Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons^™

Global Climate Change: Changing Weather Patterns, Janna Jann '20, Sabrina Meng '20

UN Sustainable Development Goals Infographics

You can take action to combat global climate change! Here are some starting points:

• Use heating only when necessary
• Reduce energy consumption
• Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!
• Use resources wisely!

Agricultural Practices Destroying The Environment, Ayan Mallik '20, Ethan Talreja '20

UN Sustainable Development Goals Infographics

• 50% of the world's habitable land has been converted for farming (Farming: Habitat Conversion, 2017)
• Indonesia rain forests have been cleared for the construction of palm oil plantations
• This threatens the habitats of endangered species such as the Asian elephant

Effects Of Agriculture, Riley Brutto '20, Maddy Chow '20

UN Sustainable Development Goals Infographics

Due to a lack of education among their population, many Brazilians turn to agriculture as a way to provide for themselves and their families. Additionally, low labor costs draw in large commercial companies that establish business in these developing worlds. However, to obtain farmland in the first place, deforestation has become a common practice, where thousands of miles of lush jungles are cleared away for agricultural practices. According to NASA imaging, 224,000 square miles of rainforest have been cleared in the Amazon. If left unchecked, the drastic consequences could harm not only the countries practicing deforestation, but the entire earth.

Coastal Erosion And Flooding, Arohi Singh '20, Neha Maddali '20

UN Sustainable Development Goals Infographics

The effects of human activities on our coasts.

Waste Management, Rachel Moreno '20, Alana Depaz '20

UN Sustainable Development Goals Infographics

"Human society sustains itself by transforming nature into garbage."

~Mason Cooley

Solution & Effects Of Agricultural Practices, Ryan Talusan '20, Caitlyn Castillo '20

UN Sustainable Development Goals Infographics

A potential solution of vertical farming

• PROFITABLE
• SCALABLE
• YEAR-ROUND

Urbanization In India: An Obituary, Meghana Karan '20, Shruti Shakthivel '20

UN Sustainable Development Goals Infographics

India is urbanizing very rapidly due to the movement of people from rural areas to urban cities for better opportunities. India does not have the resources or money to back this rapid urbanization of the population in general. This urbanization has created many environmental problems with air and water pollution.

Mute Swans, David R. Marks

Wildlife Damage Management Technical Series

Mute swans (Cygnus olor) are an invasive species originally brought to the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries for ornamental ponds and lakes, zoos and aviculture collections. Original populations were located in northeastern states along the Hudson Valley but have since expanded to several Midwestern states and portions of the western U.S. and Canada. Mute swan damage includes competing with native waterfowl, destroying native plants, spreading disease, and colliding with aircraft. They are also considered a nuisance in some areas due to their abundant fecal droppings and aggressiveness towards people.

Mute swans can impact …

Preventing Introductions To Sustain Healthy Ecosystems: Establish Eradication Protocols For A Popular Aquarium Seaweed, Julie Deslauriers

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

Aquarium release, a vector that introduces non-native species, recently caused the costly invasion of the green macroalga (seaweed) Caulerpa taxifolia along the Californian, Mediterranean, and Australian coasts. C. taxifolia was classified by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature as one of the world's 100 worst invasive species and cost California over $7 million to control with black tarps and chlorine bleach. Since the incident, educational efforts at conferences and conventions have influenced more than 50% of surveyed hobbyists to switch to another green macroalga, Chaetomorpha, as their primary alga in their saltwater tanks. C. taxifolia and Chaetomorpha …

The Impact Of Crown Conch On Intertidal Oyster Populations In Mosquito Lagoon, Casey Craig, Courtney Buck, Chelsea Landau, Jordan Filipponi

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

Commercial oyster harvesters in Florida have long complained that the Florida crown conch Melongena coronais in competition with them for harvestable-sized eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica). Harvesters also suggest that crown conch, rather than overharvesting, has led to a large decline in oyster populations. To determine the role of M. corona on oysters in Mosquito Lagoon, we must first better understand the biology and ecology of M. corona., and to comprehend crown conch biology in Mosquito Lagoon along the east coast of central Florida, we conducted a three-part experiment in Canaveral National Seashore (northern Mosquito Lagoon). Specifically, …

Determining Tidal Elevations In Dry Elements Within A Coastal Salt Marsh Model, Martin Coleman

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

An integrated hydrodynamic/marsh biomass model is a useful tool for analyzing multiple hydrologic activities on a shoreline. A key component of this type of model is the location of local tidal elevations. During astronomic tide simulations, nodes in the finite element mesh are either wet or dry. At nodes that are continuously wet during the simulation, tidal elevations are computed from ADCIRC-2DDI (ADvanced CIRCulation) output. In areas that are intermittently wetted, tidal constituents cannot be determined using ADCIRC because the drying of nodes leaves a gap in the water-level time series. The Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) interpolation method can be …

Improving Community-Based Shoreline Erosion Stabilization Projects: Impacts Of Potential Nurse Plants On Red Mangrove Biomass Production And Survival, Paula Yespelkis, Melinda Donnelly

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

Mangrove communities provide habitat for many terrestrial and aquatic species and act as nurseries and breeding grounds for fish, crustaceans, and birds. They also protect coastal areas from erosion and storm events. However, globally 35% of mangrove habitat has been degraded or destroyed, making mangroves one of the most endangered ecosystems on earth. Thus, there is a demand for methods to restore mangrove habitats successfully. The red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) is often associated with other marsh plants. We investigated whether two marsh plants (Batis maritima, Sarcocornia perennis ) act as nurse plants and increase R. mangle success by altering seedling …

Cold Temperature Effects On Byssal Thread Production By The Native Mussel Geukensia Demissa Versus The Non-Native Mussel Mytella Charruana, Sasha Brodsky

