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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
The Components Of Feeeding Behavior In The Rotifer Asplanchna Herricki: Attack, Capture, Consumption, Selectivity, And Trophi Morphology, Tony Baumert
Honors Theses, 1963-2015
The rotifer Asplanchna herricki (A. herricki) is an integral predatory species impacting rotifer and algae populations of fresh water lake habitats. In order to determine the feeding behavior and mechanism of A. herricki, stomach content analysis was performed and predator/prey interactions were observed. A. herricki encountered prey randomly, only attacking after physical contact of the prey with the corona. It was found that A. herricki prefers small rotifer prey as opposed to algae. Algae such as Volvox and Pediastrum appeared to deter ingestion due to size or shape. Rotifers such as Keratella cochlearis, Brachionus patulus, …
The Effect Of Temperature On Post Feeding Metabolism In House Finches (Carpodacus Mexicanus), Shana L. Vifian
The Effect Of Temperature On Post Feeding Metabolism In House Finches (Carpodacus Mexicanus), Shana L. Vifian
Honors Theses, 1963-2015
In this study I measured resting metabolic rate (RMR), costs of thermoregulation, and specific dynamic action (SDA) in House Finches and I tested the hypothesis that SDA heat substitutes for costs of thermoregulation at low temperatures in House Finches. Oxygen consumption of both bed and fasted birds was measured at three different temperatures (5 C, 15 C, and 30 C) using an open flow metabolism system and converted to metabolic rate (kJ/hr) using caloric equivalents. RMR, obtained from the fasted metabolic rate within the thermoneutral zone (30 C) was 1.65+.10 kJ/hr. Costs of thermoregulation at 15 C and 5 C …
Circadian Rhythms Of Body Temperature And Metabolic Rate In The House Sparrow (Passer Domesticus), Pericles P. Regas
Circadian Rhythms Of Body Temperature And Metabolic Rate In The House Sparrow (Passer Domesticus), Pericles P. Regas
Honors Theses, 1963-2015
Birds maintain a fairly high body temperature (Tb) compared to most mammals. In order to maintain a high Tb birds must have a high metabolic rate. High daytime energy expenditures are decreased during the night by lowering Tb. In this experiment daily Tb in house sparrows (Passer domesticus) were determined by telemetry methods. Tb (n=6) showed a decrease of 3.00 C from daytime to night time. The average daytime Tb was 42.7 C and night time was 39.7 C. Oxygen consumption (VO2) was measured in an open flow metabolism system. Metabolic rate had a …
The Correlation Between The Dietary Intake Of The Fat-Soluble, Antioxidant Vitamins Alphatocopherol And Retinol And Their Fasting Plasma Concentrations In Postmenopausal Women, Michelle C. Ethun
Honors Theses, 1963-2015
Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death in older women with 500,000 dying annually. Postmenopausal women have a different relative risk for CHD due to the loss of ovarian function and cessation of menses. Recent epidemiological studies indicate that 1) an increase in -tocopherol is associated with a decreased susceptibility of LDL to oxidative modification. This study examined the dietary intake of -tocopherol and retinol in a group of 32 postmenopausal women, and the correlation between dietary intake and plasma concentrations of these two vitamins. The 3-day diet records indicate that 66% of our population receives the …
The Effects Of Pesticides On The Common Leopard Frog, Rana Pipiens: A Hematological Study, Jennifer L. Loos
The Effects Of Pesticides On The Common Leopard Frog, Rana Pipiens: A Hematological Study, Jennifer L. Loos
Honors Theses, 1963-2015
Deformed frogs are appearing frequently in the wild. Speculations of the cause of deformities are pesticides, chemicals, viruses, parasites, and ultra-violet light. I am examining the blood for chromosome fragments, micronuclei, which result in a loss of genetic material during replication and could produce deformities. Some studies on amphibians show that organisms exposed to various chemicals have a higher incidence of micronuclei than organisms without chemical exposure. By studying the blood of the common leopard frog tadpoles, Rana pipiens, exposed to the herbicide atrazine I attempted to discover if atrazine significantly alters the number of micronuclei in the red blood …
Bumblebee Pollination Ecology In A Restored Prairie Ecosystem: Foraging Rates, Pollen Sources, And Resource Partitioning, Mary Margaret Price
Bumblebee Pollination Ecology In A Restored Prairie Ecosystem: Foraging Rates, Pollen Sources, And Resource Partitioning, Mary Margaret Price
Honors Theses, 1963-2015
A major factor in evaluating the success of prairie, and other, ecosystem restoration projects is a determination of the extent to which pollinator communities have been reestablished along with the flora. I studied bumblebee pollination ecology of a prairie restoration project in central Minnesota to determine the extent to which the several bumblebee species were interacting with the reestablished native prairie flora and with each other to reestablish a viable pollinator community. This was accomplished by determining if the bumblebees are majoring, if they are majoring on the native prairie plant species conservation efforts are attempting to restore, and if …
A Study Of Morphological Character Displacement In The Social Wasp, Polistes Fuscatus, Noah K. Whiteman
A Study Of Morphological Character Displacement In The Social Wasp, Polistes Fuscatus, Noah K. Whiteman
Honors Theses, 1963-2015
According to competition theory, when a population lives sympatrically with competitor populations, the variation in morphological characteristics within each population should be reduced. In allopatric populations, the variation in these characteristics should increase. I examined morphological character displacement in Polistes fuscatus populations in a north-south latitudinal gradient across the United States. P. fuscatus is sympatric with at least five other congeneric species in U.S. Gulf Coastal areas. As latitude increases, the number of species is reduced, and only P. fuscatus is found in Minnesota. Therefore, body size variation of P. fuscatus in Minnesota was predicted to be broader than the …