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2002

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Articles 1 - 6 of 6

Full-Text Articles in Aquaculture and Fisheries

Comparisons In Morphology, Reproductive Status, And Feeding Ecology Of Plethodon Cinereus At High And Low Elevations In West Virginia, Mizuki Takahashi Jan 2002

Comparisons In Morphology, Reproductive Status, And Feeding Ecology Of Plethodon Cinereus At High And Low Elevations In West Virginia, Mizuki Takahashi

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

To develop effects of elevation on morphological features, reproductive status, and feeding ecology of Plethodon cinereus in West Virginia, overall comparisons between high (>4000 ft) and low (<1260 ft) elevation populations were made. Adult P. cinereus from high elevations were smaller in SVL (female: p=0.003, male: p<0.001), but stored larger amounts of fat (female: p=0.041, male: p=0.006) in their tails than fromlow elevations. Larger amounts of tail fat could be an adaptation to harsh environments at high elevations. It was determined that in West Virginia, where as females at low elevations oviposit annually, females at high elevations oviposit biennially. Stomach content analysis revealed that salamanders at high elevations were confronted by food shortage. Because of less prey availability and longer winters at high elevations, salamanders at high elevations attained the smaller body size than at low elevations and could not obtain sufficient energy in 1 year to yolk a clutch.

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Molecular Systematics Of Rhinichthys Bowersi And Its Taxonomic Status, Gilbert Wesley Gladwell Ii Jan 2002

Molecular Systematics Of Rhinichthys Bowersi And Its Taxonomic Status, Gilbert Wesley Gladwell Ii

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Rhinichthys bowersi is a cyprinid fish that is found mostly in tributaries of the Monongahela River. Several investigators have examined the morphology, protein polymorphism, and parasite/host relationships of R. bowersi and concluded that it is a valid species of introgressive hybrid origin while others have examined the same data and concluded that it is an F1 hybrid of R. cataractae and Nocomis micropogon. In this study, mitochondrial DNA was amplified from the 12s gene of R. bowersi and compared to that of R. cataracta, N. micropogon, and R. atratulus, an outgroup. Mitochondrial DNA differences were analyzed by Neighbor Joining (NJ), …

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The Natural History And Possible Extirpation Of Blanchard's Cricket Frog, Acris Crepitans Blanchardi, In West Virginia, Nancy J. Dickson Jan 2002

The Natural History And Possible Extirpation Of Blanchard's Cricket Frog, Acris Crepitans Blanchardi, In West Virginia, Nancy J. Dickson

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Blanchard’s Cricket Frogs, Acris crepitans blanchardi, historically occurred in Clay, Mason, Putnam, and Wayne counties of West Virginia. It has been since 1948 that a specimen was collected from these counties or any other in this state. The first objective of this study was to gather natural history information on A. c. blanchardi based on a population in Lawrence County, Ohio. The second objective of this study was to determine if A. c. blanchardi has been extirpated from West Virginia. The third objective was to determine differences between historical, potential, and current population sites based on vegetation sampling, predators, water …

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Status Of The Small-Mouthed Salamander, Ambystoma Texanum (Mathes) In West Virginia, Robert Fiorentino Jan 2002

Status Of The Small-Mouthed Salamander, Ambystoma Texanum (Mathes) In West Virginia, Robert Fiorentino

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Over the past 60 years little natural history information on Ambystoma texanum (Small-mouthed Salamander) has been collected in West Virginia, the eastern most location for the species. Three historical breeding populations of A. texanum have been documented in the state, but salamanders from 2 of these locations have not been documented for the past 30 years. Searches of historical sites and favorable habitat in Mason, Jackson, and Wood counties yielded no evidence for the presence of A. texanum, except for the known breeding site in Wood County. Information on time of breeding and egg development was collected at the Wood …

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Effects Of Developmental Activities On Streamside Salamander Communities In Boone County, West Virginia, Mindy S. Hamilton Jan 2002

Effects Of Developmental Activities On Streamside Salamander Communities In Boone County, West Virginia, Mindy S. Hamilton

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

A study was conducted from May 1998 through June 1999 in three streams associated with mountaintop mining and valley fills in Boone County, West Virginia. Streamside salamander communities were monitored in these streams, as well as in two relatively undisturbed reference streams in the region, using refugia bags, rock-on-rock methodology, and day surveys. The relative abundance of salamanders was compared between the streams in order to detect effects of the associated valley fills to downstream biota. Relative abundance was lower in two of three streams associated with valley fills as compared to the reference streams. However, there was no significant …

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Determining The Genetic Distances Between Sub-Populations Of Aneides Aeneus In The Westvāco Wildlife And Ecological Research Forest, Andrew Nicholas Johnson Jan 2002

Determining The Genetic Distances Between Sub-Populations Of Aneides Aeneus In The Westvāco Wildlife And Ecological Research Forest, Andrew Nicholas Johnson

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Aneides aeneus, the Green Salamander, is a plethodontid species ranging from southern Pennsylvania to central Alabama and from eastern Mississippi to Maryland. Populations of Green Salamanders most often inhabit cliffs and rocky outcrops which are moist but not wet and shaded. The animal is listed as a species of special concern by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources Wildlife Diversity Program. Genetic and reproductive isolation due to strict habitat preferences of the Green Salamander could be a factor in the decline of the species. Seventeen tissue samples were retrieved from five sites within the Westvāco Wildlife and Ecosystem …

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