Year: 2015, 2015
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Agricultural land application of biosolids recycles nutrients and organic matter to the soil, however the effect of treatment process on nutrient availability requires further research for better nutrient management. This study examined the bioavailability of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in alkaline treated biosolids (TB) when amended into three different soils. Despite a 45%… more Year: 2015, 2015
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Trinucleotide repeats (TNRs) are a class of highly polymorphic microsatellites which occur in neutral and non-neutral loci and may provide utility for individual- and population-identification. Exonic trinucleotide motifs, in particular, offer additional advantages for non-human species that typically utilize dinucleotide microsatellite loci. Specifically, the reduction of technical… more Year: 2015, 2015
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Road mortality is one of the leading causes of global population declines in reptiles and amphibians. Stemming losses from reptile and amphibian road mortality is a conservation priority and mitigation is a key recovery measure. I developed a model of road mortalities relative to non-‐mortalities, based on predictors varying across space (road surface type, traffic volume, speed limit,… more Year: 2015, 2015
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>In this thesis, a methodological framework for the assessment and monitoring of forest degradation based on remote sensing techniques and field data, as part of the REDD+ programme, is presented. The framework intends to support the implementation of a national Monitoring, Verification and Report (MRV) system in developing countries. The framework proposed an operational definition of… more Year: 2015, 2015
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Soil mineralizable nitrogen (N) is the main component of soil N supply in humid temperate regions and should be considered in N fertilizer recommendations. The objectives of this study were to determine the potentially mineralizable N parameters, and improve N fertilizer recommendations by evaluating a suite of soil N tests in southwestern Ontario. The study was conducted over the 2013… more Year: 2015, 2015
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>(MRC) in central Ontario was carried out to determine the range and spatial distribution of soil Ca weathering rates, and investigate the relationships between lake Ca and soil and catchment attributes. The MRC is acid-sensitive, and has a long history of impacts from industrial emission sources in Ontario and the United States. Small headwater catchments were sampled for soil and… more Year: 2015, 2015
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>In this study, the influence of N deposition on the vegetation community of semi-natural oak woodlands in Ireland was assessed through national and regional scale analysis of forest plot data. At both scales, Canonical Correspondence Analysis suggested that N deposition was a predictor of community composition, although site-specific soil characteristics were the strongest predictors of… more Year: 2015, 2015
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Celsie, Alena Kathryn Davidson, Thesis advisor (ths): Mackay, Donald, Thesis advisor (ths): Parnis, Mark, Degree committee member (dgc): Hickie, Brendan, Degree committee member (dgc): Mackay, Donald, Degree committee member (dgc): Parnis, Mark, Degree committee member (dgc): Aherne, Julian, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Models of partitioning, uptake, and toxicity of neutral organic chemicals in fish</p><p>Alena Kathryn Davidson Celsie</p><p>A novel dynamic fugacity model is developed that simulates the uptake of chemicals in fish by respiration as applies in aquatic toxicity tests. A physiologically based toxicokinetic model was developed which calculates the time-course of… more Year: 2015, 2015
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>This study investigated the role of the JNK signaling pathway in cadmium-treated mouse embryo forelimb bud cells in vitro. Primary cultures of forelimb bud cells harvested at day 11 of gestation were pre-treated with JNK inhibitor SP600125, and incubated with or without CdCl2 for 15, 30, 60, 120 minutes and 24, 48 hours or 5 days. Endpoints of toxicity were measured through cell… more Year: 2015, 2015
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>The purpose of this study was to quantify the variation of baseline carbon and nitrogen stable isotope signatures in the Lake Simcoe watershed and relate that variation to various physicochemical parameters. Particulate organic matter samples from 2009 and 2011 were used as representatives of baseline isotopic values. Temporal data from two offshore lake stations revealed that δ… more Year: 2015, 2015
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>The objective of this thesis is to better understand the demography and habitat selection of Newfoundland caribou. Chapter 1 provides a general introduction of elements of population ecology and behavioural ecology discussed in the thesis. In Chapter 2, I examine the causes of long-term fluctuations among caribou herds. My findings indicate that winter severity and density-dependent… more Year: 2015, 2015
