Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

What Can We Learn From Confusing Olivella Columellaris And O. Semistriata, Two Key Species In Panamic Sandy Beach Ecosystems?, Alison Troost, Samantha Rupert, Ariel Cyrus, Frank Paladino, Benjamin Dattilo, Winfried Peters

Benjamin F. Dattilo

The Effect Of Temperature On Seed Quality And Quantity In Crosses Between European (Populus Tremula) And Hybrid Aspens (P. Tremula X P. Tremuloides), L. Koviuranta, T. Latva-Karjanmaa, P. Pulkkinen

Aspen Bibliography

Hybrid aspen (Populus tremula L. Populus tremuloides Michx.) plantations are expanding in Fennoscandia and the Baltic countries; however, the possible effects of plantations on the native European aspen (P. tremula) and the level of gene flow between European and hybrid aspen have not been investigated. We studied seed quantity and quality in intraspecific and interspecific crosses of the European and hybrid aspens over a two year period. In order to study whether elevated temperatures due to climate change would benefit the species differently, we performed the crosses in different temperatures. In both years, interspecific crosses produced more seeds with higher …

Promoting Amphibian Conservation Through The College Classroom: Detection Of Batrachochytrium Dendrobatidis Among Local Amphibians, Julie Wunder, Noel Lampazzi, Kelsey Acre, Nicholas Bent, Sadie Canter, Alexandra Chapman, Margaret Davies, David Kashan, Jonathan Keiley, Rachel Macintyre, Tamara Milton, Kara Weichler, Matthew Wilson, Mizuki Takahashi

Faculty Journal Articles

Many global amphibian declines have been linked to the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). The knowledge on Bd distribution provides a fundamental basis for amphibian conservation planning. Yet, such Bd distribution information is currently insufficient, in particular at a regional scale. The college classroom provides an excellent opportunity to expand the knowledge of Bd distribution. Here we provide an example of such research projects to detect Bd prevalence among local amphibians in a college course setting and present the results of work conducted in central Pennsylvania, USA. We collected toe clips and conducted PCR assays of six species, …

Forest Regeneration On The Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica, Manette E. Sandor

Master's Theses

Woody species diversity of secondary forest has the potential to converge with that found in old growth forest. This study is the first to examine multiple aspects of species and reproductive trait diversity, and their relationship to each other, across a successional chronosequence. Species richness and species diversity increases with increasing age of forest. Diaspore size and diversity as well as fruit size generally increased with increasing age of forest, but fruit size diversity did not. Abundance of animal-dispersed species increased whereas wind-dispersed species decreased in abundance over succession. Insect-pollinated individuals were most abundant overall. Diaspore diversity, pollination diversity, and …

Buried Clay Pipe Irrigation, David A. Bainbridge

David A Bainbridge

The buried clay pipe method of irrigation is one of the most efficient systems known and is ideal for gardeners and small farmers. Buried clay pipe irrigation uses a buried, unglazed clay pipe filled with water to provide controlled irrigation to plants as the water seeps out through the clay wall at a rate that is influenced by the plant's water use. It has been used for more than one hundred years.This auto-regulation leads to very high efficiency--considerably better than drip irrigation and many times better than conventional surface irrigation. This also reduces weeds, increases yields, and can speed maturity …

The Debate On Marine Mammals In Captivity, Lorna C. Scribner

Honors Theses

Are marine mammal species better off today because of captivity? Is captivity ethical and should it be continued? As this debate grows stronger, both of these sides of the argument offer substantial evidence in their favor. In this paper, I discuss data for both sides and evaluate the justifications of marine mammal captivity. Ideally, no matter the outcome, this research will educate the public on influential factors of wild and captive populations.

