Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Keyword
-
- Population genetics (4)
- ETD (3)
- Evolution (3)
- Genomics (2)
- Landscape genetics (2)
-
- Predation (2)
- Tick (2)
- Vicariance (2)
- Amblyomma (1)
- Amblyomma maculatum (1)
- Amphitropical-species (1)
- Anolis (1)
- Batesian mimicry (1)
- Bipedal (1)
- Brown Widow spider (1)
- Centrarchidae (1)
- Color polymorphism (1)
- Common garden (1)
- Competition (1)
- Conservation genetics (1)
- Coral snake (1)
- Disturbance (1)
- Egg to adult survival (1)
- Endangered species (1)
- Evolved life history traits (1)
- Feeding accuracy (1)
- Fire (1)
- Freshwater fish (1)
- Gene expression (1)
- Gondwana (1)
Articles 1 - 15 of 15
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
A Comparison Of Microsatellites And Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms For The Assessment Of Population Structure In The Amblyomma Maculatum Koch, 1844 Species Complex, Henrey A. Deese
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The Gulf Coast tick, Amblyomma maculatum Koch, 1844 is widespread throughout North and Central America and is the primary vector for the emerging pathogen Rickettsia parkeri. In the U.S., the population in the Southwest (A. maculatum morphotype III) is morphologically different from the population east of the Rocky Mountains (A. maculatum morphotype II). This research tests the hypothesis that A. maculatum morphotype II and morphotype III represent distinct species through the analysis and comparison of 6 microsatellite loci and suite of 135,221 Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) generated from ddRADseq. Population genetic analysis of both microsatellites and SNPs …
Population Genomics Of Redbreast Sunfish (Lepomis Auritus): Exploring Gene Flow And Local Adaptation In A Widely Distributed Freshwater Fish, Garret J. Strickland
Population Genomics Of Redbreast Sunfish (Lepomis Auritus): Exploring Gene Flow And Local Adaptation In A Widely Distributed Freshwater Fish, Garret J. Strickland
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Little information is available concerning the distribution of genetic diversity in non-salmonid, non-imperiled, freshwater fish. In order to fill in this knowledge gap, I conducted a population genomics survey in Redbreast Sunfish (Lepomis auritus; RBS), a widespread, generalist species distributed along the Atlantic slope rivers of eastern North America. I sampled four basins (ACF, Savannah, Roanoke, and James) at eight sites each with a factorial experimental design. Sites were distributed among coastal plain, Piedmont, or mountain ecoregions in order to capture the greatest range of environmental states experienced by RBS, with the intention of finding evidence for local adaptation to …
Mortality In Interspecific Hybrids Of Nasonia Vitripennis And Nasonia Giraulti, Bonnie Cobb
Mortality In Interspecific Hybrids Of Nasonia Vitripennis And Nasonia Giraulti, Bonnie Cobb
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Nasonia is a parasitoid wasp genus that serves as an emerging model for studying speciation due to an incompatibility between nuclear and mitochondrial genomes between sister taxa. Short generation times, easy rearing in a lab setting, producing large amounts of progeny, and whole genome sequencing make Nasonia is an excellent candidate for studying incomplete reproductive isolation. Nasonia have five chromosomes and exhibit haplo-diploid sex determination in which fertilized eggs develop into diploid females and unfertilized eggs develop into haploid males. Recessive phenotypes are hidden in diploid females but are laid bare in haploid males as there is no interaction between …
Comparative Conservation Genomics Of A Suite Of Imperiled Freshwater Mussels, Scott C. Meyer
Comparative Conservation Genomics Of A Suite Of Imperiled Freshwater Mussels, Scott C. Meyer
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Maintenance of genetic diversity is a critical component to the management and recovery of imperiled species. By ensuring that a species’ genetic diversity is maintained, issues like inbreeding depression and loss of local adaptation can be prevented. However, the genetic diversity of many species are not well-characterized, and the factors that influence a species’ genetic diversity are often not well understood. In the case of imperiled unionid freshwater mussels, it is important to conduct conservation genetic assessments to aid in their management and preserve genetic diversity. This is the first study to conduct a comparative conservation genomic assessment for eight …
Species Dispersal Modes In Amphitropical Plant Species Of North And South America, Samera Lemma Mulatu
Species Dispersal Modes In Amphitropical Plant Species Of North And South America, Samera Lemma Mulatu
