Previous Dissertations and Theses 

• 2023

  Ph.D.

  Castro, Ernesto Bastos Viveiros De
  Ph.D. Dissertation: A Path to Nature Conservation: The Role of Mega Trails in Connecting Hikers, Communities, and Landscapes
  Chair/Faculty Advisor: Taylor Stein, Forest Resources and Conservation

  Dawson, DeVant’e
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Investigating Potential Bioindicators of Health & Environmental Stress in the Cnidarian Holobiont Experiencing Multiple Stressors
  Chair/Faculty Advisor: Julie Meyer, Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences

  Donovan, Megan
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Advancing Protected Agriculture as a Climate Risk Mitigation Strategy in the Southeastern United States
  Chair/Faculty Advisor: Sam Smidt, Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences

  Episcopio-Sturgeon, Diane
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Case Studies Exploring Social Science Approaches to Charismatic Species Conservation
  Chair/Faculty Advisor: Vanessa Hull, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Gengler, Nicholas
  Ph.D. Dissertation: A Global Examination of the Spatial Extent of Landscape Effects and a Regional Examination of How Climate Effects Vary Across Trophic Levels
  Chair/Faculty Advisor: Lyn Branch, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Jones, Maggie
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Savannas in a Changing World: Effects of Environmental Change on Tree-herbivore Interactions in African Savannas
  Chair/Faculty Advisor: Robert McCleery, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Pappo, Emily
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Evaluating Climate Resilience of Arabica Coffee (Coffea arabica) Agroecosystems
  Chair/Faculty Advisor: Luke Flory, Agronomy

  Perry, Diane
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Developing Decision Support Tools for Socioecological Systems: a Cast Study of Florida Stock Enhanced Freshwater Recreational Fisheries
  Chair/Faculty Advisor: Ed Camp, Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences

  Rodofili, Esteban
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Semi-Automated Analysis of Satellite and UAS Imagery to Inform Marine Mammal Detection, Migration Route Studies and Marine Protected Area Design
  Chair/Faculty Advisor: Vince LeCours, Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences

  Schneider, Owen
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Restoration Effects, Community Assembly Dynamics, and Flammability of the Rare and Imperiled Plant Communities on Long Pine Key in Everglades National Park
  Chair/Faculty Advisor: Ben Baiser, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Sibiya, Muzi
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Shrub Encroachment and Large Herbivores as Drivers of Avian Communities in African Savannas
  Chair/Faculty Advisor: Robert Fletcher, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Talla Kouete, Marcel
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Microbial Diversity of Central African Amphibians and its Relationship to Pathogens
  Chair/Faculty Advisor: David Blackburn, Florida Museum of Natural History and Zoology

  M.S.

  Howley, Samantha
  M.S. Thesis: River Reversals and the Metabolic Regimes of Florida's Springs
  Chair/Faculty Advisor: Matt Cohen, Forest Resources and Conservation

  Lucinda Fisher
  M.S. Thesis: Effects of Soil Amendment Incorporation on Soil-Water Relationships and Turfgrass Quality in Florida
  Chair/Faculty Advisor: Eban Bean, Agricultural and Biological Engineering

  Markee, Amanda
  M.S. Thesis: Weaving Connections from Genotype to Phenotype: A Characterization of Silk Production in the Luna Moth (Actias luna)
  Chair/Faculty Advisor: Akito Kawahara, Entomology and Nematology

• 2022

  Ph.D.

  Borden, Jesse
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Complex Impacts of Anthropogenic Habitat Alteration on Wildlife
  Chair/Faculty Advisor: Luke Flory, Agronomy 

  Borsum, Scott
  Ph.D. Dissertation: The Development of Oyster Resource Production and Governance: A Harbinger For Seafood Production Systems
  Chair/Faculty Advisor: Ed Camp, School of Forest, Fisheries and Geomatics Sciences

  Botta, Robert
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Enhancing the usage of regional economic analyses within resource management: Case studies of Florida aquatic resources
  Chair/Faculty Advisor: Ed Camp, School of Forest, Fisheries and Geomatics Sciences

  Brinton, Amanda
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Puerto Rico's Solid Waste System: Stakeholder Dynamics, Relationships and Events
  Chair/Faculty Advisor: Tim Townsend, Environmental Engineering Sciences

  De Oliveira Jordao, Carolina
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Saving the Rainforest? Challenges of being and acting as NGOs in the Amazon
  Chair/Faculty Advisor: Bob Buschbacher, School of Forest, Fisheries and Geomatics Sciences

  Diaz, Renata
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Of Rodents and Randomness: Macroecological Approaches to Community Structure
  Chair/Faculty Advisor: Morgan Ernest, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Enloe, Carolyn
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Population Genomic Structure and Geographic Variation in Florida's Coastal Seaside Sparrows
  Chair/Faculty Advisor: Rebecca Kimball, Biology

  Feyers, Shane
  Ph.D. Dissertation: System Mechanics of Sustainable Nature-Based Tourism: Producers, Consumers, and Facilitative Actors
  Chair/Faculty Advisor: Taylor Stein, School of Forest, Fisheries and Geomatics Sciences

