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School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

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Articles 31 - 60 of 429

Full-Text Articles in Earth Sciences

Geospatial Assessment Of Agrivoltaic Opportunities And Land Use Requirements In Nigeria, Ifeoluwa Ezekiel Babarinde, Bashir Salisu, Jude A. Benavides, Engil Pereira, Steven M. Grodsky, Rafael M. Almeida Apr 2026

Geospatial Assessment Of Agrivoltaic Opportunities And Land Use Requirements In Nigeria, Ifeoluwa Ezekiel Babarinde, Bashir Salisu, Jude A. Benavides, Engil Pereira, Steven M. Grodsky, Rafael M. Almeida

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Agrivoltaics, the co-location of agriculture and solar photovoltaic (PV) infrastructure, can deliver co-benefits like reduced plant drought stress and improved yields of shade-tolerant crops, particularly in water-scarce regions. Despite growing global interest, the technical potential and opportunities for agrivoltaics remain poorly understood in many regions facing both food and energy insecurity, such as sub-Saharan Africa. Here we provide a spatial assessment of agrivoltaic opportunities in Nigeria by integrating cropland distribution, solar resources, and water stress. We find that northern states—where cropland is abundant and water-stressed, solar irradiance is high, and electricity access remains low—offer the greatest potential for agrivoltaic systems …

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Evaluation Of Sirna-Mediated Knockdown Of Heat Shock Protein 16.2 In Adult Acropora Cervicornis, Edward P. Gniffke, Benjamin D. Young, Keir J. Macartney, Michael S. Studivan, Ian C. Enochs, Erin E. Easton Apr 2026

Evaluation Of Sirna-Mediated Knockdown Of Heat Shock Protein 16.2 In Adult Acropora Cervicornis, Edward P. Gniffke, Benjamin D. Young, Keir J. Macartney, Michael S. Studivan, Ian C. Enochs, Erin E. Easton

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Acropora cervicornis is a critically endangered Caribbean coral species facing a precipitous decline due to disease and thermal bleaching. To combat the loss of ecologically important reef-building corals, novel molecular approaches can be used to understand mechanisms of resilience and ultimately provide a means to modulate coral performance. In this study, we tested a recently developed method for gene knockdown in adult corals that utilizes short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and the RNA interference pathway. The Heat Shock Protein 16.2 (HSP16.2) gene in fragments of adult A. cervicornis was targeted for knockdown using a single siRNA construct. RT-qPCR analysis of HSP16.2 …

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High Germinability Can Facilitate Recovery Of Adelia Vaseyi (Euphorbiaceae), An Imperiled Tamaulipan Thornscrub Shrub, Saroj Dhakal, Bashira Chowdhury, Alejandro Fierro-Cabo Apr 2026

High Germinability Can Facilitate Recovery Of Adelia Vaseyi (Euphorbiaceae), An Imperiled Tamaulipan Thornscrub Shrub, Saroj Dhakal, Bashira Chowdhury, Alejandro Fierro-Cabo

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

While critical to maintaining dryland biodiversity and drought resilience, reforestation has been limited in subtropical dry forests because of knowledge gaps in seed biology that must be filled to upscale seedling production and ensure recovery of imperiled endemic plants. We characterized seed germination, dormancy, and storage needs for Adelia vaseyi, a threatened endemic shrub commonly included in planting mixes to restore Tamaulipan thornscrub, an imperiled subtropical forest spanning South Texas and Northeastern Mexico. We found A. vaseyi seeds have high germinability (82.0%) and a short mean germination time (3.04 ± 0.08 days). A delia vaseyi seed does not appear …

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Applications Of Machine Learning In Enhancing Evaporation Estimation For Small Reservoirs: A Case Study In Semi-Arid South Texas, Syed Muhammad F Abdullah, Chu-Lin Cheng, Jude A. Benavides, Jungseok Ho, Rafael M. Almeida Apr 2026

Applications Of Machine Learning In Enhancing Evaporation Estimation For Small Reservoirs: A Case Study In Semi-Arid South Texas, Syed Muhammad F Abdullah, Chu-Lin Cheng, Jude A. Benavides, Jungseok Ho, Rafael M. Almeida

