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Life Sciences

William & Mary

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Theses/Dissertations

2003

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Comparison Of Mussel-Bed Faunas At Blake Ridge And Florida Escarpment Seeps, Kathleen Elizabeth Knick Jan 2003

Comparison Of Mussel-Bed Faunas At Blake Ridge And Florida Escarpment Seeps, Kathleen Elizabeth Knick

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Role Of The Cytoskeleton In Nucleocytoplasmic Shuttling Of The Thyroid Hormone Receptor, Mandi Leigh Payne Brock Jan 2003

Role Of The Cytoskeleton In Nucleocytoplasmic Shuttling Of The Thyroid Hormone Receptor, Mandi Leigh Payne Brock

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Homing Success Of Migrants Versus Nonmigrants: Do Differences In Spatial Memory Generalize Across Spatial Scales?, Jeffrey T. Keiser Jan 2003

Homing Success Of Migrants Versus Nonmigrants: Do Differences In Spatial Memory Generalize Across Spatial Scales?, Jeffrey T. Keiser

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Distribution, Abundance, And Home Range Of The Whip-Poor-Will (Caprimulgus Vociferus) In A Managed Forest Landscape, Michael Daniel Wilson Jan 2003

Distribution, Abundance, And Home Range Of The Whip-Poor-Will (Caprimulgus Vociferus) In A Managed Forest Landscape, Michael Daniel Wilson

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Use Of Ponds And Lakes By Resident Canada Geese, Phillip D. West Jan 2003

Use Of Ponds And Lakes By Resident Canada Geese, Phillip D. West

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Evolution And Analysis Of A Catalytically Effective Model Enzyme: The Importance Of Active Site Orientation And Tuned Conformational Fluctuations, G. S. Blair Williams Jan 2003

Evolution And Analysis Of A Catalytically Effective Model Enzyme: The Importance Of Active Site Orientation And Tuned Conformational Fluctuations, G. S. Blair Williams

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


A Semi-Empirical Cellular Automata Model For Wildfire Monitoring From A Geosynchronous Space Platform, Brian D. Killough Jan 2003

A Semi-Empirical Cellular Automata Model For Wildfire Monitoring From A Geosynchronous Space Platform, Brian D. Killough

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The environmental and human impacts of wildfires have grown considerably in recent years due to an increase in their frequency and coverage. Effective wildfire management and suppression requires real-time data to locate fire fronts, model their propagation and assess the impact of biomass burning. Existing empirical wildfire models are based on fuel properties and meteorological data with inadequate spatial or temporal sampling. A geosynchronous space platform with the proposed set of high resolution infrared detectors provides a unique capability to monitor fires at improved spatial and temporal resolutions. The proposed system is feasible with state-of-the-art hardware and software for high …


Food Fight! America's Ideological Battle Over Lunch, Julie Lynn Lautenschlager Jan 2003

Food Fight! America's Ideological Battle Over Lunch, Julie Lynn Lautenschlager

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The history of organized feeding programs in American workplaces and schools reveals a complex tale of coordinated efforts toward the goal of altering individual eating habits. A secondary benefit of this process accrues when that individual spreads the influence of new ideas to others. Working both in concert and isolation, various interests including both individuals and organizations, have attempted to alter the eating habits of their subjects toward the goals of increased Americanization, socialization, or productivity. their efforts have shaped the role of lunch in modern American food ideology. This dissertation examines that process, its major players, and effects beginning …


Imposex As An Indication Of Butyltin Exposure In The Veined Rapa Whelk (Rapana Venosa), A Chesapeake Bay Invader, Ethan Alexander Jestel Jan 2003

Imposex As An Indication Of Butyltin Exposure In The Veined Rapa Whelk (Rapana Venosa), A Chesapeake Bay Invader, Ethan Alexander Jestel

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Diet Of The Sandbar Shark, Carcharhinus Plumbeus, In Chesapeake Bay And Adjacent Waters, Julia K. Ellis Jan 2003

Diet Of The Sandbar Shark, Carcharhinus Plumbeus, In Chesapeake Bay And Adjacent Waters, Julia K. Ellis

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The sandbar shark, Carcharhinus plumbeus, is the most abundant large coastal shark in the temperate and tropical waters of the northwest Atlantic Ocean. The Chesapeake Bay, Virginia and adjacent waters serve as a nursery ground for C. plumbeus as well as many other fauna. Characterizing the diet of a higher trophic level predator such as the sandbar shark sheds light on a small portion of the temporally and spatially complex food web in the Bay. This study describes the diet of the sandbar shark, highlighting differences in diet within various portions of the nursery area, as well as ontogenetic changes …


Historical Diet Analysis Of Loggerhead (Caretta Caretta) And Kemp's Ridley (Lepidochelys Kempi) Sea Turtles In Virginia, Erin E. Seney Jan 2003

Historical Diet Analysis Of Loggerhead (Caretta Caretta) And Kemp's Ridley (Lepidochelys Kempi) Sea Turtles In Virginia, Erin E. Seney

