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The Peculiar Nature Of Florida’S Sandhill Wetlands, Ponds & Lakes— Their Ecohydrology, Relationship With The Regional Aquifer & Importance Within The Landscape., Renae Starr Nowicki

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the ecohydrology of Florida’s peculiar and poorly studied sandhill wetland and water features, particularly those located in west-central Florida. The primary research goals include: compilation and summarization of the available ecohydrologic information for features across Florida; comparison of water level and water geochemistry data between sandhill wetlands and waters and the regional aquifer to provide evidence of regional hydrologic control; and use of geophysical applications to examine the hydraulic connections between sandhill wetlands and waters and the regional aquifer.

From this research, a natural history of sandhill wetland and water ecohydrology is presented, highlighting: the differences between …

Remote Sensing And Spatial Metrics For Quantifying Seagrass Landscape Changes: A Study On The 2011 Indian River Lagoon Florida Seagrass Die-Off Event, René Dieter Baumstark

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Florida’s seagrasses are ecologically important marine environments which have suffered major degradation caused by increasing anthropogenic pressures. A 2011 seagrass die-off event caused by an algal bloom in the Florida Indian River Lagoon (IRL) was particularly severe with a majority of seagrass lost in areas such as the Banana River. An understanding of how this coastal marine environment changed is an important step toward better managing resources for conservation. Modern tools and methods provide new opportunities to study these changes at the landscape scale, a scale that informs on the larger more comprehensive state of a system. Classified satellite imagery …

Preferential Production And Transport Of Grass-Derived Pyrogenic Carbon In Ne-Australian Savanna Ecosystems, Gustavo Saiz, Iain Goodrick, Christopher Wurster, Paul N. Nelson, Jonathan G. Wynn, Michael Bird

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

Understanding the main factors driving fire regimes in grasslands and savannas is critical to better manage their biodiversity and functions. Moreover, improving our knowledge on pyrogenic carbon (PyC) dynamics, including formation, transport and deposition, is fundamental to better understand a significant slow-cycling component of the global carbon cycle, particularly as these ecosystems account for a substantial proportion of the area globally burnt. However, a thorough assessment of past fire regimes in grass-dominated ecosystems is problematic due to challenges in interpreting the charcoal record of sediments. It is therefore critical to adopt appropriate sampling and analytical methods to allow the acquisition …

Development And Validation Of A Remote Sensing Model To Identify Anthropogenic Boreholes That Provide Dry Season, Refuge Habitat For Anopheles Vector Mosquitoes In Sub-Saharan Africa, James Pkemoi Kukat

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A lack of surveillance systems is an impediment to public health intervention for perennial vector-borne disease transmission in northern tropical savanna region of Kenya. The population in this area are mostly poor nomadic pastoralists with little acquired functional immunity to Plasmodium falciparum, due to infrequent challenges with the parasite. A common characteristic in tropical savanna climatic zone is the availability of riverbeds that have anthropogenic boreholes that provide malaria vector mosquitoes, such as Anopheles gambiae s.l and Anopheles funestus, with aquatic refuge habitats for proliferation and endemic transmission to proximity human households during the dry-season. Unfortunately, currently there …

In Situ Studies Of Limestone Dissolution In A Coastal Submarine Spring, Rachel Marie Schweers

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Limestone dissolution in karst environments is likely due to geochemistry of the water, the actions of microbial communities, and the effect of water flow. We explored the rate of limestone dissolution and will examine here the microbial communities associated with the limestone. A conduit within the brackish cave, Double Keyhole Spring, on the coast of central west Florida was the site of the experiment. PVC pipes (5cm x 16cm) were filled with crushed limestone that was screened to a 1.9cm – 2.54cm size range. There were three treatments (5 replicates each): Control - sealed autoclaved controls with limestone and conduit …

Short- And Long-Term Trends In Ecological Interactions: From Predator-Prey Interactions To Phanerozoic Diversification, Subhronil Mondal

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

During the last two decades, a broad spectrum of short- and long-term studies on different taxonomic groups has enriched our understanding about how dynamics of taxonomic and ecological diversification have changed through geologic time. There are two major issues that have impacted these studies: the quality and quantity of data used are often insufficient in various ways and the methods used may produce results that are more equivocal than supposed. To investigate these issues more fully, this dissertation focuses on studies on two major aspects: 1) short-term studies examining the nature of successful and unsuccessful predatory attacks on Plio-Pleistocene bivalves; …

