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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

The Inheritance Of Morphological And Behavioral Differences In The Mating Signals Of Sailfin And Shortfin Mollies, Stephanie Loveless Dec 2008

The Inheritance Of Morphological And Behavioral Differences In The Mating Signals Of Sailfin And Shortfin Mollies, Stephanie Loveless

All Theses

Changes in mating signals often result in the development of new species, thus, understanding the genetic basis of traits that confer pre-mating reproductive isolation can shed light on the speciation process. This study used interspecific hybridization between poeciliid fish, a sailfin molly (Poecilia velifera) and a shortfin molly (P. mexicana), to generate reciprocal F1 and backcross hybrids to investigate patterns of inheritance of traits that contribute to mating signal differences between these two groups of mollies. The first part of my study focused on behavioral differences in the mating system of sailfin and shortfin mollies. I observed mating behaviors of …


Mating Systems, Copulatory Organ Size, And Scaling Relationship In Mollies (Poecilia Spp.), Martha Divver, Eric T. Schultz Jan 2008

Mating Systems, Copulatory Organ Size, And Scaling Relationship In Mollies (Poecilia Spp.), Martha Divver, Eric T. Schultz

EEB Articles

Copulatory organs rapidly evolve and are subject to complex selective pressures affecting mating success. One feature of copulatory organs that is subject to such selective pressures is size. Benefits of longer organs may include greater signal effectiveness in courtship and longer ‘reach’ when attempting copulations with evasive females. Costs of longer organs may include impaired locomotion, increased energetic cost or reduced mechanical compatibility with female genitalia. The optimal size for a copulatory organ may vary with mating behavior. The objective of this study is to examine among-species variability in copulatory organ size, body size and the relationship between copulatory organ …


Body Mass Index (Bmi) Of Normal Sandhill Cranes, Stephen A. Nesbitt, Marilyn G. Spalding, Kristen L. Candelora, Paul S. Kubilis, Stephen T. Schwikert Jan 2008

Body Mass Index (Bmi) Of Normal Sandhill Cranes, Stephen A. Nesbitt, Marilyn G. Spalding, Kristen L. Candelora, Paul S. Kubilis, Stephen T. Schwikert

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

We used linear and mass measurements to construct a body mass index (BMI) for 2 subspecies of sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis). We found that BMI declined during the spring and early summer period. We used the BMI to show that juvenile Florida sandhill cranes (G. c. pratensis) reach their full mass at about 270 days of age, near the age at which they begin to leave the company of their parents. We used mensural data to predict a minimum expected mass for normal sandhill cranes which could be then used to evaluate the relative health of …


Ecology, Reproduction And Morphometrics Of The Common Ribbonsnake (Thamnophis Sauritus) And Eastern Gartersnake (Thamnophis Sirtalis) In West Virginia, Noah Mccoard Jan 2008

Ecology, Reproduction And Morphometrics Of The Common Ribbonsnake (Thamnophis Sauritus) And Eastern Gartersnake (Thamnophis Sirtalis) In West Virginia, Noah Mccoard

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Two species of gartersnakes, Thamnophis, are found in West Virginia. Thamnophis sauritus , a semi-arboreal and semi-aquatic species, is listed as very rare and imperiled (S2) by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR) while the other Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis, a terrestrial species, is secure (S5). During the summer of 2007, I traveled to 53 counties in West Virginia searching for habitat and these two species.Several Thamnophis sirtalis were found in a variety of habitats throughout the state, but only three Thamnophis sauritus were found. Reproductive aspects were compared between the two species by holding gravid females in captivity …


The Natural History And Distribution Of The Mountain Earthsnake (Virginia Valeriae Pulchra) In West Virginia, Daniel Ware Jan 2008

The Natural History And Distribution Of The Mountain Earthsnake (Virginia Valeriae Pulchra) In West Virginia, Daniel Ware

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The Mountain Earthsnake, Virginia valeriae pulchra, has received little attention in the literature to date. It is imperiled in West Virginia with only 6 to 20 populations known throughout the Allegheny Mountain and Ridge and Valley Physiographic provinces. Eighty snakes were collected during the 2006 and 2007 summers. Typical habitat is open fields with short grass, flat to moderate slopes that have scattered fine sandstone rocks near a source of water and forest edge. Fine sandstone rocks were the primary cover objects used. Snakes were sexually dimorphic with males having longer tails expressed as a percent of total body lengths …


