Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Ecological Effects And Ethics Of A Species Range Shift To High Elevation Ponds, Ava Ardito

Honors College

As temperatures warm, the climate crisis is having a significant influence on species across the world and altering their distributions. Colorado's high elevation ponds have recently observed a species range shift, traveling to higher altitudes than they have previously inhabited. The Mexican Cut Nature Preserve near the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL) in Gothic, CO, is home to a prominent caddisfly Limnephilus externus, but recently a new range-shifting species, Nemotaulius hostilis, has appeared. Caddisflies play an essential role in nutrient cycling and putting energy back into the food web. The range-shifting species is known to excrete high rates of phosphorus …

The Decline In Monarch Butterfly, Danaus Plexippus, Populations: An Example Of The Global Threat To Biodiversity, Olivia Sidoti

Honors Projects

Biodiversity encompasses the variety of all life on Earth and how these aspects of nature interact with each other. To have stable and abundant biodiversity, vast amounts of species and organisms are required within an ecosystem. As a result of the increase in negative impacts of human activities and behaviors on the health of nature, biodiversity has been decreasing. An example of the decrease in biodiversity is depicted by the recent decline of the monarch butterfly species. The monarch butterfly is an iconic North American insect that is experiencing a decline in its population due to threats such as deforestation, …

Better Understanding The Barred Owl, Adam Lee Potts

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This thesis research presents an analysis of barred owl nest site selection in an understudied region of their expanded range. The barred owl has dramatically expanded its range westwards over the last 150 years, prompting multiple conflicting reinterpretations of their species account. Hypotheses of range expansion are reviewed to provide context for this study’s research. This study gathers empirical data on nest site selection in the mixed conifer forests of Montana’s Seeley-Swan and Mission Valleys. Eight barred owl nests were located following extensive territory surveys. Field measurements of tree height and diameter using USFS Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) plot …

Climate Change Attitudes Of United States Family Forest Owners And Their Influence On Forest Management Practices, Logan Miller

Masters Theses

Understanding family forest owners’ (FFOs’) attitudes and behaviors towards climate change will allow for more sustainable forest management practices to be implemented, helping to combat climate change and its impacts. The goals for this research are (1) to begin measuring U.S. FFO attitudes toward climate change, (2) to determine what factors impact these attitudes, and (3) to determine how they influence the FFO’s management practices using the Responsible Environmental Behavior (REB) framework (Hines et al. 1987). Chapter 1 explores the different facets of my thesis project focusing on forests and forests’ ecosystem services, forest ownership in the United States, and …

Variations In Thermoregulation Strategies Of Northern And Southern Populations Of Mischocyttarus Mexicanus, Taylor Guild

Honors Theses

Mischocyttarus mexicanus is a species of eusocial paper wasp that is found across much of the Southeastern coastal region of the United States. Contrasting wintering strategies have been seen in northern versus southern populations. Anecdotally, northern populations overwinter by clustering on top of palmetto fronds, their preferred nesting substrate, in a sort of "taco" shape, while southern populations stand on their nests that hang on the underside of the palmetto frond throughout the year. I tested three hypotheses related to the adaptive value of northern over-frond clustering behavior: 1) Over-frond clustering is thermoregulation related, meaning it would be temperature driven. …

The Long-Term Effects Of Wildfire Severity On Oak-Pine Communities And Their Microclimates, Scott Glenn Culbert

Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources

In the eastern U.S., fire-dependent tree species have historically dominated upland forest communities, but are now experiencing widespread regeneration challenges as a result of 20^th century fire suppression policies, and are being replaced by mesophytic species. Wildfires that contain areas of high burn severity may provide an important means of mitigating these challenges and facilitating fire-dependent species regeneration and recruitment into larger size classes. One mechanism by which high-severity fire can accomplish this is by modifying understory microclimate characteristics to be more conducive to these species’ growth. A wildfire within the Daniel Boone National Forest, Kentucky, USA, provided the …

Host And Symbiont-Specific Patterns Of Gene Expression In Response To Cold Stress In The Temperate Coral Astrangia Poculata, Kellie Navarro

