Environmental & Conservation Sciences Masters Theses

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Paleoclimatic Interpretation of the Moorhead Low Water Phase of Glacial Lake Agassiz in the Southern Basin based on Fossil Coleoptera Assemblages
(North Dakota State University, 2009) Rock, Jessie Lee
See submission document for full abstract.
Trace Element Distribution in Soils of The Pembina Escarpment, North Dakota
(North Dakota State University, 2010) Jyoti, Vijaya
Association of element concentrations for soils of northeastern North Dakota formed from different sources of parent materials were determined based on geochemical data. These soils overlie the Cretaceous Pierre Formation and parent materials consist of shale rich glacial till, residual shale, and colluvial materials. Surface and core sampling locations included a cropped field, Conservation Reserve Program land, and grassland fields in a North Dakota State Wildlife Management Area. Samples were analyzed for cadmium and other trace elements using a nitric acid digestion followed by optical emission spectroscopy. Results of a preliminary study in cropped and CRP fields showed elevated concentrations of cadmium. Later comprehensive field work in a Wildlife Management Area was carried out to examine the landscape scale variation for a suite of elements. Morphologic and laboratory analysis of soil cores indicate high clay content with mixed clay mineralogy, indicative of the influence of shale residuum on the parent materials of the escarpment soils. Chemical properties of the escarpment soils revealed high levels of organic matter (2.62-13.30 %), ultra acidic to slightly alkaline pH range, and low electrical conductivity for the soils. Average cadmium concentration of 0.28 mg/kg was reported for the samples from eight cores while 16.4 mg/kg cadmium was found in the CRP field sample. Correlations of different analytes with cadmium showed significance with shale and argillic horizons. Principal Component Analysis revealed that elevated trace element concentrations for the soils in northeastern North Dakota are linked to a variety of factors including organic matter content, clay mineralogy, pH, elevation, and electrical conductivity. Results of this study suggest that lateral as well as vertical water movement of water could be an important factor leading to transport and elevated trace metal zones in these soils.
Interactions of Iron Nanoparticles with Microorganisms
(North Dakota State University, 2010) Shabnam, Rabiya
Nanoparticles (
In situ Quantification of Hydrogel Entrapped Microbial Cells
(North Dakota State University, 2010) Wadhawan, Tanush
Entrapped bacteria are used in several applications including food and beverage production, antibiotic production, and wastewater treatment. To date in order to determine the viability of entrapped bacteria, they have to be de-entrapped from the matrix first. However, cell de-entrapment procedures, such as matrix dissolution by acid or heating at high temperatures, may affect the viability of the cells. In this study, three viability assays were assessed for in situ estimation of the number of entrapped cells. Also, a new method was developed to determine the effect of entrapment procedures on bacterial cell viability using one of the three assays, LIVE/DEAD® BacLight™ Bacterial Viability Kit. The other two quantitative assays used in this study were the bioreducible tetrazolium salt (XTT) assay and the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) based assay. The applications of the assays and the new method were performed on two cell entrapment techniques widely used in environmental applications, phosphorylated-polyvinyl alcohol (PPV A) and calcium alginate (CA). The data from the XTT and ATP assays showed linearity and strong correlations between the viability signals and number of beads in which each bead contained a similar number of live cells. An application of the XTT assay on the PPV A entrapped bacterial beads was an exception to these results. Effects of the acid and heat dissolution deentrapment procedures on cell viability were also evaluated by using both assays and a traditional plate count method. The heating process showed the greatest reduction in bacterial viability when compared to the other de-entrapment procedures. The ATP assay is a more sensitive and less time consuming approach for viability estimation when compared to the XTT assay and traditional plate count method. Both XTT and ATP assays have potential for use in quantifying the viability of entrapped bacteria. The new method developed for determining the effect of entrapment procedures on bacterial cell viability involved entrapping bacteria directly onto glass slides. This new method was compared with traditional approaches which require dissolution of the entrapment matrix using chelating agents and heat. Both the developed and traditional methods require labeling with fluorescent dyes from the LIVE/DEAD® assay and observing and quantifying live and dead cells under fluorescence illumination. The viability of entrapped cells was compared to the viability of free cells prior to the entrapment. The developed method was applicable to both PPV A and CA entrapped cells. Both methods indicated that the entrapment procedures resulted in reductions in cell viability, but the new method showed less viability reduction than the previously used method. This suggests that the matrix dissolution prescribed in the traditional method negatively affected cell viability and the new method is therefore more reliable. The percent of live bacterial cells before the entrapment ranged from 54 to 74%, while the percent of live cells following the entrapment based on the new method was 39 to 62%. The approach used in the method could potentially be adopted for other cell entrapment techniques.
