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Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons™
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- Body size (2)
- Climate change (2)
- Community ecology (2)
- Soil fauna (2)
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- Age at maturity (1)
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Articles 1 - 10 of 10
Full-Text Articles in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
A Comparison Of Community Composition Analyses For The Assessment Of Responses To Wood-Ash Soil Amendment By Free-Living Nematodes, Paul B.L. George
A Comparison Of Community Composition Analyses For The Assessment Of Responses To Wood-Ash Soil Amendment By Free-Living Nematodes, Paul B.L. George
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Land-use changes can have far-reaching consequences for resident communities and ecosystem functioning. Developing appropriate assessment methods to observe and quantify this change is an important application of community ecology. Here I compare four methods of community assessment for free-living soil nematodes under forest harvesting disturbance and wood ash application. Neither morphological assessment (richness, abundance, diversity) nor molecular assessment (morpho-richness using T-RFLP) was responsive to experimental treatments. Trait-based approaches (Maturity Index (MI) and Body Size Spectra (BSS)) were more sensitive to forest harvest and wood-ash amendment treatments. The efficacy of these methods was also qualitatively compared. Of all methods, the BSS …
Application Of Otolith Increment Analysis To The Study Of Maturation Timing In Female Kokanee Salmon, Yelin Xu
Application Of Otolith Increment Analysis To The Study Of Maturation Timing In Female Kokanee Salmon, Yelin Xu
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
I investigated the influence of growth history on the expression of female reproductive tactics in kokanee salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) from Meadow Creek Spawning Channel, British Columbia, Canada. Female kokanee either arrive at the spawning area with red nuptial coloration, or less commonly, sexually immature with silver coloration. Silver- and red-arriving females may reflect different reproductive strategies in the population. I used otolith increment measurements to determine fish growth. In contrast to earlier studies, silver- and red-arriving females in 2013 did not differ in age at maturity (mostly were age 3+) or size at maturity (length from eye to …
The Effects Of Global Climate Change On Canadian Boreal Forest Collembola Communities, Matthew S. Turnbull
The Effects Of Global Climate Change On Canadian Boreal Forest Collembola Communities, Matthew S. Turnbull
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Soil fauna are an integral component of terrestrial ecosystem function. The effects of global environmental change on soil biodiversity are poorly studied, particularly interactions among temperature, atmospheric CO2, precipitation intensity, and nutrient loading. Body size distributions can be used to quantify soil community responses to perturbation and consequences for ecosystem function. I quantified top-down and bottom-up effects of environmental change on the abundance, richness, and size distribution of the soil microarthropod group Collembola. I demonstrated negative effects in a lab experiment of increased precipitation on collembolan density and richness across all size groups. I demonstrated positive effects in …
Two Spotted Spider Mite (Tetranychus Urticae) Selection To Arabidopsis Thaliana, Huzefa Ratlamwala
Two Spotted Spider Mite (Tetranychus Urticae) Selection To Arabidopsis Thaliana, Huzefa Ratlamwala
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Spider mite feeding on A. thaliana induces the production of indole glucosinolates (IGs), plant secondary metabolites that negatively affect mite performance. In this study I conducted selection experiments on A. thaliana with varying levels of IGs, to determine if mites could adapt to IGs and other defense compounds. After 12 months, mites reared on host with IGs performed significantly better on A. thaliana than mites maintained on beans. However, an adaptation cost was detected between selected mite lines and their ancestral host. The qRT-PCR data on different mite lines revealed that the detoxification genes previously identified may only be involved …
Nitrogen Fixation By The Cyanobacterium Nostoc Punctiforme In Response To Variation In Nitrogen Availability, Temperature, And Atmospheric Co2 Concentrations, Danielle A. Griffith
Nitrogen Fixation By The Cyanobacterium Nostoc Punctiforme In Response To Variation In Nitrogen Availability, Temperature, And Atmospheric Co2 Concentrations, Danielle A. Griffith
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
The predominant input of available nitrogen (N) in boreal forest ecosystems originates from moss-associated cyanobacteria, which fix unavailable atmospheric N2, contribute to the soil N pool, and thereby support forest productivity. Although increases in N availability, temperature, and atmospheric CO2 concentrations are expected in Canada’s boreal region over the next century, little is known about the combined effects of these factors on N2 fixation by axenic cyanobacteria or the associated mechanisms. I assessed changes in N2 fixation by Nostoc punctiforme under different global environmental change scenarios and examined correlations between the response and changes in …
The Adaptive Capacity Of Thermal Tolerance In Chinook Salmon, Nicolas Muñoz
The Adaptive Capacity Of Thermal Tolerance In Chinook Salmon, Nicolas Muñoz
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
With global temperatures projected to surpass the limits of thermal tolerance for many species, evaluating the capacity for evolutionary and phenotypically plastic changes in thermal tolerance is key to our understanding of the biological consequences of climate change. Within quantitative genetic breeding designs and multiple rearing environments, I measured the thermal performance of cardiac function among families of two populations of chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). I found significant indirect genetic, plastic, and additive genetic effects contributing to cardiac performance and thermal tolerance, representing a variety of adaptive mechanisms available to salmon populations faced with climate change. These results …
Identifying The Role Of Non-Native Species In The Enhanced Trophic Transfer Of Mercury In The Food Web Of Lake Erie, A North American Great Lake, Kaylin M.S. Liznick
Identifying The Role Of Non-Native Species In The Enhanced Trophic Transfer Of Mercury In The Food Web Of Lake Erie, A North American Great Lake, Kaylin M.S. Liznick
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Increasing mercury (Hg) concentrations in top predatory fish is concerning for human and wildlife health. This study examined the amount of Hg available to the food web of Lake Erie, and explored the role that two recently established non-native species, dreissenid mussels and round goby, have played in the trophic transfer of Hg to sport fish. A comprehensive sampling of total Hg (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) within Lake Erie water, sediment and seston with high temporal and spatial resolution describes environmental concentrations. In addition, biotic THg and MeHg are quantified in benthic invertebrates and three fish species. A steep spatial …
Testing For Positive Edge Responses In A Fragmented Landscape In The Eastern Tiger (Papilio Glaucus) And The Spicebush (P. Troilus) Swallowtail Butterflies, Jenna C. Siu
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Landscape changes such as habitat fragmentation and habitat loss are contributing to a global decline in biodiversity. While habitat fragmentation research has mainly focused on species that avoid edges, or the boundaries between different landcover types (negative edge response), a hypothesized resource distribution model predicts that species that require complementary resources in different landcovers will be most abundant at edges (positive edge response). Adults of Eastern Tiger (Papilio glaucus) and Spicebush (P. troilus) swallowtail butterflies require forests for oviposition sites and meadows for nectar resources. I examined the relative abundance and flight orientation of both species …
Population Genetic Structure In The Pitcher Plant Flesh Fly Fletcherimyia Fletcheri, John R. O'Leary
Population Genetic Structure In The Pitcher Plant Flesh Fly Fletcherimyia Fletcheri, John R. O'Leary
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
The study of population genetic structure in the pitcher plant flesh fly, Fletcherimyia fletcheri, is an important step in bettering our understanding of dispersal abilities, gene flow, and behavior in the species. In this paper, an extended sampling of populations across Algonquin Provincial Park was performed to elucidate an effective scale of genetic differentiation in F. fletcheri. Genetic differentiation between sites was compared to interceding landscape composition, and digital dispersal models were developed, testing the hypothesis that F. fletcheri uses aquatic tributaries for dispersal between peatlands. Data were collected on 613 specimens from 15 populations, and population differentiation …
Environmental Factors Influencing Spring Migration Chronology Of Lesser Scaup (Aythya Affinis), Taylor A. Finger
Environmental Factors Influencing Spring Migration Chronology Of Lesser Scaup (Aythya Affinis), Taylor A. Finger
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Weather likely affects the timing and rate of migration by waterfowl to their breeding grounds. I hypothesized that timing of migration by lesser scaup during spring is affected by annual variation in temperature, precipitation and ice cover. I used satellite telemetry data, waterfowl survey data and corresponding weather data to evaluate competing models that explained variation in timing and rate of migration by lesser scaup. Timing of spring migration occurred earlier and faster when lesser scaup encountered warmer temperatures and greater precipitation, both of which are known to influence thermoregulation and habitat availability for waterfowl. Migration chronology of lesser scaup …