Animal Sciences Commons^™

Registration Of ‘Newell’ Smooth Bromegrass, K P. Vogel, R B. Mitchell, B L. Waldron, M R. Haferkamp, J D. Berdahl, D D. Baltensperger, Galen Erickson, T J. Klopfenstein

Green Canyon Environmental Research Area, Logan Utah

No abstract provided.

A Fish Farmer’S Role In Sustainable Aquaculture: An Overview Of Philippine Aquaculture, Janice A. Ragaza, Jonni Fay C. Teves

Biology Faculty Publications

The expansion of Philippine aquaculture is essential to addressing poverty and food insecurity in the midst of a seemingly irreversible decline in national capture fisheries. Concomitant with its rise, however, are compounding environmental problems caused by climate change, lackluster governance and irresponsible farming practices. It is equally important to ensure aquaculture sustainability so that fish demand from a rapidly growing population is continually met and that fish farmers’ socioeconomic well-being is secured. As such, programs have been developed that aim to enjoin the government and private sectors with fishing communities to realize this goal.

Clarification Of The Systematics Of The Haploporoidea (Trematoda) With Descriptions Of New Genera And Species, Michael Jay Andres

Dissertations

The superfamily Haploporoidea Nicoll, 1914 comprises two families, the Atractotrematidae Yamaguti, 1939 and the Haploporidae Nicoll, 1914, and the subfamily Cadenatellinae Gibson et Bray, 1982. All members are parasites of the alimentary tract or gall bladder of marine, estuarine, and freshwater herbivorous fishes. Overstreet and Curran (2005a) provided a review of the Haploporidae and recognized four subfamilies, the Chalcinotrematinae Overstreet et Curran, 2005, Haploporinae Nicoll, 1914, Megasoleninae Manter, 1935, and Waretrematinae Srivastava, 1937. In a series of five publications, Blasco-Costa et al. (2009a-e) revised the Haploporinae and erected a fifth subfamily, the Forticulcitinae Blasco-Costa, Balbuena, Kostadinova, et Olson, 2009. The …

Earthworm, Microbial Biomass, And Leaf Litter Decay Responses After Invasive Honeysuckle Shrub Removal From Urban Woodlands., Robert Preston Pipal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Invasive species are one of the leading causes of biodiversity loss and their presence can significantly impact the structure and function of native ecosystems. In this dissertation, the impacts of the invasive honeysuckle shrub, Lonicera maackii, on exotic earthworm populations, leaf litter decay responses, and inorganic and organic nutrient pools in an urban woodland park are assessed. Chapter 1 provides a brief review of honeysuckle's effects on forest ecosystems. Chapter 2 describes honeysuckle’s effects on exotic earthworm populations and the seasonal importance of macroinvertebrates to leaf litter decomposition in urban woodlands. This study revealed that L. maackii promoted higher exotic …

Pathogenic Landscape Of Transboundary Zoonotic Diseases In The Mexico–Us Border Along The Rio Grande, Maria Dolores Esteve-Gassent, Adalberto A. Pérez De León, Dora Romero-Salas, Teresa Patricia Feria-Arroyo, Ramiro Patino, John A. Goolsby

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Transboundary zoonotic diseases, several of which are vector borne, can maintain a dynamic focus and have pathogens circulating in geographic regions encircling multiple geopolitical boundaries. Global change is intensifying transboundary problems, including the spatial variation of the risk and incidence of zoonotic diseases.The complexity of these challenges can be greater in areas where rivers delineate international boundaries and encompass transitions between ecozones.The Rio Grande serves as a natural border between the US State ofTexas and the Mexican States of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, andTamaulipas. Not only do millions of people live in this transboundary region, but also a substantial amount …

Eight Legged Encounters, Eileen A. Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

This program was funded in part by a National Science Foundation grant (DRL–1241482 to EAH). Material was developed in collaboration with Marie- Claire Chelini, Jessie Rose Storz, Cody Storz, and Malcolm Rosenthal. Steven Schwartz, Jason Stafstrom, Kathy French, Priscilla Grew, and Judy Diamond were all extremely helpful in grant writing, facilitating the first live event, and/or discussions. Pawl Tisdale (artist) was phenomenal to work with on all aspects of the project!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CLASSIFICATION & TAXONOMY STATIONS
I. WHAT IS AN ARTHROPOD? page 4 a. The goal of this station is to introduce the audience to some basic information …

