Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Dead Wood And Decomposition In A Tropical Forest : Vertical Patterns, Long-Term Processes, And The Role Of Lightning., Evan Matthew Gora

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the distribution, production, and decomposition of dead wood (or woody debris) in a lowland tropical forest within the Barro Colorado Nature Monument in Panama. Although the importance of woody debris is widely accepted, information describing components of WD pools and fluxes is generally separated in both time and space, particularly in understudied tropical forests. Here I provide a comprehensive inventory of woody debris in a lowland tropical forest (Chapter 1). Woody debris is highly aggregated and difficult to quantify, and this study demonstrates that historic estimates of woody debris pools and fluxes underestimate their uncertainty. In a …

Understanding Plant Secondary Metabolites; Above And Below Ground, Andrea K. Clemensen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Plants naturally produce primary and secondary metabolites. Primary metabolites are directly involved with plant growth and metabolic function. Plant secondary metabolites (PSM) were once thought of as metabolic waste products, and more recently viewed as toxins to herbivores. However, ongoing research shows that PSM are beneficial to herbivores at low doses, and PSM aid plants by attracting pollinators, recovering from injury, protecting from ultraviolet radiation, increasing drought tolerance, and aid in defense against pathogens, diseases, and herbivores. Plant secondary metabolites also influence soil nutrient cycling, and can increase the sustainability of agroecosystems. Endophyte-infected tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.), which …

Using Anthropogenic Risks To Inform Salmonid Conservation At The Landscape Scale, Andrew W. Witt

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The expansion and industrialization of humanity has caused many unforeseen consequences to the natural world. Due to the importance of freshwater for people, rivers have been particularly altered to meet human needs, often at the expense of the natural world. Supplying water for farms, industries, and cities has reshaped the natural state of rivers by altering river paths, chemistry, and species compositions. These changes have harmed many species that prospered before widespread human alterations, including the native trout and salmon of western North America. As human populations continue to grow, new threats will surface for rivers, and the trout and …

Territorial Behavior In Southern Red-Backed And Ozark Zigzag Salamanders: Effects Of Sex, Species, And Ownership, Colton Savage Lynn

MSU Graduate Theses

Territorial disputes are common among terrestrial woodland salamanders (genus Plethodon). Males and females of both Ozark zigzag (P. angusticlavius) and southern red-backed (P. serratus) salamanders are territorial, but differing costs and benefits between sexes may influence the expression of territorial behavior. I compared the competitive and exploratory behavior of males and females of both species in laboratory experiments. Competitive behavior was assessed through staged contests between same-sex, same-sized conspecifics. There were no differences between males and females for territory owners (residents). Female intruders were more aggressive than male intruders, spending more time in and performing higher grades …

Long-Term Trends Of Stream Fish Community Assemblages In Southern Missouri With Contemporary Land Use Impacts, Stephanie Marie Sickler

MSU Graduate Theses

Stream fish communities in the Ozarks are structured via a number of different mechanisms, including basin, stream size, and human land use. The purpose of this study was to understand the structuring mechanisms of stream fish communities in southern Missouri. I compiled 48 years of historical fish collections performed by the Ichthyology class at Missouri State University consisting of 140 sites. I resampled 45 of these sites in summer of 2016. First, I tested whether communities are different between basins and stream size. Next, I tested associations of land use at three spatial scales to local fish communities. Last, I …

Trophic And Competitive Interactions Among Egg Parasitoids Of Stink Bugs, Joanna K. Konopka

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The intra- and inter-trophic interactions in ecosystems can be disrupted by invasive species, with lasting effects on population dynamics of native organisms. An invasive species may be attractive as a prey or host to native species, but if unsuitable for consumption or for development of the natural enemy’s progeny, it constitutes an ‘evolutionary trap’. A possibility of such a trap for native egg parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) exists with the introduction of the exotic brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae). The objective of this thesis is to enhance the understanding of Pentatomidae-Scelionidae host-parasitoid interactions from a behavioural ecology perspective, …

