Wilds: Nature, Culture, And Management, Ted Randich May 2017

Understanding Urban Wilds: Nature, Culture, And Management, Ted Randich

International Development, Community and Environment (IDCE)

Undeveloped natural areas in cities, or urban wilds, are an invaluable resource to urban populations. They provide space for physical activity, mental recovery and relaxation, and nature interaction and learning, among other benefits. Through observation, intercept survey, and interviews, this study explores three urban wilds sites in Worcester, Massachusetts. Current literature covers definitions of what makes nature “natural,” contemporary practices in conservation, and evidence of the benefits listed above. This paper builds on the literature, shedding light on what urban wilds are made up of (nature), how they are used (culture), and how they are sustained through management. A conceptual …


Estimating Landscape Quality And Genetic Structure Of Recovering American Marten Populations In The Northeastern United States, Cody Michael Aylward Jan 2017

Estimating Landscape Quality And Genetic Structure Of Recovering American Marten Populations In The Northeastern United States, Cody Michael Aylward

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

The American marten (Martes americana) is an endangered species in Vermont and a Regional Species of Greatest Conservation Need in the northeastern United States. Though historically widespread in northeastern forests, their range presumably contracted to northern Maine and the High Peaks region of the Adirondacks by the early 1900s. Regionally, populations appear to be in recovery. Natural recolonization is believed to have occurred in New Hampshire, northeastern Vermont and the western Adirondacks. A reintroduction effort in southern Vermont that was originally declared unsuccessful is now believed to be the source of a recently detected population in the area. However, our …


Unusual Aerobic Performance At High Temperatures In Juvenile Chinook Salmon, Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha, Jamilynn B. Poletto, Dennis E. Cocherell, Sarah E. Baird, Trinh X. Nguyen, Valentina Cabrera-Stagno, Anthony P. Farrell, Nann A. Fangue Jan 2017

Unusual Aerobic Performance At High Temperatures In Juvenile Chinook Salmon, Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha, Jamilynn B. Poletto, Dennis E. Cocherell, Sarah E. Baird, Trinh X. Nguyen, Valentina Cabrera-Stagno, Anthony P. Farrell, Nann A. Fangue

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Understanding how the current warming trends affect fish populations is crucial for effective conservation and management. To help define suitable thermal habitat for juvenile Chinook salmon, the thermal performance of juvenile Chinook salmon acclimated to either 15 or 19°C was tested across a range of environmentally relevant acute temperature changes (from 12 to 26°C). Swim tunnel respirometers were used to measure routine oxygen uptake as a measure of routine metabolic rate (RMR) and oxygen uptake when swimming maximally as a measure of maximal metabolic rate (MMR) at each test temperature. We estimated absolute aerobic scope (AAS = MMR − RMR), …


Measuring Farmer Conservation Behaviors: Challenges And Best Practices, Kristin Floress, Adam Reimer, Aaron Thompson, Mark Burbach, Cody Knutson, Linda Prokopy, Marc Ribaudo, Jessica Ulrich-Schad Jan 2017

Measuring Farmer Conservation Behaviors: Challenges And Best Practices, Kristin Floress, Adam Reimer, Aaron Thompson, Mark Burbach, Cody Knutson, Linda Prokopy, Marc Ribaudo, Jessica Ulrich-Schad

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


The Evolution Of A Volunteer Lake Protection Program, Maggie Shannon, Alexa A.E. Junker, Philip J. Nyhus, Cathy R. Bevier, Russell Cole Dec 2016

The Evolution Of A Volunteer Lake Protection Program, Maggie Shannon, Alexa A.E. Junker, Philip J. Nyhus, Cathy R. Bevier, Russell Cole

Philip J. Nyhus

No abstract provided.