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Alternative Reproductive Tactics In Lake Michigan Populations Of Invasive Round Goby (Neogobius Melanostomus): How Fish Increase Fitness By Doing Less, Alex Florian
Student Scholars Day Posters
Understanding the reproductive biology of invasive species is an important step in managing populations. Yet little is known about the reproductive strategies of invasive round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) in Lake Michigan. Fertilization in round goby occurs externally in nests guarded by “paternal” males. However, some males pursue alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs), where males sneak into a larger male’s nest and fertilize a portion of the eggs. We investigated how the proportion of round goby ARTs varies between sites. We caught 264 fish from 4 drowned-river lakes along Lake Michigan. We measured their color, morphology, and gonad traits to …
Comparison Of Branching Allometry Between Ginkgo Biloba And Several Native Michigan Trees, Collin Fox, Noah Holkeboer
Comparison Of Branching Allometry Between Ginkgo Biloba And Several Native Michigan Trees, Collin Fox, Noah Holkeboer
Student Scholars Day Posters
Ginkgo biloba is the only extant species of the gymnospermous order Ginkgoales. Like angiosperms, ginkgo is deciduous with broad leaves and vessel tubes. However, unlike angiosperms, ginkgo possesses a long-shoot x short-shoot branching system, the latter producing most of the leaves, and open-dichotomous leaf venation. Given that branching reflects optimization of photosynthetic capture through structural support and hydraulic efficiency, we compared the degree to which these functions were optimized for ginkgo relative to three native species. DBH, neighbor density and size were measured in field and branch dimensions were measured from photographs and analyzed per Murray’s Law for hydraulic optimization …
Love It Or List It: Enclosure Alterations Affect Behavior Of Canada Lynx At John Ball Zoo, Hailee Cederquist, Chelsea Clark
Love It Or List It: Enclosure Alterations Affect Behavior Of Canada Lynx At John Ball Zoo, Hailee Cederquist, Chelsea Clark
Student Scholars Day Posters
Environmental variables influence animal behavior, and routines of captive animals often alter when individuals are moved between zoos, their social group changed, or enclosure altered. In 2018, two Canada lynx were introduced to John Ball Zoo, then their exhibit subsequently modified in 2019. We used scan sampling with ZooMonitor to quantify behaviors and enclosure use of individuals every 30 sec in 30 minute bouts of sampling, comparing patterns in 2018 and 2019. Both cats used inconspicuous resting sites extensively, but the specific sites changed from 2018 to 2019. The male’s daily activities changed little, incorporating the same locomotion paths both …
Annual Veg Change On The Arcss Subplots At Atqasuk And Utqiagvik, Jacob Harris
Annual Veg Change On The Arcss Subplots At Atqasuk And Utqiagvik, Jacob Harris
Student Scholars Day Posters
This research describes changes in plant cover in the landscapes near Atqasuk and Utqiagvik, Alaska. In each location 30 plots distributed in a matrix across the landscape were sampled annually from 2010 to 2019. Plant cover was classified into eight functional groups (deciduous shrubs, evergreen shrubs, forbs, graminoids, bryophytes, lichens, litter and standing dead). In Atqasuk, graminoids and litter have increased in cover while bryophytes, lichens and standing dead have decreased in cover. In Utqiagvik, graminoids and leaf litter have increased in cover while bryophytes and standing dead have decreased in cover. Graminoid cover increases at both sites appear to …
Linking Co2-Flux With Tundra Vegetation, Mackenzie Lift
Linking Co2-Flux With Tundra Vegetation, Mackenzie Lift
Student Scholars Day Posters
The Arctic climate is rapidly changing and perhaps the most impactful ecosystem change is the shifting balance between photosynthesis and respiration towards respiration. Here we correlated CO2-flux data generated from experimentally warmed and control plots established by the International Tundra Experiment (ITEX) at the dry heath tundra in Utqiaġvik, AK with several abiotic and vegetation measurements conducted on the same plots. We found significant correlations between the vegetation and CO2-flux measurements. Linking the change of CO2-flux to the changes in tundra vegetation will provide a deeper understanding of the impacts of climate change on the Arctic and allow for more …
