"The MSC was created through the impetus of three needs. Wayne Burt of the newly formed Oceanography Department needed dock and ship support facilities for his NSF-funded research vessel on the coast. Roland Dimick of the Fisheries and Wildlife Department needed to expand his small bay research lab located at...
Marine ecosystems can be exposed to natural and anthropogenic disturbances that can lead to ecological failures. Marine reserves have been lately suggested to protect marine populations and communities that have been affected by habitat destruction and harvest. This research evaluates the potential role of two marine reserves established in Oregon...
The purpose of this study was to investigate the primary factors affecting colony size, reproductive success, and foraging patterns of Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus albociliatus) nesting at East Sand Island in the Columbia River estuary, the largest colony of this species on the Pacific Coast of North America. This colony...
Dramatic declines in many species of demersal fishes off the West Coast have resulted in the designation of nine commercially important species as being overfished. While the causes of those declines are not clearly understood, the fact remains that a paucity of life history and abundance data exists for many...
In this dissertation I explore the application of two novel modeling techniques for improving risk analysis of vector-borne disease and discuss their potential use in integrating environmental risk assessment that guides environmental and public health decisions. Techniques for analyzing risk have been considered inadequate due to a lack of understanding...
Wild populations of fish are faced with a multitude of stressors, which may include human interaction, toxins, and disease. Benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), a known carcinogen and immunotoxin, has been reported in the stomach contents of juvenile chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, in urban waterways. We investigated the impact of chronic dietary exposure...
The purpose of this study was to investigate the survival and movements of newly metamorphosed Northern Red-legged frogs (Rana aurora aurora) as they emigrated from two ephemeral breeding ponds. Quantifying survival and movement rates will be important to our understanding how changes to terrestrial and aquatic systems affect behavior and...