School of Natural Resources and Environment

Previous Dissertations and Theses

Previous theses and dissertations sorted by year. To find the complete work, please visit the UF Library Theses and Dissertations database.

2026

Ph.D.

Fluck Essig, Isadora
Ph.D. Dissertation: From Individuals to Assemblages: The Importance of Population-Level Intraspecific Trait Variation (ITV) for Biodiversity Patterns
Chair/Faculty Advisor: Ben Baiser, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

Gonzalo Alvarez, Hernan
Ph.D. Dissertation: Bridging Deterrence and Collaboration: Integrating Behavioral, Conservation Criminology, and Governance Perspectives on Compliance with Wildmeat Trade Regulations in the Ecuadorian Amazon
Chair/Faculty Advisor: Jessica Kahler, Sociology

Lewis, Dakota
Ph.D. Dissertation: Assemblages in Transition: Coral Reef Community Dynamics in Warming Ocean
Chair/Faculty Advisor: Andrew Altieri, Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure & Environment

Mirzajonova, Gulchiroy
Ph.D. Dissertation: The Exposome and Child Cognitive Development: Investigating the Environment's Role in Child Health
Chair/Faculty Advisor: Sarah McKune, Environmental and Global Health

Prasanna, Varshitha
Ph.D. Dissertation: Integrating Field, Modeling, and UAV-Based Approaches for Optimizing Irrigation and Nitrogen Management in Potato Production on Sandy Soils
Chair/Faculty Advisor: Vivek Sharma, Agricultural and Biological Engineering

Teryda, Natalia S.
Ph.D. Dissertation: Identifying Strategies for Conservation of the Marine Turtles in Argentina and Uruguay, South America
Chair/Faculty Advisor: Ray Carthy, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

M.S.

Coleman, Isaac
M.S. Thesis: Testing Data Pathways for Ecological Monitoring: A Case Study on the Migratory Phenology of Neotropical Songbirds in Coastal Transition Zone
Chair/Faculty Advisor: Vanessa Hull, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

Self, Madison
M.S. Thesis: Light Utilization in Pontederia crassipes and Intraspecific Hybridization of Its Biological Control Agent Megamelus scutellaris
Chair/Faculty Advisor: Lyn Gettys, Agronomy

Taylor, Autumn
M.S. Thesis: Characterization of Toxic Cyanobacterial Strains and Laboratory Evaluation of Algaecide Performance
Chair/Faculty Advisor: H. Dail Laughinghouse, Agronomy

2025

Ph.D.

Acevedo-Charry, Orlando
Ph.D. Dissertation: Leveraging the Power of People for Biodiversity Conservation: Insights From Community Science Data on Interdisciplinary Ecology
Chair/Faculty Advisor: Miguel Acevedo, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation; Co-Chair: Scott Robinson, Florida Museum of Natural History

Brophy Cerquera, Trista
Ph.D. Dissertation: Evaluating Earth Observation Use In Local Government: Insights From Feasibility Case Studies in Water Quality and Flood Risk Management
Chair/Faculty Advisor: Sam Smidt, Soil, Water, Ecosystem Sciences; Co-Chair: Eban Bean, Agricultural and Biological Engineering

Cauvin, Allison
Ph.D. Dissertation: Examining the Role of Microbes in Orbicella faveolate Disease Dynamics
Chair/Faculty Advisor: Julie Meyer, Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences; Co-Chair: Andrew Altieri, Environmental Engineering Sciences

Hari Haran, Priyanka
Ph.D. Dissertation: Ecology and Monitoring of Mixed-Species Bird Flocks in Tropical Working Landscapes
Chair/Faculty Advisor: Emilio Bruna, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

Kang, Yiyang “Calvin”
Ph.D. Dissertation: Processes and Impacts of Mangrove Poleward Expansion across Florida’s Gulf of Mexico Coast
Chair/Faculty Advisor: David Kaplan, Environmental Engineering Sciences

Palmer, Chad
Ph.D. Dissertation: Positive Density-Dependent Population Dynamics in Reef Building Oysters: A Review of the Evidence and Empirical Findings
Chair/Faculty Advisor: Ed Camp, Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences

Poincon, Liliane
Ph.D. Dissertation: National Women in Agriculture Association US Chapters: Evaluating the Process and the Outcomes of Women's Empowerment
Chair/Faculty Advisor: Mickie Swisher, Family, Youth, and Community Sciences

