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Metabolic Scaling Of Aquatic Macroinvertebrates, Jacob Woelber

Honors Thesis

The common assumption in regard to metabolic rate scaling with body size is the 3/4 law, which predicts a scaling exponent of 0.75 between log metabolic rate and log body size. Supporting evidence exists for this theory on a large, general scale. However, factors such as temperature, predation, and environment can cause the scaling exponent to deviate from 0.75. This paper takes a closer look at the effects of temperature and predation on metabolic rates via oxygen consumption in freshwater macroinvertebrate populations. To do this, 24 tanks were filled with water to allow natural populations of macroinvertebrates (predominantly Chironomidae) to …

Climate Change-Associated Declines In Water Clarity Impair Feeding By Common Loons, Walter H. Piper, Max R. Glines, Kevin C. Rose

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Climate change has myriad impacts on ecosystems, but the mechanisms by which it affects individual species can be difficult to pinpoint. One strategy to discover such mechanisms is to identify a specific ecological factor related to survival or reproduction and determine how that factor is affected by climate. Here we used Landsat imagery to calculate water clarity for 127 lakes in northern Wisconsin from 1995 to 2021 and thus investigate the effect of clarity on the body condition of an aquatic visual predator, the common loon (Gavia immer). In addition, we examined rainfall and temperature as potential predictors …

Dusky Grouse Population Ecology And Thermal Landscape Ecology In The Great Basin Ecosystem, Stephanie M. Landry

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Dusky Grouse are a mountainous forest grouse found throughout the western, inland mountain ranges of the United States and Canada. While a few studies have looked at Dusky Grouse in the Rocky Mountain Ecosystem of their range, there have been no prior studies of the Dusky Grouse in the Great Basin Ecosystem aside from a brief survey by Zwickel and Bendell in 2004 in the Duck Creek Range of Nevada. With the available habitats differing in both species diversity and availability on the landscape between the two Ecosystems, I wanted to assess characteristics about the Dusky Grouse populations at the …

Climate Interactions Drive Tree Physiology And Growth In A Northeastern Forest Ecotone, Alexandra M. Barry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Climate change is a threat to global forest ecosystems. In the northeastern United States, forest trees are facing rising temperatures and increasingly inconsistent moisture regimes. In addition to long-term changes in climate conditions, there is concern about the potential for more frequent and intense climate extremes, which can have severe and rapid negative effects on tree physiology and growth. Further, climate extremes may co-occur to produce a greater magnitude of effect than the sum of their parts, with a prominent example being hot droughts, which are increasing in occurrence and severity. The impact of these and other extreme climate interactions …

Host-Microbe Interactions In Non-Native Estuarine Anemones: Biogeography And Temperature, Parker K. Lund

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Non-native species are increasing in prevalence around the world, resulting in negative economic and ecological impacts. However, the broad distributions of non-native species also offer a system for investigating the response of host-associated microbial communities to environmental factors across a range of ecological scales. At the broadest scale, I investigated the geography of microbial communities in the non-native estuarine anemone Diadumene lineata on the west coast of the United States of America. Across latitudes, microbial community composition was very similar and displayed a high percentage of Klebsiella spp. at all sites. However, the communities in California tended to exhibit higher …

Effects Of Climate Change On Northern Bobwhite Nesting Chronology And Clutch Size, Justin A. Rectenwald, D. Clay Sisson, James A. Martin

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Widespread changes to breeding bird phenology in response to climate change have been apparent in North America for several decades. While the impact of an earlier breeding season may be minimal by itself, changes in community-level interactions can be greatly influenced because of varying responses to climate change in different trophic levels. Climate change has been shown to alter the onset of breeding season and chick survival, and lead to population declines for game birds in high latitudes, at high elevations, and on the periphery of their range. The topic of climate change in relation to northern bobwhite (Colinus …

Benthic Community Dynamics And Stony Coral Demographics In Florida In Relation To Acute Disturbances And Chronic Pressures, Nicholas P. Jones

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

The persistence of coral reef communities is threatened by a suite of pressures operating at varying spatial and temporal scales. In general, acute disturbances (short term stochastic events such as marine heatwaves or hurricanes) and chronic pressures, such as ocean warming, have caused the most significant changes to stony coral assemblages (order Scleractinia) and continue to impair recovery potential. Additionally, many coral reefs are subject to local chronic anthropogenic pressures resulting in poor water quality or sedimentation, which further impact stony corals and shape benthic community structure, particularly near urbanized coastlines. For the viability of communities on coral reefs, a …

