Farmers rely almost exclusively on the imported European honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) for fruit and vegetable crop pollination services. The recent decline in honeybee health has underscored the danger of relying on a single species to provide vital services. Increasing pollinator biodiversity with native bees may provide biological insurance against...
The western Nearctic species of the genus Phytocoris Fallen were
taxonomically revised. Over 15,000 specimens were examined.
Information concerning host plant associations and distributions was
compiled and summarized for use by future researchers. External
morphological features and characters of the male genitalia were used
to distinguish species. The genital tubercles...
Bumble bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) are important native pollinators in wild and agricultural systems, and are one of the few groups of native bees commercially bred for use in the pollination of a range of crops. In recent years, declines in bumble bees have been reported globally. One factor implicated in...
Project Loom is a system of sensors, actuators, processors, and wireless connectivity chips that the user can pick and choose from in order to create an Internet of Things application that fits their desired needs. The modularity of the system and ease of use allows for the user to create...
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Stephen Good, Committee Member, representing Biological and Ecological Engineering
Wildfire management networks allow for collaborative intervention in mitigating the ever-present risk of major wildfire events. This thesis consists of two manuscripts that explore the topology and characteristics of wildfire management networks and their ability to influence wildfire severity in social-ecological systems. The first manuscript focuses on the characteristics of...
The wellbeing of the Willamette basin in Oregon depends on the river ecosystem’s microbial communities, which control primary production and the biological processing of nutrients, pollutants, and organic matter. Yet, only a few studies have investigated the diversity of the microbial communities of the Willamette basin. This paper examines how...
Currently available soil moisture sensors have intrinsic limitations that limit their adoption by industry. Depending on the technology, these limitations may include high costs, battery requirements, precice manual installation, high cost, and/or constrictive legislation that regulates their use. A passive soil moisture sensing system based around RFID technology would allay...
Bees provide vital ecosystem services for cropping systems as well as natural landscapes. Declines in both both native bee and managed honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) populations has brought attention to the significance of their role as pollinators in managed and native ecosystems. As a result, conservation efforts have been...
The work presented here is the culmination of efforts in describing complex chemical systems with statistical methods, thereby providing relatively simple quantitative models and easily comprehensible qualitative insights. The following investigations have various goals, such as development of new methods, fundamental understanding, molecular control of chemical species, and advancement of...
Microbial communities in aquatic systems are dominant drivers of chemical transformation, including contaminants of emerging concern (CECs). This study quantified shifts in microbial communities and their relationship to shifts in chemical composition in surface waters in the Willamette Valley, Oregon. In addition to bulk chemical composition shifts, the relationship between...