Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Genotyping Validates The Efficacy Of Photographic Identification In A Capture-Mark-Recapture Study Based On The Head Scale Patterns Of The Prairie Lizard (Sceloporus Consobrinus), Sarah A. Tomke, Chris J. Kellner

Forestry and Natural Resources Graduate Research

Population studies often incorporate capture‐mark‐recapture (CMR) techniques to gather information on long‐term biological and demographic characteristics. A fundamental requirement for CMR studies is that an individual must be uniquely and permanently marked to ensure reliable reidentification throughout its lifespan. Photographic identification involving automated photographic identification software has become a popular and efficient noninvasive method for identifying individuals based on natural markings. However, few studies have (a) robustly assessed the performance of automated programs by using a double‐marking system or (b) determined their efficacy for long‐term studies by incorporating multi‐year data. Here, we evaluated the performance of the program Interactive Individual …

Comparison Of Native And Non-Native Predator Consumption Rates And Prey Avoidance Behavior In North America And Europe, Ayse Gül Ünlü, John J. Obrycki, Roman Bucher

Entomology Faculty Publications

Novel predator–prey interactions can contribute to the invasion success of non-native predators. For example, native prey can fail to recognize and avoid non-native predators due to a lack of co-evolutionary history and cue dissimilarity with native predators. This might result in a competitive advantage for non-native predators. Numerous lady beetle species were globally redistributed as biological control agents against aphids, resulting in novel predator–prey interactions. Here, we investigated the strength of avoidance behavior of the pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum) toward chemical cues of native lady beetles and non-native Asian Harmonia axyridis and European Coccinella septempunctata and Hippodamia variegata …

Reproductive Compatibility Among Populations And Host‐Associated Lineages Of The Common Bed Bug (Cimex Lectularius L.), Zachary C. Devries, Richard G. Santangelo, Warren Booth, Christopher G. Lawrence, Ondřej Balvín, Tomáš Bartonička, Coby Schal

Entomology Faculty Publications

As populations differentiate across geographic or host‐association barriers, interpopulation fertility is often a measure of the extent of incipient speciation. The bed bug, Cimex lectularius L., was recently found to form two host‐associated lineages within Europe: one found with humans (human‐associated, HA) and the other found with bats (bat‐associated, BA). No unequivocal evidence of contemporary gene flow between these lineages has been found; however, it is unclear whether this is due to an inability to produce viable “hybrid” offspring. To address this question and determine the extent of compatibility between host‐associated lineages, we set up mating crosses among populations of …

Food Abundance Modulates Juvenile Mussel (Unionidae) Growth Responses To The Asian Clam (Corbicula Fluminea), Drew Edward Jerry White

Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources

Interactions between the Asian Clam (Corbicula fluminea) and freshwater mussels (Unionidae) have been documented, but the effect of food abundance on these interactions is not well understood. I examined the role of food abundance in modulating the growth and survival responses of juvenile Cumberland Bean (Venustaconcha troostensis) to Corbicula. I ran a series of controlled experiments in which I tested the effect of Corbicula on growth and survival of juvenile freshwater mussels in multiple environmentally relevant conditions of food abundance. Corbicula had no effect on juvenile mussel survival, regardless of food abundance. However, juvenile mussel …

Effects Of Shelterwood And Patch Cut Harvests On A Post White-Nose Syndrome Bat Community In The Cumberland Plateau In Eastern Kentucky, Phillip Lee Arant

Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources

The impact of shelterwood and patch cuts harvests on bat communities was tested at three sites in Eastern Kentucky. Shelterwood harvests had 50% of the basal area and understory removed to create a uniform spacing of residual trees. Patch cuts had 1-hectare circular openings created to remove 50% of the basal area creating an aggregated spacing of residual trees. Acoustic detectors were deployed to assess activity levels pre-harvest. Sites were then sampled from 1 – 2 years post-harvest to determine differences. Pre-harvest data revealed little acoustic activity for the Myotis spp. at two sites. The remaining site had high activity …

Limb Development In Salamanders: An Evolutionary Perspective To The Tetrapod Limb, Sruthi Purushothaman

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

Vertebrate limb is an ideal model to study growth, patterning and morphogenesis and the interplay between these processes. The developing limb bud is a three-dimensional structure and its outgrowth depends on the interaction between 2 important signaling centers: the Apical Ectodermal Ridge (AER) at the junction of the dorsal and ventral halves of the limb bud and the Zone of Polarizing activity (ZPA) in the posterior mesenchyme. These centers produce their respective key molecules and the close interplay between them specifies structures along the anterior-posterior (thumb to pinky), proximal-distal (shoulder to fingertips) and dorsal-ventral (knuckle to palm) axes.

