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Articles 1 - 12 of 12
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Evaluating The Use Of Roving Diver And Transect Surveys To Assess The Coral Reef Fish Assemblage Off Southeastern Hispaniola, Emily Schmitt Lavin, Robert Sluka, Kathleen Sullivan-Sealey
Evaluating The Use Of Roving Diver And Transect Surveys To Assess The Coral Reef Fish Assemblage Off Southeastern Hispaniola, Emily Schmitt Lavin, Robert Sluka, Kathleen Sullivan-Sealey
Emily F Schmitt Lavin
The relatively little-studied fish fauna off southeastern Hispaniola was rapidly assessed using a combination of visual survey techniques including transects and roving diver surveys. It was found that when combined, both methods provided a more complete overall species assessment than either method was able to provide in isolation. Being able to conduct rapid species assessments is becoming increasingly more important as a conservation tool. Data on species composition, sighting frequency, and abundance of all fishes were collected using both methods. Abundance was recorded in four logarithmic-based categories (roving diver method) while the number of fishes were counted within 40-m2 transects …
Effects Of Environmental And Anthropogenic Factors On The Range Contraction Of Bird And Mammal Species, Patrice M. Betz
Effects Of Environmental And Anthropogenic Factors On The Range Contraction Of Bird And Mammal Species, Patrice M. Betz
Master's Theses
The largest contributor to biodiversity loss is habitat destruction caused by humans. A common consequence of habitat destruction is a reduction in the geographic range of a species. Little research has been done to separate the contribution of anthropogenic and environmental variables to the extinction or persistence of species that have experienced range contraction. In this thesis, I examined the relative effects of several variables (elevation, mean annual precipitation, mean annual temperature, human population density, distance from roads, and proportion of land converted to built-up land, cropland, and rangeland) on the geographic ranges of declining bird and mammal species from …
Home Range, Habitat Use, And Movements Of Native Northern Map Turtles (Graptemys Geographica), And Sympatric Invasive Red-Eared Slider Turtles (Trachemys Scripta Elegans), In The Upper Niagara River, Brian E. Haas
Biology Theses
Turtle populations throughout the world are in decline due to the effects associated with anthropogenic disturbances. Northern map turtles in the Upper Niagara River are facing the same effects associated with shoreline development, pollution, and human induced mortality. A biotelemetric study was conducted to understand the population structure, habitat use, and behavior of northern map turtles in the Upper Niagara River. Turtles were trapped, outfitted with radio and sonic transmitters, and tracked from August 2013 until April 2015. Invasive red-eared sliders, which also inhabit the Niagara River were captured and tracked to allow for comparison. This invasive species is a …
Analysis Of Seed Preference Trials Of Red Veld Rats And Smith's Bush Squirrels And Trap Effectiveness In The Lowveld Of South Africa, Brooke A. Barber
Analysis Of Seed Preference Trials Of Red Veld Rats And Smith's Bush Squirrels And Trap Effectiveness In The Lowveld Of South Africa, Brooke A. Barber
Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects
Large tree species in South Africa face reproductive decline, especially older trees that provide ecosystem connectivity. Management of Balule Nature Reserve, an extensive private nature reserve in South Africa, wanted to investigate the roles rodents play in the recruitment and survival of select tree species. Two large tree species of concern, marula (Sclerocarya birrea) and knobthorn acacia (Acacia nigrescens) are dominant, habitat providers and red bushwillow (Combretum apiculatum) is a smaller and more common, prolific seed producer. I investigated whether rodents, specifically red veld rats and Smith’s bush squirrels, may play a detrimental role …
Assessing The Vulnerability Of Coastal Marsh Birds To Sea Level Rise In The South Atlantic Coast, Nicolette Roach
Assessing The Vulnerability Of Coastal Marsh Birds To Sea Level Rise In The South Atlantic Coast, Nicolette Roach
All Theses
Global wetland degradation and loss is occurring at a rapid rate, and in the United States over 50% of wetlands in the lower 48 states have been altered since European settlement. In some cases, wetlands that were historically transformed for agriculture are now managed as wetland habitat. We conducted occupancy surveys for black rails (Latterallus jamaicensis) in managed and unmanaged areas of coastal South Carolina. We modeled landscape and local factors potentially influencing occupancy and we assessed whether these habitat associations indicated vulnerability following expected alterations from sea level rise. Black rails occupied 17 of 344 sites surveyed. Landscape factors …
Distinguishing The Neches River Rose Mallow, Hibiscus Dasycalyx, From Its Congeners Using Dna Sequence Data And Niche Modeling Methods, Melody P. Sain
Distinguishing The Neches River Rose Mallow, Hibiscus Dasycalyx, From Its Congeners Using Dna Sequence Data And Niche Modeling Methods, Melody P. Sain
Biology Theses
The accurate identification of species that are in need of protection is one of the most essential challenges of conservation biology (Lovich and Gibbons, 1997). When deciding if a species needs conservation protection, there are two main scientific concerns that must be addressed: (1) determining if the taxonomic standing of the target species is upheld (i.e., if it is a real, rare species) and (2) deciding where the target species occurs or is likely to occur. In this study we used an integrative approach combining ecological niche modeling and molecular genetics to understand the taxonomy of a federally threatened Hibiscus …
Population Genomic Inference Of Ecology, Conservation, Evolution, And Demographic History Of Atlantic Seahorses And Pipefishes (Syngnathidae), Joel Thomas Boehm
Population Genomic Inference Of Ecology, Conservation, Evolution, And Demographic History Of Atlantic Seahorses And Pipefishes (Syngnathidae), Joel Thomas Boehm
Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
In the Atlantic Ocean powerful directional ocean currents can play a significant role in the formation and persistence of marine species. Syngnathidae fishes have a sparse fossil record, high morphological plasticity, and many of these species are difficult to observe in the wild, therefore they frequently lack life history information and the status of regional lineages and species designations are often obscure. In this dissertation I explore the ecology, evolution, and conservation of primarily Atlantic seahorses (Hippocampus) and pipefish (Syngnathus) in four core chapters, using differing genetic datasets ranging from mitochondrial DNA to genome-wide RAD sequences. Most Synganthids have the …
Managed Areas As Ecological Traps For Snakes In An Exotic Plant-Invaded Landscape, Evin Carter, Bruce Kingsbury
Managed Areas As Ecological Traps For Snakes In An Exotic Plant-Invaded Landscape, Evin Carter, Bruce Kingsbury
Bruce A Kingsbury Ph.D.
