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Articles 1 - 13 of 13
Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Microplastic Accumulation In Terrestrial Gastropods And Soils, Gregory B. Bonilla
Microplastic Accumulation In Terrestrial Gastropods And Soils, Gregory B. Bonilla
Masters Theses
Microplastics (MPs) have become an emerging threat to ecosystems across the world. Transport, impacts, and fates are grossly understudied, especially in terrestrial environments. Current research on MP bioaccumulation has focused mainly on aquatic organisms with little study of terrestrial organisms, including snails where data are nearly nonexistent. To address this, we collected and examined land snails and their surrounding soil for MP content in shell and tissue. From September 11, 2020, to October 25, 2021, cover boards were placed (n=30) along relatively undisturbed sites in hardwood, forested areas, and tall grasses in a Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Oak Ridge …
Identifying New Invasives In The Face Of Climate Change: A Focus On Sleeper Populations, Ayodelé C. O'Uhuru
Identifying New Invasives In The Face Of Climate Change: A Focus On Sleeper Populations, Ayodelé C. O'Uhuru
Masters Theses
Sleeper populations are established populations of a non-native species whose population growth is limited by one or more abiotic or biotic conditions, such as climate change. While the northeastern US is predicted to be a hotspot for future invasions, identifying potential sleeper populations before they become invasive can inform proactive, climate-smart invasive species management. I focused on 169 introduced species that are established in one or more northeastern states. I used the Environmental Impact Classification for Alien Taxa (EICAT) framework to systematically identify and review the peer-reviewed literature for these candidate species to quantify their negative ecological and socioeconomic impacts. …
The Characterization Of Dynamic Soil Properties And Their Relation To Soil Organic Carbon In East Tennessee Soils, Shannon Marissa Newell
The Characterization Of Dynamic Soil Properties And Their Relation To Soil Organic Carbon In East Tennessee Soils, Shannon Marissa Newell
Masters Theses
Quantifying how dynamic soil properties (DSPs) are affected by different management regimes is essential for understanding how these vital resources can be better managed. The Dewey soil series is a critical soil series in East Tennessee. For this study, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) worked alongside the National Cooperative Soil Survey (NCSS) in an effort to better understand the dynamics of the Dewey soil series through a wide range of DSP data. To accomplish this, Dewey soil was collected from five sites which are considered representative of five management regimes: well-managed cropland (WMC), poorly-managed cropland (PMC), well-managed pasture (WMP), …
Fertilizer Waste Mistreatment Facilities: Investigating The Barrier That Keep Waste In And Attention Out At Central Florida's Phosphogypsum Stacks., Harsha Devaraj
Masters Theses
This project investigates the physical and narrative barriers constructed by the phosphate mining and processing industry to dissuade public engagement with its phosphogypsum sites in Central Florida, USA. The barriers around PG utilize decades of misinformation, racial geographies, and misrepresentations of scale, origin, and risk to create powerful narratives about how we should imagine and relate to these materials. These barriers hinder sustained public attention to their sites, enabling extractive industries to expand while avoiding oversight and responsibility. Attention to how these barriers around phosphogypsum are constructed allows us to recognize these strategies at work in how we see and …
How Do You Define The Watershed? Individual Representations Of The Blackstone River Watershed And Their Roles In Collaborative Watershed Governance, Casey Merkle
Masters Theses
Key leaders of civic environmental stewardship organizations shape collaborative watershed governance. Individuals perceive and construct the watershed through past experiences, feeling, emotion, values, and practices. It is not well known how these individuals perceive and construct their own representations of the watershed and environmental stewardship practices. This thesis explored individuals past experiences, feelings, emotions, values, and practices in the Blackstone River watershed to a) examine the ways in which key leaders of civic environmental stewardship organizations represent the watershed b) understand how individuals think, feel, and engage in environmental stewardship practices and, c) reveal the congruences and incongruencies of individual …
Dynamics Of Water Supply And Demand In The Bandama River Watershed Of Cote D'Ivoire, Sarah Alima Traore
Dynamics Of Water Supply And Demand In The Bandama River Watershed Of Cote D'Ivoire, Sarah Alima Traore
Masters Theses
Water is a fundamental human right supporting life, health, and livelihoods. Yet water-related issues are ranked among the top five global economic risks (WEF, 2020). About two-thirds (4 billion) of the world's population live with severe water scarcity for at least one month, of which about 48% live in both India and China (Mekonnen et al., 2016). In Côte d'Ivoire, the Bandama River, one of the largest in the country, has struggled to meet expected demand, causing recurrent water and electricity shortages. The city of Bouaké in Côte d'Ivoire and neighboring towns experienced a severe water shortage in 2018 with …
Genetic Structure Of Urban White-Tailed Deer In West Michigan, Jacob David Brand
Genetic Structure Of Urban White-Tailed Deer In West Michigan, Jacob David Brand
Masters Theses