Ecology Of The Late Neogene Extinctions: Perspectives From The Plio-Pleistocene Of Florida, Shubhabrata Paul

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The ecological impact of past extinction events is one of the central issues in paleobiology. In face of present environmental changes, a better understanding of past extinctions will enable us to identify the magnitude of biodiversity crises and their underlying processes. The Late Neogene was a time of extraordinary climatic reorganization, including Northern Hemisphere glaciation, the rise of the Central American Isthmus, and associated changes in environmental conditions. Therefore, the Late Neogene extinctions of marine molluscs of South Florida present an ideal platform to examine the interaction between environmental changes and biotic response. In the present study, three different aspects …

Hydrologic And Microclimate Characterizations Of Thornton’S Cave, West-Central Florida (Usa), Dorien K. Mcgee

Studia UBB Geologia

A cave’s environment is controlled by a suite of factors unique to the environments in which they formed, including, but not limited to, regional geologic and climate settings. These factors collectively owe to wide variations in cave biology, geomorphology and overall speleogenesis. This report combines local climate, hydrologic, and CO₂ data collected over the course of a two-year study at Thornton’s Cave, a partially-flooded cave in the West-Central Florida karst belt, to characterize its current environment and yield insight regarding how changes in regional climate and hydrology impact its past and future speleogenesis. Data loggers continuously monitoring cave and …

Management In A Neotropical Show Cave: Planning For Invertebrates Conservation, Thais Giovannini Pellegrini, Rodrigo Lopes Ferreira

International Journal of Speleology

Lapa Nova is a dolomitic cave about 4.5 km long located in northwestern Minas Gerais state, Brazil. The cave experiences intense tourism, concentrated over a single period of the year, during the Feast of Our Lady of Lapa. In order to evaluate the impacts felt by the invertebrate community from this tourism, a new methodology was proposed. Four types of areas (intense visitation area, outlying visitation areas, moderate visitation areas and no-visitation areas) were sampled for invertebrates. There was one sampling prior and another on the last day of the 128^th feast, to evaluate the effects of visitation on …

Agglutinated Foraminifera From The Northern Tarcău Nappe (Eastern Carpathians, Romania), Raluca Bindiu, Sorin Filipescu

Studia UBB Geologia

The Tarcău Nappe is the most important unit of the Carpathian flysch due to its size, stratigraphic, and tectonic complexity. Our purpose was to identify the major types of foraminifera assemblages in relation to the paleoenvironmental settings and their biostratigraphic potential. The identified assemblages are characteristic to the Cretaceous and Paleogene, consisting mostly of benthic agglutinated and, in lower proportions, benthic calcareous and planktonic species. Local abundances of Glomospira specimens allowed the correlation of the examined strata to the early Eocene “Glomospira event” described from the Carpathians in Poland, Morocco, and Labrador. Rzehakina fissistomata (Grzybowski) identified at Palma makes …

Pathogenic And Opportunistic Microorganisms In Caves, Valme Jurado, Leonila Laiz, Veronica Rodriguez-Nava, Patrick Boiron, Bernardo Hermosin, Sergio Sanchez-Moral, Cesareo Saiz-Jimenez

International Journal of Speleology

With today’s leisure tourism, the frequency of visits to many caves makes it necessary to know about possible potentially pathogenic microorganisms in caves, determine their reservoirs, and inform the public about the consequences of such visits. Our data reveal that caves could be a potential danger to visitors because of the presence of opportunistic microorganisms, whose existence and possible development in humans is currently unknown.

Microbial Communities And Associated Mineral Fabrics In Altamira Cave, Spain, Soledad Cuezva, Sergio Sanchez-Moral, Cesareo Saiz-Jimenez, Juan Carlos Cañaveras

International Journal of Speleology

Evidences of microbial colonizations were observed in Altamira Cave, Spain. These consisted of distinct small coloured colonies, both on walls and ceiling, mainly located in the area near the cave entrance, which progressed until reaching the Polychromes Hall. The colonizations were characterized by a high morphological and microstructural variability and related to biomineralization processes. Two main types of CaCO₃ deposits were related to the colonies: rosette- or nest-like aggregates of rhombohedral calcite crystals, and spheroid to hemispheroid CaCO₃ elements. Colonies distribution seems to be controlled by microenvironmental conditions inside the cavity. The areas of the cave showing higher …

Salt Ingestion Caves, Charles A. Lundquist, William W. Varnedoe Jr.

