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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Large-Scale Molecular Diet Analysis In A Generalist Marine Mammal Reveals Male Preference For Prey Of Conservation Concern, Dietmar Schwarz, Sara M. Spitzer, Austen C. Thomas, Christa M. Kohnert, Theresa R. Keates, Alejandro Acevedo-Gutiérrez Sep 2018

Large-Scale Molecular Diet Analysis In A Generalist Marine Mammal Reveals Male Preference For Prey Of Conservation Concern, Dietmar Schwarz, Sara M. Spitzer, Austen C. Thomas, Christa M. Kohnert, Theresa R. Keates, Alejandro Acevedo-Gutiérrez

Biology Faculty and Staff Publications

Sex-specific diet information is important in the determination of predator impacts on prey populations. Unfortunately, the diet of males and females can be difficult to describe, particularly when they are marine predators. We combined two molecular techniques to describe haul-out use and prey preferences of male and female harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) from Comox and Cowichan Bay (Canada) during 2012-2013. DNA metabarcoding quantified the diet proportions comprised of prey species in harbor seal scat, and qPCR determined the sex of the individual that deposited each scat. Using 287 female and 260 male samples, we compared the monthly sex ratio with …


Phenological Responses Of 215 Mothspecies To Interannual Climate Variation In The Pacific Northwest From 1895 Through 2013, Julie A. Maurer, Jon H. Shepard, Lars G. Crabo, Paul C. Hammond, Richard S. Zack, Merrill A. Peterson Sep 2018

Phenological Responses Of 215 Mothspecies To Interannual Climate Variation In The Pacific Northwest From 1895 Through 2013, Julie A. Maurer, Jon H. Shepard, Lars G. Crabo, Paul C. Hammond, Richard S. Zack, Merrill A. Peterson

Biology Faculty and Staff Publications

Climate change has caused shifts in the phenology and distributions of many species but comparing responses across species is challenged by inconsistencies in the methodology and taxonomic and temporal scope of individual studies. Natural history collections offer a rich source of data for examining phenological shifts for a large number of species. We paired specimen records from Pacific Northwest insect collections to climate data to analyze the responses of 215 moth species to interannual climate variation over a period of 119 years (1895–2013) during which average annual temperatures have increased in the region. We quantified the effects of late winter/early …