No description available.

No description available.

Stormwater retention ponds, constructed primarily for services such as flood control, are abundant in urban landscapes and documented hotspots of aquatic biodiversity. A previous study completed in our lab measured benthic community structure in several stormwater retention ponds in North Central Texas along an urban gradient. Results showed that larval chironomids (Diptera: Chironomidae) were the dominant macroinvertebrates in all of the ponds. It was also determined that differences in pond conditions associated with urban development could only be determined when chironomids were identified to the genus-level. However, collection and identification of chironomid larvae is often time-consuming. The objective of this current study is to evaluate the efficacy of the Chironomidae pupal exuviae technique (CPET) to detect changes in water quality in the same series of urban ponds in North Central Texas over one year. Based on results, CPET is an effective method of analyzing chironomid community response to environmental changes associated with anthropogenic impact. A total of 16,635 pupal exuviae were collected during this study representing 80 chironomid taxa, which included 40 genera across three subfamilies. The chironomid communities differed between ponds in proportion to the intensity of the urban development within their watersheds. Additionally, CPET provided the emergence phenology of a highly diverse chironomid assemblage. Results indicated that urban ponds in North Central Texas can provide refuge for biodiversity in a semi-arid region. As urbanization is projected to increase globally, it is critical to monitor how rapid urban expansion affects biodiversity and freshwater ecosystem conditions.

No description available.

No description available.

The conflict between residential land and agriculture land in China is increasingly sharpened, especially when some urban development began to sprawl to the suburban and rural areas. In order to plan land resources properly, land suitability assessment is often conducted to determine which type of land use is most appropriate for a particular location. <br /><br /> The main objective of this study is to examine how land suitability assessment methods could be used in land planning processes in the Dianchi Drainage Area (DDA) in Southwest China to identify where future residential development should be located. The 1991 Toronto Waterfront Plan and the more recent 2005 Ontario Greenbelt Plan are examined and used to develop a framework which describes the potential for land suitability assessment in the DDA. Data limitations did not permit a suitability analysis to be completed for the DDA, however a description of methodologies for conducting residential land suitability analysis and required data are presented based on a review of relevant literature. The paper concludes with a discussion of the feasibility of land suitability in the DDA and other areas in China and also suggests opportunities for future research.

The conflict between residential land and agriculture land in China is increasingly sharpened, especially when some urban development began to sprawl to the suburban and rural areas. In order to plan land resources properly, land suitability assessment is often conducted to determine which type of land use is most appropriate for a particular location. <br /><br /> The main objective of this study is to examine how land suitability assessment methods could be used in land planning processes in the Dianchi Drainage Area (DDA) in Southwest China to identify where future residential development should be located. The 1991 Toronto Waterfront Plan and the more recent 2005 Ontario Greenbelt Plan are examined and used to develop a framework which describes the potential for land suitability assessment in the DDA. Data limitations did not permit a suitability analysis to be completed for the DDA, however a description of methodologies for conducting residential land suitability analysis and required data are presented based on a review of relevant literature. The paper concludes with a discussion of the feasibility of land suitability in the DDA and other areas in China and also suggests opportunities for future research.

Thesis (M.A.) - Simon Fraser University, 2005. / Theses (Dept. of Geography) / Simon Fraser University. Also issued in digital format and available on the World Wide Web.

The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file. Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on December 28, 2009). Thesis advisor: Dr. Soren C. Larsen. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Oregon, 2001. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 170-177). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to UO users.