Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Human Trampling In The Upper Rocky Intertidal: Trampling And Recovery In Barnacle Mediated Succession, Timothy Lawrence Grubba

Dissertations and Theses

Marine intertidal ecosystems are vulnerable to human interference,

because trampling can be a significant problem. I studied the impacts of

trampling on community patterns and succession in a rocky intertidal

habitats. This study was divided into two phases: ( 1) a trampling phase and

(2) a recovery phase. Both phases are focused on two barnacles, Balanus

glandula and Chthamalus dalli, and on fucoid and red algae. The trampling

phase tested the effects of trampling on these organisms. The effects of

herbivores, primarily limpets (Collisella digitalis) were also tested to

determine whether anthropogenic (trampling) and natural (herbivory and

limpet bulldozing) disturbances …

Stomach Content Analysis Of Stranded Bottlenose Dolphins, Tursiops Truncatus, In Virginia, 1987-1996, John Mcgurk

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

I examined the stomach contents from 94 bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, that were stranded along the Virginia coastline from 1987 through 1996. Samples from 1987 through 1991 were obtained from the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) and samples from 1992 through 1996 were collected by the Virginia Marine Science Museum (VMSM) Stranding Team. Prey species were identified using fish otoliths and cephalopod beaks.

The dolphins examined fed on 23 species of fish and one genus of cephalopods. The primary prey species was Atlantic croaker (Micropogonias undulatus); secondary species were weakfish (Cynoscion regalia), spot (Leiostomus xanthurus), silver perch (Bairdiella chrysoura), …

Ecological Relationships Between The Marsh Rice Rat (Oryzomys Palustris) And The Meadow Vole (Microtus Pennsylvanicus) In Two Virginia Tidal Marshes, Christopher P. Bloch

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Small mammals were trapped for 23 months on two live trap grids in tidal marshes in Northampton County, on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, to examine ecological relationships between the marsh rice rat (Oryzomys palustris) and the meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus). Population density, survival rates, capture probability, recruitment, residence time, and home range size were calculated for each species. Patterns of reproductive activity and fluctuations in mean weight were also observed.

There were considerable differences in population dynamics between the two sites. At Grid 2, where vegetative cover was more abundant, population densities of rice rats and meadow voles …

The Annual Reproductive Cycle Of Oryzomys Palustris In A Virginia Tidal Marsh, Erin A. Dreelin

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The objectives of my study were to determine when the marsh rice rat (Oryzomys palustris) begins and ends reproduction during the year, if there are seasonal changes in litter size, and the weight at which sexual maturity is reached. Monthly samples of rice rats were trapped from May 1995 to May 1996 in Northampton County, Virginia. Rice rats were trapped with Fitch live traps, euthanized in the field, and brought to the lab for necropsy. Data from two other studies of rice rats in Northampton County were also examined. Potential breeders did not reproduce with equal intensity throughout the …

Behavioral Response Of The Crayfish Procambarus Clarkii To The Crustacean Molting Hormone 20-Hydroxyecdysone, William D. Hornsby

Honors Capstone Projects and Theses

No abstract provided.

An Ecological Study Of Shale Barren Rock Cress (Arabis Serotina Steele) At Little Fork Shale Barren, Pendleton County, West Virginia, Robert J. Jarrett

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Shale Barren Rock Cress (Arabis serotina Steele) was listed as a federally endangered species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in August 1989. As part of a cooperative agreement between the West Virginia Natural Heritage Program and the U.S. Navy, research was conducted in 1994 and 1995 at Little Fork Shale Barren (LFSB) to provide baseline information on the population dynamics of A. serotina and to study the vegetation and physical parameters associated with this shale barren community. Soil samples and plant community data were collected from 40 1-m² circular plots for herbaceous vegetation and six 0.02-ha …

Diet And Growth Of Larval And Juvenile Grass Pickerel, Esox Americanus Vermiculatus, And Central Mudminnow, Umbra Limi, In The Green Bottom Wildlife Management Area, Cabell County, West Virginia, Erica Midkiff

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The grass pickerel, Esox americanus vermiculatus, is listed as Undetermined on the Vertebrate Species List of Concern in West Virginia. The central mudminnow, Umbra limi, is a disjunct population in Green Bottom Swamp. The lentic, vegetated areas that are required for spawning for the grass pickerel and the central mudminnow have been reduced by residential, agricultural, and industrial developments. Green Bottom Swamp, a naturally occurring wetland of 58 ha, and a nearby mitigated wetland of 29 ha, provides spawning habitat for the grass pickerel and the mudminnow. Fishes were collected in beds of Potamogetan crispus and Ceratophyllum demursum …

Relationships Between Habitat Variables And Biotic Integrity Of The Embarras River Basin, Ann Marie Hogan

Masters Theses

In agricultural watersheds, channelization and the conversion of native vegetation into agricultural crops contribute to a loss or simplification of near-stream vegetation and a reduction in the complexity of the physical stream environment. Since changes to near-stream vegetation can have a significant effect on the stream biological community, this study investigated the relationship between a habitat quality index and stream fish assessment indices used to evaluate stream quality. Fish data and stream habitat quality data were collected from 13 sampling localities associated with the Embarras River basin. Habitat quality was measured using the Stream Habitat Assessment Procedure (SHAP), while stream …