A dissertation describing the results of a series of greenhouse experiments conducted to better understand phytoremediation in stormwater bioretention systems.
The objective of this study is to evaluate the potential of removing organic carbon and inorganic nitrogen contaminants, and metals from the leachate prior to any land application. New guidelines are needed to ensure the environment and our health is not put at risk. The cost of installation, operation and...
The environmental health science community recognizes polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as a re-emerging class of environmental pollutants due to their persistence and prominence in mixtures of concern. Due to their widespread distribution in the environment, exposure to PAHs often occur as complex chemical mixtures. Exposures are linked to numerous adverse...
Pseudoloma neurophilia is the most common pathogen reported in zebrafish (Danio rerio) research facilities and is an important threat to the zebrafish model. This microsporidian parasite can cause clinical disease, but more importantly is a causative agent of non-protocol induced variation in research. Studies utilizing infected zebrafish, could potentially confound...
There have been some gains in the number of women who occupy the college presidency (Gagliardi, Espinosa, Turk & Taylor, 2017), yet the gains reflect a slow pace towards gender parity, particularly at the community college level. Public two-year colleges are represented by 36% women presidents (Gagliardi et. al., 2017)....
Observed declines in native pollinator species worldwide has generated concern and focused research into the disturbances, past and present, which may have contributed to these losses. In grasslands, for example, habitat degradation and fragmentation from historical and current crop production and livestock grazing has left only a few remnants of...
The greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter, sage-grouse) is a ground nesting gallinaceous bird that requires large contiguous patches of sagebrush. Sage-grouse populations have declined, especially in the Great Basin where changes in wildfire regimes and the invasion of annual grasses have contributed to habitat loss and fragmentation. During the last...
The life history traits of polygamous, non-territorial shorebirds like the Red Phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius) can make it challenging to assess their population status. There are two general approaches to statistical inference used to understand shorebird (Order: Charadriiformes) population change: design-based inference, which implements an a-priori sampling scheme with known selection...
The freshwater copepod Salmincola californiensis is an ectoparasite of Pacific salmonids (Oncorhynchus spp.) Threatened and endangered salmonids that rear in the reservoirs have been reported to experience higher rates of infection by S. californiensis than would be experienced by their stream-reared counterparts. These high levels of infection can lead to...
It is well documented that greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter sage-grouse) populations have been in decline throughout their range in the western United States. Currently, sage-grouse occupy approximately 56% of their historic distribution prior to European settlement. Numerous factors have been cited as potential causes for declining productivity and contraction...