127 research outputs found
Closing the Loop: Promoting Sustainability through Food at the University of Nevada, Reno
No full textThe University of Nevada, Reno Libraries will promptly respond to removal requests related to content that violates intellectual property laws, data protections, or has been uploaded without creator consent. Takedown notices should be directed to our ScholarWolf team ([email protected]) with information about the object, including its full URL and the nature of your complaint.Sustainability is an issue that everyone must face in the near future. One way that universities across the United States are addressing sustainability and promoting environmental awareness on campus is through food. Food sustainability is primarily achieved by closing the loop on campus food systems and educating the student body on the importance of its food choices. My thesis project aims to identify what other universities have done to achieve success in their food initiatives and figure out how to develop these initiatives at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR). I found that by integrating the goals and efforts of student, faculty, and food services, a campus-wide food movement can be developed, and sustainability can be achieved. UNR will need to form a food working group to address student awareness of food sustainability as well as farming, local food sourcing, and composting programs to close the loop on campus
Interagency Science and Research: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending September 30, 2007
No full textMet with Dr. Michael Collopy (UNR) to discuss the development of the Tahoe Science Consortium and associated research strategy, peer review process, and organization. Presented the S&R Team PowerPoint to federal land managers from Nevada, Utah, and Arizona who are planning a Mojave Desert Initiative. Coordinated external peer reviews for two SNPLMA Round 8 CI nominations. Hosted an all-agency natural resource management staff science workshop to assist with the selection of interagency goals, sub-goals, science questions, and associated tasks
Interagency Science and Research: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending September 30, 2007
No full textMet with Dr. Michael Collopy (UNR) to discuss the development of the Tahoe Science Consortium and associated research strategy, peer review process, and organization. Presented the S&R Team PowerPoint to federal land managers from Nevada, Utah, and Arizona who are planning a Mojave Desert Initiative. Coordinated external peer reviews for two SNPLMA Round 8 CI nominations. Hosted an all-agency natural resource management staff science workshop to assist with the selection of interagency goals, sub-goals, science questions, and associated tasks
Food Consumption and Growth Energetics of Nestling Golden Eagles
No full textPhDEcologyUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/158077/1/8106119.pd
Recommended from our members
Activity of bats in thinned, unthinned, and old-growth forests in the Oregon Coast Range
No full textTen species of bats occur in the Oregon Coast Range and are hypothesized to be
associated with late-successional forests. The development of characteristics of late-successional
forests in young forest stands can be accelerated through silvicultural
practices such as thinning I examined the effects of thinning on the use of forests by bats
in the Oregon Coast Range. I used automated ultrasonic detectors to record bat calls in
50- to 100-year-old thinned and =thinned stands as well as in old-growth (2200-year-old)
stands in 11 sites in the Oregon Coast Range during the summers of 1994 and 1995. I
compared bat activity levels among the 3 stand types. In addition, I classified bat calls into
1 of 5 species groups: Eptes/Las, Myev/vo, Myyu/ca, MythCory, and Mysp. I measured
selected vegetation and environmental variables in conjunction with bat activity. I also
compared bat activity on roads with activity in the stand interior at 1 site.
Bat activity was higher in old growth than in young stands, and higher in thinned
than in =thinned stands in 1995 and over both seasons combined. I did not detect a
difference in bat activity among stand types in 1994, until I removed 1 site from the
analysis. The Mysp and MythCory species groups exhibited differences among stand
types. Bat activity along roads was higher than activity within stands.
Tree density, tree diameter, tree height, shrub cover, and shrub height varied
significantly between old-growth and young stands. Tree density, tree diameter, shrub
cover, canopy cover, and crown height varied significantly between thinned and unthinned
stands. Bat activity, overall or by species group, was significantly related to structural
variables, including mean snag diameter, mean distance from the detector to snags, and
percent shrub cover.
