Digital Commons Network^™

Changing Blow Fly (Diptera: Calliphoridae) Populations In Orlando, Florida, United States, Amanda Roe, Russell J. Barnes, Leon G. Higley, Neal H. Haskell

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) were collected from various carrion baits in Orlando, Florida over 2 periods: Jun 2009 to Sep 2009 and Apr 2010 to Oct 2010. In a previous study conducted from 2002 to 2004 the dominant blow fly in Orlando, Florida, was Lucilia coeruleiviridis Macquart (Gruner et al. 2007). This collection documents a shift to Chrysomya megacephala Fabricius, as the most dominant blow fly species found in Orlando, Florida in 2009 to 2010. These field results have potential forensic implications, particularly in the analysis of cold cases.

Spatial And Temporal Heterogeneity Of Hyporheic Invertebrates In An Ozark Stream, David Fleshman

MSU Graduate Theses

The hyporheic zone (HZ), an ecotone between surface water and groundwater in streams, provides extensive but underappreciated habitat for invertebrates in alluvial systems like the gravel-bed streams common in the Ozark highlands. Relative to its importance as a habitat, little is known about spatial distribution and response to disturbance by invertebrates in the HZ. In riffle-pool systems, surface water typically enters the HZ at the head of riffles (downwelling) and returns to the surface at the tail of riffles (upwelling). Previous research has found differences in invertebrate communities and environmental variables between upwelling and downwelling zones, but results have been …

Study Of The Diversity Of Soil Animals Community In The Songnen Plain Grassland Of China, Xiuqin Yin, Tingcheng Zhu

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

This paper dealt with the diversity in eight habitat soil animals communities in Songnen plain grassland. The results showed the better habitat condition the higher diversity index of soil animals, and vice-versa. The diversity of soil animals communities correlated positively with soil organic matter, total nitrogen, and negatively with soil pH; there was a poor correlation with soil water content and total soil phosphorus. The diversity of soil animals communities decreased with increasing depth of soil layer and has surface-collection.

Global Distribution And Richness Of Armillaria And Related Species Inferred From Public Databases And Amplicon Sequencing Datasets, Rachel A. Koch, Joshua Herr

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Armillaria is a globally distributed fungal genus most notably composed of economically important plant pathogens that are found predominantly in forest and agronomic systems. The genus sensulato has more recently received attention for its role in woody plant decomposition and in mycorrhizal symbiosis with specific plants. Previous phylogenetic analyses suggest that around 50 species are recognized globally. Despite this previous work, no studies have analyzed the global species richness and distribution of the genus using data derived from fungal community sequencing datasets or barcoding initiatives. To assess the global diversity and species richness of Armillaria, we mined publicly available sequencing …

Nationwide Perspectives And Experiences Of Gay And Bisexual Male 4-H Alums, Jeff Howard, Teresa Mccoy, Chenzi Wang

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

While 4-H espouses to be inclusive of all, the reality is often that the bulk of membership within 4-H community clubs is viewed with a heteronormative lens of participation. Recognizing that existing studies of gay and bisexual individuals who grew up in 4-H do not exist, this study is novel and critical to begin to fill the research gap and provide evidence of the experiences of gay male youth in 4-H. A total of 165 gay and bisexual men who are 4-H alumni shared what about 4-H helped them feel included, that they belonged, and what about the experience caused …

Inventory And Distribution Of Mosquitoes (Diptera, Culicidae) In The Aures Region (Batna, Algeria), Nora Belkhiri, Wafa Habbachi, Saliha Benhissen, Naama Frah, Abdelmadjid Yagoub Asloum, Nadia Aberkane

Journal of Bioresource Management

Mosquitoes are the most terrifying both for their abundance and for the diseases they transmit. They are vectors of malaria, lymphatic filariasis and arbovirus such as yellow fever, dengue, viral encephalitis and African horse sickness. These characteristics give this fauna prominent importance and health interest. To identify the most widespread mosquito species, we conducted for the first time an inventory in the Aures region more particularly the wilaya of Batna (East of Algeria) from May 2017 to January 2020, we studied their diversity, abundance and distribution. The sampling is done by monthly surveys of the various localities chosen, using the …

Acoustic Analysis Of Saproxylic Arthropod Diversity In North And Central American Pine Forests, Kristy Marie Mcandrew

