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Open Access Dissertations

Theses/Dissertations

2008

Caribbean

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Connectivity And Genetic Structure In Coral Reef Ecosystems: Modeling And Analysis, Johnathan T. Kool Sep 2008

Connectivity And Genetic Structure In Coral Reef Ecosystems: Modeling And Analysis, Johnathan T. Kool

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation examines aspects of the relationship between connectivity and the development of genetic structure in subdivided coral reef populations using both simulation and algebraic methods. The first chapter develops an object-oriented, individual based method of simulating the dynamics of genes in subdivided populations. The model is then used to investigate how changes to different components of population structure (e.g., connectivity, birth rate, population size) influence genetic structure through the use of autocorrelation analysis. The autocorrelograms also demonstrate how relationships between populations change at different spatial and temporal scales. The second chapter uses discrete multivariate distributions to model the relationship …


The Genetic Structure And Mating System Of The Buffy Flower Bat (Erophylla Sezekorni), Kevin Lager Murray Jul 2008

The Genetic Structure And Mating System Of The Buffy Flower Bat (Erophylla Sezekorni), Kevin Lager Murray

Open Access Dissertations

The buffy flower bat (Erophylla sezekorni) is a neotropical leaf-nosed bat (Phyllostomidae) that is endemic to the Greater Antilles. Although this species is one of the most common and abundant species of mammals in the West Indies, very little is known about its ecology and evolution. To address this deficiency, I studied the genetic structure and mating system of the buffy flower bat on several islands throughout its range, focusing a more intensive study on the island of Exuma, Bahamas. I first studied the effects of ocean barriers on genetic diversification within Erophylla and two related endemic genera of endemic …