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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
The Brown Bear Gut Microbiome: A Novel Tool For Conservation & Management, Sarah M. Trujillo
The Brown Bear Gut Microbiome: A Novel Tool For Conservation & Management, Sarah M. Trujillo
All NMU Master's Theses
Gut microbiomes (GMBs), complex communities of microorganisms inhabiting the gastrointestinal tracts of their hosts, perform countless micro-ecosystem services such as facilitating energy uptake and modulating immune responses. While scientists increasingly recognize the role GMBs play in host health, the role of GMBs in wildlife ecology and conservation has yet to be realized fully. Here, I use brown bears (Ursus arctos) as an ecological model to investigate (1) how both extrinsic and intrinsic factors influence GMB community membership and structure; and (2) the correlation between GMB membership and brown bear health metrics. To achieve these aims, I subsampled archived …
Can Providing Positive Interactions With Snakes Change A Person’S Perception Of Dangerous Wildlife Interactions?, Bethany Walker
Can Providing Positive Interactions With Snakes Change A Person’S Perception Of Dangerous Wildlife Interactions?, Bethany Walker
Theses
Due to a long co-evolutionary history between placental mammals and reptiles, primates demonstrate aversive responses to snakes. In humans, this can result in ophidiophobia, or the fear of snakes which can arise due to cultural backgrounds, traumatic experiences, or fear instilled by others. However, these reptiles fill essential roles in ecosystems. Conservation and outreach efforts are important to help our population understand snakes’ role in our lives and the state’s broader biodiversity. Negative experiences or preconceptions about snakes can make this message hard to share with the public. Educators can help prevent intentional harm to some of these organisms through …
Assessing The Short-Term Effects Of Translocation On Freshwater Mussels: Is Habitat Or Water Quality More Important?, Joshua D. Arnold
Assessing The Short-Term Effects Of Translocation On Freshwater Mussels: Is Habitat Or Water Quality More Important?, Joshua D. Arnold
Masters Theses
Freshwater mussels (Order: Unionida) are very important to the function of aquatic ecosystems and are typically indicators of good water quality. They provide a valuable link between the water column and the benthic substrate in which they live and are a valuable food resource for many species of animals. However, most species native to North America are currently threatened with extinction, to the point that more than 70% of native freshwater mussels are listed as either threatened or endangered at the state or federal level. The cause of this decline can be attributed to historical over exploitation, habitat alteration, and …
Pacific Black Duck Ecology And Habitat Assessment In Aunu'u, American Samoa, And Their Relationship To Other Mallard-Like Ducks Of Oceania, Greater Indonesia, And The Philippines, Marissa Kaminski
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
Determining a species’ ecological needs, assessing the quality of their habitat, and determining genetic differentiation and connectivity among populations is essential to their conservation. My dissertation focuses on obtaining such a holistic view for a population of Pacific Black Ducks recently established on the Island of Aunu’u, American Samoa. Specifically, I present the first evaluation of the ecology and habitat of a recently established population of Pacific Black Ducks on the Island of Aunu’u, American Samoa, in Chapter 1, while I assess the genetic connectivity and relationship of this population to other Mallard-like ducks found in Greater Indonesia, Oceania, and …
The Effects Of Acid Rain Mitigation Efforts On The Behaviour-Dependent Movement Of Migrating Atlantic Salmon (Salmo Salar, L.) Smolts, Omar Salem Taboun
The Effects Of Acid Rain Mitigation Efforts On The Behaviour-Dependent Movement Of Migrating Atlantic Salmon (Salmo Salar, L.) Smolts, Omar Salem Taboun
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Acidification has led to changes in the chemistry of fresh waters and has impacted the survival of Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar), an endangered anadromous fish species. Liming, which has been implemented to restore freshwater ecosystems, has been demonstrated to restore a suitable pH for Atlantic Salmon, however, it remained unknown to what extent liming can restore the underlying behavioural traits and migration behaviour of smolts. We captured 116 smolts from two freshwater river treatments in Nova Scotia, Canada: acidified Little River (n=17) and lime-treated West River (n=99). We performed stream-side behavioural assays and discerned five behavioural metrics: (1) …
Corbicula Fluminea Effects On Survival, Growth, And Drift Of Juvenile Lampsilis Siliquoidea In Laboratory Exposures, Allison Nicole Sieja
Corbicula Fluminea Effects On Survival, Growth, And Drift Of Juvenile Lampsilis Siliquoidea In Laboratory Exposures, Allison Nicole Sieja
MSU Graduate Theses
The Asian clam, Corbicula fluminea, is an invasive species that is abundant and often co-occurs with native freshwater mussels. Corbicula is widely suspected of having negative effects on native mussels, but few studies have empirically tested this hypothesis. I used laboratory experiments to evaluate how adult Corbicula affected the survivorship, growth, and drift of juvenile Lampsilis siliquoidea. Survival and growth of newly metamorphosed mussels were tested in downwelling flow-through chambers with glass-bead substrate. Treatments were control (no clams), small adult clams, or large adult clams. After 28 days, large clams slightly but significantly reduced the number of juveniles …