Hydrodynamic Drivers Of Dissolved Oxygen Variability Within A Highly Developed Tidal Creek In Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Douglas Matthew Pastore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Erosion and water quality degradation have been observed in Singleton Swash in Myrtle Beach, SC, and have been hypothesized to be related to migration of the beach-face channel. Dredging this channel temporarily fixes erosional threats to nearby infrastructure but the effects on water quality are not well understood. It is hypothesized that variations in dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration (used here as a proxy for water quality) within the water column are related to changes in vertical mixing and transport due to oceanic tidal forcing. This study utilizes current meters, pressure sensors, and optical DO probes to measure and study the …

Molecular Adaptations For Sensing And Securing Prey And Insight Into Amniote Genome Diversity From The Garter Snake Genome, Blair W. Perry, Daren C. Card, Joel W. Mcglothlin, Giulia I.M. Pasquesi, Richard H. Adams, Drew R. Schield, Nicole R. Hales, Andrew B. Corbin, Jeffery P. Demuth, Federico G. Hoffmann, Michael W. Vandewege, Ryan K. Schott, Nihar Bhattacharyya, Belinda S.W. Chang, Nicholas R. Casewell, Gareth Whiteley, Jacobo Reyes-Velasco, Stephen P. Mackessy, Tony Gamble, Kenneth B. Storey, Kyle K. Biggar, Courtney N. Passow, Chih-Horng Kuo, Suzanne E. Mcgaugh, Anne M. Bronikowski, A.P. Jason De Koning, Scott V. Edwards, Michael E. Pfrender, Patrick Minx, Edmund D. Brodie Jr., Edmund D. Brodie Jr., Wesley C. Warren, Todd A. Castoe

Biology Faculty Publications

Colubridae represents the most phenotypically diverse and speciose family of snakes, yet no well-assembled and annotated genome exists for this lineage. Here, we report and analyze the genome of the garter snake, Thamnophis sirtalis, a colubrid snake that is an important model species for research in evolutionary biology, physiology, genomics, behavior, and the evolution of toxin resistance. Using the garter snake genome, we show how snakes have evolved numerous adaptations for sensing and securing prey, and identify features of snake genome structure that provide insight into the evolution of amniote genomes. Analyses of the garter snake and other squamate reptile …

Genomic Variation Of Introduced Salvinia Minima In Southeastern United States, Carol A. Rowe, Donald P. Hauber, Paul G. Wolf

Ecology Center Publications

Common salvinia, Salvinia minima Baker (Salviniaceae), is a small, floating aquatic fern native to Central and South America that has invaded fresh water bodies in southeastern United States since the 1930s. We examined genetic variation across much of the introduced range of this species in the United States using codominant RAD-seq markers. Data from over 600 variable loci showed a reduction in heterozygosity from east to west in addition to a corresponding trend in assignment of samples to one of two genetic groups. Our data are consistent with previous published work and with the hypothesis that common salvinia had a …

Horse Y Chromosome Assembly Displays Unique Evolutionary Features And Putative Stallion Fertility Genes, Jan E. Janečka, Brian W. Davis, Sharmila Ghosh, Nandina Paria, Pranab J. Das, Ludovic Orlando, Mikkel Schubert, Martin K. Nielsen, Tom A. E. Stout, Wesley Brashear, Gang Li, Charles D. Johnson, Richard P. Metz, Al Muatasim Al Zadjali, Charles C. Love, Dickson D. Varner, Daniel W. Bellott, William J. Murphy, Bhanu P. Chowdhary, Terje Raudsepp

Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Dynamic evolutionary processes and complex structure make the Y chromosome among the most diverse and least understood regions in mammalian genomes. Here, we present an annotated assembly of the male specific region of the horse Y chromosome (eMSY), representing the first comprehensive Y assembly in odd-toed ungulates. The eMSY comprises single-copy, equine specific multi-copy, PAR transposed, and novel ampliconic sequence classes. The eMSY gene density approaches that of autosomes with the highest number of retained X–Y gametologs recorded in eutherians, in addition to novel Y-born and transposed genes. Horse, donkey and mule testis RNAseq reveals several candidate genes for stallion …