Phylogenetic Analysis Of Algal Symbionts Associated With Four North American Amphibian Egg Masses, Eunsoo Kim, Yuan Lin, Ryan R. Kerney, Lili Blumenberg, Cory Bishop

Biology Faculty Publications

Egg masses of the yellow-spotted salamander Ambystoma maculatum form an association with the green alga “Oophila amblystomatis” (Lambert ex Wille), which, in addition to growing within individual egg capsules, has recently been reported to invade embryonic tissues and cells. The binomial O. amblystomatis refers to the algae that occur in A. maculatum egg capsules, but it is unknown whether this population of symbionts constitutes one or several different algal taxa. Moreover, it is unknown whether egg masses across the geographic range of A. maculatum, or other amphibians, associate with one or multiple algal taxa. To address these …

Shark Bay Prawn Managed Fishery Harvest Strategy : 2014 – 2019 : Version 1.0, Department Of Fisheries

Fisheries management papers

No abstract provided.

Shark Bay Prawn Managed Fishery : Bycatch Action Plan : 2014 – 2019 : Version 1.0, Department Of Fisheries

Fisheries management papers

No abstract provided.

Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park Breeding Bird Monitoring Data Fy 2014, Kenneth D. Pruitt

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Data are part of the GULN Inventory and Monitoring Program Land bird monitoring project for PAAL. Data were collected by Kenneth Pruit through a cooperative agreement with GULN and UT Brownsville in 2014. A separate reference is available for the Field Sheets that accompanies this data set.

https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Reference/Profile/2218507

Hydrolyzed Tuna Meat By-Product Supplement For Juvenile Red Sea Bream, Pagrus Major, And Its Effect On Growth, Enzyme Activity, Plasma Parameters, And Apparent Nutrient Digestibility, Janice A. Ragaza, Roger Edward P. Mamauag, Shunsuke Koshio, Manabu Ishikawa, Saichiro Yokoyama

Biology Faculty Publications

A growth experiment was conducted on juvenile red sea bream, Pagrus major to investigate the effect of the inclusion in fish diets, of tuna meat by-product hydrolysate which was processed through enzymatic hydrolysis using a commercially available enzyme, derived from Bacillus subtilis. Six experimental diets were formulated in the experiment. Three diets contained 50, 150 and 250 g/kg of TPM-H (tuna meat by-product hydrolysate), and two diets with the unprocessed TPM (tuna meat by-product) at an inclusion level of 50 and 250 g/kg. A control diet was formulated without any addition of the test ingredients. Treatment diets were fed ad …

Landscape Genetics Of The Endangered California Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma Californiense) In The Los Vaqueros Watershed, Ryan Neal Vincent

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Genetic diversity is essential for maintaining healthy biological systems, and dispersal-mediated gene flow increases genetic diversity by introducing new alleles to a gene pool. Populations that frequently experience gene flow will show characteristic similarities in allele frequencies. Measuring genetic diversity among many populations across a landscape has proven to be a powerful approach for assessing the ways that habitat discontinuities may affect patterns of gene flow, and in turn, influence allele frequencies and population dynamics. This study examines the landscape-level population genetic structure of the California tiger salamander, Ambystoma californiense, within the Los Vaqueros Watershed of Contra Costa County, …

Next-Generation Field Guides, Elizabeth J. Farnsworth, Miyoko Chu, W. John Kress, Amanda K. Neill, Jason H. Best, John Pickering, Robert D. Stevenson, Gregory W. Courtney, John K. Vandyk, Aaron M. Ellison

John K. VanDyk

To conserve species, we must first identify them. Field researchers, land managers, educators, and citizen scientists need up-to-date and accessible tools to identify organisms, organize data, and share observations. Emerging technologies complement traditional, book-form field guides by providing users with a wealth of multimedia data. We review technical innovations of next-generation field guides, including Web-based and stand-alone applications, interactive multiple-access keys, visual-recognition software adapted to identify organisms, species checklists that can be customized to particular sites, online communities in which people share species observations, and the use of crowdsourced data to refine machine-based identification algorithms. Next-generation field guides are user …

