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Delineating Metrics Of Diversity For A Snake Community In A Rare Ecosystem, Zachary John Marcou
Delineating Metrics Of Diversity For A Snake Community In A Rare Ecosystem, Zachary John Marcou
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Snakes are among the least understood vertebrate groups despite their considerable diversity. A diverse community of snakes in an ecosystem can indicate a complex habitat structure that is capable of supporting a robust assemblage of other biota. I used remote photography arrays (RPA) to quantify metrics of diversity for the snake community occurring in a ~7,000–ha tract of contiguous Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris) Savanna within the Angelina National Forest (ANF; Angelina and Jasper Cos., TX), over the course of two consecutive snake activity seasons. I quantified the snake species richness, Shannon diversity, and Shannon equitability for the snake community in …
Biodiversity And Evolution In The Guiana Shield, South America, Andrew Michael Snyder
Biodiversity And Evolution In The Guiana Shield, South America, Andrew Michael Snyder
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The neotropics are characterized as the most species rich region in the world. Unfortunately, the region's unparalleled biodiversity has not protected it from ongoing threats such as agriculture, mining, logging, oil extraction, and climate change. I studied the biodiversity and evolution of the herpetofauna of South America in order to investigate the influence of historical geological and climatological events in shaping extant neotropical diversity, particularly the Guiana shield. For my research, I set out to explore the processes involved in shaping the remarkable extant diversity using anuran amphibians as models. With my dissertation, I provide a comprehensive review of the …