Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Many emerging infectious diseases are caused by pathogens that possess free-living life stages, in which they interact with the environment directly rather than through the mediation of a host. These diseases represent major impediments to wildlife conservation; however, the dynamics of their interaction with the environment are poorly studied, often due to the difficulty of detecting… more Full Text: Assessing the environmental correlates of a lethal amphibian pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, in Ontario wetlands A Thesis Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of …
Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Macrophytes play an important role in aquatic ecosystems, and thus are integral to ecological risk assessments of environmental contaminants. In this dissertation, I address gaps in the assessments of contaminant fate and effects in macrophytes, with focus on glyphosate herbicide use for invasive plant control. First, I evaluated the suitability of Typha as future standard test species… more Full Text: Assessing effects and fate of environmental contaminants in invasive, native, and endangered macrophytes A dissertation submitted to the Committee of Graduate Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the …
Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Giardia intestinalis possesses four isotypes of cytochrome b5 (gCYTB-I-IV) that differ from their mammalian counterparts, suggesting different functions in this protozoan parasite. Although the recently discovered Giardia flavoenzyme, GiOR-1, reduces these cytochromes, its properties have not been thoroughly studied, owing to the difficulty in its expression. Here I describe successful… more Full Text: Expression of Giardia intestinalis flavoenzyme GiOR-1 and characterization of its electron transfer properties A thesis submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in the …
Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Martchenko, Daria, Thesis advisor (ths): Shafer, Aaron B. A., Degree committee member (dgc): Freeland, Joanna R., Degree committee member (dgc): Davy, Christina M., Degree committee member (dgc): Kyle, Christopher J., Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Evaluating the impact of climate change is arguably one of the main goals of conservation biology, which can be addressed in part by studying the demographic history of species in the region of interest. In North America, landscape and species composition during the most recent Pleistocene epoch was primarily influenced by glaciation cycles. Glacial advance and retreat caused species… more Full Text: Using genomic and phenotypic data to explore the evolution and ecology of the North American mountain goat A dissertation submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in …
Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Recent agricultural land use change in east-central Ontario, including the expansion of intensive agriculture (corn and soybean crops) and tile drainage (TD) infrastructure, may alter the fluxes of both phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) to the Lower Great Lakes. Through intensive monitoring of several sub-watersheds that encompassed a range of row crop and TD extents, this study examined… more Full Text: Effects of Intensive Agriculture on Stream Nutrient Export in EastCentral Ontario, Canada A thesis submitted to the Committee on Graduate studies in partial fulfilment of the thesis requirements for the degree of Master of Science in the Faculty of Arts …
Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>In endotherms, physiological functioning is optimized within a narrow range of tissue temperatures, meaning that the capacity to dissipate body heat is an important parameter for thermoregulation and organismal performance. Yet, experimental research has found mixed support for the importance of heat dissipation capacity as a constraint on reproductive performance. To investigate the… more Full Text: The effects of heat dissipation capacity on avian physiology and behaviour A Thesis Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Arts and Science TRENT …
Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Sudbury, Ontario is an epicenter of research on industrially degraded landscapes. Regreening efforts over the past 40 years have changed the landscape, leading to an increase in forest cover in the "barrens", that once covered more than 100,000 ha. This study characterized changes in plant and insect composition using a space for time approach in the pine plantations. A total… more Full Text: Biodiversity patterns along a forest time series in a remediated industrial landscape A Thesis Submitted to the Committee on the Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in the Faculty of Arts and …
Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Anthropogenic activities such as human activity and livestock grazing are responsible for the global rise in disturbance impacts on wildlife and may underlie regional changes in biodiversity and ecosystem dynamics. Few studies have tried to disentangle the effects of different anthropogenic activities on wildlife behaviour, leaving a major gap in our understanding of conservation and… more Full Text: Robust assessment of changes in wild mammal occupancy and activity relative to livestock and human disturbance. A thesis submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Master of Science in the …
Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>In recent decades, declining calcium concentrations have been reported throughout lakes across the southern edge of the Canadian Shield. This raises concern as Daphnia populations have shown to be decreasing as they require calcium not only for survival but to mitigate predation risks. Therefore, the purpose of my thesis was to study the adaptability of Daphnia under calcium limitation… more Full Text: CALCIUM STRESS IN DAPHNIA PULICARIA AND EXPOSURE TO PREDATOR-DERIVED CUES: MAKING A BAD SITUATION WORSE? A Thesis Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in the Faculty …
Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Identifying population declines and mitigating biodiversity loss require reliable monitoring techniques, but complex life histories and cryptic characteristics of anuran species render conventional monitoring challenging and ineffective. Environmental DNA (eDNA) detection is a highly sensitive and minimally invasive alternative to conventional anuran monitoring. In this study, I… more Full Text: Comparative efficacy of eDNA and conventional methods for monitoring wetland anuran communities A thesis submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Master of Science in the Faculty of Arts …
Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>The onset of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are typically characterised by the aggregation of protein biomarkers into cytotoxic fibrils. Novel means of analysing these biomarkers are needed to expand the literature toward earlier diagnosis of these conditions. Electrochemical sensors could offer the sensitivity and… more Full Text: ELECTROCHEMICAL BIOSENSORS FOR NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASE BIOMARKERS: INVESTIGATIONS INTO THE ORIGIN AND DIAGNOSIS OF ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE AND AMYOTROPHIC LATERAL SCLEROSIS A Thesis Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of …
Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Soil and tree chemistry were measured across 15 limed sites that were established 14 to 37 years ago within the Sudbury barrens in Ontario, along with two unlimed pre-treatment condition reference sites and an unlimed remnant pine forest. Soil pH and base cation (calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and potassium (K)) concentrations were elevated in surface organic [FH] horizons up to 37-years… more Full Text: Legacy Effects Associated with the World’s Largest Ongoing Liming and Forest Regeneration Program in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada A Thesis Submitted to the Committee on the Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master …
Year: 2020, 2020
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Forensic epistemology is the study of knowledge as it relates to forensic science and can be broken into four sources; intuitive, authoritative, logical and empirical. In a four-phase research approach, I explored reasoning skills (logical knowledge) used by crime scene experts and methods (empirical knowledge) for forensic case-specific experimentation. First, the reasoning skills of… more Full Text: FORENSIC EPISTEMOLOGY: STUDYING THE CRIME SCENE A dissertation submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences TRENT UNIVERSITY …
Year: 2020, 2020
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>The waterborne protozoan Giardia intestinalis cycles between the environmentally-resistant and infectious cyst and the metabolically-active trophozoite that adheres to the epithelial lining of the small intestine. Adhesion can trigger the innate immune response in epithelial cells, including the synthesis of the free radical nitric oxide (NO) that inhibits cell proliferation and… more Full Text: Differential expression of cytochrome b5 proteins in Giardia intestinalis during nitrosative stress and encystation TRENT UNIVERSITY Peterborough, Ontario, Canada © Copyright by Kaitlyn Mowat 2020 Environmental and Life Sciences M. Sc. Graduate Program …
Year: 2020, 2020
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>This thesis examines how dissolved organic matter quantity and quality and nutrients influence the flux potential of greenhouse gases (GHG) from sediments collected from streams across southern Ontario as well as Lake Erie. Sediments were collected and incubated in a laboratory setting where headspace gases and interstitial waters were analyzed. Results demonstrated that nutrients (… more Full Text: POTENTIAL FOR GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS FROM SEDIMENTS OF AGRICULTURAL STREAMS AND LAKE ERIE A Thesis Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in the Faculty of Arts and …
Year: 2020, 2020
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): LeGrand, Matthew Cody LeGros, Thesis advisor (ths): Buttle, James M, Thesis advisor (ths): Metcalfe, Robert A, Degree committee member (dgc): Lafleur, Peter M, Degree committee member (dgc): Aherne, Julian, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Water balance models calculate water storage and movement within drainage basins, a primary concern for many hydrologists. A Thornthwaite water balance model (H2OBAAS) has shown poor accuracy in predicting low flows in the Petawawa River basin in Ontario, so lake storage and winter snow processes were investigated to improve the accuracy of the model. Lake storage coefficients,… more Full Text: MODELLING MONTHLY WATER BALANCE: THE ROLE OF LAKE STORAGE AND SNOW-RELATED PROCESSES A Thesis Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Master of Science in the Faculty of Arts and Science …
Year: 2020, 2020
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Environmental and seasonal processes are important watershed drivers controlling the amount, composition, and fate of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in aquatic ecosystems. We used ten months of water samples and eight months of bioassay incubations from two </p><p>contrasting catchments (agriculture and natural, forested) to assess the effects of seasonal variability on the… more Full Text: Effects of hydrologic seasonality on dissolved organic matter composition, export, and biodegradability in two contrasting streams A thesis submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Master …
Year: 2020, 2020
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Currently, UAVs are deployed to measure crop health in a timely manner by mapping vegetation indices. A study using two different fields was conducted in order to search for a relationship that may exist between crop health and soil fertility. A UAV equipped with sensor technology was used for mapping of vegetation indices which were then statistically compared to soil nutrient data… more Full Text: Proximal Soil Nutrient Sensing in Croplands through Multispectral Imaging from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) for Precision Agriculture Applications A Thesis Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the …
Year: 2020, 2020
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Anthropogenic atmospheric emissions and subsequent deposition of nitrogen (N) can affect N-sensitive habitats and lead to shifts in plant species community composition. This study assessed the effects of N deposition on plant community composition for Jack pine forests across northwestern Canada and across a smaller subset of sites surrounding the Athabasca Oil Sands Region (AOSR) using… more Full Text: The Influence of Nitrogen Deposition on Community Composition in Pinus banksiana Forests Across Northwestern Canada A Thesis Submitted to the Committee of Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in …
Year: 2020, 2020
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>One possible solution to acidification and losses of base cations in central Ontario forest soils may be the application of wood ash. Wood ash is generally high in pH and contains large amounts of calcium (Ca) and other nutrients essential for ecosystem health, however it also contains trace metals. Understanding the chemistry of soils following ash application to forests is crucial for… more Full Text: Effects of wood ash addition on soil chemical properties and sugar maple (Acer saccharum, Marsh.) seedling growth in two northern hardwood forest sites in central Ontario A Thesis Submitted to the Committee on the Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment …
