Zoology Commons^™

The Green Sea Turtle, Sierra Rhiannon Brown

PANDION: The Osprey Journal of Research and Ideas

Artist Statement

The Green Sea Turtle is a piece I produced as a part of my final portfolio for the Scientific Illustration course I participated in during the summer semester of 2022. The Green Sea Turtle is a watercolor and gauche painting on Bristol paper that was created as part of a collection representing each of the five sea turtle species native to the Florida coasts. Green sea turtles (Chelonia Mydas) are the largest species of hard-shelled turtle in the world, they are also unique because of their specialized diet which consists primarily of sea grass and algae. …

Dear Duck-Billed Platypus, Michael J. Leach Dr

The STEAM Journal

This piece is a concrete poem that both shows and describes the platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus).

Genetic Characterization Of Nodular Worm Infections In Asian Apes, Erhan Yalcindag, Peter Stuart, Hideo Hasegawa, Adrian Streit, Jana Doležalová, Helen Morrogh-Bernard, Susan M. Cheyne, Wisnu Nurcahyo, Ivona Foitová

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

Parasitic nematodes of Oesophagostomum spp., commonly known, as 'nodular worms' are emerging as the most widely distributed and prevalent zoonotic nematodes. Oesophagostomum infections are well documented in African non-human primates; however, the taxonomy, distribution and transmission of Oesophagostomum in Asian non-human primates are not adequately studied. To better understand which Oesophagostomum species infect Asian non-human primates and determine their phylogeny we analysed 55 faecal samples from 50 orangutan and 5 gibbon individuals from Borneo and Sumatra. Both microscopy and molecular results revealed that semi-wild animals had higher Oesophagostomum infection prevalence than free ranging animals. Based on sequence genotyping analysis targeting …

First Description Of Deep Benthic Habitats And Communities Of Oceanic Islands And Seamounts Of The Nazca Desventuradas Marine Park, Chile, Jan M. Tapia-Guerra, Ariadna Mecho, Erin E. Easton, María De Los Ángeles Gallardo, Matthias Gorny, Javier Sellanes

School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Seamounts and oceanic islands of the Chilean Exclusive Economic Zone at the intersection of the Nazca and Salas y Gómez ridges lie within one of the least explored areas in the world. The sparse information available, mainly for seamounts outside Chilean jurisdiction and shallow-water fauna of the Desventuradas Islands, suggests that the area is a hotspot of endemism. This apparent uniqueness of the fauna motivated the creation of the large Nazca-Desventuradas Marine Park (NDMP, ~ 300,000 km2) around the small islands San Felix and San Ambrosio in 2015. We report for the first time a detailed description of benthic microhabitats …

Change In The Behaviors And Spatial Use Of Canada Lynx (Lynx Canadensis) Over Time At John Ball Zoo, Hailee Cederquist

Student Summer Scholars Manuscripts

Felines are popular attractions at zoos across the country, even more so when young animals are involved. As such caretakers strive to ensure that their animal’s needs are met, and individuals display healthy behaviors and activity levels in comparison to their wild counterparts (Mcphee & Carlstead, 2010). However, cats, being wide-ranging carnivores, are known to be prone to stereotypical behaviors which can be detrimental to an animal’s health (Clubb & Mason, 2003). At John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids, Michigan, we observed the behaviors and spatial use of 3 Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) during the summer of 2020; an adult …

Thing 1 And Thing 2 Are In A New Zoo: Changes In Behavior Of Amur Tigers Following Introduction To John Ball Zoo, Caitlin Gerke, Faith Hensley

Student Scholars Day Posters

Animals alter their behavior in response to changes in their environment such as alterations to their enclosure, social group, or husbandry routine. In 2018, two related, young adult Amur tigers (Panthera tigris altaica) were transferred to the John Ball Zoo (JBZ). The male siblings were given access to a spacious, wooded outdoor enclosure (area = 920 m²). We used Zoomonitor in 2018 and 2019 to conduct focal-animal sampling of the two males. We recorded state behaviors in 30 sec intervals of scan sampling, and all occurrences of event behaviors, both during 30 min sampling sessions. Our study objective …

