Explore master's theses and doctoral dissertations from graduates of the URI Department of Biological Sciences.

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Theses/Dissertations from 2024

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VARIANT GRAPHS IMPROVE ACCURACY OF DOWNSTREAM ANALYSIS IN RESTRICTION SITE-ASSOCIATED SEQUENCING, Gabriel A. Barrett

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CRYPTIC LINEAGES MATTER FOR CORAL CONSERVATION UNDER CLIMATE CHANGE, Matías Gómez Corrales

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INVESTIGATING THE MOVEMENTS, BEHAVIORS, AND INTERACTIONS WITH FISHERIES OF THE ENDANGERED SHORTFIN MAKO SHARK IN THE WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN, Colby D. Kresge

Theses/Dissertations from 2023

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PREDICTING HABITAT SUITABILITY OF MIGRATORY SHARKS USING MACHINE LEARNING METHODS, Daniel Daye

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HOME IS WHERE THE HABITAT IS: MODELING SHORTFIN MAKO HABITAT SUITABILITY VIA MACHINE LEARNING METHODS, Julian Garrison

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FORM AND FUNCTION OF THE LATERAL LINE SYSTEM IN THREE NORTH AMERICAN FISHES: DEVELOPMENT, EVOLUTIONARY INSIGHTS, AND IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE, Aubree E. Jones

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ELUCIDATING THE MECHANISMS OF STRESS TOLERANCE IN REEF-BUILDING CORAL HOLOBIONTS, Emma Strand

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ABUNDANCE AND DISTRIBUTION OF MEDICALLY IMPORTANT HARD TICKS AND ASSOCIATED IXODES-BORNE PATHOGENS IN RHODE ISLAND, Thomas Kinser Wallace

Theses/Dissertations from 2022

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ASSESSING HORSESHOE CRAB (LIMULUS POLYPHEMUS) POPULATION STRUCTURE WITHIN SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND, Natalie Ameral

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ADVANCED DETECTION OF MICROPLASTICS AND PER- AND POLYFLUOROALKYL SUBSTANCES IN SEDIMENTS FROM THE NARRAGANSETT BAY WATERSHED, Michaela A. Cashman

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THE IMPACTS OF THE INVASIVE GREEN IGUANA (IGUANA IGUANA) ON AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION AND THE COMMUNITIES OF PUERTO RICO — AN INTERDISCIPLINARY ASSESSMENT, Christina N. De Jesus Villanueva

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CONTROL OF VARROA DESTRUCTOR USING POWDERED SUGAR AND HEAT, Casey L. Johnson

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THE EFFECTS OF AUDITORY PREDATION RISK CUES ON CATERPILLAR GROWTH, DEVELOPMENT, AND FITNESS, Zachary A. Lee

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DEFINING EVOLUTIONARY AND DEVELOPMENTAL PATTERNS OF LATERAL LINE SCALE MERISTICS AMONG TELEOSTS, Jenna Nadia O'del

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INVESTIGATION INTO THE IMPACT OF PARASITIC APICOMPLEXANS ON THE GUT MICROBIOME OF MARINE TUNICATE CIONA INTESTINALIS, Evelyn Anna Spencer

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BUMBLE BEES (BOMBUS SPP.) OF RHODE ISLAND: RELATIVE ABUNDANCE, DIVERSITY, AND FLORAL VISITATION, Elizabeth Varkonyi

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MECHANISMS AND CONSEQUENCES OF CROSS-GENERATIONAL ACCLIMATIZATION IN REEF-BUILDING CORALS, Kevin Harrison Wong

Theses/Dissertations from 2021

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BIODIVERSITY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY OF PROTIST COMMUNITIES IN COASTAL MARINE ECOSYSTEMS ACROSS INDONESIA, Erin Borbee

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TRANSITIONING FIELD COURSES IN PLANT IDENTIFICATION TO REMOTE INSTRUCTION: AN ANALYSIS, Emma Brown

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CONTRIBUTION OF MATERNAL mRNA PROVISIONING TO EMBRYONIC STRESS RESPONSE IN A REEF-BUILDING CORAL, Erin Elizabeth Chille

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PHENOTYPIC PLASTICITY IN ACROPORA PULCHRA UNDER VARIED ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS, Dennis A. Conetta

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POST-EMERGENCE MOVEMENTS AND HABITAT USE BY HATCHLING DIAMONDBACK TERRAPINS (MALACLEMYS TERRAPIN), Carolyn Decker

