Earth Sciences Commons^™

Don Reduction Of Wheat Grain Without Compromising The Lab-Scale Milling Properties Of Flour, Jikai Zhao, Xin Liu, Fengcheng Wang

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Wheat bran was investigated to be the most commonly contaminated raw material by mycotoxins. However, there are no economical and practical pretreatment methods for industrial on-line application until now. The effect of light debranning on deoxynivalenol (DON) removal, polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity and flour quality from lab-scale milling were performed. For on-line production, the DON concentration in wheat decreased 15.89% at debranning ratio of 1.2%. For lab experiment, the maximum DON removal for wheat and flour was 23.35% and 21.95%, respectively. However, the PPO activity, browning of dough sheet and flour qualities in lab scale exhibited no significant variation. …

Prevalence And Distribution Of Ranavirus In Amphibians From, Drew R. Davis, Jillian K. Farkas, Taylor R. Kruisselbrink, Jessa L. Watters, Elyse D. Ellsworth, Jacob L. Kerby, Cameron D. Siler

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Several infectious diseases are threatening amphibian species worldwide and have resulted in massmortality events across the globe. An emerging group of viral pathogens (ranaviruses) are documented to cause die-offs in amphibian populations worldwide, including in several regions of the U.S. Unfortunately, large gaps remain in our understanding of the distribution of this systemic pathogen in the U.S., including within the state of Oklahoma. To address this gap in our understanding, we carried out surveys of this infectious pathogen across 14 sites in seven southeastern Oklahoma counties in spring 2015, screening 17 amphibian species from this region. Using liver and tail …

Sand And Pumice Filter Amended With Activated Carbon And Biochar For Phosphorus Retention, James Jihoon Kang, Marissa Davila, Sergio I. Mireles, Jungseok Ho

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Phosphorus (P) loss via stormwater runoff is a water quality concern. The objective of this study was to investigate two commercial biochars relative to an activated carbon as an additive to geomedia (sand and pumice) for P removal. The batch adsorption experiment was conducted to assess P sorption of the geomedia and carbon materials while the leaching experiment was conducted in sand and pumice columns amended with carbon materials (5 % by weight). The batch adsorption test revealed that only activated carbon showed an appreciable P adsorption up to 19 %. Tested biochar materials showed no adsorption capacity for P …

Unexplored Diversity Of The Mesophotic Echinoderm Fauna Of The Easter Island Ecoregion, Ariadna Mecho, Erin E. Easton, Javier Sellanes, Matthias Gorny, Christopher Mah

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

The Easter Island ecoregion (EIE) is one of the most remote marine areas of the world and encompasses a vast and fragile ecosystem including oceanic islands and seamounts. In January 2014 and March 2016, a remotely operated vehicle was used to explore a subsurface peak off Easter Island (27.23°S, 109.48°W) and a seamount (26.92°S, 110.26°W), respectively located 10 km southwest and 98 km west of the island. More than 950 echinoderms were observed in the 5 h of video recorded during the seven dives conducted at depths between ~ 160 and 280 m. The communities of echinoderms observed at these …

Toward The Ultrasonic Sensing Of Organic Carbon In Seagrass-Bearing Sediments, Gabriel R. Venegas, Abdullah Rahman, Kevin M. Lee, Megan S. Ballard, Preston S. Wilson

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Ten percent of all organic carbon (Corg) absorbed by the ocean each year is stored in seagrass-bearing sediments. The preservation of these carbon stores is considered a vital method to mitigate climate change. Seagrass-bearing sediments have been correlated with sediment geophysical properties yet have not been related to sediment acoustic properties. For this purpose, sediment cores were collected from a Thalassia testudinum seagrass meadow in South Texas, USA, where geophysical, acoustical, and Corg properties were measured. It is hypothesized that when deposits of Corg adsorb onto mineral surfaces and are stored in pore spaces, compliant layers between grain contacts and …