Nursing Females Are More Prone To Heat Stress: Demography Matters When Managing Flying-Foxes For Climate Change, Stephanie T. Snoyman, Jasmina Munich, Culum Brown

Ecological Impacts of Climate Change Collection

Determining the underlying mechanisms responsible for species-specific responses to climate change is important from a species management perspective. The grey-headed flying-fox, Pteropus poliocephalus, is listed as vulnerable but it also a significant pest species for orchardists and thereby presents an interesting management conundrum. Over the last century, the abundance of the grey-headed flying-fox, P. poliocephalus, in Australia has decreased due to a variety of threatening processes but has increased in abundance in urban areas. These flying-foxes are highly susceptible to extreme heat events which are predicted to increase in the future under climate change scenarios. Exceptionally hot days result in …

Investigating The Compatibility Between Natura 2000 Site Protection And Geomorphological Landscapes, Faye Zammit

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Natura 2000 was established under the 1992 Habitats Directive as a EU wide network of nature protection areas by ensuring long-term survival of Europe’s most valuable and threatened species and habitats. Under the Natura 2000 scheme, there are a total of 32 protection areas in both Malta and Gozo. The different structural properties of the various rock layers results in various characteristic formations which are of ecological importance providing important refuge for many Maltese flora and fauna. In Malta, the different geomorphologic features are mainly a result of tectonic movement in which some are still dynamic and over the years …

Understanding Marine Ecosystem Services In Malta: A Focus On Climate Regulation, Nursery Habitat And Recreational Services, Erin Marie Reilly

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The research explored the relationship that people have with marine environments around Malta through the framework of ecosystem services with the idea that the results of this research could be used as a starting point for the development of a management plan for the marine environment around Malta. Surveys were conducted targeting residents, tourists, and divers to gain an understanding of stakeholder perception of the threats facing climate regulation, provision of nursery habitat and recreation. These data were used to develop a GIS where essential areas and impacts were compared and areas of potential conflict were identified. There were significant …

Distribution And Social Structure Of An Estuarine Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops Truncatus) Population In Northern South Carolina, Jamie L. Brusa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Information regarding habitat preference of apex predators may pinpoint areas dense in resources such as prey species. Knowledge of how animals use their habitat can enable the classification and targeted management of important habitat features. This study was conducted to determine the distribution and social structure of an inshore population of bottlenose dolphins within the North Inlet-Winyah Bay estuary in northern South Carolina. Photo-identification surveys were conducted along defined transect routes. Home ranges of individual dolphins were calculated using the minimum convex polygon method and the fixed kernel density method using Geographic Information System (GIS) software. Mean group sizes and …

Stream-Associated Amphibian Habitat Assessment In The Portland-Vancouver Metropolitan Region, Andrew Evans Dietrich

Dissertations and Theses

This study assessed the influence of landscape development on stream-associated amphibians in forested riparian areas within the Portland-Vancouver metropolitan region. Human alteration of landscapes may dramatically affect the ecology of neighboring aquatic systems. It was hypothesized that lotic amphibians would be negatively associated with greater amounts of landscape development and positively associated with forested area within the surrounding watershed. Thirty-seven 1st-3rd order streams were sampled between June 21st and September 21st in 2011. Streams potentially providing adequate habitat for stream-obligate amphibians were randomly selected. Amphibians were surveyed along 30-meter stream transects using an active-cover search (ACS). Environmental variables associated with …

The Action Component Of Recognition Systems: A Focus On The Response, Aviva E. Liebert, Philip T. Starks

Aviva E Liebert

The action component of recognition systems is concerned with the response of an evaluator to perceived cues, based on the dissimilarity of those cues compared with a template. Building upon the historical focus on kin recognition, we apply the framework of conspecific acceptance thresholds to recognition in a broader sense, including interactions within and between organisms, between species, and between living and nonliving things. We review examples from a variety of taxa and recognition contexts to demonstrate when a discriminatory response is expected, and how this response may be flexible depending on the costs and benefits of recognition errors and …

Genetics, Behavior And Ecology Of A Paper Wasp Invasion: Polistes Dominulus In North America, Aviva Liebert

Aviva E Liebert

Studies of social insect invasions to date have focused primarily on highly eusocial insects such as ants and yellowjacket wasps. Yet insect societies without fixed, morphological caste systems may be particularly good invaders due to their behavioral flexibility, as demonstrated by the recent invasion of the European paper wasp Polistes dominulus into North America. Here we provide a review of this ongoing invasion in terms of (1) population genetic variation in P. dominulus, and (2) comparative behavior and ecology of P. dominulus vs. the native P. fuscatus. We present new genetic evidence supporting the occurrence of multiple independent introductions of …

