Browsing by Author "Griffin, Alexandra"

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    Root Structure, Biomass Allocation, And Legume Intercropping Of Intermediate Wheatgrass
    (2023-08) Griffin, Alexandra
    Intermediate wheatgrass (IWG; Thinopyrum intermedium) is a perennial grass undergoing domestication as a grain crop, whose deep roots can reduce soil erosion and nutrient pollution. One barrier to the viability of IWG as a grain crop is an interannual decline in seed production, the cause of which is unknown. Both experiments in this thesis aim to uncover plant density-dependent relationships associated with a decline in seed production and guide future strategies to increase yield stability. The first chapter investigates the effects of intercropping legumes on IWG in two row spacings. Intercropping legumes was not found to increase IWG seed or biomass production, however, rarely did intercropping impose net competitive effects. The second chapter investigates root structure and biomass allocation using minirhizotrons. Greater root abundance was not linked to lower aboveground productivity in IWG, which suggests that IWG does not experience a biomass allocation trade-off between above- and below-ground plant tissues.
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    A Study of Affordable Housing in the City of Bloomington, Minnesota
    (Resilient Communities Project (RCP), University of Minnesota, 2023) Amrhein, Joseph; Boudlali, Jamila; Griffin, Alexandra; Honer, Michael
    This project was completed as part of a partnership between the City of Bloomington and the University of Minnesota’s Resilient Communities Project (http://www.rcp.umn.edu). Since the adoption of its “Housing Opportunity and Preservation Ordinance” in 2019, the City of Bloomington has been actively investing in the development of housing that is more affordable to the community. The City sought a return on investment (ROI) analysis of multi-family residential developments that emphasize affordability, considering both human/social and financial benefits. Bloomington project lead Nick Johnson collaborated with a team of graduate students enrolled in Professor Peter Brown's course, PA 8081: Planning and Public Policy Capstone, to review the literature on the benefits of affordable housing, and conducted a survey and interviews with residents of affordable housing in Bloomington in an effort to understand how their personal lives were affected by access to such housing. The students’ final report and PowerPoint presentation are available.