  Khazan, Emily
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Thermal Physiology and Community Ecology of Butterflies of the Colombian Andes
  Co-chairs/Faculty Advisors: Jaret Daniels, Florida Museum of Natural History; Bette Loiselle, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Lefler, Forrest
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Diversity and Management of Cyanobacteria in Tropical and Subtropical Fresh Waters
  Chair/Faculty Advisor: Dail Laughinghouse, Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center

  Montero Alvarez, Pamela
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Conservation Strategies in the Contemporary Amazon: Community-Based Tourism, Networks, and Actions among Conservation Organizations
  Chair/Faculty Advisor: Stephen Perz, Sociology; co-advisor: Angelica Almeyda, Center for Latin American Studies

  Moreno Garcia, Pablo
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Variation in plant-pollinator and host-parasite networks along spatial and temporal gradients
  Chair/Faculty Advisor: Ben Baiser, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Padilla Paz, Sergio
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Human Dimensions of Morelet's Crocodile in Campeche, Mexico 
  Chair/Faculty Advisor: Steve Johnson, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Pilnick, Aaron
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Intensive Aquaculture of the Long-Spinded Sea Urchin Diadema Antillarum with Restoration Considerations
  Chair/Faculty Advisor: Josh Patterson, Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences

  Roth, Jamila
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Effects of Environmental Change on Seagrass Reslience and Seagrass-Herbivore Interactions
  Chair/Faculty Advisor: Laura Reynolds, Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences

  Stokes, Gretchen
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Assessing global inland fisheries with integrated socio-ecological approaches
  Co-chairs/Faculty Advisors: Tom Frazer, Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences; Sam Smidt, Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences

  Webb, Elizabeth
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Land-Climate Feedbacks in the Arctic-Boreal Zone
  Chair/Faculty Advisor: Jeremy Lichstein, Biology 

  Zlotnik, Sam
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Feeding Behavior and Mouthpart Development in Juvenile Leaf-Footed Bugs
  Chair/Faculty Advisor: Christine Miller, Entymology

  M.S.

  DiMaggio, Kylee
  M.S. Thesis: The fitness consequences of human-wildlife interaction on common bottlenose dolphins in Sarasota Bay, Florida
  Co-chairs/Faculty Advisors: Miguel Acevedo, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation; Madan Oli, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Hardin, Alizé
  M.S. Thesis: Historical Ecology of Seagrass Meadows along the Gulf Coast of Florida: Environmental Trends in Body Size, Taphonomy and Predation
  Chair/Faculty Advisor: Michal Kowalewski, Florida Museum of Natural History

  Littell, Joe
  M.S. Non-thesis Paper: Crown-of-Thorns Starfish (Acanthaster spp.) and the Great Barrier Reef
  Chair/Faculty Advisor: Steve Johnson, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

• 2021

  Ph.D.

  Barchiesi, Stefano
  Ph.D. Dissertation: From Ecosystem Restoration to Nature-based Solution: the Case of an Endangered Wetland of International Importance in Costa Rica 
  Advisor: Christine Angelini, Environmental Engineering

  Basham, Edmund
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Vertical Stratification of Tropical Forest Biodiversity across Multiple Scales of Space and Time
  Advisor: Brett Scheffers, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Bishop, Nichole
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Nutritional Ecology of the Critically Endangered Central American River Turtle, Dermatemys Mawii
  Advisor: Ray Carthy, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Claunch, Natalie
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Physiological Legacies of Reptile Invasions
  Advisor: Christina Romagosa, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Garcia V., Angelica
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Factors Affecting Cultural Perceptions of Palms and the Sustainability of Their Management in Madre de Dios, Peru
  Advisor: Stephen Perz, Sociology 

  Hecht, Kirsten
  Ph.D. Dissertation: A Mixed-Methods Investigation of Public Engagement Activities by Herpetologists
  Advisors: Katie Stofer, Agricultural Education and Communication; Max Nickerson, Florida Museum of Natural History

  Lehmensiek, May
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Occupation Displacement of Commercial Fishers - Case Studies from Florida and Brazil
  Advisor: Kai Lorenzen, Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences

  Lowe, Ben
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Human dimensions of global environmental change: The influence of religion on perceptions and responses to climate change, fisheries management, and biodiversity conservation management, and Biodiversity Conservation
  Advisor: Susan Jacobson, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Stelling, Benjamin
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Phytoplankton Composition & Abundance along Depth & Seasonal Gradients in the South Atlantic Bight off the Coast of Cape Canaveral, FL
  Advisor: Edward Phlips, Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences

  Walker, Julie
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Effects of Climate Change on Coastal Wetland Ecosystems and the Implications for Their Future Management
  Advisors: Todd Osborne, Soil and Water Sciences; Christine Angelini, Environmental Engineering Sciences

  M.S. 

