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Articles 1 - 5 of 5
Full-Text Articles in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Analyzing Avian Incubation With A Computer Algorithm, Tanya T. Shoot
Analyzing Avian Incubation With A Computer Algorithm, Tanya T. Shoot
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
A stable nest environment is necessary for incubation and development of offspring. Birds vary behaviour to regulate temperature for successful hatchlings. I used a hidden Markov model (HMM) to test how environmental conditions affect incubation behaviour. I examined nest temperatures and behaviours collected from Zebra finches that incubated at 30 °C or 14 °C, then incubated in the same or opposite condition for a second clutch. Data loggers and cameras recorded nest temperature and number of parents on nest. The HMM inferred behaviour from recorded behaviours and temperatures. Temperature and offspring success affected incubation duration. Birds that had successful offspring …
Weather And Photoperiod Indices Of Autumn And Winter Dabbling Duck Abundance In The Mississippi And Atlantic Flyways Of North America, Lena M. Van Den Elsen
Weather And Photoperiod Indices Of Autumn And Winter Dabbling Duck Abundance In The Mississippi And Atlantic Flyways Of North America, Lena M. Van Den Elsen
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Climate change may influence autumn and winter distributions of dabbling ducks throughout the Atlantic and Mississippi Flyways of North America. To determine how weather and photoperiod influenced autumn-winter abundances of dabbling ducks at staging areas in eastern North America, I modeled weather and photoperiod variables with rate of change in relative abundance of various dabbling duck species over space and time. Latitude was incorporated into models to determine if changes in duck abundance in relation to weather severity were influenced by locale. Changes in abundance were best described by weather models incorporating temperature and snowfall variables for all species except …
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 Plastic And Evolutionary Responses Of Fish To Anthropogenic Stressors, Ross D. Breckels
The Plastic And Evolutionary Responses Of Fish To Anthropogenic Stressors, Ross D. Breckels
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Ecosystems are being altered at unprecedented rates with little knowledge of the potential impacts on biodiversity. Two of the most pressing contemporary anthropogenic stressors are pollution and global warming. Species can respond to these stressors via dispersal, phenotypic plasticity, or evolutionary adaptation. Many species, especially aquatic organisms, experience ecological or physical barriers to dispersal and will therefore have to respond via phenotypic plasticity or evolutionary responses. I examined the responses of multiple traits associated with fitness in fish to pollution and increased temperature using a 2 × 2 common garden experimental design. I examined the effects of pollution on behaviour …
The Effects Of Extrinsic And Intrinsic Factors On The Reproductive Biology Of Male Western Bean Cutworm Moths, Striacosta Albicosta (Smith), Jasmine Farhan
The Effects Of Extrinsic And Intrinsic Factors On The Reproductive Biology Of Male Western Bean Cutworm Moths, Striacosta Albicosta (Smith), Jasmine Farhan
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Pheromones are important in the mating systems of nocturnal moths as they are relied on to find and/or assess mates. Extrinsic and intrinsic factors have been shown to influence female emission of and male response to pheromones. My thesis focuses on the reproductive biology of males of the western bean cutworm, Striacosta albicosta, a pest of beans and corn that has recently began expanding its range eastwardly. I conducted a field-based experiment to determine the effects of extrinsic factors on pheromone trap catches. I also conducted laboratory based mating experiments to determine the effect of male age on acceptance …