My results suggest that bats are sensitive to stand structure and that silvicultural
practices, such as thinning, which promote development of structural characteristics found
in old-growth stands, would benefit bat populations. Further study is needed to clarify the
habitat preferences of separate bat species and to specify habitat elements required by bat
species
A Longitudinal Evaluation Study of a Science Professional Development Program for K-12 Teachers: NERDS
No full textA longitudinal evaluation study of a science professional development program for K-12 teachers was conducted using the CIPP evaluation model. Eleven years of program data were described and analyzed. Elementary teachers comprised 62% of the 384 participants, 17% of all participants were middle school teachers, and 13% of all participants were high school teachers. The program was focused on education reform initiatives as prescribed in the RFPs of each of three different funding agencies. Activities were congruent with the principles of adult, life-long and active learning. Program design was carefully planned and supported, and focused on content that was coherent with the state's science standards. The program duration was significant; it spread across two semesters and one summer, and incorporating over 180 hours of coursework. Participants worked in small groups, often coming from the same schools, throughout the program. The professional development program that was the subject of this evaluation study was informed by research findings on best practices and adhered to the research-based elements of effective professional development programs. Results indicated that the professional development model that was studied resulted in increased self-efficacy for the science teachers who participated in the program. Increases in self efficacy have been shown to positively affect student achievement. It is therefore reasonable to conclude that the program had a positive effect on student achievement through the teachers who participated in the professional development program. Additionally, this evaluation has demonstrated that the program and associated activities were designed to address national priorities in existence when each proposal was written
Portfolio Planning Methods: Faulty Approach or Faulty Research? A Rejoinder to 'Making Better Decisions' by Wensley
No full textWensley (1994) makes three key points. First, it is worthwhile to conduct empirical studies of the value of management techniques. Second, managers probably misuse portfolio methods. Third, the Armstrong and Brodie study is flawed. We agree with all three points.marketing, portfolio planning methods
Best practice parameters for management of rectal cancer: recommendations of the Colorectal Surgical Society of Australia
No full textChapuis, P H ; Killingback, M J ; Anseline, P F ; Bell, A M ; Bokey, E L ; Chapuis, P H ; Cohen, J R ; Collopy, B T ; Ctercteko, G C ; Cunningham, I
Recommended from our members
Focus on forestry ; vol. 5, no. 1 (Winter 1992)
No full textFocus on Forestry is published three times each year (Fall, Winter, Spring) by the College of Forestry, Oregon State University.Keywords: John Gordon, Barbara Middleton, northern spotted owl, John Shelk, Ron Stewart, John Tappeiner, elementary education, Darrell Ross, Tom Adams, Bob Ethington, Ed Starkey, Oregon Forestry Education Program (OFEP), Brian Greber, Nancy Harris, Norman Johnson, Jefferson Elementary School, Michael Collopy, Jerry Franklin, free trade, Jack Walstad, Environmental Exchange Box Program, Integrated Forest Protection (IFP), Gabriel Tucker, Greg Filip, Longbow Institute, silviculture, "Gang of Four", owl habitat, Jack Ward Thomas, land donations, David Hann, Bart Thielges, Sweet Home, William Emmingham, Charles Meslow, disease, importing logs, Tree Cookie Kit, European lumber marke
The Ecology of Signal Crayfish in Two Large Ultra-Oligotrophic Ecosystems: Crater Lake and Lake Tahoe
No full textInvasive species have become an increasing problem in the Western United States particularly when there are multiple stressors (e.g., invasive species and eutrophication) occurring to ecosystems. Invasive omnivores can present unique problems for aquatic ecosystems by having both direct and indirect impacts on native benthic invertebrates and vertebrates. Omnivorous crayfish, for example, strongly influence littoral habitats and biota with their foraging habits, creating both direct and indirect effects on trophic interactions in aquatic systems. Once they invade, these crayfish can ultimately dominate freshwater ecosystems. This dissertation investigates the distribution, density changes, and the direct and indirect impacts of the invasive signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) in two oligotrophic lentic ecosystems in the western United States; Lake Tahoe (CA-NV) and