  Bandara, Manuja Pabasara
  M.S. Thesis: Role of Metaphors in Communicating Threat of Climate Change: An Experimental Study on Climate Change Communication
  Advisor: Christine Overdevest, Sociology 

  Carneiro, Celine
  M.S. Thesis: Genomic Insight into the Demographic History and Structure of the Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus Savannarum)
  Advisor: James Austin, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation          

  Catizone, Dan 
  M.S. Thesis: Ecology of the Ornate Diamondback Terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin macrospilota) in St. Joseph Bay, FL 
  Advisor: Christina Romagosa, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Farris, Seth
  M.S. Thesis: Improving the Use of Ecological Indicators Using Hierarchical Modeling
  Advisor: Frank Mazzotti, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation        

  Hartfelder, Jack
  M.S. Thesis: Megaherbivore Distributions and Their Effects on Savanna Herbivore Community Structure
  Advisor: Rob Fletcher, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Logan, Tracey
  M.S. Thesis: Generation of in vitro cell lines, maintenance of lines, and creation of database
  Advisor: Robert Ossiboff, Comparative, Diagnostic, and Population Medicine       

  Maleko, Philipp
  M.S. Thesis: Filling Knowledge Gaps for Two Declining East Asian-Australasian Flyway Shorebirds: Nordmann's Greenshanks and Common Redshanks
  Advisor: Abby Powell, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Merriell, Brandon
  M.S. Thesis: Evaluating the Demographics and Dynamics of Florida Panthers with an Integrated Population Model
  Advisor: Madan Oli, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Moreno, Melissa “Mel”
  M.S. Thesis: Big Changes in the Big Bend: A data management and shoreline analysis study
  Advisor: Bill Pine, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Poongavanan, Jenicca 
  M.S. Thesis: A Glimpse into the Reproducibility of Scientific Papers in Movement Ecology: How Are We Doing?
  Advisor: Mathieu Basille, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Rash, Rebecca
  M.S. Thesis: Environmental and Occupational Risk Factors for Stingray Puncture Injuries in Cedar Key Clam Farmers
  Advisor: Andy Kane, Environmental and Global Health

  Scherneck, Sam
  M.S. Thesis: International survey explores how risk assessment tools for invasive species can be utilized successfully
  Advisors: Deah Lieurance, Agronomy; Luke Flory, Agronomy

• 2020

  Ph.D.

  Bedoya Duran, Maria Juliana
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Privately protected areas, shade coffee, and the conservation of ground birds and medium to large mammals in the western Andes of Colombia
  Advisor: Lyn Branch, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Bledsoe, Ellen
  B.A. Mount Holyoke College
  Research: The Role of Patch- and Landscape-Level Processes in Shaping Desert Rodent Communities
  Advisor: Morgan Ernest, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  DeLong, Alia N
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Farmer Decision-Making: A New Generation of New and Beginning Farmers
  Advisor: Marilyn Swisher, Family, Youth and Community Sciences 

  Durland Donahou, Allison
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Effects of Domestication on the Guppy Poecilia reticulata with Implications for Invasiveness
  Advisor: Jeff Hill, Fisheries and Aquatic Science

  Esbach, Michael
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Hunting for Justice: Cofan Subsistence, Sustainability, and Self-Determination in the Ecuadorian Amazon
  Advisor: Bette Loiselle, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Harris, Holden E
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Viability and Effectiveness of a Commercial Fishery to Mitigate Invasive Lionfish in the Northern Gulf of Mexico
  Advisor: Mike Allen, Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences

  Hightower, Jessica 
  Ph.D. Dissertation: The Response of Bird Communities to Logging, Fragmentation, and Conversion to Oil Palm Plantations in Borneo
  Advisor: Rob Fletcher, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Jamal, Fatemah 
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Ecology and Systematics of Irregular Echinoids (Echinoids, Echinodermata) and Associated Pea Crabs (Crustacea, Arthropoda) from the Gulf of Mexico and Bahamas 
  Advisor: Michal Kowalewski, Florida Museum of Natural History

  Kim, Kwanmok 
  Ph.D. Dissertation: How does Refuge Shape, Abundance, and Arrangement Affect Species Diversity in an Oyster Reef System
  Advisor: Peter Frederick, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Kirk, Lily
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Metabolism in Subtropical Lowland Rivers
  Advisor: Matt Cohen, Forest Resources and Conservation

  Marconi, Sergio
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Disentangling the Role of Ecological Drivers on Forest Biological Dimensions across Scales
  Advisor: Ethan White, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  McEachron, Lucas
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Reef Fish Spatial Distributions Throughout the Florida Keys in the Context of Matrix Effects, Trophic Dynamics, and Complementary Modeling Techniques
  Advisor: Robert Fletcher, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  McGrew, Alicia
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Taxonomic, Phylogenetic, and Size-Based Approaches to Characterizing Aquatic Community Structure
  Advisor: Ben Baiser, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Mtsetfwa, Fezile
  B.S., M.S. University of Swaziland
  Research: Bat Conservation in African Savannas
  Advisor: Robert McCleery, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Nhleko, Zoliswa Nombulelo 
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Understanding and Responding to South Africa's White Rhino Poaching Crisis
  Advisor: Robert McCleery, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Nunez Godoy, Cristina
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Improving Payments for Ecosystem Service Programs in a Global Deforestation Hotspot: The Gran Chaco of Argentina
  Advisors: Elizabeth Pienaar, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation; Lyn Branch, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Peralta, Percy
  Ph.D. Dissertation: What Incentivizes Eco-Friendly Coffee Practices in the Peruvian Tropical Andes?: Socioeconomic and Environmental Sustainability of Smallholder Coffee Production in the Satipo Province, Peru
  Advisor: Karen Kainer, Forest Resources and Conservation

