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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Linking Physiology And Biogeography: Disentangling The Constraints On The Distributions Of Ant Species, Lacy Danikas Chick
Linking Physiology And Biogeography: Disentangling The Constraints On The Distributions Of Ant Species, Lacy Danikas Chick
Doctoral Dissertations
Understanding the factors that limit the distribution of species is at the core of ecological and biogeographical research, and is critical if we are to predict the responses of key ecosystem components to ongoing climatic changes. My doctoral research seeks to provide an understanding of how thermal physiology influences species’ distributions and better define the mechanisms underlying geographic variation in biodiversity. By using natural temperature gradients (both elevational and latitudinal) and coupling controlled laboratory experiments with field observations and null modeling approaches, I was able to document the role of inter-specific variation in thermal physiology and, more interesting, inter-population variation …
Incorporating Redispersal Into Myrmecochory: Addressing The Uniqueness Of Microsites Near Ant Nests In An Eastern North American Forest, Kent Connell
Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects
No abstract provided.
Ant Community Dynamics And The Effects Of Global Warming, Katharine Lisa Stuble
Ant Community Dynamics And The Effects Of Global Warming, Katharine Lisa Stuble
Doctoral Dissertations
This dissertation seeks to provide an understanding of how species coexist and, further, how climate change may alter communities by acting on the mechanisms that promote coexistence. Specifically, I examined coexistence among ant species in eastern deciduous forests and the effects that warming may have on foraging activity. Through a series of field observations, I sought evidence for the importance of four of the most commonly cited mechanisms for coexistence among ant species: the dominance – discovery tradeoff, the dominance – thermal tolerance tradeoff, spatial segregation, and niche partitioning. In this system, I did not find evidence for any of …
Linking Community Ecology And Biogeography: The Role Of Biotic Interactions And Abiotic Gradients In Shaping The Structure Of Ant Communities., Jean-Philippe Lessard
Linking Community Ecology And Biogeography: The Role Of Biotic Interactions And Abiotic Gradients In Shaping The Structure Of Ant Communities., Jean-Philippe Lessard
Doctoral Dissertations
Understanding what drives variation in species diversity in space and time and limits coexistence in local communities is a main focus of community ecology and biogeography. My doctoral work aims to document patterns of ant diversity and explore the possible ecological mechanisms leading to these patterns. Elucidating the processes by which communities assemble and species coexist might help explain spatial variation in species diversity. Using a combination of manipulative experiments, broad-scale surveys, behavioral assays and phylogenetic analyses, I examine which ecological processes account for the number of species coexisting in ant communities. Ants are found in most terrestrial habitats, where …