Comment On Rojas-Bracho And Colleagues (2019): Unsubstantiated Claims Can Lead To Tragic Conservation Outcomes, Karl W. Flessa, Luis Calderon-Aguilera, Carlos E. Cintra-Buenrostro, David L. Dettman, Gregory P. Dietl, David H. Goodwin, David K. Jacobs, Michal Kowalewski, Steven M. Nelson, Kirsten Rowell, Bernard R. Schone, Jansen A. Smith, Francisco Zamora-Arroyo

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

The vaquita’s decline is a tragic story indeed. However, the lack of action to prevent the extinction of this species is not due to unsubstantiated claims and scientific uncertainty.

Modelling Water Fluxes In Plants: From Tissues To Biosphere, Maurizio Mencuccini, Stefano Manzoni, Bradley O. Christoffersen

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Contents Summary 1207 I. Introduction 1207 II. A brief history of modelling plant water fluxes 1208 III. Main components of plant water transport models 1208 IV. Stand-scale water fluxes and coupling to climate and soil 1213 V. Water fluxes in terrestrial biosphere models and feedbacks to community dynamics 1215 VI. Outstanding challenges in modelling water fluxes in the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum 1217 Acknowledgements 1218 References 1218 SUMMARY: Models of plant water fluxes have evolved from studies focussed on understanding the detailed structure and functioning of specific components of the soil-plant-atmosphere (SPA) continuum to architectures often incorporated inside eco-hydrological and terrestrial biosphere …

Agricultural Intensification And Urbanization Negatively Impact Soil Nematode Richness And Abundance: A Meta-Analysis, Satyendra K. Pothula, Parwinder Grewal, Robert M. Auge, Arnold M. Saxton, Ernest C. Bernard

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Human activity has extensively transformed the land surface by agricultural intensification and urbanization. In soil, nematodes are the most abundant invertebrates. The effect of human interventions was assessed on overall richness, overall abundance, richness and abundance of nematodes of each trophic group and colonizer-persister (c-p) guild by comparing urban, agriculture and disturbed grassland (DGL) with natural grassland (NGL) and forest ecosystems. Meta-analyses were conducted to generate quantitative summaries from 111 published articles that met the inclusion criteria, 91 expressed data in grams and 20 expressed data in cm3. Results from data expressed per 100 g of soil indicated that overall …

Evaluating A New Algorithm For Satellite-Based Evapotranspiration For North American Ecosystems: Model Development And Validation, Bassil El Masri, Abdullah F. Rahman, Danilo Dragoni

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Highlights

• We developed an algorithm to estimate evapotranspiration based solely on satellite data.

• Our model is able to track the seasonal changes in the flux tower observations.

• The errors in the model ET output were lower than the MODIS ET product.

• The modeled and observed ET strong relationship implies that our model has the potential to be applied to different ecosystems.

Abstract

We introduce a different operational approach to estimate 8-day average daily evapotranspiration (ET) using both routinely available data and the Penman-Monteith (P-M) equation for canopy transpiration and evaporation of intercepted water and Priestley and Taylor for soil evaporation. …

Vaquita Face Extinction From Bycatch. Comment On Manjarrez-Bringas, N. Et Al., Lessons For Sustainable Development: Marine Mammal Conservation Policies And Its Social And Economic Effects., Karl W. Flessa, Luis Calderon-Aguilera, Carlos E. Cintra-Buenrostro, David L. Dettman, Gregory P. Dietl, David H. Goodwin, David K. Jacobs, Michal Kowalewski, Steven M. Nelson, Kirsten Rowell, Bernard R. Schone, Jansen A. Smith, Francisco Zamora-Arroyo