  Pinheiro, Felipe Machado 
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Silvopastoral Management of the Brazilian Drylands: Soil Carbon Sequestration and Farmer-Managed Restoration of Native Vegetation
  Advisor: P.K. Nair, Forest Resources and Conservation

  Poli, Caroline
  Ph.D. Dissertation: The Roles of Habitat and Individual-Based Traits for Understanding Survival and Connectivity across Landscapes
  Advisor: Rob Fletcher, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Srivathsa, Arjun S.
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Saving the Underdogs: a Multi-Scale Approach to Inform Strategies for Conserving the Endangered Asiatic Wild Dog
  Advisor: Madan Oli, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Toh, Kok Ben
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Predicting Malaria: Models and Their Applications
  Advisor: Denis Valle, Forest Resources and Conservation

  White Rose, Elizabeth
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Population Characteristics, Movement Behavior, and Resource Selection of Florida Burrowing Owls Breeding in Suburban and Pastureland Habitats
  Advisor: Raoul Boughton, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  M.S.

  De Vito, Lauren
  M.S. Thesis: Land and vegetation change from regional to local scales in Ecuador 
  Advisor: Matt Cohen, Forest Resources and Conservation

  Eastman, Scott
  M.S. Thesis: A Comparative Study of the Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta) Nesting on Undeveloped and Developed Beaches in Northeast Florida
  Advisor: Raymond Carthy, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  McCallister, Lorna
  M.S. Thesis: Effects of Land Use and Land Cover Change on Insect and Avian Pollinator Communities.
  Advisor: Robert McCleery, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation 

  Smithers, Cherice
  M.S. Thesis: Drivers of Diversity and Composition of Native Bee Communities In Fire-Maintained Pine Savanna
  Advisor: Ben Baiser, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

• 2019

  Ph.D.

  Alvarez Aleman, Anmari
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Population Genetics and Conservation of the West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus) in Cuba
  Advisor: Tom Frazer, Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences/SNRE

  Baudoin Farah, C. Andrea
  B.S. University of Sao Paulo, M.S. AgroParis Tech
  Ph.D. Dissertation: "Volver a hablar con la gente del agua": Meanders of indigenous autonomy in the TIPNIS, Bolivia
  Advisor: Stephen Perz, Sociology

  Brown, Hannah O.
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Collaborating for Oyster Sustainability: A mixed-methods analysis of stakeholder communication and preference for future management outcomes on the Gulf Coast
  Advisor: Susan Jacobson, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Dahl, Kristen
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Life History and Ecology of Invasive Lionfish Populations in the Northern Gulf of Mexico: Impacts to Native Reef Fish Communities and their Potential Mitigation
  Advisor: Will Patterson, SFRC/FAS

  Diaz Toribio, Milton
  B.S. Universidad Veracruzana, M.S. Instituto de Ecologia
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Community Dynamics and Under-Ground Functional Trait Responses of Plants in Pine Savannas after Fire Suppression
  Advisor: Francis "Jack" Putz, Biology

  Dobbins, Michael
  B.A., B.S. & M.S. University of Alabama
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Anthropogenic Impacts on Tropical Mammals
  Advisor: Eben Broadbent, School of Forest Resources and Conservation

  Haro-Carrion, Xavier
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Land and vegetation change from regional to local scales in Ecuador 
  Advisor: Jane Southworth, Geography

  Hilsenroth, Jana
  B.S. University of Tampa
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Changing Seas: Potential Effects of Increasing Ocean Temperatures on the Black Pearl Industry in French Polynesia
  Advisor: Tom Frazer, USF

  Kadagi, Nelly Isigi
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Contextualizing Socio-Ecological Interactions in Recreational and Artisanal Fisheries: Implications for Sustainable Use and Management of Billfish in the Western Indian Ocean 
  Advisor: Rob Ahrens, Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences

  Malone, Kristen
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Ground-Nesting Birds in Southeastern Pine Savanna: Predation and Habitat Management 
  Advisor: Kathryn Sieving, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Maynard, Lily
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Are Zoos Conservation Leaders? Using Organizational Conservation Identity and Social Network Analysis to Assess Zoos’ Collective Impact
  Advisor: Susan Jacobson, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Meiners, Joan
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Data Dynamics of Bee Biodiversity: Understanding Native Bee Ecology
  Advisor: Tom Frazer, Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences

  Singer, Randal
  Ph.D. Dissertation: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Increasing Biodiversity Collections' Sustainability using Computational and Survey Methods 
  Advisor: Larry Page, Florida Museum of Natural History

  Taylor, Shawn
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Forecasting Plant Phenology: an Assessment of Data Sources and Estimators, and a Fully Automated Implementation
  Advisor: Ethan White, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  M.S.