Honors College Theses
Amphitropical disjunct plants are species that occur in both North and South America but not in the intermediate equatorial region. How amphitropical species dispersed across the Americas to their current distribution remains uncertain. To explain amphitropical distributions, three hypotheses were developed to test that (1) species dispersed successively through island hopping across the tropical zone in temperate microhabitats (= stepping stones), (2) species came to their current distribution through vicariance, or (3) species dispersed by a single long distance dispersal event. Twenty-five species were studied to infer their historical distributions with species distribution models in MaxEnt. Distribution models for each …
Predator-Based Selection And The Impact Of Edge Sympatry On Components Of Coralsnake Mimicry, Lauren E. Wilson
Predator-Based Selection And The Impact Of Edge Sympatry On Components Of Coralsnake Mimicry, Lauren E. Wilson
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Studying warning coloration and mimicry is an effective way to understand predator-driven selection and phenotypic diversity. The presence (sympatry) or absence (allopatry) of a toxic model plays a role in shaping mimetic phenotypes. However, the impact of edge sympatry and allopatry on predation of mimetic phenotypes is not well understood. We studied coralsnake mimicry to test how edge sympatry and allopatry affect predation on mimetic phenotypes. Specifically, we tested 1) if overall attack rates varied with edge sympatry of coralsnakes 2) which color patterns conferred a fitness advantage 3) which specific mimetic signal components are important in driving predatory attacks …
Plasticity And The Impact Of Increasing Temperature On A Tropical Ectotherm, Adam A. Rosso
Plasticity And The Impact Of Increasing Temperature On A Tropical Ectotherm, Adam A. Rosso
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Organisms may respond to climate change through behavior, genetic adaptation, and/or phenotypic plasticity. Tropical ectotherms are thought to be especially vulnerable to climate change because most have a narrow range of thermal tolerance while living close to their upper thermal tolerance limits. Additionally, many tropical species live in closed-canopy forests, which provide homogenous thermal landscapes that prevent behavioral compensation for stressfully warm temperatures. Finally, tropical ectotherms are thought to have decreased capacity for phenotypic plasticity because they have evolved in thermally stable environments. We tested gene expression patterns and phenotypic plasticity in the Panamanian slender anole by a) measuring changes …
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.
The Role Of Local Adaptation On Biting Performance In Trinidadian Guppies, Hannah E. Cohen
The Role Of Local Adaptation On Biting Performance In Trinidadian Guppies, Hannah E. Cohen
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Divergent selection pressures in populations that occupy different environments can result in phenotypic differentiation in traits that provide a local fitness advantage. Trinidadian guppy (Poecilia reticulata) populations are separated by physical barriers such as waterfalls which result in repeated shifts in selective pressures from predator avoidance in high predation environments towards resource competition in low predation environments. Such shifts in selection pressures have previously shown that a range of locally adapted morphological and behavioral traits are changed. However, the role of local adaptation on biting behaviors remains unclear. I analyzed morphological differences such as body length, jaw position, …
Evolutionary Linkage Of Mimetic And Non-Mimetic Color Traits In A Coral Snake Mimicry Complex, John D. Curlis Jr
Evolutionary Linkage Of Mimetic And Non-Mimetic Color Traits In A Coral Snake Mimicry Complex, John D. Curlis Jr
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Color polymorphism in aposematic mimicry systems is a perplexing phenomenon for evolutionary biologists, as theoretically the benefits of converging on a model phenotype should constrain the evolution of phenotypic diversity in these systems (i.e., color polymorphism should not occur). Nevertheless, color polymorphism in mimicry systems is prevalent throughout many taxa. In some of these systems, the evolution of color polymorphism results in the existence of non-mimetic morphs, such as those that are cryptic. The case of ground snakes (Sonora semiannulata) is unique in that color polymorphism encompasses both mimetic and cryptic morphs, as well as individual mimetic and …
Biogeographical Patterns In The Hard-Tick Genus Amblyomma Koch 1844 (Acari: Ixodidae), Matthew H. Seabolt