Theses and Dissertations

Biodiversity of arthropods living in dead wood is often understudied despite their potential effects on ecological processes such as wood decomposition and nutrient cycling. More time-efficient and less destructive methods are needed to study these saproxylic organisms to fully understand their global diversity. Because ecoacoustic methods have never been applied to saproxylic communities before, field and analytical methods such as waveguides, and soundproofing were developed, tested, and optimized. After developed methods were implemented in the field, Pearson's correlation tests were conducted to compare ecoacoustic index performance to traditional biodiversity indices. We found five significant correlations, all of which occurred at …

Theoretical And Quantitative Methods Connecting Characterizing Micoribal Metabolism Diversity: Implciations From Phylogenetics, Community Diversity, And Organic Geochemistry, Taylor Royalty

Doctoral Dissertations

Biogeochemistry is controlled by microorganisms obtaining nutrients and energy. Thus, microbial metabolisms directly link microbial ecology and geochemistry. The extent that microbial ecology and geochemistry microbial ecology and geochemistry affects the other requires constraint on the spatiotemporal distribution and abundance of microbial metabolisms with respect to geochemistry, or the microbial niches. Elucidating microbial metabolisms was challenging prior to the advent of ‘omics sequencing technologies, as most microbial lineages lack cultured representatives. Although revolutionizing microbial ecology, challenges still exist in fully leveraging information derived from ‘omics technologies. This dissertation attempts to address a small subset of these challenges that include quantifying …

Community Music Therapy For Marginalized Middle School Students, Karen J Mathews

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Abstract

Community Music Therapy has been a recent development in the field of Music Therapy. Community Music Therapy occurs at the intersection of traditional Music Therapy and Community Music. Community Music Therapy incorporates principles of psychology, sociology, and ecology. Studies indicate that goals of self-efficacy, voice, social justice, and group cohesion are well met through the use of Community Music Therapy. This paper explores a project using Community Music Therapy with a group of self-selected middle school students in addressing concerns and emotions around equity, diversity, and inclusion. The results of this project demonstrated that Community Music Therapy is an …

A Comparative Ecological Study Of Limestone And Dolomite Glades In The Ozark Mountains Of Northwest Arkansas, Brittney Booth

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Glades are one of the many habitats that exist in the Arkansas Ozarks and contribute to the overall biodiversity of the state of Arkansas. For this study, five dolomite glades and five limestone glades in the Ozarks of northwest Arkansas were studied from March to October in the years 2017 and 2018 to determine the similarities or differences that might be present. One hundred and fifteen vascular plant taxa were documented in the dolomite glades and one hundred and three vascular plant taxa were documented in the limestone glades. Forty-six vascular plant taxa were unique to the dolomite glades and …

Insect Diversity And Association With Plants: A Case Study In Rural Areas Of Dhirkot, Azad Kashmir Pakistan, Abu Ul Hassan Faiz, Mehboob Ul Hassan, Mikhail F. Bagaturov, Majid Mahmood, Ghazal Tariq, Lariab Zahra Faiz

Journal of Bioresource Management

Insects play a vital role for proper functioning of forest ecosystem, including positive roles as pollinators, seed dispersers, genetic linkers and detrimental effects by feeding on and/or killing trees. The present study was conducted to find insect association with plants in rural areas of Dhirkot. The study was conducted from March, 2019 to September, 2019. The sampling was carried out by line transect method. Thirty transects were taken for sampling insects. Sixty-five species of insects in association with 150 plants were recorded.

Steppes And Grasslands In Morocco: Diversity, Functional Ecology And Socio-Economic Role, Mohammed Sghir Taleb, Jalal El Oualidi

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

With Morocco’s geographical situation (at the crossroads between Europe and Africa, the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean), its diverse climate and habitats supports a varied natural vegetation. The floristic richness of the country is related to the heterogeneity of biotypes. From the desert to the high mountains and the littoral to the continental borders, Morocco offers varied ecological conditions that support many different plant species. Steppes and grasslands are important parts of the main plant associations encountered in Morocco. They contain a wealth of flora, play important ecological roles and, from a socioeconomic perspective, are highly significant.