Parasitism Of Female Neotibicen Linnei (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) By Larvae Of The Sarcophagid Fly Emblemasoma Erro In Wisconsin, Allen M. Young

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Herein it is reported an unusual case of parasitism of a female Neotibicen linnei (Smith and Grossbeck) by the sarcophagid Emblemasoma erro (Aldrich) in western Wisconsin. Sarcophagids typically attack male cicadas, locating them by the latter’s acoustical behavior.

Some members of the dipteran family Sarcophagidae are parasitic on male cicadas (e.g. Soper et. al. 1976, Lakes-Harlan et. al. 2000, Faris et. al. 2008, Stucky 2015). Parasitoids such as Emblemasoma species are attracted to larviposit on male cicadas by responding to the latter’s acoustical signals (Tron et. al. 2016). Sarcophagids, therefore, are generally not attracted to mute female cicadas. In this …

Granulosa Cell Proliferation Is Inhibited By Pge2 In The Primate Ovulatory Follicle, Patric S. Lundberg, Gil J. Moskowitz, Carmel Bellacose, Esra Demirel, Heidi A. Trau, Diane M. Duffy

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) is a key paracrine mediator of ovulation. Few specific PGE2-regulated gene products have been identified, so we hypothesized that PGE2 may regulate the expression and/or activity of a network of proteins to promote ovulation. To test this concept, Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) was used to predict PGE2-regulated functionalities in the primate ovulatory follicle. Cynomolgus macaques underwent ovarian stimulation. Follicular granulosa cells were obtained before (0 h) or 36 h after an ovulatory dose of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), with ovulation anticipated 37-40 h after hCG. Granulosa cells were obtained from additional monkeys 36 h after treatment with …

Mammal Species Inventory Using Various Trapping Methods In Zone 4 Of Billy Barquedier National Park, Belize During Rainy Season, Mersady Redding

Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Belize is a small country, but it is extremely ecologically diverse. Based on the few studies conducted in Belize, the abundance of mammals is low but diversity is high. Particular findings note the number and identity of species differed between four sites in the Maya Mountains of Belize, indicating that a data set from a single site is not representative of the Neotropical region. Insufficient data is available to estimate current species richness of many areas in Belize, including Billy Barquedier National Park (BBNP). The objective of this study was to explore trapping and documentation methods of terrestrial mammals in …

General Zoology Laboratory Manual, Kimberly Subacz, Jason Christian

Biological Sciences Open Textbooks

This lab manual for General Zoology was created under a Round Twelve ALG Textbook Transformation Grant. The manual contains six individual labs to be completed within a laboratory, along with a collection project to be completed outdoors with an instructor.

Topics include:

• Classification and Evolution
• The Planaria Project
• Introduction to Invertebrates
• Introduction to Chordates
• Vertebrates Continued
• Mammalogy

Betta Fish Reactions To Color: A Qualitative And Quantitative Analysis, Jessica Barrios, Jackie Arnott

Student Symposium

We will be studying the connections between mating, aggression, and the coloration of male betta fish and how they react to the coloration of other betta fish. We chose this topic because coloration is genetically linked to aggression in male betta fish, and because aggressive behaviors are very similar to mating behaviors.