Genomic Signatures Of Adaptive Evolution, Jessica Weber

Biology ETDs

Comparative genomics has revolutionized virtually all fields of biology including the study of evolution. In this dissertation, I used next-generation sequencing to explore the evolutionary histories and adaptive evolution of a diverse set of taxa. Comparisons ranged across time scales, from population-level genetic diversity studies to questions spanning the deepest branches of the metazoan lineage. Whole genome sequencing of 50 unrelated Korean individuals revealed that Koreans have a distinct genetic history from the Chinese and Japanese populations. Our Korean-specific variome database was used to identify novel disease-causing variants in the Korean population, highlighting the value of high-quality ethnic variation databases …

Old And Recent Processes In A Warm And Humid Desert Hypogene Cave: ‘A’Rak Na‘Asane, Israel, Amos Frumkin, Shlomi Aharon, Uri Davidovich, Boaz Langford, Yoav Negev, Micka Ullman, Anton Vaks, Shemesh Ya‘Aran, Boaz Zissu

International Journal of Speleology

Recent environmental processes are studied in ʻA’rak Naʻasane Cave at the northern Judean Desert, Israel. The outer zone of the cave is heavily influenced by the outside environment through a large entrance, facilitating entry of air flow, fauna and humans, with minor cave-forming modifications. Conversely, the inner cave sustains humid and warm conditions, favoring modifications by condensation corrosion of convective air flow, associated with deposition of popcorn speleothems at the lower parts of dissolution pockets. The warm humid air of the inner cave may be associated with an underlying thermal water table. Active condensation corrosion is decreasing, possibly because of …

The Usefulness Of Gps Telemetry To Study Wolf Circadian And Social Activity, Samuel B. Merrill, L. David Mech

USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

This study describes circadian and social movement patterns of 9 wolves and illustrates capabilities and limitations of Global Positioning System (GPS) telemetry for analysis of animal activity patterns. Wolves were studied at the Camp Ripley National Guard Training Site in Little Falls, Minnesota, and were captured via helicopter net-gunning. All study wolves showed nocturnal movement patterns regardless of time of year. One wolf's movement pattern switched to diurnal when he conducted an extraterritorial foray from his natal territory. All data sets with GPS intervals <1 hour (n=4) showed crepuscular movement peaks. We identified patterns of den visitation and attendance, estimated minimum distances traveled and minimum rates of movement, and observed that GPS location intervals may affect perceived rates of wolf travel. Global Positioning System telemetry was useful in determining when pack members were traveling together or apart and how long a breeding female wolf spent near her pups (e.g., 0-month-old pups were left unattended by their mother for as long as 17 days).

Competition Among Three Forensically Important Blow Fly Species (Diptera: Calliphoridae): Phormia Regina, Lucilia Sericata, And Chrysomya Rufifacies, Amber Macinnis

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

The aim of this study was to use interspecific competition between three species of blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) to determine if interspecific competition might explain the successional patterns. A replacement series model was used for three species of blowflies: Phormia regina, Lucilia sericata, and Chrysomya rufifacies. A total of 20 maggots were used for each treatment and the proportion of each species was varied. The graphic evidence and the relative crowding coefficient of P. regina versus L. sericata indicated a significant competitive advantage of P. regina. One of the life history traits of L. sericata is that it oviposits on …

Successional Processes In The Benthic Invertebrate Communities At Gray’S Reef National Marine Sanctuary, Alexis A. Bivens

Honors College Theses

While the process of community development has been studied in terrestrial habitats since the turn of the 20th century, similar information is not as readily available in marine systems. Understanding patterns of community development is essential to predicting recovery potential and to designing effective marine protected areas. In the South Atlantic Bight, invertebrate communities on hard substrata can differ significantly from one rocky outcrop to another, but the factors driving these differences are not well understood. I documented the initial development of the benthic invertebrate community at Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary (GRNMS) to address the prediction that this system …

It's Time To Listen: There Is Much To Be Learned From The Sounds Of Tropical Ecosystems, Jessica L. Deichmann, Orlando Acevedo-Charry, Leah Barclay, Zuzana Burivalova, Marconi Campos-Cerqueira, Fernando D'Horta, Edward T. Game, Benjamin L. Gottesman, Patrick J. Hart, Ammie K. Kalan, Simon Linke, Leandro Do Nascimento, Bryan Pijanowski, Erica Staaterman, T. Mitchell Aide

