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Articles 1 - 12 of 12
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Fire Severity Effects On Herpetofaunal Diversity In Florida Scrub Communities Of The Lake Wales Ridge, Michelle Lindsay
Fire Severity Effects On Herpetofaunal Diversity In Florida Scrub Communities Of The Lake Wales Ridge, Michelle Lindsay
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Fires, either natural or prescribed, are essential for conserving pyrogenic ecosystems; however, climate change is predicted to increase fire severity that could negatively impact species diversity. Reptile and amphibian species may be particularly at risk given they are ectothermic species. The objective of this study was to better understand the impacts of fire severity on the herpetofaunal communities of the Florida scrub habitats, which is an imperiled ecosystem that sustains over two-thirds of listed reptiles and amphibians in Florida. We conducted a field-based study to test taxonomic and functional herpetofaunal diversity differences across four varying fire severities: unburned, low, medium …
Character Displacement In The Midst Of Substantial Background Evolution In Anolis Lizard Island Populations, Ambika Kamath, Nicholas C. Herrmann, Kiyoko M. Gotanda, Kum C. Shim, Jacob Lafond, Gannon Cottone, Heather Falkner, Todd S. Campbell, Yoel E. Stuart
Character Displacement In The Midst Of Substantial Background Evolution In Anolis Lizard Island Populations, Ambika Kamath, Nicholas C. Herrmann, Kiyoko M. Gotanda, Kum C. Shim, Jacob Lafond, Gannon Cottone, Heather Falkner, Todd S. Campbell, Yoel E. Stuart
Biology: Faculty Publications and Other Works
Negative interactions between species can generate divergent selection that causes character displacement. However, other processes cause similar divergence. We use spatial and temporal replication across island populations of Anolis lizards to assess the importance of negative interactions in driving trait shifts. Previous work showed that the establishment of Anolis sagrei on islands drove resident Anolis carolinensis to perch higher and evolve larger toepads. To further test the interaction's causality and predictability, we resurveyed a subset of islands nine years later. Anolis sagrei had established on one island between surveys. We found that A. carolinensis on this island now perch higher …
Conflict, Constraint, And The Evolution Of The Multivariate Performance Phenotype, Ann M. Cespedes Phd
Conflict, Constraint, And The Evolution Of The Multivariate Performance Phenotype, Ann M. Cespedes Phd
University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations
Performance is key to survival. From day-to-day foraging events, to reproductive activities, to life-or-death crises, how well an organism performs these tasks can determine success or failure. Selection, therefore, both natural and sexual, act upon performance, and performance demands on individuals shape a population’s morphological and physiological trait distributions. While studies of morphological adaptations to ecological pressures implicitly center on the idea that responses to selection improve performance via changes in morphology, the relationships between morphology, performance, and fitness are not always well understood. In this dissertation, I investigate these relationships explicitly, as well as determine the effects that different …
Prey Availability Affects Territory Size, But Not Territorial Display Behavior, In Green Anole Lizards, Chelsea M. Stehle, Andrew C. Battles, Michelle N. Sparks, Michele A. Johnson
Prey Availability Affects Territory Size, But Not Territorial Display Behavior, In Green Anole Lizards, Chelsea M. Stehle, Andrew C. Battles, Michelle N. Sparks, Michele A. Johnson
Biology Faculty Research
The availability of food resources can affect the size and shape of territories, as well as the behaviors used to defend territories, in a variety of animal taxa. However, individuals within a population may respond differently to variation in food availability if the benefits of territoriality vary among those individuals. For example, benefits to territoriality may differ for animals of differing sizes, because larger individuals may require greater territory size to acquire required resources, or territorial behavior may differ between the sexes if males and females defend different resources in their territories. In this study, we tested whether arthropod abundance …
Sexual Dimorphisms In Habitat-Specific Morphology And Behavior In The Green Anole Lizard, A K. Dill, T J. Sanger, Andrew C. Battles, Michele A. Johnson
Sexual Dimorphisms In Habitat-Specific Morphology And Behavior In The Green Anole Lizard, A K. Dill, T J. Sanger, Andrew C. Battles, Michele A. Johnson
Michele A Johnson
Species that occur in variable environments often exhibit morphological and behavioral traits that are specific to local habitats. Because the ability to move effectively is closely associated with structural habitat, locomotor traits may be particularly sensitive to fine-scale habitat differences. Anolis lizards provide an excellent opportunity to study the relationship between locomotion and natural perch use in the field, as laboratory studies have demonstrated that lizards that use broader perches develop longer limbs and have higher sprint speeds. We examined Anolis carolinensis (the green anole) in three habitats in close proximity. Our goals were to determine whether habitat-specific differences in …
Data From: How Do Lizards Determine Dominance? Applying Ranking Algorithms To Animal Social Behavior, Michele A. Johnson, Eduardo C. Balreira
Data From: How Do Lizards Determine Dominance? Applying Ranking Algorithms To Animal Social Behavior, Michele A. Johnson, Eduardo C. Balreira
Biology Faculty Research
No abstract provided.