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

Mytella charruana is a Central/South American mussel that has been found as an introduced species along the southeastern Atlantic coast of the United States since 2004. Previous experiments have determined the lethal thermal minimum of M. charruana to be between 6-9° C. Continuous byssal thread production is essential for mussel survival as it is used for attachment to substrates in natural environments, but may decrease when environmental conditions deviate from their optimum. We sought to determine whether M. charruana exhibits a non-lethal, thermal response involving a reduction in byssal thread production. Mytella charruana and, for comparison, a native mussel species, …

Allelopathy Of Invasive Brazilian Pepper (Schinus Terebinthifolius) On Mobile Invertebrates From The Indian River Lagoon, Lori Konar, Tiffany Sheldon, Stephanie Garvis, Melinda Donnelly

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

Brazilian pepper Schinus terebinthifolius is a highly invasive plant species that can be found in many different ecosystems, including the edges of estuaries in south and central Florida. Brazilian pepper fruits contain chemicals that are toxic to native salt marsh plants. Previous researchers found that high densities of crushed Brazilian pepper fruits negatively impacted growth and final biomass of the black mangrove Avicennia germinans and the red mangrove Rhizophora mangle. Here, we investigated the impact of S. terebinthifoliuson the viability of mobile estuarine invertebrates commonly found in the Indian River Lagoon, as well as the brine shrimp, a …

Crayfish Harvesting Practices In The Southern Atchafalaya River Basin: Quantitative And Qualitative Assessment Of Harvester Techniques And Hydrologic Connectivity Influence On Harvesting Strategies, Ivan A. Vargas-Lopez

LSU Master's Theses

Fisheries produce important impacts around the world through the exploitation of a wide range of species. In Louisiana, crayfish is the most emblematic crustacean and supports a multi-million industry based on pond culture and harvest from natural habitats. Although the economic value (USD) of wild-harvested crayfish has decreased from 10% to 3% of total crayfish value from 2013 to 2015, wild harvested crayfish are highly desired by many consumers and have a strong socio-cultural importance in Louisiana and other Gulf of Mexico coastal regions. This project evaluated harvesting practices by: 1) field observation and mapping of harvest sites in southwestern …

The Effects Of Tree Plantations And Land Use On Natural Regeneration Of Woody Plants In The Tropics: Diversity, Species Composition, Successional Dynamics, And Functional Traits, John Benjamin Longworth

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

As anthropogenic forests become more common in the tropics, there is a greater need to understand the factors that impact forest succession. I used censuses of woody plants in successional forests to study the effects of prior land use and tree plantations on species composition and richness. First, I tested the hypothesis that communities originating from different land uses were converging in species composition over time. I compared species composition using the Chao-Jaccard similarity index. I observed shifts in the dominant species during the first 30 years of succession, but not convergence of species composition in sites with different land-use …

Carbon Dioxide Fluxes And Plants Interactions Across The Succession Of A Created Brackish Marsh In Southwestern Louisiana, Andy T. Muench

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine: 1) carbon dioxide (CO₂) fluxes in different plant communities in a created and natural brackish marsh and 2) the role of an early colonizing species, Spartina alterniflora, in facilitating or suppressing a later colonizer and higher marsh species, Spartina patens. CO₂ fluxes were measured in four key successional stages: 1) non-vegetated sediment of a newly created marsh; 2) Spartina alterniflora-dominated areas of a newly created marsh; 3) S. alterniflora-dominated natural marsh; and 4) Spartina patens- dominated natural marsh. Spartina alterniflora-dominated areas were sinks for …

Survey Results Of White (Carcharodon Carcharias) And Sevengill Sharks (Notorynchus Cepedianus) At Seal Island In False Bay, South Africa Between 2000 And 2018, Chris Fallows, Monique Fallows, Lacey Williams, Neil Hammerschlag

Supplementary Data and Tools

This dataset is associated to the article “Disappearance of white sharks leads to the novel emergence of an allopatric apex predator, the sevengill shark” by Hammerschlag et al. (2018), published in Nature Scientific Reports, DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-37576-6. Specifically, these are the data used to create figures 3,4, and 5 as well as supplementary figures S1, S2, and S3. These data are the results of monitoring between 2000 and 2018 of white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) abundance patterns (N=6,333 shark sightings) and predatory activity (N=8,076 attacks on seals) at Seal Island, a Cape fur seal (Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus) colony in False Bay, …

Nebraska Invasive Plants Field Guide, Nebraska Invasive Species Program

Nebraska Invasive Species Program

Invasive species are plants, animals or pathogens that are non-native to an ecosystem. They cause harm to the economy, environment or human health. They negatively affect native species and ecosystems and interfere with outdoor recreation opportunities. This guide identifies federal and state-listed noxious weeds. Federal noxious weeds are regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture; State noxious weeds are regulated by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Protection, Noxious Weed Program. Aquatic invasive species are listed and regulated by Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

ABSINTH WORMWOOD • AMUR HONEYSUCKLE • AUTUMN OLIVE • BRITTLE NAIAD • CALLERY …

The Effects Of Drought On Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaea In Salt Marshes, Hayley Mcmahon

Biology Honors Papers

Severe droughts are expected to occur with increasing frequency under current climate change models. Droughts conditions lead to changes in the chemistry of salt marsh sediment by raising salinity, decreasing pH, and shifting conditions from anoxic to oxic. These changes have the potential to impact salt marsh microbial communities, including those involved in the nitrogen cycle. Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) carry out the oxidation of ammonia (NH3) to nitrite (NO2−), the first and most rate limiting step of nitrification. I analyzed community composition and abundance of AOA in sediment samples collected from a Connecticut salt marsh during 2016, a severe drought …