The major historical studies that have examined American
biology have emphasized the development of experimental biology at
the end of the nineteenth century. In this characterization, the
descriptive branch of biology has often been treated as less than
important and, in several cases, as a hindrance in the application
of...
There is no information available on water management of birdsfoot
trefoil grown for seed. Information is also not available describing how to
minimize seed losses due to shattering in order to obtain consistently high
birdsfoot trefoil seed yields. The objectives of this research are to: (i) quantify
crop water use,...
Humans are increasing the scale and frequency of many natural disturbances, as well as adding novel disturbances to ecosystems. This thesis uses the arthropod community as a metric to examine the multi-trophic responses to disturbances in California grasslands. Chapter 2 explores how the long-term exclusion of native vertebrate herbivores has...
The HENRI system was developed to narrow the pulse width of TREAT from 89 ms to below 60 ms with the goal of improving the test reactor's ability to simulate RIAs in LWRs by rapidly injecting helium-3, a strong neutron poison, into the core. A coupled model using the CFD...
Central Oregon's landscape is rich in dry forests prone to frequent wildfires. Climate change studies and improved modeling indicate this region could experience conditions that result in an increase in number and severity of wildfires. With the potential for increased environmental hazards, the nearby communities face potential risks and vulnerabilities...
Collaborative fisheries research provides a mechanism for integrating the unique knowledge, experience, and skills of fishermen and scientists. It is a joint intellectual endeavor that begins with the inception of a project and continues until its final stages, with each group having mutual investment in-and ownership of-the project. Collaborative fisheries...
The over-arching theme of this work is that soil data affect the performance and realism of vegetation models with particular focus on their ability to predict or explain disturbances such as fire or disease. We tested the sensitivity of the Excel version of the 3-PG model to soil properties and...
Although the human health and social benefits from outdoor recreation are numerous, there is mounting evidence that outdoor recreation can negatively impact wildlife. Shorebirds are known to be especially sensitive to recreation-related disturbance because they nest and forage directly on beaches that are often used for recreation. Many studies have...
The seismic response of deep deposits of liquefiable and cyclic-softening susceptible soils has presented the geotechnical profession with significant engineering challenges. Strong ground motions may serve to soften soils under cyclic shear, trigger liquefaction, and produce damaging displacements as a consequence. This study improves the understanding of the in-situ, nonlinear,...
Urban areas currently cover a small fraction of Oregon’s landscape but will expand to accommodate an increasingly large proportion of the state’s growing population and economic activity. Residential developments on rural lands now cover more than twice the area occupied by Oregon’s urban developments and are growing rapidly. Oregon urban...