Digital Commons Network^™

Observations On The Feeding Upon Psittacanthus Calyculatus By Brown-Hooded Parrots (Pionopsitta Haematotis), Jack Clinton Eitniear, Steven Mcghee, Will Waddell

Ornitología Neotropical

No abstract provided.

First Record Of The White-Flanked Antwren (Myrmotherula Axillaris) In Mexico, Manuel Marin

Ornitología Neotropical

No abstract provided.

Fortalecimiento De La Gobernanza Hídrica Comunitaria En El Destino Ecoturístico Maya Ka’An, Quintana Roo, México, Nori Velázquez Juárez, Liliana García Ramírez, Gonzalo Merediz Alonso, Eduardo Arturo Tapia Lemus

Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis

En 2014, Maya Ka’an surgió como un nuevo destino turístico de Quintana Roo. Impulsado por la Asociación Civil Amigos de Sian Ka’an, plantea y desarrolla acciones bajo un enfoque de desarrollo sustentable, diferenciado al crecimiento de la región norte de Quintana Roo, México. Su actuación parte desde la base comunitaria en los municipios del centro del estado (Tulum, Felipe Carrillo Puerto y José María Morelos) y no está restringida al ámbito turístico, ya que integra diferentes elementos que confluyen en el desarrollo sustentable regional y la conservación del medio ambiente. Uno de estos elementos es la conservación del agua a …

Dryland Vegetation Mapping Using High Spatial-Temporal Resolution Satellite Imagery In New Mexico: A Comparison Of Phenological Time-Series Transformation Methods, Pratistha Sharma

Geography ETDs

New Mexico's drylands are undergoing notable vegetation changes due to rising aridity, higher temperatures, and shifts in precipitation with changing climate. Mapping drylands through remote sensing is challenging compared to mesic systems due to the irregular patterns of rainfall-driven phenology and weaker vegetation absorption signals. This study aims to enhance vegetation mapping in New Mexico, utilizing a high-resolution, frequently revisited PlanetScope dataset with multispectral capabilities, specifically chosen for its suitability for time-series analysis. The challenge with high spatial and temporal data lies in the overwhelming volume, leading to issues like the curse of dimensionality, overfitting, data redundancy, collinearity, and visualization …

Mitochondrial Metabolism In Blood More Reliably Predicts Whole-Animal Energy Needs Compared To Other Tissues, Stefania Casagrande, Maciej Dzialo, Lisa Trost, Kasja Malkoc, Edyta T. Sadowska, Michaela Hau, Barbara J. Pierce, Scott R. Mcwilliams, Ulf Bauchinger

Biology Faculty Publications

Understanding energy metabolism in free-ranging animals is crucial for ecological studies. In birds, red blood cells (RBCs) offer a minimally invasive method to estimate metabolic rate (MR). In this study with European starlings Sturnus vulgaris, we examined how RBC oxygen consumption relates to oxygen use in key tissues (brain, liver, heart, and pectoral muscle) and versus the whole-organism measured at basal levels. The pectoral muscle accounted for 34-42% of organismal MR, while the heart and liver, despite their high mass-specific metabolic rate, each contributed 2.5-3.0% to organismal MR. Despite its low contribution to organismal MR (0.03-0.04%), RBC MR best predicted …

The Urban Ecology Institute Teaches Local Youth About The Birds Of Boston, Annie Cardinaux, Andrew Breck

Bird Observer

No abstract provided.

Bobolink Protection And Mortality On Suburban Conservation Lands, Stephen F. Ells

Bird Observer

No abstract provided.

Investigating Telomere Lengths In Chestnut-Crowned Babblers, Gabriella Rose Beberg

Honors Thesis

Telomeres are chromosomal elements that protect and maintain genes as DNA replicates in many organisms. As individuals age and DNA replicates, telomeres often shorten; thus, telomere length often corresponds with an individual’s lifespan, and early-life decreases in telomere length can be predictive of longevity. Here, I investigated the relationship between telomere length and developmental environment in a cooperatively breeding species, the chestnut-crowned babbler (Pomatostomus ruficeps; CCB). Cooperative species are unique, as some individuals give up their own breeding opportunities to help rear the offspring of others; further, cooperative breeding systems generate considerably more variation in adult carers, which …

Recolonization Of The Common Raven In Berkshire County, Massachusetts, Timothy J. Flanagan

Bird Observer

No abstract provided.

