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Articles 1 - 11 of 11
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Understanding The Impacts Of Current And Future Environmental Variation On Central African Amphibian Biodiversity, Courtney A. Miller
Understanding The Impacts Of Current And Future Environmental Variation On Central African Amphibian Biodiversity, Courtney A. Miller
University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations
Global climate change is projected to impact multiple levels of biodiversity by imposing strong selection pressures on existing populations, triggering shifts in species distributions, and reorganizing entire communities. The Lower Guineo-Congolian region in central Africa, a reservoir for amphibian diversity, is predicted to be severely affected by future climate change through rising temperatures and greater variability in rainfall. Geospatial modelling can be used to assess how environmental variation shapes patterns of biological variation – from the genomic to the community level – and use these associations to predict patterns of biological change across space and time. The overall goal of …
Changing Land-Use From Pinus Elliottii To Eucalyptus Bentamii In Southwest Louisiana Affects Understory Vegetation Richness, Diversity, And Functional Diversity Patterns, Andrea De Stefano
Changing Land-Use From Pinus Elliottii To Eucalyptus Bentamii In Southwest Louisiana Affects Understory Vegetation Richness, Diversity, And Functional Diversity Patterns, Andrea De Stefano
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
In the Western Gulf region of the United States cold-tolerant eucalyptus have been explored as pulpwood feedstock. However, non-native plantations may alter understory species diversity, modifying environmental conditions and soil characteristics. Few studies have compared eucalyptus plantations with other ecosystems to understand the impacts of converting these land uses on understory vegetation in the United States. Three plantations were selected: (1) slash pine (Pinus elliottii) established in 2008, (2) slash pine established in 2013, and (3) and Camden white gum (Eucalyptus benthamii) established in 2013. The objectives of this study were to: (1) investigate potential changes …
Quantifying Mammalian Interactions And Distributions To Inform Conservation Planning In Mozambique, Tara Easter
Quantifying Mammalian Interactions And Distributions To Inform Conservation Planning In Mozambique, Tara Easter
Boise State University Theses and Dissertations
Protected areas are a staple in conservation, but human activities outside of protected areas drive species interactions, compositions, and distributions. Research is especially needed in these multi-use landscapes to maintain habitat connectivity for entire wildlife communities between protected areas. Yet, such research is lacking in areas it is needed most, such as in sub-Saharan Africa, where human populations are expected to double by 2050. My objectives were to quantify mammal distributions, interactions, community compositions, and their relationships with human and natural factors within a sustainable-use forestry concession outside of Gorongosa National Park. I used recently developed multispecies occupancy models to …
Delineating Metrics Of Diversity For A Snake Community In A Rare Ecosystem, Zachary John Marcou
Delineating Metrics Of Diversity For A Snake Community In A Rare Ecosystem, Zachary John Marcou
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Snakes are among the least understood vertebrate groups despite their considerable diversity. A diverse community of snakes in an ecosystem can indicate a complex habitat structure that is capable of supporting a robust assemblage of other biota. I used remote photography arrays (RPA) to quantify metrics of diversity for the snake community occurring in a ~7,000–ha tract of contiguous Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris) Savanna within the Angelina National Forest (ANF; Angelina and Jasper Cos., TX), over the course of two consecutive snake activity seasons. I quantified the snake species richness, Shannon diversity, and Shannon equitability for the snake community in …
Identifying Marine Key Biodiversity Areas In The Greater Caribbean Region, Michael S. Harvey
Identifying Marine Key Biodiversity Areas In The Greater Caribbean Region, Michael S. Harvey
Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations
Anthropocene biodiversity extinction rates are increasing, suggesting a possible sixth global mass extinction event. Biological conservation planners are consequently seeking ways to more effectively protect species at national, regional and global scales. In 2010, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) issued a number of conservation goals (Aichi Targets), including the establishment of protected areas (PA) in terrestrial, freshwater and marine areas of eminent conservation concern by 2020 to reduce and eventually eliminate species’ extinctions, as well as preserve hotspots of biodiversity and dynamic ecosystems. While well-established, adequately enforced PAs increase the likelihood of preserving species and habitats most at risk …
Niche Shifts, Species Distributions, And Genetic Diversity In Gymnophthalminae Lizards, With A Focus On Microclimates And Thermophysiology, Maria Strangas
Niche Shifts, Species Distributions, And Genetic Diversity In Gymnophthalminae Lizards, With A Focus On Microclimates And Thermophysiology, Maria Strangas
Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