In urban areas, green spaces are used by humans and wildlife. The proximity between them can lead to both positive and negative interactions, which can make managing urban wildlife difficult. Managers are challenged due to conflicts between wildlife population sizes that can be naturally supported versus those that are socially tolerable. White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) thrive in urban environments because their habitat requirements are met within green spaces and backyard vegetation. Matrilineal groups of urban white-tailed deer live within the same areas, at times forming high densities that can lead to the spread of diseases or environmental pests, including hemlock …
Assessment Of Soil Health Under Native Warm-Season Grasses And Different Grazing Management, Kara Leigh Grosso
Assessment Of Soil Health Under Native Warm-Season Grasses And Different Grazing Management, Kara Leigh Grosso
Masters Theses
This research uses analysis of soil quality indicators (SQIs) to compare vegetation species and grazing management over the 2021 grazing season. The soil health effect of the native warm-season grasses (NWSG) big bluestem (BB) (Andropogon gerardii) mixed with indian grass (IG) (Sorghastrum nutans) (BBIG), and switchgrass (SG) (Panicum virgatum), inter-seeded with a 12 species biodiversity mix was investigated in a 5 pressure grazing system (no graze (NG), no rest (NR), early, middle, and late rest (ER, MR, LR)). Additionally, there is a need for inexpensive tools for land owners to assess soil quality, and a validation study …
Evaluation Of Microbiometer As A Tool To Estimate Soil Health In A West Tennessee Cotton Crop, Daniel T. Sain
Evaluation Of Microbiometer As A Tool To Estimate Soil Health In A West Tennessee Cotton Crop, Daniel T. Sain
Masters Theses
Healthy soils are critical for optimized yields and sustainability in agriculture. Soil health testing can provide valuable information on how management practices are affecting soil health. In west Tennessee, existing soil health tests were unable to discern between significant differences in management practices. A new soil health test called microBIOMETER® has been developed by Prolific Earth Sciences® (Montgomery, NY). MicroBIOMETER® utilizes a new methodology for estimating microbial biomass and uses that estimate as a soil health score. This test has not been validated for use in west Tennessee. This research was focused on the validation of microBIOMETER® in a continuous …
Public Perceptions Of Salamanders In Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Savannah Blackman
Public Perceptions Of Salamanders In Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Savannah Blackman
Masters Theses
Amphibians receive little attention when it comes to public appreciation or support for their conservation. Despite their ecological importance, salamanders are often little known and overlooked by the general public. To better conserve their rapidly declining populations, it is important to understand and consider public knowledge and attitudes toward salamanders and certain behaviors that negatively affect them—like rock stacking in streams and rivers. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is referred to as the “Salamander Capital of the World!” as it is home to more than 30 different species of salamander. One issue facing salamander populations within the park is …
Utilizing Climate Change Refugia For Climate Change Adaptation And Management In The Northeast, Sara A. Wisner
Utilizing Climate Change Refugia For Climate Change Adaptation And Management In The Northeast, Sara A. Wisner
Masters Theses
To account for the effects of climate change, management plans in the northeast need to incorporate climate adaptation. Conserving climate change refugia is one adaptation strategy. Climate change refugia are areas buffered by climate change that enable the persistence of valued physical, ecological, and cultural resources; preserving these areas could be a potential adaptation strategy. Using a translational ecology approach where researchers and managers from the National Park Service, US Geological Survey, the University of Massachusetts, and elsewhere worked together, we focused on identifying refugia for tree, herbaceous plant, mammal, and bird species in order to prioritize them for conservation …
Assessment Of The Economic And Ecosystem Service Contributions Of Usda Forest Service Landowner Assistance Programs In The Conterminous United States, Jacqueline S. Dias
Assessment Of The Economic And Ecosystem Service Contributions Of Usda Forest Service Landowner Assistance Programs In The Conterminous United States, Jacqueline S. Dias
Masters Theses
Forests provide immense goods and services to both local and regional communities. The USDA Forest Service’s, State and Private Forestry program administer multiple landowner assistance programs aimed at helping private forest owners while supporting the continued supply of ecosystem services (e.g., timber harvesting, recreation, carbon sequestration and storage). The two landowner assistance programs assessed in this study are the Forest Legacy Program (FLP) and the Forest Stewardship Program (FSP). A majority of the nation’s forests are privately owned, many of which are facing deleterious impacts like wildfires, invasive species, development pressures, and other adverse effects from climate change. The goal …
Low-Head Dam Removal Increases Functional Diversity Of Stream Fish Assemblages, Adam Christopher Jones
Low-Head Dam Removal Increases Functional Diversity Of Stream Fish Assemblages, Adam Christopher Jones
Masters Theses
Despite the growing number of dam removals to date, very few have been studied to understand their impacts on stream fish communities. Despite being the most common type of dam in the U.S., an even smaller proportion of studies focus on the impacts of low-head dam removals, instead, focusing on the impacts of removal of larger dams. In this study, two previously impounded Illinois rivers were monitored to assess the impacts of low-head dam removal on the functional assemblage of stream fishes. This was accomplished by aggregating fishes into habitat and reproductive guilds, relating community changes to habitat, environmental metrics, …