Characterization Of The Yeast Gene Ydl218w: A Role In Cell Wall Biosynthesis And Maintenance?, Kaden Hubly

Student Symposium

The budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is a common model organism used to study eukaryotic cell biology. S. cerevisiae is a fungus with a cell wall which makes it an excellent model for the study of antifungal agents. There are close to 1,000 genes of unknown function (GUFs) in S. cerevisiae. One of these is the gene YDL218W on which our research is focused. While little is known about this gene, evidence suggests that it may be involved in cell wall synthesis or maintenance. For example, YDL218W is induced by a transcription factor known to regulate genes involved in maintaining cell …

Advancing Natural History Research Using The Collections Of The Owu Brant Museum Of Zoology, Josh Pletcher, Kyle Davis

Student Symposium

Natural history collections are important repositories of biological and geological material. Biological collections provide raw data to interpret the ecology, anatomy, and evolution of living and fossil organisms. OWU’s zoological collections play an important role in undergraduate research and educating future preparators. Two projects are currently in progress: Kyle Davis’ work on size variation in house sparrows and Josh Pletcher’s work digitizing OWU’s collection of Ward’s fossil casts. We travelled to museums in New York and Connecticut to further pursue our research. Kyle Davis’ research focuses on Bergmann’s Rule, which states that as temperature decreases, body size increases, decreasing surface …

Studying The Social Behavior And Preferences Of Polar Bears At The Columbus Zoo And Aquarium, Molly Seeberger

Student Symposium

Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) are relatively solitary animals unless it is breeding season. At the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, the polar bears participate in the Species Survival Plan where breeding for conservation efforts is encouraged. Lee, an 19-year-old male, came to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in the Fall of 2018 in hopes of breeding with 12-year-old twin females Aurora and Anana. Because Lee’s previous experience was only living with one female, I wanted to observe whether he would prefer a particular female because he now had two females to choose from. Not only did I look for preference, but …

Laboratory Mice Burrowing Responses To Predator Calls, Katie Vonderembse, Brianna Graber, Molly Seeberger

Student Symposium

The avoidance of predation is an essential trait in mice and depends on the ability of the mouse to recognize its predators. It is predicted that the calls of predators act as stimuli which signal the presence of potential danger. Laboratory mice have been shown to respond with defensive behaviors, such as burrowing, when exposed to the the calls of predators. To test how mice respond to different predator calls, we will play the sounds of three owls, Eastern Screech Owl,Tawny Owl, and American Barn Owl, and look at burrowing behaviors. Human voices reading a book will be used as …

Investigating Crayfish (Orconectes Rusticus) Aggression And How It Varies With Resource Availability, Allie Smith, Rebecca Lipster

Student Symposium

Animals that express agonistic behavior toward one another are prone to recognizing hierarchical status among individuals. Recognizing status has proven to be evolutionarily advantageous for crayfish (Orconectes rusticus) because it allows dominant individuals to maximize resources and permits subordinate individuals to steer clear of potentially costly battles. More specifically, two crayfish experiencing aggression can generally determine who the dominant and subordinate individuals are in a fight. A higher social status within a social hierarchy can allow for increased access to differing resources, such as food, mates, and shelter. In this experiment, we want to see if limiting resources will affect …

Ms Environmental Biology Capstone Project, Taylor Readyhough

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Life in a zoo brings a score of stressors into the lives of captive animals, including artificial light, crowds of visitors, and increased noise levels. Stress especially impacts captive birds, and continued exposure to these stressors can negatively affect birds’ reproductive success and overall well-being. Staff at the Denver Zoo noticed increased aggression between a male and female pair of great Indian hornbills during the winter of 2016. This behavioral shift coincided with Zoo Lights, a holiday event that results in the hornbills’ exhibit remaining open to the public for approximately four extra hours through the entire month of December. …

Zoo Animal Management Avs 327x, Michael Cerbo

Library Impact Statements

No abstract provided.