Bicknell's Thrush: A Northeastern Songbird In Trouble, Christopher C. Rimmer, Jonathan L. Atwood, Laura R. Nagy

Bird Observer

No abstract provided.

A Key Link In Greater Boston's Wildlife Habitat: Metropolitan State Hospital, John Andrews, Lee Taylor

Bird Observer

No abstract provided.

Thoreau: Speaking For Birds, Richard K. Walton

Bird Observer

No abstract provided.

Some Notes On Spruce Grouse (Dendragapus Canadensis), Michael R. Greenwald

Bird Observer

No abstract provided.

Microbial Ecology Of Alpine Snows: Novel Approaches To Assess Spatial And Temporal Dynamics, Avery Ezra Tucker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Snow algae blooms and associated microbial communities play large roles in snow ecosystem processes. Patterns and mechanisms underpinning snow algae bloom spatial distribution and associated microbial community assembly dynamics are poorly understood. To bridge these gaps in knowledge, this dissertation focused on two broad areas: (1) mapping associations of microbial communities and environmental measures between/within snow algae blooms across diverse substrate categories and identifying significant associations between them; (2) metagenome sequencing, offering the first partial genome of Sanguina nivaloides, along with identification of putative functional pathways. Although snow algae are an enigmatic domain in microbial community research, due to the …

Tiny Drifters Amidst Global Change: Examining Environmental Drivers, Trophic Impacts, And Management Strategies Of Estuarine Plankton Communities In The Anthropocene, Taylor Nicole Dodrill

Dissertations and Theses

Plankton productivity supports estuarine food webs, and has been tied to the success of fisheries, macroinvertebrates, and cultured shellfish yields. Climate change and alterations to nutrient loads are thought to be influencing plankton assemblages, with toxin-producing harmful algal blooms (HABs) on the rise and nutritional quality of plankton declining globally. These shifts in plankton communities may contribute to low biomass yields and toxin-based closures of important fisheries. The objectives of this dissertation are to identify environmental drivers, trophic impacts, and management strategies to understand and respond to changing estuarine plankton communities. To address these objectives, I used a combination of …

Human Dimensions Of Woody Encroachment Management In Nebraska, Emily Rowen

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Woody plant encroachment (WPE) is a social-ecological problem that will challenge conservation professionals and agricultural producers to adapt their management strategies. This research first examined WPE from the perspective of individual conservation professionals through an online survey. Conservation professionals’ attitudes about adaptation to vegetation transitions, such as WPE, were of interest because these attitudes are one measure of how prepared this group is to respond to WPE. Hypothesized predictors of adaptation attitude were tested through linear regression modeling. These predictors included ecological change, observation of WPE, or risk perception. It was found that risk perception was the strongest predictor of …

Correlations Between Educational Struggle, Toxic Sites By School District And Demographic Variables, With Geographical Information System Projections, Junu Shrestha, Raihan K. Khan, Shane Mcclintock, John Degroote, Catherine L. Zeman

Faculty Publications

This correlational study associated data on children enrolled in individualized educational plans in their K-12 schools (IEP) and an algorithm-calculated score of neurotoxins at contaminated sites located in each school district. The study also mapped and projected the correlations using Geographical Information System (GIS) technology. These data were populated in ArcMap 10.5 (a GIS software) for generating maps and data to conduct geospatial analysis. A total of 1 Superfund site and 39 CERCLA sites were identified as contaminated sites for this analysis. The majority of contaminants were heavy metals such as lead, arsenic, mercury, and cadmium. The mean toxic score …

The Influence Of Salinity And Vegetation Texture On The Ecological Roles Of Insects In Tidal Marshes In Louisiana, Benjamin G. Aker, Claudia Husseneder, Lane D. Foil

Faculty Publications

Tidal marsh insect communities are influenced by both salinity and aspects of vegetation texture (vegetation diversity, plant density, and architectural structure). These factors affect the abundances and intra- and interguild interactions of these insects and should result in broad-scale variation in the distribution and ecological functioning of tidal marsh insect communities along these gradients. However, this assumption has not been tested within Gulf Coast marshes, and the insect communities and their ecological roles are not well known. This study identifies how family-level insect biodiversity varies by salinity and which factors are most important in affecting the distribution of insect functional …