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

We are among the scientists who have documented the environmental and ecological changes to the Upper Gulf of California following the reduction in the Colorado River’s flow. We object to any suggestion that our research supports Manjarrez-Bringas et al.’s conclusion that the decline in the Colorado River’s flow is the reason for the decline in the population of the endangered vaquita porpoise (Phocoena sinus). Manjarrez-Bringas et al.’s conclusions are incongruent with their own data, their logic is untenable, their analyses fail to consider current illegal fishing practices, and their recommendations are unjustified and misdirected. Vaquita face extinction because of bycatch, …

Molecular Cloning And Characterization Of Two Arnt (Arnt-1 And Arnt-2) Genes In Atlantic Croaker And Their Expression During Coexposure To Hypoxia And Pcb77, Md. Saydur Rahman, Peter Thomas

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator (ARNT) is an important transcriptions factor that binds/coactivates drug-metabolizing genes in vertebrates. In this study, we report the cloning and characterization of two ARNT (ARNT-1 and ARNT-2) genes and their mRNA and protein expression in liver tissues of Atlantic croaker after co-exposure to hypoxia and 3,3',4,4'-tetrachlorobiphenyl (PCB77). The full-length croaker ARNT-1 and ARNT-2 genes encode proteins of 537 and 530 amino acids, respectively, and are highly homologous to ARNT-1 and ARNT-2 genes of other vertebrates. ARNT mRNAs are ubiquitously expressed in all tissues. Hypoxia (dissolved oxygen: 1.7 mg/L) exposure (1-4 weeks) did not affect hepatic …

Ocean Robots Uncover Microbial Secrets, Susan Evans, Jim Birch, John A. Breier, Michael V. Jakuba, Mak A. Saito, Julie Robidart

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Life on Earth began in the sea, and the oceans continue to support life on our planet. Of particular importance is the ability of marine microbes to exist in a complex web of relationships where substances are continually transformed and exchanged.

A Heuristic Classification Of Woody Plants Based On Contrasting Shade And Drought Strategies, Liang Wei, Chonggang Xu, Steven Jansen, Hang Zhou, Bradley O. Christoffersen, William T. Pockman, Richard S. Middleton, John D. Marshall, Nate G. Mcdowell

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Woody plants vary in their adaptations to drought and shade. For a better prediction of vegetation responses to drought and shade within dynamic global vegetation models, it is critical to group species into functional types with similar adaptations. One of the key challenges is that the adaptations are generally determined by a large number of plant traits that may not be available for a large number of species. In this study, we present two heuristic woody plant groups that were separated using cluster analysis in a three-dimensional trait–environment space based on three key metrics for each species: mean xylem embolism …

Effect Of Hot Water Treatment Of In-Shell Pecans On Physicochemical Properties And Consumer Acceptability Of Roasted Pecan Kernels, Karuna Kharel, Witoon Prinyawiwatkul, Veerachandra K. Yemmireddy, Charles J. Graham, Achyut Adhikari

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

The effect of hot water pre-treatment of in-shell pecans on physicochemical properties, consumer acceptance and purchase intent of dehulled and roasted kernels was evaluated. In-shell pecans were first subjected to hot water at 70, 80 and 90 °C for 8.6, 6.6 and 4.6 min respectively and kernels were later dry roasted at 160 °C for 10 min. The physicochemical properties of hot water treated and untreated nuts, before and after roasting were determined. Furthermore, consumer acceptance and purchase intent of the roasted kernels were determined. Hot water treatment, alone and subsequent roasting had minimal effect on pecans’ physicochemical properties. Consumers …

Rapidly Expanding Nuclear Arsenals In Pakistan And India Portend Regional And Global Catastrophe, Owen B. Toon, Charles G. Bardeen, Alan Robock, Lili Xia, Hans Kristensen, Matthew Mckinzie, R. J. Peterson, Cheryl S. Harrison, Nicole S. Lovenduski, Richard P. Turco

