Few studies have directly compared denitrifying community composition and activities in soils by coupling molecular-genetic techniques and traditional measures of denitnfication. I investigated communities of denitrifying bacteria from adjacent meadow and forest soils in the Cascade Mountains, Oregon. A key gene in the denitrification pathway, N₂O reductase (nosZ), served as...
Seeding is a vital tool to facilitate recovery of degraded ecosystems, but low seedling recruitment rates limit the utility of this practice in a range of ecosystems across the globe. Plant functional traits impact individual fitness through effects on growth, reproduction and survival. Consequently, seed and seedling trait variation among...
Measurements on growth traits up to 41 years of age
from 68 progeny sites in eight first-generation breeding
zones of coastal Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii
[MIRB.] FRANCO var. menziesii) in the US Pacific Northwest
were used to investigate age trends of genetic parameters
and to determine optimum age of selection. Heritabilities...
Queer students in American public schools may face significant challenges including unsupportive or hostile peers or staff members (Eisenberg et al., 2017). The culture of rural Southern schools may be particularly challenging for these students as they are less likely to have an active support group and more likely to...
Oregon Fishermen in Ocean Observing Research (OrFIOOR) is a cooperative research program between ocean scientists and fishermen in the Pacific Northwest. Dungeness crab fishermen attach sensor packages (temperature and dissolved oxygen) to crab pots. The pots serve as platforms of opportunity for ocean observing. This study examines three principle questions...
The extent in which the evangelical Christian perspective influenced the career decision-making self-efficacy of six female college students was qualitatively explored. Interviews and a focus group were utilized to find common themes and influences amongst the women. Literature from the areas of female college student development, career decision-making self-efficacy, and...
This is a phenomenological research study of the lived experience of women student mentors at one community college located in an urban setting on the West Coast. The study participants were women students who served as mentors to other women at the community college who are participants in a returning...
Predicting the average affect of a piece of music is a task which has been of recent interest in the field of music information retrieval. We investigate the use of sentiment analysis on online social media conversations to predict a song’s valence and arousal. Using four music emotion datasets -...
Successful ecosystem restoration requires an understanding of the ecological processes directing succession. One of the challenges in the semi-arid grasslands of western United States is replacement of native species by invasive annual grasses. Solutions to this problem require identifying and manipulating ecological processes that direct succession to favor desired vegetation....
The study of the infra-specific ranks (i.e., subspecies and variety) can be considered
the study of the process of speciation. Astragalus lentiginosus Douglas ex Hooker
(Fabaceae) is the most taxon rich species in the U.S. flora currently including 40
taxonomic varieties. These varieties were described using traditional taxonomic
methods primarily...