Matching Items (20)
Filtering by

Clear all filters

133732-Thumbnail Image.png
Description
As threats to Earth's biodiversity continue to evolve, an effective methodology to predict such threats is crucial to ensure the survival of living species. Organizations like the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) monitor the Earth's environmental networks to preserve the sanctity of terrestrial and marine life. The IUCN

As threats to Earth's biodiversity continue to evolve, an effective methodology to predict such threats is crucial to ensure the survival of living species. Organizations like the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) monitor the Earth's environmental networks to preserve the sanctity of terrestrial and marine life. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species informs the conservation activities of governments as a world standard of species' risks of extinction. However, the IUCN's current methodology is, in some ways, inefficient given the immense volume of Earth's species and the laboriousness of its species' risk classification process. IUCN assessors can take years to classify a species' extinction risk, even as that species continues to decline. Therefore, to supplement the IUCN's classification process and thus bolster conservationist efforts for threatened species, a Random Forest model was constructed, trained on a group of fish species previously classified by the IUCN Red List. This Random Forest model both validates the IUCN Red List's classification method and offers a highly efficient, supplemental classification method for species' extinction risk. In addition, this Random Forest model is applicable to species with deficient data, which the IUCN Red List is otherwise unable to classify, thus engendering conservationist efforts for previously obscure species. Although this Random Forest model is built specifically for the trained fish species (Sparidae), the methodology can and should be extended to additional species.
ContributorsWoodyard, Megan (Author) / Broatch, Jennifer (Thesis director) / Polidoro, Beth (Committee member) / Mancenido, Michelle (Committee member) / School of Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies (Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences (Contributor) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
137090-Thumbnail Image.png
Description
This project examines a complex issue in urban ecology: the impact of biodiversity on ecosystem services, and considers how this varies across cities. Data were gathered on multiple economic and ecological parameters for a selection of seven cities around the world and analyzed via multiple linear regression in order to

This project examines a complex issue in urban ecology: the impact of biodiversity on ecosystem services, and considers how this varies across cities. Data were gathered on multiple economic and ecological parameters for a selection of seven cities around the world and analyzed via multiple linear regression in order to assess any relationships that may be at play. Significance values were then calculated to further define the relationships between the data. Analysis found that both biophysical and socioeconomic factors affected ecosystem services, although not all hypotheses regarding these relationships were met. Conclusions indicate that this model was fairly effective in describing physical drivers of ecosystem services, but were not as clear regarding social drivers. Further study regarding social parameters' effect on ecosystem services is recommended.
ContributorsMcDannald, Lindsay JoAnne (Author) / Perrings, Charles (Thesis director) / Kinzig, Ann (Committee member) / Grimm, Nancy (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor)
Created2014-05
137162-Thumbnail Image.png
Description
Consumption of seafood poses a substantial threat to global biodiversity. Chemical contamination found in both wild-caught and farmed seafood also presents significant health risks to consumers. Flame retardants, used in upholstery, plastics, clothing, and other products to reduce fire danger, are of particular concern as they are commonly found in

Consumption of seafood poses a substantial threat to global biodiversity. Chemical contamination found in both wild-caught and farmed seafood also presents significant health risks to consumers. Flame retardants, used in upholstery, plastics, clothing, and other products to reduce fire danger, are of particular concern as they are commonly found in the marine environment and permeate the tissues of fish that are sold for consumption via multiple pathways. By summarizing various metrics of sustainability and the mercury content in consumed species of fish and shellfish, researchers have found that high levels of chemical contamination was linked with lesser fishery sustainability. I conducted a literature review of flame retardant content in seafood to further compare contamination and sustainability in addition to the initial analysis with mercury. My review suggests that the widespread issue of fishery collapse could be alleviated by demonstrating to stakeholders that many unsustainable fish stocks are mutually disadvantageous for both human consumers and the environment. Future research should address the need for the collection of data that better represent actual global contaminant concentrations in seafood.
ContributorsNoziglia, Andrea Joyce (Author) / Gerber, Leah (Thesis director) / Smith, Andrew (Committee member) / Pratt, Stephen (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2014-05
137618-Thumbnail Image.png
Description
Currently conventional Subtitle D landfills are the primary means of disposing of our waste in the United States. While this method of waste disposal aims at protecting the environment, it does so through the use of liners and caps that effectively freeze the breakdown of waste. Because this method can