Evolution Of Repetitive Proteins: Spider Silks From Nephila Clavipes (Tetragnathidae) And Araneus Bicentenarius (Araneidae), Richard D. Beckwitt, Steven Arcidiacono, Robert Stote

Richard D Beckwitt

Spider silks are highly repetitive proteins, characterized by regions of polyalanine and glycine-rich repeating units. We have obtained two variants of the Spidroin 1 (NCF-1) silk gene sequence from Nephila clavipes. One sequence (1726 bp) was from a cloned cDNA, and the other (1951 bp) was from PCR of genomic DNA. When these sequences are compared with each other and the previously published Spidroin 1 sequence, there are differences due to sequence rearrangements, as well as single base substitutions. These variations are similar to those that have been reported from other highly repetitive genes, and probably represent the results …

Assessment Of Land Use And Neotropical Herpetofauna Along Steep Gradients Of Elevation In An Ecuadorian Ramsar Wetland Site #1143, Nicholas K. Henke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Using a comparative ecological approach, over the course of 18 days at the transition from a particularly wet to dry season in 2010, I assessed herpetofaunal assemblages and related abiotic parameters (i.e., photosynthetically active radiation, specific conductance, temperature and coarse woody debris) between contiguous forest and human impacted areas along three paired transects across the steep elevation gradient at Laguna de Cube, Ramsar site # 1143. Visual encounter surveys were used to capture herpetofauna with species being processed (e.g., weight, digit length, photographed) and identified to the lowest taxonomic level possible. After evaluating transect data for pooling (i.e., no significant …

Five New Species Of Chaerilus Simon, 1877 From China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, And Vietnam (Scorpiones: Chaerilidae), František Kovařík

Euscorpius

Chaerilus cimrmani sp. n. from Thailand, C. seiteri sp. n. from Philippines (Negros Island), C. solegladi sp. n. from Indonesia and Malaysia (Borneo Island), C. terueli sp. n. from Vietnam (Côn Son Island), and C. wrzecionkoi sp. n. from China (Tibet) are described. A key to all species of the genus Chaerilus Simon, 1877 is also presented.

Three New Species Of Compsobuthus Vachon, 1949 From Yemen, Jordan, Israel, And Somaliland (Scorpiones: Buthidae), František Kovařík

Euscorpius

Compsobuthus krali sp. n. of the werneri group from Yemen, C. levyi sp. n. of the werneri group from Jordan and Israel, and C. somalilandus sp. n. of the acutecarinatus group from Somaliland are described. A key to all species of the genus Compsobuthus Vachon, 1949 is presented.

Moving Forward: Preventing Water Shortage For Nevada, Sandra Blandon, Brianna Lyon

COLA 100: Feast and Famine In a Global World Poster Assignment

Southern Nevada is located in the arid Mojave Desert, which averages about 4 inches of rain each year. Southern Nevada gets about 90% of its water supply from the Colorado River. Seven western states and Mexico share the river. This means that The Colorado River provides water to 25 million people.

Population Characteristics, Development Of A Predictive Population Viability Model, And Catch Dynamics For Pallid Sturgeon In The Lower Missouri River, Kirk D. Steffensen

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Population characteristics and long-term population trends of pallid sturgeon Scaphirhynchus albus in the lower Missouri River are relatively unknown. As recovery efforts continue, understanding and quantifying these characteristics and trends are critical for species recovery and future management decisions. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to determine the pallid sturgeon population characteristics, predict changes to the pallid sturgeon population based on different management and life history scenarios, and examine trot line catch dynamics in the lower Missouri River. Catch rates for pallid sturgeon collected with gill nets did not significantly change while catch rates using trot lines significantly declined …

Updated Manuscript Submission Guidelines For The Prairie Naturalist, Christopher N. Jacques, Troy W. Grovenburg, Jonathan A. Jenks

The Prairie Naturalist

These guidelines present updated policies and procedures for submitting scientific manuscripts for consideration for publication in The Prairie Naturalist (PNAT). These guidelines incorporate substantial changes that have occurred following a change in Editorial staff during January 2009, and update the online “Suggestions for Contributors” guidelines provided on the PNAT website (http://www.sdstate.edu/nrm/organizations/gpnss/tpn/index.cfm); these instructions supersede all previous guidelines.

