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Biology Faculty Publications

2009

Articles 1 - 11 of 11

Full-Text Articles in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Predicting Leptodactylus (Amphibia, Anura, Leptodactylidae) Distributions: Broad-Ranging Versus Patchily Distributed Species Using A Presence-Only Environmental Niche Modeling Technique, Miguel Fernández, Daniel Cole, W. R. Heyer, Stephen Reichle, Rafael O. De Sá Aug 2009

Predicting Leptodactylus (Amphibia, Anura, Leptodactylidae) Distributions: Broad-Ranging Versus Patchily Distributed Species Using A Presence-Only Environmental Niche Modeling Technique, Miguel Fernández, Daniel Cole, W. R. Heyer, Stephen Reichle, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

Locality data available for many, if not most, species of Neotropical frogs are based on written descriptions of the collecting sites, not on GPS device determined coordinate data. The pre-GPS device data are imprecise relative to GPS data. Niche modeling is a powerful technique for predicting geographic distributions that provides the best results when the locality data are precise. The purpose of this study is to determine whether imprecise historical locality data are sufficient such that niche modeling techniques can yield realistic new insights to species-level distributions. Two sets of frogs of the genus Leptodactylus that have known different kinds …

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Rapid Fixation Of Non-Native Alleles Revealed By Genome-Wide Snp Analysis Of Hybrid Tiger Salamanders, Benjamin M. Fitzpatrick, Jarrett R. Johnson, D. Kevin Kump, H. Bradley Shaffer, Jeramiah J. Smith, S. Randal Voss Jul 2009

Rapid Fixation Of Non-Native Alleles Revealed By Genome-Wide Snp Analysis Of Hybrid Tiger Salamanders, Benjamin M. Fitzpatrick, Jarrett R. Johnson, D. Kevin Kump, H. Bradley Shaffer, Jeramiah J. Smith, S. Randal Voss

Biology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Hybrid zones represent valuable opportunities to observe evolution in systems that are unusually dynamic and where the potential for the origin of novelty and rapid adaptation co-occur with the potential for dysfunction. Recently initiated hybrid zones are particularly exciting evolutionary experiments because ongoing natural selection on novel genetic combinations can be studied in ecological time. Moreover, when hybrid zones involve native and introduced species, complex genetic patterns present important challenges for conservation policy. To assess variation of admixture dynamics, we scored a large panel of markers in five wild hybrid populations formed when Barred Tiger Salamanders were introduced into …

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A New Brevicipitid Species (Brevicipitidae: Callulina) From The Fragmented Forests Of The Taita Hills, Kenya, Simon P. Loader, G. John Measey, Rafael O. De Sá, Patrick K. Malonza Jun 2009

A New Brevicipitid Species (Brevicipitidae: Callulina) From The Fragmented Forests Of The Taita Hills, Kenya, Simon P. Loader, G. John Measey, Rafael O. De Sá, Patrick K. Malonza

Biology Faculty Publications

A new species Callulina dawida is described from the Taita Hills, Kenya. It is distinguished from other members of the genus on the basis of the degree of digital expansion. The species further differs from other members of the genus based on molecular sequence comparisons and on its call. The morphological variation in the new species is described, including a comparison of internal and external characters and sexual dimorphism with other species of Callulina. The conservation status of the species, on the basis of its restricted distribution and land use changes in the area, is considered to be of …

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Alternative Life Cycle Strategies And Colonization Of Young Anurans By Gorgoderina Attenuata In Nebraska, Matthew G. Bolek, Scott D. Snyder, John J. Janovy Jr. Jun 2009

Alternative Life Cycle Strategies And Colonization Of Young Anurans By Gorgoderina Attenuata In Nebraska, Matthew G. Bolek, Scott D. Snyder, John J. Janovy Jr.

Biology Faculty Publications

Studies on life cycles and epizootiology of North American frog bladder flukes indicate that adult frogs become infected predominantly by ingesting tadpoles or other frogs that serve as second intermediate hosts for gorgoderid metacercariae. Other studies have indicated that newly metamorphosed frogs are rarely infected with these parasites because they are gape-limited predators that cannot feed on large intermediate hosts such as tadpoles and other frogs. We examined the role of potential intermediate hosts in the recruitment of the frog bladder fluke, Gorgoderina attenuata, to metamorphosed northern leopard frogs, Woodhouse’s toads, and bullfrogs from western Nebraska. We completed the …

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Ambystoma Maculatum (Spotted Salamander) Occurrence, Kristine L. Grayson, A. M. Bloch Mar 2009

Ambystoma Maculatum (Spotted Salamander) Occurrence, Kristine L. Grayson, A. M. Bloch

Biology Faculty Publications

Natural History Notes: Ambystoma maculatum is a wide ranging mole salamander found from Nova Scotia and southern Ontario through Georgia and eastern Texas (Conant and Collins 1998).