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The Chesapeake Bay and coastal waters of Virginia, U.S.A. serve as foraging grounds for loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and Kemp’s ridley (Lepidochelys kempi) sea turtles from approximately May to October each year. Both loggerheads and Kemp’s ridleys are known to feed primarily on benthic invertebrates as juveniles and adults, but specific prey preferences vary between geographic regions. The Virginia Institute of Marine Science Sea Turtle Program has collected diet data and gut samples from stranded and incidentally caught sea turtles in Virginia since 1979. Examination of turtles that stranded in Virginia during the late 1970s and early 1980s indicated that loggerheads …


A Genetic Analysis Of The Intraspecific Relationships Of Tropical Marine Shorefishes Common To Bermuda And The Southeastern Atlantic Coast Of The United States, Kelly R. Johnson Jan 2003

A Genetic Analysis Of The Intraspecific Relationships Of Tropical Marine Shorefishes Common To Bermuda And The Southeastern Atlantic Coast Of The United States, Kelly R. Johnson

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Ecosystem Gas Exchange In Natural And Created Tidal Salt Marshes Of Tidewater, Virginia, Molly Mitchell Roggero Jan 2003

Ecosystem Gas Exchange In Natural And Created Tidal Salt Marshes Of Tidewater, Virginia, Molly Mitchell Roggero

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Bacterial Properties And Dissolved Organic Matter Distributions In The Black Sea, Jessica A. Morgan Jan 2003

Bacterial Properties And Dissolved Organic Matter Distributions In The Black Sea, Jessica A. Morgan

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Biology Of Mated Triploid Crassostrea Ariakensis In Multiple Environments: Gametogenesis, Sex Ratio, Disease Prevalence, And Reversion, Alan J. Erskine Jan 2003

Biology Of Mated Triploid Crassostrea Ariakensis In Multiple Environments: Gametogenesis, Sex Ratio, Disease Prevalence, And Reversion, Alan J. Erskine

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Genetic Variation Within And Among The Suminoe Oyster (Crassostrea Ariakensis) Populations And Stocks As Assessed By Molecular Markers, Qian Zhang Jan 2003

Genetic Variation Within And Among The Suminoe Oyster (Crassostrea Ariakensis) Populations And Stocks As Assessed By Molecular Markers, Qian Zhang

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


A Genetic Investigation Of Population Structure And Phylogenetics Of The Benthic Polychaete Paraprionospio Pinnata In Chesapeake Bay, Julie Beck Stubbs Jan 2003

A Genetic Investigation Of Population Structure And Phylogenetics Of The Benthic Polychaete Paraprionospio Pinnata In Chesapeake Bay, Julie Beck Stubbs

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Persistent Organic Pollutants At The Base Of The Antarctic Marine Food Web, Amy Lee Chiuchiolo Jan 2003

Persistent Organic Pollutants At The Base Of The Antarctic Marine Food Web, Amy Lee Chiuchiolo

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Effects Of Sediment Characteristics On The Distribution Of Fiddler Crabs (Uca Spp) At Goodwin Island, Virginia, Landon Alan Ward Jan 2003

Effects Of Sediment Characteristics On The Distribution Of Fiddler Crabs (Uca Spp) At Goodwin Island, Virginia, Landon Alan Ward

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Long Term Permanent Vegetation Plot Studies In The Matoaka Woods, Williamsburg, Virginia : Establishment And Initial Data Analysis Of Plots Established With The North Carolina Vegetation Survey Protocol, Resampling Of Single Circular Plots And A Comparison Of Results From North Carolina Vegetation Survey Protocol And Single Circular Plot Methods, Jacob Robert George Kribel Jan 2003

Long Term Permanent Vegetation Plot Studies In The Matoaka Woods, Williamsburg, Virginia : Establishment And Initial Data Analysis Of Plots Established With The North Carolina Vegetation Survey Protocol, Resampling Of Single Circular Plots And A Comparison Of Results From North Carolina Vegetation Survey Protocol And Single Circular Plot Methods, Jacob Robert George Kribel

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Microbial Dynamics And Biogeochemistry In The North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, Matthew J. Church Jan 2003

Microbial Dynamics And Biogeochemistry In The North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, Matthew J. Church

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The research presented in this dissertation describes the influence of planktonic bacterial growth on upper ocean organic matter dynamics in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre (NPSG). Examination of the temporal dynamics in dissolved organic matter (DOM) was coupled with investigations that targeted the influence of heterotrophic bacterial production (HBP) on organic matter fluxes in the NPSG. Nine cruises to the Hawaii Ocean Time-series field site Station ALOHA revealed that HBP accounted for a large flux of organic carbon in the upper ocean of the NPSG. HBP was significantly enhanced by sunlight, with photoenhancement of HBP accounting for 3.2 mol C …


