Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Category 2017

Ag & Env Sci Index Poster #: 

1. Acid mine drainage coated sand as a soil amendment and phosphate removal system |  Alex Rubenstein, Karen Buzby and Lian-Shin Lin 

   Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering 
   West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506 

   Acid mine drainage (AMD), a water pollutant due to coal mining, is caused by introducing sulfides to air and water from the surrounding rocks, forming sulfuric acid. Due to the highly acidic quality of the water, metals and toxic compounds are dissolved from surrounding surfaces into the stream. We developed a method to selectively extract metals from AMD and use them in coating sand particles to generate a sorbent for phosphate removal from various nutrient-laden wastes. We implemented phosphate saturated coated sand as a soil amendment to study tomato plant growth. Using atomic absorption spectroscopy and colorimetric methods, low concentrations of iron, aluminum, and phosphate were observed in plant leachate, or runoff, after applications of fertilizer. As compared to conventional sand, plants grown in AMD coated sand showed slightly reduced growth, but successfully utilized phosphate from the experimental medium for growth. These results demonstrate AMD coated sand as a nutrient delivery system and soil amendment with minimal negative impact to plant growth. 

2. Analysis of fledging success from home range characteristics of breeding California Condors | Lynsey Blackburn and Jonathan Hall 

   Department of Geology and Geography, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
   West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506-6045 

   The critically endangered California Condor ( Gymnogyps californianus) has been a conservation success story since their near extinction in the early 1980’s. However, threats such as lead poisoning, microtrash ingestion and habitat loss prevent wild Condors from sustaining viable populations without human conservation efforts. The slow reproductive rate of this species has caused high fledgling mortality to have a disproportionately large impact on population growth. Despite known risk factors to nestlings, there lacks a keen understanding of the spatio-temporal factors that influence fledging success beyond acute mortality events such as predation, microtrash ingestion, disease, or injury. In this study, we used data from GSM GPS telemetry units attached to breeding condors from 2014 to 2016 to determine spatio-temporal differences between characteristics of nests that fledged a chick and nests that did not. Our preliminary results showed that several nest site characteristics differed significantly between successful nests and non-successful nests. Our findings will provide novel insight into condor nesting and serve as the foundation for a predictive model that will aid in condor nest site management. 

3. Forest management effects on Cerulean Warbler populations in West Virginia |  Elizabeth A. Matejczyk, Christopher M. Lituma and Christopher Rota 

   Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design  Wildlife and Fisheries Resources,
   West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506 

   The Cerulean Warbler ( Setophaga cerulea) has been a species of concern for several years due to habitat loss and climate fluctuations. Literature confirms this species requires canopy gaps in oak forests. Forest enhancement techniques, including tree falls, increase biodiversity when appropriately applied. My objective was to monitor success of forest management practices via avian point counts, on 14 plots of private land. Vegetation variables were collected to determine habitat characteristics in relation to avian species occurrence. I hypothesized that managed forests would contain more Cerulean Warblers compared to unmanaged forests. Untreated forests had an average occurrence of 0.7 (n = 14, SD = 1.3) compared to 1.8 (n = 14, SD = 2.5) in treated forests, supporting my hypothesis. These practices require constant maintenance to preserve habitat integrity. Perhaps more time is needed to allow Cerulean Warblers to establish in new habitat; it may take several seasons to see populations grow. For now, this data can inform forest management practice improvements for the Cerulean Warbler Forest Enhancement Project and future studies involving the Cerulean Warbler. 

4. Elucidation of reaction kinetics in novel ferric-dosed wastewater treatment technology |  Oliver Lin, Musfique Ahmed and Lian-Shin Lin 

   Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 
   West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506 

   With a global push towards sustainable technology, there is an increased demand for innovative industrial systems that conserve energy and limit environmental impact. The novel wastewater treatment technology we propose is a ferric-dosed, anaerobic treatment system that fosters the growth of iron and sulfur-reducing bacteria to treat wastewater. This system addresses both core issues by eliminating the need for biological aeration, which is associated with 50-75% of the total electrical consumption in an aerobic treatment plants and the main contributor to the production of CO2 during organics oxidation. This study focuses on the kinetics and mechanisms occurring in model bioreactors dosed with ferric and organic compounds representative of municipal wastewater. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) analysis of samples collected at specific time points supports the assertion of ferric and sulfate reduction occurring within the reactor. Further evidence is provided by increasing levels of ferrous iron and sulfide compounds in the effluent water. This trend holds true for varying ratios of iron and sulfur compounds as well as total organic levels in the influent wastewater. 

5. Liver lipid metabolism changes from feeding apple pomace to female Sprague-Dawley rats |  Soofia Lateef, R. Chris Skinner and Janet Tou 

   Human Nutrition and Foods, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 26505 

   Apple pomace is waste byproduct of apple processing that is environmentally toxic and expensive to dispose of properly. Its high antioxidant content gives it potential as a dietary supplement, but its fructose content may promote fatty liver disease. The project objective was to determine the effect of apple pomace on liver lipid metabolism. Young (22-28 day old) female Sprague-Dawley rats (n=8 animals/group) were randomly assigned standard or Western (high fat/sugar) diets with or without apple pomace supplementation (10% of kcal). It was hypothesized apple pomace would not promote fatty liver disease in either diet. After 8 weeks, livers were collected and lipid metabolism was analyzed. Methods used were histology and measurement of lipolysis and lipogenesis gene expression. Histology showed apple pomace in the standard diet increased fat deposition, but in the Western diet it caused a decrease. Lipid metabolism gene expression measurement is currently ongoing and will provide more precise data. This work will show if apple pomace in human diets could have positive impacts on the environment, apple industry, and human health. 

