Animal Sciences Commons^™

Reproductive Life History Of Fundulus Jenkensi And Comparative Development Of Five Sympatric Fundulid Species, Eric Thomas Lang

Master's Theses

Fundulus jenkinsi is recognized federally and within the state of Mississippi as a Species of Concern. Little is known about the life history of this coastal killifish, but a detailed reproductive histology study of F. jenkinsi and a diagnostic key of the early life stages of select members of Fundulidae can provide the foundation needed to accurately identify it and quantify reproductive parameters in this rare species in need of conservation. Monthly gonadosomatic index (GSI) of male and female F. jenkinsi were documented, and spawning phases and oocyte stages were examined using reproductive histology. In addition, various stages of …

Life History And Habitat Use Of The Juvenile Alabama Shad (Alosa Alabamae) In Northern Gulf Of Mexico Rivers, Paul Fraser Mickle

Dissertations

The Alabama shad, Alosa alabamae, is an anadromous species that is in decline and has seen extirpations from impoundments as well as decreased water quality. Alabama shad live in the Gulf of Mexico and ascend Northern Gulf of Mexico Drainages to reproduce early in the year (January-May). The juveniles spend the majority of the year in these freshwater systems before emigrating out to the Gulf of Mexico as late as December.

This dissertation focuses on the juvenile life stages that occur within the Northern Gulf of Mexico drainages. Spawning conditions of the river, as well as the habitat and diet, …

Physiological Implications Of Natural Versus Induced Arousal From Torpor, Jenifer C. Utz

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

During the hibernation season, animals oscillate between periods of torpor and periods of interbout arousal (IBA). During torpor, body temperature is often near 0° C and metabolism is severely depressed. Oxygen consumption, a proxy for aerobic metabolism, may fall to 1% of active values. Many physiological processes including cardiovascular, respiratory, and cellular functions nearly cease. During the IBA, euthermic body temperature is restored and most systemic and cellular processes function at fully active levels. The transition period between these two physiologically dissimilar states is called arousal.

The rate of rewarming (RRW) during arousal was previously expected to progressively increase until …

Impacts Of Predation Risk And Development On Susceptibility Of North American Anurans To Ranaviruses, Nathan Alden Haislip

Masters Theses

For over three decades, amphibian populations have been declining across the globe. Emerging infectious diseases are responsible for some of these declines. Ranaviruses have caused die-offs in wild amphibian populations on 4 continents, in 5 Canadian provinces, and in over 25 U.S. states. In order to understand host-pathogen dynamics, it is critical to establish baseline information on species susceptibility and the effects of natural stressors. The goal of my thesis research was to quantify the effects of anuran development and exposure to invertebrate predators on species-specific susceptibility to ranavirus. My experiments were designed in factorial arrangements, and consisted of exposure …

The Status Of Dwarfed Populations Of Short-Horned Lizards (Phrynosoma Hernandesi) And Great Plains Toads (Anaxyrus Cognatus) In The San Luis Valley, Colorado, Megan E. Lahti

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The San Luis Valley is a large valley formation in Colorado surrounded on either side by mountain ranges exceeding 4,267 m. Within the Valley, two of the 14 amphibian and reptile species are dwarfed: the short-horned lizard (Phrynosoma hernandesi) and the Great Plains toad (Anaxyrus cognatus). Since its initial reporting in 1968 and confirmation in 1981, no research further investigating this dwarfism has been conducted. I collected morphological measurements to determine the extent and patterns of dwarfism of both species. I then investigated the genetics of both species using mitochondrial DNA to determine whether they are …

Information Acquisition And Sociality Among Migratory Birds, Zoltán Németh

Dissertations

Information use is a key feature of adaptive behavior: the better informed an individual, the better it is able to adjust its behavior to meet the demands of a variable world. Therefore, most animals attempt to reduce environmental uncertainty by gathering information when it is available. However, tracking unpredictable ecological factors may carry costs as individuals invest valuable time and energy in the process of information acquisition. Social learning (i.e., use of social information inadvertently produced by other individuals) enables the individual to gain rapid and more complete assessment of its novel environment. This process may be particularly important for …

Evaluating Captive-Breeding Techniques And Reintroduction Success Of The California Condor (Gymnogyps Californianus), Amy C. Utt

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

In this dissertation, I present two original research studies on the behavior and survival of the critically endangered California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus). I also provide a comprehensive review of the role of captive-rearing to the conservation of birds.

The first study examined the behavioral differences of puppet- and parent-reared condor juveniles reared in captivity. This study further defined and examined the behaviors of adult conspecific mentors and their interactions with juveniles. Dominance hierarchy analyses for two cohorts of juveniles and their adult mentors indicated the establishment of a linear hierarchy. Although puppet-reared juveniles engaged in fewer social behaviors in …

Bronzed Cowbird (Molothrus Aeneus) Habitat Use And Differential Response To Playback Of Host Song, Mary Jennifer Gorton

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

During the breeding seasons of 2008 - 2009, 180 fixed-radius point-count surveys and broadcasts of host song were conducted in Santa Ana (SANWR) and Laguna Atascosa (LANWR, 2009 only) National Wildlife Refuges to identify Bronzed Cowbird (Molothrus aeneus) habitat use and test the predictions of the host activity hypothesis. Surveys demonstrated that Bronzed Cowbirds were distributed across all habitat types in both refuges, although there were differences in abundance between the sexes for interior and edge habitats and between habitat types. Bronzed Cowbirds responded differentially to host species playbacks based on suitability and abundance of the host species. The results …