Examining The Presence Of A Possible Species Complex Of Octopus Joubini (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae) In The Eastern Gulf Of Mexico, Haley Holloway
Examining The Presence Of A Possible Species Complex Of Octopus Joubini (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae) In The Eastern Gulf Of Mexico, Haley Holloway
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
The Pygmy Octopus Octopus joubini (Robson, 1929) is a small, shallow water species found throughout the Gulf of Mexico (GoM), western Atlantic Ocean and the northeastern Caribbean Sea (Mather, 1982; Jereb & Roper, 2014; Judkins, 2009). This species is believed to belong to a complex based upon morphological features including arm length, web depth, sucker size, egg size, hatchling ecology, and chromatophore coloration. It has been proposed that Octopus mercatoris, another pygmy species found in the GoM, may belong in this complex; however, no analyses have been performed to verify this claim. The present study incorporated morphological comparisons with …
Population Structure And Relative Abundance Of Elasmobranch Species Utilizing Inshore Waters Of Abu Dhabi, Shamsa Mohamed Al Hameli
Population Structure And Relative Abundance Of Elasmobranch Species Utilizing Inshore Waters Of Abu Dhabi, Shamsa Mohamed Al Hameli
Theses
The diversity, abundance, and distribution of elasmobranchs is poorly documented along the Arabian Gulf coast of the United Arab Emirates, with only a handful of publications focusing on elasmobranchs with the majority of data are collected through landing site and market surveys lacking site and species-specific data that are crucial for conservation management plans. The main objectives of this research were to determine the occurrence and utilization; quantify the relative abundance across different seasons; and describe the demographic structure of elasmobranch species that occurs in shallow waters around mangroves in Khor Al Saadiyat and adjacent islands, northeast of Abu Dhabi, …
A Baseline Documentation Report For The Delta Wind Birds Sky Lake Nature Reserve, James Dubberly
A Baseline Documentation Report For The Delta Wind Birds Sky Lake Nature Reserve, James Dubberly
Honors Theses
The purpose of this baseline documentation is to conduct a report on our subject property and discuss the findings. A conservation easement is established by upholding a certain standard of a property’s current condition which makes a baseline documentation necessary for an easement to be enacted. Baseline documentation reports are used as a resource to monitor and enforce the legal agreements of the conservation easement. The subject property is currently owned by the Delta Wind Birds organization. In our scenario, this documentation report will serve to aid in the conversion of our subject property into a conservation easement in which …
Shorebird Response To Human-Induced Changes At Three Pinellas County Beaches, Rebecca J. Ruthberg-Campagna
Shorebird Response To Human-Induced Changes At Three Pinellas County Beaches, Rebecca J. Ruthberg-Campagna
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Worldwide, shorebird habitat is being destroyed and degraded by development and sea level rise. Shorebirds depend on availability of pristine, undisturbed coastal habitats for resting and feeding during migration as well as for reproduction. Migratory shorebirds using the East Atlantic Flyway visit the Gulf of Mexico Beaches of Pinellas County, Florida as a stopover site during Fall and Spring migration. In addition to hosting migratory species, Pinellas County beaches are home to several year-round resident species that breed during Summer. Pinellas County is the most densely populated county in Florida, and its Gulf Coast is heavily developed with commercial and …
Pollinator Ecology In Agroecosystems Of Eastern South Dakota, Isabela Beatriz Vilella-Arnizaut
Pollinator Ecology In Agroecosystems Of Eastern South Dakota, Isabela Beatriz Vilella-Arnizaut
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Community structure contributes to ecosystem persistence and stability. To understand the mechanisms underlying pollination and community stability of natural areas in a human influenced landscape, a better understanding of the interaction patterns between plants and pollinators in disturbed landscapes is needed. Furthermore, understanding the potential conservation value in green spaces such as botanical gardens could assist in preserving and bolstering plant-pollinator interactions. Our study takes place in the Northern Great Plains which still retains extensive tracts of remnant temperate grassland habitat within a matrix of varying land-uses. First, we used a network-based approach to quantify how temperate grassland attributes and …
Quantifying The Effects Of Early Competition On Niche Specialization: A Natural Experiment In A Restored System, Christy Nicole Wails
Quantifying The Effects Of Early Competition On Niche Specialization: A Natural Experiment In A Restored System, Christy Nicole Wails
Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations
Islands support the greatest numbers of endemic species but are highly vulnerable to human activities. In particular, the introduction of invasive, predatory mammals (e.g., rodents) has resulted in sharp declines of island fauna due to a lack of evolved behavioral capacities to avoid depredation. Because of this, invasive species are considered to be one of the most detrimental impacts to biodiversity. To combat this biodiversity loss, the eradication of invasive mammals is now a primary conservation tool, with > 700 attempts globally. However, mammal eradications are predicated on the assumption that islands will naturally return to their pre-invaded condition. Yet many …