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Small reservoirs in semi-arid regions experience substantial evaporative losses but are rarely monitored at daily scales. A multi-reservoir machine learning (ML) framework was developed to estimate daily open-water evaporation. Empirical models (Penman, Penman-Monteith, Priestley-Taylor, Bowen Ratio Energy Budget) andabenchmark combination method (Daily Lake Evaporation Model-DLEM) were compared against ML models. Predictors combined gridded meteorology (gridMET) with reservoir attributes (surface area, average depth, maximum depth, and fetch). ML models (Random Forest-RF, Decision Tree-DT, K-Nearest Neighbor-KNN, and Support Vector Regression-SVR) were trained on four reservoirs using data from 2018 to 2025. Results from ML models were further validated using both DLEM and …

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Morphology, Phylogeny And Distribution Of Scaeurgus (Cephalopoda: Octopoda) In Southeast Pacific Seamounts, Sergio A. Carrasco, Christian M. Ibáñez, Andrea I. Varela, Jan M. Tapia-Guerra, Erin E. Easton, Javier Sellanes Apr 2026

Morphology, Phylogeny And Distribution Of Scaeurgus (Cephalopoda: Octopoda) In Southeast Pacific Seamounts, Sergio A. Carrasco, Christian M. Ibáñez, Andrea I. Varela, Jan M. Tapia-Guerra, Erin E. Easton, Javier Sellanes

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Octopuses of the genus Scaeurgus inhabit upper bathyal benthic habitats and are composed of five recognized species. In this study, we conducted morphological and molecular phylogenetic analyses of two individuals of Scaeurgus and provided additional field observations of the genus in seamounts of the Nazca and Salas y Gómez ridges (southeast Pacific Ocean) over the last six years. Specifically, two specimens of Scaeurgus were collected at 234 m depth in 2019 during the EPIC oceanographic cruise onboard the R/V Mirai (JAMSTEC, Japan), and five other specimens were video recorded at depths between 210 and 340 m during three oceanographic expeditions …

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Survival Politics On A Working Waterfront: Rules Change Faster Than Prices In The South Texas Shrimp Fishery, Owen Temby, Anthony R. Lima Mar 2026

Survival Politics On A Working Waterfront: Rules Change Faster Than Prices In The South Texas Shrimp Fishery, Owen Temby, Anthony R. Lima

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

In 2024–2025, the U.S. and Texas governments raced to save Gulf shrimp. Texas passed a truth-in labeling law for food service in restaurants. Federal agencies added antidumping and countervailing duty orders and new tariffs. This case follows Brownsville and Port Isabel, where dock prices slid while boats and crews aged. We frame the response as survival politics: urgent and improvised moves to keep a livelihood going even when imports set the price. Using legislative hearings, agency notices, local reporting, and port records, we show that rules reset faster than prices. Inventories, contracts, and supplier substitution delay any lift at the …

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Institutional And Ideational Features Of Canadian-Us Fishery Management Networks: Connectivity, Coherence, And Collaboration, Owen Temby, Evelyn Roozee, Dongkyu Kim, Jasper R. De Vries, Derek A. Katznelson, Antonia Sohns, Gordon M. Hickey Mar 2026

Institutional And Ideational Features Of Canadian-Us Fishery Management Networks: Connectivity, Coherence, And Collaboration, Owen Temby, Evelyn Roozee, Dongkyu Kim, Jasper R. De Vries, Derek A. Katznelson, Antonia Sohns, Gordon M. Hickey

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

This article examines fishery management along and across the Canadian-US border through the comparison of collaborative transboundary networks in four regions: the Salish Sea, the Great Lakes, the Gulf of Maine, and the northern region including the Gulf of Alaska and the Hecate Strait. Transnational fishery management is an inter-organizational and multi-jurisdictional enterprise constituted by shared understandings of a suite of tasks and by communications among the participants. We use survey data to summarize the inter-organizational scale and participation in the networks, the centrality of different organization types, the factors that contribute to network formation, other ideational network traits like …

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Riverbank Erosion In The Ganges Reach Of Bangladesh: Influence Of Geotechnical Factors And Seasonal Water Level Fluctuations, Sumiaya Amin Preota, Md. Mostafizur Rahman, Fazle Rabbi Joy, Md. Bodruddoza Mia, Farhad Hossain, Shariful Islam, Saba Karim Mar 2026