Currently conventional Subtitle D landfills are the primary means of disposing of our waste in the United States. While this method of waste disposal aims at protecting the environment, it does so through the use of liners and caps that effectively freeze the breakdown of waste. Because this method can keep landfills active, and thus a potential groundwater threat for over a hundred years, I take an in depth look at the ability of bioreactor landfills to quickly stabilize waste. In the thesis I detail the current state of bioreactor landfill technologies, assessing the pros and cons of anaerobic and aerobic bioreactor technologies. Finally, with an industrial perspective, I conclude that moving on to bioreactor landfills as an alternative isn't as simple as it may first appear, and that it is a contextually specific solution that must be further refined before replacing current landfills.
ContributorsWhitten, George Avery (Author) / Kavazanjian, Edward (Thesis director) / Allenby, Braden (Committee member) / Houston, Sandra (Committee member) / Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering Programs (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2013-05
162441-Thumbnail Image.png
Description

Public and private lands depend on organizations to manage and protect them for the recreational enjoyment of humans and the conservation of biodiversity. Organizations that partner, or co-manage, to manage these lands can combine their resources to reach efficient conservation outcomes for biodiversity protection. How organizations express their priorities publicly

Public and private lands depend on organizations to manage and protect them for the recreational enjoyment of humans and the conservation of biodiversity. Organizations that partner, or co-manage, to manage these lands can combine their resources to reach efficient conservation outcomes for biodiversity protection. How organizations express their priorities publicly through their mission statements are important because of their ability to reach stakeholders. In my thesis research, I collect the mission statements for 1144 organizations that are categorized into two groups of those that partner at least once and those that never partner. I analyze the extent to which they align and the drivers through performing text analysis by creating word clouds, word frequency lists, and identifying themes to categorize the words into for each group of partnering and non-partnering. Comparing partnering and non-partnering organization mission statements, I find that partnering organizations use more conservation-themed language and non-partnering organizations use community/people-themed language more frequently. I also find that the type of organization impacted the words being used, as well as the ratio of these different types of organizations that made up the total group of partnering and non-partnering (federal, local, and non-government organizations (NGO)). Future research could center around the dynamics of the partnerships and the extent to which mission statements play a role in attracting other organizations to partner and their role in clearly reflecting priorities to the public.

ContributorsHarding, Emily (Author) / Kroetz, Kailin (Thesis director) / Iacona, Gwen (Committee member) / Breetz, Hanna (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning (Contributor)
Created2021-12
Description

Due to what is known as the “biologically desert fallacy” and the pervasive westernized ideal of wilderness that has influenced widespread American Conservation culture for millennia, urban areas have long been deemed as areas devoid of biodiversity. However, cities can contribute significantly to regional biodiversity and provide vital niches for

Due to what is known as the “biologically desert fallacy” and the pervasive westernized ideal of wilderness that has influenced widespread American Conservation culture for millennia, urban areas have long been deemed as areas devoid of biodiversity. However, cities can contribute significantly to regional biodiversity and provide vital niches for wildlife, illuminating the growing awareness that cities are crucial to the future of conservation and combating the global biodiversity crisis. In terms of the biodiversity crisis, bats are a relevant species of concern. In many studies, different bat species have been broadly classified according to their ability to adapt to urban environments. There is evidence that urban areas can filter bat species based on traits and behavior, with many bats possessing traits that do not allow them to live in cities. The three broad categories are urban avoiders, urban adapters, or urban exploiters based upon where their abundance is highest along a gradient of urban intensity. A common example of an urban exploiter bat is a Mexican Free-tailed bat, which can thrive and rely on urban environments and it is found in the Phoenix Metropolitan area. Bats are important as even in urban environments they play vital ecological roles such as cactus pollination, insect management, and seed dispersal. Bat Crazy is a thesis project focused on urban enhancement and the field of urban biodiversity. The goals of this thesis are to observe how bio-conscious urban cities that work to promote species conservation can serve as a positive tool to promote biodiversity and foster community education and engagement for their urban environment.