Can Squirrel Monkeys Learn An Abna Grammar? A Re-Evaluation Of Ravignani Et Al. (2013), Stefano Ghirlanda

Publications and Research

Ravignani et al. (2013) habituated squirrel monkeys to sound sequences conforming to an ABnA grammar (nD1;2;3), then tested them for their reactions to novel gram- matical and non-grammatical sequences. Although they conclude that the monkeys ``consistently recognized and generalized the sequence ABnA,'' I remark that this conclusion is not robust. The statistical significance of results depends on specific choices of data analysis, namely dichotomization of the response variable and omission of specific data points. Additionally, there is little evidence of generalization to novel patterns (n D 4;5), which is important to conclude that the monkeys recognized the ABnA grammar beyond …

Walking Behavior Of Zoo Elephants: Associations Between Gps-Measured Daily Walking Distances And Environmental Factors, Social Factors, And Welfare Indicators, Matthew Robert Holdgate, Cheryl L. Meehan, Jennifer N. Hogan, Lance J. Miller, Josesph Soltis, Jeff Andrews, David J. Shepherdson

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Research with humans and other animals suggests that walking benefits physical health. Perhaps because these links have been demonstrated in other species, it has been suggested that walking is important to elephant welfare, and that zoo elephant exhibits should be designed to allow for more walking. Our study is the first to address this suggestion empirically by measuring the mean daily walking distance of elephants in North American zoos, determining the factors that are associated with variations in walking distance, and testing for associations between walking and welfare indicators. We used anklets equipped with GPS data loggers to measure outdoor …

Recumbence Behavior In Zoo Elephants: Determination Of Patterns And Frequency Of Recumbent Rest And Associated Environmental And Social Factors, Matthew Robert Holdgate, Cheryl L. Meehan, Jennifer N. Hogan, Lance J. Miller, Jeff Rushen, Anne-Marie De Passillé, Josesph Soltis, Jeff Andrews, David J. Shepherdson

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Resting behaviors are an essential component of animal welfare but have received little attention in zoological research. African savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana) and Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) rest includes recumbent postures, but no large-scale investigation of African and Asian zoo elephant recumbence has been previously conducted. We used anklets equipped with accelerometers to measure recumbence in 72 adult female African (n = 44) and Asian (n = 28)elephants housed in 40 North American zoos. We collected 344 days of data and determined associations between recumbence and social, housing, management, and demographic factors. African elephants were recumbent less (2.1 hours/day, S.D. …

Validation Of The Use Of Doubly Labeled Water For Measuring Metabolic Rate In Timber Rattlesnakes (Crotalus Horridus), Caitlin Hirsh

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

The doubly labeled water method is an isotopic technique for measuring field metabolic rate and water flux rates of free-living animals. We present a validation of the use doubly labeled water for measuring metabolic rate and water loss in Timber Rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus). For this study seven animals of varying body size were used with masses ranging from 148 to 650 grams. Prior to dosing, blood samples were taken to establish background isotope levels for each animal. Snakes were injected with water enriched with isotopes of oxygen (18O) and hydrogen (2H, deuterium). The injected isotopes were then allowed to equilibrate …

Elevational Variation In Body-Temperature Response To Immune Challenge In A Lizard, Francisco Javier Zamora-Camacho, Senda Reguera, Gregorio Moreno-Rueda

Dartmouth Scholarship

Immunocompetence benefits animal fitness by combating pathogens, but also entails some costs. One of its main components is fever, which in ectotherms involves two main types of costs: energy expenditure and predation risk. Whenever those costs of fever outweigh its benefits, ectotherms are expected not to develop fever, or even to show hypothermia, reducing costs of thermoregulation and diverting the energy saved to other components of the immune system. Environmental thermal quality, and therefore the thermoregulation cost/benefit balance, varies geographically. Hence, we hypothesize that, in alpine habitats, immune-challenged ectotherms should show no thermal response, given that (1) hypothermia would be …

Diet And Foraging Behaviors Of Timber Rattlesnakes, Crotalus Horridus, In Eastern Virginia, Scott M. Goetz, Christopher E. Petersen, Robert K. Rose, John D. Kleopfer, Alan H. Savitzky

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

During a 17-yr telemetry study, we examined the diet and ambush behavior of a population of Crotalus horridus in southeastern Virginia. Forty dietary items were identified from 37 fecal samples. We documented 722 instances of snakes in an ambush posture, 61 of which were in a vertical-tree posture, as if hunting arboreal prey at the base of a tree. The most common prey items were Eastern Gray Squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis), which accounted for 45 of all dietary items and represented an estimated 78 of total biomass consumed by C. horridus. Prey was not consumed in proportion to availability, …