  Epperly, Haley
  B.S. Oregon State University 
  M.S. Thesis: Effects of woody vegetation in savannas on animal diversity and behavior
  Advisor: Robert McCleery, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Gearhart, Justin
  B.S. University of Florida
  M.S. Thesis: Longleaf Pine Sensitivity to Interannual Variability in Precipitation in Fire-Maintained and Fire-Excluded Stands
  Advisor: Jeremy Lichstein, Biology

  Hill, Geena
  B.S. Kent State University
  M.S. Thesis: Ecological Dynamics of Lepidoptera in a Changing World, with a Focus on a Critically Endangered Butterfly 
  Advisor: Jaret Daniels, Entomology and Nematology

  Mosso, Clara
  M.S. Thesis: Urban Expansion Into Native Forests in Patagonia, Argentina: Assessing Environmental Policy Challenges at National And Local Levels
  Advisor: Mark Hosteler, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation  

  Pride, Lillian
  B.S. Iowa State University
  M.S. Thesis: Living Mulch and Microirrigation for Runoff and Erosion Reduction during Bare-root Strawberry Transplant Establishment
  Advisor: Carlene Chase, Horticulture Sciences

  Quincy, Kaitlyn
  M.S. Thesis: The Ecology and Management of West Indian Marsh Grass (Hymenachne amplexicaulis) in Florida Wetlands
  Advisor: Stephen Enloe, Agronomy

• 2018

  Ph.D.

  Adler, Jennifer
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Water's Story: an interdisciplinary approach combining springs science, communications, and environmental education
  Advisor: Tom Frazer, Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences/SNRE

  Ávila, Susana Hervas
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Understanding Stakeholder Conflict in the Gulf of Mexico Red Snapper Fishery 
  Advisor: Kai Lorenzen, Fisheries and Aquatic Science

  Bailey, Karen
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Understanding drivers and consequences of adaptation to drought in Swaziland
  Advisor: Bob McCleery, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Chidakel, Alex 
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Institutions, Governance, and the Economic Performance of Protected Areas in Southern Africa
  Advisor: Brian Child, Geography

  Desormeaux, Amanda
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Quantification and Source Identification of Nitrate Leached in the Vadose Zone of a Karst Springshed
  Advisor: James Jawitz, Soil and Water Sciences

  Fahey, Catherine 
  Ph.D. Dissertation: The Effects of Plant Invasion and Drought on Plant-Soil Interactions
  Advisor: Luke Flory, Agronomy

  Fiorini, Ana Carolina Oliveira 
  Ph.D. Dissertation:  Brazilian Forest Code Instruments Used to Promote Atlantic Forest Restoration: A Study in Rio Claro Municipality
  Advisor: Jack Putz, Department of Biology 

  Glodzik, Katie 
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Impacts of Saltwater Intrusion and Hydrologic Change to Salt Marsh and Coastal Forest of Florida's Big Bend 
  Advisor: David Kaplan, Environmental Engineering Sciences

  Ludgate, Nargiza
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Gender Roles in Household Water Resource Management in Water-Scarce Countries: Does Greywater Treatment Technology Empower Rural Women in Jordan?
  Advisor: Sandra Russo, International Center

  Muyengwa, Shylock 
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Elite Capture of Community Based Natural Resources Management Projects in Southern Africa
  Advisor: Brian Child, Geography

  Pinheiro, Paula Soares 
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Decentralization of rights to communities in the co-management of natural resources in the Lower Juruá Extractive Reserve, central-west Brazilian Amazon: implications for natural resource conservation
  Advisor: Stephen Perz, Sociology and Criminology & Law 

  Rubino, Elena 
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Incentivizing Rhinoceros Conservation among Private Landowners in South Africa
  Advisor: Elizabeth Pienaar, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation 

  Rueda, Farah Carrasco
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Land-use Change and Bat Biodiversity: Understanding Patterns, Drivers, and Impacts of Mitigation Efforts 
  Advisor: Bette Loiselle, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Schuman, Carrie
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Ecosystem Service Provision by the Eastern Oyster, Crassostrea virginica, within the St. Augustine Region of Florida
  Advisor: Shirley Baker, Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences

  Shapiro, Julie 
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Bats in a Changing World: Where They Go, What They Bring, and How They Impact People 
  Advisor: Bob McCleery, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Somjee, Ummat 
  Ph.D. Dissertation: The Hidden Consequences of Exaggerated Sexually Selected Weapons 
  Advisor: Christine Miller, Entomology and Nematology

  Wilkinson, Krystan
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Understanding Risk Mitigation by Common Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus) in Sarasota Bay, Florida through Analysis of Group Size, Habitat Use, and Perinatal Movements
  Advisor: Bill Pine, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  M.S.

