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Articles 1 - 13 of 13
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
An Inventory Of Endemic Leaf Litter Arthropods Of Arkansas With Emphasis On Certain Insect Groups And Diplopoda, Derek Alan Hennen
An Inventory Of Endemic Leaf Litter Arthropods Of Arkansas With Emphasis On Certain Insect Groups And Diplopoda, Derek Alan Hennen
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Endemic arthropods of Arkansas were sampled and their nomenclature and distributions were updated. The Arkansas endemic species list is updated to 121 species, including 16 species of millipedes. A study of the millipedes of Arkansas was undertaken, and resulted in the first checklist and key to all millipede species in the state. 68 species are known from Arkansas, including the genera Cylindroiulus and Polydesmus. The first state records for Ophyiulus pilosus, Cylindroiulus sp., and Ptyoiulus coveanus are reported, and new county records are reported for 16 species. This represents the first key to a state's species since 1980, and the …
The Abundance And Distribution Of Mallards In The Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley Of Arkansas, John Andrew Herbert
The Abundance And Distribution Of Mallards In The Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley Of Arkansas, John Andrew Herbert
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
The management of wintering waterfowl in North America requires flexibility because of constantly changing landscapes and conditions. Many mallards use the lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV) for wintering habitat, making this an area of emphasis for improving management strategies. In this study, I used mallard observation data from 2009-2014 aerial surveys collected in the Arkansas portion of the lower MAV to explain the abundance and distribution and of mallards. Using spatial hierarchical models and breaking covariate data to 2x2 km grid cells, I analyzed how covariates relate to the changes of abundance and distributions within and among surveys. Mallard abundance …
Hydrology-Biology Response Relationships In The Ozark Highlands, Dustin Thomas Lynch
Hydrology-Biology Response Relationships In The Ozark Highlands, Dustin Thomas Lynch
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
I examined flow-ecology relationships among stream communities in the Ozark Highlands, USA. I sampled fish, crayfish, and benthic macroinvertebrates during two consecutive summers, including a drought year (2012) and a flood year (2013). Biological response variables related to community structure were assessed via two different statistical methods: an Information Theoretic approach relating response variables to a priori selected predictor variables incorporating hydrology, habitat, geomorphology, and water quality, and canonical ordination using forward selection to relate these same response variables to a large assortment of hydrologic metrics. In addition to assessing metrics related to predicted natural flow, flow alteration at gaged …
Spring Migration Ecology Of American Woodcock (Scolopax Minor) In The Central Management Region Of The United States, Cari Elizabeth Sebright
Spring Migration Ecology Of American Woodcock (Scolopax Minor) In The Central Management Region Of The United States, Cari Elizabeth Sebright
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
American woodcock (Scolopax minor) is a migratory game bird in population decline since the start of monitoring in 1968. Researchers are interested in gaining knowledge of spring migration ecology to improve migration habitat and mitigate population decline. I captured six woodcock with mist and hand nets on nocturnal habitat and marked them with VHF (very high frequency) transmitters in northern Arkansas. I documented the distance they traveled between nocturnal and diurnal habitats (n=27), and documented diurnal vegetation characteristics at sites used (n=25). I found that woodcock moved an average of 370 m (SE 25.31 m) with the longest movement being …
Monochamus Titillator Oviposition And Intraspecific Competition In Shortleaf Pine Bolts, Ryan Patrick Rastok
Monochamus Titillator Oviposition And Intraspecific Competition In Shortleaf Pine Bolts, Ryan Patrick Rastok
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Monochamus titillator (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) feed on trees in the family Pinaceae as adults and larvae. Adults feed on healthy twigs and branches and oviposit on stressed, dead, or dying trees. Prior to oviposition, females construct pits on the bark surface using their mandibles. The number of eggs laid beneath bark, where oviposition pits have been constructed, varies greatly. Developmental time and adult body size also vary greatly. I investigated oviposition and intraspecific competition with the goal of determining the degree to which various insect densities and oviposition times impact the following: 1) oviposition pit construction; 2) egg deposition; 3) emergence, …
The Functional And Distributional Ecology Of Mycetozoans Under Changing Edaphic And Climatic Dynamics, Geoffrey Lloyd Zahn
The Functional And Distributional Ecology Of Mycetozoans Under Changing Edaphic And Climatic Dynamics, Geoffrey Lloyd Zahn
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Investigations into the distribution and ecosystem functions of fruiting amoebae revealed that local-scale environmental conditions can largely explain broad biogeographical patterns in species assemblage, the way in which amoeboid predators shape bacterial communities and how this top-down influence may affect global biogeochemical processes in a changing climate. The distribution and assemblage of protosteloid amoebae on the islands of New Zealand and Hawaii did not yield any expected patterns of island biogeography, and conformed to other global regions studied. The strongest predictor of species richness in a given region was sampling effort and these species do not appear to have any …
Population Structure Of Central Stoneroller (Campostoma Anomalum) On The Ozark Plateau In Arkansas And Missouri, Mallory Jane Jeffers
Population Structure Of Central Stoneroller (Campostoma Anomalum) On The Ozark Plateau In Arkansas And Missouri, Mallory Jane Jeffers
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Stream fishes on the Ozark Plateau have been influenced both by historic events (i.e. vicariance versus dispersal) and ecological forces (i.e. flow regime). To examine the role of these processes, genetic structure of Central Stoneroller (Campostoma anomalum), an ecologically important omnivorous minnow with a broad distribution and elevated abundance, was evaluated across populations in the White River drainage of the Ozark Plateau in Arkansas and Missouri. Fin clips of five to eight individuals were taken at each of 20 sites (N=138 individuals; average=6.9), selected so as to represent two different flow regimes: intermittently flashy (N=10 sites; N=73 individuals; average=7.3/ site) …
