Year: 2018, 2018
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>The natural world and environmental issues present critical points of convergence</p><p>between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people and their knowledge systems. This</p><p>qualitative study engaged with 18 Indigenous and non-Indigenous environmental</p><p>practitioners in interview conversations to explore their experiences in cross-cultural</p… more
Year: 2018, 2018
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Chimney swifts are listed as Threatened nationally and in many provinces within Canada due to rapid population declines. I examined large-scale spatial variation in the maximum size of chimney swift roosts at the northern edge of their range to identify where larger roosts occur. I used multi-sourced data collected across Ontario and Quebec between 1998 and 2013. I found that larger… more
Year: 2018, 2018
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Ustilago maydis is a biotrophic fungal plant pathogen that causes 'common smut of corn' disease. During infection, U. maydis develops a metabolic dependency on its host, relying on uptake of the carbon molecules provided within Zea mays tissues. The research presented indicated a requirement for metabolism of the pentose sugar D-xylose through functional investigation of a U.… more
Year: 2018, 2018
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Sexual script theory suggests that sexual behaviours have social meaning, and that individuals perceive certain behaviours as normative and expected. Previous research has indicated that there is a common belief in a cultural sexual script for (hetero)sexual behaviour sequences (CSSHS). Study 1 compared perceived norms with behaviours in first ever penile-vaginal intercourse (PVI) sex… more
Year: 2018, 2018
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): McClenaghan, Beverly, Thesis advisor (ths): Nol, Erica, Degree committee member (dgc): Nocera, Joseph J, Degree committee member (dgc): Beresford, David V, Degree committee member (dgc): Kerr, K, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) populations have declined in North America over the past 40 years and they are listed as Threatened in Ontario, Canada. Changes in the food supply have been hypothesized as a potential cause of this population decline. I used DNA barcoding to investigate the diet and food supply of Barn Swallows and to determine if the food supply affects their reproductive… more
Year: 2018, 2018
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Pastures and hayfields provide surrogate habitat for many declining grassland birds. Understanding agricultural land use dynamics and habitat quality can impact conservation of grassland species. I investigated 1) patterns of land use change in protected and unprotected sites in relationship to Bobolink occurrence in Carden, Ontario, Canada and 2) whether continuous grazing at low… more
Year: 2018, 2018
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Drivers of North American Barn Swallow population declines are not well understood, but foraging habitat loss is thought to be a contributing factor. Determining patterns of habitat use is challenging for swallows because they move rapidly but are too small to carry GPS tags. We showed that automated radio-telemetry could be used to track the movements of swallows with enough accuracy (… more
Year: 2018, 2018
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Resources and risk are in constant flux and an organism's ability to manage change may improve their likelihood of persistence. I examined intra-seasonal variation in nest-site selection and survival of a declining wetland bird, the Black Tern (Chlidonias niger surinamensis). I modelled nest site occupancy and survival of early and late-nesting birds as a function of static and… more
Year: 2018, 2018
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>North American freshwater fishes are declining rapidly due to habitat fragmentation, degradation, and loss. In some cases, translocations can be used to reverse local extirpations by releasing species in suitable habitats that are no longer naturally accessible. Lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) experienced historical overharvest across their distribution, leading to endangered… more
Year: 2018, 2018
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>The network composition hypothesis (NCH) suggests that i) large confluence symmetry ratios (drainage area of the tributary relative to the mainstem) and ii) landscape differences (differences in landscape characteristics between the mainstem and tributary drainages) lead to greater ecological changes below confluences. As a test of the NCH, 34 confluences were sampled in southern Ontario… more
Year: 2018, 2018
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Preston, Colette Alexia, Thesis advisor (ths): McKenna Neuman, Cheryl, Degree committee member (dgc): Boulton, Wayne, Degree committee member (dgc): Buttle, James, Degree committee member (dgc): Eimers, Catherine, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>A series of experiments was designed to assess the relative efficacy of various dust suppressants to suppress PM10 emissions from nepheline syenite tailings. The experiments were conducted in the Trent University Environmental Wind Tunnel, Peterborough, Ontario, and on the tailings ponds at the Unimin Ltd Nephton mine near Havelock, Ontario. Treated surfaces were subjected to particle-… more
Year: 2018, 2018
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>This thesis documents an oral history of the New Canadians Centre, the only immigrant-serving organization in Peterborough, Ontario. This case study builds on scholarship that critically examines immigrant settlement work in Canada. Drawing on interviews and archival research, and employing the analytical concept of home, I investigate how differently-located actors have practiced home… more
Year: 2018, 2018
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>To better understand species' resilience to climate change and implement solutions, we must conserve environments that maintain standing adaptive genetic variation and the potential generation of new beneficial alleles. Coding trinucleotide repeats (cTNRs) providing high-pace adaptive capabilities via high rates of mutation are ideal targets for mitigating the decline of species at… more
Year: 2018, 2018
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>This thesis focuses specifically on artistic projects that address violence against indigenous women and uses an interdisciplinary approach to examine their meaning and reception. I argue that the mainstream media has negatively stereotyped missing and murdered indigenous women and that art projects have the ability to reframe their lives to the viewing public. I focus on five case… more
Year: 2018, 2018
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>This study used qualitative research methods to explore the first- and second-year experiences of Trent University students who were admitted below admission requirements in September 2015. Through review of an on-line questionnaire completed by 13 students and two-rounds of semi-structured interviews completed by 5 students, information was gathered on the students' experiences,… more
Year: 2018, 2018
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Agricultural adaptation is a significant component of the larger challenge humans face in adapting to the impacts of climate change. There are extensive studies of agricultural adaptation, however little is known about how farmers in Ontario share knowledge about effective adaptation practices. This qualitative research study contributes to the understanding of the educational context… more
Year: 2018, 2018
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>This study examines the household foodwork of low-income mothers in Peterborough, </p><p>Ontario and considers how community food initiatives (CFIs) such as community gardens and </p><p>good food box programs can support these women in their efforts to feed their families </p><p>adequately. I draw on multiple data sources: interviews with… more
Year: 2018, 2018
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>This study seeks to clarify the way in which the differing canopy characteristics among tree species influence the partitioning of precipitation, and therefore the source of water available for plant water uptake, in the Plastic Lake catchment near Dorset, ON. Three dominant tree species were compared: red oak (Quercus rubra), eastern white pine (Pinus strobus), and eastern hemlock (… more
Year: 2018, 2018
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Although a wealth of research supports nature's beneficial effects on well-being, a lack of attentiveness and appreciation for nature may prevent people from fully experiencing nature's benefits. A mindfulness-based nature intervention was tested across two studies to investigate whether gratitude and mindfulness can boost nature's effects for well-being. Students… more
Year: 2018, 2018
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Patnaik, Anhiti, Thesis advisor (ths): Bordo, Jonathan, Thesis advisor (ths): Thomas, Yves, Degree committee member (dgc): Penney, James, Degree committee member (dgc): Bailey, Suzanne, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>This dissertation examines how sex crime and serial killing became a legitimate subject of aesthetic representation and mass consumption in the nineteenth century. It also probes into the ethical implications of deriving pleasure from consuming such graphic representations of violence. Taking off from Jack the Ripper and the iconic Whitechapel murders of 1888, it argues that a new… more