Land Use Influences Along Elevation Gradient On Macroinvertebrate Communities, Brittany Sprout

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Land use activities have caused disturbances that affect the quality of freshwater ecosystems worldwide. How the influences of land use along an environmental gradient and the associated environmental variables that may influence stream diversity and function is unclear. We address these issues by studying biodiversity, abundance, and functional diversity of macroinvertebrates across different land types along a gradient in Colorado, USA. We also address how diversity may change along an elevation gradient by analyzing previously published macroinvertebrate research. We found evidence that land use and disturbance are stronger explanations of changes in macroinvertebrate communities, rather than elevation. Functional trait patterns …

Effects Of Water Table Depth And Edaphic Characteristics On Plant Diversity In A Southern Mississippi Pitcher Plant Bog, Patrick Kirby

Master's Theses

This study examined the effects that water table depth and soil characteristics have on plant species richness and species composition within pitcher plant bogs across seasons. Eight piezometers were installed at random distances to monitor long-term water table depth and pressure fluctuations along a ~710-meter line transect traversing upland and bog habitats. Vegetation sampling quadrats (n=128) were set up near each piezometer. Cover data and water table depths were collected in spring and late summer. Soil samples collected from each treatment group were used to obtain soil texture and nutrient data. The summer collection period yielded a total gdiversity of …

Deep Benthic Coral Habitats Of Glacier Bay National Park And Preserve, Alaska, Elise C. Hartill

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in Southeast Alaska is a system of fjords that presents an ideal natural laboratory to study terrestrial, aquatic and marine patterns of succession due to its unique and recent history of deglaciation. The patterns of deep benthic community assemblages in the fjords of Glacier Bay were investigated by quantitative assessment of underwater photo-quadrats collected using a remotely operated vehicle. The percent cover and diversity of species were lowest near the glaciated heads of the fjords and highest in the Central Channel and at the mouths of the fjords of Glacier Bay, where oceanographic conditions …

The Structure, Limits, And Drivers Of Daphnid Diversity, Richard Joseph Knecht

Master's Theses and Capstones

In 1961 Hutchinson proposed the “Paradox of the Plankton” questioning how sympatric planktonic species can coexist for long periods of time while seemingly avoiding the competitive exclusion principle. As this ‘paradox’ became a focus of inquiry, one researcher conducted a 2-year study (1961-1962; Tappa 1965) on Aziscohos Lake Daphnia to address the question. While the study did not solve the enigma, it provided a detailed record of the dynamics and interactions of six coexisting species. Aziscohos Lake and its zooplankton have not been studied since. This study revisits the ‘paradox of the plankton’ by establishing the dynamics of extant Daphnid …

Diversity Of Water Bugs In Gujranwala District, Punjab, Pakistan, Muhammad Shahbaz Chattha, Abu Ul Hassan Faiz, Arshad Javid, Irfan Baboo, Inayat Ullah Malik

Journal of Bioresource Management

Water bugs fall under the order Hemiptera, suborder Heteroptera, which is further divided into two types, i.e., semi-aquatic (Gerromorpha) and true water bugs (Nepomorpha). They play a vital role as biological control agents and also a source of food for fishes, birds and other aquatic organisms. The present work was carried out to ascertain aquatic Hemiptera in different lentic and lotic water bodies of various sizes in Gujranwala district, Pakistan. A total of 10 species belonging to five families were identified. Species include Nepa ruber Linnaeus, Laccotrephes elongatus Montandon, Ranatra filiformis Fabricius (Nepidae), Corixa substriata Uhler, Micronecta proba …

Effects Of Wave Action On The Structure Of Fish Assemblages Across An Exposure Gradient, Lauren Liddon

Master's Theses

Disturbance affects the function and diversity of ecosystems. Increased wave exposure to salt marsh can disturb sediments and cause a loss of habitat. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of increased wave exposure on diversity, abundance, and functional ecology of estuarine fishes. If increased wave exposure is acting as a disturbance to these habitats, ecological theory (Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis) predicts that diversity will peak at intermediate frequencies and intensities of disturbance. Fish were sampled from 10 sites monthly for 6 years. The sites were assigned to different exposure categories (Open, Intermediate, and Sheltered) using an exposure …

Species Diversity And Community Structure Of Zooplankton In Threedifferent Types Of Water Body Within The Sakarya River Basin, Turkey, Pinar Gürbüzer, Özge Buyurgan, Çağri Tekatli, Ahmet Altindağ

