The decomposition of marine plankton in two-chamber, seawater-filled microbial fuel cells (MFCs) has been investigated and related to resulting chemical changes, electrode potentials, current efficiencies, and microbial diversity. Six experiments were run at various discharge potentials, and a seventh served as an open-circuit control. The plankton consisted of a mixture...
The effects of overcoming rest by application of "near-lethal" (NL)
stress treatments on the subsequent development of cold hardiness of
stem tissues of red-osier dogwood, Comus sericea L., at different rest
stages under three post-environments (0°, 23°, and natural condition)
were studied. NL-heat stress (47°C for one hour) treatment during...
Female participation in high-contact sports has increased
dramatically in the past two decades, raising concern regarding injury to
the female breast and the need for protective equipment. While the use of
chest/breast protectors by women is advocated, little is known of their
efficacy and effect on athletic performance. The purpose...
Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus hemionus) and Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus canadensis nelsoni; hereafter elk) populations in northeast Oregon have declined in the past 10 to 20 years. Concurrent with these declines, cougar (Puma concolor) populations have apparently increased, leading to speculation that predation by cougars may be responsible for declining...
More than 1500 species of plants and animals in the United States are listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The U.S. Departments of Interior and Commerce are required, under Section 4(f)(1) of the ESA, to develop recovery plans for ESA-listed species under the respective agency...
The status of wild sheep in North America typifies the plight of many wildlife species in modern times: wild sheep have declined to 10-40% of their numbers during pristine times and on a global scale approximately 31% of Caprine are considered threatened or critical. As human populations and the number...
Genetic differences between early and late forms of
Alaskan chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) were
identified using two genetic approaches: mitochondrial
DNA (mtDNA) analysis and protein electrophoresis. The
study populations consisted of early- and late-run chinook
salmon in each of the Kenai and Kasilof rivers in Alaska,
and a single population...
This study developed a strategic conservation project for the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport, Oregon focusing on a signature species and this aquarium’s conservation focus areas (i.e., marine debris, sustainable fisheries, water quality, climate change). This study also examined the potential for incorporating an ecotourism or wildlife tourism component to...
Two striking characteristics of human beings are the diversity of resources that we use to sustain our lives and the extent to which we engage in coordinated, collective efforts to obtain and consume these resources. Together, these two characteristics are the foundation of human subsistence patterns. In many remote Alaskan...
present a unique modeling approach to investigate the
potential impacts of future land use alternatives on amphibian population
dynamics in two agricultural watersheds in central Iowa. An individual-based
spatially explicit population was used to predict the consequences of alternative
landscape design and management for populations of four amphibian species. The...
The showy biennial to short-lived perennial Oenothera wolfii (Munz) Raven, Dietrich & Stubbe (Wolf’s evening primrose) occurs in only a small number of isolated populations on the southern Oregon and northern California coast. This rare species is currently listed as Threatened in Oregon, and is considered a Species of Concern...
The distribution of the Lesser Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) has been markedly reduced due to loss and fragmentation of habitat. Portions of the historical range, however, have been recolonized and even expanded due to planting of conservation reserve program (CRP) fields that provide favorable vegetation structure for Lesser Prairie-Chickens. The source...
Behavioral response studies provide significant insights into the nature, magnitude, and consequences of changes in animal behavior in response to some external stimulus. Controlled exposure experiments (CEEs) to study behavioral response have faced challenges in quantifying the importance of and interaction among individual variability, exposure conditions, and environmental covariates. To...
Greater Sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) habitat research has historically focused on fine-scale (0.007 - 0.032 ha) vegetation structure and composition immediately surrounding sites selected by birds. However, little work has evaluated vegetation attributes important for Greater Sage-grouse at a landscape-scale or identified landscape attributes that influence habitat use patterns. Habitat use...
Reinhabitation is an approach to building local cultures and economies within industrial society. The food system is a vital starting point. What are the principles of reinhabitory food systems? What are the possibilities for a locally adapted food system in the Marys River region of western Oregon? I describe past...
Conservation is, among other things, the expression of a relationship between humans and nonhuman nature. This relationship can be described empirically using the methods of social science, but it can also be prescribed in the form of philosophical arguments. Scholars in the field of environmental ethics have discussed and debated...