The Influence Of Topographic And Dynamic Cyclic Variables On The Distribution Of Small Cetaceans In A Shallow Coastal System, Marijke N. De Boer, Mark P. Simmonds, Peter J.H. Reijnders, Geert Aarts

Mark P. Simmonds, OBE

The influence of topographic and temporal variables on cetacean distribution at a fine-scale is still poorly understood. To study the spatial and temporal distribution of harbour porpoise Phocoena phocoena and the poorly known Risso’s dolphin Grampus griseus we carried out land-based observations from Bardsey Island (Wales, UK) in summer (2001–2007). Using Kernel analysis and Generalized Additive Models it was shown that porpoises and Risso’s appeared to be linked to topographic and dynamic cyclic variables with both species using different core areas (dolphins to the West and porpoises to the East off Bardsey). Depth, slope and aspect and a low variation …

Um Marine And Freshwater Sciences Before Wentworth Point, Part 2: (1939), Um Marine Biological Lab At Lamoine, Randy Lackovic

Darling Marine Center Historical Documents

This is picture album of the University of Maine Marine Biological Laboratory at Lamoine, Maine during the summer session in 1939.

Syllabus: Wildlife Habitat Management, Paige Warren

Sustainability Education Resources

This course provides an in-depth exploration of wildlife-habitat relationships, illustrated through basic field zoology and natural history, evolutionary biology, and ecological theory. We introduce you to quantitative tools used to explain ecological processes and their influence on wildlife and their environment. We will examine the dynamics and management of various habitats in New England, North America, and elsewhere through field visits and use of primary literature. We will place particular emphasis on managing wildlife habitat in an urbanizing world. By one estimate, roughly 9% of the land area of the United States is in a zone of wildland-urban interface, but …

Introduction To Zoology Lab, Bios 112l, Fall 2013, [University Of Nebraska-Lincoln], Scott Lyell Gardner, S. Elizabeth Rácz, Altangerel Tsogtsaikhan Dursahinhan

College of Arts and Sciences Syllabi for Courses

Syllabus for BIOS 112L Introduction to Zoology Lab, Fall 2013, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Lab Instructor, S. (Sarah) Elizabeth Rácz. Teaching Assistants, Altangerel (Auggie) Tsogtsaikhan and Rachel Valenziano.

Goals

1. Give you hands on experience with some of the diverse animal taxa of the planet.

2. Gain a working knowledge of taxonomy, anatomy, and biological vocabulary.

3. Students should gain an understanding of how animals compare and contrast, and how they are adapted to their particular way of life.

4. Get you to think about the natural world.

Material needed for lab

Notebook - Bound, hardback, & unlined pages for sketches …

The Debate On Marine Mammals In Captivity, Lorna C. Scribner

Honors Theses

Are marine mammal species better off today because of captivity? Is captivity ethical and should it be continued? As this debate grows stronger, both of these sides of the argument offer substantial evidence in their favor. In this paper, I discuss data for both sides and evaluate the justifications of marine mammal captivity. Ideally, no matter the outcome, this research will educate the public on influential factors of wild and captive populations.

Ear Length As A Diagnostic Character For Identifying Species Of Kangaroo Rats, Daniel W. Ziebron

Biological Sciences

The following study examines the use of ear length as a diagnostic field character for differentiating between species of Kangaroo rats in San Luis Obispo County. Data was taken from a study of Kangaroo rats in the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes National Wildlife Refuge, as well as various collections under the supervision of Francis X. Villablanca, Ph. D. and California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. An ANOVA was used to compare subspecies within Dipodomys heermanni and t-tests were used to compare ear lengths between Dipodomys heermanni and Dipodomys venustus. The analysis shows a statistically significant difference and supports the hypothesis …