Pacific Purple Sea Urchin Movement Trends

Holly Elbert, Wildlife Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Pacific purple sea urchins (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus) have seemingly slow movement. I asked if it was possible for them to travel to uninhabited pools that neighbor their inhabited sites within a 6-week period occurring February through March of 2024. I used manual counting methods to determine sea urchin abundance in each pool. I utilized a divided quadrat to assess the percent of red algae cover of targeted sites to analyze whether adult urchin movement was correlated with food abundance. Overall, there was no evidence that sea urchin movement correlates with the algae cover percentage. Although, there was evidence that occasional colonization of pools occurred.

Perching Height Preference in Raptors

Jacob Scholar, Wildlife Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

This research investigated the relationship between various raptor species and their preferred perching heights, employing a laser rangefinder and binoculars to determine these heights. My objective was to explore if different raptor species exhibit distinct perching height preferences, potentially impacting the diversity of raptors in an area, deal with various pest species using predators, and possible solutions to bring back extirpated raptor species.

Physical Education Teacher Burnout

Nelson Na, School of Applied Health Undergraduate Student

College of Professional Studies

Physical Education aims to educate students in Physical Education. The understanding of physical competence will enable knowledge of safety and movement. Physical Education (PE) aims to develop students' understanding of PE as an active, healthy lifestyle. This will allow students to learn and cooperate with the instructor to develop their motor skills, gain knowledge, and understand their behavior and physical activity in class—the main reason this is so serious for teachers is that it leads to burnout in PE. There is a lack of resources within the field of PE, and the school cannot provide enough money within the field.

Physiological and Psychological Differences Between 20% Grade Incline Walking and Level-Grade Jogging at Isocaloric Intensity

Motoki Sato, School of Applied Health Graduate Student

College of Professional Studies

High-incline walking is a relatively new trend with little comparative information. This study aimed to compare physiological (indirect calorimetry, relative oxygen consumption, heart rate) and psychological (enjoyment, affective valence, rating of perceived exertion) differences between 20% incline-walking and level-grade jogging at isocaloric intensity in young adults. A secondary purpose of this study was to establish an isocaloric protocol to compare 20% incline walking with level-grade jogging using relative VO2 as the primary measure while maintaining constant duration and relative work intensity.

Plastic Ectotherm Plasticity

Jacob Mackenzie, Wildlife Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Comparison of different anthropogenic materials as coverboards for ectotherm surveying, including two different kinds of plastics, Lexan and Acrylic, using temperature, humidity and occupancy status differences. The increased soil temperatures found from plastics compared to other materials may have further impacts on global warming and ectotherm ecosystems.

Plastic Ectotherm Plasticity

Jacob Mackenzie, Wildlife Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Comparison of different anthropogenic materials as coverboards for ectotherm surveying, including two different kinds of plastics, Lexan and Acrylic, using temperature, humidity and occupancy status differences. The increased soil temperatures found from plastics compared to other materials may have further impacts on global warming and ectotherm ecosystems.

Pollinator Response to Ultraviolet Light Reflection in Flowers

Carina Trentini, Wildlife Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

This research project was a the capstone project for my Wildife degree, in which I researched the impact short-wave UV light reflection by flowers affects pollinator behavior. Insects can see into the ultraviolet light spectrum, and plants are known to reflect these light wavelengths for aiding pollinators. I studied the correlation between pollinator visitation frequency and the proportion of flower surface area that is reflective of UV light. I focused on 3 main pollinator groups: bumble bees, native bees and flower flies. I found that pollinators are significantly more likley to visit flowers with high UV light reflection than flowers with low amounts of UV light reflection.

Preparation and Evaluation of Polylactic Acid-Quinoa Composite films

David Schmitz, Chemistry Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Wild.) was evaluated as a starting material for the preparation of biodegradable composites with polylactic acid (PLA), a bio-renewable polymer. Incorporation of natural plant fibers into composite material has been shown to generate active packaging materials with a variety of benefits as well as increasing the rate at which these materials degrade back into the environment. Films with varying amounts of quinoa combined with PLA were prepared and studied in a variety of methods to evaluate their usefulness as bio-renewable materials.

Prevalence of Iridovirus in Terrestrial Isopod Colonies

Aang Younger, Wildlife Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Presentation on a study conducted in Arcata, CA on the prevalence of an understudied virus in terrestrial isopods: Iridovirus. This study aimed to detect if there are associations among soil moisture level, density of potential isopod hosts, and/or temperature with the prevalence of Iridovirus. Across 7 study sites, a significant association was detected between soil moisture level and prevalence of Iridovirus, and density of potential isopod hosts and prevalence of Iridovirus.

Prevalence, Risk, and Treatment of Muscle Dysmorphia in Transgender Populations

briseyda Alvarado, School of Applied Health Undergraduate Student

College of Professional Studies

The review overviews the prevalence, characteristics, risk factors, and possible treatment of transgender persons with MD symptomatology. Little is known about the prevalence and presentation of MD among gender minorities and far fewer is known on how to treat MD.