Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Diversity And Drivers Of Oribatid Mites (Acari: Oribatida) In Boreal Peatlands, Carlos Rafael De Araujo Barreto

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Boreal peatlands are important ecosystems for carbon cycling, storing 1/3 of the world’s terrestrial carbon in only ~3% of the globe, making them a key component of potential mitigation strategies in response to global climate warming. Experiments have shown that warming can affect plant and microbial communities in ways that potentially shift peatlands from carbon sinks to sources. Soil food webs, including the microarthropod community, are key in carbon cycling but are relatively understudied both in peatlands and under experimental warming. My research capitalized on a large-scale experimental field manipulation of warming in two contrasting peatland sites in Northern Ontario, …

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 …

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 …

Assessing And Analyzing Bat Activity With Acoustic Monitoring: Challenges And Interpretations, Amanda M. Adams

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Acoustic monitoring is a powerful technique for learning about the ecology of bats, but understanding sources of variation in the data collected is important for unbiased interpretation. The objectives of this dissertation were to investigate sources of variation in acoustic monitoring and make recommendations for acoustic survey design and analysis. I addressed this goal in three ways: i) variation resulting from differences in bat detectors, ii) methods for objective identification of peak activity, and iii) the use of stationary transects to address within-site spatial variation.

First, I compared variation of detection of echolocation calls among commonly available bat detectors and …