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    School of Natural Resources and Environment

    School of Natural Resources and Environment

    Previous Dissertations 

    Previous 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

    • 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

    • 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

    • 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

    • 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

    • 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

    • 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

    • 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

    • 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

    • 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

    • 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

    • 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

    • 2014 and Earlier

      List of theses and dissertations in the UF Library database.

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