Souris River Dissolved Oxygen Study in Support of Total Maximum Daily Load Development
(North Dakota State University, 2010) Super, Joseph James
The Souris River, a slow moving praire river, originates in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The Souris River enters into the United States near Sherwood, North Dakota. The upper portion of the Souris River, from the border with Saskatchewan, Canada to Lake Darling, a total of 43 .4 miles, has been on the North Dakota Section 303(d) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) list of impaired waters since 1998 (NDDoH, 2008). Low dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration in the river has been problematic, resulting in fish kills on the upper reach of the Souris River. The primary goal of the project is to determine source(s) of contaminations that cause seasonal variation in dissolved oxygen concentration. Objectives ofthis research include: 1) studying the nature and extent of the impairment using existing data, 2) executing a comprehensive year long sampling plan, and 3) analyzing sample data to identify the major sources of DO impairment. Results from this study will be used by North Dakota State Department of Health (DoH) for development of a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) report to the EPA. The reach was expanded into Canada, totalling 52 river miles, between Glen Ewen, Saskatchewan, CA and Mouse River Park, ND. This reach was sampled 29 times during the period of this study. During winter months, DO under the ice was constantly below 1 mg/L. During the summer diurnal swings of DO caused the stream to fall below the designated 5 mg/L standard in the early morning hours. Sediment oxygen demand was determined to be the main stressor. Two contaminant sources that contribute to DO variation on the Souris River were identified, livestock ranching practices and the physical alteration of the river. Ranching is the leading cause of impairment. Livestock in the riparian area contribute organic inputs and stream bank erosion. Physical alterations lead to DO variation in two ways. Upstream impoundments eliminate scouring flows allowing sediment to build up. Downstream impoundments back up water into study reach contributing to sedimentation. Low head dams create hydrologic flow issues which lead to dissolved oxygen depletion.
Body Shape Divergence Among Wild and Experimental Populations of White Sands Pupfish (Cyprinodon Tularosa)
(North Dakota State University, 2011) Kowalski, Brandon Michael
Reports of contemporary evolution have become ubiquitous, but replicated studies of phenotypic divergence for wild populations are exceptionally rare. In 2001, a series of experimental populations were established to replicate a historic translocation event that led to a case of contemporary body shape evolution in the White Sands pupfish. Using landmark-based geometric morphometric techniques I examined phenotypic variation for seven of these populations, and two wild populations over a 5 year period (5-10 generations) in the field. Significant body shape divergence was observed, but divergence patterns were not parallel, suggesting that the ponds were ecologically dissimilar. Considerable body shape variation found among populations suggests that the observed divergence maybe governed by temporal environmental variance. In this study, body shape variation was correlated with population density. These data suggest that habitat intrinsic factors or unmeasured habitat features may have strong affects on body shape, warranting continuous monitoring of recently translocated fishes.