  Adair, Robyn
  M.S. Thesis: Field Evaluation of Cover Crops for Nematode and Weed Management in Florida and Haiti
  Advisor: Marilyn Swisher, Family, Youth, and Community Sciences; Carlene Chase, Horticulture Sciences

  Borden, Jesse 
  M.S. Thesis: Ecological Disturbances and Canopy Communities
  Advisor: Brett Scheffers, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Duan, Leilei
  M.S. Thesis: Examine Urban Allocation Outcomes with Sea Level Rise Scenarios in City of Tampa
  Advisor: Paul Zwick, College of Design, Construction & Planning

  Hill, Melissa 
  M.S. Thesis: Determining Property Owners' Attitudes of Adopting Conservation Easements to Protect Sea Turtle Nesting Habitat
  Advisor: Martha Monroe, School of Forest Resources and Conservation

  Maneval, Paul 
  M.S. Thesis: Influences of genotype, nursery design, and location on the growth of Acropora cervicornis fragments
  Advisor: Tom Frazer, Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences/SNRE

  Scott, Raymond 
  M.S. Thesis: Non-thesis Project
  Advisor: Tom Frazer, Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences/SNRE

  Smith, Austin
  M.S. Thesis: Niche Modeling of Released Chukar Partridge (Alectoris chukar) in North America
  Advisor: Wendell Crooper, Forest Resources and Conservation 

  Szabo, Andrea 
  M.S./J.D.: Non-thesis Project
  Advisor: Alison Adams, School of Forest Resources and Conservation 

  Thomas, Shelby
  M.S. Thesis: More than the Eye Can See: Gross and Radiographic Observations of Shell-Boring Parasites Cliona, Diplothyra, and Polydora in Eastern Oyster, Crassostrea Virginica, Reveal Dynamics of Shell Damage
  Advisor: Andy Kane, Emerging Pathogens Institute

  Veras Mena, Daniel 
  M.S. Thesis: Influence of Sponges on the Performance of Nursery-reared Staghorn Coral (Acropora cervicornis)
  Advisor: Donald Behringer, Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences

• 2017

  Ph.D.

  Avila-Segura, Laura 
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Stingless Bee Foraging Ecology in Tropical Agricultural Landscapes 
  Advisor: Glenn Hall, Entomology and Nematology 

  Guan, Jing
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Quantifying the Effects of Epiphytic Algae on the Growth of a Submersed Macrophyte
  Advisor: Tom Frazer, Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences/SNRE

  Hallett, Matt
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Population Size, Spatial Distribution, Space Use, Human/Wildlife Conflict, Protection and Planning Related to Jaguars in Guyana, South America
  Advisor: John Blake, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Hernandez, Felipe 
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Anthropogenic Factors as Disruptors of Ecosystem Health: Effects of Contaminants in Raccoons (Procyon lotor) and Pathogen Pollution by Invasive Feral Swine (Sus scrofa) in Southeastern United States
  Advisor: Sam Wisely, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Karelus, Dana
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Black Bear Home Ranges and Habitat Use
  Advisor: Madan Oli, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Marquez Garcia, Marcela Andrea
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Attitudes and Factors Influencing Behavior Change of Wine Producers Toward the Conservation of Chile's Mediterranean Habitat
  Advisor: Susan Jacobson, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation 

  McCarthy, James
  Ph.D. Dissertation: The Dynamics of Corporate Sustainability and Profitability
  Advisor: Robert Ries, Construction Management

  Rios Marin, Maria Constanza 
  Ph.D. Dissertation: From Individual Decisions to Collective Action for Biodiversity Conservation: Networks of Reserves of the Civil Society in Colombia
  Advisor: Karen Kainer, Forest Resources and Conservation, Latin American Studies 

  Stanton, Richard  
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Effects of Shrub Encroachment in Grass-Dominated Biomes on Vertebrate Communities
  Advisor: Rob Fletcher, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Van Treese, Jeffrey
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Environmental Horticulture
  Advisor: Andrew Koeser, Landscape Conservation and Ecology

  Wilson, Chris
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Ecology and Management of Soil Carbon on Ranchlands of Florida, USA
  Advisor: Luke Flory, Agronomy

  M.S.

  Berkebile, Nathan
  M.S. Thesis: Ecology and Distribution of the Florida Sea Cucumber, Holothuria floridana, in Seagrass and Hard-bottom Communities of the Florida Keys
  Advisor: Donald Behringer, Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences

  Hyman, Alex 
  M.S. Thesis: Seagrass Ecology 
  Advisor: Michal Kawalewski, Florida Museum of Natural History

  Lastinger, Cody
  M.S. Non-Thesis: Improving Hack and Squirt Technologies for Management of Woody Invasive Plants in Florida 
  Advisor: Stephen Enloe, Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants

  Loggins, Annie
  M.S. Thesis: Savanna Vegetation Shapes Small Mammal Communities and Foraging Behaviors
  Advisor: Bob McCleery, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  McBride, Jennifer 
  M.S. Thesis: Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Growth in Spring-Fed Rivers  
  Advisor: Matt Cohen, Forest Resources and Conservation

  Mulindahabi, Felix
  M.S. Thesis: Assessment of the Impacts of the Conservation of Protected Areas to the Improvement of Livelihoods of Adjacent Communities of the Nyungwe National Park, Rwanda
  Advisor: Brian Child, Geography

  Rodrigues, Camila 
  M.S. Thesis: Livelihood Strategies of Family Farmers across the Amazon Frontier of Malo Grosse 
  Advisor: Stephen Perz, Sociology 

  Wang, Jinghui
  M.S. Thesis: Economic Analysis of Tomato Production with Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation  
  Advisor: Zhifeng Gao, Food and Resource Economics

• 2016

  Ph.D.

