Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

An Ecological Assessment Of Wetland Mitigation Projects In East Tennessee, Kim Pilarski

Masters Theses

Federal wetland protection regulations stipulate that developers who destroy natural wetlands are required to construct mitigation or replacement wetlands. Despite the frequency of wetland mitigation, few studies have evaluated the ability of mitigated wetlands to mimic the ecological function and community composition of natural wetlands. Fewer still compare mitigation sites with existing natural wetlands in the same ecological region.

Studies from other freshwater habitats suggest that comparisons of the ratios of functional feeding groups (FFGs) of benthic macroinvertebrates (i.e., shredders, scrapers, collectors, predators) may provide useful information about the ability of mitigated wetlands to mimic the ecological functions of natural …

The Relationship Of Crime Patterns To Social And Ecological Conditions In Grand Rapids, Michigan: 1980-1990, Christine L. Mcgavin

Masters Theses

The spatial distribution of the relationship between crime rates and urban ecology in Grand Rapids, Michigan over time is the focus of this study. Urban ecology can often be measured by indicators of social disorganization. Five crimes (larceny, burglary, robbery, aggravated assault, and homicide) were regressed with several indicators of social disorganization. The independent variables were poverty, transience, family disorganization, the percentage of youth in the population, race, and household density. Both violent and property crimes were strongly related to race while specific crimes were related to poverty, family disorganization, the percentage of youth in the population, and transience. Property …

The Current Status And Potential Spread Of An Invasive Exotic Species: Chinese Yam (Dioscorea Batatas), Pamela J. Nabors

Masters Theses

Field work is integrated with Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques to report the status, spread, and potential to spread of an invasive non-native species, the Chinese yam (Dioscorea batatas), in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GRSM). Field work results show that D. batatas primarily occurs in the lower elevations in areas of disturbance such as old homesites and the sides of roads, trails, and streams. Comparisons with earlier research conducted by Clements, Clebsch, and Wofford in 1987-1988 show that D. batatas has spread and continues to affect the herbaceous understory by shading or crowding. To determine potential …