Does The Manipulation Of Tail Position Facilitate Extinction Of Canine Phobic Behavior?, Rebecca A. Zarate

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The phobic behavior of interest is tail tucking which is indicative of submission. In this study the tail was physically manipulated by the use of a custom made harness to hold the tail up in a dominant position to ideally extinguish phobic behavior through reciprocal inhibition. The harness did not hold the tail up the entire duration of the interventions, although it still held the base of the tail up. The intervention did not appear to have an affect on the two of the five subjects. The three more phobic canines did display some behavioral changes, although the changes noticed …

Survival Of Mycoplasma Species In Recycled Bedding Sand And Possible Implications For Disease Transmission To Ruminants, Anne E. Justice-Allen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Mycoplasmas are a group of bacteria which are small in size, lack a cell wall, and have small genomes in comparison to other bacteria. The members of the group that are pathogenic utilize several mechanisms to evade the host's immune system. These processes affect surveillance and control mechanisms such as serologic testing and vaccination. Many of these organisms cause diseases of livestock, which heavily impact production parameters such as weight gain, milk yield, and egg production. Mycoplasmas also cause disease in people.

Mycoplasma spp. can cause mastitis, metritis, pneumonia, and arthritis. The currently documented routes of transmission of Mycoplasma spp. …

Microsatellite Analysis Of Two Local Fox Squirrel (Sciurus Niger) Populations, Sajeena R. Horvath

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

The objective of this study was to examine the genetic diversity of two geographically separated populations of Eastem fox squirrels (Sciurus niger) within the Indianapolis metropolitan area. One population was located on Butler University's campus and the other at Eagle Creek Park, located about 6.5 miles WNW from the Butler campus. DNA was extracted from tail hair samples collected by live trapping squirrels during the summers of 2007, 2008, and 2009. I used microsatellite analysis to examine the genetic variation between the two sites. Hair samples from 66 Butler squirrels and 30 Eagle Creek squirrels were analyzed using 4 microsatellite …

Growth, Larval Development And Metamorphosis In Small-Mouthed Salamanders (Ambystoma Texanum), Nicholas Timothy Zellmer

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

The small-mouthed salamander (Ambystoma texanum), a common species in the midwestern United States, lays its eggs in temporary ponds during mid to late March once they have filled with water from the melting winter snow or early spring rains. For its relative abundance in the Midwest, there is little known about the life history of this species. My research followed the growth of small-mouthed salamander larvae in ponds between hatching, which occurred in early spring (mid-April), and metamorphosis, which occurred in midsummer (early June to mid-July). The research focused on the growth, larval development, and timing of metamorphosis with special …

From The Valleys To The Mountains: The Biographic History Of Antelope Squirrels, Bats, And Chipmunks In Western North America, Stacy James Mantooth

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Genetic differentiation within and between species often coincides with significant geological or climatic changes that have shaped the sizes and locations of their geographic ranges and altered the connectivity between populations over time. Across western North America, many endemic taxa experienced high levels of initial divergence associated with geological transformations of the Neogene, with subsequent diversification and geographic structuring of populations associated with climatic changes during the Quaternary. As such, we can use a combination of molecular markers and genetic analyses to effectively examine the evolutionary and biogeographic histories of populations, species, and regional biotas whose signatures of differentiation are …

Biogeography Of The American Pika (Ochotona Princeps) In Oregon And Southern Washington: Illuminating Genetic Relationships Among Disjunct Populations, George Washington Batten Iii

Dissertations and Theses

The American pika (Ochotona princeps) finds moderately warm temperatures (>25°C) lethally stressful, and at the end of the last Ice Age 10,000 years ago was forced to disperse to cooler, "sky island" mountaintops where they are almost exclusively found today. Thirty six subspecies are recognized, all established using morphological characters, and it is uncertain whether these subspecies' designations are corroborated by genetic analyses. This study elucidates three hypotheses regarding populations in Oregon and southern Washington: 1) O. p. fumosa constitutes a subspecies distinct form O. p. brunnescens, 2) the Columbia River constitutes a barrier to gene …

The Presence Of Micropterus Salmoides (Largemouth Bass) Influences The Populations Of Rana Draytonii (California Red-Legged Frog) And Pseudacris Regilla (Pacific Treefrog) In Two Ponds In Santa Barbara County, California, Kenneth Lee Gilliland

Master's Theses

Alien fish have been implicated in the decline of Rana draytonii (California red-legged frog) and Pseudacris regilla (Pacific treefrog) populations. Micropterus salmoides (largemouth bass) is a common sport fish that has been introduced into the sympatric range of these two anuran species; however, no studies have investigated the individual influence that this alien fish has on these two species. I conducted M. salmoides control or eradication experiments during a four year study in two ponds within the Transverse Mountain Range of Santa Barbara County, California. Changes in the densities of all life stages of R. draytonii and P. regilla were …

Spatial Segregation Of The Sexes In A Salt Marsh Grass Distichlis Spicata (Poaceae), Charlene Ashley Mercer

Dissertations and Theses

Understanding the maintenance of sexual systems is of great interest to evolutionary and ecological biologists because plant systems are extremely varied. Plant sexual systems have evolved to include not only complete plants with both male and female reproduction occurring on one plant (i.e., monoecious and hermaphroditic) but also plants with male and female function on separate plants (dioecious). The dioecious reproductive system can be used to test theories on niche differentiation given that having separate plants potentially allows for the exploitation of a broader niche. This increase in the realized niche is due to the ability for separate sexes to …