Honors Projects

The coral Astrangia poculata inhabits hard-bottom environments from the Gulf of Mexico to Massachusetts and withstands large seasonal variation in temperature (–2 to 26 °C). This thermal range and its ability to live in a facultative symbiosis makes this species an ideal model system for investigating stress responses to ocean temperature variation. Although it has been shown that aposymbiotic A. poculata upregulates more genes in response to cold stress than heat stress, the transcriptomic response of the holobiont (coral host and symbiotic algae) to stress is unknown. In this study, we characterize changes in gene expression in both the host …

Advancing Assessments Of Climate Change Vulnerability Of West Virginia Watersheds, Joseph T. Molina

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

As climate change is becoming increasingly recognized as a threat to aquatic ecosystems, climate adaptation planning, in both the long- and short-term, is becoming more common in natural resource management. There is a need within conservation agencies to develop methodologies and assessments that support adaptation planning to efficiently disperse conservation dollars and effectively strengthen ecological and community resilience as climate changes continue. My thesis aims to provide West Virginia natural resources managers with climate vulnerability assessments that can be used to determine where and how conservation efforts should be administered. Additionally, I demonstrate a methodology that can be built upon …

Avian Species Distribution Models: Using Location Data To Inform Management Decisions, Marilyn E. Wright

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Both state and federal wildlife agencies strive to conserve and protect wildlife and their habitats as an important public resource. Applied management decisions often rely on being able to obtain data that can efficiently and effectively enhance the understanding of these systems for informing management actions. Wildlife managers often focus efforts on a small subset of species from an ecosystem, typically called focal species, who can serve as surrogates for understanding the health and function of the system. Models that consider how these focal species interact with the ecosystem are often used to better understand important aspects of their life …

Quantifying The Effect Of Disturbance On Native Mojave Desert Shrubs, Tamara J. Wynne

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Disturbance can come in many different forms. In our studies, we looked at the impact of a solar photovoltaic facility on native plants growing inside and outside of the facility, alteration in precipitation (simulated) on four native shrubs and the impact of applying supplemental water as a function of volume and frequency to establish native shrubs such as might occur at restoration sites. Disturbance is becoming a more common phenomenon in many ecosystems throughout the world, increasing the need for studies that quantify the impact at the plant and ecosystem level. Each research project revealed different plant responses, such as …

Climate-Driven Selection Results In Powerful Geographic Framework For Predicting Phenotype, Alexandra Neild

Masters Theses

Our ability to prepare for and mitigate the likely ecological and evolutionary impacts of climate change largely depends upon our ability to predict the phenotypic responses of organisms that allow them to persist, adapt, and migrate along environmental stress gradients. Using fifteen populations of cottonwoods, a dominant riparian forest tree, that are distributed along elevation gradients and represent three genetic provenances, we hypothesized and show that: 1) populations within a provenance demonstrate parallel evolutionary responses to climatic gradients associated with elevation; and 2) the evolutionary effects of elevation on bud-break phenology varied by provenance. Across all populations, we find strong …

The Influence Of Temperature And Body Size On Food Consumption In Prairie Lizards (Sceloporus Consobrinus), Morgan Pelley

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Understanding the effect of temperature on physiological and digestive processes, such as voluntary consumption rate, is critical for assessing the impact of climate change. Food consumption is required for lizard survival and reproduction and its rate is dependent on temperature. For ectotherms, as temperatures increase, the amount of food consumed to meet the energy requirements related to survival and reproduction must also increase. Information on the amount of food voluntarily consumed may aid in determining if lizards can meet energy requirements. Such information could also aid in predicting survival of lizard populations, through construction of predictive climate change models. In …

Salve Regina University Act On Climate: Strategic Plan For The University To Reach State Carbon Neutrality Goals, Jameson Chace, Jared Barrows, Casey Bermingham, Dylan Bigansky, Avery Braccia, Natalie Bryant, Claire Cavanagh, Jerry Cheatham, Alexander Colon, Courtney Connor, John Deady, Mary Duman, Mia Farley, Alexander Gajic, Brandon Grover, Andrew Hassler, Dhana Hinds, Abigail Hoye, Emma Karpinski, Finn Doherty, Genevieve Mcclelland, Stella Mccormack, Maggie Mccue, Emma Mcgrillen, Kelly Mckenna, Gianfranco Messina, Liam Murphy, Maeve Newton, Mia Pastorok, Tyler Petrosino, Samuel Richard, Marion Riddle, Allison Sagun, Jessica Serra, Aidan Tucker, Patrick Voli