Reimer, Jenna
Ph.D. Dissertation: Sources, Rates, and Fates: Nitrogen Cycling in the Guana Estuary
Chair/Faculty Advisor: Ashley Smyth, Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences, and Tropical Research and Education Center; Co-Chair: AJ Reisinger, Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences

Rivas, Mayra
Ph.D. Dissertation: The Cost of Reducing Stunting in Children: A Process, Impact, and Cost-Effectiveness of a Livestock Transfer Program in Guatemala with Global Comparisons
Chair/Faculty Advisor: Conner Mullally, Food and Resource Economics

Searles, Adam
Ph.D. Dissertation: Effects of Changing Foundation Species on Fauna Communities and Food Webs
Chair/Faculty Advisor: Charlie Martin, Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences; Co-Chair: Laura Reynolds, Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences

Smith, Rachel
Ph.D. Dissertation: A Social-Ecological Approach to Understanding and Mitigating Sea Turtle Bycatch in Trap Fisheries
Chair/Faculty Advisor: Ray Carthy, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

Steele Cabrera, Sarah
Ph.D. Dissertation: Integrating Ecological and Genomic Data for Butterfly Conservation in South Florida
Chair/Faculty Advisor: Jaret Daniels, Entomology and Nematology, Florida Museum of Natural History

St. Fort, Josue
Ph.D. Dissertation: Evaluation of Micro-Irrigation for Reducing Water use During Strawberry Establishment and Frost Protection in Florida
Chair/Faculty Advisor: Carlene A. Chase, Horticultural Sciences; Co-Chair: Vivek Sharma, Agricultural and Biological Engineering

Tittl, Jessica
Ph.D. Dissertation: The Biotechnical Potential of Marine Bacteria
Chair/Faculty Advisor: Julie Meyer, Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences

Troy, Savannah
Ph.D. Dissertation: Biodiversity Responses to Changing Ecosystems in sub-Saharan Africa
Chair/Faculty Advisor: Robert Fletcher, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation; Co-Chair: Ben Baiser, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

Zhi, Ran
Ph.D. Dissertation: Soil Phosphorus in Subtropical Grasslands: Patterns, Drivers, and Legacy Effects
Chair/Faculty Advisor: Jiangxiao Qiu, Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatic Sciences

M.S.

Broxton, Jazmyn
M.S. Thesis: Long-Term Patterns of Sea Turtle Nest Success in Relation to Beach Nourishment
Chair/Faculty Advisor: Ray Carthy, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

Castaing, Amanda
M.S. Thesis: Modeling Carbon Dynamics in the Rhizosphere
Chair/Faculty Advisor: Stefan Gerber, Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences; Co-Chair: Chris Wilson, Agronomy

Cinquini, Andrew
M.S. Thesis: Tree Internal Water Storage and Climate-Growth Relations
Chair/Faculty Advisor: William Hammond, Agronomy

Estes, Madeline
M.S. Thesis: Evaluation of Potential for Seed-Based Restoration of Spartina alterniflora in Florida, USA
Chair/Faculty Advisor: H. Dail Laughinghouse, Agronomy

Ling, Meng Bing
M.S. Thesis: From Identification to Application: Treatment of Freshwater Benthic Cyanobacteria Using Bacteria and Their Cynocidal Compounds
Chair/Faculty Advisor: Miguel Acevedo, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation; Co-Chair: Scott Robinson, Florida Museum of Natural History

Lowe, Samantha
M.S. Thesis: Linking Participatory Science Motivations and Data to Advance Biodiversity Monitoring
Chair/Faculty Advisor: Corey Callaghan, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

Schoenberger, Kathleen
M.S. Thesis: Hydrodynamics of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Motion: A Case Study in Florida Springs
Chair/Faculty Advisor: David Kaplan, Environmental Engineering Sciences

Wang, Xinlin
M.S. Thesis: Drainage volume drove dissolved organic matter leaching loss and composition in a corn system
Chair/Faculty Advisor: Lakesh Sharma, Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences

2024

Ph.D.