Riverbank Erosion In The Ganges Reach Of Bangladesh: Influence Of Geotechnical Factors And Seasonal Water Level Fluctuations, Sumiaya Amin Preota, Md. Mostafizur Rahman, Fazle Rabbi Joy, Md. Bodruddoza Mia, Farhad Hossain, Shariful Islam, Saba Karim

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

This study aims to characterize the erosional behaviour of the Ganges riverbanks by investigating the geotechnical properties and seasonal hydrological fluctuation in Bangladesh. Multi-temporal satellite images (1973–2020) were analysed using Geographic Information System (GIS) to select study locations for detailed analysis. The GIS-based analysis identified erosion-accretion patterns and highlighted erosion-prone and stable riverbank locations. Further, field investigation, geotechnical laboratory analyses, and slope stability model using SLIDE software were used to assess the targeted study factors from the selected locations. Field investigation and geotechnical assessments revealed that bank material cohesion and composition strongly influence erosion. River flow at the outer bends …

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Interactive Effects Of Hyposalinity And Nitrate Loading On Growth, Physiology, And Nitrogen Status Of The Seagrass, Halodule Wrightii, Joseph L. Kowalski, Hudson R. Deyoe, Kirk Cammarata, Kristina P. Vatcheva Jan 2026

Interactive Effects Of Hyposalinity And Nitrate Loading On Growth, Physiology, And Nitrogen Status Of The Seagrass, Halodule Wrightii, Joseph L. Kowalski, Hudson R. Deyoe, Kirk Cammarata, Kristina P. Vatcheva

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

The study goal was to examine the interactive physiological effects of two freshwater inflow stressors, nitrate pulses coupled with salinity decrease, on the seagrass Halodule wrightii. A microcosm experiment was designed to approximate an observed freshwater inflow event. Over a 13-day period plants were subjected to three sequential salinity drops (S35→ S23→ S15→ S5) with nitrate-nitrogen added simultaneously at 0, 30 or 60 µM. For comparisons, the Control was no salinity change and no nitrate added denoted by S35/No N. Measurements of H. wrightii shoot production, photosynthesis, respiration, quantum efficiency, %N, C:N ratios and δ15N …

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A Preliminary Investigation Of Research Collaboration Through Scientific Paper Co-Authorship In The Gulf Of Mexico, Juliet Vallejo, Evelyn Roozee, Dongkyu Kim, Andrew M. Song, Christopher A. Gabler, Jasper R. De Vries, Antonia Sohns, Gordon M. Hickey, Owen Temby Jan 2026

A Preliminary Investigation Of Research Collaboration Through Scientific Paper Co-Authorship In The Gulf Of Mexico, Juliet Vallejo, Evelyn Roozee, Dongkyu Kim, Andrew M. Song, Christopher A. Gabler, Jasper R. De Vries, Antonia Sohns, Gordon M. Hickey, Owen Temby

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

It is well known that publications with collaborators from external institutions increase citations. This effect scales with spatial distance. There are also many barriers to long-distance collaborations, including linguistic differences, funding constraints, and the incremental costs of remote collaboration. This paper uses the Gulf of Mexico as a case study to examine long-distance research collaboration because it consists of three countries with diverse development levels and two prominent diplomatic languages, within a singular regional ecosystem of tremendous natural and economic value. This paper uses bibliometric network analysis to examine scientific research article co-authorship in the Gulf of Mexico from 2000 …

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Histochemical Alteration, Protein Nitration, And Antioxidant Expression In Oysters As Early Warning Indicators For Microplastic Contamination In The Texas Gulf Coast, Rebecca Muñiz, Md Faisal Amin, Md. Saydur Rahman Jan 2026

Histochemical Alteration, Protein Nitration, And Antioxidant Expression In Oysters As Early Warning Indicators For Microplastic Contamination In The Texas Gulf Coast, Rebecca Muñiz, Md Faisal Amin, Md. Saydur Rahman

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Microplastics are widely distributed in aquatic environments and have been detected in numerous organisms. Marine bivalves are among the most affected aquatic organisms by microplastics due to their filter-feeding behavior. In this study, 60 oysters were collected from two sites along the Texas Gulf Coast. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Nile red staining were used to detect microplastics in oyster (Crassostrea virginica) tissues. We compared field and laboratory samples collected after a two-week depuration period to identify differences in the shape and size of microplastics in oyster tissues. Results from the field sites showed a large number of microplastics, …