Effects Of Water Quality On Oyster Health On Georgia Coast, Laurel Henderson

Honors College Theses

ABSTRACT

Oysters are an economically and ecologically important shellfish species found along most coastlines. Along the Georgia coastline, oysters form extensive reefs, and are economically important as a food source. In addition, oysters perform a vital role in maintaining water quality due to their high filtration capacity in coastal waters. Oyster reefs form solid, 3-D substrate that prevent coastline erosion and provide structure for numerous other coastal species to grow, including many commercially and recreationally important species. Water quality factors, such as temperature and salinity, can influence oyster density, condition, and growth, and ultimately affect the services the reefs provide …

Thermal Ecophysiology Of Juvenile Anadromous River Herring, Lian W. Guo

Doctoral Dissertations

Temperature controls the rate of all biochemical processes, and thus can significantly influence the physiology and ecology of all living organisms on earth. Understanding how temperature influences fitness can therefore provide insight into mechanisms affecting population size, dynamics, and geographic distributions, especially in the context of climate change. Early life stages of fishes experience significant selective pressure to grow large and accumulate energy reserves in order to avoid predation and starvation. Increasing temperatures will increase routine metabolic rates, which may result in less energy being available for growth and energy storage. In this thesis, I examine the effects of temperature, …

Activity Patterns Among Head-Started Juvenile Alligator Snapping Turtles (Macrochelys Temminckii), Parker R. Golliglee

MSU Graduate Theses

In contrast to many species of aquatic turtle, Alligator Snapping Turtles (Macrochelys temminckii) are putatively nocturnal. Data supporting this assertion are chiefly anecdotal, however, and two recent studies cast doubt on this generalization. Differences in activity patterns may be related to variability in temperature and photoperiod across the species’ range and may be influenced by ontogenetic changes, as well. To assess this, I equipped juvenile Alligator Snapping Turtles spanning a range of different ages with activity data loggers. I used 4-year-old turtles were to measure latitudinal differences in activity which were reared in hatchery ponds spanning the species’ …

The Effects Of High Temperatures On Mating Communication In Songbirds, Casey Marie Coomes

Doctoral Dissertations

Due to climate change, animals around the globe are experiencing the negative impacts of hot temperature extremes. Hot temperatures can affect animals is by inducing behavioral changes. Some of these behavioral changes include reductions in important, fitness-related behaviors such as foraging and mating. One aspect of mating behaviors that high temperatures can impact is communication. In many systems, mating communication consists of a male signaler transmitting a signal to a female receiver, who then uses the signal to assess the male’s quality as a potential mate. High temperatures can impact this process at the level of the signaler, the receiver, …

Social Partners And Temperature Jointly Affect Morning Foraging Activity Of Small Birds In Winter, Anastasia E. Madsen, Laura N. Vander Meiden, Daizaburo Shizuka

Papers in Behavior in Biological Sciences

Daily foraging activity of small wintering birds is classically thought to be driven by the need to gather enough energy reserves to survive each night. A separate line of research has shown that sociality is a major driver in winter foraging activities in many species. Here, we used wintering birds as a study system to move toward an integrative understanding of the influence of energy requirements and sociality on foraging ecology. We used RFID-enabled feeders in Lincoln, Nebraska, USA in January–March 2019 to measure foraging activity in two species (downy woodpeckers, Dryobates pubescens, and white-breasted nuthatches, Sitta carolinensis). …

Steady Heartbeat: Field And Laboratory Studies Indicate Unexpected Resilience To High Temperatures For The Ribbed Mussel Geukensia Demissa, Ashlyn N. Smith Ms.

Honors College Theses

Salt marshes are important ecosystems found along the coast of Georgia. Salt marshes are hosts to diverse organisms that interact with each other to promote many ecosystem services, such as storm buffering and flooding, and absorption of excess nutrients. Among these diverse organisms is the ribbed mussel, Geukensia demissa. Mussels are a foundation species in this intertidal landscape, and without them the whole salt marsh would be negatively affected. The purpose of this investigation was to explore the thermal stress response of G. demissa to rising temperatures. Mussels were collected from three locations that were landlocked, close to a …

Influence Of Burner Position On Temperature Distribution In Soybean Flaming, Miloš Miloš Rajkovic, Goran Malidža, Strahinja Stepanovic, Marko Kostic, Kristina Petrovic