Sedimentology and Stratigraphy of Miocene-Age Glacial Deposits, Friis Hills, Antarctica
(North Dakota State University, 2011) Smith, Alexander Ryan
The Friis Hills is an isolated plateau standing as much as 600 m above surrounding topography in the McMurdo Dry Valleys region or Antarctica.Preserved on the plateau surface is a sequence of early to middle Miocene-aged dritis. At the eastern edge of the plateau, these drifts fill a shallow paleovalley to a depth of at least 35 m. The drills are exposed in a natural cross-section where modern topography crosscuts the paleovalley. Establishing an age and an environmental interpretation for these deposits is important because Antarctic paleoclimate records are lacking from the Mid-Miocene Climate Optimum. Two drifts fill the ancient paleovalley in the eastern Friis Hills. The upper drift is here named Cavendish drift: the lower is here named Friis drift. Cavendish can be subdivided into three units, whereas Friis drift can be subdivided into two units. Each of these units is a horizontal bed that laps on paleovalley sidewalls. The lowest, Friis II, is a compact diamicton that is overlain by a nearly in-situ bedded volvanic ash. Based on [20]Ar/[39]Ar dating, the ash is 19.76 [plus/minus] 0.07 Ma old. A second diamicton, Friis I, conformably blankets Friis II and was discovered to hold fossileferous interbeds. Both Friis I and II contain erratic clasts and both are lodgemont tills deposited from small, locally derived, alpine glaciers. Bedrock striations show ice flow to the northeast at azimuths between 025° to 032°, parallel to the trend of the paleovalley axis. Above these, Cavendish I. II. and III were deposited when thick ice covered the Friis Hills. Where the Cavendish drift laps onto paleovalley sidewalls, bedrock striations show ice flow from 077° to 150°. Cavendish drift was deposited sometime alter 19.8 Ma but before 14 Ma. when the Dry Valleys glacial records show that regional glaciers became cold-based. Downcutting eventually isolated the Friis Hills plateau, resulting in the preservation of the drift sequence. This event was most likely associated with growth or the East Antarctic Ice Sheet 14 Ma ago. This age constraint means that the tills preserved in the Friis Hills date from a time just before the East Antarctic Ice Sheet expanded and became a permanent feature. Based on the age-dated stratigraphy presented in this thesis, future work focusing on fossiliferious interbeds could provide unique and important constraints on Miocene climate change.
Environmental and Conservation Sciences Program, College of Graduate and Interdisciplinary Studies
(North Dakota State University, 2011) Jenkins, Samuel George
This study offers an insight on pertinent parameters that may be considered to address potential emerald ash borer {EAB), Agrilus p/anipennis, infestation. The study utilizes a geospatial model, calibrated using empirical data from Ohio, to model risk of EAB introduction to North Dakota. A spectral library of native trees was also developed to aid in rapid identification of ash tree locations. In light of this imminent threat to North Dakota, a concerted effort to inventory and provide deterministic or stochastic models is critical for providing likelihood scenarios to a consortium of affiliated forest health partners. The premier goal is to mobilize first-responders to alleviate, mitigate or quarantine an affected area and develop plans to minimize the economic impact of an EAB infestation. A cohort study of an existing EAB infestation in Ohio was used to calculate relative risks for proximity to three categories of human infrastructure and ash trees themselves. The relative risks were then used to identify areas in North Dakota that would most be at risk. The results of the risk model show large areas in the eastern part of North Dakota and large swaths of land that have native forest cover, for example, Turtle and Killdeer Mountains, would be most prone to EAB.
