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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
The Effects Of Phosphorus And Carbon Additions On Anaerobic Microbial Activity In Peat Soils Of The Florida Everglades, Gisele Louise Colbert
The Effects Of Phosphorus And Carbon Additions On Anaerobic Microbial Activity In Peat Soils Of The Florida Everglades, Gisele Louise Colbert
FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Human activities have altered the natural biogeochemical cycles of many elements to the extent that they are now treated as pollutants in many ecosystems. The Everglades of South Florida have been negatively impacted by two such elements, phosphorus and mercury. This study tested the hypothesis that increased phosphorus concentration contributes to conditions that lead to increased anaerobic microbial activity and microbial populations that might be linked to mercury methylation in Everglades peat soils. Soil was collected from a pristine Eleocharis marsh in the Shark River Slough area of Everglades National Park. Changes in microbial communities from aerobically-dominated to anaerobically-dominated processes …
Aspects Of The Transplantation, Storage And Maintenance Of Corals (Montastraea Faveolata, Acropora Cervicornis And A. Palmata), Lillian C. Becker
Aspects Of The Transplantation, Storage And Maintenance Of Corals (Montastraea Faveolata, Acropora Cervicornis And A. Palmata), Lillian C. Becker
FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of this study is to explore aspects of coral transplantation for restoration. Montastraea faveolata cores of 2.54 and 5.0 cm were stored in aquaria, on an array and on the substrate. Survival on the array and substrate were 100% for 12 and 11 months respectively. Branches of Acropora cervicornis had 75.0 % survival on the substrate and 91.7% on the array. Disease caused mortality for the A. cervicornis and the 2.54 cm cores in the aquaria but not for the 5.0 cm cores. Growth was significantly higher for A. cervicornis and A. palmata branches stored on an array …
Horizontal Genetic Transfer In Asexual Fungi, Blanca R. Cortes
Horizontal Genetic Transfer In Asexual Fungi, Blanca R. Cortes
FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Four aspects of horizontal genetic transfer during heterokaryon formation were examined in the asexual pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense (Foe): 1) variability based on method of heterokaryon formation 2) differences in nuclear and mitochondrial inheritance 3) the occurrence of recombination without nuclear fusion 4) the occurrence of horizontal genetic transfer between distantly related isolates. The use of non- pathogenic strains of Fusarium oxysporum as biocontrol agents warrants a closer examination at the reproductive life cycle of this fungus, particularly if drag resistance or pathogenicity genes can be transmitted horizontally. Experiments were divided into three phases. Phase I looked at heterokaryon …
Japanese Use Of Beni-Tengu-Dake (Amanita Muscaria) And The Efficacy Of Traditional Detoxification Methods, Allan Grady Phipps
Japanese Use Of Beni-Tengu-Dake (Amanita Muscaria) And The Efficacy Of Traditional Detoxification Methods, Allan Grady Phipps
FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The poisonous fruiting bodies of Amanita muscaria (L. ex Fr.) Pers, ex Hook, are harvested by rural inhabitants of Sanada Town, Japan. These mountain villagers consume beni-tengu-take as a local delicacy, despite its potential hallucinogenic effects. The Japanese use several methods to detoxify beni-tengu-take, but believe pickling the mushrooms to be the safest. Other methods of preparation include grilling and drying the mushrooms. I documented the preparation and consumption of each detoxification method through local interviews with Japanese informants. I then used ion-interaction rp-HPLC to quantify the hallucinogenic compounds, ibotenic acid and muscimol, and determined the efficacy of each traditional …
The Distribution And Abundance Of The Exotic And Native Urban Avifauna In Miami-Dade County Florida, Omar Zaid Abdelrahman
The Distribution And Abundance Of The Exotic And Native Urban Avifauna In Miami-Dade County Florida, Omar Zaid Abdelrahman
FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Southern Florida is experiencing an unprecedented population expansion of several exotic avian species. To understand the impact of introduced species on the native bird community, I censused two transects that spanned older, urban, closed canopy (ca. 60 yr.- old) to more recent (< 20 yr-old) suburban, open canopy habitats in Miami-Dade County, Florida for a 12-mo period. The recently introduced Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) was the most abundant species (92.7 birds/km2), but density varied across transects with lowest density (2.87 birds/km2) in older-growth habitat compared to the maximum density (210 birds/km2) in young habitat. The European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) was second in abundance at 79.1 birds/km2. The Boat-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus major) was the third most abundant species (67.5 birds/km2). The Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura), considered to be threatened by the Collared Dove (Simberloff et al. 1997, Schmitz and Brown 1994), was the next most abundant at (66.1 birds/km2). The House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) was evenly distributed and consistently averaged 52.5 birds/km 2. The Rock Dove (Columba livia) averaged 39.7 birds/km2 and was absent from older areas with high canopy cover. The Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) averaged 34.5 birds/km2 and was the most evenly distributed species in the study area. The Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) was also evenly distributed and averaged 16.9 birds/km 2. The introduced Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus), considered an agricultural pest, averaged 9.70 birds/km 2, with peak abundance in recently developed habitats (22.8 birds/km2) and none observed in older urban areas. The Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) was consistently observed at 6.07 birds/km2. Introduced species are a numerically dominant component of the urban avifauna in Miami, composing over 53% of the resident bird population.