Tables and appendices are included for common word expressions with superfluous wording (Table 1), examples of correct format and style guidelines for tables accompanying manuscripts (Table 2, Appendix A), guidance in properly preparing Research notes (Appendix B) and citing literature (Appendix …

Interior Least Tern Powerline Collision On The Lower Platte River, Lauren R. Dinan, Joel G. Jorgensen, Mary Bomberger Brown

The Prairie Naturalist

Collisions with electrical powerlines are a well-known documented cause of avian mortality (Avian Power Line Interaction Committee [APLIC] 1994, Savereno et al. 1996). Mortality caused by collisions with powerlines can be an important concern for many bird species, but is a serious conservation problem for threatened and endangered species because any mortality can have biological and legal ramifications (Janss 2000). Loss of individuals, particularly breeding adults, from an already small population may impede a species’ recovery by reducing reproduction and recruitment into the breeding population. The death of an individual from a threatened or endangered species as a result of …

Avian Diversity And Habitat Use On Wetland Reserve Program Lands In The Lower Missouri River Valley, Eric C. Hopps

The Prairie Naturalist

A primary objective of the Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) is to provide habitat for migratory birds throughout all seasons of the year. Comprehensive avian assessments are lacking and limit our ability to evaluate the benefits of the WRP to continental bird populations. I investigated avian species occurrence on WRP lands within the Lower Missouri River Valley (LMRV), Nebraska, USA, from March 2010 to February 2011. Ten WRP habitat types are described based on plant community assemblages and observed hydrological regimes. Estimates of avian species richness were greatest in lowland forest (n = 115), lowland woodland (n = 83) and upland …

Fish Assemblage Structure In Black Hills, South Dakota Streams, Luke D. Schultz, Sarah J. Lewis, Katie Nicole Bertrand

The Prairie Naturalist

Understanding factors structuring fish assemblages in a particular area is valuable to both sport fishery management and native species conservation. Fish assemblages in the Black Hills are unique to South Dakota because they contain economically valuable introduced salmonids as well as native species of conservation need. Our objective was to examine the relationship between fish assemblages and geomorphic and reach-scale habitat features across multiple stream reaches in the Black Hills. Canonical correspondence analysis, a direct gradient ordination analysis, indicated that factors operating at multiple spatial scales interacted to structure fish assemblages. There also was indication of segregation between native species …

On Global Change, Direct And Indirect Interactions, And The Structure Of Ecological Communities: Theoretical And Empirical Tests, Mariano Alberto Rodriguez Cabal

Doctoral Dissertations

Human induced global change (climate change, CO₂ enrichment, nitrogen deposition, habitat degradation and biological invasions) is the most serious threat to biodiversity. Understanding how ecosystems will respond to different components of global change, and how these responses will affect key ecological processes, has become essential in contemporary ecology. For example, several studies have shown that exotic invasive species have negative impacts on the composition of communities, habitat structure and ecosystem processes. Particularly, exotic species may have negative effects on species interactions due to local extinctions, competition and/or replacement of interactions. Despite the large body of research demonstrating the negative …

Multi-Level Impacts Of Introduced Wild Boar On Patagonian Ecosystems, Maria Noelia Barrios Garcia Moar

Doctoral Dissertations

Biological invasions are a pervasive global change that threatens biodiversity and the functioning of natural ecosystems, yet most studies focus on population impacts. Furthermore, the effects of invasive species on ecosystems are greatest when they introduce a novel disturbance. In this dissertation I reviewed the impact of wild boar (Sus scrofa) on native communities worldwide, identifying research needs. Wild boar overturns extensive areas of vegetation to feed on belowground plant parts, insects and fungi, thus altering native ecosystems integrity. By means of observational and experimental studies I addressed some of the research gaps on the impact of wild …

Lno Network Sites Data Training Needs, Long Term Ecological Research Network

Long Term Ecological Research Network

Partial memo answering the following questions.

