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Articles 1 - 13 of 13
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Characterizing The Vertical Structure And Structural Diversity Of Florida Oak Scrub Vegetation Using Discrete-Return Lidar, James J. Angelo
Characterizing The Vertical Structure And Structural Diversity Of Florida Oak Scrub Vegetation Using Discrete-Return Lidar, James J. Angelo
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Vertical structure, the top-to-bottom arrangement of aboveground vegetation, is an important component of forest and shrubland ecosystems. For many decades, ecologists have used foliage height profiles and other measures of vertical structure to identify discrete stages in post-disturbance succession and to quantify the heterogeneity of vegetation. Such studies have, however, required resource-intensive field surveys and have been limited to relatively small spatial extents (e.g.,
Using Landscape Genetics To Assess Population Connectivity In A Habitat Generalist, Tyler Duncan Hether
Using Landscape Genetics To Assess Population Connectivity In A Habitat Generalist, Tyler Duncan Hether
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Understanding the nature of genetic variation in natural populations is an underlying theme of population genetics. In recent years population genetics has benefited from the incorporation of landscape and environmental data into pre-existing models of isolation by distance (IBD) to elucidate features influencing spatial genetic variation. Many of these landscape genetics studies have focused on populations separated by discrete barriers (e.g., mountain ridges) or species with specific habitat requirements (i.e., habitat specialists). One difficulty in using a landscape genetics approach for taxa with less stringent habitat requirements (i.e., generalists) is the lack of obvious barriers to gene flow and preference …
The Role Of The Feral Pig (Sus Scrofa) As A Disturbance Agent And Seed Disperser In Central Florida's Natural Lands, Camille Rose Brescacin
The Role Of The Feral Pig (Sus Scrofa) As A Disturbance Agent And Seed Disperser In Central Florida's Natural Lands, Camille Rose Brescacin
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Feral pigs (Sus scrofa) are considered to be among the world’s worst invasive species due to their successful invasion and ecological and economic impact to native and agricultural plants and animals around the world. Feral pigs are significant disturbance agents that destroy plant communities, change soil characteristics, alter nutrient cycling, and create open sites for colonization of both native and non-native plant species through their foraging behavior called rooting. In contrast to native animal disturbances, rooting is a striking feature in the landscape that varies in space, seasonal timing, frequency (number of times rooted), and intensity (depth of rooting). During …
Estimating Diet And Food Selectivity Of The Lower Keys Marsh Rabbit Using Stable Isotope Analysis, Matthew James Gordon
Estimating Diet And Food Selectivity Of The Lower Keys Marsh Rabbit Using Stable Isotope Analysis, Matthew James Gordon
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Understanding the effect of food abundance on feeding behavior can benefit conservation efforts in many ways, such as to determine whether impacted environments need food supplementation, whether different locations of threatened species contain different food abundances, or whether reintroduction sites are missing key components of a species’ diet. I studied the relationship between feeding behavior and food abundance in the Lower Keys marsh rabbit (Sylvilagus palustris hefneri), an endangered subspecies endemic to the lower Florida Keys. Specifically, my study set out to measure the relative abundance of the primary plants within the natural habitat of the Lower Keys marsh rabbit …
The Influence Of Sexual Selection On Behavioral And Physiological Mechanisms Underlying Reproductive Success In Male Cape Ground Squirrels (Xerus Inauris), Mary Beth Manjerovic
The Influence Of Sexual Selection On Behavioral And Physiological Mechanisms Underlying Reproductive Success In Male Cape Ground Squirrels (Xerus Inauris), Mary Beth Manjerovic
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Sexual selection is considered a powerful evolutionary force responsible for the enormous diversity found in reproductive morphology, physiology, and behavior. I addressed questions related to selection in the Cape ground squirrel (Xerus inauris), a species characterized as highly social and promiscuous. These attributes often are responsible for variance in male reproductive success and as such, sexual selection theory predicts increased opportunity for sexual selection. I confirm that the predominant mechanism underlying genital evolution and competition for paternity in X. inauris is sperm competition. I find evidence that investment in sperm competition is costly and may reflect immunocompetence. I quantify reproductive …
Treefrog (Hyla Squirella) Responses To Rangeland And Management In Semi-Tropical Florida, Usa, Kathryn Windes
Treefrog (Hyla Squirella) Responses To Rangeland And Management In Semi-Tropical Florida, Usa, Kathryn Windes
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
As urban areas expand, agricultural lands become increasingly important habitat for many species. Compared to some types of agricultural land-use, ranchlands provide vast expanses of minimally modified habitat that support many threatened and endangered species. Conservation biologists can promote ecologically sound management approaches by quantifying the effects of agricultural practices on resident species. I examined the effects of pasture management, cattle grazing, and landscape characteristics on both adult and larval treefrogs in a ranchland in south-central Florida. I experimentally determined optimal deployment of artificial treefrog shelters constructed of polyvinylchloride (PVC) pipe to efficiently sample adult treefrogs (Chapter 1). Seventy-two shelters …
Abiotic Differences Between Green Turtle (Chelonia Mydas) Nests In Natural Beach And Engineered Dunes: Effects On Hatching Success, Martha Balfour
Abiotic Differences Between Green Turtle (Chelonia Mydas) Nests In Natural Beach And Engineered Dunes: Effects On Hatching Success, Martha Balfour