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Using Low-Cost Sensors For Source Attribution And Health Assessment: An Air Quality Study In Brownsville, Texas, Sai Deepak Pinakana, Kabir Bahadur Shah, Daniel Jaffe, Juan L. Gonzalez, Owen Temby, Gabriel Ibarra-Mejia, Amit U. Raysoni Jan 2026

Using Low-Cost Sensors For Source Attribution And Health Assessment: An Air Quality Study In Brownsville, Texas, Sai Deepak Pinakana, Kabir Bahadur Shah, Daniel Jaffe, Juan L. Gonzalez, Owen Temby, Gabriel Ibarra-Mejia, Amit U. Raysoni

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Air quality monitoring remains a challenge in areas lacking or having sparse federal monitoring infrastructure, posing significant barriers to public health research. This study demonstrates the usage of low-cost sensors in addressing gaps in air quality monitoring, source attribution, and health risk assessment in a Brownsville, TX neighborhood impacted by emissions from a barite and celestite mineral processing unit. PM2.5 concentrations were measured using PurpleAir sensors deployed across three residential locations, with the site nearest to the processing unit recording a 24-h averaged PM2.5 concentration of 25.12 μg/m3—approximately 2.79 times higher than the nearest Texas Commission of Environmental Quality (TCEQ) …

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The Impact Of Regional Fishery Management Organization Structure On Collaborative Performance, Evelyn Roozee, Owen Temby, Gordon M. Hickey Jan 2026

The Impact Of Regional Fishery Management Organization Structure On Collaborative Performance, Evelyn Roozee, Owen Temby, Gordon M. Hickey

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Collaboration is integral to understand, plan, coordinate, and implement management measures for fisheries that cross international borders. Regional Fishery Management Organizations (RFMOs) are the main arenas for countries to collaborate and make decisions for transboundary fisheries, but these organizations have generally failed to prevent the depletion of some of the world's most valuable fish stocks. It is unclear how the structure and functioning of RFMOs can improve collaborative performance to better manage transboundary fish stocks. Using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis, our study analyzes 10 RFMOs to identify the combination of six organizational conditions associated with high and low collaborative performance. …

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Effects Of Short-Term Exposure To Environmentally Relevant Pesticides Mixture On Morphological Alterations, Oxidative-Nitrative Stress Biomarkers, Cellular Apoptosis, And Antioxidant Expression In Kidneys Of Goldfish, Esmirna Cantu, Md Saydur Rahman Jan 2026

Effects Of Short-Term Exposure To Environmentally Relevant Pesticides Mixture On Morphological Alterations, Oxidative-Nitrative Stress Biomarkers, Cellular Apoptosis, And Antioxidant Expression In Kidneys Of Goldfish, Esmirna Cantu, Md Saydur Rahman

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Chemical stressors are pervasive, affecting both terrestrial and aquatic environments. The continual influx of these toxins is damaging ecosystems and the organisms that inhabit them. The abundance of environmental toxins makes aquatic habitats inhospitable for aquatic life. These chemical stressors consistently disrupt the life processes of aquatic organisms, particularly their physiological functions. This study examined on the effects of environmentally relevant pesticides mixture (low-dose and high-dose: S-metolachlor: 2.4 go/L, 12 μg/L; linuron: 2.0 μg/L, 10 μg/L; isoproturon: 1.2 μg/L, 6.0 μg/L; tebucanozole: 1.2 μg/L, 6.0 μg/L; aclonifen: 0.8 μg/L, 4.0 μg/L; atrazine: 0.4 μg/L, 2.0 μg/L; pendimethalin: 0.4 μg/L, 2.0 …

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Macroinvertebrate Community Dynamics In A Recovering, Hypersaline Estuary, Catherine M. Eckert, Claudia A. Tamez, Erin E. Easton, David Hicks Dec 2025

Macroinvertebrate Community Dynamics In A Recovering, Hypersaline Estuary, Catherine M. Eckert, Claudia A. Tamez, Erin E. Easton, David Hicks