Community Science In Support Of Ecosystem-Based Management: A Case Study From The Damariscotta River Estuary, Maine, Usa, Sarah C. Risley, Kara E. Pellowe, Melissa L. Britsch, Meredith M. White, Heather M. Leslie

Maine Policy Review

Coastal marine ecosystems are dynamic social-ecological systems (SESs) that support diverse ecosystem services and human activities. The complexity of SESs means that ecosystem-based approaches are increasingly used to support coastal marine ecosystem stewardship. We report how a community science program in Maine, USA offers a model of organizational innovation to expand capacities for shellfish research and management. Since 2019, we have collaborated with local students, shellfish harvesters, and others in data collection, interpretation, and application, contributing to local shellfish management and ecosystem sustainability. We demonstrate how community-based social and ecological research can build adaptive capacities by centering local knowledge; generating …

Using Ethnohistoric Data To Correct Historical Ecological Baselines: Urbanization And The Collapse Of Forage Fish In Vancouver, Jesse Morin, Blake Evans, Meaghan Efford

Institute Publications

Indigenous people and government bodies are often at odds when it comes to acceptable levels of impacts to local ecology that are based on two very different historical and cultural perspectives. For Coast Salish peoples such as Tsleil-Waututh Nation (TWN), who have lived around the Salish Sea for thousands of years, recent historical fisheries records are a pale reflection of the former abundance harvested by their ancestors. For modern ecologists and fisheries scientists, recent fisheries records (post colonization) provide historic baseline and objectives for current management. While this latter perspective is pervasive among regulators, we argue that historical and ongoing …

Can The Vegetation Structure And Composition In Urban Green Spaces Determine Diversity Of Green Lacewings (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae)?, Jose I. Martinez, Raiza J. Castillo, Adrián Ardila-Camacho, Charles V. Covell, José Isabel López-Arroyo, Francisco Javier Nava-Guízar

Insecta Mundi

Green spaces represent the only natural areas in several cities around the world, providing good shelters for the local fauna. Based on this premise, many ecological studies have been conducted focused on these areas. Most of these works are about insects, particularly butterflies and beetles. Our study is centered on a different group: green lacewings (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae). These insects exhibit a similar feeding behavior to some other groups, such as beetles. We estimated diversity, richness, distribution, abundance and similarity employing two methods: sweep netting and suction trapping. Also, oviposition hosts were identified in 20 different green spaces. Approximately 740 specimens …

How Is Wildlife Poaching Changing In Uganda And How Can We Understand The Contribution Of Wildlife Protection Efforts At Multiple Scales: Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda., Ingrid Nyonza Nyakabwa

All Dissertations

Wildlife poaching is a critical global issue that poses significant threats to biodiversity, ecological balance, and the long-term sustainability of wildlife in Sub-Saharan Africa. The illicit trade in wildlife and their derivatives continues to grow, fueled by various socio-economic, cultural, and environmental factors. As the demand for wildlife products persists, it is imperative to understand the underlying causes, impacts, and potential solutions to combat this detrimental practice.

This research examined the dimensions of wildlife poaching in and around the area of Murchison Falls National Park in Uganda, the largest and oldest National Park in Uganda. Uganda has experienced success in …

Evolution And Natural Selection Of Olfactory Receptor Genes In Hawaiian Drosophila, Ngoc H. Ly

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The olfactory system is a powerful tool for sensing countless odorants. In Drosophila, the olfactory system is critical for detecting food, finding mates, laying eggs, avoiding predators, and adapting to new environments. Understanding the olfactory system in Drosophila will advance our knowledge of sensory biology in various insects and vertebrates, including humans. Drosophila has been a valuable model for biology since the early 1900s, and the Drosophila melanogaster olfactory system is well-studied. The Hawaiian Drosophila represent approximately 1/3 of the world’s Drosophila, however, there is limited research on Hawaiian Drosophila olfactory genes. We conducted a comparative analysis of …

Controls Of Benthic Microbial Communities In Headwater Streams Across A Land Use Gradient In Northeastern Usa, Joshua Michael Buonpane

Master's Theses and Capstones

Benthic microbes are important drivers of biogeochemical cycling in streams, influencing the storage, transformation, and emission of carbon and nutrients. While the impact of land use and land cover on water quality has been extensively studied, the connection between water quality and microbial community composition and function remains unresolved. In this study, we examined how the water quality changes accompanying watershed development impact the diversity, composition, and functional potential of benthic bacterial/archaeal, and fungal communities. This was explored in headwater streams across an urbanization gradient in the northeastern US. We did not find a link between urbanization and α-diversity of …