A Theoretical And Experimental Study Of Allee Effects, Joanna Gascoigne Jan 2003

A Theoretical And Experimental Study Of Allee Effects, Joanna Gascoigne

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Allee effects occur when fitness suffers at low population size or density. This can lead to reduced population growth rate and a critical density below which extinction occurs. Allee effects can occur in reproduction or survival. Critical densities are higher in reproductive Allee effects than in juvenile survival Allee effects, making reproductive Allee effects more severe (higher extinction probability). In terms of the critical Allee effect threshold, reproductive Allee effects are more severe in r-selected populations, while juvenile survival Allee effects are more severe in K-selected populations. For populations with negative density dependence, there is a maximum critical Allee threshold, …


An Analysis Of Wetland Patterns And Functions At The Watershed And Sub-Watershed Scales, With *Policy Applications, Jennifer Newton Bissonnette Jan 2003

An Analysis Of Wetland Patterns And Functions At The Watershed And Sub-Watershed Scales, With *Policy Applications, Jennifer Newton Bissonnette

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

This dissertation addresses the need to define potential impacts of recent and proposed changes in federal wetland regulation in a quantifiable manner. Consideration was made not only of total wetland acreage and wetland types that could sustain losses, but also to categorize the effect such losses would have in terms of wetland functions, at the watershed scale. This work took a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) approach, and included employing a best-professional judgment model for scoring habitat, water quality and flood attenuation functions to determine potential cumulative impacts; a water quality study which related wetland and watershed variables to nutrient and …


Synalpheus Shrimp From Carrie Bow Cay, Belize. Systematics, Phylogenetics And Biological Observations (Crustacea: Decapoda: ; Alpheidae), Ruben Rios Gonzalez Jan 2003

Synalpheus Shrimp From Carrie Bow Cay, Belize. Systematics, Phylogenetics And Biological Observations (Crustacea: Decapoda: ; Alpheidae), Ruben Rios Gonzalez

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Snapping shrimp in the family Alpheidae are remarkably abundant in coral reef ecosystems worldwide. The second most speciose genus, Synalpheus , includes species usually small and reclusive, and their general morphology is notably uniform, yet the number of species is staggeringly high, as is the intraspecific variability. These features have contributed to a poorly resolved taxonomic status, as evidenced both by recurring lumping and splitting of species and by lack of proper definition of several common species. I examined western Atlantic species of Synalpheus in the large and regionally dominant "Gambarelloides group of species", an informal but widely used guild …


Inverse Model Analysis Of Plankton Food Webs In The North Atlantic And Western Antarctic Peninsula, Robert M. Daniels Jan 2003

Inverse Model Analysis Of Plankton Food Webs In The North Atlantic And Western Antarctic Peninsula, Robert M. Daniels

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Characterization Of The Xgat-1 Gene In Xenopus Laevis, Lisa Layne August Jan 2003

Characterization Of The Xgat-1 Gene In Xenopus Laevis, Lisa Layne August

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


A Mycobacterium-Inducible Nramp In Striped Bass Morone Saxatilis, Erin Jeffrey Burge Jan 2003

A Mycobacterium-Inducible Nramp In Striped Bass Morone Saxatilis, Erin Jeffrey Burge

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

In mammals, the natural resistance-associated macrophage protein 1 gene, Nramp1, plays a major role in resistance to mycobacterial infections. Chesapeake Bay (USA) striped bass, Morone saxatilis, are currently experiencing an epizootic of mycobacteriosis that threatens the health of this ecologically and economically important species. This dissertation characterizes an Nramp gene in this species (MsNramp ) and provide evidence for induction following Mycobacterium exposure. The striped bass MsNramp gene and 554 amino acid sequence contain all the signal features of the Nramp family, including a topology of 12 transmembrane domains (TM), the transport protein specific 'binding-protein-dependent transport system inner membrane component …


Metabolic Rates And Bioenergetics Of Juvenile Sandbar Sharks (Carcharhinus Plumbeus), W. Wesley Dowd Jan 2003

Metabolic Rates And Bioenergetics Of Juvenile Sandbar Sharks (Carcharhinus Plumbeus), W. Wesley Dowd

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The lower Chesapeake Bay and adjacent coastal waters serve as the primary summer nursery areas for juvenile sandbar sharks (Carcharhinus plumbeus) in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean. The large population of juvenile sandbar sharks in this ecosystem benefits from increased food availability that fuels rapid growth and from limited exposure to large shark predators. Juvenile growth and survival is the most critical life history stage for sandbar sharks, and juvenile nursery grounds will continue to play an important role in the slow recovery of this stock from severe population declines due to overfishing. The goal of this study was to assess …


Taxonomic Composition And Growth Rates Of Phytoplankton Assemblages At The Subtropical Convergence East Of New Zealand, Liza M. Delizo Jan 2003

Taxonomic Composition And Growth Rates Of Phytoplankton Assemblages At The Subtropical Convergence East Of New Zealand, Liza M. Delizo

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Bioavailability Of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (Pbdes) In Biosolids And Spiked Sediment To The Aquatic Worm Lumbriculus Variegatus, Serena Ciparis Jan 2003

Bioavailability Of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (Pbdes) In Biosolids And Spiked Sediment To The Aquatic Worm Lumbriculus Variegatus, Serena Ciparis

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.