Matching Items (30)
Description
This thesis utilizes GIS mapping to analyze the severity of four threats: ocean acidification, sea surface temperature, artisanal fishing, and destructive fishing, in conjunction with coral species distribution. This project produced maps that depicts each of these threats and shows the distribution of its severity. Compiling this data we can see that ocean acidification is the most pressing threat in the Caribbean to coral and that neither type of fishing really has a large effect. A species named Madracis carmabi is also flagged to be of particular concern as it is severely threatened by both ocean acidification and sea surface temperature.
ContributorsStats, Anastasia Katherine (Author) / Polidoro, Beth (Thesis director) / Sulikowski, James (Committee member) / School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences (Contributor) / School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
Description
The Philippines relies on a vast biodiversity of fishes as a staple food, but like many countries around the globe, experiences severe “leakages” of contaminants and pollutants in the environment. In order to better understand the relationship between environmental pollutants and public health, this research project measured the concentration of pollutants in a commonly consumed local fish (Siganus fuscescens), and then evaluated the potential health risks of eating this fish based on estimated average consumer weight and consumption levels. Fish sampled from four different sites located in Negros Oriental, Philippines were analyzed for organic contaminants using gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy. Pollutants quantified included polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), pesticides, phthalates, and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs). Across the four study sites, fishes from Manjuyod showed the highest frequency of detection of different pollutants. However, phthalates and PAHs were found in similar concentrations in all four sites, with fishes from Dumaguete showing the highest level of PCBs compared to the other sampled sites. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s guide for fish contaminants pinpoints several health risks associated with the chronic ingestion of these contaminants. Based on estimated average body weights of Filipino adult men, adult women, and children, and various consumption levels, people who eat the fish at or above the national average consumption level may be at increased risk for chronic health outcomes, such as cancer and/or other adverse effects. Specifically, due to the high concentration of PCBs in Dumaguete, selected populations who eat local fish from this site may be at higher risk than the citizens who eat the fish from other sites at similar consumption rates. These results can help to inform local and national policies on water quality, waste disposal, and fish consumption advisory programs.
ContributorsMolino, Eryka J (Author) / Polidoro, Beth (Thesis director) / Bucol, Lilibeth (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
Description
Fish consumption advisories are important to the protection of human health but are not often widely communicated nor systematically or comprehensively conducted. The objective of this thesis is to explore the strengths and weaknesses of current fish consumption advisory programs in the US and Canada, providing a comparison between the two countries. The US and Canada were chosen because the two countries are relatively similar in socio-economic makeup as well as in their state vs. federal regulatory setup, allowing for easier comparison. At the sub-federal level, Arizona was chosen to serve as a case study for the US, and Nova Scotia as a case study for Canada. To compare each country, fish consumption advisory programs were broadly described across the 50 US states and 13 Canadian provinces and territories to provide a full understanding of the variation in such programs within each country. In addition to comparison across states and provinces, opportunities and challenges for policy correction to strengthen fish consumption advisory programs will be provided, including suggestions on how the US and Canada can learn from each other in creating better environmental policy. Policy is addressed as a means of improving fish consumption advisory programs because without state or federal requirements to monitor fish tissue for contaminants of concern across the US and Canada, there is no guarantee human health and environmental justice will remain protected in either country. Potential global sources of enhanced environmental policy will be provided as examples of further opportunities for the US and Canada to improve fish consumption advisory program policies.
ContributorsKing, Rachael A H (Author) / Polidoro, Beth (Thesis director) / Watanabe, Karen (Committee member) / Avery, Trevor (Committee member) / School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences (Contributor) / School of Social and Behavioral Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-12
Description
The prevalence of plastic products has exponentially grown over the past two decades. Single-use plastics are the largest source of plastic waste in the environment and are heavily produced for both food and drink packaging. While it is argued that single-use plastics maintain product longevity and are associated with ‘ease of use’, this research paper questions their essentiality.
