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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Investigation Of Dna Variability And Phylogenetic Relationships Of Perlesta (Plecoptera: Perlidae) In Mississippi, James C. Valentine, Mac H. Alford May 2022

Investigation Of Dna Variability And Phylogenetic Relationships Of Perlesta (Plecoptera: Perlidae) In Mississippi, James C. Valentine, Mac H. Alford

Master's Theses

The genus Perlesta Banks, 1906 (Plecoptera: Perlidae) consists of 35 species, 33 native to the United States and Canada and two native to China. For over a century these small, brown stonefly adults and freckled yellow nymphs have gone by the name of the type species of the genus, Perlesta placida, but taxonomic work in the genus since 1989 has resulted in the recognition of additional species. These species were mostly recognized and described using morphological characteristics, but two areas that are lacking include (1) linking nymphs to adults and (2) phylogenetic analysis of all species occurring in Mississippi …


Stable Hydrogen Isotopes Of Aquatic-Emergent Versus Terrestrial Insects In Southern Ontario, Celina Y. Tang Aug 2021

Stable Hydrogen Isotopes Of Aquatic-Emergent Versus Terrestrial Insects In Southern Ontario, Celina Y. Tang

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Aquatic-emergent insects are vectors of both contaminants and nutrients, linking the aquatic system to the terrestrial system. Aquatic-emergent insects are high in omega-3 fatty acids that benefit terrestrial aerial insectivores, such as bats and birds. With aerial insectivores on a decline, a contributing factor could be a decrease in the quality of insects. We collected insects from lakeshore and inland locations in Southern Ontario. Insects sampled included bees, wasps, ants, beetles, caddisflies, craneflies, dragonflies, marchflies, mayflies, midges, other flies, and true bugs. Insects’ wings and powdered bodies were then analyzed for stable hydrogen isotopes (d2H) in order …


Caddisflies (Trichoptera) Of The Buffalo National River, Arkansas, David E. Bowles, Cameron Cheri, Faron D. Usrey, Jeffrey M. Williams May 2020

Caddisflies (Trichoptera) Of The Buffalo National River, Arkansas, David E. Bowles, Cameron Cheri, Faron D. Usrey, Jeffrey M. Williams

Insecta Mundi

We report 106 species of caddisflies (Trichoptera) representing 44 genera and 16 families that were collected across 50 sampling sites in the Buffalo River watershed. The species collected represent about 45% of the known Interior Highlands caddisfly fauna. The most speciose families collected were the Hydroptilidae (30), Leptoceridae (21), and Hydropsychidae (17). Two species found during this study, Paduniella nearctica and Ochrotrichia contorta, are listed as species of special concern in the state of Arkansas due to their relative rarity. Similarity analysis values among collection sites ranged from 9% to 77%. Seriation analysis of caddisfly genera and species showed …


A Comparison Of Benthic Macroinvertebrate Assemblages Between Perennial And Intermittent Headwater Streams Of The Mattole River In Northern California, Usa, Mason S. London Jan 2017

A Comparison Of Benthic Macroinvertebrate Assemblages Between Perennial And Intermittent Headwater Streams Of The Mattole River In Northern California, Usa, Mason S. London

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Intermittent streams are common throughout the world and comprise 60% or more of total river lengths in the conterminous United States. Despite their prevalence, intermittent streams are understudied, particularly first-order headwater streams, which are vital for maintaining the function, health and biotic diversity of river networks. In June 2016, I sampled five intermittent and five perennial headwater streams in the Mattole River watershed in northwestern coastal California, USA, to compare benthic macroinvertebrate (BMI) assemblages between intermittent and perennial streams. BMI samples were collected using a 500µm mesh D-net at eight randomly located riffles along a 150-m reach, and then composited, …


Aquatic Insect Community Structure And Secondary Production In Southcentral Alaska Streams With Contrasting Thermal And Hydrologic Regimes, Samantha D. Hertel Jan 2016

Aquatic Insect Community Structure And Secondary Production In Southcentral Alaska Streams With Contrasting Thermal And Hydrologic Regimes, Samantha D. Hertel