A Taxonomic Study Of The Genus Acris And The Status Of Acris Crepitans Blanchardi (Harper), Blanchard's Cricket Frog, In Southern Ohio And Western West Virginia, Amy M. Hamilton Jan 2008

A Taxonomic Study Of The Genus Acris And The Status Of Acris Crepitans Blanchardi (Harper), Blanchard's Cricket Frog, In Southern Ohio And Western West Virginia, Amy M. Hamilton

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Distributions of Acris crepitans and Acris gryllus cover most of the eastern United States with some overlap, and the subspecies Acris crepitans blanchardi and Acris crepitans crepitans also occur sympathric in parts of their ranges. My study analyzed 15 morphological characteristics of A. c. blanchardi, A. c. crepitans, and A. g. gryllus using Canonical Discriminate Analysis. Results support current taxonomy, showing the most separation between A. crepitans and A. gryllus and some overlap between A. c. blanchardi and A. c. crepitans. Sexual dimorphism was seen only in A. c. blanchardi and A. c. crepitans with females being larger …


Morphology And Arterial Vasculature Of Donkey (Equus Asinus L.) Adrenal Gland, Emi̇ne Karakurum, Özcan Özgel, Nejdet Dursun Jan 2008

Morphology And Arterial Vasculature Of Donkey (Equus Asinus L.) Adrenal Gland, Emi̇ne Karakurum, Özcan Özgel, Nejdet Dursun

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

In this study, the shape, localization, and arterial vascularization of the gl. adrenalis were examined in 6 donkeys. It was observed that the internal side of the gl. adrenalis sinistra was located against the aorta abdominalis and the caudal aspect of the gland was in the ventral aspect of the a. renalis sinistra. The length of the left adrenal gland was approximately 41.49-47.44 mm, while its width was about 21.70-26.24 mm, and the thickness was nearly 4.65-7.56 mm. The shape of the left adrenal gland was oval or nearly circular. The gl. adrenalis sinistra was vascularized by the rr. adrenalis …


Contribution To The Distribution, Morphological Peculiarities, And Karyology Of The Greater Noctule, Nyctalus Lasiopterus (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae), In Southwestern Turkey, Nuri̇ Yi̇ği̇t, Şafak Bulut, Ahmet Karataş, Pinar Çam, Fulya Saygili Jan 2008

Contribution To The Distribution, Morphological Peculiarities, And Karyology Of The Greater Noctule, Nyctalus Lasiopterus (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae), In Southwestern Turkey, Nuri̇ Yi̇ği̇t, Şafak Bulut, Ahmet Karataş, Pinar Çam, Fulya Saygili

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The Greater Noctule, Nyctalus lasiopterus, was recorded from southwestern Turkey for the third time. The dorsal fur of the Greater Noctule, which also covers the underpart of the wing membrane, along with the forearm and propatagium, is uniformly dark brown. The cranium shows typical characteristics of the noctule bats. In addition to these, the exoccipital is convex and is markedly visible in the planar view of the skull. There is a small depression mid braincase. The dental formula is i: 2, c: 1, pm: 1, m: 3/i: 3, c: 1, pm: 2, m: 3 = 32. The diploid number of …


Distribution And Morphology Of Mauremys Rivulata (Valenciennes, 1833) (Reptilia: Testudines: Geoemydidae) In The Lake District And Mediterranean Region Of Turkey, Di̇nçer Ayaz, Abi̇di̇n Budak Jan 2008

Distribution And Morphology Of Mauremys Rivulata (Valenciennes, 1833) (Reptilia: Testudines: Geoemydidae) In The Lake District And Mediterranean Region Of Turkey, Di̇nçer Ayaz, Abi̇di̇n Budak

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Morphometric measurements and color-pattern features of 62 samples of Mauremys rivulata from the Lake District (Göller Bölgesi) and the Mediterranean Region of Turkey were compared. Between populations, males apparently differed in 10 characters and females in 12 characters (independent t-test), but coefficient of difference (CD) values for these characters were not significant, and sexes were combined into a single group and compared with Aegean M. rivulata with respect to morphometric features. The greatest straight carapace length (SCL) observed in a male and female Aegean specimen was 215.0 mm and 214.0 mm, respectively. This paper also provides the first record of …