Multimodal Sensory Reliance In The Nocturnal Homing Of The Amblypygid Phrynus Pseudoparvulus (Class Arachnida, Order Amblypygi)?, Eileen A. Hebets, Alfonso Aceves-Aparicio, Samuel Aguilar-Argüello, Verner P. Bingman, Ignacio Escalante, Eben J. Gering, David R. Nelson, Jennifer Rivera, José Ángel Sánchez-Ruiz, Laura Segura-Hernández, Virginia Settepani, Daniel D. Wiegmann, Jay A. Stafstrom

Eileen Hebets Publications

Like many other nocturnal arthropods, the amblypygid Phrynus pseudoparvulus is capable of homing. The environment through which these predators navigate is a dense and heterogeneous tropical forest understory and the mechanism(s) underlying their putatively complex navigational abilities are presently unknown. This study explores the sensory inputs that might facilitate nocturnal navigation in the amblypygid P. pseudoparvulus. Specifically, we use sensory system manipulations in conjunction with field displacements to examine the potential involvement of multimodal—olfactory and visual—stimuli in P. pseudoparvulus’ homing behavior. In a first experiment, we deprived individuals of their olfactory capacity and displaced them to the opposite side of …

A Comparison Of Techniques Measuring Stress In Birds, Deborah A. O'Dell, Michael A. Carlo, Abigail Kimmitt, Ellen Bikowski, Katherine R. Morris, Andrew Dolby

Virginia Journal of Science

Free-living birds are subjected to both external and internal stresses which can affect their health, activity, and reproductive success. To study stress in free living birds, they must be captured in nets and handled by the researcher to take blood samples for commonly used measures of stress, an activity which itself can induce stress and confound results. This study compares the effects of handling time on three different measures of stress: levels of the stress hormone corticosterone (CORT), levels of Heat Shock Protein 60 (HSP 60) and the ratio of heterophils to lymphocytes (H/L ratio) in tufted titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor …

Editorial Overview: Environmental Physiology: Insect Environmental Physiology, Brent J. Sinclair

Biology Publications

No abstract provided.

Warming, Competition, And Bromus Tectorum Population Growth Across An Elevation Gradient, Aldo Compagnoni, Peter B. Adler

Green Canyon Environmental Research Area, Logan Utah

Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) is one of the most problematic invasive plant species in North America and climate change threatens to exacerbate its impacts. We conducted a two‐year field experiment to test the effect of warming, competition, and seed source on cheatgrass performance across an elevation gradient in northern Utah. We hypothesized that warming would increase cheatgrass performance, but that warming effects would be limited by competing vegetation and by local adaptation of cheatgrass seed sources. The warming treatment relied on open top chambers, we removed vegetation to assess the effect of competition from neighboring vegetation, and we reciprocally …

High Local Diversity Of Trypanosoma In A Common Bat Species, And Implications For The Biogeography And Taxonomy Of The T. Cruzi Clade, Veronika M. Cottontail, Elisabeth K. V. Kalko, Iain Cottontail, Nele Wellinghausen, Marco Tschapka, Susan L. Perkins, C. Miguel Pinto

Publications and Research

The Trypanosoma cruzi clade is a group of parasites that comprises T. cruzi sensu lato and its closest relatives. Although several species have been confirmed phylogenetically to belong to this clade, it is uncertain how many more species can be expected to belong into this group. Here, we present the results of a survey of trypanosome parasites of the bat Artibeus jamaicensis from the Panama´ Canal Zone, an important seed disperser. Using a genealogical species delimitation approach, the Poisson tree processes (PTP), we tentatively identified five species of trypanosomes – all belonging to the T. cruzi clade. A small monophyletic …

Park Rangers' Behaviors And Their Effects On Tourists And Tibetan Macaques (Macaca Thibetana) At Mt. Huangshan, China, Rie Usui, Lori K. Sheeran, Jin-Hua Li, Lixing Sun, Xi Wang, Alexander J. Pritchard, Alexander S. Duvall-Lash, R. Steven Wagner

Biology Faculty Scholarship

Previous studies have reported the negative impacts of tourism on nonhuman primates (NHPs) and tourists and advocated the improvement of tourism management, yet what constitutes good quality management remains unclear. We explored whether rates of macaque aggression and self-directed behaviors (SDBs) differed under the supervision of two park ranger teams at the Valley of the Wild Monkeys (VWM) in Mt. Huangshan, Anhui Province, China. The two ranger teams provisioned and managed a group of macaques on an alternating monthly basis. Monkey, tourist and ranger behaviors were collected from August 16–September 30, 2012. Macaque aggression and SDB rates did not differ …

