Publications by authors named "Amy Freitag"

Article Synopsis
  • The NOAA's Mussel Watch Program (MWP) uses dreissenid mussels to monitor chemical contamination, specifically focusing on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the Laurentian Great Lakes over a 9-year period.
  • They analyzed data from various studies to understand PAH patterns using statistics and machine learning, finding correlations between PAH levels and the percentage of impervious surfaces in the area.
  • Results indicated that PAHs mainly come from land sources, with higher concentrations found in riverine sites compared to offshore locations, and highlighted the prevalence of pyrogenic sources over petrogenic ones in the PAH composition.
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One of the often cited benefits of citizen science is better connecting citizens and their science to adaptive management outcomes. However, there is no consensus as to whether this is a reasonable expectation, and if so, how best to approach creating a successful link to management. This review finds cases where the citizen science-management link is explicitly discussed and places each case into a meta-analysis framework that will help define some general successful approaches to forming such a link.

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Citizen science programs are increasingly popular for a variety of reasons, from public education to new opportunities for data collection. The literature published in scientific journals resulting from these projects represents a particular perspective on the process. These articles often conclude with recommendations for increasing "success".

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Mercury and PCBs are used by non-governmental organizations and federal agencies to inform seafood safety recommendations. Pollution dynamics suggest recommendations on the national scale may be too large to be accurate. We tested softshell and hardshell blue crab, white and pink shrimp, oysters, clams, spot, and mullet from fishers in each of the three North Carolina fishery districts.

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The leaf surface is the contact point between plants and the environment and plays a crucial role in mediating biotic and abiotic interactions. Here, we took a phylogenetic approach to investigate the function, trade-offs, and evolution of leaf surface traits in the milkweeds (Asclepias). Across 47 species, we found trichome densities of up to 3000 trichomes cm(-2) and epicuticular wax crystals (glaucousness) on 10 species.

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