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

The Bahia Grande is a 6,500—acre tidal basin located at the southernmost tip of Texas. Tidal flow into this coastal estuary was cut off in the 1930s, causing the basin to dry up for ~70 y. A pilot channel connecting the Bahia Grande to tidal waters was constructed in 2005, allowing flooding of the basin to occur. Throughout the period reported herein (2005–2019), the system remained characterized by persistent spatial and temporal episodes of extreme hypersalinity (>70)—a critical factor influencing estuarine community composition and driving key ecological processes. With additional rehabilitation actions forthcoming, characterization of the estuary is essential …

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Interactions Between Black, Brown, Blue And Green Carbon From Terrestrial To Marine Ecosystems: A Critical Review, Allison White, Richard Kline, Md. Saydur Rahman Dec 2025

Interactions Between Black, Brown, Blue And Green Carbon From Terrestrial To Marine Ecosystems: A Critical Review, Allison White, Richard Kline, Md. Saydur Rahman

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Black and brown carbon are byproducts of the incomplete combustion of biomass or fossil fuels. These light-absorbing aerosols influence climate by altering the radiative balance through the absorption and scattering of sunlight, exacerbating global climate change. Their subsequent deposition on terrestrial and marine environments affects surface albedo, snow and ice melt, and biogeochemical processes, leading to further environmental consequences. In contrast, green and blue carbon refer to carbon stored in terrestrial vegetation and marine ecosystems, respectively. These ecosystems play a crucial role in mitigating climate change by sequestering atmospheric carbon; however, they are increasingly threatened by climatic disturbances, anthropogenic activities, …

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Leptinotarsa Texana Schaeffer And Gargaphia Arizonica Drake & Carvalho As Potential Biocontrol Agents For The Noxious Weed Solanum Elaeagnifolium Cav, Samikshya Subedi, Stephanie L. Kasper, Alexis Racelis, Greg Lefoe, Rupesh R. Kariyat Dec 2025

Leptinotarsa Texana Schaeffer And Gargaphia Arizonica Drake & Carvalho As Potential Biocontrol Agents For The Noxious Weed Solanum Elaeagnifolium Cav, Samikshya Subedi, Stephanie L. Kasper, Alexis Racelis, Greg Lefoe, Rupesh R. Kariyat

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Silverleaf nightshade (Solanum elaeagnifolium Cav.; SLN) is a perennial forb native to the southern United States, Mexico and South America that has become a serious agricultural weed across the world. Biological control has emerged as a significant alternative for the management of (SLN) due to the challenges and high costs associated with chemical and mechanical controls. In this study, we used a combination of field and laboratory studies to (1) explore the fundamental and realized host ranges of two North American insects, Leptinotarsa texana Schaeffer and Gargaphia arizonica Drake & Carvalho and (2) assess their suitability as potential biological …

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High Variability In Flood Discharge And Stage Accelerates River Mobility, Chenliang Wu, Wonsuck Kim, Shuo Yang, Frank Tsai, Jeffrey A. Nittrouer, Tian Y. Dong, Duhwan Keum, Kyle M. Straub Nov 2025

High Variability In Flood Discharge And Stage Accelerates River Mobility, Chenliang Wu, Wonsuck Kim, Shuo Yang, Frank Tsai, Jeffrey A. Nittrouer, Tian Y. Dong, Duhwan Keum, Kyle M. Straub

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Lateral channel migration is a fundamental process in natural alluvial rivers; however, the factors that control the rate of migration remain unclear. Despite its importance in shaping river morphology, the impact of water discharge on river mobility is still largely unexplored. Here, we leverage a dataset of 64 rivers across the globe to show that higher variability in river discharge and stage promotes higher rates of river migration. To reveal the physical processes behind this relationship, we focused analyses on the lowermost 500 kilometers of the Mississippi River, where a pronounced gradient in water stage variability and migration rate exists. …

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Predicting Species Assemblages At Wildlife Crossing Structures Using Multivariate Regression Of Principal Coordinates, Thomas J. Yamashita, Daniel G. Scognamillo, Kevin W. Ryer, Richard Kline, Michael E. Tewes, John H. Young Jr., Jason V. Lombardi Oct 2025

Predicting Species Assemblages At Wildlife Crossing Structures Using Multivariate Regression Of Principal Coordinates, Thomas J. Yamashita, Daniel G. Scognamillo, Kevin W. Ryer, Richard Kline, Michael E. Tewes, John H. Young Jr., Jason V. Lombardi

