Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2005, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2019, History

Caledonian Coast examines human-wildlife interactions on the Scottish shoreline and surrounding waters, considering how these are influenced by historical, cultural, and economic factors. A primary contention of this work is that humans and nature must not be treated as two separate entities, but rather as components of an integrated ecosystem. This study therefore argues that the conservation of coastal and marine habitat is vital for the health of human communities and vice versa. The motivation to protect and restore these ecosystems is varied and incorporates a number of different interest groups, such as farmers and fishermen. While the perception of these landscapes may differ for each person, there remains a common sense of dependency on and responsibility towards the ocean and its inhabitants. This study thus addresses issues of individual and community empowerment, evaluating how local actions can respond to global threats. Each chapter takes a different component of the ecosystem as its focus: vegetation, invertebrates, fish, birds, and marine mammals. Chapter One details the history of a type of semi-natural grassland called machair, which is unique to Scotland and Ireland. It is a traditional form of agriculture, called crofting, which enhances this habitat. Thus, conserving machair depends on supporting crofting communities and fostering partnerships that enable the continuation of traditional techniques. The following chapter considers the history of animals that are foundational to marine ecosystems. Looking beyond their role as food or bait, this chapter reveals the role of invertebrates in encouraging the field of natural history and outdoor recreational pursuits. However, it also details a history of exploitation during the 19th century aquarium phase, suggesting that cultural connections with wildlife, when anthropocentric, can lead to ecological damage. Chapter Three takes the salmon as its object of study, following the di (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Christopher Otter Dr. (Advisor); Bartow Elmore Dr. (Committee Member); Nicholas Breyfogle Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Environmental Studies; European History; History

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2018, Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology

In marine environments, phylogeographic approaches have the power to counteract the difficulties of studying small, highly mobile organisms that live in a fluid environment. These analyses are particularly useful for studying exploited species, as understanding connectivity and processes governing gene flow between populations is essential to sustainable management of fisheries. Among the most vulnerable of exploited species are marine invertebrates collected for the ornamental aquarium trade, as commercial culture techniques are largely not addressed and vital data on larval biology is inadequate or remain unknown. The Caribbean blue-legged hermit crab (Clibanarius tricolor) is heavily collected for its role as an aquarium cleaner; however, despite its economic and ecological importance, little is known about their population structure or genetic diversity. Here, we investigate the phylogeography and genetic diversity of C. tricolor by comparing structure across four well-defined phytogeographic breaks throughout their range in the Caribbean and west Atlantic: the Florida Straits, Mona Passage, Central America, and central Bahamas breaks. We also explore additional factors (e.g. reproductive strategies, life-history traits, habitat preference, demographic history, biogeographic processes) that may influence whether structure is present in marine organisms within this region. Prior to analyzing structure throughout C. tricolor's entire range, a preliminary study was done to determine whether high throughput sequencing approaches (i.e. double digest Restriction-site Associated DNA sequencing) were necessary for detecting phylogeographic patterns in C. tricolor. Findings indicated that Sanger sequencing of traditional loci used in decapod studies (mtDNA: cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1, 16S-rDNA; nuDNA: Histone 3) were sufficient for this study. To infer C. tricolor structure and connectivity, analyses investigating genetic diversity (# segregating sites, # haploty (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Marymegan Daly (Advisor); Bryan Carstens (Committee Member); John Freudenstein (Committee Member) Subjects: Biology; Conservation; Genetics

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2011, Geography

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are an increasingly popular conservation strategy that seeks to protect oceans from over-exploitation of fisheries by setting aside large spaces as reserves. While they are similar to conservation areas on the land in design and implementation, little research has examined the ways that MPAs change the ocean into a contested political space. In contrast to the historical perspective of the ocean as a weakly territorialized space in which conservation can occur with little resistance, this dissertation examines MPAs as an object that needs to be examined through the concept of territoriality. The dissertation develops a theory of territorialization as practice to analyze the process of MPA formation in the Exumas Islands in the Bahamas. The Exumas are slated to have three no-take Marine Protected Areas as part of a wider plan to set aside twenty percent of the ocean in the Bahamas. Drawing on archival and field research such as interviews and participant observation, the central argument is that MPAs are territorializing objects, and that the ways in which they are deployed can offer political possibilities for either resistance or new expressions of state power. The dissertation first analyzes three existing approaches commonly used to explain and/or justify MPAs, but finds that these explanations are wanting. It then interrogates the ways in which policy actors in the Bahamas deploy specific spatial imaginaries that frame marine conservation. It shows that policy actors are dependent on logics of state territory and natural resource management that do not fully account for resource users. Finally, the dissertation turns to the fishers of the Exuma Cays, to record both their spatial imaginaries and the ways they relate to ocean conservation as it has been imposed in places they use for their livelihoods. It becomes clear that the people of the Exuma Cays are responding to the threat of MPAs in ways that resist the conventional logic of (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Becky Manfield PhD (Advisor); Mathew Coleman PhD (Committee Member); Kendra McSweeney PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Caribbean Studies; Cultural Resources Management; Environmental Justice; Environmental Management; Environmental Studies; Geography; Natural Resource Management; Sustainability; Wildlife Conservation