Effects of Nanoscale Zero-valent iron (nZVI) on Bacterial Viability: Roles of Growth Phases and Oxidative Stress
(North Dakota State University, 2011) Krittanut, Chaithawiwat
The effect of nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) particles on bacteria from different growth phases was studied. Four bacterial strains including Escherichia coli strains JMI09 and BW25 l l 3, and Pseudomonas putida strains KT2440 and Fl were experimented. The growth characteristics of these strains were detennined. Their cells were harvested based on predetermined time points corresponding to different growth phases and exposed to nZVL The cell viability was determined by a plate count method. The cells in lag and stationary phases showed higher resistance to nZVI for all four bacterial strains, whereas the cells in exponential and decline phases were less resistant and were rapidly inactivated when exposed to nZVI. Bacterial inactivation increased with the concentration of nZVI. Furthermore, less than 14% reduction in viability was observed when the cells were exposed to the leachate of nZVI suspension suggesting that the physical interaction between nZVI and the cells is critical for bacterial inactivation. To understand the physiology that underlines these phenotypes, the responses from various oxidative stress gene knockout strains of E. coli BW25 l l 3 to nZVI were examined. For each of these mutant strains, cells from different growth phases were collected and exposed to nZVI. The viability of the cells was determined by a plate count method. All of the mutant strains exhibited higher susceptibility to nZVI when compared to the wild type strain. The results also indicated that different knockout strains exhibited different levels of susceptibility to nZVI. Strain lacking RpoS, a global stress regulator, showed the highest susceptibility. Among different defensive enzyme mutants, sodA and sodB mutants exhibited the highest vulnerability whereas sodC mutant revealed much less susceptibility, suggesting that nZVI may induce oxidative stress inside the cells via superoxide generation. The inducibility of catalase (hydroperoxidase I) was also investigated by exposing the cells to nZVI and measuring a related gene expression using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results suggested that nZVI repressed the expression of this enzyme.
Ecological and Sociological Considerations of Wind Energy: A Multidisciplinary Study
(North Dakota State University, 2012) Bicknell, Lucas J.
Wind energy is quickly becoming a critical technology for providing Americans with renewable energy, and rapid construction of wind facilities may have impacts on both wildlife and human communities. Understanding both the social and ecological issues related to wind energy development could provide a framework for effectively meeting human energy needs while conserving species biodiversity. In this research I looked at two aspects of wind energy development: public attitudes toward wind energy development and wind facility impacts on local bat populations. These papers present aspects of wind energy development that have been the subject of increasing study. This preliminary research is intended to demonstrate the responsibility we have to making well-informed decisions as we continue to expand wind energy development. Additionally, I hope to generate interest in interdisciplinary study as a means to broaden the scope of research by making use of the diverse tools available within different disciplines.
Attenuation of Nitrate from Simulated Agricultural Wastewater Using an Immobilized Anaerobic Biofilm
(North Dakota State University, 2012) Anar, Mohammad Jahidul
A number of methods are currently in use for attenuating nitrates from wastewater with varying degrees of efficiency. Bioremediation using bacteria may be an efficient and cost effective method. In an anaerobic bioremediation system, nitrate can replace carbon dioxide as an electron acceptor and aids in nitrate attenuation by assimilatory reduction. The purpose of this study was to investigate nitrate attenuation in a hyperfiltration system using a pure culture of strictly anaerobic, facultative Methanobrevibacter ruminantium bacteria. Filtration experiments were conducted using amalgamated Na- montmorillonite clay-glass beads compacted at 500 psi differential hydraulic pressure with or without a biofilm. A simulated agricultural wastewater of 3.105×10-4 moles/L of NO3- was bioremediated. The use of bacteria in attenuating nitrates offers promising results on a bench-scale.
Population Genetics of the Western Prairie Fringed Orchid
(North Dakota State University, 2012) Ross, Andrew August
The Western Prairie Fringed Orchid (WPFO) Platanthera praeclara is listed as a federally threatened species in the United States. The habitat of the WPFO is highly fragmented, causing the possibility of genetic isolation among populations. I assessed microsatellite polymorphism in eight WPFO populations using six polymorphic microsatellite markers. High levels of within population genetic diversity were found: 12.5 alleles per locus and mean expected heterozygosity (HE) of 0.622. The genetic structure among the populations was weak; the overall FST value was 0.0692. A mantel test showed no correlation between genetic and geographic distance r = 0.2793 (P = 0.31). The genetic diversity and genetic structure is comparable to other plant species. Significant inbreeding many be occurring as indicated by a FIS value of 0.1903. More studies with the developed markers are necessary over a larger part of the geographic range of WPFOs to determine if other populations are genetically isolated.