Alliaria Petiolata (M.Bieb.) Cavara & Grande [Brassicaceae], An Invasive Herb In The Southern Ozark Plateaus: A Comparison Of Species Composition And Richness, Soil Properties, And Earthworm Composition And Biomass In Invaded Versus Non-Invaded Sites, Jennifer D. Ogle
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Invasive species are widely recognized as organisms that severely alter ecosystem processes in the habitats to which they are introduced. Alliaria petiolata is one of the most important invasive plants in forests of the northern United States. This study examined the geographic distribution of the plant in the southern Ozarks, as well as the effect that it may be having on natural processes within forests of the region by comparing plant species richness, plant cover, and soil properties in invaded and non-invaded plots. It was found that A. petiolata is not significantly altering species richness, cover, or soil properties in …
Effects Of Landscape Disturbances On Autotrophic Processes Within Arkansas Ozark Streams, Bradley J. Austin
Effects Of Landscape Disturbances On Autotrophic Processes Within Arkansas Ozark Streams, Bradley J. Austin
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Land-use change is one of the most widespread human impacts and can influence abiotic and biotic processes within surrounding streams. For example, streams in agricultural and urban watersheds receive greater light and nutrient inputs that can promote increased algal growth and primary production. Natural gas (NG) infrastructure development, a recent land use change in many regions, may also stimulate forested stream primary production, by reducing forest cover and increasing sediments and nutrient transport. I sampled streams across a NG activity gradient for algal biomass and gross primary production (GPP) to assess potential effects of this emerging land-use type. Algal biomass …
Distribution Of The Egyptian Goose (Alopochen Aegyptiacus) In Northwestern Arkansas And In The United States Of America, Cameron Chesbro
Distribution Of The Egyptian Goose (Alopochen Aegyptiacus) In Northwestern Arkansas And In The United States Of America, Cameron Chesbro
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
The Egyptian Goose (Alopochen aegyptiacus) is an exotic member of the Anatidae that has been residing in northwestern Arkansas since the 1980s (Smith and James 2012). Following the discovery of Egyptian Geese in the area, not much attention has been given to the consequences of population increase. The Egyptian Goose has shown many diverse population growth patterns in areas where it has been introduced and started feral populations. The purpose of this study was to assess the current population size of the Egyptian Goose in northwestern Arkansas,and confirm successful breeding. The methods used in this study included conducting road surveys …
The Reproductive Ecology Of The Timber Rattlesnake, Crotalus Horridus, In Northwestern Arkansas: Interactions Between Environment, Steroid Hormones, And Life History, Craig Michael Lind
The Reproductive Ecology Of The Timber Rattlesnake, Crotalus Horridus, In Northwestern Arkansas: Interactions Between Environment, Steroid Hormones, And Life History, Craig Michael Lind
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
In this dissertation I examined the relationship between individual energetic status, hormone production, and life history trait expression in field-active Timber Rattlesnakes, Crotalus horridus. In chapter one I reviewed what is known regarding these relationships in snakes and defined major research goals. In chapter two I described the seasonal profile of testosterone (T) and corticosterone (CORT) in relation to the breeding season and to individual energetic status in males. Results showed that the seasonal pattern of T production in C. horridus was different than other pit viper species with similar mating patterns. Testosterone was elevated in the months leading up …
Improving Production Efficiency Of Beef Cow-Calf Operations, Amanda Jo Davis
Improving Production Efficiency Of Beef Cow-Calf Operations, Amanda Jo Davis
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Three studies were conducted to improve and incorporate reproductive management practices into beef cow-calf production. First study evaluated serial use of Estrotect estrous detection patches as a simple, cost-effective reproductive management tool to identify cyclic animals before breeding, distinguish between females conceiving to AI versus natural service, and determine seasonal pregnancy rate after bull removal. Also determined, was effectiveness of altered timing of GnRH treatment (1 d ± CIDR removal) in a modified 14-d CIDR-Select Synch protocol. When evaluated over a 4-wk period, estrous detection patches correctly (P < 0.01) identified 79% of cyclic and 86% of non-cyclic heifers. Patches were 96 and 98% accurate in identifying heifers and cows pregnant by AI, respectively, and were 76 and 87% accurate in identifying pregnant heifers and cows at the end of the breeding season (P < 0.01). Treatment with GnRH at CIDR removal reduced labor costs and animal handling without compromising estrous response (both ~63.0%) and AI pregnancy rates (~76 and 77%; P > 0.1). Second study determined if addition of PGF2alpha treatment on d 7 …
Management Of A Primordial Problem: Redox-Sensitive Transcriptional Regulation In Methanosarcina Acetivorans, Ryan Christopher Sheehan
Management Of A Primordial Problem: Redox-Sensitive Transcriptional Regulation In Methanosarcina Acetivorans, Ryan Christopher Sheehan
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
The primordial Earth which hosted the first forms of life was an environment free of oxygen. Early organisms utilized metabolisms dependent upon anaerobic conditions and incorporated systems to which oxygen is deleterious. As the content of oxygen in Earth's atmosphere increased, anaerobic organisms had to acquire methods to sense and combat oxygen and reactive oxygen species. Several mechanisms were advantageous to such anaerobic organisms which correlated transcriptional processes with the redox state of the cell so that energy may be conserved and oxygen stress recovery genes activated during periods of oxidative stress. Iron sulfur (Fe-S) cluster cofactors incorporated within RNA …