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Pakistan and India may have 400 to 500 nuclear weapons by 2025 with yields from tested 12- to 45-kt values to a few hundred kilotons. If India uses 100 strategic weapons to attack urban centers and Pakistan uses 150, fatalities could reach 50 to 125 million people, and nuclear-ignited fires could release 16 to 36 Tg of black carbon in smoke, depending on yield. The smoke will rise into the upper troposphere, be self-lofted into the stratosphere, and spread globally within weeks. Surface sunlight will decline by 20 to 35%, cooling the global surface by 2° to 5°C and reducing …

Past, Present, And Future Perspectives Of Environmental Dna (Edna) Metabarcoding: A Systematic Review In Methods, Monitoring, And Applications Of Global Edna, Krista M. Ruppert, Richard J. Kline, Md. Saydur Rahman

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding is a novel method of assessing biodiversity wherein samples are taken from the environment via water, sediment or air from which DNA is extracted, and then amplified using general or universal primers in polymerase chain reaction and sequenced using next-generation sequencing to generate thousands to millions of reads. From this data, species presence can be determined, and overall biodiversity assessed. It is an interdisciplinary method that brings together traditional fieldbased ecology with in-depth molecular methods and advanced computational tools. As an emerging monitoring method, there are many pitfalls and roadblocks to be considered and avoided, but …

Technologies For Lignocellulose Pretreatment To Produce Fuel Ethanol, J. M. Nie, R. J. Zhang, X. Y. Liu, F. Yang, J. J. Wang, J. Xiao, Jikai Zhao, C. F. Lv

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Bioethanol is one of the alternatives to fossil fuels. Bioethanol production from lignocellulose has advantages on source richness, but it has poor performance on the conversion yield. In order to destroy the structure of lignocellulose and promote the cellulose and other components release, lignocellulose treatment was necessarily prior to bioethanol fermentation. In this paper, eight methods for lignocellulose pretreatment were reviewed, including physical method, dilute acid pretreatment method, dilute alkali pretreatment method, steam pretreatment method, ammonia pretreatment methods, organic solvent pretreatment method, ionic liquid pretreatment method and biological pretreatment, and those principles and novel progresses were briefly introduced.

Complete Mitochondrial Genome Of Callogorgia Cf. Gracilis (Octocorallia: Calcaxonia: Primnoidae), Erin E. Easton, David Hicks

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

We report the first complete mitochondrial genome of Callogorgia. Callogorgia cf. gracilis isolate DFH32_518B was collected by a remotely operated vehicle at 98 m on McGrail Bank (27.9840725°N, 92.604242°W). The complete mitogenome is 18,937 bp (27.8% A, 18.3% C, 19.8% G, and 34.1% T) and has the ancestral octocoral gene order for its 14 protein-coding genes, two rRNA genes, and one tRNA gene. It is sister to and ∼96.6% similar (uncorrected) to Narella hawaiiensis, the only other complete mitogenome reported for Primnoidae. The cox1 + igr1 + mtMutS region differs by two base pairs (0.12%) from the only reported …

A High-Latitude, Mesophotic Cycloseris Field At 85 M Depth Off Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Bert W. Hoeksema, Javier Sellanes, Erin E. Easton

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Published records of mesophotic zooxanthellate corals from Rapa Nui (Easter Island) are rare and so far based only on dredged specimens and observations during scuba dives (Wells 1972, Glynn et al. 2003, 2007). During recent remotely operated vehicle (ROV) surveys off Rapa Nui (March 2016), a large and dense aggregation of zooxanthellate Cycloseris corals (Scleractinia: Fungiidae) with a density of approximately 500 ind m−2 was discovered (27°08΄55˝S, 109°26΄46˝W) on black sand in a depth range of approximately 79–85 m (Panels A, B). A few corals were overturned, exposing their white (azooxanthellate) undersides and sutures along which self-fragmentation took place (Panel …

Continued Eastward Range Expansion Of Black Phoebes (Sayornis Nigricans) In Southernmost Texas, Samuel G. Ortiz, Christopher A. Gabler, Timothy Brush

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

ABSTRACT—We observed black phoebe (Sayornis nigricans) nests, breeding pairs, and juveniles in Cameron County, Texas, in 2017. Our first confirmed nesting records in Cameron County document a continued eastward range expansion by black phoebes.