BIO140 Carbon Footprint Project

In order to become more sustainable and meet the mandate set by the 2021 Rhode Island Act on Climate law (RI General Law §42-6.2), Salve Regina University must work to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2050. Action to meet these standards begins now and must be continually built upon to ensure that Salve Regina University, as leader in Rhode Island, is always working for a more sustainable future. Throughout the Spring 2022 semester, students of the BIO-140: Humans and Their Environment course instructed by Dr. Jameson Chace have researched ways in which Salve Regina can begin on …

Blue Mussel Hybrid Complex Shifts In The Gulf Of Maine Towards A Dominance Of Mytilus Edulis, Daniel Woods

Honors Program Theses

The Gulf of Maine (GOM) in the United States is the fastest warming body of water in the world. Due to a complex history of glaciation, the GOM has restricted circulation that causes it to function more akin to an enclosed sea. As climate change has disrupted the stable flow of the Gulf Stream, more warm-water currents are entering the GOM at higher frequency. This warming has had a profound impact on the distribution of the blue mussel, Mytilus spp., which inhabits the rocky intertidal habitat within the GOM as the main prey species to a keystone predator. Two sister …

Mitigation Of Negative Effects Of Ocean Change On Oysters By Eelgrass And Its Implications For Aquaculture In Midcoast Maine, Fiona G. Ralph

Honors Projects

Species interactions are important to organisms and to the ecosystems they inhabit. These interactions, sometimes facilitations, can result in increased resiliency for both species. When facilitation occurs, organisms co-assist with physiological and environmental stressors. As anthropogenic impacts become more stressful for modern organisms, these interactions could offer a solution for many species. Ocean acidification has been shown to be detrimental to many calcifying organisms including oysters. More acidic conditions can slow the process of shell calcification, which can slow growth rates. This effect could directly impact the robust oyster farming business in Midcoast Maine. Because of its possible importance to …

S5e11: Why Might Maine Lose Two Species Of Songbirds?, Ron Lisnet, Katherine Ruskin, Brian Olsen

The Maine Question

Maine may lose two tidal marsh songbird species in the next few decades. Saltmarsh sparrows face extinction, while Acadian Nelson’s sparrows are threatened with extirpation — localized eradication with the possibility of survival elsewhere. Their populations along the Eastern Seaboard have been declining as sea level rise destroys their habitats and, according to a new University of Maine-led study, mercury exposure inhibits their reproduction.

In the final episode of Season 5 of “The Maine Question,” Kate Ruskin, a lecturer in ecology and environmental science at UMaine who spearheaded the recent mercury exposure study, and Brian Olsen, who is now an …

The Effect Of Changing Substrate On Arctic Aquatic Invertebrates Abundance, Tom Dolman

Michael D. Wilson Symposium

Climate change is directly affecting tundra ecosystems in northern regions, and warming temperatures have caused discontinuous permafrost and thawing sediments across the region. This project investigates how increasing erosion and the foraging patterns of migratory snow geese may degrade habitat for aquatic invertebrates in the upper Mast River, located in Wapusk National Park, Manitoba, Canada. In the past two decades, many of the important species of aquatic invertebrates have shown declines. Declining invertebrate populations are predicted to affect aquatic ecosystems and decrease the resources available to shorebirds and waterfowl, which breed and migrate through this area.