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The aim of this study was to identify differences between different types of water body within the same river basin by comparing the composition of the zooplankton community. The study was conducted in three types of water body in the Sakarya Basin in northwestern Turkey: an alluvial barrier lake (Lake Poyrazlar), a pond (Sorgun Pond), and a reservoir (Çubuk II Reservoir). The spatiotemporal changes of these three types of aquatic habitats were investigated in terms of the zooplankton organisms by examining their diversity, evenness, and differences in the abundance of species. A total of 81 species were identified. Thirty-eight species …

The Bee Fauna Of The Horse Mountain And Grouse Mountain Region, Humboldt County, California, Carrie Lopez

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Recent concerns about the ecological well-being of bee communities in California and elsewhere have increased the need for monitoring programs and studies that evaluate the impact of habitat loss and alteration on bee diversity and abundance. Such studies depend critically on the expertise of people trained in taxonomy, but their numbers have declined in recent years. My primary goal was to gain a comprehensive first-hand experience with bee identification by documenting the fauna of a previously unstudied area in the mountains of northwestern California and by writing an identification key, intended for dedicated non-specialists, to the area’s 35 species of …

A Global Edna Comparison Of Freshwater Bacterioplankton Assemblages Focusing On Large-River Floodplain Lakes Of Brazil, Michael Tessler, Mercer R. Brugler, Rob Desalle, Rebecca Hersch, Luiz Felipe M. Velho, Bianca T. Segovia, Fabio A. Lansac-Toha, Michael J. Lemke

Publications and Research

With its network of lotic and lentic habitats that shift during changes in seasonal connection, the tropical and subtropical large-river systems represent possibly the most dynamic of all aquatic environments. Pelagic water samples were collected from Brazilian floodplain lakes (total n = 58) in four floodpulsed systems (Amazon [n = 21], Araguaia [n = 14], Paraná [n = 15], and Pantanal [n = 8]) in 2011–2012 and sequenced via 454 for bacterial environmental DNA using 16S amplicons; additional abiotic field and laboratory measurements were collected for the assayed lakes.We report here a global comparison of the bacterioplankton makeup of freshwater …

Bacterial Diversity And Function Within An Epigenic Cave System And Implications For Other Limestone Cave Systems, Kathleen Merritt Brannen-Donnelly

Doctoral Dissertations

There are approximately 48,000 known cave systems in the United States of America, with caves formed in carbonate karst terrains being the most common. Epigenic systems develop from the downward flow of meteoric water through carbonate bedrock and the solutional enlargement of interconnected subsurface conduits. Despite carbonate karst aquifers being globally extensive and important drinking water sources, microbial diversity and function are poorly understood compared to other Earth environments. After several decades of research, studies have shown that microorganisms in caves affect water quality, rates of carbonate dissolution and precipitation, and ecosystem nutrition through organic matter cycling. However, limited prior …

Discovery And Delimitation: Criconematid Nematodes Of North American Grasslands, Magdalena Jean Olson

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Approximately 200 years ago, North American landscapes were dominated by vast expanses of grassland. The Great Plains, an ecologically complex and diverse ecoregion, extended from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, and from the Rocky Mountains to the border of the eastern hardwood forest in Indiana. Now the original tallgrass prairie exists in small widely dispersed remnant patches surrounded by agroecosystems. This study is an effort to characterize soil nematode diversity and population structure within those remnant patches. The plant parasitic nematode family Criconematidae serves as our indicator for nematode diversity, due to its global distribution, high abundance in natural …

Documenting Annual Differences In Vegetation Cover, Height And Diversity Near Barrow, Alaska, Timothy Frederick Botting

Masters Theses

Vegetation in the Arctic has been shown to respond to climate change. Documented changes have the potential to result in numerous ecosystem consequences. Therefore, understanding vegetation change is of great importance. This study documents changes in tundra vegetation with a focus on understanding the influence of annual differences in weather. Vegetation was sampled using a point frame method on 98 1-m² plots in 2010 and 2013 near Barrow, Alaska. A subset of 30 of these plots was also sampled in 2012 and 2014. Plant encounters were identified to species and grouped into one of the following functional groups: bryophytes, …

Rarefaction And Extrapolation With Hill Numbers: A Framework For Sampling And Estimation In Species Diversity Studies, Anne Chao, Nicholas J. Gotelli, T. C. Hsieh, Elizabeth L. Sander, K. H. Ma, Robert K. Colwell, Aaron M. Ellison