Linking Vegetation Change With Functional Traits In A Changing Arctic, Katlyn Betway
Linking Vegetation Change With Functional Traits In A Changing Arctic, Katlyn Betway
Student Scholars Day Posters
The Arctic is warming more than twice the rate of the global average. Plant responses to warming have been documented in northern Alaska for decades and have shown that graminoids, deciduous shrubs, and evergreen shrubs are increasing in cover while forbs are decreasing in cover or remaining constant depending on the location. To better understand why growth forms are responding differently, nine functional traits were measured for 13 species at three sites in northern Alaska. Canonical correspondence analysis reveals that species increasing in cover are associated with high photosynthetic capacity and plant height. Species decreasing in cover are associated with …
Miss Independent: Social Group Composition Influences Spatial Patterns In A Female Lion, Andrew Mayfield, Abigail Smith
Miss Independent: Social Group Composition Influences Spatial Patterns In A Female Lion, Andrew Mayfield, Abigail Smith
Student Scholars Day Posters
The introduction of a new animal to a social group can cause individual zoo animals to alter their behavior. In 2019, a male lion was successfully introduced to an adult female at John Ball Zoo, after previously being exhibited with her sister in 2018. A second, older male continued to be exhibited alone, alternating with the pair in the same enclosure. Our study objective was to compare differences in behavior between 2018 and 2019 for the female (“experimental” animal whose social group changed) and the solitary male (“control” animal whose social group did not change). We used Zoomonitor to record …
The Effects Of Hemlock Woolly Adelgid And Imidacloprid On The Abundance And Diversity Of Eastern Hemlock Ectomycorrhizae, Jessica Avalos
The Effects Of Hemlock Woolly Adelgid And Imidacloprid On The Abundance And Diversity Of Eastern Hemlock Ectomycorrhizae, Jessica Avalos
Student Scholars Day Posters
Invasive insects like hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) may compromise belowground functionality of infested hosts. Studies show that HWA affects belowground functionality of hemlocks by reducing ectomycorrhizal fungal associations (ECM). ECM benefit hemlock hosts by expanding the root system and increasing resource uptake. Defoliation from HWA herbivory halts photosynthate production, reducing ECM food supplies. To combat this, forest managers treat with the insecticide imidacloprid. Limited research exists on how imidacloprid may affect ECM colonies. This study aims to determine if imidacloprid affects ECM colonies. PCR amplification and Sanger sequencing will be used to compare the ECM community structure of treated hemlock …
Using Gis To Analyze Graminoid And Shrub Composition Change From 1997 To 2017 At Atqasuk, Alaska, Rebecca Daigle
Using Gis To Analyze Graminoid And Shrub Composition Change From 1997 To 2017 At Atqasuk, Alaska, Rebecca Daigle
Student Scholars Day Posters
Shrubs are expanding across the Arctic due to longer growing seasons and rapidly increasing air temperatures. Likewise, graminoid height is increasing. Changes in community composition may impact critical feedback loops and result in trophic cascades. Here, we analyzed vegetation cover change at a long-term research site in Atqasuk, Alaska. We compared cover across forty-eight, one-square-meter plots between 1997 and 2017. Shrubs and graminoids increased significantly over time, while bryophytes decreased over time. Other functional groups were inconsistent or showed no trend. We mapped the shrub and graminoid vegetation change in order to examine cover trends within the context of the …
Structural Allometry Of Three Locally-Dominant Deciduous Tree Species In West Michigan, Joshua Stayman
Structural Allometry Of Three Locally-Dominant Deciduous Tree Species In West Michigan, Joshua Stayman
Student Scholars Day Posters
