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Articles 1 - 7 of 7
Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network
On Global Change, Direct And Indirect Interactions, And The Structure Of Ecological Communities: Theoretical And Empirical Tests, Mariano Alberto Rodriguez Cabal
On Global Change, Direct And Indirect Interactions, And The Structure Of Ecological Communities: Theoretical And Empirical Tests, Mariano Alberto Rodriguez Cabal
Doctoral Dissertations
Human induced global change (climate change, CO2 enrichment, nitrogen deposition, habitat degradation and biological invasions) is the most serious threat to biodiversity. Understanding how ecosystems will respond to different components of global change, and how these responses will affect key ecological processes, has become essential in contemporary ecology. For example, several studies have shown that exotic invasive species have negative impacts on the composition of communities, habitat structure and ecosystem processes. Particularly, exotic species may have negative effects on species interactions due to local extinctions, competition and/or replacement of interactions. Despite the large body of research demonstrating the negative …
Multi-Level Impacts Of Introduced Wild Boar On Patagonian Ecosystems, Maria Noelia Barrios Garcia Moar
Multi-Level Impacts Of Introduced Wild Boar On Patagonian Ecosystems, Maria Noelia Barrios Garcia Moar
Doctoral Dissertations
Biological invasions are a pervasive global change that threatens biodiversity and the functioning of natural ecosystems, yet most studies focus on population impacts. Furthermore, the effects of invasive species on ecosystems are greatest when they introduce a novel disturbance. In this dissertation I reviewed the impact of wild boar (Sus scrofa) on native communities worldwide, identifying research needs. Wild boar overturns extensive areas of vegetation to feed on belowground plant parts, insects and fungi, thus altering native ecosystems integrity. By means of observational and experimental studies I addressed some of the research gaps on the impact of wild …
Microbial Community Structure And Ecosystem Function In A Changing World, Melissa Ann Cregger
Microbial Community Structure And Ecosystem Function In A Changing World, Melissa Ann Cregger
Doctoral Dissertations
Understanding the effects climate change will have on the structure and function of global ecosystems is a pressing ecological and social issue. Global change driven changes in atmospheric warming and precipitation régimes have begun to alter the distribution of plants and animals in, as well as the function of, ecosystems. Using two large-scale climate change manipulations, I assessed the effect of changing precipitation and temperature regimes on soil microbial community structure and function. Soil microbial communities regulate decomposition and nutrient cycling rates in ecosystems, thus understanding their response to climatic changes will enable scientists to better predict carbon feedbacks to …
Evolutionary Interactions In Invasive Species: The Importance Of Plant-Soil Feedbacks To Local Adaptation And Rapid Evolution, Emmi Felker-Quinn
Evolutionary Interactions In Invasive Species: The Importance Of Plant-Soil Feedbacks To Local Adaptation And Rapid Evolution, Emmi Felker-Quinn
Doctoral Dissertations
Interactions between intraspecific plant variation and the environment can create evolutionary and ecosystem feedbacks, but the contribution of these feedbacks to the success of invasive plant species has rarely been explored or quantified. To test whether evolution occurs during the process of plant invasion I conducted three major experiments and a meta-analysis to test various aspects of this central question. First, I conducted a meta-analysis of studies that tested the Evolution of Increased Competitive Ability (EICA) hypothesis. The meta-analysis did not support EICA’s prediction that release from herbivores leads to reduced defenses and higher performance, but it showed that evolutionary …
Comparative Analysis Of Courtship In Agelenopsis Funnel-Web Spiders (Araneae, Agelenidae) With An Emphasis On Potential Isolating Mechanisms, Audra Blair Galasso
Comparative Analysis Of Courtship In Agelenopsis Funnel-Web Spiders (Araneae, Agelenidae) With An Emphasis On Potential Isolating Mechanisms, Audra Blair Galasso
Doctoral Dissertations
The genus Agelenopsis (Araneae, Agelenidae) is a group of morphologically similar funnel-web spiders with overlapping habitat requirements and geographic ranges. Yet, molecular evidence suggests this group has undergone recent speciation with no evidence of hybridization. In this dissertation, I explored courtship divergence as a possible explanation for the formation and coexistence of these species. Courtship behavior patterns, sequences, and vibratory signals were compared across 12 Agelenopsis species and three related outgroup species. Courtship in Agelenopsis was found to be comparatively long but not completely species-specific. To investigate mechanisms of reproductive isolation within the genus, interspecific crosses were staged in the …
Diversity And Activity Of Roseobacters And Roseophage, Charles Ryan Budinoff
Diversity And Activity Of Roseobacters And Roseophage, Charles Ryan Budinoff
Doctoral Dissertations
Bacteria of the Roseobacter lineage are dominant bacterioplankton in coastal systems and contribute significantly to secondary production in oceanic environments. Generalities of Roseobacter ecology, diversity, and distributions are known, but the intraspecific differences between species and their dynamics over short temporal periods is not well understood. Bacteriophage that infect Roseobacters (‘roseophage’) have the potential to shunt secondary production into the dissolved carbon pool and through the process of infection alter Roseobacter physiology. Despite their significance, little effort was made prior to the onset of this study to characterize roseophage. Using culture dependent and independent approaches, I describe the diversity and …
Ecological And Evolutionary Consequences Of Genotypic Variation And Indirect Genetic Effects On Plant-Neighbor Interactions, Mark Alan Genung
Ecological And Evolutionary Consequences Of Genotypic Variation And Indirect Genetic Effects On Plant-Neighbor Interactions, Mark Alan Genung
Doctoral Dissertations
Most explanations for community structure exclude the effects of genes above the population level, but recent research suggests that distinct genotypes of dominant plant species can also play important roles in structuring associated communities and influencing ecosystem processes. However, very little is understood about how the outcomes of plant-neighbor interactions are determined by intraspecific genotypic variation and indirect genetic effects (IGEs), which are influences on the phenotype of a focal individual due to the expression of genes in an interacting individual. Using clones of both Solidago altissima and Solidago gigantea, we established two common garden experiments and a decomposition …