International Journal of Speleology

Large vertebrate herbivores, when they find a salt-bearing layer of rock, say in a cliff face, can produce sizable voids where, over generations, they have removed and consumed salty rock. The cavities formed by this natural animal process constitute a unique class of caves that can be called salt ingestion caves. Several examples of such caves are described in various publications. An example in Mississippi U.S.A., Rock House Cave, was visited by the authors in 2000. It seems to have been formed by deer or bison. Perhaps the most spectacular example is Kitum Cave in Kenya. This cave has been …

An Evaluation Of Plant Community Structure, Fish And Benthic Meio- And Macrofauna As Success Criteria For Reclaimed Wetlands, Thomas Crisman, William J. Streever, John H. Kiefer, David L. Evans

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

As a result of legislative action in 1975 (Florida Administrative Code Section 16C-16, 16C-17), landscape reclamation is required on all lands mined for phosphate in the State of Florida. Between 1975 and 1991, for example, approximately 40,000 ha of land in Florida were strip mined for phosphate and thus subject to provisions of this legislation. In excess of 2,700 ha of mitigation wetlands have been constructed as part of the land reclamation effort, but the degree to which these systems mimic both the structural and functional properties of natural wetlands is poorly known.

There has been a great diversity in …

Long Term Stability Of A Terrestrial Cave Community, Claudio Di Russo, Gianmaria Carchini, Mauro Rampini, Marco Lucarelli, Valerio Sbordoni

International Journal of Speleology

We report data on the spatial structure and seasonal variation of the community of Valmarino cave, a medium sized sandstone cave, located a few kilometres from the coast line, in Central Italy. Due to both its habitat features and its relatively recent geological history, Valmarino cave is only inhabited by terrestrial, troglophilic elements, i.e facultative cave dwellers. By means of monthly censuses and density plot estimates we have investigated species abundance, diversity and their spatial organization, by considering separately samples from different cave sectors. Homogeneous sampling design allowed to compare series of samplings performed in 1974 and 1994. On the …

A Recent Colonization Of Dolichopoda Cave Crickets In The Poscola Cave (Orthoptera, Rhaphidophoridae), Camilla Bernardini, Claudio Di Russo, Mauro Rampini, Donatella Cersaroni, Valerio Sbordoni

International Journal of Speleology

We report a series of investigations carried out on a Dolichopoda population recently discovered in the Poscola cave and in some small caves nearby (Lessini Mountains, Vicenza). This population is located north of Po river, outside the present known geographic range of this genus in Italy. Morphology of the epiphallus corroborated by chromosome and allozyme analysis indicated that this population belongs to D. laetitiae. Study of the genetic structure of population in the Poscola area revealed high gene flow levels between Poscola and the other minor caves, suggesting the occurrence of a single expanding population. This finding as well …

Laboratory Studies Of Predatory Behaviour In Two Subspecies Of The Carabid Cave Beetle: Neaphaenops Tellkampfi, David M. Griffith

International Journal of Speleology

Comparative studies on the foraging behaviour of Neaphaenops tellkampfi tellkampfi and N. t. meridionalis demonstrated adaptation to different environments. The southern subspecies N. t. meridionalis, which is found in wet muddy caves where cave cricket eggs are unlikely prey, did not locate buried cricket eggs and dug fewer and less accurate holes in the lab than the nominate subspecies. N. t. tellkampfi, which reaches high densities in sandy deep cave environments where cricket eggs are the only viable prey, gained significantly greater weight than meridionalis when presented buried cricket eggs as prey. There was no difference with respect …

Paleoenvironmental Data For N. W. Georgia, U.S.A., From Fossils In Cave Speleothems, George A. Brook, Eugene P. Keferl, Rudy J. Nickmann

International Journal of Speleology

Pollen grains and gastropod shells in two speleothems from Red Spider Cave, Georgia indicate that ca. 10,000 yr B.P. the vegetation near the cave was Mixed Mesophytic Forest. Conditions were cooler and moister than today and a shallow pond existed in the doline above the cave. As these findings support palynologic evidence from nearby pond sites it is clear that cave speleothems are a potential source of paleoecological data to ca. 350,000 yr. B.P.