Biogeographical Patterns In The Hard-Tick Genus Amblyomma Koch 1844 (Acari: Ixodidae), Matthew H. Seabolt
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Amblyomma Koch is a genus of hard-ticks with approximately 130 species. Its geographical range is typical for organisms with a Gondwanan origin. A majority of these species are endemic to the Neo- and Afrotropical regions, with the remaining taxa dispersed throughout Southeast Asia, Australia and the Pacific islands. Based on this distribution, we hypothesize that the genus dispersal patterns will mirror the fragmentation and continental drift of the Gondwanan supercontinent. Maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, Bayesian inference and node-dating analyses of nuclear 18S rDNA gene sequences reveal a more recent origin and radiation patterns within the genus and suggest that Amblyomma …
Nonstructural Carbohydrate Concentrations Of Pine Trees As A Function Of Evolutionary History, Joshua T. Mims
Nonstructural Carbohydrate Concentrations Of Pine Trees As A Function Of Evolutionary History, Joshua T. Mims
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC) can supply substrate during periods when current photosynthate is unavailable or inadequate to meet metabolic demands. I hypothesized that natural selection has favored higher nonstructural carbohydrate concentrations ([NSC]) in species that have an evolutionary history of frequent disturbance and tested this using three southern pine species that have evolved under a continuum of disturbance frequencies (evolutionary history of fire ~ longleaf > slash > loblolly). Stem and root samples were collected from 12 similar-sized individual trees of each species during time periods that reflect the annual minimum and maximum [NSC]. A modified colorimetric method was performed on the samples …
Phenotypic Variation In Native North American And Invasive Chinese Populations Of Plantago Virginica, Teresa E. Popp
Phenotypic Variation In Native North American And Invasive Chinese Populations Of Plantago Virginica, Teresa E. Popp
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Alien plant species can cause significant economic and biological destruction by invading new environments and outcompeting native species. Through experimental research, the mechanisms by which these species invade can be better understood and applied to their management. Plantago virginica is a perennial herb, native to North America that has recently invaded China. It has been known to reduce crop growth and harbor diseases in the introduced range. A common garden study was conducted at the Georgia Southern University greenhouse, comparing twenty populations of P. virginica from both the native North American and invasive Chinese ranges. I examined if there were …
The Prevalence And Effect Of Wolbachia Infection On The Brown Widow Spider (Latrodectus Geometricus), Brittany Dane' Arrington
The Prevalence And Effect Of Wolbachia Infection On The Brown Widow Spider (Latrodectus Geometricus), Brittany Dane' Arrington
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Wolbachia was recently identified in the Brown Widow Spider (Latrodectus geometricus). This symbiont has not previously been found in this genus, therefore the consequences on the host’s population dynamics are unknown. The frequency of endosymbiont infection can provide insight into the population dynamics of the host as this bacteria is known to alter host life history. In my 1st chapter I determine the prevalence of Wolbachia pipentis infection in in the Brown Widow Spider (Latrodectus geometricus) from five locations in the Southeastern United States. Infection frequency differed significantly among sampling locations, ranging from 20% to …
Tactical Escape Behavior And Performance Of A Small Sceloporine Lizard In Two High Risk Habitats, Seth Parker
Tactical Escape Behavior And Performance Of A Small Sceloporine Lizard In Two High Risk Habitats, Seth Parker
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The negotiation of uneven and complex terrain has implications for many small terrestrial vertebrates. Variation in the running surface due to obstacles like woody debris or vegetation can alter escape paths and running performance. Additionally, these microhabitat features can influence behavioral tactics in complex environments. The ability to negotiate physical barriers in dense environments likely influences survivorship through important ecological tasks, such as finding mates, foraging, and evading predators. The Florida scrub lizard (Sceloporus woodi) is a small, rare species endemic to two distinct and structurally complex environments in Florida, i.e. sand-pine scrub and longleaf pine-wiregrass sand-hills. The …