Non-native ecosystem engineers, which modify the structure and function of their ecosystems, are often a particularly concerning and costly group of invasive species. Such organisms may have substantial impacts on ecosystem services, or the benefits that humans derive from their ecosystems. Many factors play a role in the invasion success...
This report, required by state law under HB3543, provides a comprehensive assessment of the state of science of climate change as it pertains to Oregon, covering the physical, biological, and social dimensions. The first chapter summarizes the current state of knowledge of physical changes in climate and hydrology, focusing on...
Students with disabilities are not being afforded the same access to sporting opportunities as their peers without disabilities. The purpose of this dissertation was to build on a foundation of information regarding collegiate adaptive sports through a Critical Disabilities Studies lens. Specific aims included: (1) identifying and describing intercollegiate, adaptive...
Bangladesh is a developing country with burdens of environmental pollution and disparities in maternal and child health. Arsenic, manganese, and lead are pervasive environmental contaminants throughout Bangladesh with major exposures through drinking water and ambient pollution. Chronic exposures to arsenic, manganese, and lead in sensitive populations such as pregnant women,...
Climate change is occurring at an increasingly rapid rate, with impacts heightened in the cold regions of the world including the Arctic. Warming effects are widespread, with one impacted process – freeze-thaw cycles – increasing in frequency and potentially triggering additional changes in permafrost soils that have previously acted as...
Climate change and other anthropogenic impacts are threatening the existence of millions of species around the globe. On western continental boundaries, the large-scale secondary process of upwelling, which brings low pH, deoxygenated, high nutrient seawater to the surface, is compounded by climate change, that together could drive some species to...
Marine heatwaves have become more common over the past several years. The 2014-2015 ‘warm blob’ had profound effects on marine ecosystems in the Northeast Pacific. Given the particular habitat needs of Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) we wanted to examine the impacts of the heatwave on Chinook depth distribution. We examined...
While safety improvements have been made in the construction industry, construction still experiences one of the highest numbers of fatalities annually compared to other industries in the United States with over 970 fatalities in 2016 alone. This number of fatalities drives researchers and safety managers to improve safety measures and...
Somatic growth variation manifests from the cumulative effects of a suite of biological, ecological, and environmental processes and can have profound effects on individual fitness and species population dynamics. As ectotherms whose growth dynamics are greatly influenced by environmental factors, sea turtles display considerable variation in somatic growth within and...