College of Arts and Sciences Faculty Publications

Quantifying and assessing changes in biological diversity are central aspects of many ecological studies, yet accurate methods of estimating biological diversity from sampling data have been elusive. Hill numbers, or the effective number of species, are increasingly used to characterize the taxonomic, phylogenetic, or functional diversity of an assemblage. However, empirical estimates of Hill numbers, including species richness, tend to be an increasing function of sampling effort and, thus, tend to increase with sample completeness. Integrated curves based on sampling theory that smoothly link rarefaction (interpolation) and prediction (extrapolation) standardize samples on the basis of sample size or sample completeness …

Factors Influencing The Distribution And Structure Of Tropical Vascular Epiphyte Communities At Multiple Scales, Carrie Woods

All Dissertations

Understanding the factors that determine species distributions is a central question in ecology. Niche-based theories stress the importance of environmental heterogeneity in influencing species distributions while neutral-based theories emphasize the effects of dispersal limitation. The relative importance of these factors in influencing species distributions may depend on spatial scale - deterministic factors may be more important at small spatial scales where fine-scale habitat factors become more relevant and stochastic factors may be more important at larger spatial scales where dispersal limitation becomes more relevant. I examined the influence of deterministic and stochastic factors on the distribution and structure of vascular …

International Polar Year (Ipy) Back To The Future (Btf): Changes In Arctic Ecosystem Structure Over Decadal Times Scales, Sandra Villarreal

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Arctic vegetation communities are responding to climate warming through shifts in species composition and diversity but most observations have been made over relatively short time frames, and/or in association with experimental manipulations. Because vegetation plays a key role in regulating ecosystem productivity, nutrient cycling, surface energy budgets, and trophic interactions in the Arctic, there is a need to better understand shifts in tundra vegetation communities over decadal time scales. Understanding these shifts and their impact on ecosystem structure and function in the Arctic has important implications for predicting the future state of both the Arctic and the Earth System. Long …

Seasonal Composition And Population Density Of Zooplankton In Lake Karaboğaz From The Kızılırmak Delta (Samsun, Turkey), Ertunç Gündüz, Yasemi̇n Saygi, Fatma Yildiz Demi̇rkalp, Seli̇m Süalp Çağlar, Si̇bel Atasağun, Sabri̇ Kilinç

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Zooplankton composition and abundance were investigated seasonally at 6 sites in Lake Karaboğaz in relation to some physicochemical conditions. A total of 63 taxa were identified, among them 51 species of rotifers, 8 cladocerans, and 4 copepods. Rotifera represented the predominant component (79% of the total community), followed by nauplii, cladocerans, and copepods (15%, 5%, and 1%, respectively). The average total zooplankton abundance ranged from 9603 to 22,968 ind/m^3. The maximum and the minimum densities were measured in June and August of 2009, respectively. Of the identified zooplankton, 39 taxa were species with a low frequency in the lake. Among …

Ecology Of The Late Neogene Extinctions: Perspectives From The Plio-Pleistocene Of Florida, Shubhabrata Paul

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The ecological impact of past extinction events is one of the central issues in paleobiology. In face of present environmental changes, a better understanding of past extinctions will enable us to identify the magnitude of biodiversity crises and their underlying processes. The Late Neogene was a time of extraordinary climatic reorganization, including Northern Hemisphere glaciation, the rise of the Central American Isthmus, and associated changes in environmental conditions. Therefore, the Late Neogene extinctions of marine molluscs of South Florida present an ideal platform to examine the interaction between environmental changes and biotic response. In the present study, three different aspects …

Phylogenetic Community Structure Of Aquatic Beetle Assemblages In A Multi-Wetland Experiment, Sandor Lawrence Kelly

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Phylogenetic Community Structure (PCS) metrics are becoming more common in community ecology. PCS metrics estimate the phylogenetic relatedness among members of an ecological community or assemblage. If ecological traits are conserved, then phylogenetic clustering (i.e., taxa are more closely related than expected by chance) indicates habitat filtering as the key process in community assembly. On the other hand, a pattern of phylogenetic overdispersion (i.e., taxa are more distantly related than expected by chance) suggests competition is dominant. Most studies to date have used PCS of unmanipulated ecosystems, but the value of PCS metrics will be best revealed in experiments. This …