Differential Protein Expression During Tail Regeneration Of Anolis Carolinensis, Victor Hong, Benjamin Thornton
Differential Protein Expression During Tail Regeneration Of Anolis Carolinensis, Victor Hong, Benjamin Thornton
Research in Biology
Some invertebrate and vertebrate species have the ability to regenerate a lost limb. The lizard species are unique in that they can autotomize their tails and regrow them back. In this study, the proteomic change occurring within the regenerating tail of Anolis carolinensis (Green anole) during 72 h period was examined. We ran 2-dimension electrophoresis to separate the proteins and utilized SameSpots software to find 6 different spots that had altered expression of protein. Within those spots, proteins involved in immunity, energetics, and protein folding and degradation were identified. The proteins that were up-regulated were transferrin, nucleotide-binding domain of the …
The Effects Of Ecological Context And Individual Characteristics On Stereotyped Displays In Male Anolis Carolinensis, Catherine Policastro
The Effects Of Ecological Context And Individual Characteristics On Stereotyped Displays In Male Anolis Carolinensis, Catherine Policastro
University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations
Displays are ubiquitous throughout the animal kingdom. While many have been thoroughly documented, the factors affecting the expression of such displays are still not fully understood. We tested the hypotheses that display production would be affected by ecological context (i.e. the identity of the receiver) and intrinsic qualities of the signaler (i.e. heavyweight and lightweight size class) in the green anole lizard, Anolis carolinensis. Our results supported these predictions and show that a) ecological context, specifically displaying to conspecifics, has the greatest impact on display production; b) size class influenced display rate with heavyweight males displaying more to green …
Sexual Dimorphisms In Habitat-Specific Morphology And Behavior In The Green Anole Lizard, A K. Dill, T J. Sanger, A C. Battles, Michele A. Johnson
Sexual Dimorphisms In Habitat-Specific Morphology And Behavior In The Green Anole Lizard, A K. Dill, T J. Sanger, A C. Battles, Michele A. Johnson
Biology Faculty Research
Species that occur in variable environments often exhibit morphological and behavioral traits that are specific to local habitats. Because the ability to move effectively is closely associated with structural habitat, locomotor traits may be particularly sensitive to fine-scale habitat differences. Anolis lizards provide an excellent opportunity to study the relationship between locomotion and natural perch use in the field, as laboratory studies have demonstrated that lizards that use broader perches develop longer limbs and have higher sprint speeds. We examined Anolis carolinensis (the green anole) in three habitats in close proximity. Our goals were to determine whether habitat-specific differences in …
Sexual Dimorphisms In Habitat-Specific Morphology And Behavior In The Green Anole Lizard, A K. Dill, T J. Sanger, Andrew C. Battles, Michele A. Johnson
Sexual Dimorphisms In Habitat-Specific Morphology And Behavior In The Green Anole Lizard, A K. Dill, T J. Sanger, Andrew C. Battles, Michele A. Johnson
Biology Faculty Research
Species that occur in variable environments often exhibit morphological and behavioral traits that are specific to local habitats. Because the ability to move effectively is closely associated with structural habitat, locomotor traits may be particularly sensitive to fine-scale habitat differences. Anolis lizards provide an excellent opportunity to study the relationship between locomotion and natural perch use in the field, as laboratory studies have demonstrated that lizards that use broader perches develop longer limbs and have higher sprint speeds. We examined Anolis carolinensis (the green anole) in three habitats in close proximity. Our goals were to determine whether habitat-specific differences in …
The Burden Of Motherhood: The Effect Of Reproductive Load On Female Lizard Locomotor, Foraging, And Social Behavior, Michele A. Johnson, J. L. Caton, R. E. Cohen, J. R. Vandecar, J. Wade
The Burden Of Motherhood: The Effect Of Reproductive Load On Female Lizard Locomotor, Foraging, And Social Behavior, Michele A. Johnson, J. L. Caton, R. E. Cohen, J. R. Vandecar, J. Wade
Biology Faculty Research
The costs of reproduction, involving demands associated with both current and future reproductive efforts, may place a substantial burden on females. However, animals may minimize these costs by modifying their behavior across the reproductive cycle. We examined the effects of reproductive load on three types of behavior (locomotion, foraging, and social displays) in green anole lizards (Anolis carolinensis) by comparing egg, follicle, and oviduct mass and volume with field observational data. We found that female locomotor and social display behaviors decreased as reproductive load increased, suggesting behavioral modification in these traits, but we detected no relationship between foraging and …
Behavioural Display Systems Across Nine Anolis Lizard Species: Sexual Dimorphisms In Structure And Function, Michele A. Johnson, J. Wade
Behavioural Display Systems Across Nine Anolis Lizard Species: Sexual Dimorphisms In Structure And Function, Michele A. Johnson, J. Wade
Biology Faculty Research
Relationships between structure and function are a primary focus in biology, yet they are most often considered within individual species. Sexually dimorphic communication behaviours and the morphology of associated structures can vary widely, even among closely related species, and these traits provide an ideal opportunity to investigate the evolution of structure-function patterns. Using nine Anolis lizard species, we addressed a series of questions regarding sex differences in and the evolution of relationships between extension of the throat fan (dewlap) and morphology of the muscles and cartilage controlling it. The main results indicated that within species, males displayed the dewlap more …