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Full-Text Articles in Biodiversity
The Effectiveness And Applicability Of Amphibians As Indicator Species For Long-Term Monitoring Of Ecological Changes In New England Forests, Ahmed Siddig
Doctoral Dissertations
The objective of this study is to assess the potential of two amphibians species, Eastern Red-backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus (Green)) and Eastern Red-spotted Newt (Notopthalmus viridescens viridescens Rafinesque), as indicator species of forest disturbances at Harvard Forest, located in Petersham, Massachusetts, United States. Specifically, I 1) assess the impacts of these focal species to decline of hemlock forests in Harvard Forest; 2) calibrate abundance indices of P. cinereus based on artificial and natural objects surveys with a population size estimator based on depletion sampling; and 3) assess the potential of these salamanders as indicator species by developing an …
Conservation Planning In A Changing World, Austin Walker Milt
Conservation Planning In A Changing World, Austin Walker Milt
Doctoral Dissertations
As a science and practice dedicated to preventing, stopping, and reversing negative effects on nature, conservation is constantly faced with new challenges. Combine this fact with the rise of large, freely available datasets and computational power, and the result is a need to advance the methods and conceptual approach to conservation planning. In my dissertation I present novel methods and address research questions that aim to keep conservation science and practice relevant and effective in a changing world. This picture of continual change is illustrated in Chapter 1, in which I explore how the ongoing collection of observations of rare …
Evolution And Phylogeny Of The Parasitoid Subfamily Phasiinae (Diptera: Tachinidae), Jeremy Daniel Blaschke
Evolution And Phylogeny Of The Parasitoid Subfamily Phasiinae (Diptera: Tachinidae), Jeremy Daniel Blaschke
Doctoral Dissertations
The first molecular phylogenetic analysis of the agriculturally important parasitoid subfamily Phasiinae (Diptera: Tachinidae) is presented, estimated from 128 worldwide taxa (80 genera) and approximately 7.6 kilobases of nuclear data. Special emphasis is placed on taxa with controversial taxonomic placement. The resultant phylogenetic tree is used to reconstruct ancestral character states, trace the evolution of significant adaptive traits within the Tachinidae, and test hypotheses about the classification of Phasiinae. Subfamily placements of the taxa Eutherini, Epigrimyiini, Litophasia, Strongygastrini, and Parerigonini are confidently resolved, the former three within Dexiinae and the latter two within Phasiinae. Due to sparse molecular evidence, …