  Anderson, C. Jane
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Ecology and Impacts of Introduced Non-Human Primate Populations in Florida
  Advisor: Steve Johnson, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Anderson, John D. 
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Ecosocial Determinants of Environmental Exposure to Diarrheal Disease
  Advisor: Richard Rheingans, Environmental & Global Health

  Chaves Didier, Willandia 
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Wild Meat Consumption in the Central Amazon, Brazil: Evaluating Drivers and Conservation Strategies 
  Advisor: Katie Sieving, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Crandall, Chelsey
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Stakeholder Engagement in Fisheries Management
  Advisor: Kai Lorenzen, Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences

  Haase, Catherine 
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Effects of the Spatial Configuration of Forage and Thermal Habitats on the Behavior of the Florida Manatee
  Advisor: Rob Fletcher, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Fang, Yu
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Human Population Spatio-Temporal Distribution Embedded Within Water Networks 
  Advisor: Jim Jawitz, Soil and Water Science 

  Knowles, Hal
  Ph.D. Dissertation: From Development Density to Consumption Complexity: Using Visualization Tools and Nonlinear Analyses to Compare Resource Efficiency in Urban Communities and Buildings
  Advisor: Mark Hostetler, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Laing, Joelle
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Relationships between Sediment Redox Potential and Vegetation Characteristics in Florida Spring Systems: Implications for Restoration
  Advisor: Tom Frazer, School of Natural Resources and Environment

  Littles, Chanda
  Ph.D. Dissertation: An Investigation of Wintering Florida Manatee Population Dynamics at Multiple Scales
  Advisor: Tom Frazer, School of Natural Resources and Environment

  Montes, Nancy
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Analyzing the Distribution of Recreational Boating off the Coast of Northeast Florida to Determine its Implications for the Conservation of the North Atlantic Right Whale
  Advisor: Bob Swett, Forest Resources and Conservation

  Nunez-Regueiro, Mauricio
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Regional and Global Effects of Biofuel Production and Expansion 
  Advisor: Rob Fletcher, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Sobreiro da Silva, Thaissa
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Indigenous Mobilization and Multi-Local Livelihood Strategies in the Middle Rio Negro, Amazonas, Brazil
  Advisor: Stephen Perz, Sociology and Criminology and Law

  Souza, Thiago Do Val S.
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Recreation Classification, Tourism Demand and Economic Impact Analyses in Protected Areas of Brazil
  Advisor:  Brijesh Thapa, Dept of Tourism, Recreation, and Sport Management

  Vincent, Christopher
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Wind and Light Stress in Papaya as Influenced by Intercropping: Stress Priming and Photosynthetic Acclimation
  Advisor: Bruce Schaffer, Horticultural Sciences, Tropical REC

  West, Thales
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Deforestation and Payment for Environmental Services
  Advisor: Jack Putz, Biology

  Williams, Rebecca J.
  Ph.D. Dissertation: The Gift of More Time: The Influence of Eco-Stove Improved Cookstoves on Women's Time Poverty and Agency in Indigenous Lenca Communities in Intibuca, Honduras
  Advisor: Sandra Russo, Women's Studies

  Xu, Yiming
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Predicting Soil Properties and Soil Quality by Remote Sensing and GIS Techniques in South India 
  Advisor: Scott Smith, Forest Resources & Conservation

  M.S.

  Archer, Jan-Michael
  M.S. Thesis: A Systematic Review of Forest Bird Occurrence in North American Forest Fragments and the Built Environment 
  Advisor: Mark Hostetler, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Burja, Kristina
  M.S. Thesis: Conservation Education at Tsavo West National Park, Kenya: A Case Study
  Advisor: Martha Monroe, Forest Resources and Conservation

  Cummings, Katy
  M.S. Thesis: Ecological Fidelity of Death Assemblages: Can Mollusks be Used to Assess Changes in Seagrass Ecosystems?
  Advisors: Michael Kowalewski, Florida Museum of Natural History; Tom Frazer, Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences

  Gelin Spessot, Maria Laura  
  M.S. Thesis: Response of Pumas (Puma concolor) to the Migration of Guanacos (Lama Guanicoe) in Patagonia
  Advisor: Lyn Branch, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Gottlieb, Isabel
  M.S. Thesis: Implications of Future Biofuels Expansion on Avian Communities in the Southeastern U.S. 
  Advisor: Rob Fletcher, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Hiatt, Drew 
  M.S. Thesis: Invasive Plant Populations and Co-Occurring Native Species Vary in Phenotypic Plasticity
  Advisor: Luke Flory, Agronomy 

  Langston, Jaqueline
  M.S. Thesis: The Effect of the Non-Native Mayan Cichlid Cichlasoma Urophthalmus on the Nesting and Parental Care of the Spotted Sunfish Lepomis Punctatus
  Advisor: Tom Frazer, School of Natural Resources and Environment

