Using the interact system model to analyze computer mediated communication during a small group problem-solving task

The Interact System Model (ISM) developed by Fisher and Hawes (1971) for the analysis of face-to-face communication during small-group problem solving activities was used to study online communication. This tool proved to be of value in the analysis, but the conversation patterns reported by Fisher (1980) did not fully appear in the online environment. Participants displayed a habit of "being too polite" and not fully voicing their disagreements with ideas posed by others. Thus progress towards task completion was slow and incomplete.

Genomic consequences of mating system evolution in the Pacific coastal dune endemic, Abronia umbellata (Nyctaginaceae)

The advent of next-generation sequencing has significantly reduced the cost of obtaining large-scale genetic resources, opening the door for genomic studies of non-model but ecologically interesting species. The shift in mating system, from outcrossing to selfing, has occurred thousands of times in angiosperms and is accompanied by profound changes in the population genetics and ecology of a species. A large body of work has been devoted to understanding why the shift occurs and the impact of the shift on the genetics of the resulting selfing populations, however, the causes and consequences of the transition to selfing involve a complicated interaction of genetic and demographic factors which are difficult to untangle. Abronia umbellata is a Pacific coastal dune endemic which displays a striking shift in mating system across its geographic range, with large-flowered outcrossing populations south of San Francisco and small-flowered selfing populations to the north. Abronia umbellata is an attractive model system for the study of mating system transitions because the shift appears to be recent and therefore less obscured by post-shift processes, it has a near one-dimensional geographic range which simplifies analysis and interpretation, and demographic data has been collected for many of the populations. In this study, we generated transcriptome-level data for 12 plants including individuals from both subspecies, along with a resequencing study of 48 individuals from populations across the range. The genetic analysis revealed a recent transition to selfing involving a drastic reduction in genetic diversity in the selfing lineage, potentially indicative of a recent population bottleneck and a transition to selfing due to reproductive assurance. Interestingly, the genetic structure of the populations was not coincident with the current subspecies demarcation, and two large-flowered populations were classified with the selfing subspecies, suggesting a potential need for re-evaluation of the current subspecies classification. Our finding of low diversity in selfing populations may also have implications for the conservation value of the threatened selfing subspecies.

An Examination of Current Approaches to Integrative Indigenous and Western Knowledge System Implementation in Water Research and Management: A Case Study Encompassing the Colonized Geographies of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States

The commodification of natural resources and the pursuit of continuous growth has resulted in environmental degradation, depletion, and disparity in access to these life-sustaining resources, including water. Utility-based objectification and exploitation of water in some societies has brought us to the brink of crisis through an apathetic disregard for present and future generations. The ongoing depletion and degradation of the world’s water sources, coupled with a reliance on Western knowledge and the continued omission of Indigenous knowledge to manage our relationship with water has unduly burdened many, but particularly so for Indigenous communities. The goal of my thesis research is to call attention to and advance the value and validity of using both Indigenous and Western knowledge systems (also known as Two-Eyed Seeing) in water research and management to better care for water. To achieve this goal, I used a combined systematic and realist review method to identify and synthesize the peer-reviewed, integrative water literature, followed by semi-structured interviews with first authors of the exemplars from the included literature to identify the challenges and insights that researchers have experienced in conducting integrative water research. Findings suggest that these authors recognize that many previous attempts to integrate Indigenous knowledges have been tokenistic rather than meaningful, and that new methods for knowledge implementation are needed. Community-based participatory research methods, and the associated tenets of balancing power, fostering trust, and community ownership over the research process, emerged as a pathway towards the meaningful implementation of Indigenous and Western knowledge systems. Data also indicate that engagement and collaborative governance structures developed from a position of mutual respect are integral to the realization of a given project. The recommendations generated from these findings offer support for future Indigenous-led research and partnerships through the identification and examination of approaches that facilitate the meaningful implementation of Indigenous and Western knowledge systems in water research and management. Asking Western science questions and seeking Indigenous science solutions does not appear to be working; instead, the co-design of research projects and asking questions directed at the problem rather than the solution better lends itself to the strengths of Indigenous science.