Crater Lake (OR). In chapter 1, I investigate the distribution, movement, and feeding behavior of invasive signal crayfish in Crater Lake. This lake population presents a unique opportunity to understand the movement of crayfish in a recently expanding population. I used minnow traps and snorkeling to determine crayfish distribution and stable isotope ratios of δ13C and δ15N to determine the flow of organic matter through the food web, trophic position, and percent benthic reliance. Depth gradient minnow traps demonstrate that crayfish densities can live as deep as 250 m. Trap and snorkel surveys from 2008 to 2013 indicate an expansion of crayfish from 44% to 78% of the littoral zone. Summer water temperature in Crater Lake has been warming, which may increase the recruitment of individuals and expand habitat availability for growth. Between 1965 and 2014 the nearshore surface temperature increased by 3.5°C. Principal component analysis revealed a positive relationship between crayfish occupation and cobble and boulder habitats of the lake. Crayfish in the littoral zone rely heavily (97.4%) on littoral-benthic carbon sources indicating their potential for impacting native invertebrate communities and the overall dynamics of Crater Lake’s ecosystem. Our findings indicate, however, that deeper water crayfish also may rely on littoral benthic energy resources. Crayfish movement to deeper waters may be subsidizing generally nutrient poor, deep-water habitats with littoral energy through excretion and egestion, where physical conditions are stable and natural perturbation is low.In Chapter 2, I quantify the influence of this early, expanding invasion in Crater Lake to littoral zone ecology by evaluating their influence on zoobenthic consumer biomass and basal algal biomass. Benthic invertebrate biomass was 77% lower in hard substrate and 78% lower in soft substrate areas with crayfish present than in crayfish-absent locations. Using Bayesian, stable isotope mixing models, dietary preferences of crayfish at three locations with varying crayfish densities were quantified. Only slight variations in crayfish diet were detected between the three locations where crayfish have been established, the outer boundary of crayfish expansion, and the middle of the crayfish population indicating that crayfish. Despite differing densities, crayfish are feeding on similar food sources, particularly benthic invertebrates. At low crayfish densities (0 to 10), benthic invertebrate numbers were 222.3±36.6 individuals m-2, while chlorophyll a was 16.8±5.8 mg m-2. At high densities of crayfish (>50), benthic invertebrates had low mean density 3.0±4.2 individuals m-2, while chlorophyll a biomass was high 226.7±48.1 mg m-2. Crayfish are impacting native invertebrate communities and periphyton biomass in Crater Lake by changing trophic interactions in the lake’s littoral zone and altering the lake’s food web.In Chapter 3, I focus on the benthic environment and biodiversity of Lake Tahoe and regional lakes (Donner Lake, Marlette Lake, and Fallen Leaf Lake. Signal crayfish were introduced into the Central Sierra Nevada region of the United States in the late 19th to early 20th century. I used a long-term data set to document highly variable crayfish densities in the littoral zone of Lake Tahoe, showing an increase during the summer months linked to an increase in water temperature (R2 = 0.69, P<0.001). Crayfish responded to site-specific characteristics of the nearshore rather than to lake-wide characteristics; local stream discharge was the only factor that explained a positive increase in lake densities (P< 0.04). Trophic niche models developed from stable isotope measurements of crayfish and nongame fish indicate that crayfish influence the dietary breadth (e.g. niche area) of nongame fish consumers. Crayfish feeding behavior may be forcing nongame fish to feed on a broader set of food resources when crayfish are present. Stable isotope analysis also indicates an overlap of crayfish niche area with other nongame fish and amphibians, indicating interspecific competition between organisms. Our study highlights that local factors influence cold-water crayfish movement and densities in large lakes, as well as potential direct and indirect influences on nongame fish consumers in the littoral region, potentially affecting native biota and ecosystem function. This research has significant implications for understanding the direct and indirect impacts of signal crayfish in oligotrophic food webs, particularly on benthic invertebrate densities. It expands on the current understanding of expansion of signal crayfish and the factors that influence crayfish density. Future research will need to focus on better understanding the life history and mechanisms controlling this species if they are to be controlled in lakes of the Western United States
- …