Observations On The Biology Of Cave Planarians Of The United States, Jerry H. Carpenter

International Journal of Speleology

Observations are made on the biology of several species of cave planarians (mostly of the family Kenkiidae) collected alive from over 50 caves in 14 states. Most of these species were maintained in laboratory cultures at 12°C±3°C. Food eaten was extremely variable. Functions of the anterior adhesive organ included food capture, locomotion, defence against predators, and probably chemoreception, mechanoreception, and as a holdfast in strong currents. Predators probably consist of fishes, crayfishes, and salamanders. Sporozoan and ciliated parasites were found occasionally. Cocoons were found in winter, spring, and summer; they hatched in about 3 months and contained 2 to 17 …

Variation Among Populations Of The Troglobitic Amphipod Crustacean Crangonyx Antennatus Packard (Crangonyctidae) Living In Different Habitats, Iii: Population Dynamics And Stability, Gary W. Dickson, John R. Holsinger

International Journal of Speleology

Populations of the troglobitic amphipod Crangonyx antennatus from caves in Lee Co., Virginia (U.S.A.) were investigated on both a short and long term basis. The dynamics of populations living in two distinct aquatic cave habitats (mud-bottom pools and gravel-bottom streams) were compared seasonably for one year. Sex ratios indicated a larger number of females in both pool and stream habitats. The majority of males in both habitats were found to be sexually mature throughout the year investigated. Seasonal fluctuations in female maturity were observed in both habitats, with larger numbers collected in June and August. In addition, a larger number …

Investigation Of The Mutual Influence Between A Polluted River And Its Hyporheic, Milan Meŝtrov, Romana Lattinger-Penko

International Journal of Speleology

This paper describes investigations of fundamental biological and pratical importance. Interstitial subterranean water (hyporheic) which is near a polluted river in a plain is the subject of the study. The water is becoming increasingly important as a source of drinking water. The relation of the hyporheic water to the physical, chemical, bacteriological and faunistic characteristics of the river is discussed.

Microflore Et Activité De Groupements Fonctionnels Dans Les Sédiments De Trois Grottes De I'Italie Centrale, A. Pasqualini, B. Fumanti, L. Visonà

International Journal of Speleology

A comparative study is presented of the microflora of sediments in three caves with different trophic characteristics. Quantitative and qualitative variations of microflora were investigated for one year by studying the total microflora and the activity of the nitrogen cycle functional groups. Data were compared with those of other works of previous authors. Results show that the quantity and kind of organic matter of sediment are most important factors regulating the abundance and activity of cavernicolous microflora. The experimental part of this paper is prefaced by a digest of investigations previously carried out on cavernicolous microflora and by a report …

Ecological Investigations Of The Influence Of A Polluted River On Surrounding Interstitial Underground Waters, Milan Meštrov, Romana Lattinger-Penko

International Journal of Speleology

Because of the fundamental biological investigations and also of the practical importance, the authors investigated interstitial subterranean water (hyporheic) near a polluted river Sava in the plain where the underground waters are considered as potable. With the comparison of the physical, chemical, bacteriological, saprobiological and faunistic characteristics of the river and its hyporheic zone in different seasons their mutual relation is detected. The results show the influence of polluted river water on the hyporheic water within the river bed to at least 2 m depth.