Developmental biologists …

Diet Of A Recently Reintroduced River Otter (Lontra Canadensis) Population In Taos County, New Mexico, Gabriela Alexandra Wolf-Gonzalez

Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources

North American river otters (Lontra canadensis), native to every U.S. state and Canada, experienced extensive population decreases and range reduction until the mid-20th century as a result of overexploitation and habitat loss during European colonization. The last known river otter in New Mexico was killed on the Gila River in 1953, although unverified reports continued thru 2008. After a nearly 60-year absence from New Mexico, 33 adult river otters were reintroduced to the Rio Pueblo de Taos in the northern part of the state between 2008-2010; however, they were not subsequently monitored or studied. I characterized diet of …

Evaluation Of Created Wetlands As Amphibian Habitat On A Reforested Surface Mine, Michaela M. Lambert

Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources

Reclaimed mines often lack pre-mining habitat due to soil compaction and lack of natural features. If soils are de-compacted and natural features restored, new habitats can be created, such as wetlands for amphibians. It is important to understand which factors affect amphibian use of wetlands to estimate the efficacy of created wetlands as habitat. I sampled 40 wetlands among 4 ages (2, 4, 6, and 8 years) on a reforested surface mine to: 1) characterize differences in wetland habitat across age classes, 2) estimate amphibian occupancy, 3) investigate estimated abundance of 4 amphibian species (Lithobates sylvaticus, L. clamitans, Notophthalmus …

Genetic Analysis Of The Endangered Gray Bat Species (Myotis Grisescens), Emma Fitzgerald

Lewis Honors College Capstone Collection

This study attempts to analyze the genetics using specific haplotype sequences of the endangered gray bat to determine genetic events that have happened in the past as well as determining how the species population has changed over time. We were able to conduct a Tajima’s D test to investigate whether a potential bottleneck has occurred. A linear regression of the genetic vs. geographical distance was produced to investigate the patterns of haplotype distribution. The species past distribution was compared to the current distribution using known collected specimens. A map of future predictions was constructed using present and future climate layers …

From Genes To Species: Ecological Speciation With Gene Flow In Neodiprion Pinetum And N. Lecontei, Emily E. Bendall

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

My dissertation focuses on how differences accumulate across the genome during ecological speciation with geneflow. To do this I used two species of Neodiprionpine sawflies, which are plant-feeding hymenopterans with high host specificity. I used experimental crosses to measure both intrinsic and extrinsic postzygotic isolation and to understand the contribution of specific traits to reproductive isolation. Despite substantial genetic divergence and haploid males in which all recessive incompatibilities should be expressed, I found surprisingly little evidence of intrinsic postzygotic isolation. Recombination in hybrid males may reconstitute viable genotypes and counteract the effects of haploidy in males. Nevertheless, hybrids have …

From Organisms To Ecosystems: Impacts Of Limb Loss And Regeneration On Crayfish Behavior, Luc Arnaud Dunoyer

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

The ability of some organisms to regenerate tissues and organs has fascinated naturalists since antiquity, dating back to the earliest accounts of scientific inquiry with Aristotle in Ancient Greece. Then, Darwin’s theory invigorated some scientists’ dream of stimulating (or reactivating) regenerative capacities in human beings by showing that we are related to highly regenerative organisms. More recently, a renewed interest in discovering the molecular and genetic basis for organ and tissue regeneration has led biologists to focus more specifically on a restrictive set of model organisms.

Although the process of limb regeneration is different between invertebrate and vertebrate organisms, it …

Landscape Ecology And Population Genomics Of Two Sympatric Pitviper Species Across A Fragmented Appalachian Landscape, Thomas Maigret

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

Understanding the link between landscape patterns and ecological and evolutionary processes is an important prerequisite for informed wildlife conservation and management, especially in rapidly changing landscapes. Until recently, the inaccessibility of spatial and genomic data sets of sufficient resolution limited our ability to incorporate the impacts of landscape patterns into predictions of ecological and environmental outcomes. In this dissertation, I utilized several high-resolution spatial and genomic data sets to address ecological questions in a rapidly fragmenting landscape in southeastern Kentucky. Overall, my results indicate that large-scale surface coal mining is causing widespread homogenization of landforms, resulting in a uniquely permanent …

Predicting Patterns Of Gene Family Evolution In Taxa With Similar Ecological Niches, Kim Vertacnik

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

To fully understand the genetic basis of adaptation, we need to know its predictability—the extent to which specific selective pressures and contexts can yield corresponding genetic changes. In particular, the repeated colonization of similar, specialized environments by different taxa is ideal for assessing the frequency of reoccurring changes in the same genes or functions. But compared to a growing body of literature on the convergent evolution of individual genes, far less is known about the repeatability of gene family evolution, where families (defined here as groups of genes that share sequence and functional similarity from common ancestry) can expand (gain …