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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Impacts Of Environmental Stressors On Native South Dakota Amphibian Physiology And Survival, Danielle Jean Galvin
Impacts Of Environmental Stressors On Native South Dakota Amphibian Physiology And Survival, Danielle Jean Galvin
Dissertations and Theses
Amphibian populations around the world are declining, with some of the most likely drivers behind these declines including emerging infectious diseases and environmental contaminants. To address major gaps in the current literature, I sought to evaluate the effect of two major environmental stressors on various aspects of amphibian physiology: emerging infectious diseases and environmental contaminants. Emerging infectious diseases of amphibians include fungal, viral, and parasitic pathogens which have expanded in host range, either geographically or in competent host species. Environmental contaminants include chemicals which may be naturally occurring in the environment, or which may be introduced to the environment, often …
The Effects Of Anthropogenic Modification To The Landscape On Turtle Distribution And Health In South Dakota, Anna C. Kase
The Effects Of Anthropogenic Modification To The Landscape On Turtle Distribution And Health In South Dakota, Anna C. Kase
Dissertations and Theses
The Missouri River is a dynamic ecosystem that has been affected by anthropogenic modification and activity. The implementation of mainstem dams, reservoir formation, pollution, and non-native species invasions have greatly impacted this habitat and its constituents, particularly the false map turtle (Graptemys pseudogeographica). False map turtles are listed as a state threatened species in South Dakota and a focused large-scale assessment of their distribution and health has not been conducted since the 1960s. To address the gap in knowledge of how anthropogenic modifications to the Missouri River have impacted false map turtle distributions and health, the effect of a common …
Reproduction In Relation To Heavy-Metal Contamination Along An Urbanization Gradient In Aninvasive Florida Lizard Species (Anolis Sagrei), Elizabeth Hauck
Reproduction In Relation To Heavy-Metal Contamination Along An Urbanization Gradient In Aninvasive Florida Lizard Species (Anolis Sagrei), Elizabeth Hauck
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Environmental contamination is accumulating rapidly worldwide due to increasing urbanization rates. Heavy metals are known to be particularly toxic to organisms, to accumulate in biological systems, and to be found in higher concentrations in animals located in areas of high urban levels. However, the physiological impacts of these toxic heavy metals in wildlife remain largely unknown. Lizards are excellent bioindicator species for environmental contaminants due to their trophic level as mesopredators and their susceptibility of exposure via air, water, diet, and soil through egg deposition. To assess the impacts heavy-metal contamination has on reproductive parameters in lizards and how these …
Effects Of Wastewater Effluent On Fish Fin Morphology Of Larval Fathead Minnows (Pimephales Promelas) And Swimming Performance Of Smallmouth Buffalo (Ictiobus Bubalus), Seth Michael Bogue
Effects Of Wastewater Effluent On Fish Fin Morphology Of Larval Fathead Minnows (Pimephales Promelas) And Swimming Performance Of Smallmouth Buffalo (Ictiobus Bubalus), Seth Michael Bogue
Masters Theses
The Sangamon River flows across central Illinois and is mostly free flowing except in the city of Decatur where it is impounded to form Lake Decatur. The Sanitary District of Decatur (SDD) is located approximately three miles downstream of the Lake Decatur dam. For a significant portion of the year, the stretch of the Sangamon River downstream of SDD is dominated by effluent due to limited discharge from the Lake Decatur dam. This has resulted in heavy nutrient loading, most notably phosphorus, and elevated levels of nickel and other compounds in the downstream section of the river. Smallmouth buffalo ( …
The Effect Of Seasonality On Yellow Perch Ecology And Ecotoxicology Within Lake Manganese, Bailey Duxbury
The Effect Of Seasonality On Yellow Perch Ecology And Ecotoxicology Within Lake Manganese, Bailey Duxbury
Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports
Seasonality is a consistent component of aquatic ecosystems yet most fish biological and ecotoxicological studies commonly employ field sampling protocols focused during the warm open water season with minimal emphasis placed on winter sampling, especially for north-temperate latitude ecosystems. Such strategies limit our understanding of poikilotherm biology and ecology during the overwintering seasons. Here, I investigated seasonal changes in yellow perch (Perca flavescens) biology, ecology and ecotoxicology over a one-year period in Lake Manganese. Significant seasonality was observed for metrics including fish energy densities (kJ/g), gonadosomatic indices, whole-body lipid contents, and carbon stable isotope values (δ13C). …