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Wildlife populations are in decline due to human threats, including highways. Strategies for reducing road impacts on wildlife include wildlife fencing which keep animals off roads and wildlife crossing structures (WCSs) which provide safe passage across roads. Wildlife crossing structures are diverse and transportation managers are often interested in identifying which WCS designs are effective for target species so a model that predicts target species usage of WCSs is likely to be beneficial to managers and biologists. Wildlife crossing structures are typically built for select species but are utilized by other species, so it may be beneficial to examine WCS …

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Turning Waste Into Fertilizer: Aloe Vera Leaf Shavings Improve Plant Growth And Support Soil Fertility In Organic Systems, Isaiah Edward Jaramillo, Carine Cocco, James Jihoon Kang, Chu-Lin Cheng, Engil Pereira Oct 2025

Turning Waste Into Fertilizer: Aloe Vera Leaf Shavings Improve Plant Growth And Support Soil Fertility In Organic Systems, Isaiah Edward Jaramillo, Carine Cocco, James Jihoon Kang, Chu-Lin Cheng, Engil Pereira

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

The Aloe vera industry discards large amounts of outer leaf tissue (“shavings”), creating an opportunity to repurpose this byproduct as a sustainable fertilizer. This study evaluated whether aloe shavings can serve as a plant-based alternative to compost in organic Aloe vera production. A field trial in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas tested three treatments: aloe shavings (applied to supply 39 kg N ha−1), organic compost (39 kg N ha−1), and a non-fertilized control. Laboratory incubations further assessed nitrogen mineralization and microbial respiration. Aloe shavings significantly enhanced vegetative growth: leaf number increased from 5.7 to 12.3 leaves per plant …

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Factors Influencing Plant Community Structure And Composition Of Restored Tamaulipan Thornscrub Forests, Jerald T. Garrett, Audrey J. Hicks, Christopher A. Gabler Oct 2025

Factors Influencing Plant Community Structure And Composition Of Restored Tamaulipan Thornscrub Forests, Jerald T. Garrett, Audrey J. Hicks, Christopher A. Gabler

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

The Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) of Texas is a biodiversity hotspot due to its high alpha, beta, and gamma diversity and high regional endemism, which are at high risk of degradation. The region has lost 95% of its native thornforest habitat primarily due to agricultural and urban expansion. This study aims to evaluate the current vegetative structure and composition of restored thornforest sites located in the LRGV to identify restoration methods and site characteristics that affect forest restoration outcomes. Twelve restored thornforest sites were selected for this study that varied in time since restoration, patch size, degree of isolation, …

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Tillage Legacy, Grasses And Soil Texture Shape Soil Organic Carbon Recovery In Semi-Arid Woodland, Samantha Colunga, Alejandro Fierro-Cabo, Bradley O. Christoffersen, Engil Pereira Oct 2025

Tillage Legacy, Grasses And Soil Texture Shape Soil Organic Carbon Recovery In Semi-Arid Woodland, Samantha Colunga, Alejandro Fierro-Cabo, Bradley O. Christoffersen, Engil Pereira

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Soil degradation from intensive tillage poses a critical barrier to carbon sequestration, particularly in semi-arid regions where low rainfall limits ecosystem recovery. As climate change expands arid zones globally, understanding the long-term potential for soil organic carbon (SOC) recovery in degraded lands becomes increasingly urgent. Here, we analyze reforested chronosequences (4–36 years post-abandonment) in formerly cultivated subtropical thornscrub woodlands to assess SOC dynamics across gradients of soil texture and degradation. We introduce a novel degradation index (DI), integrating SOC deficit and grass dominance, to evaluate how invasive grasses, commonly overlooked in restoration metrics, impede nitrogen (N2)-fixing tree establishment and, consequently, …

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Assessing The Effectiveness Of Bridge Grate And Pipe Cattle Guard Designed To Mitigate Ocelot Road Mortality On Texas State Highway, Rupesh Maharjan, John H. Young Jr., Kevin W. Ryer, Md. Saydur Rahman, Richard J. Kline Oct 2025

Assessing The Effectiveness Of Bridge Grate And Pipe Cattle Guard Designed To Mitigate Ocelot Road Mortality On Texas State Highway, Rupesh Maharjan, John H. Young Jr., Kevin W. Ryer, Md. Saydur Rahman, Richard J. Kline