The Blueberry Gall Midge Complex And Its Specialist Parasitoids, Monique Michele Raymond

Master's Theses and Capstones

The cosmopolitan blueberry gall midge complex causes serious damage to the terminal vegetation of blueberry plants. The nature of their infestation, paired with prolonged periods of abundance, requires an integrated pest management approach. Of all known parasitoids present in the system, members of the subfamily Platygastrinae are the only oligophagous clade specialized against true gall midges. In this study, we present the results of blueberry gall midge and platygastrid surveys in high- and low-bush blueberry crops in the northeastern and southeastern United States, along with an identification key, with emphasis on blueberry parasitoid Synopeas species to facilitate their identification.

Phenology Of The Invasive Balsam Woolly Adelgid, Adelges Piceae (Ratz.) (Hemiptera: Adelgidae), On Subalpine Fir In Northern Utah, Elizabeth L. Rideout

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Balsam woolly adelgid (BWA) is an invasive true fir pest in North America. Native to Europe, BWA was first discovered in Utah attacking subalpine fir in 2017. Recent BWA-caused subalpine fir mortality in northern Utah has prompted the need for baseline biological research to support pest management. Small-bodied and blending easily with its environment, BWA is a challenging pest to detect and study. Phenology, or the timing and characteristics of life stages through the year, of BWA varies depending on elevation and climate and is unstudied in Utah. This research focuses on defining aspects of BWA’s phenology, including the number …

People, Place, And Planet: Global Review Of Use-Inspired Research On Water-Related Ecosystem Services In Urban Wetlands, Jason Sauer, Heejun Chang

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

With climate change and urbanization, city planners and developers have increasing interest and practice in constructing, restoring, or incorporating wetlands as forms of green infrastructure to maintain water-related ecosystem services (WES). We reviewed studies that valued in functional or monetary units the water regulation and purification services of urban wetlands around the globe. We used the adaptive management cycle (AMC) as a heuristic to determine the step that a study would represent in the AMC, the connections between the cycle steps that were used or considered, and the stakeholders involved. Additionally, we identified the social, ecological, and/or technological dimension(s) of …

Seagrass Epibiont Biodiversity In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Kathryn Wyssmann

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Epibionts on seagrass leaves contribute substantially to productivity and trophic interactions in seagrass ecosystems. Differences in epibiont assemblages and factors that contribute to epibiont diversity have been little studied on the seagrass Halodule wrightii in the northern Gulf of Mexico (nGoM). We used a metabarcoding approach to describe epibiont assemblages on H. wrightii leaves in four bays across the nGoM and to test whether epibiont assemblages differed spatially at local levels (within bays) or regional levels (from west to east). Furthermore, we tested if epibiont diversity was related to environmental conditions and/or seagrass productivity. Epibiont assemblages differed significantly between bays …

In Situ Water Sensing Systems: Research On Advancements In Environmental Monitoring, Abigail Seibel

Honors Theses

In this work, two sensing systems were researched in order to improve in situ environmental monitoring. The first is a pH and Total Alkalinity sensor used to determine these characteristics of sea water. I explored the facets of this sensor over a 7-week internship with Dr. Ellen Briggs in her lab in summer of 2023. The second is a more holistic sensing system that reads temperature, turbidity, and pressure used for studying environmental characteristics of Alaskan bever ponds. Both systems were developed in close collaboration with scientists who are collecting data to better understand the impacts of climate change. Better …

Characterization Of The Long-Distance Dispersal Kernel Of White-Tailed Deer And Evaluating Its Impact On Chronic Wasting Disease Spread In Wisconsin, Mennatallah Gouda

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a fatal, untreatable neurodegenerative disease that infects deer and related species. It is highly contagious and caused by abnormal malfunction and assembly of normal cellular proteins into aggregation-prone proteins. The Centers for Disease Control and prevention report that the prevalence of CWD in free-ranging deer in the US is still relatively low. However, in several states the infection rates exceed 1 deer in 10. Deer may uptake CWD from direct interaction with infected individuals or from the environment. Infected individuals shed CWD into the environment through feces, urine, saliva or carcasses, and long-distance dispersal of …