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HYBRIDIZATION BETWEEN A NATIVE LIZARD (ANOLIS CAROLINENSIS) AND A CRYPTIC INVADER (A. PORCATUS) ACROSS AN URBAN LANDSCAPE, Tyler B. DeVos

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THE EFFECT OF MORPHOLOGY, SUBSTRATE AND WIND ON THE CLINGING ABILITY OF ANOLIS LIZARDS DURING HURRICANE-FORCE WINDS, Emma DiPaolo

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STRESS CONDITIONING TO HYPERCAPNIC SEAWATER IN THE PACIFIC GEODUCK PANOPEA GENEROSA, Samuel J. Gurr

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EFFECTIVENESS OF ROADSIDE BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES (BMPS) ON MAINTAINING STORMWATER QUALITY THROUGH MONITORING AND MODELING, Khurshid Jahan

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FOREST STRUCTURE SHAPES TROPICAL TERRESTRIAL AND ARBOREAL MESOMAMMAL COMMUNITIES UNDER MODERATE DISTURBANCE, Juliana Masseloux

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PASSIVE ACOUSTICS AS A SENTINEL INDICATOR OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS AT A COLD-WATER CORAL REEF, Alexandria C. Rhoads

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FROM CATCH TO CONSUMPTION: FOOD SECURITY DYNAMICS IN AN INDONESIAN FISHING COMMUNITY, Nicole Roberts

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MOLECULAR ECOLOGY OF MARINE DIATOMS, BACTERIA, AND THEIR BIOLOGICALLY-ACTIVE COMPOUNDS, Alexa R. Sterling

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SELF-REGULATED LEARNING IN FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS IN AN INTRODUCTORY BIOLOGY COURSE AND THE STUDENT EXPERIENCES AND ACADEMIC IMPACTS OF A CAMPUS-WIDE METACOGNITIVE INTERVENTION, Holly Joan Swanson

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A PHYLOGENOMIC APPROACH TO EXPLORE PHOTOSYNTHETHIC STRAMENOPILE EVOLUTION, Kristina Xenia Terpis

Theses/Dissertations from 2020

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THE FREQUENT FLYER’S GUIDE TO MIGRATION: HOW SONGBIRD METABOLISM AND OXIDATIVE STATUS RESPOND TO ENDURANCE FLIGHT AND DIET QUALITY, Kristen J. DeMoranville

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INVESTIGATION OF THE IMPACT OF BACTERIAL ENDOSYMBIONTS ON HOST PARASITE RELATIONS IN APICOMPLEXANS, Elizabeth Sage Hunter

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HOW MODIFIED TROPHIC INTERACTIONS CREATE SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL TRADEOFFS: A CASE STUDY OF NARRAGANSETT BAY FISHERIES, Anne A. Innes-Gold

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INTERACTIONS BETWEEN HEMLOCK WOOLLY ADELGID, EASTERN HEMLOCK, AND GYPSY MOTH, Ian Gerard Kinahan

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DEWLAP EVOLUTION AMONG NON-NATIVE POPULATIONS OF THE LIZARD ANOLIS SAGREI, Jessica N. Pita-Aquino

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ASSESSING TREATMENT PERFORMANCE OF ADVANCED NITROGEN-REMOVAL ONSITE WASTEWATER TREATMENT SYSTEMS, Bianca Noelle Ross

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REVERSE BANK FILTRATION FOR CLEANING WATER IN A REMOTE VILLAGE IN SOUTH INDIA, Miles Schelling

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COMBINED EFFECT OF HERBIVORY AND SALINITY STRESS ON THE COMMON REED, PHRAGMITES AUSTRALIS, Jennifer Soukup

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MAKING SENSE OF PUBLIC SCIENTIFIC CONTROVERSY: A CASE STUDY EXAMINING SCIENCE COMMUNICATION AND PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT SURROUNDING GENETICALLY MODIFIED MOSQUITOES IN THE FLORIDA KEYS, Cynthia Taylor

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NITROGEN-REMOVING WASTEWATER TREATMENT SYSTEMS: MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES AND GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS, Sara Katherine Wigginton

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FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS OF THE CSLD GENES IN PHYSCOMITRELLA PATENS BY CRISPR/CAS9 GENE KNOCKOUT, Kai Yuan

