Year: 2022, 2022
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Increased mining activity in the Canadian Arctic has resulted in significant changes to the environment that may be influencing some tundra-nesting bird populations. In this thesis I examine the direct and indirect effects of mining on birds nesting in the Canadian Arctic. I first perform a literature review of the effects that mining in the Arctic has on northern environments and… more Year: 2022, 2022
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Roosts offer bats protection from predators, shelter from external environmental conditions, and a space where sociality, mating, and the rearing of young can occur. However, knowledge gaps still remain for many forest roosting species, such as the little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) surrounding what roosts are selected, and what variables are influential at differing scales of selection… more Year: 2022, 2022
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>190 species of birds are known to breed in Ontario's far north making the region an important nursery for boreal birds. Digital point count data were collected using two different autonomous recording units (ARUs): one model with two standard microphones to detect birds and anurans, and one model with one standard microphone and one ultrasonic microphone for detecting bats. ARUs… more Year: 2022, 2022
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Kennedy , Victoria, Thesis advisor (ths): Saville, Barry, Degree committee member (dgc): Emery, Neil, Degree committee member (dgc): Donaldson, Michael, Degree committee member (dgc): Farrow, Scott, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Heavy metal pollution threatens human and ecosystem health. E. gracilis was investigated for its potential use in bioremediation due to its tolerance for heavy metals and ability to sequester them from the environment. E. gracilis can remove metals by producing metal binding compounds enriched in sulfur and nitrogen. In this thesis, E. gracilis cultures that were pretreated with elevated… more Year: 2022, 2022
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Rapidly changing landscapes introduce challenges for wildlife management, particularly for large mammal populations with long generation times and extensive spatial requirements. Understanding how these populations interact with heterogeneous landscapes aids in predicting responses to further environmental change. In this thesis, I profile American black bears using microsatellite loci… more Year: 2022, 2022
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>During the COVID-19 pandemic, nucleic acid and antibody-based testing methods were heavily relied upon, but can be costly, time-consuming and exhibit high false -negative and -positive rates. Thus, alternative strategies are needed. Viral antigens such as the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) glycoprotein are critical in the function of the virus and useful as diagnostic biomarkers for viral… more Year: 2022, 2022
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Muir, Gillian, Thesis advisor (ths): Brown, Glen, Degree committee member (dgc): Nol, Erica, Degree committee member (dgc): Metcalfe, Robert, Degree committee member (dgc): Hu, Baoxin, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>The fine-scale controls of active layer dynamics in the subarctic at the southern edge of continuous permafrost are currently poorly understood. The goal of this thesis was to understand how environmental conditions associated with upland tundra heath, open graminoid fen, and palsas/peat plateaus affected active layer thermal regime in a subarctic peatland in northern Canada. Indices of… more Year: 2022, 2022
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>The following study measured dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and total mercury (THg) concentrations in acid sensitive lakes in the Republic of Ireland. Sixty-eight upland lakes and 48 lowland lakes were sampled for DOC; the upland lakes were additionally sampled for THg. Spatial variability of DOC was explained by regional precipitation and soil organic matter. A subset of lakes was… more Year: 2022, 2022
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Objectives/purpose: The current study examined whether attending a 1-month virtual oncology camp (VOC)
improved resilience and hope in childhood cancer patients and parental/caregiver stress.</p><p>Methods:Childhood cancer patients/survivors and their parent/caregivers enrolled for VOC,
participated in an online anonymous survey: before, after and 3-months after VOC. The… more Year: 2022, 2022
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>I used the Motus Wildlife Tracking System to monitor the fall migration behaviour and assess the underlying drivers of migration strategy in a small shorebird, the Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus), breeding at two subarctic sites: Churchill, Manitoba and Burntpoint Creek, Ontario, Canada. Semipalmated Plovers from both sites departed breeding areas between mid-July and early… more Year: 2022, 2022
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Giardia intestinalis is a waterborne enteric parasite that lacks mitochondria and the capacity for heme biosynthesis. Despite this, Giardia encodes several heme proteins, including four cytochrome b5 isotypes (gCYTB5-I – IV) of unknown function. The aim of this thesis is to gain insight into the function of the Giardia cytochrome b5 isotype III (gCYTB5-III) that is found in the nucleus,… more Year: 2022, 2022
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Amino acids make up proteins, which are the building blocks of life. A balance of amino acids is needed to maintain a healthy state. Tyrosine (Tyr) is synthesized from the metabolism of phenylalanine, which is an essential amino acid, meaning it can only be obtained from the diet. It is related to many metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases. Tyr can undergo post-translational… more Year: 2022, 2022
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) recruitment has declined substantially in several regions of the Laurentian Great Lakes since the establishment of non-native dreissenid mussels in the early 1990's. In Lake Huron, the reasons for the observed recruitment declines are currently unknown and there is limited knowledge about larval life stage. In our study, we determined whether… more Year: 2022, 2022
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): DeBues, Max, Thesis advisor (ths): Eimers, Catherine, Degree committee member (dgc): Watmough, Shaun, Degree committee member (dgc): Mohamed, Mohamed, Degree committee member (dgc): Mueller, Jessica, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Row crop agriculture and associated land use practices including tile drainage and conservation tillage have been cited as a probable cause of re-emerging eutrophication in the
lower Great Lakes. In this thesis, I sought to quantify and evaluate the effect of agricultural land
cover and land use changes on total phosphorus (TP) and nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N)
concentrations and export in… more Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Phytohormones, Cytokinin (CK) and Abscisic acid (ABA), are best known for controlling plant growth and stress responses; but they also mediate various developmental perspectives in alga. Yet, their mode of action in algal adaptive strategies to heavy metal responses, their involvement in orchestration of phytohormone crosstalk remain largely unknown and a molecular framework of… more Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>In order to effectively manage recreational fisheries, it is important to understand how the resource is being used. In this thesis, long-term creel census data, collected on Lake Opeongo in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada was used to assess fine-scale angler dynamics within a recreational Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush) fishery. The spatial distribution of angler reported… more 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 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 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 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