Does your site have any training needs that are not being covered by the training activities organized by the LNO?

Do you have any questions about the All Scientists Meeting?

Compared to the other 25 LTER sites, how prepared will you be by December 31, 2012 to provide site data to the Network Information System via PASTA, top quarter of all sites, second quarter; third quarter; bottom quarter?

Why Snails? How Gastropods Improve Our Understanding Of Ecological Disturbance, Christopher P. Bloch

Bridgewater Review

The concept of equilibrium - the idea that a perturbed system will tend to return to its original state - is the basis for many foundational theories in ecology. Yet, the spatial and temporal dynamics of ecosystems are strongly influenced by disturbance. If a particular disturbance greatly alters local climatic conditions, gastropods should be among the first organisms to show a measurable response. The effects of human alteration of habitats (for example, conversion of forest to agriculture) have much longer-lasting effects than those of natural disturbances.

Positive Relationships Between Association Strength And Phenotypic Similarity Characterize The Assembly Of Mixed-Species Bird Flocks Worldwide, Hari Sridhar, Umesh Srinivasan, Robert A. Askins, Julio Cesar Canales-Delgadillo, Chao-Chieh Chen, David N. Ewert, George A. Gale, Eben Goodale, Wendy K. Gram, Patrick J. Hart, Keith A. Hobson, Richard L. Hutto, Sarath W. Kotagama, Jessie L. Knowlton, Tien Ming Lee, Charles A. Munn, Somchai Nimnuan, B. Z. Nizam, Guillaume Péron, V. V. Robin, Amanda D. Rodewald, Paul G. Rodewald, Robert L. Thomson, Pranav Trivedi, Steven L. Van Wilgenburg, Kartik Shanker

Biology Faculty Publications

Competition theory predicts that local communities should consist of species that are more dissimilar than expected by chance. We find a strikingly different pattern in a multicontinent data set (55 presence-absence matrices from 24 locations) on the composition of mixed-species bird flocks, which are important sub-units of local bird communities the world over. By using null models and randomization tests followed by meta-analysis, we find the association strengths of species in flocks to be strongly related to similarity in body size and foraging behavior and higher for congeneric compared with noncongeneric species pairs. Given the local spatial scales of our …

The Fall Of "Augustinian Adam": Original Fragility And Supralapsarian Purpose, John Schneider

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

This essay is framed by conflict between Christianity and Darwinian science over the history of the world and the nature of original human personhood. Evolutionary science narrates a long prehuman geological and biological history filled with vast amounts, kinds, and distributions of apparently random brutal and pointless suffering. It has also unveiled an original human person with animal psychosomatic heredity. This narrative seems to discredit Christianity's (Augustinian) metanarrative of the Fall-Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained. The author contends that the Augustinian story and its character of Adam are implausible, anyway, for reasons of theology and apologetics. He proposes that Christians …

Winter Microhabitat Foraging Preferences Of Sympatric Boreal And Black-Capped Chickadees In Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Alec R. Lindsay Ph. D., Zach G. Gayk

Faculty Works

We examined differences in microhab- itat use between Boreal (Poecile hudsonicus) and Black- capped chickadees (P. atricapillus) where they co-occur near Marquette, Michigan, USA. Twenty-four Boreal and 37 Black-capped chickadees were followed during 60 hrs of field observation. Boreal Chickadees foraged only in three conifer species, 76% of which were black spruce (Picea mariana), while Black-capped Chickadees foraged widely across six coniferous and three deciduous tree species. Analysis of foraging data categorized by zones within conifer trees indicated high niche overlap (0.676) between Boreal and Black-capped chickadees across all foraging zones. Individual comparisons on a zone-by-zone basis revealed a significant …