Master's Theses

Streams along the Copper River Delta, southcentral Alaska, exhibit contrasting thermal and hydrologic variability associated with being primarily groundwater-fed (GWF) or surface water-fed (SWF). Groundwater-fed streams are predictable both thermally and hydrologically year round, whereas SWF streams are unpredictable and exhibit more variable thermal and hydrologic regimes. These differences may strongly influence aquatic insect community structure and secondary production. Four streams, two GWF and two SWF, were sampled twice monthly from late April 2013 through August 2013 and once seasonally in fall (September) and early winter (November). Aquatic insect community structure differed markedly in both hydrologic types. Taxa richness was …


Urban Stream Syndrome In A Small Town: A Comparative Study Of Sager And Flint Creeks, T. S. Wakefield Jan 2014

Urban Stream Syndrome In A Small Town: A Comparative Study Of Sager And Flint Creeks, T. S. Wakefield

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Utilizing rapid bioassessment procedures and aquatic physiochemical techniques, a three-year investigation of Sager and Flint creeks was completed. Bioassessment indices and physiochemical parameters of the 2 streams were compared and the effects of urbanization on both watersheds were assessed. Correlating data concerning land usage in both watersheds and alterations of both streams' geomorphology were also utilized to conclude that Sager Creek shows a higher degree of urban stream syndrome than Flint Creek.


The River Continuum Redux: Aquatic Insect Diets Reveal The Importance Of Autochthonous Resources In The Salmon River, Idaho, Kathryn Vallis Jan 2011

The River Continuum Redux: Aquatic Insect Diets Reveal The Importance Of Autochthonous Resources In The Salmon River, Idaho, Kathryn Vallis

Master's Theses

Along a river network, changes in the physical characteristics of a stream - changes articulated by the River Continuum Concept (RCC) - have been predicted to influence stream food webs, particularly the resources supporting aquatic macroinvertebrates. Although diets of macroinvertebrates can track resource availability along the longitudinal gradient of streams, insect diets were not assessed in the original RCC study; rather, insects were grouped into functional feeding groups (FFGs). In addition, global climate change is increasing the frequency and spatial extent of wildfire and beetle outbreaks throughout the western United States and could affect riparian vegetation and the amount of …


Community Structure And Secondary Production Of Aquatic Macroinvertebrates In Coastal Wetland Ponds Of The West Copper River Delta, Alaska, Following Tectonic Uplift, Ryan Glen Van Duzor Jan 2011

Community Structure And Secondary Production Of Aquatic Macroinvertebrates In Coastal Wetland Ponds Of The West Copper River Delta, Alaska, Following Tectonic Uplift, Ryan Glen Van Duzor

Master's Theses

The Great Alaska Earthquake of 1964 (magnitude 9.2) greatly altered the coastal landscape in southcentral Alaska and had particularly dramatic effects on the Copper River Delta (CRD), an ecologically and economically important area within the Chugach National Forest. The earthquake caused tectonic uplift (up to 3.5m) of the CRD coastal tidal marsh and transformed it into a perched freshwater marsh. Copper River Delta ponds, which are crucial habitat to a myriad of migrating songbirds, shorebirds, and waterfowl, are of particular interest to wildlife managers in the CRD and along the Pacific coasts of North, Central and South America. This study …


Differential Utilization Of Allochthonous And Autochthonous Carbon By Aquatic Insects Of Two Shrub-Steppe Desert Spring-Streams: A Stable Carbon Isotope Analysis And Critique Of The Method, Alfred Lynn Mize Jul 1992

Differential Utilization Of Allochthonous And Autochthonous Carbon By Aquatic Insects Of Two Shrub-Steppe Desert Spring-Streams: A Stable Carbon Isotope Analysis And Critique Of The Method, Alfred Lynn Mize

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Stable carbon isotope analysis, a technique that measures the ratio of stable carbon-12 to stable carbon-13 in abiotic and biotic components of ecosystems, was used to assess the differential utilization of autochthonous and allochthonous carbon by aquatic insects of two cold desert spring-streams in the Columbia Basin of Washington State. The aquatic insects of Snively Springs, a heavily overgrown and densely shaded stream, has isotopic values close to that of stream aufwuchs (substrata scrubate) indicating substantial autochthonous carbon dependence. Aquatic insects of Douglas Creek, the more open and less shaded of the two streams, were equally dependent upon autochthonous and …