Nitrobacter In Mammoth Cave, C. B. Fliermans, E. L. Schmidt

International Journal of Speleology

Mammoth Cave, a large limestone cavern in Mammoth Cave National Park in the Central Kentucky karst, was first mined for saltpetre in 1808 and was a major source of nitrates used in the manufacture of gunpowder during the War of 1812. The mechanism of saltpetre formation is unknown, although hypotheses encompassing both biotic and abiotic functions have been suggested. Present studies were conducted in various saltpetre caves using species specific fluorescent antibodies in order to determine if the chemoautotroph, Nitrobacter, were present. Population densities and species distribution of Nitrobacter were studied in relation to chemical and physical parameters for …

The Effect Of Cave Entrances On The Distribution Of Cave-Inhabiting Terrestrial Arthropods, Stewart B. Peck

International Journal of Speleology

Populations of cave invertebrates are generally considered to be food-limited. The cave entrance is a major source of food input into the community in the form of decaying organic matter. Thus, the densities of scavenging terrestrial cave invertebrates should be related to the distance from the cave entrance because this represents a measure of food abundance. A test showed this expectation to be true in Crossings Cave, Alabama. A population density peak occurred 10 m inside the cave where the dark zone and detritus infall regions meet. The greatest population peak occurred at 100 m where densities of crickets and …

The Life Cycle Of A Kentucky Cave Beetle, Ptomaphagus Hirtus, (Coleoptera; Leiodidae; Catopinae), Stewart B. Peck

International Journal of Speleology

Ptomaphagus hirtus has been successfully kept in laboratory culture at 12.5°C with food in surplus at all times. Eggs hatched in 18.5 days. Three larval instars were present, which had a total larval life span of 42 days. The pupal stage lasted 32 days. Adult males and adult females had average life spans of 2.2 years and 1.6 years respectively. Maximum adult longevity was 4.2 years. Females reached reproductive maturity a month after eclosion, young and old females produced one egg every 3.5 and 3.8 days respectively, and were reproductively active for as long as 2.5 years. Compared to European …

The Ecology Of A Predaceous Troglobitic Beetle, Neaphaenops Tellkampfii (Coleoptera: Carabidae, Trechinae) Ii. Adult Seasonality, Feeding And Recruitment, Russell M. Norton, Thomas C. Kane, Thomas L. Poulson

International Journal of Speleology

In deep cave areas with loose substrate and sufficient moisture, the life history of Neaphaenops tellkampfii (Coleoptera: Carabidae, Trechinae) is synchronized with the seasonal pattern of its primary food sources, the eggs and first instar nymphs of the cave cricket Hadenoecus subterraneus (Orthoptera Gryllacridoidea, Rhaphidophoridae). Neaphaenops reproduction coincides with an order of magnitude increase in Hadenoecus egg input in the spring. Our 46 observations of predation by Neaphaenops suggest some switching to other cave animals as cricket egg and first instar nymph densities decrease during the summer. Neaphaenops life history in areas of Hadenoecus egg input is as follows: (1) …

Studies On The Niche Separation In Two Carabid Cave Beetles, Tom Mckinney

International Journal of Speleology

Population, habitat and behavioural studies carried out on Pseudanophthalmus menetriesi and P. pubescens in the south central Kentucky karst area are described and discussed. Differences which exist in the timing of population recruitment, habitat preference, habitat niche breadth and in the degree of agression are all important in lessening competition between these two species.

Distribution Of Indiana Cavernicolous Crayfishes And Their Ecto-Commensal Ostracods, H. H. Hobbs Iii

International Journal of Speleology

Six species and subspecies of crayfishes and four species of entocytherid ostracods are known to inhabit the subterranean streams of southern Indiana. Cambarus (E.) Iaevis (troglophile) appears to be the most widely distributed crayfish and occurs in both karst areas within the State. The troglobite, Orconectes inermis (2 subspecies), is restricted to the larger karst area in solution cavities of Mississippian carbonate rocks. The remaining crayfishes, Orconectes immunis, Orconectes propinquus and Orconectes sloanii, are not common inhabitants of cave waters and are probably trogloxenes. All of the crayfishes except O. sloanii were found to host at least one …

A Population Study Of The Cave Beetle Ptomaphagus Loedingi (Coleoptera; Leiodidae; Catopinae), Stewart B. Peck

International Journal of Speleology

Baited pitfall traps were used in Barclay Cave, Alabama, in 1965 to study a blind Ptomaphagus beetle population. A 40m² area in the cave yielded 95% of the 897 adult and larval beetles trapped in the cave at 9 stations. This represented a population density of about 13 beetles/m². Tests of different baits showed decayed meat to be the most attractive. Adults were most abundant in mid-August when substrate conditions were moist, were reproductively active, and were not newly emerged from pupal cells. Larvae were most abundant in late August. The population was studied by mark-recapture methods …