West Central Research and Extension Center, North Platte

The main objective of this study was to identify optimal burner orientation for a newly designed flame cultivator by quantifying the flame temperature distributions of cross, back, and parallel position of burners at different heights of the soybean canopy (distance from the soil surface). Flame temperatures were measured within-row for three burner orientations at seven propane doses (20–100 kg/ha) and eight different canopy heights (0–18 cm above soil surface). Soybean plants in V3 growth stage were flamed with the same doses and burner orientations, and 28 days after treatment (DAT) crop injury (0%–100%), plant height (cm), dry matter (g) and …

Patterns And Potential Causes Of Changing Winter Bird Distributions In South Dakota, David L. Swanson, Reza Goljani Amirkhiz, Mark D. Dixon

The Prairie Naturalist

Average winter temperatures in the north-central United States have been increasing since the 1970s, and this warming might influence winter distributions of birds in the region. Species potentially influenced by such winter warming include short-distance migrants for which the northern boundary of the winter range is influenced by temperature, such as hermit thrush (Catharus guttatus), yellow-rumped warbler (Setophaga coronata), and fox sparrow (Passerella iliaca). We examined winter records during 1974–2017 from a citizen-science bird observation database for South Dakota to determine recent trends in winter records for these three species. We compared their occurrence patterns with those for three benchmark …

The Effects Of Light Level And Temperature On Freshwater Microbial Biomass, Production, Enzyme Activity, And Community Composition, Joel Bonney

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Algae can stimulate the production of heterotrophic microbes in periphyton communities, but the synergistic effects of light and temperature on this phenomenon are not well understood and have implications on carbon cycling and energy flow. We employed recirculating mesocosms held at different temperatures and light levels and filled with Typha litter and attached microbes to assess these effects. Heterotrophic microbial production was greater in the presence of light, as were some periphytic enzyme activities. Few response variables increased in a near-linear fashion with ascending temperature, suggesting different temperature optima. The strength of heterotrophic microbial production responses to algal photosynthesis did …

Evidence Of Local Adaptation To Climate In An Invasive Ectotherm: A Study On The Eurasian Gypsy Moth (Lymantria Dispar) In North America, Phillip M. Gibbs

Theses and Dissertations

Invasive species exist in nearly every ecosystem both terrestrial and aquatic. Improving our understanding of the mechanisms that shape the ability of these organisms to physiologically cope with their surroundings will be crucial to preparing for future impacts of climate change. The Gypsy Moth (Lymantria dispar) has been expanding its range across North America over the last 100+ years since its arrival in Medford, Massachusetts. This study quantifies upper thermal limits (UTL) across 8 different populations of L. dispar in North America and seeks to determine if signals of local adaptation to climate across a latitudinal gradient may …

Fucus Distichus: Investigating Humidity And Temperature Between Tides, Jason Thomas, Andrew Chang, Julia Blum, Chela Zabin

STAR Program Research Presentations

Environmental elements such as changing rapidly changing temperature, prolonged periods of low to no water exposure, desiccation, predation and increased wave action can influence the diversity of microhabitats that inhabit the littoral zones. When making observations of various shorelines, specifically the physical conditions of the surrounding marine vegetation (i.e. Fucus distichus), an inquiry is made as to the role of Fucus in the amelioration of stressors on the marine habitat during low tide (MLLW), however, due to time considerations, temperature and humidity are the focus of this study. Using temperature and humidity probes, monitoring data shows that Fucus provides …

Analyzing Avian Incubation With A Computer Algorithm, Tanya T. Shoot

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

A stable nest environment is necessary for incubation and development of offspring. Birds vary behaviour to regulate temperature for successful hatchlings. I used a hidden Markov model (HMM) to test how environmental conditions affect incubation behaviour. I examined nest temperatures and behaviours collected from Zebra finches that incubated at 30 °C or 14 °C, then incubated in the same or opposite condition for a second clutch. Data loggers and cameras recorded nest temperature and number of parents on nest. The HMM inferred behaviour from recorded behaviours and temperatures. Temperature and offspring success affected incubation duration. Birds that had successful offspring …

Comparison Of Some Epigean And Troglobiotic Animals Regarding Their Metabolism Intensity. Examination Of A Classical Assertion, Tatjana Simčič, Boris Sket