RESUMEN—En el 2017, observamos nidos, parejas reproductoras y juveniles del pajaro mosquero negro (Sayornis nigricans) en el condado de Cameron, Texas. Los primeros registros confirmados de reproducci ´on en el condado de Cameron son evidencia de una continua expansion hacia el este de la distribuci ´on geogr´afica del mosquero negro.

Sweet Potato: A Potentially Profitable Summer Crop For South Texas Organic Farmers To Enhance Soil Biological Activity And Nutrient Release, Jahdiel Salazar, Josabeth Navarro, James Jihoon Kang, Engil Isadora Pujol Pereira

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Measuring, Mapping And Quantifying The Effects Of Trust And Informal Communication On Transboundary Collaboration In The Great Lakes Fisheries Policy Network, Andrew M. Song, Owen Temby, Dongkyu Kim, Angel Saavedra Cisneros, Gordon M. Hickey

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Ecosystem-based management of fisheries and other transboundary natural resources require a number of organizations across jurisdictions to exchange knowledge, coordinate policy goals and engage in collaborative activities. Trust, as part of social capital, is considered a key mechanism facilitating the coordination of such inter-organizational policy networks. However, our understanding of multi-dimensional trust as a theoretical construct and an operational variable in environmental and natural resource management has remained largely untested. This paper presents an empirical assessment of trust and communication measures applied to the North American Great Lakes fisheries policy network. Using a scale-based method developed for this purpose, we …

Chemical Treatment To Reduce Turbidity In Pumped Construction Site Water, James Jihoon Kang, Joshua W. Vetter, Richard A. Mclaughlin

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Many construction projects need to pump turbid water from borrow pits or other excavations into stilling basins or sediment filter bags prior to discharge. This study evaluated the effectiveness of these devices with polyacrylamide (PAM) injection to reduce effluent turbidity. Results from laboratory jar tests using two coastal plain sediments of North Carolina suggested that a cationic PAM was the most effective in reducing turbidity, followed by a nonionic PAM. Anionic PAM was effective in whole-soil jar tests but not when turbid supernatant was tested. A stilling basin was not effective in reducing the turbidity of the pumped water without …

Mesobot : An Autonomous Underwater Vehicle For Tracking And Sampling Midwater Targets, Dana R. Yoerger, Molly Curran, Justin Fujii, Christopher R. German, Daniel Gomez-Ibanez, Annette F. Govindarajan, Jonathan C. Howland, Joel K. Llopiz, Peter H. Wiebe, Brett W. Hobson, Kakani Katija, Michael Risi, Bruce H. Robison, Cailean J. Wilkinson, Stephen M. Rock, John A. Breier

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Mesobot, a new class of autonomous underwater vehicle, will address specific unmet needs for observing slow-moving targets in the midwater ocean. Mesobot will track targets such as zooplankton, fish, and descending particle aggregates using a control system based on stereo cameras and a combination of thrusters and a variable buoyancy system. The vehicle will also be able to collect biogeochemical and environmental DNA (eDNA) samples using a pumped filter sampler.

Using Carbon Isotope Fractionation To Constrain The Extent Of Methane Dissolution Into The Water Column Surrounding A Natural Hydrocarbon Gas Seep In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, M. Leonte, B. Wang, Scott A. Socolofsky, John A. Breier, John D. Kessler

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

A gas bubble seep located in the northern Gulf of Mexico was investigated over several days to determine whether changes in the stable carbon isotopic ratio of methane can be used as a tracer for methane dissolution through the water column. Gas bubble and water samples were collected at the seafloor and throughout the water column for isotopic ratio analysis of methane. Our results show that changes in methane isotopic ratios are consistent with laboratory experiments that measured the isotopic fractionation from methane dissolution. A Rayleigh isotope model was applied to the isotope data to determine the fraction of methane …

