Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Rare Occurrences Of Free-Living Bacteria Belonging To Sedimenticola From Subtidal Seagrass Beds Associated With The Lucinid Clam, Stewartia Floridana, Aaron M. Goemann

Masters Theses

Lucinid clams and their sulfur-oxidizing endosymbionts comprise two compartments of a three-stage, biogeochemical relationship among the clams, seagrasses, and microbial communities in marine sediments. A population of the lucinid clam, Stewartia floridana, was sampled from a subtidal seagrass bed at Bokeelia Island Seaport in Florida to test the hypotheses: (1) S. floridana, like other lucinids, are more abundant in seagrass beds than bare sediments; (2) S. floridana gill microbiomes are dominated by one bacterial operational taxonomic unit (OTU) at a sequence similarity threshold level of 97% (a common cutoff for species level taxonomy) from 16S rRNA genes; …

Métodos Cuantitativos Para La Conservación De Los Vertebrados, Michael J. Conroy, John P. Carroll, Juan Carlos Senar, Jeffrey J. Thompson

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Este libro es destinado para el uso por biólogos del campo y otras personas, incluso biólogos de campo en el futuro que podrían estar en un curso de la universidad y trabajando en estudios y conservación de animales. Nuestro objetivo es que los biólogos usen este libro como (haciendo apología a nuestro colega Evan Cooch) una “introducción suave” al campo de la ecología cuantitativa. Esperamos convencer a los lectores que los métodos y aproximaciones del libro no son solo para los matemáticos, estadísticos y programadores de computadoras, sino que de hecho son herramientas esenciales para practicar la conservación en el …

Seasonal Dynamics And Micro-Climatic Preference Of Two Alpine Endemic Hypogean Beetles, Stefano Mammola, Elena Piano, Pier Mauro Giachino, Marco Isaia

International Journal of Speleology

Hypogean beetles generally live in stable environments, characterized by constant temperature and high relative humidity. Changes in the underground microclimatic conditions generally induce local migrations of the beetles through the hypogean environment in search of suitable microhabitats. We studied the seasonal dynamics and the micro-climatic preference of two Alpine endemic hypogean beetles - Sphodropsis ghilianii (Coleoptera, Carabidae) and Dellabeffaella roccae (Coleoptera, Cholevidae) - in the hypogean complex of Pugnetto (Graian Alps, Italy). We surveyed the two species for one year, using baited pitfall traps and measuring temperature and humidity along the two main caves. We used logistic regression mixed models …

New Records Of Merriam’S Shrew (Sorex Merriami) From Western North Dakota, Michael J. Shaughnessy Jr., Neal Woodman

Neal Woodman

Despite having a broad geographic distribution, Merriam’s Shrew (Sorex merriami Dobson 1890) is known from a relatively few, widely-scattered localities. In North Dakota, the species was known from only a single poorly-preserved specimen collected in 1913 near Medora. We recently collected two new specimens of Merriam’s Shrew from Billings and McKenzie counties in the western quarter of the state. These specimens confirm the presence of S. merriami in North Dakota and better define the northeastern edge of the species’ distribution.

Fish Out Of Salt Water: Smoltification In Subyearling Chinook Salmon From The Laurentian Great Lakes, Steve Sharron

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The timing of smoltification in juvenile anadromous salmonids is important to ensure individuals match their preparedness with their migration timing and the optimal conditions in the environment. I performed the first study of smoltification in adfluvial juvenile Chinook salmon naturalized in the Laurentian Great Lakes. In a hatchery study, I found that juveniles from one of these populations have similar patterns of smoltification timing to individuals from anadromous populations. Their Na⁺/K⁺ ATPase activity, a common indicator or smolt status, peaked at 7.7 μmoles ADP/mg protein/hour on July 1 in freshwater. During the peak period, individual body size …

Tallgrass Prairie Vegetation Response To Spring Fires And Bison Grazing, Stephen L. Winter, Brady W. Allred, Karen R. Hickman, Samuel D. Fuhlendorf

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Spring fires in tallgrass prairie can create environmental conditions conducive to plant growth in the subsequent growing season. Following fires, burned areas can also be attractive to grazing animals such as bison (Bison bison). Sustained grazing activity within recently burned areas can alter vegetation structure relative to nearby landscape patches that haven’t burned recently. In 2007, we collected data on bison grazing activity, vegetation structure, and the growth and reproduction of a perennial forb, Arnoglossum plantagineum, in Oklahoma tallgrass prairie. We compared these variables in landscape patches that had burned in the spring of 2007 to measurements …

Observations Of Hippopotamus H. Amphibius In The Little Scarcies River Of Sierra Leone And Arguments For Their Conservation Based On Roles They Play In Riverine Grasslands And Nutrient Loading, Lindsey R. Perry

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

A small population of Hippopotamus amphibius remains in Sierra Leone and conservation efforts may be needed to support the Hippos and their indirect benefits to fisheries and grassland production. The hippo is a known ecosystem engineer, and a potentially important contributor of nutrients to the river systems they inhabit supporting the food web and local fisheries. In this study I observed hippos in the Little Scarcies River and uplands of the Outamba-Kilimi National Park to estimate their numbers and ultimately their potential input of nutrients into the river. Hippos forage at night in grasslands neighboring rivers, removing up to 3.62 …

Provisioning And Its Effects On The Social Interactions Of Tibetan Macaques (Macaca Thibetana) At Mt. Huangshan, China, Brianna I. Schnepel

All Master's Theses

The dispersal patterns of food resources has a significant effect on the composition of primate groups and social interactions within those groups. Humans often alter the dispersal of food. Non-humans often use affiliative behaviors to elicit tolerance or support from other group members. I investigated whether provisioned food resources alter the social interactions and group dynamics of Macaca thibetana. All-occurrence sampling and scan sampling were used for data recorded by camera traps. Trail-cameras were placed at six locations that contain natural and human food resources and recorded 60-second videos. Social behavior and proximity of the monkeys were recorded. I …

Rafinesque’S Names For Western American Mammals, Including The Earliest Scientific Name For The Coyote (Canis Latrans Say, 1822), Based On The Apocryphal Journal Of Charles Le Raye, Neal Woodman

Neal Woodman