Animal Sciences Commons^™

The Effect Of Genetic Relatedness On Mate Selection And Spatial Distribution In The American Alligator, Alligator Mississippiensis, Mark Hoog

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

To date, most genetic studies on the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) have focused on population genetics and multiple paternity. There have not been any studies looking at how relatedness affects alligator behavior and movement. This study focused on three main questions: 1) what is the genetic diversity among alligators in this location? 2) can parentage be accurately defined among parents and offspring? and 3) how does individual relatedness affect their spatial distribution? We examined the relatedness of 174 unique individuals from the Okefenokee Swamp Park, in South Georgia, USA. In addition, we placed Telonics^® satellite tags on …

Molecular Survey Of Helminths Infecting Ground Dwelling Birds In The Grouse Subfamily Tetraoninae, Briana M. Sesmundo

Honors College Theses

Alaskan grouse and ptarmigan (Galliformes) are important avian game species in Alaska. Interestingly, gallids harbor a fairly diverse helminth fauna, particularly cestodes, which may make birds with high parasite loads more susceptible to predation. Unfortunately, there is limited information available on the helminth fauna of Alaskan gallids, and no molecular surveys. The present study aims to develop baseline data on diversity of intestinal and subcutaneous (filariid) helminth infections in galliforms using morphological and molecular (DNA) approaches. These data can then be used to better understand changes in helminth community structure given current environmental volatility. The intestines, cloaca, liver and kidneys …

A Population Genetic Investigation Of The Reticulated Flatwoods Salamander (Ambystoma Bishopi) On Eglin Air Force Base, Alexander S. Wendt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The reticulated flatwoods salamander (RFS) is an endangered salamander with a unique life history. One of the largest known, best studied refuges for RFS is found on Eglin Air Force Base, and these RFS have been sampled and managed extensively since 2010. My thesis seeks to better understand RFS by using genetic techniques to address several unknowns, including: 1) determining the population structuring of RFS and the manageable units for species conservation, 2) estimating the size and status of populations, 3) understanding dispersal of RFS and factors that influence this, 4) exploring the breeding biology and recruitment patterns of RFS …

The Behavioral, Biochemical And Genetic Effects Of Sleep Deprivation In Zebrafish (Danio Rerio), Jade Catherine Boykin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Vertebrate sleep is a universal phenomenon and encompasses an array of conserved behavioral and physiological characteristics. Studies of sleep in humans have shown that sleep deprivation leads to adverse effects to human health and additional stress. Teleosts have emerged as a useful model species to study the vertebrate stress response, given its stress axis has high levels of homology with the mammals, including humans. For this study, the behavior of zebrafish (Danio rerio) subjected to acute (24 hours) and chronic (20 days) extended light exposure was monitored and whole-body cortisol was analyzed as an indication of activation of …

Relative Abundances Of The Recently Introduced Barnacles, Megabalanus Coccopoma And An Unidentified Species Of Megabalanus, In The Southeastern U.S., Jennifer L. Tyson

Honors College Theses

ABSTRACT

Megabalanus coccopoma is a prominent invasive species off the coast of Georgia. Recently, among collected samples thought to be M. coccopoma, several individuals of an unidentified species of barnacle were found. The species has been identified as a Megabalanus species, but is still unidentified to the species level. Species identification is difficult due to morphological variation, inconsistent taxonomic keys, and unknown origin. In this study I developed a method to accurately distinguish M. coccopoma from the unidentified Megabalanus sp. using sequence differences in the mitochondrial Cytochrome Oxidase I (COI) gene. This study will provide an accurate estimate of …

Epistasis In Predator-Prey Relationships, Iuliia Inozemtseva

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Epistasis is the interaction between two or more genes to control a single phenotype. We model epistasis of the prey in a two-locus two-allele problem in a basic predator- prey relationship. The resulting model allows us to examine both population sizes as well as genotypic and phenotypic frequencies. In the context of several numerical examples, we show that if epistasis results in an undesirable or desirable phenotype in the prey by making the particular genotype more or less susceptible to the predator or dangerous to the predator, elimination of undesirable phenotypes and then genotypes occurs.