Peatland ecosystems serve an essential role in the global carbon cycle by storing atmospheric carbon as peat, but disturbances can alter natural carbon dynamics. Although abandoned and restored peatlands have been a focus of research in Canada, few studies have addressed decompo…
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With increasing biodiversity loss occurring worldwide, there is a need to understand how these losses will affect ecosystem structure and function. Certain species have a greater impact on the structure and function of ecosystems (i.e. foundation species, keystone species, ecosy…
Since the beginning of farming, and even before, humans have been actively modifying our environment in order to harvest biomass. With the ‘Great Acceleration’ of the industrial age, the global system of biomass harvest for food production has become a major driver of Earth syst…
Amazonian tropical forests account for 20-50% of global primary productivity and up to 40% of carbon stored in terrestrial biomass (Phillips et al., 1998). The Amazon is also home to the Earth’s largest river system, accounting for approximately 20% of the world’s total river di…
The use of microalgae culture to convert CO2 from power plant flue gases into biomass that are readily converted into biofuels offers a new frame of opportunities to enhance, compliment or replace fossil-fuel-use. Apart from being renewable, microalgae also have the capacity to …
Improving wastewater (WW) treatment process is a major issue in different parts of the world. For a developed country like the UK where eutrophication is a problem that causes environmental and economical losses, and for a developing country like Jordan that is considered one of…
Energy use and the environment are inextricably linked and form a key role in concerns over sustainability. All methods of energy production involve resource uncertainties and environmental impacts. A clear example of this is the use of fossil fuels which present three main prob…
In recent years, scientists have become increasingly concerned about microplastic pollution. Efforts to raise awareness about microplastic pollution were initiated by marine and aquatic scientists who saw increasing amounts of plastic polluting surface water. However, recently s…
Carbon dioxide is contributing to the greenhouse effect and a significant part comes from the use of fossil fuels. Utilizing more renewable fuels is therefore a solution to decrease the net release of CO2 emissions to the atmosphere. This can be achieved by substituting fossil f…
My dissertation weaves together paleo-ecological data, archival records, historical evidence, and modern inventories to understand the long-term impacts of fire disturbance on forest carbon dynamics in Six Rivers National Forest, California. Over three chapters, I use my results…
Seaweeds have been receiving increased interest from the fisheries and aquaculture industries in recent years, with red algae continuing to be one of the more important components of seaweed aquaculture representing 54% of the harvested biomass (around US 6.3 billion). These sea…
Through land use and biomass utilization, humans are dominant forces in the planetary biosphere and carbon and nitrogen cycles. Economic subsidies and policy mandates for producing biomass-sourced fuels and electricity could increase further the human appropriation of planetary …
Biomass, being the only renewable source of carbon, has the potential to serve as a sustainable platform for the production of energy and chemicals, in this era of diminishing supplies of fossil fuels. The conversion of lignocellulose to fuels and chemicals requires the effectiv…
The utilization of tropical fruit biomass as feedstock for biorenewable resources is an attractive proposition due to its abundance and potential to reduce reliance on conventional sources as well as the overall economic gain to all stakeholders. This study aims to pave the way …
Miscanthus is a tall perennial grass species native to parts of Asia. It has the potential to produce relatively high dry matter yields across a wide range of environmental and soil conditions. The Miscanthus cultivar most commonly recommended for biofuel production is a sterile…
Larval anurans may constitute the primary biomass of animals in geographically isolated wetlands (GIWs), but few studies have attempted to identify factors that influence larval body stoichiometry or their role in nutrient storage within GIWs. I measured body stoichiometry acros…
Plant-soil interactions and soil carbon dynamics are an essential part of soil function. Land-use change can affect the soil's ability to accumulate and store carbon. Deforestation and conversion to croplands has decreased tree species cover and diversity in the tropics resultin…