Thesis (M.A.)--San Francisco State University, 1979. / "December, 1979." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 149-153).

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2009. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 100-108). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (doctoral)--Tartu University, 1999. / Curriculum vitae. Includes bibliographical references.

"A thesis submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Georgia Southern University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Science." Title from PDF of title page (Georgia Southern University, viewed on April 5, 2010). Stephen P. Vives, major professor; Sophie B. George, Risa A. Cohen, committee members. Electronic version approved: December 2009. Includes bibliographical references (p. 37-40).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of North Carolina at Wilmington, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves : 78-82).

Thesis (M.Sc. (Zoology & Entomology)) - Rhodes University, 2009.

Thesis (M.R.P.)--University of Pennsylvania, 1977. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 132-137).

Thesis (M. S.)--Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2007. / Dr. Emanuele Di Lorenzo, Committee Member ; Dr. Ellery Ingall, Committee Member ; Dr. Martial Taillefert, Committee Chair.

The stability and survival of salt marshes is typically linked to the competing influences of sea-level rise, subsidence, and sediment accumulation and erosion. However, consideration must also be made for wind waves that regulate the erosion of salt marsh shorelines and resuspend sediments in bordering tidal flats thus providing material for marsh accretion. This thesis examines the mechanisms in which wind waves affect marsh morphology, the mechanisms of salt marsh boundary erosion, in addition to linking the processes responsible for sediment mobilization between tidal flats and adjacent salt marshes. Sediment concentration within an open-coast marsh creek along the Louisiana chenier plain is shown to be related to the local wave climate and channel velocity. Calculations of sediment fluxes during ebb and flood tides indicates that while large volumes of sediment are mobilized into the marsh when wind waves are present, only a small portion is stored during each tidal cycle. In the coastal lagoon setting of Hog Island Bay, Virginia, marsh shoreline erosion rates were estimated from direct surveys and through analysis of aerial photographs. Erosion rates averaged 1.3 m/yr, similar to the 50-year historical average determined from previous work at the same location. Based on a calibrated numerical model for wind waves, the average erosion rate was linked to the energy of the waves attacking the marsh boundary. Additionally, results suggest that the effect of large waves forming during storms on erosion rates is negligible. Variations in erosion rates were linked to shoreline sinuosity (a proxy used to describe the result of wave concentration through erosive gullies), sediment characteristics, faunal activity, and marsh elevation. The culmination of the work leads to the hypothesis that waves have two opposite effects on salt marshes. On one hand they erode marsh boundaries thus reducing marsh area; on the other hand they mobilize large volumes of sediments in nearby tidal flats which may facilitate marsh accretion thus contrasting sea-level rise. In conclusion, wind waves destabilize marshes along the horizontal direction despite their potential vertical stability.

AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Benjamin S. Lewis Jr., for the Master of Science degree in ZOOLOGY, presented on December, 2, 2015 at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: DETERMINING FOOD RESOURCES FOR AMERICAN BLACK DUCKS WINTERING AND SPRING STAGING ON THE EASTERN SHORE OF VIRGINIA MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Michael W. Eichholz I evaluated food availability and food preference for American black ducks (Anas rubripes) wintering and spring staging on the Eastern Shore of Virginia during 2006–2007 and 2007–2008. I estimated food availability by taking core and sweep net sample at 78 sites selected by a stratified random sample throughout our study area, representing 4 dominant wetland habitat types. Seed and invertebrate biomass found in each of these samples were converted to measurements of kilograms per hectare. I found that salt marsh and mudflat habitats contained the highest amount of invertebrate biomass, while freshwater habitats contained the highest amount of seed biomass. I estimated food preference by collecting crop samples from 76 foraging black ducks. Animal matter made up 73% of the aggregate percent biomass of all foods eaten by black ducks. Foods found in black duck crops were compared to their availability in the environment and classified as either selected for, avoided or consumed relative to their availability. Although they were not found to be the most abundant foods, amphipods (Gammarus spp), salt marsh snails (Melampus bidentatus) and ribbed mussels (Geukensia demissa) were foods selected for in black duck wintering habitats. These food items are found most predominantly in salt marsh and mudflat habitats. As may be expected these areas are identified as the most important habitats for black ducks wintering on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Results from this study provide energetic supply data for bioenergetically based habitat conservation for black ducks in Virginia and in the Atlantic Flyway. I found that the density of food items available for wintering black ducks were lower than densities found in in the more northern wintering range of the black duck and considerably lower than estimates from the wintering regions of other species of dabbling ducks. By concurrently measuring food selection and availability I was also able to reliably determine food preference. Removing avoided food items from food availability estimates provides more accurate estimates of preferred food biomass and it is important for bioenergetically based habitat models to use estimates of preferred food biomass in determining habitat objectives. I found that when avoided food items are removed, estimates of available food biomass decrease substantially, (up to 97%) further emphasizing discrepancies in estimates of food availability between coastal black duck wintering areas and estimates from the wintering regions of other species of dabbling ducks.