In this study, single-use plastics in the food packaging industry were systematically reviewed in order to determine their ‘essentiality’ for product longevity. Four grocery stores were chosen and their brands ‘in plastic’ and ‘not in plastic’ were counted. Seven subcategories of food and drink types were created such that a proportion was representative of the brands in plastic per category.
The results of the systematic review showed that the majority of categories sampled from in each store had at least 80% of their brands in plastic packaging. Across four of the seven subcategories, 99-100% of each stores’ brands were in plastic packaging. Furthermore, six alternatives to single-use plastic packaging were reviewed and compared to current methods of food and drink packaging. This comparison deemed that none of the single-use packaging methods utilized in grocery stores were considered essential.
While this study concluded that none of the single-use plastics reviewed were deemed essential, alternatives still remain at a higher cost of production. Further innovation and widespread production of safe alternatives are both integral factors in reducing plastic production and protecting the future of the environment.
In this study, single-use plastics in the food packaging industry were systematically reviewed in order to determine their ‘essentiality’ for product longevity. Four grocery stores were chosen and their brands ‘in plastic’ and ‘not in plastic’ were counted. Seven subcategories of food and drink types were created such that a proportion was representative of the brands in plastic per category.
The results of the systematic review showed that the majority of categories sampled from in each store had at least 80% of their brands in plastic packaging. Across four of the seven subcategories, 99-100% of each stores’ brands were in plastic packaging. Furthermore, six alternatives to single-use plastic packaging were reviewed and compared to current methods of food and drink packaging. This comparison deemed that none of the single-use packaging methods utilized in grocery stores were considered essential.
While this study concluded that none of the single-use plastics reviewed were deemed essential, alternatives still remain at a higher cost of production. Further innovation and widespread production of safe alternatives are both integral factors in reducing plastic production and protecting the future of the environment.
ContributorsGolda, Ashleigh Marie (Co-author) / Golda, Ashleigh (Co-author) / Polidoro, Beth (Thesis director) / Priest, Maura (Committee member) / Historical, Philosophical & Religious Studies (Contributor) / School of Social Transformation (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Marine conservation faces the unique challenge of trying to assess and protect species, like sharks, that have long migration tracks and are often targeted by fishing vessels in open and international waters. Over the last two decades, several large predatory shark populations have been greatly depleted despite local and international organizations designed to help regulate and prevent predator removal to avoid disturbing the food web those sharks balance (Myers, Baum, Shepherd, Powers, & Peterson, 2007). Forensic science is a powerful tool that could give shark conservation efforts an edge on identifying shark species currently being targeted by unsustainable fisheries in international waters. Allowing offenders who break international conservation laws to be prosecuted for their crimes. Unfortunately, this unique and powerful tool has not been given the opportunity to be utilized as it should be. An overview of national and international agencies, organizations, and laws disclosed a strong foundation for wildlife conservation. However, current international organizations and laws that govern international waters leave much to be desired in regards to protecting shark species that are threatened due to being popular targets for fishing vessels. This paper examines the level of forensic science involvement in shark conservation efforts through a literature review, revealing a severe lack of real-life application of forensic science to marine conservation cases. Current issues that marine wildlife forensic science encounters while attempting to increase forensic capability. And finally, presenting proposals for the future, and new challenges, which aim to strengthen the relationship between forensic science and marine conservation.
ContributorsParker, Jamie Caitlin (Author) / Kobojek, Kimberly (Thesis director) / Polidoro, Beth (Committee member) / School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
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 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
Description
The International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species is the most comprehensive and objective global approach to evaluate the conservation status of species by categorizing species based on relative extinction risk. For the Global Muranidae IUCN Red List assessment, all known, taxonomically valid species of Muraenidae were assessed for their extinction risk using the IUCN Red List Global Categories and Criteria. Of all 208 Muraenidae species, it was concluded that 86% of species qualified for Least Concern, 13% of species are Data Deficient, and 1% of species qualified for a threatened category. Channomuraena bauchotae is listed as threatened under VU D2 and Gymnothorax parini qualified for VU B2ab(iii). This study will have brought the International Union for the Conservation of Nature one step closer to their goal of conducting Red List assessments of all the world's species(not including microorganisms). Future implications of this study may include future monitoring of key habitat areas and species or conducting further research to gain a more in depth understanding of the life history and threats to Muraenidae.