Areas such as wildlife refuges or parks offer important opportunities for the protection of imperiled wildlife. Unfortunately, conflicting practices and objectives with respect to natural resource management and general property management can potentially lead to negative outcomes such as the decline or extirpation local flora or fauna. Here, we provide direct evidence of the impacts of property management and restoration activities on a population of Northern Copperheads ( Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen ) in southern Indiana, showing that several managed habitats can and do attract Northern Copperheads and simultaneously place them at greater risk of injury and/or mortality. At the same …
Impacts Of Invasive Plants On Resource Selection And Thermoregulation By A North American Pitviper (Agkistrodon Contortrix Mokasen), Evin Carter, Bruce Kingsbury
Impacts Of Invasive Plants On Resource Selection And Thermoregulation By A North American Pitviper (Agkistrodon Contortrix Mokasen), Evin Carter, Bruce Kingsbury
Bruce A Kingsbury Ph.D.
Invasive plants have been identified as a potential factor in the decline of many forms of wildlife. Nevertheless, there is a paucity of clear evidence regarding causative mechanisms. We therefore investigated the effects of nonnative invasive plants on resource selection and thermoregulation by 22 radio-tagged Northern Copperheads (Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen) in southern Indiana. Copperheads exhibited clear avoidance of most invasive plant species at multiple spatial scales, with exotic shrubs having the greatest influence on copperhead habitat selection. Avoidance appears to be at least partially attributable to limited thermoregulatory opportunities within exotic plant-dominated habitats relative to native habitats, with exotic shrub …
The Coastal Monitor: Vol. 1, No. 1, John Tanacredi Ph.D.
The Coastal Monitor: Vol. 1, No. 1, John Tanacredi Ph.D.
The Coastal Monitor
The Center for Environmental Research and Coastal Oceans Monitoring (CERCOM) is a scientific coastal research center and field station dedicated to exploring our global coastal environments and near-shore oceans. CERCOM is the field station support facility for all sciences at Molloy College and services the degree programs of Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Studies, with special attention to a B.S. degree in Earth and Environmental Studies. Located at the West Sayville Boat Basin on the Great South Bay, CERCOM is a 2,500 sq. ft. field station estuarine/ marine science laboratory where environmental monitoring and analysis is conducted 365 days a year.
Y Chromosome Genetic Diversity And Breed Relationships In Native Polish Cattle Assessed By Microsatellite Markers, Beata Prusak, Wioletta Sawicka-Zugaj, Agnieszka Korwin-Kossakowska, Tomasz Grzybowski
Y Chromosome Genetic Diversity And Breed Relationships In Native Polish Cattle Assessed By Microsatellite Markers, Beata Prusak, Wioletta Sawicka-Zugaj, Agnieszka Korwin-Kossakowska, Tomasz Grzybowski
Turkish Journal of Biology
Cattle provide a wide range of products and services to humans; thus the significance of conservation of livestock genetic resources is evident. We analyzed the genetic variability of five Y-chromosomal microsatellites in 395 bulls representing six cattle breeds (Polish Red, Polish Whitebacks, Polish Red-and-White, Polish Black-and-White, Polish Holstein Friesian, and Simmental). We identified three haplotypes in the paternal gene pool of analyzed populations. Haplotype diversity was low and frequencies ranged from 9.87% to 100%. In Polish autochthonous breeds (Polish Red, Polish Whitebacks), we detected two and three haplotypes. The network analysis revealed that tested bulls of both breeds were distributed …
A Popular And Potentially Sustainable Fishery Resource Under Pressure-Extinction Risk And Conservation Of Brazilian Sciaenidae (Teleostei: Perciformes), Ning L. Chao, Flávia L. Frédou, Manuel Haimovici, Monica B. Peres, Beth Polidoro, Marcelo Raseira, Rosana Subira, Kent E. Carpenter
A Popular And Potentially Sustainable Fishery Resource Under Pressure-Extinction Risk And Conservation Of Brazilian Sciaenidae (Teleostei: Perciformes), Ning L. Chao, Flávia L. Frédou, Manuel Haimovici, Monica B. Peres, Beth Polidoro, Marcelo Raseira, Rosana Subira, Kent E. Carpenter
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
Croakers (Sciaenidae) are major fishery resource in Brazil; constituting 22% of marine and 9% of freshwater fishery landings. Croakers are subject to heavy fishing pressure throughout Brazil, but habitat alteration is also an important threat to regional populations. In this regional Sciaenidae assessment, each species was analyzed for relative risk of extinction, including the identification and quantification of the impact of major threats and existing conservation measures, based on application of the Categories and Criteria of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Of the 52 species of Sciaenid fishes (34 marine and 18 freshwater) present in Brazilian waters, the …