Trees in a cold-temperate forest require stem strength sufficient for self-support to maximize canopy height and width while resisting stresses imposed by wind and snow. We compared optimization of self-support of three tree species native to Western Michigan (Acer saccharum, Fagus grandifolia, and Quercus rubra) with their dominance in local forest stands. Optimization of self-support was investigated by analyzing branch architecture per the Uniform Stress and West-Brown-Enquist scaling models. Data were collected from thirty trees per species. Height and d.b.h. were measured in the field. Branch diameters and angles of the first three nodes were measured …
Thing 1 And Thing 2 Are In A New Zoo: Changes In Behavior Of Amur Tigers Following Introduction To John Ball Zoo, Caitlin Gerke, Faith Hensley
Thing 1 And Thing 2 Are In A New Zoo: Changes In Behavior Of Amur Tigers Following Introduction To John Ball Zoo, Caitlin Gerke, Faith Hensley
Student Scholars Day Posters
Animals alter their behavior in response to changes in their environment such as alterations to their enclosure, social group, or husbandry routine. In 2018, two related, young adult Amur tigers (Panthera tigris altaica) were transferred to the John Ball Zoo (JBZ). The male siblings were given access to a spacious, wooded outdoor enclosure (area = 920 m²). We used Zoomonitor in 2018 and 2019 to conduct focal-animal sampling of the two males. We recorded state behaviors in 30 sec intervals of scan sampling, and all occurrences of event behaviors, both during 30 min sampling sessions. Our study objective …
The Organic Synthesis Of Anthranilic Acid Derivatives As Potential Active Antibiotics, Paul Chappell
The Organic Synthesis Of Anthranilic Acid Derivatives As Potential Active Antibiotics, Paul Chappell
Student Scholars Day Posters
The objective of this research project was to synthesize multiple derivatives of anthranilic acid. These derivatives will then be tested for antibiotic activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli (E. coli). As bacteria become more resistant to penicillin-based antibiotics, the exploration of anthranilic acid-based antibiotics could serve an important role for future medical use. This research project included data collection via 1H-NMR, 12C-NMR, TLC, MP, and IR to determine purity for biological testing.
Impact Of Cell Density On Cx43 Expression In Endothelial Cells, Madison Goen, Kyle Morrison
Impact Of Cell Density On Cx43 Expression In Endothelial Cells, Madison Goen, Kyle Morrison
Student Scholars Day Posters
Consumption of omega-3 fatty acids benefits the cardiovascular system by reducing blood vessel inflammatory responses. Our recent work showed omega-3 fatty acids decrease connexin 43 (Cx43) expression in cultured endothelial cells after 1 day. Our interest in Cx43 was as marker of inflammation as omega-3 fatty acids are strongly implicated as anti-inflammatory agents. Localized inflammatory responses drive the growth of the atherosclerotic plaques responsible for a majority of cardiovascular diseases. Anything that affects the inflammatory response will affect the growth (and stability which is also important) of those plaques. This poster will summarize current knowledge of atherosclerosis and inflammation as …
Analysis Of Dental Topography Of Early Eocene North American Tetonius Lineages In The Bighorn Basin, Wyoming, Emily Dear, Emily Elliott, Emma Miller, Jeremy Wood
Analysis Of Dental Topography Of Early Eocene North American Tetonius Lineages In The Bighorn Basin, Wyoming, Emily Dear, Emily Elliott, Emma Miller, Jeremy Wood
Student Scholars Day Posters
Changes in the structure of ecological communities are often correlated with changes in the surrounding environment. The Bighorn Basin in Wyoming presents fossil evidence that depicts significant shifts in the community structure of North American mammalian species at the Paleocene-Eocene boundary. This diversity can be credited to marked temperature increases during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum. The association between temperature and dietary niche of omomyid euprimates, specifically the Tetonius lineage, was examined using reconstructed relief index, a dental topographic measure (N=20). A correlation analysis supported the hypothesis that abiotic changes in climate during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum were linked to variation …