Clio: An Autonomous Vertical Sampling Vehicle For Global Ocean Biogeochemical Mapping, Michael V. Jakuba, John A. Breier, Daniel Gomez-Ibanez, Kaitlyn Tradd, Mak A. Saito

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

We report the design, sea trials, and scientific operation of a fast vertical profiling autonomous underwater vehicle, called Clio, designed to cost-effectively improve the understanding of marine microorganism ecosystem dynamics on a global scale by collecting high-volume filter samples autonomously, in contrast to conventional techniques that require a ship’s wire.

Hot Water Treatment As A Kill-Step To Inactivate Escherichia Coli O157:H7, Salmonella Enterica, Listeria Monocytogenes And Enterococcus Faecium On In-Shell Pecans, Karuna Kharel, Veerachandra K. Yemmireddy, Charles J. Graham, Witoon Prinyawiwatkul, Achyut Adhikari

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

In-shell pecans are susceptible to microbial contamination. This study was performed to investigate feasibility of using hot water treatment as a kill-step for food-borne pathogens during pecan shelling. In-shell pecans were subjected to hot water at 70, 80 or 90 °C for 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 min. The time-temperature treatments to achieve a 5-log reduction of Salmonella enterica, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, and non-pathogenic Enterococcus faecium were determined. Thermal death values were determined for each tested condition. L. monocytogenes was most susceptible to heat treatment and were reduced by 4.6 ± 0.35 log CFU/g at 70 …

Particulate Metal Exposures Induce Plasma Metabolome Changes In A Commuter Panel Study, Chandresh N. Ladva, Rachel Golan, Donghai Liang, Roby Greenwald, Douglas I. Walker, Amit U. Raysoni, Vilinh Tran, Tianwei Yu, W. Dana Flanders, Gary W. Miller

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Introduction

Advances in liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) have enabled high-resolution metabolomics (HRM) to emerge as a sensitive tool for measuring environmental exposures and corresponding biological response. Using measurements collected as part of a large, panel-based study of car commuters, the current analysis examines in-vehicle air pollution concentrations, targeted inflammatory biomarker levels, and metabolomic profiles to trace potential metabolic perturbations associated with on-road traffic exposures.

Methods

A 60-person panel of adults participated in a crossover study, where each participant conducted a highway commute and randomized to either a side-street commute or clinic exposure session. In addition to in-vehicle exposure characterizations, participants …

Development Of Hurricane Storm Surge Model To Predict Coastal Highway Inundation For South Texas, Sara E. Davila, Adan Garza, Jungseok Ho

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Forecasting areas prone to flooding will allow us to send off our information gathered to departments such as TxDOT and the United States Department of Transportation. This would then enable these departments to create appropriate evacuation routes, depicting which roads are clear and which cannot be used in the event of a storm. Simulating hurricanes that have passed through this area such as Dolly in 2008, Beulah in 1967, and Bret in 1999 will display the roads and federal highways that frequently tend to get flooded. Identifying the “danger roads” and which federal highways will ultimately be useful for various …

Improvement Of Soil Structure Through Organic Crop Management, Conservation Tillage And Grass-Clover Ley, Viviana Loaiza Puerta, Engil Isadora Pujol Pereira, Raphaël Wittwer, Marcel G. A. Van Der Heijden, Johan Six

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Highlights

• Organic crop management combined with reduced tillage improved soil structure.
• The ley period improved soil structure for conventional intensive tillage.
• The ley period increased total carbon in organic crop management at 0–6 cm soil depth.

Abstract

Conventional intensive tillage is a widespread soil management practice that controls weeds and promotes nutrient mineralization at the expense of a degraded soil structure and soil carbon (C) loss. Alternative soil management practices such as no tillage, reduced tillage and temporary leys, however, can minimize the negative effects of intensive tillage on soil structure. To improve understanding of these management practices on …