International Journal of Speleology

This study determines oxygen consumption (R), electron transport system (ETS) activity and R/ETS ratio in two pairs of epigean and hypogean crustacean species or subspecies. To date, metabolic characteristics among the phylogenetic distant epigean and hypogean species (i.e., species of different genera) or the epigean and hypogean populations of the same species have been studied due to little opportunity to compare closely related epigean and hypogean species. To fill this gap, we studied the epigean Niphargus zagrebensis and its troglobiotic relative Niphargus stygius, and the epigean subspecies Asellus aquaticus carniolicus in comparison to the troglobiotic subspecies Asellus aquaticus cavernicolus …

The Effects Of Temperature On Maternal Investment Of Ovary Tissue In The Fish Species Danio Rerio, Noah R. Dillon, Alyce Demarais

Summer Research

The impact of climate change is predicted to increase water temperatures by 2 °C on average globally within the next century. As ectotherms, fish metabolism is directly connected to ambient water temperature. With a shift in metabolism due to temperature change, physiological processes like maternal investment may be affected. This study is an ecological and developmental investigation of the impacts of shifting environmental temperature conditions on the reproductive traits of the fish species Danio rerio. This study investigated Danio rerio under different temperatures to measure maternal investment. Female Danio rerio were exposed to temperature treatments 20-30 °C. Ovary tissue …

Quantifying Climate Sensitivity And Climate-Driven Change In North American Amphibian Communities, David A. W. Miller, Evan H Campbell Grant, Erin Muths, Staci M. Amburgey, Michael J. Adams, Maxwell B. Joseph, J. Hardin Waddle, Pieter T. J. Johnson, Maureen E. Ryan, Benedikt R. Schmidt, Daniel L. Calhoun, Courtney L. Davis, Robert N. Fisher, David M. Green, Blake R. Hossack, Tracy A. G. Rittenhouse, Susan C. Walls, Larissa L. Bailey, Sam S. Cruickshank, Gary M. Fellers, Thomas A. Gorman, Carola A. Haas, Ward Hughson, David S. Pilliod, Steve J. Price, Andrew M. Ray, Walt Sadinski, Daniel Saenz, William J. Barichivich, Adrianne Brand

Forestry and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Changing climate will impact species’ ranges only when environmental variability directly impacts the demography of local populations. However, measurement of demographic responses to climate change has largely been limited to single species and locations. Here we show that amphibian communities are responsive to climatic variability, using > 500,000 time-series observations for 81 species across 86 North American study areas. The effect of climate on local colonization and persistence probabilities varies among eco-regions and depends on local climate, species life-histories, and taxonomic classification. We found that local species richness is most sensitive to changes in water availability during breeding and changes in …

Analysis Of Temperature And Salinity Effects On Growth And Mortality Of Oysters (Crassostrea Virginica) In Louisiana, Troy Sehlinger

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Salinity (S) and temperature (T) control every facet of the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) life cycle, principally reproduction, development, growth, and mortality. Previous studies conducted in in the Breton Sound (BR) and Barataria (BA) estuaries have reported differences in growth and mortality rates between the basins. In the present study, environmental conditions were synchronized to compare growth and mortality rates between basins at similar combinations of T and S. Results indicate that when T and S are the same (synchronized), seasonal oyster growth and mortality rates differ between BR and BA. Seasonal analyses revealed that as salinities increased …

Effects Of Warm Ocean Temperatures On Bull Kelp Forests In The Salish Sea, Braeden Schiltroth, Sherryl Bisgrove, Bill Heath

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Kelp beds are marine sanctuaries, providing some of the most productive ecosystems on the planet and serving as critical habitat and refuge for many species, including juvenile salmon. Rising ocean temperature associated with climate change is a major stressor contributing to declines of kelp forests worldwide. In the Salish Sea, we identified bull kelp (Nereocystis leutkeana) populations growing under two different temperature regimes. Since 2011, kelp growing in the central Strait of Georgia has been exposed to sea surface temperatures (SSTs) of 15-21 °C in the summer months, which is 5-6 °C warmer than temperatures in the Strait of Juan …

Recent Conditions Highlight Regional Differences In Temperature, Salinity And Dissolved Oxygen Between Strait Of Juan De Fuca And Puget Sound Sites Under Anomalous 2014-2017 Climate Patterns, Julia Bos, Christopher Krembs, S. L. Albertson, Mya Keyzers, Allison Brownlee, Carol Maloy

