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- Plethodon cinereus (2)
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- Cranial morphology (1)
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- Eastern Red-backed Salamander (1)
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Articles 1 - 6 of 6
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Genetic Analysis Of Distinct Clades Of Plethodon Cinereus At A Secondary Contact Zone In Northeast Ohio, Brian Waldron
Genetic Analysis Of Distinct Clades Of Plethodon Cinereus At A Secondary Contact Zone In Northeast Ohio, Brian Waldron
Masters Theses
Contact zones between species, subspecies, or incipient lineages offer important insights into the processes that maintain reproductive isolation. Plethodon cinereus, a highly abundant and wide-ranging terrestrial salamander found in the northeast United States and southeast Canada, provides an excellent model system for studying secondary contact zones. Using mtDNA, six distinct clades have been identified across the range of P. cinereus. Populations of two such clades, the Ohio (OH) clade, which dispersed through central Ohio following receding glaciers of the last glacial maximum, and the Pennsylvania (PA) clade, which dispersed through Pennsylvania and then west through northern Ohio, can be found …
Foliar Mineral Accumulation Patterns Of Gypsophiles And Their Relatives From The Usa And Spain, Clare Muller
Foliar Mineral Accumulation Patterns Of Gypsophiles And Their Relatives From The Usa And Spain, Clare Muller
Masters Theses
Gypsum endemism in plants (gypsophily) is common on gypsum outcrops worldwide, but little is known about the functional ecology of Chihuahuan Desert gypsophiles. We investigated whether leaf chemistry of gypsophile lineages from the northern Chihuahuan Desert are similar to leaves of related non-endemic (gypsovag) species relative to their soil chemistry. We expected widely-distributed gypsophiles, hypothesized to be older lineages on gypsum, would have distinct leaf chemistry from narrowly-distributed, relatively younger lineages endemic to gypsum and gypsovags, reflecting adaptation to gypsum. We collected leaves from 23 gypsophiles and related non-endemic taxa growing on non-gypsum soils. Soils and leaves were analyzed for …
The Influence Of Matrix Contrast On Species Richness In Fragmented Landscapes, Ian Reider
The Influence Of Matrix Contrast On Species Richness In Fragmented Landscapes, Ian Reider
Masters Theses
Habitat destruction is the leading threat to biodiversity worldwide, causing once continuous landscapes to become fragmented and isolated and harming the persistence of biodiversity. Our goal was to determine how species richness in fragmented forest landscapes is influenced by the vegetation density of the surrounding matrix. We gathered existing studies of fragmented landscapes with Species Area Relationship (SAR) data and analyzed the landscape vegetation in each study site using satellite imagery in ArcGIS. We investigated to see how contrast between vegetation density in matrix versus forested habitat areas correlated to the strength of the SAR for the 45 study landscapes …
Finally, The Molecular Characterization Of Geitleria: Results In The Formation Of A Newly Described Nostocales (Cyanobacteria) Clade Geitleriaceae Fam. Prov., Sp. Prov, Jonathan Kilgore
Masters Theses
Geitleria was described from a limestone cave in Israel, and subsequently reported from caves of France, Romania, Spain, and Florida, Costa Rica, and Cook Islands. It is morphologically unusual in that it has true-branching, but no heterocytes. A morphologically distinct species of Geitleria was recently collected from a limestone cave in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, and is herein described as G. appalachiana sp. prov. Sequence data for 16S-rRNA and rpoC1 loci for the species were obtained from field material using single filament PCR. Phylogenetic evidence indicates that Geitleria does not belong to any family in the Nostocales containing …
The Antipredator Behaviors Of Cryptic And Aposematic Anurans And Variability In Alkaloids, Conspicuousness, And Pattern Within Dendrobates Auratus (Dendrobatidae), Annelise Blanchette
The Antipredator Behaviors Of Cryptic And Aposematic Anurans And Variability In Alkaloids, Conspicuousness, And Pattern Within Dendrobates Auratus (Dendrobatidae), Annelise Blanchette
Masters Theses
Crypsis and aposematism are common antipredator strategies that have evolved as defensive mechanisms to prevent predation. Prey that employ these defensive strategies also exhibit antipredator behaviors meant to avoid or deter predation. These behaviors include: (1) escape or immobility in the presence of an immediate predator or (2) exhibiting bold behavior by accepting the risk of potential predation in a novel environment in exchange for the benefits of foraging and mating opportunities. In this study, the escape and bold behaviors of cryptic members of Craugastor and the aposematic dendrobatid Dendrobates auratus were tested to compare these alternative antipredator strategies. Craugastor …
Variation In Cranial Morphology Of Polymorphic Populations Of The Eastern Red-Backed Salamander, Plethodon Cinereus, Marissa Ganzfried
Variation In Cranial Morphology Of Polymorphic Populations Of The Eastern Red-Backed Salamander, Plethodon Cinereus, Marissa Ganzfried
Masters Theses
Differences in cranial morphology among species of plethodontid salamanders have been linked to variations in diet and behavior. Individuals that consume smaller prey have larger jaw to posterior-cranium ratios. Elongation and expansion of the jaw, coupled with expansion of the posterior of the cranium (defined as robustness) are positively associated with individuals that exhibit increased levels of aggression. The bulk of previous research has focused on the effects of interspecific competition on cranial morphology; however, polymorphic populations of the Eastern Red-backed Salamander, Plethodon cinereus, represent a unique opportunity to examine the role of cranial morphology in ecological divergence among individuals …