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Data Repository For "The Influence Of Hydrologic And Salinity Conditions On Drought-Tolerant Great Salt Lake Wetland Plant Species" By Samantha Kurkowski And Karin Kettenring, Samantha Kurkowski

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This greenhouse experiment investigated the effects of salinity (3 levels) and hydrologic condition (5 levels),  on the cover and biomass of a single mix of 11 native drought- and salt-tolerant species.

Insect Abundance And Bat Use Of Fields For Foraging In The Cumberland Plateau, Caroline M. Abramowitz

All Theses

Bat populations and their insect prey are declining, making it urgent to understand how habitat features and management support both groups. Early successional habitat (ESH), grasslands and shrublands with reduced vegetative clutter and abundant flowering resources, may benefit foraging bats and nocturnal insects. This study examined how landscape context, patch characteristics, microhabitat features, and management (mechanical mastication and prescribed burns) affected insects and bats across 29 managed fields in Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area (TN/KY) from 2024–2025. Flight-intercept traps collected 25,297 insects across five orders. Though results were order-specific, vegetative composition and height were the strongest predictors …

Odyssey To The Extraordinary: Living Our Land Grant Mission And Beyond, Jeffrey P. Gold, Katherine S. Ankerson, Tiffany Heng-Moss

Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources: Institute Publications

Presents a strategy intended to guide future directions for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's (UNL) Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources (IANR) including issues related to governance, funding, organizational structure, and strategic alignment within UNL and the University of Nebraska system.

Land Condition Standards For The Western Australian Nullarbor Pastoral Region, Peter-Jon A. Waddell, Wayne J. Fletcher

Natural resources published reports

This report outlines the quantitative land condition standards that define acceptable pastoral land condition for the Western Australian part of the Nullarbor, to meet the regulatory requirements of the Land Administration Act 1997 and the Soil and Land Conservation Act 1945.

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development is developing regional-level pastoral land condition standards for Western Australia as a critical component of the Framework for sustainable pastoral management – revised edition (Fletcher 2022), the purpose of which is to address the Office of the Auditor General’s recommendations to improve the management of pastoral lands in WA …

Prediction Of Pasture Condition In The Kimberley Rangelands Of Western Australia Using Simple Classification Tree Models, Ben Nestor, Kath Ryan, Charles Martin, Philip Thomas, Chris Hetherington, Matthew Fletcher, Robert Sudmeyer, Karyn Reeves

Natural Resources Research Articles

Pasture condition assessments assist pastoralists, regulators, and policy makers in making informed decisions around livestock production and the preservation of natural resources in the Kimberley rangelands of Western Australia (WA). Reliable qualitative assessments of pasture condition require assessors with extensive expertise, which means frequent and reproducible assessments can be difficult to achieve. To develop a quantitative approach that can complement existing qualitative assessment approaches in the Kimberley, we investigated the use of simple classification tree models to predict pasture condition using assessment data from the Western Australian Rangeland Monitoring System (WARMS). Quantitative traits were derived from WARMS observation data for …

The Aggregation Of Microplastics By Enhancing Extracellular Polymeric Substance Production In Pseudoalteromonas Sp. Ncimb 2021 To Improve Removal Efficiencies In Environmental Matrices, Janelle L. Mercer

All Theses

Microplastics (MP) are ubiquitous in the natural environment and are a growing threat due to their small size and durability. Plastics are released into the environment through improper waste management, wastewater treatment outfalls, industrial spills, agricultural runoff, and landfills. These particles breakdown into secondary MP through degradation pathways. MP, less than 5 mm, require intricate removal techniques from water systems. Filtration techniques, though viable and effective, have implementation constraints due to high cost, maintenance demands, and filter fouling. By integrating coagulation and flocculation processes prior to filtration, MP removal efficiencies can increase, while minimizing operational challenges during filtration. Extracellular polymeric …

Habitat Associations Of Small Mammals And Their Role As Sentinels For Biodiversity In The Southern Blue Ridge, Katelyn Steen

All Theses

Small mammals play important roles in healthy forests, but we still know very little about many of the rare and state-listed species living in the Blue Ridge Mountains of South Carolina. Traditional surveys are expensive and time-consuming, so we tested a newer, camera-based method called AHDriFT. From 2024 to 2026, we set up 60 camera systems across high-elevation forests to track six state-listed species: the Carolina red-backed vole, woodland jumping mouse, eastern woodrat, masked shrew, pygmy shrew, and eastern spotted skunk. We detected all six target species and conducted occupancy modeling for four. We found spotted skunk occupancy increased near …

Evaluating Fish Assemblages At An Early-Stage Living Shoreline Project In Lake Pontchartrain, Collin Glaser

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Living shorelines are an increasingly popular restoration approach for reducing erosion while improving habitat quality. The Bucktown Living Shoreline Project is a large-scale restoration effort along the southern shore of Lake Pontchartrain aimed at enhancing coastal resilience and restoring historic marsh habitat. This thesis evaluated early fish assemblage response to the Bucktown Living Shoreline Project over one year and placed those assemblages within the broader historical context of Lake Pontchartrain. Monthly sampling was conducted at the living shoreline and an adjacent riprap control site using seines, cast nets, and minnow traps. Fish assemblage structure was not significantly different between sites. …

A Comparison Of Ahdrift And Pitfall Traps For Surveying Small Vertebrates, Gabrielle Risko