Theses/Dissertations from 2019

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MOLECULAR AND MORPHOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS INTO THE EVOLUTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF RED ALGAL PARASITES, Jillian Freese

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ONTOGENY OF THE LATERAL LINE AND VISUAL SYSTEMS OF A CARIBBEAN REEF GOBY, ELACATINUS LORI, Katie R. Nickles

Theses/Dissertations from 2018

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The Effects of Urbanization on Performance, Habitat Selection, and Persistence of Anolis Lizards, Andrew Clark Battles

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IMPACTS OF URBANIZATION AND INVASIVE SPECIES ON FORAGING BEHAVIOR AND BODY SIZE IN ANOLIS SAGREI, Zachary Chejanovski

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NITROGEN LOADING, CLIMATE CHANGE, PATHOGENS: IMPACTS OF MULTIPLE STRESSORS ON RHODE ISLAND SHELLFISH, Ashley Paige Hamilton

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A stratigraphic and microfossil record of coseismic land-level changes and tsunami deposits from Old Harbor, Central Kodiak Island, Alaska, Greta Janigian

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A GENOMIC APPROACH TO THE COMPLEX RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AN APICOMPLEXAN ENDOSYMBIONT AND ITS HOST, Christopher Paight

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THE IMPACT OF FISHERIES MANAGEMENT ON CORAL REEF FISH COMMUNITIES AND LIFE-HISTORY CHARACTERISTICS, Diky Suganda

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CARPENTER BEE NECTAR ROBBERY EFFECTS ON FRUIT QUALITY AND NESTING PROVISIONS IN RHODE ISLAND, Sara K. Tucker

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Impact of Hemlock Woolly Adelgid and Elongate Hemlock Scale on Early Seasonal Development of Eastern Hemlock, Elizabeth Whitney

Theses/Dissertations from 2017

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Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Biological Nutrient Removal During Wastewater Treatment, Elizabeth Quinn Brannon

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The Influence of Altered Habitat: Landscape Ecology of Freshwater Turtles in Rhode Island, Scott W. Buchanan

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Simulating Thermal Stress in Rhode Island Coldwater Fish Habitat Using SWAT, Britta Marie Chambers

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Conserving Milkweed: The Effects of Environmental Change and Viral Prevalence on Asclepias syriaca, Courtney Devoid

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Assessment of Salt Marsh Shoreline Degradation and Restoration on Benthic Invertebrate Infaunal Community, Anna Gerber-Williams

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Investigating Lateral Line Canal Morphogenesis as a Bone Remodeling Process in Lake Malawi Cichlids, Julia W. Johnstone

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Characterization of Cellulose Synthesis Complexes in Physcomitrella patens, Xingxing Li

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A Native Lepidopteran is Impacted by Host Defenses Induced by Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (Adelges tsugae), Mary M. Mallinger

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Organellar Genome Evolution in Red Algal Parasites: Differences in Adelpho- and Alloparasites, Eric Salomaki

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Genetic, Demographic and Ecological Factors Contributing to the Evolution of Anolis Lizard Populations, Johanna E. Wegener

Theses/Dissertations from 2016

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A Study of the Regulatory and Environmental Factors Affecting Trimethylamine Oxide Accumulation in Marine Organisms, Abigail Brittany Bockus

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Biosolids as a Roadside Soil Amendment, Edwin M. Fava III

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Nitrogen and Warming Effects on Nitrous Oxide Production Associated with Coastal Macroinvertibrates, Melanie H. Gárate

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Reconstructing Common Era Relative Sea-Level Changes on the Gulf Coast of Florida, Matthew Gerlach

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Dropping Behavior in the Pea Aphid: How Does Environmental Context Affect Anti-Predator Responses?, Katharine Van Nostrand Harrison

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Agonistic Behavior and Costs of Aggression in Decapod Crustaceans, Niels-Viggo Schou Hobbs

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Temperature Effects on the Proteome of Ciona intestinalis, Chelsea Lopez

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Flow Sensing in the Deep Sea: Morphology of the Lateral Line System in Stomiiform Fishes, Ashley Marranzino

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The Response of Molting Homarus Americanus to Ocean Acidification Projections, Erin Lyn McLean

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The Effects of Climate Change on Macroalgal Growth, Trophic Interactions and Community Structure, Gordon Ober

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Correlating Behavior with Non-Invasive Physiological Measures to Evaluate Mating Strategies in Belugas, Justin Thomas Richard

