Life Sciences Commons^™

The Effect Of Social Rank Of Male Swordtails (Xiphophorus Helleri) On Sexual Behavior, Janet N. Marum

Masters Theses

The relationship between social rank and sexual behavior of the male swordtail (Xiphophorus helleri) was studied. Initially three tanks were established with three males and two females in each. Social rank, aggressive and sexual levels were recorded by observation of the interactions which occurred in the tanks. A second series of observations were made with the fish regrouped according to their initial rank, that is, dominant males grouped together, middle ranking males together and the lowest ranking males together. Aggressive and sexual levels were the highest for the highest ranking males in all tanks and in both trials, …

Land Snail Diversity At Rocky Branch Nature Preserve, Clark County, Illinois, Daniel J. Mott

Masters Theses

Terrestrial, shell-bearing gastropods were collected at Rocky Branch Nature Preserve, Clark County, Illinois. A total of three hundred nineteen specimens were collected representing five families and fifteen species. Two species of the family Endodontidae, eight species of the family Polygyridae, three species of the family Zonitidae, and one species in each of the families Pupillidae and Succineidae were collected.

In addition, an attempt was made to find the relationship between species diversity and dominant woody vegetation and soil quality. The land at Rocky Branch Nature Preserve ranges from lowland flood plain to high second growth forest. The dominant trees of …

Ecological Comparisons Of Four Plethodontid Salamanders In A Ravine In West Central Indiana, Stephen L. Reinbold

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

An Ecological Study Of The Algal Potamoplankton Communities Upstream And Downstream From A Sanitary Landfill On Riley Creek, Coles County, Illinois, Larry W. Coutant

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

An Attempt To Find Auditory Communication In The Squirrel Monkey Via Cooperative Conditioning, Michael T. Bardo

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Breeding Birds And Vegetation Of The Central Illinois Floodplain Forest, Daniel Edward Varland

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Zooplankton Community Dynamics And Water Quality Of Polecat Creek, Coles County, Illinois, Spring, 1975, Carl Edward Baird

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Breeding Bird Study On The Douglas-Hart Nature Preserve, An East-Central Illinois Modified Oldfield, Charles F. Zimmer

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Aquatic Plant Communities Of Vermilion County, Illinois, John A. Wiedman

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Homing Studies Of Bank Swallows In Eastern Illinois, Jennifer Eileen Hagerstrom

Masters Theses

A series of homing experiments using 39 color-marked Bank Swallows (Riparia riparia) were carried out in eastern Illinois during the summer of 1975. The swallow colony was located four km east-northeast of Charleston, Illinois at the Charleston Stone Quarry. Eight release sites were located in the four compass directions from the home colony at distances of 14.4 to 32.3 km away.

The colony was approached before dawn and swallows were captured using tube traps. Birds were color-marked, banded, and taken in individual bags to the release site by automobile. Cloud cover, wind velocity, wind direction, and orientation behavior …

A Statistical Approach To The Study Of The Ecosystems Of Seven Ponds In East-Central Illinois, Gregory Lee Orr

Masters Theses

Gross primary productivity, heterotrophic bacterial numbers, and net phytoplankton densities of seven ponds in Coles County, Illinois, were studied in relation to physical, chemical, and biological habitat variables (light intensity and duration, turbidity, water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, sulfur, nitrogen, phosphorus, production, bacteria, and phytoplankton). Ten observations were made for each pond (except where otherwise noted) from 17 June through 25 August 1974. Stepwise multiple linear regression analyses of the data were used in order to determine those environmental factors which were important in predicting (i.e., significantly correlated with) bacterial and phytoplankton densities, and production. A multiple linear regression equation …

An Introduction To The Ethology Of Citellus Variegatus, John W. Bell

Masters Theses

The above ground activity of the rock squirrel Citellus variegatus between November 6, 1972 and May 1, 1973, is described. This is a non-colonial species. Recognition was established between siblings by a nose to nose contact. In foraging they utilize almost any edible material available and during this time of year foraging is most intense between 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Vocalization was limited to alarm calls, which brought the other squirrels to the top of the rocks to become alert, and squeals. Hibernation varied in length depending in part on the elevation and in some did not occur at …

The Water Quality And Benthic Macroinvertebrate Fauna Of Lake Charleston, Coles County, Illinois, Paul Barding

Masters Theses

The benthic macroinvertebrate fauna and 15 water quality parameters for five sites on Lake Charleston, Coles County, Illinois were examined for 26 weeks from March 14 through September 5, 1974. None of the water quality parameters studied showed sufficient deviations at any particular area on the lake to merit demarcated water quality zonation. The lake, with its continuous mixing and shallow depth, represented a fairly stable and continuous environment. The benthic macroinvertebrate fauna was determined as fairly diverse and some indication of seasonal variation was apparent. No significant compositional variation over different areas of the lake was found, also indicating …

Rate Of Growth As A Method Of Assessing Water Quality, George L. Johnston

Masters Theses

A study of the Embarras River basin was conducted to determine if rate of growth could be used as an indicator of water quality. Six species of sucker were collected from five locations using hand seines and electrofishing gear from December 1970 to December 1971. Tests of eighteen water quality parameters were conducted from November 1970 to November 1971.

The fish were measured and scale samples taken. The rate of growth of the fish taken at the five stations was analyzed and compared using the single classification analysis of variance. Condition factors were also compared.

