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Full-Text Articles in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Feeding Responses Of Juvenile And Adult Streblospio Benedicti Webster (Spionidae) To Organic Chemicals Bound To Glass Microbeads, Heidi Kathryn Mahon
Feeding Responses Of Juvenile And Adult Streblospio Benedicti Webster (Spionidae) To Organic Chemicals Bound To Glass Microbeads, Heidi Kathryn Mahon
Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations
Spionid polychaetes feed at the sediment-water interface using a pair of ciliated palps. Polychaetes select food particles based upon characteristics including size, texture, specific gravity and organic coatings. Juvenile and adult spionids have different stable isotopic carbon signals, indicating the potential to differentiate organic cues ontogenetically. In the present study, the feeding responses of juvenile and adult Streblospio benedicti Webster to seven organic coatings bound (five amino acids and two carbohydrates) to glass microbeads were tested. Juveniles and adults were highly selective for all seven types of organically coated beads. Juveniles were highly selective for threonine; whereas adults were highly …
Geographic Variation In The Morphology Of Crotalus Horridus (Serpentes: Viperidae), John Robert Allsteadt
Geographic Variation In The Morphology Of Crotalus Horridus (Serpentes: Viperidae), John Robert Allsteadt
Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations
The Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) occurs in discontinuous populations throughout the eastern and central United States. The species exhibits high levels of polymorphism in morphological traits, especially in coloration and pattern. Previous studies recognized either distinct northern and southern subspecies or three regional morphs (northern, southern, and western), but conflicting data sets and limited geographic sampling of previous studies have left the relationships among those regional variants unclear. In this study, univariate and multivariate statistics, together with a geographic information system, were used to analyze geographic variation in 36 morphological characters recorded from 2,420 specimens of C. horridus …
Aphytophagy In The Miletinae (Lycaenidae): Phylogeny, Ecology, And Conservation, John Mathew
Aphytophagy In The Miletinae (Lycaenidae): Phylogeny, Ecology, And Conservation, John Mathew
Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations
Less than 1% of all Lepidoptera are aphytophagous; of these, a considerable proportion is found in the family Lycaenidae. The aphytophagous Lycaenidae are believed to have arisen from a mutualistic template involving ant attendance. With this association firmly in place, it is a relatively simple shift to exploitation, either of the ants themselves, through active carnivory on the brood/trophallactic feeding from adults, or by carnivory on ant-tended homopterans, with little to no interference by the ants. Among lycaenids, aphytophagy has arisen several times; most spectacularly in the subfamily Miletinae, where all of the approximately 150 species are presumed or known …
Mechanical Properties Of The Integument Of The Common Gartersnake, Thamnophis Sirtalis (Serpentes: Colubridae), Gabriel Rivera
Mechanical Properties Of The Integument Of The Common Gartersnake, Thamnophis Sirtalis (Serpentes: Colubridae), Gabriel Rivera
Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations
The evolution of the ophidian feeding mechanism has involved substantial morphological restructuring associated with the ability to ingest relatively large prey. Previous studies examining the morphological consequences of macrophagy have concentrated on modifications of the skull and cephalic musculature. Although it is evident that macrophagy requires highly compliant skin, the mechanical properties of the ophidian integument have received limited attention, particularly in the context of feeding. I examined mechanical properties of skin along the body axis in male Thamnophis sirtalis (Colubridae). From each of 11 specimens, I examined nine circumferential strips of skin, each spanning 10 ventral scales, spaced at …
Male Reproductive Dynamics In The Caribbean Spiny Lobster Panulirus Argus, Jamie S. Heisig
Male Reproductive Dynamics In The Caribbean Spiny Lobster Panulirus Argus, Jamie S. Heisig
Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations
The population size structure of the Caribbean Spiny Lobster, Panulirus argus, in the Florida Keys, Florida (USA) has undergone a dramatic shift as a result of fishing pressure on the large individuals of the population. Male lobsters are affected most by fishing because of sexual dimorphism in size and other studies have shown that male size has direct impacts on reproductive output (i.e., number of fertilized eggs/clutch) that are independent of female size. To assess more precisely the impact of male size on fertilization success, I conducted laboratory experiments and field observations to examine various male reproductive attributes over …
Experimental Investigation Of Elemental Incorporation In The Otoliths Of Larval And Juvenile Fish: Implications For Use As Environmental Recorders, Gretchen Bath Martin
Experimental Investigation Of Elemental Incorporation In The Otoliths Of Larval And Juvenile Fish: Implications For Use As Environmental Recorders, Gretchen Bath Martin
Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations
Innovative techniques for discerning fish stocks, identifying nursery habitats, locating spawning sites, tracing larval transport pathways, and quantifying the degree of population connectivity are required to meet the goals of sustainable management of marine capture fisheries. One of the most promising techniques is the use of elemental signatures in fish otoliths (ear stones), which record valuable life history data and serve as the link between fish and their environment. To validate the assumption that otolith elemental composition is a function of water elemental concentrations, and to address the possible effects of external variables such as temperature and salinity, the composition …