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Three-Dimensional Kinematics of the Jaws and Hyoid During Feeding in White-Spotted Bamboo Sharks, Bradley Scott

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Native Bee Diversity and Pollen Foraging Specificity in Cultivated Highbush Blueberry (Ericaceae: Vaccinium corymbosum l.) Plantings in Rhode Island, Zachary Scott

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Using Subaqueous Soils Data to Manage Coastal Ecosystems: Implications for Bivalve Recruitment, Aquaculture, and Restoration, Brett Matthew Still

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Phylogenetic Analysis of a Cryptic Microscopic Red Alga, Katelyn Wadland

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Effects of Residual Waste Material as Agricultural Soil Amendments on Soil Greenhouse Gas Fluxes, Ashley Waggoner

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Long-Term Impacts of Invasive Herbivores on Tree Physiology, Growth, and Phenology: A Whole-Tree Perspective, Claire M. Wilson

Theses/Dissertations from 2015

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DO URBAN ENVIRONMENTS INFLUENCE ANTIPREDATOR AND FORAGING BEHAVIOR OF THE LIZARD ANOLIS CRISTATELLUS?, Kevin J. Aviles-Rodriguez

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DETECTING AND VERIFYING MICROSATELLITE MARKERS ASSOCIATED WITH DISEASE RESISTANCE IN CULTURED POPULATIONS OF EASTERN OYSTERS, CRASSOSTREA VIRGINICA, Kehan Bao

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Inducing Heterochronic Shift in Ciona Intestinalis, Bonnie Colantuono

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Assessing the Pathogenic Cause of Sea Star Wasting Disease in Asterias Forbesi Along the East Coast of the United States, Caitlin Jessica DelSesto

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Effects of Light and Water Availability on the Performance of Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (Adelges Tsugae), Mauri Hickin

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ISOLATION, MOLECULAR & PHYSIOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF SULFATE-REDUCING, HETEROTROPHIC, DIAZOTROPHS, Annaliese Katrin Jones

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ORGANIC WASTE AMENDMENTS AS SOURCES OF CARBON AND FERTILITY FOR VEGETABLE, Rebecca Long

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Mensurative and Manipulative Experiments Test Effects of Global Change Drivers on Greenhouse Gas Fluxes in Coastal Marshes, Rose Marie Martin

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INTEGRATING MOLECULAR AND TRADITIONAL SYSTEMATIC TECHNIQUES TO REDEFINE RED ALGAL (RHODOPHYTE) DIVERSITY IN THE BERMUDA ISLANDS, Thea Ruth Popolizio

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PREDATORY BEHAVIOR AND PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSE OF CHINESE MANTIDS TO TOXIC AND NON-TOXIC LEPIDOPTERAN PREY, Jamie L. Rafter

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Evaluating Seedlings of Eastern Hemlock Resistant to Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (Adelges tsugae), Elwood Scott Roberts

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Uncovering Orthologous Genes of the Ciona Intestinalis Fanconi Anemia Pathway, Edward Stanley

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Cellulose synthesis in Physcomitrella patens: gene expression and mutational analysis, Mai Linh Tran

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The Effects of Reduced Mowing in Roadside Medians on Stormwater Filtration and Invasive Species Management, Sara Wigginton

Theses/Dissertations from 2014

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EFFECTS OF INTRODUCED GREEN IGUANAS (IGUANA IGUANA) ON TROPICAL PLANT COMMUNITIES THROUGH SEED DISPERSAL AND GERMINATION, Jhoset A. Burgos-Rodriguez

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A COMPARISON OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE LATERAL LINE CANAL PORES IN TWO SPECIES OF CICHLID FISHES WITH FUNCTIONALLY DISTINCT CANAL MORPHOLOGIES, Lauren E. Carter

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ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION OF THE BAMBOO PIT VIPER: NATURAL HISTORY, DEMOGRAPHY AND EFFECTS OF TRANSLOCATION, Elizabeth Anne Devan-Song

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EVALUATION OF A TOPLESS BOTTOM-TRAWL DESIGN FOR FISH CAPTURE IN THE SUMMER FLOUNDER FISHERY, Meghan P. Gahm

Theses/Dissertations from 2013

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THE MORPHOLOGY AND BIOMECHANICS OF JAW STRUCTURES IN CHONDRICHTHYES, Jordan Balaban

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Soil Quality in Rhode Island Pastures Grazed by Different Types of Livestock, Alissa H. Becker