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Knowledge that can be gained from acoustic data collection in tropical ecosystems is low‐hanging fruit. There is every reason to record and with every day, there are fewer excuses not to do it. In recent years, the cost of acoustic recorders has decreased substantially (some can be purchased for under US$50, e.g., Hill et al. 2018) and the technology needed to store and analyze acoustic data is continuously improving (e.g., Corrada Bravo et al. 2017, Xie et al. 2017). Soundscape recordings provide a permanent record of a site at a given time and contain a wealth of …

Fitness Consequences Of Interspecific Nesting Associations Among Cavity-Nesting Birds, James C. Mouton, Thomas E. Martin

Aspen Bibliography

Interspecific aggregations of prey may provide benefits by mitigating predation risk, but they can also create costs if they increase competition for resources or are more easily detectable by predators. Variation in predation risk and resource availability may influence the occurrence and fitness effects of aggregating in nature. Yet tests of such possibilities are lacking. Cavity-nesting birds provide an interesting test case. They compete aggressively for resources and experience low nest predation rates, which might predict dispersion, but across 19 years of study we found that they commonly aggregate by sharing nest trees. Tree sharing was more common when aspen …

Cross-Life Stage Effects Of Aquatic Larval Density And Terrestrial Moisture On Growth And Corticosterone In The Spotted Salamander, Julie F. Charbonnier, Jacquelyn Pearlmutter, James R. Vonesh, Caitlin R. Gabor, Zachery R. Forsburg, Kristine L. Grayson

Biology Faculty Publications

For organisms with complex life cycles, conditions experienced during early life stages may constrain later growth and survival. Conversely, compensatory mechanisms may attenuate negative effects from early life stages. We used the spotted salamander, Ambystoma maculatum, to test how aquatic larval density and terrestrial moisture influence juvenile growth, food intake, evaporative water loss and water reuptake rates, and corticosterone levels. We conducted an outdoor mesocosm experiment to manipulate larval density and transferred metamorphosed salamanders into low and high terrestrial moisture treatments in laboratory terrariums. After the larval stage, high-density salamanders were significantly smaller and had higher corticosterone release rates …

Genomic Inference Of The Metabolism And Evolution Of The Archaeal Phylum Aigarchaeota, Zheng-Shuang Hua, Yan-Ni Qu, Qiyun Zhu, En-Min Zhou, Yan-Ling Qi, Yi-Rui Yin, Yang-Zhi Rao, Ye Tian, Yu-Xian Li, Lan Liu, Cindy J. Castelle, Brian P. Hedlund, Wen-Sheng Shu, Rob Knight, Wen-Jun Li

Life Sciences Faculty Research

Microbes of the phylum Aigarchaeota are widely distributed in geothermal environments, but their physiological and ecological roles are poorly understood. Here we analyze six Aigarchaeota metagenomic bins from two circumneutral hot springs in Tengchong, China, to reveal that they are either strict or facultative anaerobes, and most are chemolithotrophs that can perform sulfide oxidation. Applying comparative genomics to the Thaumarchaeota and Aigarchaeota, we find that they both originated from thermal habitats, sharing 1154 genes with their common ancestor. Horizontal gene transfer played a crucial role in shaping genetic diversity of Aigarchaeota and led to functional partitioning and ecological divergence among …

Removal Of Invasive Plants From Pando Exclosure 2018, Marc Coles-Ritchie

Aspen Bibliography

On July 10-11, 2018 volunteers and staff from Great Old Broads for Wilderness and Grand Canyon Trust removed invasive plants from the Pando exclosure, a fenced portion of the Pando Clone aspen forest adjacent to Fish Lake, in Central Utah. This area has been fenced to restore a portion of the Pando Clone that has been lacking recruitment for decades, by protecting young aspen from browsing by deer and cattle. We have been removing invasive species for five years from this exclosure.

The 2018 trip included 10 women and one staffer of Great Old Broads for Wilderness, from the states …