Developmental Changes in Fat Metabolism of Tobacco Hornworm, Manduca Sexta
(North Dakota State University, 2012) Thapa, Gita
Insects fed high carbohydrate diets have increased fat storage, and excess fat storage in insects may have fitness costs. M. sexta larvae reared on 5.6% fat diet had lower body mass and growth rate compared to those on 3.4% fat or 0.4% fat diets. Fifth instar caterpillars fed high-fat diet ate less food but had higher approximate digestibility than the low-fat diet fed caterpillars. Analysis of fat body and fecal pellet lipid content showed high-fat diet fed caterpillars stored and excreted more lipids than low-fat diet fed caterpillars. To test the hypothesis that increased dietary fat alters lipid transport, we measured mRNA expression of apolipoproteins I and II, proteins for transporting lipids. Expression of apolipoproteins I and II did not differ with dietary fat. Negative feedback from fat intake could inhibit feeding via endocrine pathways. This research will increase our understanding of the regulation of feeding in caterpillars.
Micro-Pore Parametrics for Optimal Hyperfiltration of Conservative Contaminants
(North Dakota State University, 2012) Wamono, Anthony Walekhwa
In compacted Na-montmorillonite membranes, the pore-size, and surface charge will influence filtration processes of solutes. A dead-end hyperfiltration setup was utilized to: (a) study the intrinsic retention, membrane filtration coefficient, and solution flux of different membrane configurations and (b) model nitrate break-through effluent concentrations through the membrane. Scanning electron microscopy and solute analytical techniques were employed to assess what critical components of micro-pore parametrics would prevail in a non-bio stimulated remediation of simulated agricultural wastewater. Although high content bentonite membrane configurations (5 g clay at 2500 psi) offered better solute rejections with a 30 percent increase in the cell concentration, the compaction of the membrane had the most deterministic influence on the solution flux. The results reveal hyperfiltration of nitrate ions is a function of the compaction pressure and composition of bentonite in the mixed soils. High content bentonite membranes compacted at the optimal pressures offer promising solutions to nitrate contaminant remediation.
Identification and Characterization of Fibrous Zeolites in Western North Dakota
(North Dakota State University, 2012) Triplett, Jason
The fibrous zeolite mineral erionite is a concern due to its potential for causing lung disease in humans. Studies have shown that exposure to altered volcanic bedrock containing erionite may be the explanation for a high lung disease rate throughout regions of the world (Metintas et al., 1999). Erionite was reported by Forsman (1986) as occurring in tuffaceous rock units of the Arikaree Formation in the Killdeer Mountains of western North Dakota. Rock and soil samples were collected where zeolite minerals are known or suspected to be present including North and South Killdeer Mountains in Dunn County and West and East Rainy Buttes and White Butte in Slope County. Analysis and identification was carried out using XRD, SEM, and EMPA. Zeolitic material was confirmed in units for both North and South Killdeer Mountains. The chemical compositions of the fibers resulted in a majority being classified as offretite rather than erionite.
Development and Scale Up of Aqueous Surfactant-Assisted Extraction of Canola Oil for Use as Biodiesel Feedstock
(North Dakota State University, 2012) Tuntiwiwattanapun, Nattapong
In oilseed extraction, alternative extraction media have been studied to replace the traditional solvent, hexane, due to health, safety, and environmental concerns. In this work, aqueous surfactant-assisted extraction was developed and scaled up for hexane-free canola oil extraction. An inexpensive commercial surfactant system was formulated and used as an extraction medium based on the dynamic interfacial tension value. The extraction conditions were evaluated to achieve the maximum oil recovery. The highest oil detachment efficiency was 80% in the absence of hexane at room temperature. The extracted oil had acceptable content of free fatty acids, water and phospholipids for use as a biodiesel feedstock. The biodiesel product passed the ASTM D6751 biodiesel standard for water content, kinematic viscosity, acid value and oxidative stability.