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Baya, Pascale Anabelle, Thesis advisor (ths): Hintelmann, Holger, Degree committee member (dgc): Lamborg, Carl, Degree committee member (dgc): Hickie, Brendan, Degree committee member (dgc): Georg, Bastian, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Monomethylmercury (MMHg), the most bioavailable form of mercury (Hg) and a potent neurotoxin, is present at elevated concentrations in Arctic marine mammals posing serious health threats to the local populations relying on marine food for their subsistence living. The sources of MMHg in the Arctic Ocean surface water and the role of dimethylmercury (DMHg) as a source of MMHg remain… more Year: 2015, 2015
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Population density regulation is a fundamental principle in ecology, however there remain several unknowns regarding the functional expression of density dependence. One prominent view is that the patterns by which density dependence is expressed are largely fixed across a species, irrespective of environmental conditions. Our study investigated the expression of density dependence in… more Year: 2015, 2015
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Extensive research has gone into measuring changes to the carbon storage capacity of Arctic terrestrial environments as well as large water bodies in order to determine a carbon budget for many regions across the Arctic. Inland Arctic waters such as small lakes and ponds are often excluded from these carbon budgets, however a handful of studies have demonstrated that they can often be… more Year: 2015, 2015
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Browning, Mark Henry, Thesis advisor (ths): Davies, Chris, Thesis advisor (ths): Buttle, Jim, Degree committee member (dgc): Lafleur, Peter, Degree committee member (dgc): Whillans, Tom, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Theoretical work on community recovery, development, stability, and resistance to species invasions has outpaced experimental field research. There is also a need for better integration between ecological theory and the practice of ecological restoration. This thesis investigates the dynamics of community assembly following peat mining and subsequent restoration efforts at Canada's… more Year: 2015, 2015
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Climate change has had numerous impacts on species' distributions by shifting suitable habitat to higher latitudes and elevations. These shifts pose new challenges to biodiversity management, in particular translocations, where suitable habitat is considered crucial for the reintroduced population. De-extinction is a new conservation tool, similar to reintroduction, except that the… more Year: 2015, 2015
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Sherritt, Ayden Frazer, Thesis advisor (ths): Schaefer, James A, Thesis advisor (ths): Pond, Bruce A, Degree committee member (dgc): Brown, Glen S, Degree committee member (dgc): Brannen, Dennis, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Site fidelity is the behaviour of individuals to return to the same location; for female woodland caribou it may reflect reproductive success and depend on habitat quality. I investigated the influence of landscape and disturbance conditions on fidelity among three populations in Manitoba and Ontario, Canada. Habitat classifications were based on Forest Resource Inventory (FRI) and… more Year: 2015, 2015
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Pacific Rim National Park Reserve's 16 km of coastal beaches attract many thousands of people and shorebirds every year. To identify locations where shorebirds concentrate and determine the impact of human activity and habitat characteristics on shorebirds, I conducted shorebird and visitor surveys at 20 beach sectors during fall migration in 2011 to 2013 and spring migration in… more Year: 2015, 2015
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Zigouris, Joanna, Thesis advisor (ths): Schaefer, James A, Thesis advisor (ths): Kyle, Christopher J, Degree committee member (dgc): Wilson, Paul J, Degree committee member (dgc): Bowman, Jeff, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Habitat loss and fragmentation can disrupt population connectivity, resulting in small, isolated populations and low genetic variability. Understanding connectivity patterns in space and time is critical in conservation and management planning, especially for wide-ranging species in northern latitudes where habitats are becoming increasingly fragmented. Wolverines (Gulo gulo) share… more Year: 2015, 2015
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Livestock predation by wild predators is a frequent and complicated issue, often cited as a significant factor in the decline of livestock production and justification for killing predators. Coyotes (Canis latrans) are the primary predators of sheep in Ontario. Some farms appear to be more susceptible to predation than others, despite the use of mitigation techniques. I explored land… more