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Granite Rock Outcrops: An Extreme Environment For Soil Nematodes?, Erin Austin, Katharine Semmens, Charles Parsons, Amy M. Treonis Mar 2009

Granite Rock Outcrops: An Extreme Environment For Soil Nematodes?, Erin Austin, Katharine Semmens, Charles Parsons, Amy M. Treonis

Biology Faculty Publications

We studied soil nematode communities from the surface of granite flatrock outcrops in the eastern Piedmont region of the United States. The thin soils that develop here experience high light intensity and extreme fluctuations in temperature and moisture and host unique plant communities. We collected soils from outcrop microsites in Virginia (VA) and North Carolina (NC) in various stages of succession (Primitive, Minimal, and Mature) and compared soil properties and nematode communities to those of adjacent forest soils. Nematodes were present in most outcrop soils, with densities comparable to forest soils (P > 0.05). Nematode communities in Mature and Minimal soils …

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Sex- And Context-Dependent Migration In A Pond-Breeding Amphibian, Kristine L. Grayson, Henry M. Wilbur Feb 2009

Sex- And Context-Dependent Migration In A Pond-Breeding Amphibian, Kristine L. Grayson, Henry M. Wilbur

Biology Faculty Publications

Partial migration, variation in the percentage of a population that completes a migration, can be influenced by the local environment and condition of an individual. We examined the direct and interacting effects of habitat quality and gender on migration decision by manipulating population density and sex ratio in a factorial field experiment using aquatic enclosures. In partially migrating red-spotted newts (Notophthalmus viridescens), we measured the percentage of newts migrating to the terrestrial habitat vs. overwintering as pond residents. Density significantly influenced migration, with 63% of newts migrating from high-density enclosures compared to 39% from low-density enclosures. Newts also …

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Prospecting For Mammalian Chemical Signals Via Solventless Extraction Techniques: An Elephantine Task, Thomas Goodwin, Bruce A. Schulte Jan 2009

Prospecting For Mammalian Chemical Signals Via Solventless Extraction Techniques: An Elephantine Task, Thomas Goodwin, Bruce A. Schulte

Biology Faculty Publications

In contrast to a plethora of known insect pheromones, a paucity of mammalian pheromones has been identified, two of which have been in elephants (Albone, 1984; Brown and Macdonald, 1985; Wyatt, 2003; Burger, 2005). Elephants possess one of the world’s best chemosensory systems, due in no small measure to their prehensile trunk. The trunk is not only the gateway to smelling (primary olfaction), but also the means by which chemical signals are conveyed from their source to the openings of the vomeronasal organ ducts in the roof of the mouth (the flehmen response; secondary olfaction) (Rasmussen, 1999). The late L. …

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Investigation Of A Fresh African Elephant Carcass By Conspecifics, Christen Merte, Katie Gough, Bruce A. Schulte Jan 2009

Investigation Of A Fresh African Elephant Carcass By Conspecifics, Christen Merte, Katie Gough, Bruce A. Schulte

Biology Faculty Publications

This examination of elephant bones and ivory indicates that elephants show an elevated level of interest in conspecifics over other dead animals. Elephants do not seem to express special interest in dead kin but rather they appear to have a generalized response to injured, dying and deceased conspecifics (Douglas Hamilton et al. 2006, McComb et al. 2006). The present study reports the behaviour of a group of elephants in response to a euthanized adult male elephant that suffered severe wounds inflicted by a conspecific male. Most of the observations from previous studies have been on females and female group members. …

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Horseshoe Crab Spawning Survey Protocol, Jennifer Mattei Jan 2009

Horseshoe Crab Spawning Survey Protocol, Jennifer Mattei

Biology Faculty Publications

The protocol lists supplies and clothing needed for the survey, as well as which data is to be collected and when and how it should be entered for the census of horseshoe crabs on the Recapture Data Sheet for 2009. Adopted from Cape Cod and Delaware Bay survey protocols.

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Estrogenic Compounds Downstream From Three Small Cities In Eastern Nebraska: Occurrence And Biological Effect, Marlo K. Sellin, Daniel D. Snow, Debbie L. Akerly, Alan S. Kolok Jan 2009

Estrogenic Compounds Downstream From Three Small Cities In Eastern Nebraska: Occurrence And Biological Effect, Marlo K. Sellin, Daniel D. Snow, Debbie L. Akerly, Alan S. Kolok

Biology Faculty Publications

Recent studies have detected estrogenic compounds in surface waters in North America and Europe. Furthermore, the presence of estrogenic compounds in surface waters has been attributed, in some cases, to the discharge of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent. The primary objective of the current study was to determine if WWTP effluent contributes estrogens to the surface waters of Nebraska. A second objective of this study was to determine if estrogens were found in concentrations sufficient enough to manifest feminizing effects on fish. These objectives were satisfied by deploying polar organic chemical integrative samplers (POCIS) and caged fathead minnows at eight …

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