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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Connections In The Underworld: A Morphological And Molecular Study Of Diversity And Connectivity Among Anchialine Shrimp., Robert Eugene Ditter
Connections In The Underworld: A Morphological And Molecular Study Of Diversity And Connectivity Among Anchialine Shrimp., Robert Eugene Ditter
FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This research investigates the distribution and population structure of crustaceans, endemic to anchialine systems in the tropical western Atlantic focusing on cave-dwelling shrimp from the family Barbouriidae. Taxonomic and molecular tools (genetic and genomic) are utilized to examine population dynamics and the presence of phenotypic hypervariation (PhyV) of the critically endangered species Barbouria cubensis (von Martens, 1872). The presence of PhyV and its geographic distribution is investigated among anchialine populations of B. cubensis from 34 sites on Abaco, Eleuthera, and San Salvador, Bahamas. Examination of 54 informative morphological characters revealed PhyV present in nearly 90% (n=463) of specimens with no …
Potential Effects Of Climate Change On The Geographic Distribution Of The Endangered Plant Species Manihot Walkerae, Gisel Garza, Armida Rivera, Crystian Sadel Venegas Barrera, Jose Guadalupe Martinez-Avalos, Jon Dale, Teresa Patricia Feria-Arroyo
Potential Effects Of Climate Change On The Geographic Distribution Of The Endangered Plant Species Manihot Walkerae, Gisel Garza, Armida Rivera, Crystian Sadel Venegas Barrera, Jose Guadalupe Martinez-Avalos, Jon Dale, Teresa Patricia Feria-Arroyo
Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations
Walker’s Manihot, Manihot walkerae, is an endangered plant that is endemic to the Tamaulipan thornscrub ecoregion of extreme southern Texas and northeastern Mexico. M. walkerae populations are highly fragmented and are found on both protected public lands and private property. Habitat loss and competition by invasive species are the most detrimental threats for M. walkerae; however, the effect of climate change on M. walkerae’s geographic distribution remains unexplored and could result in further range restrictions. Our objectives are to evaluate the potential effects of climate change on the distribution of M. walkerae and assess the usefulness of natural protected areas …
Expanding The Known Ranges Of The Phreatic Snails (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Cochliopidae) Of Texas, Usa, Dominique Alvear, Peter H. Diaz, J. Randy Gibson, Benjamin T. Hutchins, Benjamin Schwartz, Kathryn E. Perez
Expanding The Known Ranges Of The Phreatic Snails (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Cochliopidae) Of Texas, Usa, Dominique Alvear, Peter H. Diaz, J. Randy Gibson, Benjamin T. Hutchins, Benjamin Schwartz, Kathryn E. Perez
Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations
The Edwards-Trinity Aquifer System of Texas, USA, one of the world’s most ecologically diverse groundwater systems, contains 14 species (across seven genera) of small, poorly studied freshwater snails. Their underground habitat and microscopic size make them difficult to study and identify. Most published records are from original species descriptions, and some have not been seen since they were described more than 100 years ago. Here we use ~150 new collections, including spring and hyporheic zone sampling from across the Texas portions of the Edwards-Trinity Aquifer System, to update the ranges of these species. Two species were very uncommon, if encountered …
Mesohabitat Associations Of The Devil Tryonia, Tryonia Diaboli (Gastropoda: Truncatelloidea: Cochliopidae), Peter H. Diaz, Dominique Alvear, Kathryn E. Perez
Mesohabitat Associations Of The Devil Tryonia, Tryonia Diaboli (Gastropoda: Truncatelloidea: Cochliopidae), Peter H. Diaz, Dominique Alvear, Kathryn E. Perez
Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations
The Cochliopidae of Texas include both stygobitic species, those that occupy only underground habitats, and epigean species, those living only in aboveground habitats. The devil tryonia, Tryonia diaboli, was described from the Devils River of Texas from river wrack, without additional habitat information. This species has been largely ignored since its description, so details of its habitat and ecology are obscure. In Dolan Springs and Finegan Springs, flowing into the Devils River, we sampled macroinvertebrates at five sites that form a gradient from the aquifer to the mainstem Devils River. We found the highest abundances of T. diaboli in aquifer …
Importance Of Taxonomic Group, Life Stage And Circumstance Of Rescue Upon Wildlife Rehabilitation In Ontario, Canada, Gillian Kelly, Javier Delbarco-Trillo
Importance Of Taxonomic Group, Life Stage And Circumstance Of Rescue Upon Wildlife Rehabilitation In Ontario, Canada, Gillian Kelly, Javier Delbarco-Trillo
Faculty Publications – Biological Sciences
Wildlife rehabilitation is an increasingly important and global practice, aiming towards advancements in animal welfare and species conservation. Although there are ongoing discussions on the benefits and limitations of wildlife rehabilitation, there is a general agreement on the importance of wildlife rehabilitation on improving the welfare of wild animals and identifying threats to wildlife. Determining which factors lead to a successful outcome of rehabilitation can allow wildlife rehabilitation centres to best focus their resources to benefit animals with the greatest chance of a successful release. In this study, three factors affecting the success of rehabilitation were evaluated: taxonomic group, life …
Translating Globally Threatened Marine Species Information Into Regional Guidance For The Gulf Of Mexico, Kyle Strongin, Beth Polidoro, Christi Linardich, Gina Ralph, Kent Carpenter
Translating Globally Threatened Marine Species Information Into Regional Guidance For The Gulf Of Mexico, Kyle Strongin, Beth Polidoro, Christi Linardich, Gina Ralph, Kent Carpenter
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
A comprehensive understanding of the status of marine organisms in the Gulf of Mexico is critical to the conservation and improved management of marine biodiversity in the region. Threats and extinction risk, based on application of the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria at the global level, were analyzed for 1,300 Gulf of Mexico marine species. These species include all known marine mammals, sea birds, marine reptiles, cartilaginous fishes, bony shorefishes, corals, mangroves, seagrasses and complete clades of select invertebrates. Analyses showed that 6% of these species are threatened, 2% Near Threatened, 9% Data Deficient, and 83% Least Concern. However, …
Conserving Spawning Stocks Through Harvest Slot Limits And No-Take Protected Areas, Gaya Gnanalingam, Holly Gaff, Mark J. Butler Iv
Conserving Spawning Stocks Through Harvest Slot Limits And No-Take Protected Areas, Gaya Gnanalingam, Holly Gaff, Mark J. Butler Iv
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
The key to the conservation of harvested species is the maintenance of reproductive success. Yet for many marine species large, old individuals are targeted despite their disproportionate contribution to reproduction. We hypothesized that a combination of no-take marine protected areas (MPAs) and harvest slot limits (maximum and minimum size limits) would result in the conservation of large spawning individuals under heavy harvest. We tested this approach under different harvest intensities with a 2-sex, stage-structured metapopulation model for the Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus). P. argus is intensively harvested in the Caribbean, and in many localities large, mature individuals no longer …