Macrophytes And Atrazine In Ponds Of Southwest Missouri, Christine Michelle Cornish
Macrophytes And Atrazine In Ponds Of Southwest Missouri, Christine Michelle Cornish
MSU Graduate Theses
Wetlands are often the ultimate destination of agrochemicals. The increased use of these pollutants has resulted in their increased transport, via runoff and spray drift, into wetlands. Atrazine, a commonly used herbicide, has been detected in surface water, groundwater, soil, and sediment, and has shown to have adverse impacts on aquatic biota, such as fish and amphibians. Few studies have reported on the relationships between atrazine and macrophytes. I measured atrazine concentrations in surface sediments in agricultural, conservation, and golf course ponds of southwest Missouri, and investigated how those concentrations might be related to macrophyte communities, and pond environmental characteristics. …
Characterizing The Impacts Of Contaminants On Fish Embryogenesis And Revealing An Alternate Molecular Mechanism Of Ahr Mediated Cardiac Defects, Corinna Singleman
Characterizing The Impacts Of Contaminants On Fish Embryogenesis And Revealing An Alternate Molecular Mechanism Of Ahr Mediated Cardiac Defects, Corinna Singleman
Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
There is a long history of damage to natural ecosystems from environmental pollution. Many environmental contaminants are man-made and have been released with abandon over the last 100 years including dioxins, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). These chemicals act on similar cellular processes and cause skin lesions, cancer, learning disabilities and reproductive problems in many vertebrates. There are many studies exploring various aspects of TCDD and PCB exposure on model and wild organisms. Few studies however, have compared effects of PCB mixtures on ecosystems to effects of individual PCBs in the lab. The first aim of this thesis is …
Development Of A Dreissena Bioassay To Assess The Toxicity Of Contaminants Across Two Life-History Stages, Caroline Joyce Addis
Development Of A Dreissena Bioassay To Assess The Toxicity Of Contaminants Across Two Life-History Stages, Caroline Joyce Addis
Wayne State University Theses
Dreissenid mussels (Dreissena polymorpha and D. bugensis) have rapidly become widespread and ubiquitous in North America since their introduction into the Great Lakes in the 1980s. The resulting environmental and economic impacts of their invasion have been extensive, negatively affecting biodiversity and costing millions of dollars in control efforts and damage to power generation and water treatment facilities. Although dreissenids are often associated with negative impacts, they may present a practical tool for toxicology studies. The typically sessile behavior of the benthic adults coupled with the planktonic nature of the veligers allow for a more complete evaluation of water quality …
Combined Effects Of Tetrakis Hydroxymethyl Phosphonium Chloride And Ammonium On Plankton Community Structure In Blackwater Pond Mesocosms, Marina N. Osier
Combined Effects Of Tetrakis Hydroxymethyl Phosphonium Chloride And Ammonium On Plankton Community Structure In Blackwater Pond Mesocosms, Marina N. Osier
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Flame retardant chemicals enter aquatic systems through municipal and industrial wastewater, and despite being detected in surface waters, most have not been thoroughly assessed for environmental risk. Halogenated flame retardants, known to be persistent and highly toxic to aquatic organisms are being phased out, and replaced with new or under-tested organophosphorus flame retardants. Organophosphorus flame retardants, such as tetrakis hydroxymethyl phosphonium chloride (THPC), often have similar applications to and are generally not as persistent as halogenated flame retardants. Single-species toxicity tests of organophosphorus flame retardants reveal a wide range of toxicity values within the range of environmentally relevant concentrations in …
Attraction And Risk In Urban Bird Habitats, Megan E. Litwhiler
Attraction And Risk In Urban Bird Habitats, Megan E. Litwhiler
Dissertations
Urban expansion is an increasing threat to native bird populations. Consequently, maintaining and developing safe urban habitat space is necessary for conservation. Birds living in, or migrating through, urban areas utilize a variety of managed green-spaces such as parks, gardens, college campuses, and cemeteries. In addition to managed habitats, birds may use abandoned property that has been reclaimed by vegetation and associated spontaneous, biological communities. Such urban habitats may provide valuable resources for birds and other wildlife; however, these sites often contain high densities of non-native plants and can be polluted, potentially imparting a greater risk than benefit to the …