  NeSmith, Julienne
  M.S. Thesis: Tree Regeneration Response to Cogon Grass Invasion Along a Soil Moisture Gradient
  Advisor: Luke Flory, Agronomy

  Nunez, Leroy
  M.S. Thesis: Molecular Analyses of Three Non-Indigenous Squamate Species in Florida: Testing Various Hypotheses Regarding Species Introductions
  Advisor: Kenneth Krysko, Florida Museum of Natural History

  Nunez Godoy, Cristina
  M.S. Thesis: Wildlife Friendly Certification: A Case Study of Patagonian Cashmere Producers and Buyers 
  Advisor: Karen Kainer, Forest Resources and Conservation, Latin American Studies

  Timpe, Kelsie
  M.S. Thesis: How are Dams Changing the Ecohydrology of Amazonian Rivers? A Comprehensive Review of Environmental Flows Management in the Brazilian Amazon
  Advisor: David Kaplan, Environmental Engineering Sciences

• 2015

  Ph.D.

  Cao, Baijing
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Soil Carbon Modeling Along Ecological, Climatic, and Biotic Trajectories at a Continental Scale
  Advisor: Sabine Grunwald, Soil and Water Science

  Gonzalez, Oscar
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Bird-Flowering Plant Networks in Andean Montane Forests
  Advisor: Bette Loiselle, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Livengood, Elisa
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Sustainability of the Global Ornamental Fish Trade through Management, Education, Health and Welfare of the Resource
  Advisor:  Frank Chapman, Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences

  Luo, Jiexuan
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Nitrogen Mass Balance at University of Florida Campus
  Advisor: George Hochmuth, Soil and Water Science

  Mavah, Germain
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Governance for Sustaining Natural Resources: Effectiveness of Community-Based Wildlife Management in the Republic of Congo
  Advisor: Brian Child, Geography and Center for African Studies

  Monaghan, Kelly
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Sustainable Agriculture and Urban-Community Food Systems
  Advisor: Mickie Swisher, Family, Youth and Community Sciences

  Murillo, Oscar
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Demography and Population Dynamics of Peregrine Falcons (Falco peregrinus) in South Scotland
  Advisor: Madan Oli, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Nifong, Rachel
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Analysis of the Relationships Between the Stoichiometry of Whole Ecosystem Metabolism and Primary Producers
  Advisor: Matt Cohen, Forest Resources and Conservation

  Yuan, Jing 
  Ph.D. Dissertation: Metrics of Pattern Loss and Ecosystem Change in the Ridge and Slough Mosaic of the Everglades
  Advisor: Matt Cohen, Forest Resources and Conservation

  M.S.

  Bauman, Michael L.
  M.S. Thesis: Where Should the Forests Grow: Socio-Ecological Forest Conservation Planning Using Biodiversity, Landholder, and Agency-Based Priorities in Los Santos, Panama
  Advisor: Stephanie Bohlman, Forest Resources and Conservation

  Bouchillon, Rachel
  M.S. Thesis: Florida Gulf Coast Oysters and Freshwater River Flow Modeling
  Advisor: Bill Pine, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Delaney, John Patrick
  M.S. Thesis: Using GIS to Assess Nest Site Selection and Nest Abundance by American Alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) in Three Central Florida Lakes
  Advisor: Franklin Percival, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Dornisch, Vanessa
  M.S. Thesis: Florida Beach Users’ Perceptions of Beach Ownership, Erosion Management, and Sea Level Rise
  Advisor: Bob Swett, Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences

  Grade, Aaron M.
  M.S. Thesis: Consequences of Anthropogenic Road Noise on Avian Communities
  Advisor: Katie Sieving, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

  Lane, Christian
  M.S. Thesis: Sturgeon Nutrition
  Advisor: Frank Chapman, Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences

  Larios, Kalindhi
  M.S. Thesis: Florida Wildfires During the Holocene Climatic Optimum
  Advisor: Stefan Gerber, Soil and Water Science

  Mortimer, Jessica
  M.S. Thesis: The Development and Comparative Analysis of a Rapid Herbaceous Monitoring Method in Lowveld Savanna, South Africa
  Advisor: Brian Child, Geography, Center for African Studies

  Presser, Jackson
  M.S. Thesis: GIS-Based Risk Model for Prediction/Detection of Pythium insidiosum in the Environment
  Advisor: Erica Goss, Plant Pathology, Emerging Pathogens Institute

  Puls, Danielle
  M.S. Thesis: Determining if the Mucilage Caused by a Specific Cyanobacterium is Inhibiting Sponge Function/Killing Sponge Species in the Florida Bay
  Advisor: Donald Behringer, Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences

  Quintana, Yasmin 
  M.S. Thesis: Fishing Mortality Assessment from Giant Cichlid Artisanal Fishery in Lake Peten Itza, Guatemala
  Advisor: Mike Allen, Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences

  Rojas Bonzi, Viviana B.
  M.S. Thesis: Phylogenetics of the Red-Footed Tortoise
  Advisor: Jim Austin, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

• 2014 and Earlier

  List of theses and dissertations in the UF Library database.