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Using Marine Snails To Teach Biogeography And Macroevolution: The Role Of Larvae And Dispersal Ability In The Evolution And Persistence Of Species, Jonathan R. Hendricks Dec 2012

Using Marine Snails To Teach Biogeography And Macroevolution: The Role Of Larvae And Dispersal Ability In The Evolution And Persistence Of Species, Jonathan R. Hendricks

Faculty Publications

While some marine animals are capable of traveling great distances, many have limited mobility as adults and spend the majority of their lifetimes in a small geographical area or may even be cemented to a single place. While it might be expected that species with limited mobility would have small geographic distributions, some nevertheless occur over very large areas. This is the case for some marine snails (gastropods). A key factor that impacts the geographic distribution of marine snails is the type of larvae they have during the phase of their life history that follows hatching from an egg. Because …


Resource-Based Habitat Associations In A Neotropical Liana Community, James W. Dalling, Stefan A. Schnitzer, Claire Baldeck, Kyle E. Harms, Robert John, Scott A. Mangan, Elena Lobo, Joseph B. Yavitt, Stephen P. Hubbell Sep 2012

Resource-Based Habitat Associations In A Neotropical Liana Community, James W. Dalling, Stefan A. Schnitzer, Claire Baldeck, Kyle E. Harms, Robert John, Scott A. Mangan, Elena Lobo, Joseph B. Yavitt, Stephen P. Hubbell

Faculty Publications

Summary: 1.Lianas are a conspicuous element of many tropical forests, accounting for up to 40% of woody stem density and 20% of species richness in seasonal forests. However, lianas have seldom been surveyed at sufficiently large spatial scales to allow an assessment of the importance of habitat variables in structuring liana communities. 2.We compare the association patterns of 82 liana species and an equivalent sample of tree species on the 50ha Forest Dynamics Project plot on Barro Colorado Island, Panama, with topographic habitat variables (high and low plateau, slope, swamp and streamside), and thirteen mapped soil chemical variables. In addition, …


The Role Of Individual Behavior Type In Mediating Indirect Interactions, Blaine D. Griffen, Benjamin J. Toscano, John Gatto Aug 2012

The Role Of Individual Behavior Type In Mediating Indirect Interactions, Blaine D. Griffen, Benjamin J. Toscano, John Gatto

Faculty Publications

Trait-mediated indirect interactions (TMII) play an important role in structuring natural communities, and numerous studies have experimentally demonstrated their presence in a variety of systems. However, these studies have largely examined the presence or absence of traits that are responsible for these interactions, without considering natural variation between individuals in the extent to which these traits are manifested. We used a well-documented TMII to investigate the importance of individual behavior type for determining the strength of the TMII. The toadfish Opsanus tau has an indirect positive influence on bivalve survival because the mud crab Panopeus herbstii, a consumer of bivalves, …


Evolution Of A Sexually Dimorphic Trait In A Broadly Distributed Topminnow (Fundulus Olivaceus), Jacob F. Schaefer, David D. Duvernell, Brian R. Kreiser, Charles Champagne, Scott R. Clark, Melissa Gutierrez, Laura K. Stewart, Chazz Coleman Jul 2012

Evolution Of A Sexually Dimorphic Trait In A Broadly Distributed Topminnow (Fundulus Olivaceus), Jacob F. Schaefer, David D. Duvernell, Brian R. Kreiser, Charles Champagne, Scott R. Clark, Melissa Gutierrez, Laura K. Stewart, Chazz Coleman

Faculty Publications

Understanding the interaction between sexual and natural selection within variable environments is crucial to our understanding of evolutionary processes. The handicap principle predicts females will prefer males with exaggerated traits provided those traits are indicators of male quality to ensure direct or indirect female benefits. Spatial variability in ecological factors is expected to alter the balance between sexual and natural selection that defines the evolution of such traits. Male and female blackspotted topminnows (Fundulidae: Fundulus olivaceus) display prominent black dorsolateral spots that are variable in number across its broad range. We investigated variability in spot phenotypes at 117 sites …


Understanding Resistance To Standardization In Education: The Tragedy Of The Commons As A Theoretical Framework, Grinell Smith, Colette Rabin Apr 2012

Understanding Resistance To Standardization In Education: The Tragedy Of The Commons As A Theoretical Framework, Grinell Smith, Colette Rabin

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this paper is to articulate how a theory, developed in 1968 by Garrett Hardin to describe how shared resources, or “commons” can become depleted, also elucidates the mechanism by which standardization of educational outcomes and assessment have come to dominate current education discourse. We then present results of a case study of a school struggling to succeed within a context of a district’s hyper-focus on standardized measures of success, and employ the theory to illustrate its usefulness to explain what we found at the school site. We believe this theoretical framework provides interesting perspectives on current trends …


Barbuda: A Caribbean Island In Transition, Andrew Sluyter, Amy E. Potter Jan 2012

Barbuda: A Caribbean Island In Transition, Andrew Sluyter, Amy E. Potter

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


The Phylogenetic Distribution And Ecological Role Of Carbon Monoxide Oxidation In The Genus Burkholderia, Carolyn F. Weber, Gary M. King Jan 2012

The Phylogenetic Distribution And Ecological Role Of Carbon Monoxide Oxidation In The Genus Burkholderia, Carolyn F. Weber, Gary M. King

Faculty Publications

Burkholderia is a physiologically and ecologically diverse genus that occurs commonly in assemblages of soil and rhizosphere bacteria. Although Burkholderia is known for its heterotrophic versatility, we demonstrate that 14 distinct environmental isolates oxidized carbon monoxide (CO) and possessed the gene encoding the catalytic subunit of form I CO dehydrogenase (coxL). DNA from a Burkholderia isolate obtained from a passalid beetle also contained coxL as do the genomic sequences of species H160 and Ch1-1. Isolates were able to consume CO at concentrations ranging from 100 ppm (vol/vol) to sub-ambient (< 60 ppb (vol/vol)). High concentrations of pyruvate inhibited CO uptake (> 2.5 mM), but mixotrophic consumption of CO and pyruvate occurred …


Nest Success And Hatchling Survival Of American Alligators Within Inland Wetlands Of East Texas, Warren C. Conway, Gary Calkins, David Saalfeld Jan 2012

Nest Success And Hatchling Survival Of American Alligators Within Inland Wetlands Of East Texas, Warren C. Conway, Gary Calkins, David Saalfeld

Faculty Publications

Because of liberalization of American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) harvest management in Texas, estimates of nest success and hatchling survival for inland populations are essential for long-term, sustainable population and harvest management. To date, few studies have examined American alligator nest success and hatchling survival. We initiated a 3-year study from 2006 to 2008 to document alligator nest success and hatchling survival within several wetlands in east Texas. From June 2006 to August 2008, we located 30 nests from 3 wetlands within east Texas, where overall nest success was 44.2% (95% CI=25.1– 63.1%), irrespective of year. Nest circumference and day during …


Differential Responses Of Eastern Red-Backed Salamanders (Plethodon Cinereus) To Conspecifics And Centipedes, A. A. Burgett, Geoffrey R. Smith Jan 2012

Differential Responses Of Eastern Red-Backed Salamanders (Plethodon Cinereus) To Conspecifics And Centipedes, A. A. Burgett, Geoffrey R. Smith

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.