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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
A Multi-Scale Investigation Of Habitat Selectivity In Coastal Plain Stream Fishes, Hayley A. Robinson
A Multi-Scale Investigation Of Habitat Selectivity In Coastal Plain Stream Fishes, Hayley A. Robinson
Honors College Theses
Studying the habitat use of Coastal Plain fishes enables us to develop a deeper understanding of how fishes thrive in this highly variable environment. Based on previous research by Dr. Roberts and his students, Coastal Plain fishes seem to sort into two groups: (1) species selecting stream reaches that continue to flow throughout the summer (i.e., fluvial species [F]) and (2) species occurring in streams that may stop flowing in late summer (i.e., nonfluvial species [NF]). For this study, I took a detailed look at eight of these species, spanning the F-NF gradient, and asked which environmental variables (e.g., water …
Ecomorphological Variation Among Redbreast Sunfish Populations Of The South-Eastern United States, Grayson Ariel Walker
Ecomorphological Variation Among Redbreast Sunfish Populations Of The South-Eastern United States, Grayson Ariel Walker
Honors College Theses
Individual populations of a species will morphologically adapt to their surrounding environment. It has been noted in the past that when species are placed under similar environmental conditions, they will evolve similar morphological structures and shape variation to overcome those obstacles. Redbreast sunfish (Lepomis auritus) were sampled from three different ecoregions (mountainous, Piedmont, and coastal plain) of 4 different isolated river basins in the southeastern North America. It was hypothesized that across basins, populations would show convergent morphological adaptations to mountain, piedmont, and coastal plain condition. I indexed using site elevation as an independent variable, serving as a …
Comparing Feeding Accuracy Between High And Low Predation Trinidad Guppies, Lydia J. Bonnell
Comparing Feeding Accuracy Between High And Low Predation Trinidad Guppies, Lydia J. Bonnell
Honors College Theses
Efficient feeding accuracy could increase an organism’s survival. Although local adaptation in Trinidad guppies is common, the effects on accuracy are unknown. Guppies were wild caught in 2015 and 2017, filmed while capturing prey. Accuracy wasn’t different within samples but differed across samples, possibly due to the prey types used.
Identification Of Bird-Associated Nonpoint Sources Of Microbial Contamination In Sediments, Savannah D. Mullins
Identification Of Bird-Associated Nonpoint Sources Of Microbial Contamination In Sediments, Savannah D. Mullins
Honors College Theses
Fecal indicator bacteria (FIB), such as Enterococci, are commonly used to monitor the microbial contamination of recreational beach waters based on standards set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Sediment and sand may also harbor FIB and reintroduce these bacteria to the water column. Enterococci may be originated from various non-point sources such as humans and wildlife. Recent literature has shown that avian feces also harbor high concentrations of Enterococci. The purpose of this study is identify the relationship between Enterococci and avian-associated markers in sediments. Sediment samples were collected monthly from four sites at Kings Ferry Beach in …