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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

An Ecological Study Of The Anurans In Tea Plantations In A Biodiversity Hotspot, Lilly M. Eluvathingal Nov 2016

An Ecological Study Of The Anurans In Tea Plantations In A Biodiversity Hotspot, Lilly M. Eluvathingal

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Increasing human population size is increasing the demand for resources like timber, oil, tea, coffee, and other crops. Plantation crops mimic some aspects of native habitats, and there are studies that report the presence of some native anuran biodiversity in plantations. I focused on tea plantations in the Western Ghats-Sri Lanka Biodiversity Hotspot and studied the diversity and health of anurans in different habitats found within a tea cultivation area, near Munnar region in the Western Ghats, India. The landscape includes tea bushes, native evergreen shola forest patches, and eucalyptus forest stands. I reviewed 40 studies comparing amphibian species richness …


Profiling Populations Using Neutral Markers, Major Histocompatibility Complex Genes And Volatile Organic Compounds As Modeled In Equus Caballus Linnaeus, Ketaki Deshpande Oct 2016

Profiling Populations Using Neutral Markers, Major Histocompatibility Complex Genes And Volatile Organic Compounds As Modeled In Equus Caballus Linnaeus, Ketaki Deshpande

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Assessing the genetics of wild animal populations aims to understand selective pressures, and factors whether it be inbreeding or adaptation, that affect the genome. Although numerous techniques are available for assessing population structure, a major obstacle in studying wild populations is obtaining samples from the animals without having to capture them, which can lead to undue distress and injury. Therefore, biologists often use non-invasive sampling methods (i.e., collection of feces, hair) to extract host DNA. In this study, new DNA extraction protocols were developed that improved the quality and quantity of DNA obtained from fecal matter. Fecal samples aged up …