Use of Biopolymer Entrapped Sulfate Reducing Bacteria and Metal Nanoparticles for Effective Aqueous Sulfate Removal
(North Dakota State University, 2013) Cisse, Seydou
Sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) isolated from activated sludge were used to investigate sulfate removal from aqueous solution using calcium alginate entrapped SRB in batch studies with ethanol and lactose as the carbon sources. The interferences of pH, temperature, Al3+, Cu2+, and Zn2+ on sulfate removal were also investigated. Further, sulfate removal experiments were conducted with co-entrapped SRB and nanoscale zero-valent iron (NZVI) and separately entrapped SRB and NZVI. Results indicate that EntSRB can effectively remove sulfate from aqueous solution. 88-95% sulfate removal was achieved. Both ethanol and lactose worked well as carbon sources for entrapped bacteria. Interference studies indicated low sulfate removal in the presence of 25-50 mg/L of aluminum and zinc. Low pH (pH≤ 4) and low temperature (5°C) decreased sulfate reduction. NZVI appeared to have negative effects on SRB. Loading of 0.05 and 0.1 g of NZVI led to lower SO42- removal as compared to experiments without NZVI.
Evaluation of a Nitrate-Assimilating Bacterium for Potential Use in Nitrate Bioremediation
(North Dakota State University, 2013) Lies, Deidra Angeline
Increasing levels of nitrate (NO3-N) in water resources have brought about the need to find ever more versatile forms of NO3-N removal from contaminated water. The ability of several microorganisms to transform NO3-N has been embraced as an economical form of bioremediation. Free cell and immobilized forms of Methylobacterium fujisawaense ATCC® No. 35065 (M. fujisawaense) were used in this study for NO3-N removal in batch settings. NO3-N removal results were as high as 100% for freely suspended cells after 96 hours and 95% for immobilized cells also after 96 hours. Statistical analyses found no significant difference in overall NO3-N removal rates between free cell and immobilized systems. These findings suggest that the organism is capable of up to full assimilation of 10 mg/L NO3-N in certain settings. The findings also suggest that the NO3-N assimilating ability of M. fujisawaense of 10 mg/L NO3-N is not greatly altered by immobilization.
First Flowering Date Trends in Clay County, Minnesota and Pollination and Life History Characteristics of Hoary Puccoon (Lithospermum Canescens)
(North Dakota State University, 2013) Maxson, Elise Marie
Plant species in Clay County, Minnesota have been changing their first flowering dates (FFDs) in response to climate changes. To document those shifts, in 2011 and 2012 I recorded phenological data for Clay County, Minnesota. I added that data to data which had been collected since 1910 for two locations in Minnesota and found that, on average, plants flowered 1 day later than their historical averages in 2011 and 16.1 days earlier in 2012. I also performed experiments upon Lithospermum canescens, a native prairie forb which has shifted its first flowering date (FFD) significantly earlier than in the past century and which is underrepresented in tallgrass prairie restorations. I found that this species does not appear to be pollen limited, that the concurrently blooming plant species have changed noticeably since the early 1900s, and that this species is able to be grown by hand from seed (the first known attempt).
Alluvial Fans in the McMurdo Dry Valleys: A Proxy for Melting Along Terrestrial Margins of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet
(North Dakota State University, 2013) Zamora, Felix
Surface melting along Antarctic ice sheet margins is the most poorly understood input in models of future sea level rise. Alluvial fans in the McMurdo Dry Valleys originate from meltwater produced from high-elevation glaciers and snowbanks along these margins but many show no evidence for recent melting. These fans could serve as a record of past melting along terrestrial ice sheet margins, which would help quantify inputs to sea-level rise.To describe how melting has taken place in the past, five representative fans were examined. Fans are composed of thin, planar-bedded gravelly sands deposited by sheetflooding. Geospatial analsysis suggests the distance of the meltwater source from the Ross Sea is the predominant control on fan activity, and that aggradation results when regional climatic gradients shift inland. Geomorphic observations suggest centuries to millennia pass between periods of aggradation. OSL dating indicates that fans are no older than Holocene in age.

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