Although there was some difference …

The Effect Of Thermal Increases On The Acute Toxicity Of Copper And Hexavalent Chromium To Channel Catfish (Ictalurus Punctatus), Alan Kirk Millis

Masters Theses

48-hr, 96-hr, and incipient median tolerance limits of channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus Rafinesque) to copper and hexavalent chromium were determined at temperatures of 50, 60, 70, and 80 F. Standard static bioassay procedures were used. The incipient TLm for copper ranged from 0.56 ppm to 2.15 ppm and from 22.5 to 39.5 ppm for hexavalent chromium. The 48-hr and 96-hr results were somewhat higher. The highest resistance for both metals occurred at 70 F. At 80 F, however, there was a sharp decrease in tolerance. Increased oxygen consumption and opercular movement offer a possible explanation since they would …

Defensive Behavior Of The Hognose Snake (Heterodon Platyrhinos), Brenda S. Hemken

Masters Theses

Fourteen out of sixteen Heterodon platyrhinos eggs were hatched in late August, 1973. The immature snakes were manually stimulated and the resultant bluffing and death-feigning behaviors were observed. All of the experimental snakes bluffed, but only three out of ten feigned death. The major components of the bluffing behavior are spreading the neck, hissing, and striking. Death-feigning is preceded by contortions and shows variations in the positions of the mouth and tongue. The newly-hatched snakes exhibited both bluffing and death-feigning, indicating that the behaviors are innate.

Operant Conditioning In The Garter Snake (Thamnophis), William A. Schmitz

Masters Theses

Ten garter snakes were tested for runway acquisition, correct turn response in a simple T-maze, or both, for food reinforcement. Seven of seven subjects met criterion for learning to run a 23 inch long alleyway. Mean latency times showed a general decrease over a 23 day period. Five of nine subjects met criterion for learning a correct turn response in a simple T-maze. Subjects mastering the task required from 14-157 trials. One of two subjects met criterion for learning the reverse response of the T-maze exercise, requiring 35 trials. Results are similar to those previously reported for reptiles and other …

Water Quality And Benthos Of A Small East Central Illinois Stream, With A Selected Literature Review, Kenneth Lloyd Brummett

Masters Theses

Polecat Creek is an occasionally intermittent stream which drains approximately 18,368 acres in eastern Coles County, Illinois. It travels 15.2 miles through cropland and a partially wooded valley before it enters the Embarrass River 3 miles upstream from Lake Charleston. The stream ranges from 0.5 foot to 5 feet deep at a normal water level, with an average depth of 16 inches. It averages 12 feet wide, with a range from 4 to 20 feet.

A water quality study with 5 stations along the stream was conducted from January 1971 to July 1971. A qualitative benthos study at the same …

Biomonitoring Of Organochlorine Insecticides Using The Clam, Amblema Plicata, Terry M. Hogan

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Old Field Succession In Pinellas County, Florida, Roger T. Poole

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Gene Frequencies Of Ten Different Alleles In Man As Determined By The Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium, Elizabeth Suzanne Shaw

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Range And Optimum Growth Concentrations Of Phosphate And Nitrate For Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii, Thomas E. Hill

Masters Theses

A study was conducted on the alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii to determine the range and optimum growth concentrations of phosphate and nitrate. There are only a few species of algae for which this type of data is known. Inorganic nutritional data is basic to the understanding of the complexities of phytoplankton ecology and eutrophication.

The "plus" strain of this heterothallic alga was cultured in a TRIS-buffered inorganic medium with various concentrations of sodium phosphate and potassium nitrate and adjusted to a pH of 7.4. The axenic cultures were evaluated at the end of 6 days with a spectrophotometer, at a wavelength …

A Comparison Of Nocturnal Restlessness Of Caged Thrushes And Migration Of Free Thrushes, Charles Goodwin Kjos

Masters Theses

Nocturnal activity (Zugunruhe) of eight caged, radio-tagged thrushes (Hylocichla spp.) was compared by signal analysis with the occurrence of migration in 16 free, radio-tagged thrushes over a 37-night period during the autumn of 1970 in central Illinois. The study was conducted to determine the extent of synchrony of Zugunruhe and migration in these nocturnal migrants in fall. Zugunruhe frequently occurred on nights when there was no migration, but migration occurred only on nights when at least 50 per cent of the caged birds were active. Except for one departure which was atypical in several respects, migration occurred …

Some Ecological Effects Of The Oil Industry On Farmland In East Central Illinois, Dale E. Fruendt

Masters Theses

Between June, 1970 and July, 1971 a two square mile area in East Central Illinois served as a study area for the effects of the oil industry on farm land. Observations were made on several farms concerning the activity of oil companies and interviews with farmers were held. Two areas of farmland were given special attention. One was a clover field where salt water had flooded a portion of the field. The other area was a corn field where oil had flooded approximately eight acres of land. Random samples of invertebrates were taken in both of these areas as well …

Successional Patterns In Diverted Croplands Of Crawford County, Illinois, Norman Tracy

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Taxonomic And Ecological Study Of A Hillside Marsh, Coles County, Illinois, Hampton M. Parker

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Studies On The Avifauna Of Burgner Acres, An Upland Stream-Side, Ash-Elm Forest And Its Edge, Kerry Lee Bryan

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Studies On The Planktonic Protozoa And Other Microbiota Of A Eutrophic Lake, Neil Howard Chance

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Competition And Natural Selection Among Laboratory And Naturally Occurring Populations Of Drosophila Melanogaster, John M. Connor

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.