Stars Data Collection Summative Report (Spring 2021), Amanda Rees

Coordination & Planning

In spring 2021, Dr. Amanda Rees' students in ITDS 1779I Scholarship Across the Disciplines: Campus Sustainability in a Global Context learned about climate change, Project Drawdown (a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2050), Drawdown Georgia (Georgia's plan for carbon reduction), how we can assess campus sustainability, and conducting data collection on how sustainability is infused into the academic life of the campus. Students presented their report to our community partner the CSU's Office of Sustainability via zoom. NOTE: The zoom presentation of this report was in conjunction with Dr. Stacey Blershe's environmental studies course which featured students presenting …

Assessing Chemical And Biological Recovery From Acid Rain Deposition In Montane Vermont Lakes, Sydney Diamond

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Vermont’s inland lakes are changing rapidly in response to anthropogenic disturbance pressures. While changes in water chemistry are well documented across the state, the biological response of primary producer communities to these shifts remains poorly understood. This project investigated the response of phytoplankton communities to the interacting effects of recovery from acidification and climate change in high-altitude lakes. We analyzed long-term monitoring and meteorological data in four of Vermont’s acid-impaired lakes and found that as pH and acid-neutralizing capacity has increased, so have concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in most lakes. To assess the biological response to these processes, …

The Impact Of Tidal Elevation And Climate Change On The Growth And Performance Of Balanus Glandula, Sam Martin

Pitzer Senior Theses

Tidal elevation affects the survival, growth, and performance of intertidal organisms because it regulates their exposure to heat, waves, food availability, and a variety of other abiotic factors. While previous research has explored the relationship between temperature and the performance of the barnacle Balanus glandula, there are unanswered questions about how tidal elevation affects B. glandula performance and growth. I compared the growth of B. glandula at three tidal elevations in Friday Harbor, Washington, and estimated the metabolic cost of emersion at each tidal elevation using a cost equation gained from thermal performance curves and average daily maximum temperatures. …

Responses Of Juvenile Atlantic Salmon To Competition And Environmental Change: Implications For Performance In Maine Streams, Nicole C. Ramberg-Pihl

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

New England’s climate is changing faster than that of any other region in the continental United States. Over the last century, Maine has experienced an increase in annual temperature of approximately 1.48^oC along with a 15 percent increase in annual precipitation. Temperature and precipitation play vital roles in shaping the ecology of freshwater environments. Therefore, changes in regional climate could undermine the structure and stability of Maine’s freshwater systems as they currently exist.

Maine currently harbors the last wild populations of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in the United States. Atlantic salmon were once abundant in Maine …

Ecology And Evolution, David J. Lohman

Open Educational Resources

Introduction to the basic principles of ecology and evolutionary biology emphasizing quantitative approaches and hypothesis testing. Scientific reasoning, computer literacy, and writing skills are developed in the laboratory.

A Tale Of Two Species: Black-Tailed And White-Tailed Prairie Dog Biogeography From The Last Interglacial To 2070, April Dawn Bledsoe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ecological niche models (ENMs) were created for White-tailed and Black-tailed prairie dogs and projected into the Last Interglacial (LI), the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), and mid-Holocene (mid-H) to discern possible past suitable habitat for both species. Additionally, ENMs were projected into the future year 2070 representative concentration pathways (RCPs) 2.6 and 8.5 to discern how climate change may affect future habitat suitability. Kernel density estimations, minimum convex polygons, and median distribution centers of White-tailed and Black-tailed occurrence records were examined between time-periods to discern the effects of anthropogenic westward expansion on both species’ distributions. Current ENMs were constructed from commonly …

Physiological And Behavioral Effects Of Climate Change On Wildlife: An Introduction And Overview, Andy Clarke

Senior Honors Theses

Planetary environmental system changes have been recorded and documented for several decades. Fluctuations that were first noticed in atmospheric carbon-dioxide levels have now extended into global pattern changes. Climatic variations that were initially non-threatening variabilities have since been observed creating significant biological influences. The results and evidence of the effects of worldwide environmental climate change on wildlife and biotic environments are worth examining because of the impacts it has on the planet. These climatic effects extend from changes in distribution and diversity patterns of terrestrial mammals to sea-life impacts and recovery trends. Possible wildlife benefits may include increased humidity and …

Dynamic Habitat Disturbance And Ecological Resilience (Dyhder): Modeling Population Responses To Habitat Condition, Brendan P. Murphy, Timothy E. Walsworth, Patrick Belmont, Mary M. Conner, Phaedra Budy

