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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Analysis Of Ecological Tradeoffs Between Congeneric Shrimp In Coastal Mississippi Waters, Baylor K. Lynch Dec 2022

Analysis Of Ecological Tradeoffs Between Congeneric Shrimp In Coastal Mississippi Waters, Baylor K. Lynch

Honors Theses

Palaemonidae is an ecologically important and abundant family of shrimp that link the benthos to many estuarine food webs. Palaemon pugio and Palaemon vulgaris regularly co-occur along estuarine edge habitats despite previous studies suggesting different preferred sediment types and salinity regimes. The objective was to determine if competition is occurring between the congeners by comparing their relative abundance and assessing isotope niche space along an estuarine gradient. I seasonally sampled various edge habitats at four sites throughout Biloxi Bay, MS, using fyke nets fished over a tidal cycle from November 2020 to November 2021. Collected organisms were identified to the …


Patterns Of Genomic Introgression In Topminnow Hybrid Zones, Amanda F. Ray May 2020

Patterns Of Genomic Introgression In Topminnow Hybrid Zones, Amanda F. Ray

Honors Theses

Hybridization and introgression are two important evolutionary mechanisms that can increase genetic diversity. Interesting introgression patterns can form when parental species have genes that confer some adaptive benefit to the organism. The Fundulus notatus species complex contains species with various identifying characterisics. Fundulus notatus, the blackstripe topminnow, and Fundulus olivaceus, the blackspotted topminnow, are closely related and occupy many of the same rivers in their preferred niches. These two species often hybridize and form hybrid zones where their niches overlap. We studied two hybrid zones located in the Tombigbee River and Spring River. Within each hybrid zone, we …


Genetic Estimates Of The Number Of Breeding Adults In Alligator Gar From The Choke Canyon Reservoir, Texas, E. Blayne Newsome May 2018

Genetic Estimates Of The Number Of Breeding Adults In Alligator Gar From The Choke Canyon Reservoir, Texas, E. Blayne Newsome

Honors Theses

Alligator gar were historically found across the coastal drainages of the Gulf of Mexico and up into the Mississippi River basin. However, their populations are experiencing decline in many portions of their range. Texas seems to have large populations of alligator gar, but state resource officers are seeking to better understand its biology so as to provide appropriate management recommendations to maintain the recreational fishery. In this study, I used genetic techniques to examine a cohort of 144 juvenile alligator gar collected in 2016 in the Choke Canyon Reservoir. By estimating the effective number of breeders and number of spawning …