The environmental niche is a central organizing concept in the study of ecology and evolution, as the environmental conditions in which species can persist (their fundamental niches) and the conditions in which they occur (their realized niches) can shape spatial and temporal patterns of biodiversity at multiple scales. How organisms at different levels of biological organization are affected by environmental heterogeneity has consequences for the distribution of genetic and phenotypic diversity, yet the mechanisms through which this occurs are poorly studied. In this dissertation, I present three research chapters that explore how species’ traits and their microclimatic environments shape biodiversity …
Biodiversity And Evolution In The Guiana Shield, South America, Andrew Michael Snyder
Biodiversity And Evolution In The Guiana Shield, South America, Andrew Michael Snyder
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The neotropics are characterized as the most species rich region in the world. Unfortunately, the region's unparalleled biodiversity has not protected it from ongoing threats such as agriculture, mining, logging, oil extraction, and climate change. I studied the biodiversity and evolution of the herpetofauna of South America in order to investigate the influence of historical geological and climatological events in shaping extant neotropical diversity, particularly the Guiana shield. For my research, I set out to explore the processes involved in shaping the remarkable extant diversity using anuran amphibians as models. With my dissertation, I provide a comprehensive review of the …
The Ability Of Phyllospadix Spp., A Pair Of Intertidal Foundation Species, To Maintain Biodiversity And Ameliorate Co2 Stress In Rocky Shore Tidepools, Tayler M. Tharaldson
The Ability Of Phyllospadix Spp., A Pair Of Intertidal Foundation Species, To Maintain Biodiversity And Ameliorate Co2 Stress In Rocky Shore Tidepools, Tayler M. Tharaldson
Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects
Ocean acidification (OA) is often demonstrated to have negative effects on marine organisms, but less is known about whether marine organisms can mediate OA effects. I examined relationships between surfgrass (Phyllospadix spp.), a foundation species and tidepool biodiversity, and its ability to mediate fluctuations in pH and dissolved oxygen (OA; DO) which are stressors in tidepools. I surveyed tidepools in northern California, where I quantified biodiversity, pH, and DO, and related those variables to surfgrass abundance. Laboratory and field experiments manipulating CO2 and surfgrass presence were done to examine surfgrass effects on day/night pH and DO fluctuations …
Conservation Of Ecosystem Services And Biodiversity In Vermont, Usa, Keri B. Watson
Conservation Of Ecosystem Services And Biodiversity In Vermont, Usa, Keri B. Watson
Graduate College Dissertations and Theses
Supporting a growing human population while avoiding biodiversity loss is a central challenge towards a sustainable future. Ecosystem services are benefits that people derive from nature. People have drastically altered the earth’s land surface in the pursuit of those ecosystem services that have been ascribed market value, while at the same time eroding biodiversity and non-market ecosystem services. The science required to inform a more balanced vision for land-cover change in the future is rapidly developing, but critical questions remain unanswered regarding how to quantify ecosystem services and ascribe value to them, and how to coordinate efforts to safeguard multiple …
No Farm Is An Island: Pollinators And Pollination In Agricultural Landscapes, Charles C. Nicholson
No Farm Is An Island: Pollinators And Pollination In Agricultural Landscapes, Charles C. Nicholson
Graduate College Dissertations and Theses
Productive, resilient and sustainable agricultural systems are required to meet the immediate needs of a burgeoning human population, while avoiding ecosystem collapse. Agriculture provides food, fiber, fuels and other products for our current population of 7 billion and is still the major livelihood for 40% of people worldwide. By replacing natural habitat and employing chemical inputs, agriculture also negatively impacts biodiversity and impairs the provision of ecosystem services. This poses a challenge for agriculture as these impacted services are often those required for high yielding and high-quality crop production. Evidence is accumulating that agricultural management can safeguard biodiversity and ecosystem …
Can Increasing Grass-Fungal Endophyte Symbiotic Diversity Enhance Grassland Ecosystem Functioning?, Mahtaab Bagherzadeh
Can Increasing Grass-Fungal Endophyte Symbiotic Diversity Enhance Grassland Ecosystem Functioning?, Mahtaab Bagherzadeh
Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences
The relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning is important in maintaining agroecosystem sustainability. Plant-microbe symbioses, such as exists between the grass tall fescue (Schedonorus arundinaceum) and the asexual fungal endophyte Epichloë coenophiala, can be utilized to enhance agroecosystem functions, such as herbivore resistance. “Novel” E. coenophiala strains that vary in the production of mammal- and insect-toxic compounds have been identified, inserted into tall fescue cultivars, and are planted in pastures globally. Novel fungal endophyte-tall fescue associations may have divergent ecosystem function effects. This study assessed effects of different fescue-endophyte symbiotic combinations on pasture ecosystem function, including aboveground …