Marliz Arteaga
Ph.D. Dissertation: Navegando las Cachuelas: the Social-Environmental Impacts of Hydroelectric Dams on the Upper Madera River Basin and Transboundary Water Governance in the Amazon
Chair/Faculty Advisor: Dr. Stephen Perz, Sociology, Criminology, and Law

Xiaoxing Bian
Ph.D. Dissertation: A Multi-Dimensional Assessment on the Co-Existence of the Snow Leopard and Local Pastoralist Communities in Changtang, China
Chair/Faculty Advisor: Dr. Vanessa Hull, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

Marcus Briggs-Cloud
Ph.D. Dissertation: Hopuetak-cakaksekat Pum Oponvkv Pun Fulletv Svpeyepetayat Vrahkv (So That Unborn Generations May Carry on Our Language and Culture): A Maskoke Holistic Decolonization and Reindigenization Paradigm Shift at the Intersections of Ecology, Linguistics, Genetics, Ecofeminism and Liberation Theology
Chairs/Faculty Advisors: Dr. Mark Brenner, Geological Sciences, and Dr. Ken Sassaman, Archaeology

Virnaliz Cruz Hernandez
Ph.D. Dissertation: Integrating Data Science for Disease Prediction, Clustering, and Expanding Access in Internet-Limited Settings
Co-chairs/Faculty Advisors: Dr. Miguel Acevedo and Dr. Ethan White, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

Sinomar Ferreira Da Fonseca Junior
Ph.D. Dissertation: Indigenous Mobilization for Rights in Resistance to Infrastructure Projects in the Brazilian Amazon
Co-chairs/Faculty Advisors: Dr. Stephen Perz, Sociology, Criminology, and Law, and Dr. Catherine M. Tucker, Anthropology

Kodiak C. Hengstebeck
Ph.D. Dissertation: Multifarious Impacts of Animal Invasions
Chair/Faculty Advisor: Dr. Christina Romagosa, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

Ashpreet Kaur
Ph.D. Dissertation: Zero Waste Programs in Higher Education Institutions: Understanding Factors Influencing Campus Waste Diversion and Minimization
Co-chairs/Faculty Advisors: Dr. Christine Overdevest and Dr. Stephen Perz, Sociology, Criminology, and Law

Deisi "Vanessa" Luna Celino
Ph.D. Dissertation: Fire in the Peruvian Andes: Agricultural Burns, Key Actors' Perceptions, and Changes in Community-Based Management
Co-chairs/Faculty Advisors: Dr. Karen Kainer, Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, and Dr. Bette Loiselle, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

Amanda Muni-Morgan
Ph.D. Dissertation: Investigating the Composition and Reactivity of Dissolved Organic Matter from Urban Environs: Implications for Blooms of Karenia Brevis and Pyrodinium Bahamense
Chair/Faculty Advisor: Dr. Mary Lusk, Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences

Fernando Noriega Betancourt
Ph.D. Dissertation: Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Marine Vessels & Humpback Whale Habitat in Bahia De Banderas, Mexico, Alongside Societal Analysis of Vessel Captains' Attitudes & Perceptions Toward Whale Conservation
Chair/Faculty Advisor: Dr. Vince LeCours, Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences

Celso A. Poot
Ph.D. Dissertation: Understanding Tapir Occupancy and Activity Patterns in a Multiuse Landscape: Exploring the Interplay of Human Disturbances, Environmental Factors, and Attitudes Toward Tapir Conservation in Belize
Co-chairs/Faculty Advisors: Dr. Holly Ober, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, and Dr. Mysha Clarke, Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatic Sciences

Matthew Richardson
Ph.D. Dissertation: Quantitative Frameworks for Oyster Reef Monitoring and Restoration in the Big Bend of Florida
Chair/Faculty Advisor: Dr. Bill Pine, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation/Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences

Natalia Uribe Castaneda
Ph.D. Dissertation: Community Engagement in Coral Reef Restoration
Chair/Faculty Advisor: Dr. Martin Main, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

Hui Zhao
Ph.D. Dissertation: Sustaining Urban Agriculture: The Role of Ecosystem Service and the Public Involvement
Chair/Faculty Advisor: Dr. Jianxiao Qiu, Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences

M.S.

Catherine Hannan
M.S. Non-thesis Paper: TBA
Chair/Faculty Advisor: Dr. Nia Morales, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

Shelby LeClare
M.S. Thesis: Effects of an Invasive Top Predator on Ecosystem Structure and Function: A Comparison of the Greater Everglades Graminoid Marsh Food Web Before and After the Burmese Python Invasion
Chair/Faculty Advisor: Ben Baiser, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

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 Resilience 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, Entomology and Nematology

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: Mickie 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.

School of Natural Resources and Environment

School of Natural Resources and Environment

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Ph.D.

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