Ecology Center Publications

Understanding how populations respond to spatially heterogeneous habitat disturbance is as critical to conservation as it is challenging. Here, we present a new, free, and open‐source metapopulation model: Dynamic Habitat Disturbance and Ecological Resilience (DyHDER), which incorporates subpopulation habitat condition and connectivity into a population viability analysis framework. Modeling temporally dynamic and spatially explicit habitat disturbance of varying magnitude and duration is accomplished through the use of habitat time‐series data and a mechanistic approach to adjusting subpopulation vital rates. Additionally, DyHDER uses a probabilistic dispersal model driven by site‐specific habitat suitability, density dependence, and directionally dependent connectivity. In the first …

Habitat Stability In Appalachian Headwater Systems And Potential Impacts On Brook Trout Populations, Zac F.W Zacavish

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

The impact climate change will have on the habitat for Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) could directly impact key demographic characteristics. Traditionally, broad-scale studies of climate change effects on the family Salmonidae focus on the thermal shifts predicted over the next century. While some studies shed light onto other variables such as biotic interactions, flow regime, and disturbance, the significance of the climate-trout interaction is not always observed. With the high degree of influence climate cycles can have on habitat and channel morphology, this study aimed to highlight temporal habitat shifts to begin addressing climate-habitat interaction. By studying habitat distribution …

Bee Abundance Along A Tropical Montane Elevational Gradient And Implications For Crop Pollination Services, Kristin M. Conrad

Online Theses and Dissertations

Tropical forests are among the biologically richest ecosystems on Earth, but how most organisms in these forests will respond to a warming climate remains uncertain. Insects are expected to be highly responsive to climate change due to their short life cycles that are strongly influenced by temperature. Plants depend on pollinators to set seed and reproduce, and many animal populations rely on the resources provided by flowering plants. There is an urgent need to document elevational distributions and thermal specialization for tropical bee species to understand how these important pollinators may respond to warming temperatures. My four-year study (2016-2019) aims …

Ecology And Conservation Of Shrubland Bird Communities In The Eastern Ghats Of Indi, Anant Deshwal

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Anthropogenic disturbance, in its multiple facets represents a major threat to biodiversity and habitat quality. Consequently, extensive research is guided towards understanding anthropogenic disturbance and their effects on wildlife for development of wildlife management plans. However, for development of effective wildlife management plans it is imperative that we understand the habitat use and preference by local fauna along with effects of anthropogenic presence. In this dissertation, I studied the habitat usage and preferences of Shrubland birds in the Eastern Ghats of India during the pre-monsoon and post monsoon seasons. Eastern Ghats show a marked difference from pre-monsoon season to post-monsoon …

Comparison Of An Electron Transport System (Ets) Enzyme-Mediated Reduction Assay And Respiration Rate Of The Invasive Copepod Eurytemora Carolleeae In Green Bay, Wi, Usa, Alexander Timpe

Lawrence University Honors Projects

The use of aquatic resources for agriculture, trade, and recreation adds stress to water-dwelling organisms. Rapid changes in abiotic conditions, such as warming due to climate change and nutrient loading from agricultural runoff and urban areas, threaten to induce profound alterations to aquatic environments. These changes affect interspecific community interactions and may cause an aquatic resource to lose its functionality that is valuable to humans. Studying organisms such as plankton that form an ecosystem’s foundation is an important step towards understanding the entire food web and predicting how it may or may not be able to respond to a changing …

Effects Of Climate Variability: A Long-Term Perspective On Leaf Litter Processing In The Ogeechee River, Jose A. Sanchez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) predicts a rise in temperatures and changes to precipitation patterns for the 21^st century. These changes are expected to lead to a higher frequency of extreme events such as drought and floods which lead to the alteration of the hydrology, communities, and processes of freshwater ecosystems. Leaf litter decomposition in stream ecosystems is an important component of the energy and nutrient cycle representing a food source for aquatic organisms. This has made it a tool for assessing long term responses to disturbance due to changes in the assemblage of macroinvertebrates that …