6. An examination of the questioning habits of pre-service teachers before and after instruction and experience |  Callie Moles and Jessica M. Blythe 

   Department of Agricultural and Extension Education,
   West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506 

   Questioning is one of the most prominent teaching methods and is utilized regardless of grade level or subject area. Effective questioning habits of teachers can greatly impact student achievement by causing students to analyze and evaluate, rather than simply memorize and regurgitate information. The study aims to investigate changes in questioning habit that occur with instruction and experience. In this study, lesson plans from an Agricultural Education teacher education course at West Virginia University were analyzed. Each question was classified to reflect the impact on student learning. Data was evaluated with descriptive statistics and matched t-tests to examine how the pre-service teacher questioning habits developed over time. The results showed quantity of teacher questions changed very little during the semester; however, there was a positive significant difference in the quality of questions following instruction and experience. The study recommends pre-service teachers receive focused instruction on questioning followed by practice implementing the technique. Teacher educators should continue to encourage students to incorporate questioning into their instruction to continue to develop their skill. 

7. The future of high elevation birds in the Appalachian Mountains | Tatiana R. Crawford, Gordon Dimmig and Christopher Rota 

   Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Resource Management,
   West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506 

   As climate change becomes a more common topic in wildlife conservation, I wanted to see the effects of this phenomenon on the birds of the Appalachian Mountains. Birds are optimal for this study because they are creatures with very specific niches and preferences. This summer I have been traveling the Appalachian Mountains collecting research on birds and their preferred elevations. With this research, along with twenty years’ worth of research granted to us by the parks service, I hope to show change in the elevation niches of the birds in the Appalachian Mountains. Out of all the species collected I hope to choose four to focus on. My focus will be on the two with the highest average elevation preference and the two with the lowest average elevation preference. I will then track these species through the twenty years of research gathered and document their elevational changes. With this information we can track the rate of change in these species and predict future elevation changes and, unfortunately, the loss of species in the Appalachian Mountains. 

8. Assessment of aluminum tolerance in Salix spp. for biomass production and reclamation of disturbed lands | Daniel S. Wolodkin, Tyler J. Davidson and Jonathan R. Cumming 

   Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA, 26506 

   Short rotation woody production systems can be used to produce biofuels on marginal soils to avoid competition for arable lands. These soils can be found within abandoned and reclaimed mines throughout Appalachia. Mine soils often contain acidic soil which holds aluminum. contains acid producing minerals that release aluminum and other toxic metals. Aluminum acts as a phytotoxin by limiting root growth and causing nutrient deficiencies. Sixteen different lineages of Salix were evaluated in a hydroponic setup with various concentrations of aluminum. Biomass was measured and the roots were evaluated for aluminum concentration. Three divergent lineages were further examined: Oneida, which is resistant to aluminum; Fabius, which grows well; and 94006, which is sensitive to aluminum. Cuttings of these lineages were grown in either 0 or 100 μM aluminum in the hydroponic system. Rooted cuttings were harvested after 8 hours, 72 hours, and 14 days of exposure. The samples will be evaluated for root and shoot Al concentration, as well as organic acid exudation by root systems, which is a mechanism of aluminum resistance. 
   
9. The occurrence of agriculture mechanics research | Jacob K. Rabel and Jason McKibben 

   West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia 26506 

   A common problem for graduate students in agriculture education is finding a thesis project that can be valued in the advancement of their career. If graduate students could find spaces of research in a specific area then it would be more efficient for a thesis to be selected. This study focuses specifically on existing agriculture mechanics research conducted between 1980 and 2017. This study produced six themes of research in agriculture mechanics research and the amount that each theme is researched within this thirty-seven-year window. This study will give graduate students in agriculture education an idea of the research that already exists and how they can contribute to new research. It should be understood that this type of study should be conducted within all areas of agriculture education so we may have a better understanding of the occurrence of research within this discipline. 

10. Biological control of whiteflies ( Aleyrodidae family)  using carnivorous plants ( Drosera spp.) |  Ariana R. Newton, Youyoun Moon and Nicole L. Waterland 

    Division of Plant and Soil Sciences, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506 

    As consumer demand for environmentally conscious and reduced pesticide practices increases, it becomes more important to look towards alternative pest control options. One option is to use biological controls. In this experiment, we examined carnivorous plants as a means of biological control to manage whitefly population in a greenhouse. Two carnivorous plant species were used; thread-leaved sundew ( Drosera filiformis) and Cape sundew ( Drosera capensis). One carnivorous plant was placed in each insect cage with 40 whiteflies along with nine tomato plants for insect feeding. The number of whiteflies caught by each carnivorous plant species over the course of three weeks was measured. This measurement was compared to the number of whiteflies caught by insect sticky cards. Due to the surface area differences among treatments, the number of whiteflies caught per area was calculated. Thread-leaved sundew was the most effective at 0.25 whiteflies caught per cm². Cape sundews and the sticky cards captured 0.14 and 0.17 whiteflies per cm², respectively. The results indicate that thread-leaved sundews could be utilized to manage whiteflies in a greenhouse setting.