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

The mitigated and fenced section of State Highway 100, extending from Laguna Vista to Los Fresnos, includes five wildlife crossing structures and 16 modified cattle guards (also called wildlife guards) installed to mitigate ocelot road mortality. Bridge grate and pipe wildlife guards were deployed at vehicle entries, and we evaluated their effectiveness in preventing meso-carnivores and ungulates from entering the roadway through the fence gaps from April 2020 to 2024. Wildlife guards collectively were >82% effective in repelling ungulate attempts to enter the roadway, while only 16.64% of meso-carnivore attempts were repelled. The pipe wildlife guard (PWG) design repelled 86.79% …

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Miscanthus × Giganteus Increases Soil Maximum Water Holding Capacity Compared To Maize, Jessica T. Nelson, Maoz Dor, Andy D. Vanloocke, Jacob E. Studt, Perla K. Schrock, Marshall D. Mcdaniel Sep 2025

Miscanthus × Giganteus Increases Soil Maximum Water Holding Capacity Compared To Maize, Jessica T. Nelson, Maoz Dor, Andy D. Vanloocke, Jacob E. Studt, Perla K. Schrock, Marshall D. Mcdaniel

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Soil ecosystem services, like the ability to store water, have been depleted after a century of conventional, annual cropping, and perennial crops offer a solution to this and other agricultural environmental issues. We assessed the impact of Miscanthus × giganteus (miscanthus), a perennial biomass crop, on soil water holding capacity and structure compared to continuous maize (Zea mays L.) at two sites in Iowa. After three growing seasons, we measured the following: (1) maximum water holding capacity (MWHC) with and without soil structure, and (2) total porosity and pore size distribution (PSD) via micro-computed tomography (microCT). Miscanthus increased MWHC …

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Efficacy Of Lactobacillus Rhamnosus And Its Metabolites To Mitigate The Risk Of Foodborne Pathogens In Hydroponic Nutrient Solution, Esther Oginni, Robin A. Choudhury, Veerachandra Yemmireddy Aug 2025

Efficacy Of Lactobacillus Rhamnosus And Its Metabolites To Mitigate The Risk Of Foodborne Pathogens In Hydroponic Nutrient Solution, Esther Oginni, Robin A. Choudhury, Veerachandra Yemmireddy

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Hydroponic nutrient solution (HNS) has been established as an ideal conduit for pathogen contamination and proliferation. This study evaluated the efficacy of lactic acid bacteria and their metabolites in mitigating the risk of foodborne pathogens in HNS when compared to conventional chemical treatments. Hoagland’s HNS were prepared according to the manufacturer’s instructions and inoculated with Salmonella Typhimurium, Escherichia coli 0157:H7, and Listeria innocua at 105 CFU/mL cell concentration. These nutrient solutions were subjected to treatment with various concentrations of Lactobacillus rhamnosus live cells, a cell-free extract (CFE) of L. rhamnosus metabolites, sodium hypochlorite and peroxyacetic acid at 22 ± 1 …

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Spatiotemporal Responses To A Rural Highway By Four Mammal Species, Caitlin K. Brett, Anna Rose Mehner, John H. Young Jr., Sarah E. Lehnen, Richard J. Kline Jul 2025

Spatiotemporal Responses To A Rural Highway By Four Mammal Species, Caitlin K. Brett, Anna Rose Mehner, John H. Young Jr., Sarah E. Lehnen, Richard J. Kline

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Roads can negatively impact the wildlife communities they transect. Road mortalities from wildlife-vehicle collisions are one direct effect, but roads may also indirectly affect wildlife behavior, movement, or local distribution. Quantifying the spatial extent of these road-effects is important for understanding how roads indirectly affect species of concern, identifying potential sources of disturbance, and for estimating the effectiveness of road mitigation structures. Farm-to-Market Road (FM)106, which transects part of the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge in Cameron County, Texas, has been identified as a potential source of wildlife road mortalities, particularly for one of the two remaining breeding populations of …

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A Rapid Method For Identifying Plant Oxidative Stress And Implications For Riparian Vegetation Management, Mizanur Rahman, Takashi Asaeda, Kiyotaka Fukahori, Md Harun Rashid, Hideo Kawashima, Junichi Akimoto, Refah Tabassoom Anta Jul 2025