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Habitat loss is among the biggest threats to conservation worldwide, so habitat restoration plays an increasing role in endangered species management. This is especially true for species with high site fidelity, such as nesting marine turtles. Sand replenishment is commonly used to restore coastal beaches after severe erosion events, and may affect marine turtles and other species that live or reproduce in that habitat. I investigated how abiotic characteristics of sand used in a dune restoration project at Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, Florida, affected reproduction of the federally-endangered green turtle (Chelonia mydas). Sand structure and composition can affect egg …
An Assessment Of Sea Turtle Nesting Behavior In Relation To Hurricane- And Restoration-Induced Beach Morphodynamics, Tonya Michele Long
An Assessment Of Sea Turtle Nesting Behavior In Relation To Hurricane- And Restoration-Induced Beach Morphodynamics, Tonya Michele Long
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Coastal habitats are highly dynamic and vulnerable to landscape-level disturbances such as storms and restoration projects. Along the east coast of Florida these areas are particularly valuable as they provide significant nesting habitat for two sea turtle species, the threatened loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and the endangered green turtle (Chelonia mydas). This coast was heavily impacted by three major hurricanes in 2004 and in some areas by large restoration projects in 2005. Recent remote sensing methods allow for broad evaluation of the shoreline and thus the ability to assess sea turtle nesting habitat at a landscape scale. I collected nesting data …
Taxonomy Versus Phylogeny Phylogeography Of Marsh Rabbits Without Hopping To Conclusions, Rosanna M. Tursi
Taxonomy Versus Phylogeny Phylogeography Of Marsh Rabbits Without Hopping To Conclusions, Rosanna M. Tursi
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Subspecific taxonomic designations solely based on morphological characters can often lead to erroneous assumptions about the evolutionary history of populations. This study sought to investigate evolutionary questions and conservation implications associated with morphological subspecific designations of island populations. To this end, I focused my attention on the Lower Keys of Florida, a unique chain of islands with well-known geologic history and rich in endemic, endangered subspecies. I employed genetic analyses to evaluate historical variation and contemporary restriction of gene flow between the endangered Lower Keys marsh rabbit (Sylvilagus palustris hefneri) and its sister mainland taxa. A Bayesian phylogeny using 1063 …
Species Composition And Spatiotemporal Pattern Of The Seed Bank And Vegetation In Native And Degraded Florida Rosemary Scrub, Jennifer J. Navarra
Species Composition And Spatiotemporal Pattern Of The Seed Bank And Vegetation In Native And Degraded Florida Rosemary Scrub, Jennifer J. Navarra
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The soil seed bank plays a dynamic role in the regeneration of plant communities after natural and anthropogenic disturbance. In this thesis, I addressed how disturbances influence the vegetation and seed bank of Florida rosemary scrub. In Chapter One I evaluated changes in species composition and spatiotemporal pattern of the vegetation and seed bank along a gradient of disturbance. During the summers and winters of 2007-2009 percent ground cover and seed bank species composition were assessed among replicates of three vegetation types subjected to minimal, moderate, and extreme anthropogenic disturbance (native rosemary scrub, degraded scrub, and agriculturally improved pasture, respectively). …
Geographic Variation In Post-Mating Immune Gene Expression In Drosophila Melanogaster, Cheryl Ann Pinzone
Geographic Variation In Post-Mating Immune Gene Expression In Drosophila Melanogaster, Cheryl Ann Pinzone
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
An organism's immune response may vary due to pathogen pressure in its environment, as well as due to interactions with other organisms. These factors, along with geographic rules (i.e. Gloger's rule) may influence the geographic distribution of the immune response within populations of a species. Here we use real-time quantitative PCR to measure the immune gene expression in six populations collected along the eastern U.S. of Drosophila melanogaster after mating. Antimicrobial genes did not show significant differences in expression due to location, whereas we did observe differences in anti-fungal and pro-phenoloxidase (anti-macromolecule) related genes. These differences in anti-macromolecule resistance are …
Clonality And Genetic Diversity In Polygonella Myriophylla, A Lake Wales Ridge Endemic Plant, Genevieve Metzger
Clonality And Genetic Diversity In Polygonella Myriophylla, A Lake Wales Ridge Endemic Plant, Genevieve Metzger
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Although capable of sexual reproduction, many plants also rely heavily on clonal reproduction. The formation of multiple, physiologically-independent units with the same genotype has important implications for spatial genetic structure and genetic diversity in these plants. The endangered scrub-dwelling perennial, Polygonella myriophylla is known to reproduce both sexually and clonally but no study to date has been able to investigate the spatial genetic patterns that occur in this species. I use microsatellite markers to investigate questions about clonal structure and genetic diversity in five populations of P. myriophylla and address some of the implications of my findings for conservation of …
Biogeography And Diversification In The Neotropics: Testing Macroevolutionary Hypotheses Using Molecular Phylogenetic Data, Juan Manuel Daza Rojas
Biogeography And Diversification In The Neotropics: Testing Macroevolutionary Hypotheses Using Molecular Phylogenetic Data, Juan Manuel Daza Rojas
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Lineage diversification in the Neotropics is an interesting topic in evolutionary biology and one of the least understood. The complexity of the region precludes generalizations regarding the historical and evolutionary processes responsible for the observed high diversity. Here, I use molecular data to infer evolutionary relationships and test hypotheses of current taxonomy, species boundaries, speciation and biogeographic history in several lineages of Neotropical snakes. I comprehensively sampled a widely distributed Neotropical colubrid snake and Middle American pitvipers and combined my data with published sequences. Within the colubrid genus Leptodeira, mitochondrial and nuclear markers revealed a phylogeograhic structure that disagrees with …