Systematics Of The Neotropical Genus Leptodactylus Fitzinger, 1826 (Anura: Leptodactylidae): Phylogeny, The Relevance Of Non-Molecular Evidence, And Species Accounts, Rafael O. De Sá, Taran Grant, Arley Camargo, W. R. Heyer, María Laura Ponssa, Edward Stanley

Biology Faculty Publications

A phylogeny of the species-rich clade of the Neotropical frog genus Leptodactylus sensu stricto is presented on the basis of a total evidence analysis of molecular (mitochondrial and nuclear markers) and non-molecular (adult and larval morphological and behavioral characters) sampled from > 80% of the 75 currently recognized species. Our results support the monophyly of Leptodactylus sensu stricto, with Hydrolaetare placed as its sister group. The reciprocal monophyly of Hydrolaetare and Leptodactylus sensu stricto does not require that we consider Hydrolaetare as either a subgenus or synonym of Leptodactylus sensu lato. We recognize Leptodactylus sensu stricto, Hydrolaetare, Adenomera, and Lithodytes …

Recent Shifts In The Occurrence, Cause, And Magnitude Of Animal Mass Mortality Events, Samuel B. Fey, Adam M. Siepielski, Sébastien Nusslé, Kristina Cervantes-Yoshida, Jason L. Hwan, Eric R. Huber, Maxfield J. Fey, Alessandro Catenazzi, Stephanie M. Carlson

Dartmouth Scholarship

Mass mortality events (MMEs) are rapidly occurring catastrophic demographic events that punctuate background mortality levels. Individual MMEs are staggering in their observed magnitude: re- moving more than 90% of a population, resulting in the death of more than a billion individuals, or producing 700 million tons of dead biomass in a single event. Despite extensive documentation of individual MMEs, we have no understanding of the major features characterizing the occurrence and magnitude of MMEs, their causes, or trends through time. Thus, no framework exists for contextualizing MMEs in the wake of ongoing global and regional perturbations to natural systems. Here …

Efficacy Of An Electronic Scarecrow On 4 Mammalian Crop-Raiders In Limpopo Province, South Africa, Merrie Renee Richardson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

In South Africa, 2 primate species, Chacma baboons (Papio ursinus) and vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus), and 2 nocturnal mammals, Cape porcupine (Hystrix africaeaustralis) and bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus), are among many species of crop raiders. Currently, cost-effective, non-lethal solutions are lacking. From June through December 2012, I installed novel electronic scarecrows on two commercial citrus orchards and a private reserve and used video-recording remote cameras to assess cropraiders’ reactions to them in Limpopo Province, South Africa. I used focal animal sampling data from treatment and control group animals to examine differences in activity …

Review: Zinc’S Functional Significance In The Vertebrate Retina, Harris Ripps, Richard L. Chappell

Publications and Research

This review covers a broad range of topics related to the actions of zinc on the cells of the vertebrate retina. Much of this review relies on studies in which zinc was applied exogenously, and therefore the results, albeit highly suggestive, lack physiologic significance. This view stems from the fact that the concentrations of zinc used in these studies may not be encountered under the normal circumstances of life. This caveat is due to the lack of a zinc-specific probe with which to measure the concentrations of Zn2+ that may be released from neurons or act upon them. However, a …

What Can We Learn From Confusing Olivella Columellaris And O. Semistriata (Olivellidae, Gastropoda), Two Key Species In Panamic Sandy Beach Ecosystems?, Alison I. Troost, Samantha D. Rupert, Ariel Z. Cyrus, Frank V. Paladino, Benjamin F. Dattilo, Winfried S. Peters

Benjamin F. Dattilo

Abstract: Olivella columellaris (Sowerby 1825) and O. semistriata (Gray 1839) are suspension-feeding, swash-surfing snails on tropical sandy beaches of the east Pacific. While they often are the numerically dominant macrofaunal element in their habitats, their biology is poorly understood; the two species actually have been confused in all of the few publications that address their ecology. Frequent misidentifications in publications and collections contributed also to an overestimation of the geographic overlap of the two species. To provide a sound taxonomic basis for further functional, ecological, and evolutionary investigations, we evaluated the validity of diagnostic traits in wild populations and museum …

