Soils contain the largest pool of carbon that is actively cycling on human timescales, leading many to view soils as a natural climate solution with multiple co-benefits. The field of soil science is rapidly evolving, but without a unified understanding of soil carbon dynamics. This dissertation leverages two distinct long-term...
Each year, whether it be under voluntary or unvoluntary circumstances, countless professional athletes retire from their sport. Even by the average retirement age of 30, many are still underprepared to face the challenges that accompany the transition. Along with the changes in schedule, identity, and social group, numerous professional athletes...
Swamp rice offers tropical populations the most feasible means
of obtaining a dependable and plentiful supply of protein-rich cereals.
An acre of swamp rice land will support many persons and the crop
does not cause erosion. A further production of this type of rice appears
warranted in Sierra Leone and...
Recently, in an attempt to produce robust production frontier estimators, Aragon et al. [2005, Nonparametric frontier estimation: a conditional quantile-based approach. Econometric Theory 21, 358-389] and Martins-Filho and Yao [2008, A smooth nonparametric conditional quantile frontier estimator. Journal of Econometrics 143, 317-333] considered the estimation of nonparametric α- frontier models...
In light of water scarcity and the impacts of climate change, there is an increased need to understand the interaction between land use characteristics and ecohydrologic processes in semiarid regions. Additionally, many semiarid and arid regions face various land management challenges, including woody plant encroachment, decreased snowpack, and increased stream...
Previous research has shown that women are increasingly sexualized in a variety of media contexts. I conducted a content analysis of film trailers from 2018 and 2019 to examine the relationship between the sexualization and objectification of female-presenting characters to the popularity of the film and its trailer. A random...
Pseudomonas is a diverse genus of Gram-negative bacteria that includes pathogens of plants, insects, and humans as well as environmental strains with no known pathogenicity. Pseudomonas fluorescens itself encompasses a heterologous group of bacteria that are prevalent in soil and on foliar and root surfaces of plants. Some strains of...
Artificial reefs create less productive fish communities than their natural counterparts mostly due to differences in habitat complexity and food potential. Are there other factors contributing to this decrease in productivity, such as the material of the habitat? I tested the response of the tidepool sculpin, Oligocottus maculatus, to man-made...
Full Text:
SCULPIN AND MICROHABITAT CHOICE
By Sierra Payne
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND
• Fisheries declining
This study investigates the occurrence of beaver (Castor canadensis) in lentic habitat (lakes and ponds) near Mount St. Helens in Washington, 40 years after the 1980 eruption. At the coarse spatial scale, I surveyed lakes for sign of beaver establishment (lodge or den) across multiple volcanic disturbance zones. At a...
Artificial reefs create less productive fish communities than their natural counterparts mostly due to differences in habitat complexity and food potential. Are there other factors contributing to this decrease in productivity, such as the material of the habitat? I tested the response of the tidepool sculpin, Oligocottus maculatus, to man-made...
Full Text:
SCULPIN AND MICROHABITAT CHOICE
By Sierra Payne
1
INTRODUCTION
2
BACKGROUND
• Fisheries