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Understanding species occupancy is necessary to inform wildlife management and conservation decisions. To minimize the invasiveness of occupancy studies, some wildlife researchers have deployed game cameras to detect the presence of small vertebrates instead of utilizing stressful traditional live-capture methods. The Adapted Hunt Drift Fence Technique (AHDriFT) is an increasingly popular method for modifying and deploying camera traps to detect small vertebrates; however, no studies have directly compared AHDriFT to traditional pitfall traps operating at the exact same time, even though both are deployed along drift fences to capture small vertebrates. I compared these two methods (pitfall trapping and AHDriFT …

Reconstructing Stand-Age Structure In A Wet Miombo Woodland Using Dendrochronology, Zambia, Clara Tiyembekeze Zulu

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Dendrochronological research in tropical Africa has remained limited, leaving critical gaps in stand-age structure and climate-growth relationships in seasonally dry tropical woodlands. This study reconstructed stand-age structure and assessed climate sensitivity in the wet Miombo woodland of African Explosives Limited (AEL) forest, Copperbelt Province, Zambia. Field sampling was conducted during four African Dendrochronology Fieldschools (2021-2024) using a Modified Variable Area Transect (MVAT) design across nine plots. The series intercorrelation was 0.351; the average mean sensitivity was 0.423. The oldest tree was 170 years old, and more than 70% of the sampled species showed potential for dendrochronology. Markhamia obtusifolia was the …

Long-Term Spatiotemporal Change In Coral Reef Fish Populations And Communities In The Philippines, John Christopher Whalen

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The Visayas Region of the Philippines is a global epicenter of marine fish biodiversity. Hypotheses attribute this peak of species richness within the Coral Triangle to processes that occur at geological time scales. However, changes in biodiversity may occur on ecological time scales, allowing for the assessment of the potential impact of anthropogenic activities. Recent declines in genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity have been observed in the tropics, including the Philippines. Within the Philippines the Visayas Region is considered the epicenter of species adversity due to anthropogenic stressors such as habitat degradation, overfishing, and harvesting individuals for the aquarium trade. …

Oregon State Rank Assessment For Alpine Smelowskia (Smelowskia Ovalis), Lindsey K. Wise

Institute for Natural Resources Publications

Oregon state conservation status assessment for Alpine smelowskia (Smelowskia ovalis) using NatureServe methodology, 2026.

Minerals Rock!: Improving Audience Engagement And Interest In Stem Through Enhancement Of The In-Person And Online Mineral Collection At Ursinus College, Juliette Lyons

Environment and Sustainability Summer Fellows

Museums are a vital source of educational resources for the general public. They provide information on a variety of topics and disciplines and encourage visitors to be excited about and engaged in learning something new. As we work to comprehend key topics such as climate change, it is especially important for the broader public to better understand science, including geology. While the geological collection at Ursinus, Pieces of Earth’s History, is not in a museum, implementing methods that museums use can improve the reception of the collection. Through the application of research gathered through articles, journals, books, and talking with …

Oregon State Rank Assessment For Ithuriel's Spear (Triteleia Laxa), Lindsey K. Wise

Institute for Natural Resources Publications

Oregon state conservation status assessment for Ithuriel's spear (Triteleia laxa)
 using NatureServe methodology, 2026.

Oregon State Rank Assessment For Thompson Mistmaiden (Romanzoffia Thompsonii), Nora Dunkirk, Gabriel Campbell, Sue Vrilakas

Institute for Natural Resources Publications

Oregon state conservation status assessment for Thompson mistmaiden (Romanzoffia thompsonii) using NatureServe methodology, 2026.

Oregon State Rank Assessment For California Pinefoot (Pityopus Californicus), Lindsey K. Wise

Institute for Natural Resources Publications

Oregon state conservation status assessment for California Pinefoot (Pityopus californicus) using NatureServe methodology, 2026.

Ecological Gdp Of “Lucid Waters And Lush Mountains Are Invaluable Assets”, Wang Guangqian, Deyu Zhong

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Based on the concept of “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets”, this study investigates the theoretical connotation and accounting pathways of ecological GDP. (1) The core connotation of ecological value is elucidated from three dimensions—time, space, and civilization—and an economic quantification framework of principal–interest–interest rate is constructed. With four categories of ecological products as the foundation, the Green Certificate as the entitlement instrument, and a 5% annual simple interest rate as the accounting benchmark, ecological value is transformed from qualitative description to quantitative accounting. (2) The concept of ecological new quality productive forces is proposed, revealing its four-dimensional …

Planetary Health: Scientific Frontier For Harmonious Coexistence Between Humans And Nature, Zhu Yongguan, Jue Liu, Hua Zheng, Yaoyang Xu, Weiqi Zhou, Hongliang Zhang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Against the backdrop of deeply intertwined global environmental change, biodiversity loss, and health risks, Planetary Health is emerging as a new interdisciplinary field that is gradually becoming the scientific frontier for understanding harmonious coexistence between humans and nature. This study systematically reviews the evolution of Planetary Health from the “Planetary Boundaries” theory to a comprehensive disciplinary framework. Through a paradigmatic comparison with concepts such as public health, global health, and One Health, it reveals that the core breakthrough of Planetary Health lies in redefining human health as an endogenous variable embedded within the stability of Earth’s natural systems. Three major …

Oregon State Rank Assessment For Steens Mountain Cushion Buckwheat (Eriogonum Ovalifolium Var. Rubidum), Lindsey K. Wise

Institute for Natural Resources Publications

Oregon state conservation status assessment for Steens Mountain Cushion Buckwheat (Eriogonum ovalifolium var. rubidum) using NatureServe methodology, 2026.

Oregon State Rank Assessment For Oregon Daisy (Erigeron Oreganus), Nora Dunkirk, Sue Vrilakas

Institute for Natural Resources Publications

Oregon state conservation status assessment for Oregon Daisy (Erigeron oreganus) using NatureServe methodology, 2026.