A New Species Of Chiasmocleis (Microhylidae, Gastrophryninae) From The Atlantic Forest Of Espírito Santo State, Brazil, João Filipe Tonini, Maruicio Forlani, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

Among Neotropical microhylids, the genus Chiasmocleis is exceptionally diverse. Most species ofChiasmocleis were described in recent years based on external morphology, but recent studies using molecular data did not support the monophyly of the species groups clustered based on feet webbing. Furthermore, a phylogeographic study of C. lacrimae estimated high genetic divergence and low gene flow among populations across small geographic ranges. Increasing the molecular and geographic sampling, and incorporating morphological data, we identified new cryptic species. Herein, we used novel genetic and morphological data to describe a new species of Chiasmocleis.

Habitat Effects On Chick-A-Dee Call Complexity, Jacqueline Renee Lynch

Open Access Theses

Past studies on the communication systems of species in urban environments (such as Common Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris), nightingales (Luscinia megarhynchos Brehm), brown-headed cowbirds ( Molothrus ater), Southern brown tree frogs (Litoria ewingii )) have shown multiple ways that species change vocal signaling behavior to adjust to urban habitats (e.g. alarm calls and singing). This study further investigates the changes in signaling in relation to the chick-a-dee call of the Carolina chickadee (Poecile carolinensis). A secondary goal of this study was to compare both the amount of information and rate of calling across …

Across-Year Social Stability Shapes Network Structure In Wintering Migrant Sparrows, Daizaburo Shizuka, Alexis S. Chaine, Jennifer Anderson, Oscar Johnson, Inger Marie Laursen, Bruce E. Lyon

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Migratory birds often form flocks on their wintering grounds, but important details of social structure such as the patterns of association between individuals are virtually unknown. We analysed networks of co-membership in short-term flocks for wintering golden-crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia atricapilla) across three years and discovered social complexity unsuspected for migratory songbirds. The population was consistently clustered into distinct social communities within a relatively small area (~ 7 ha). Birds returned to the same community across years, with mortality and recruitment leading to some degree of turnover in membership. These spatiotemporal patterns were explained by the combination of space …

Intraspecific Intrusion At Bald Eagle Nests, Courtney Turrin, B. D. Watts

Arts & Sciences Articles

Competition for nesting territory has been shown to act as a density-dependent feedback mechanism influencing population growth rate. However, little is known about the nature of territorial interactions between established breeders and floaters. We examined territorial intrusion rates and associated behaviours at active Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus nests in the lower Chesapeake Bay in 2012 and 2013. The average intrusion rate experienced at study nests during the reproductive period was 0.28 ± 0.32 intrusions/h. Variance in intrusion rate was high and there was no apparent predictive pattern to these events. Juvenile intrusions occurred closer to the nest than adult intrusions, …

Identifying The Role Of Non-Native Species In The Enhanced Trophic Transfer Of Mercury In The Food Web Of Lake Erie, A North American Great Lake, Kaylin M.S. Liznick

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Increasing mercury (Hg) concentrations in top predatory fish is concerning for human and wildlife health. This study examined the amount of Hg available to the food web of Lake Erie, and explored the role that two recently established non-native species, dreissenid mussels and round goby, have played in the trophic transfer of Hg to sport fish. A comprehensive sampling of total Hg (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) within Lake Erie water, sediment and seston with high temporal and spatial resolution describes environmental concentrations. In addition, biotic THg and MeHg are quantified in benthic invertebrates and three fish species. A steep spatial …

Coral-Fish Dynamics And Interactions: A Case Study Of Grand Cayman, Eileen Shea Davis

Lawrence University Honors Projects

To better understand the ecological interactions of coral reefs, it is important to understand the mechanisms that control the distribution and abundance of reef-building corals as well as the mechanisms that control the diversity and abundance of the fish community that inhabits these reef habitats. The purpose of this study was to identify specific coral-fish interactions among the reefs of Grand Cayman in order to gain insight into the biological effects of fish on the assemblage of hard corals. Using data collected by the Lawrence University Marine Program (LUMP), a number of exploratory statistical analyses were run in order to …