ContributorsKaiser, Nicole (Author) / Senko, Jesse (Thesis director) / Angilletta, Michael (Committee member) / Lynch, John (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2023-05
132320-Thumbnail Image.png
Description
In the Alto Mayo Protection Forest (AMPF) of San Martín, Peru, unsustainable farming practices in coffee agroecosystems are the main drivers of deforestation and habitat loss. Previous studies indicate that across Latin American coffee farms, using shade-grown coffee result in higher biodiversity on the farms with a larger abundance of

In the Alto Mayo Protection Forest (AMPF) of San Martín, Peru, unsustainable farming practices in coffee agroecosystems are the main drivers of deforestation and habitat loss. Previous studies indicate that across Latin American coffee farms, using shade-grown coffee result in higher biodiversity on the farms with a larger abundance of floral and faunal species. In AMPF, conservation agreements have been implemented between cultivators and Conservation International to ameliorate the environmental damages incurred by poor farming practices, as well as to increase cultivator livelihoods. To measure the effectiveness of these agreements, we compared camera trap data to drone-captured shade cover data to find the correlation between higher shade cover and biodiversity among subscriber plots. While our results showed no interrelationship between shade cover and species abundance or richness, this study was a small subset of the larger study, representing only 15% of the total subscriber plots and 24% of the overall sectors. Therefore, we predict that the results of the larger study will be more conclusive and will better indicate the predicted positive relationship between biodiversity and agroecology in AMPF.
ContributorsDelaune, Celeste Rose (Author) / Gerber, Leah (Thesis director) / Ahumada, Jorge (Committee member) / Summers, Percy (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
132347-Thumbnail Image.png
Description
Beginning in 2011, the Gulf of Mexico and all of the surrounding coastlines saw a rapid influx of pelagic Sargassum seaweed. The issue continues to worsen, and as larger amounts of Sargassum continue to wash ashore the affected regions are becoming threatened on multiple fronts. These previously unseen quantities of

Beginning in 2011, the Gulf of Mexico and all of the surrounding coastlines saw a rapid influx of pelagic Sargassum seaweed. The issue continues to worsen, and as larger amounts of Sargassum continue to wash ashore the affected regions are becoming threatened on multiple fronts. These previously unseen quantities of Sargassum seaweed are creating a host of serious environmental, economic, and health concerns. Affected areas are desperately searching for solutions to help remove the seaweed while wondering if these Sargassum covered beaches will become the new norm. While currently these concerns are centralized in coastal regions of the Gulf of Mexico, there is no evidence that the issue will not proliferate leading to wide-scale global problems. This paper investigates the various concerns created by the inundation of the Sargassum seaweed, researches the unique characteristics of the thriving species of Sargassum in hopes of identifying a solution, and explores the potential market value these solutions may have in an attempt to mitigate the large-scale impact of the Sargassum invasion.
ContributorsVan Bussum, Ryan William (Author) / Leah, Gerber (Thesis director) / Ann, Kinzig (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description

This creative project consists of a series of narrative and interactive videos that explains the Mediterranean Diet from both nutritional and cultural perspectives, its history, and shares the stories and insights of female farmers in Southern Italy. These women preserve native ancient varieties of edible flora and cultural practices that

This creative project consists of a series of narrative and interactive videos that explains the Mediterranean Diet from both nutritional and cultural perspectives, its history, and shares the stories and insights of female farmers in Southern Italy. These women preserve native ancient varieties of edible flora and cultural practices that have evolved with the plants and the territory. This video series recognizes the women preserving their traditions and local varieties native to Southern Italy and highlights the importance of local place-based eating and foodways. The videos provide questions and vocabulary to engage with the audience and challenge them to develop ideas and ruminate on the material presented.

ContributorsLarson, Chloe (Author) / Vitullo, Juliann (Thesis director) / Dal Martello, Chiara (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor)
Created2022-05
165475-Thumbnail Image.png
ContributorsLarson, Chloe (Author) / Vitullo, Juliann (Thesis director) / Dal Martello, Chiara (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor)
Created2022-05