A Rapid Method For Identifying Plant Oxidative Stress And Implications For Riparian Vegetation Management, Mizanur Rahman, Takashi Asaeda, Kiyotaka Fukahori, Md Harun Rashid, Hideo Kawashima, Junichi Akimoto, Refah Tabassoom Anta

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Native and invasive plants of the riverain region undergo a range of environmental stresses that result in excess reactive oxygen species (ROS). Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a relatively stable and quickly quantifiable way among different ROS. The herbaceous species including Artemisia princeps, Sicyos angulatus, and Solidago altissima were selected. The H2O2 and photosynthetic pigment of leaves were measured, soil samples were analyzed to quantify macronutrients such as total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and soil moisture, and photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) was also recorded at different observed sites of Arakawa Tarouemon, Japan. The H2O2 concentration of S. altissima significantly …

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Assessing The Effects Of Design Modifications On The Use Of Wildlife Exits Designed For Endangered Texas Ocelots, Rupesh Maharjan, Jamie E. Langbein, John H. Young, Kevin W. Ryer, Alejandro Fierro-Cabo, Md Saydur Rahman, Richard Kline Jun 2025

Assessing The Effects Of Design Modifications On The Use Of Wildlife Exits Designed For Endangered Texas Ocelots, Rupesh Maharjan, Jamie E. Langbein, John H. Young, Kevin W. Ryer, Alejandro Fierro-Cabo, Md Saydur Rahman, Richard Kline

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Roadside exclusionary fencing is commonly used on highways to prevent wildlife-vehicle collisions. Although it can mitigate wildlife road mortality by limiting their access to the road, it can also create a barrier for wildlife stranded within the right-of-way. On State Highway 100 in Texas, the Texas Department of Transportation installed 10 wildlife exits (WEs) to allow endangered ocelots and other wildlife to escape the fenced roadway and minimize wildlife-vehicle collisions. Our study compared three types of WE designs within the same area from 2019 to 2024 to assess their effectiveness. The first design (Design A) was without a door and …

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Updated Take Estimates Of Marine Turtles In The Guajira Peninsula, Venezuela, Royner Carrasquero-Labarca, Matthew Ware, Jordano Palmar, Daniela Rojas-Cañizales, Héctor Barrios-Garrido Jun 2025

Updated Take Estimates Of Marine Turtles In The Guajira Peninsula, Venezuela, Royner Carrasquero-Labarca, Matthew Ware, Jordano Palmar, Daniela Rojas-Cañizales, Héctor Barrios-Garrido

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

The Guajira Peninsula is one of the most important foraging grounds areas for marine turtles in Venezuela. There, five species converging: the green turtle, hawksbill, loggerhead, leatherback, and olive ridley. The Wayuú indigenous people are inhabits of the Guajira Peninsula. They have a close relationship with these animals, and for generations, they have used these species as subsistence resources. Marine turtle take has always occurred in this area and has historically been high; it is still happening now, but the current extent is unknown. For that reason, we aimed to assess and update the estimate for marine turtles take in …

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Exposure To Metoprolol And Propranolol Mixtures On Biochemical, Immunohistochemical, And Molecular Alterations In The American Oyster, Crassostrea Virginica, Andrew Salinas, Md Saydur Rahman Jun 2025

Exposure To Metoprolol And Propranolol Mixtures On Biochemical, Immunohistochemical, And Molecular Alterations In The American Oyster, Crassostrea Virginica, Andrew Salinas, Md Saydur Rahman

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Pharmaceutical drugs, particularly beta-blockers (e.g., metoprolol, propranolol, etc.), are extensively used to treat human cardiovascular conditions, yet pose significant risks to non-target aquatic organisms when introduced into coastal and marine environments via wastewater effluent. This study aimed to investigate the effects of short-term exposure (one week) to environmentally relevant concentrations of metoprolol and propranolol (MP) mixtures (low-dose: 50 ng/L propranolol and 250 ng/L metoprolol, and high-dose: 250 ng/L propranolol and 650 ng/L metoprolol) in the American oyster (Crassostrea virginica, a commercially and ecologically important marine bivalve mollusk) under controlled laboratory conditions. Histopathological assessments revealed structural damage to gills, …

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