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Understanding impacts of climate change on Salish Sea water quality is critical yet challenging due to the complexity, strength and diversity of influences on circulation and mixing. Different extreme climate conditions in recent years (2014-2017) include record warm temperatures with reduced snow pack in 2014-2015 followed by a few years of alternating summer droughts with record rainy seasons. These conditions influenced marine water temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen (DO) throughout the Salish Sea. Analyses reveal distinct differences in these key physical and chemical characteristics between Strait of Juan de Fuca sites and sites within Puget Sound basins. Extremely low DO …

Tipping The Balance: The Impact Of Eelgrass Wasting Disease In A Changing Ocean, Morgan Eisenlord, Colleen Amy Burge, Phoebe D. Dawkins, Reyn Yoshioka, Tyler Tran, Natalie Rivlin, Miranda Winningham, Clio Jensen, Kathy Van Alstyne, Drew Harvell

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Infectious disease has the potential to cause devastating damage to valuable marine organisms and habitats. Eelgrass wasting disease (EGWD), caused by the pathogenic protist Labyrinthula zosterae (LZ), has caused mass die-offs in Zostera marina at regional and global scales. Despite this, little is known about the host-pathogen interaction or disease drivers in the Salish Sea. To determine the regional impact of EGWD, we measured summer prevalence and severity in the San Juan Islands, Padilla Bay, Hood Canal, South Puget Sound, and Willapa Bay. We used cultures and quantitative PCR to verify results, measuring LZ load in lesioned tissue from multiple …

Chinook Habitat Restoration Decision Support Tool- Identifying Chinook Salmon Habitat Restoration Effectiveness Based On Temperature, Flow, And Bioenergetics Models, Andrew Spanjer, Patrick W. Moran, Robert Black

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Stream restoration projects focus on improving habitat for Pacific Salmonids in watersheds throughout the Pacific Northwest. Currently, few comprehensive tools are available for managers to mechanistically predict the improved fish growth that comes with restoration actions, such as riparian acquisitions, riparian planting or levee setbacks. Therefore, managers need tools that can predict salmonid growth potential given different decision scenarios. One approach to address the Puget Sound Partnership’s regional chinook recovery goals would be a linked stream temperature, flow, and fish bioenergetics model that predict chinook growth benefits of different remediation strategies. Considered strategies will include changes to riparian habitat and …

Is Local Adaptation A Factor In Planning Eelgrass Restoration? Initial Assessment Of Responses To Temperature By Eelgrass Growing Across A Stressor Gradient, Kate Buenau, Celia Thurman, John Vavrinec, A. B. (Amy B.) Borde, Ronald M. Thom

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Large-scale eelgrass restoration in an environment as complex as the Salish Sea requires estimating the effects of a wide range of environmental conditions (e.g. temperature, salinity, turbidity) on the effectiveness of restoration actions in different locations. We have developed a spatial model of eelgrass growth in response to environmental drivers, based on physiological data collected in Sequim Bay, WA, to aid in identifying restoration sites. However, field tests suggest that the model underestimates the capability of eelgrass to grow in conditions more stressful than Sequim Bay. A critical uncertainty is the extent of localized genotypic and/or phenotypic adaptations by eelgrass …

Using Ferry Monitoring Data To Explore The Importance Of Isotherms On The Winter Survival Of Northern Anchovy In Puget Sound, Suzan Pool, Christopher Krembs, Julia Bos, S. L. Albertson

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The Salish Sea displays strong seasonality in water temperature which can impose physiological limits on temperature sensitive species. Puget Sound, in winter, relies on ocean water as a heat source whereas in summer, the gradient is reversed. The dynamic exchange of Puget Sound with coastal water dictates the spatial and temporal patterns of isotherms that are relevant to temperature sensitive species. Recent winters with increased water temperature may expand the range of certain species to be able to survive in Puget Sound over the winter. Northern anchovy (Engraulis mordax) are pelagic spawners and survive in between 8 and 25 °C …

Cold Temperature Effects On Byssal Thread Production By The Native Mussel Geukensia Demissa Versus The Non-Native Mussel Mytella Charruana, Sasha Brodsky

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

Mytella charruana is a Central/South American mussel that has been found as an introduced species along the southeastern Atlantic coast of the United States since 2004. Previous experiments have determined the lethal thermal minimum of M. charruana to be between 6-9° C. Continuous byssal thread production is essential for mussel survival as it is used for attachment to substrates in natural environments, but may decrease when environmental conditions deviate from their optimum. We sought to determine whether M. charruana exhibits a non-lethal, thermal response involving a reduction in byssal thread production. Mytella charruana and, for comparison, a native mussel species, …