ContributorsLaurence, Paige Marie (Author) / Polidoro, Beth (Thesis director) / Ralph, Gina (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
Advanced technology has increased access to Antarctica; consequently, there has been an increase in research and tourism. The production of the new technology and the increased number of individuals visiting can increase the presence of persistent organic pollutants and microplastic within Antarctic soil. Studies have focused primarily on identifying these pollutants in high human impact areas with perhaps an assumption that low human impact areas would have lower concentrations of pollutants. The object of this paper, therefore, was to test the hypothesis that higher concentrations of persistent organic pollutants and microplastic are found in soils collected near research stations and tourist areas, as opposed to sites that are further from stations and have less direct human impact. Soil samples were collected along a 1,500 km transect of the Scotia Arch and Antarctic Peninsula from three high human impact sites and three low human impact sites to compare the concentration of contaminates identified within the soil. The presence and quantities of microplastic were identified using Nile Red and fluorescence microscopy, while gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to detect polychlorinated biphenyls, pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, n-alkane, and phthalates. Although varying contaminate concentration levels were found at all six sights, counter to the hypothesis, there were no clear patterns of increasing pollutants with increasing human activities. These findings could imply that global sources of pollutants can increase local pollutants indicating the best way to solve any pollution problem is through a global lens.
ContributorsCarroll, Kenneth Charles (Author) / Polidoro, Beth (Thesis advisor) / Kinzig, Ann (Thesis advisor) / Ball, Becky (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
Plastic pollution poses a threat to the health and well-being of marine mammals across the globe. This paper takes a previously developed trait-based risk assessment framework and applies it to all 118 species of marine mammals worldwide, to help create a relative ranking of vulnerability of species to plastic ingestion and entanglement. After extensive data collection on 13 traits related to each species’ relative likelihood of exposure to plastics, species sensitivity to plastic ingestion and entanglement, and overall population resiliency, the initial trait framework was adapted and scored to calculate the relative vulnerability of marine mammals to marine microplastic pollution. Results indicate that the Hawaiian Monk Seal has one of the highest relative vulnerabilities to macroplastic pollution among all marine mammals. Furthermore, this exercise highlighted several areas where future research is needed, including expanding the framework to microplastics, applying the framework to coastal human populations, and further investigation of unknown life history traits of various marine mammals.
ContributorsFredette-Roman, Cassidy (Author) / Polidoro, Beth (Thesis advisor) / Rolsky, Charles (Committee member) / Minteer, Ben (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
The intramandibular joint (IMJ) in Helostoma temminckii, also known as kissing gourami, is located in the lower jaw at the articulation of the dentary and angular-articular bones. These fish are known for a ‘kissing’ behavior, facilitated by the IMJ, which allows the jaws to protrude and rotate making the mouth appear to look like pursed lips. The IMJ has independently evolved in the teleost lineage multiple times, and the mechanics are slightly different in each lineage. In kissing gourami, there are no muscular connections to the region of the lower jaw anterior to the IMJ, thus the IMJ is something of an enigma in terms of how it is mobilized during feeding, and moreover returned to a resting state after feeding. High-speed video was used to examine lateral expansion particularly in the regions of the intramandibular joint (IMJ) and the quadratomandibular (QMJ) joint. Individuals were filmed from a lateral and ventral view simultaneously during food capture. From the data, it appears that the expansion at the IMJ contributes to lateral expansion of the head during food capture. Lateral expansion at the location of the IMJ appears to occur in tandem with rotation about that joint; however, lateral expansion in this species is also rather slight due to their extremely rigid heads.
ContributorsLevy, Taylor (Author) / Ferry, Lara (Thesis advisor) / Gibb, Alice (Committee member) / Polidoro, Beth (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022