Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Dynamics Of Fat And Lean Mass In Refuelling Migrant Passerines Measured Using Quantitative Magnetic Resonance, Lisa V. Kennedy

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Although fat deposition during stopover in migrating passerine birds has been extensively studied, changes in lean mass during refuelling are not well understood. I used quantitative magnetic resonance (QMR) analysis to measure the deposition of fat and lean mass for both recaptured and single capture migrant passerines in spring and fall at Long Point, Ontario. Both the recapture analysis and single capture regression analysis indicated a substantial contribution of lean mass to overall increases in total body mass. Some of the variation in the relative deposition of fat and lean mass was explained by sex, age and season. I then …

Paleobiological Assessment Of Controls Underlying Long-Term Diversity Dynamics, Andrés L. Cárdenas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Deciphering the factors underlying both long-term patterns of diversity and taxonomic turnover rates (i.e., extinction, and origination) has been one of Paleobiology's major foci for the past three decades. The importance of documenting these components is that they will expand our ability to interpret and model the evolutionary processes underlying those trends, highlight the evolutionary impact of historical events, and contribute to the formulation of robust predictions about the future of global diversity in response to the current anthropologically driven environmental changes. Accordingly, the first part of this study examines the possible occurrence of global marine evolutionary environmental controls into …

Bats And The Landscape: The Influence Of Edge Effects And Forest Cover On Bat Activity, Meredith K. Jantzen

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The habitats in which bat species may most effectively forage are often determined by species-specific differences in wing morphology and echolocation call structure. Habitat edges are important for bat navigation and foraging, but no study to date has examined the depth of edge influence (DEI--the extent of quantifiable change in activity with distance from an edge) for bats. I predicted that DEI would vary with species-specific differences in wing structure and echolocation call characteristics. Additionally, because different habitats may be required to fulfill species’ foraging and roost requirements, I predicted that bat activity would be highest in areas with a …

Effects Of Exogenous Androgens On Parental Care Behaviour In Male Bluegill Sunfish (Lepomis Macrochirus), Chandra M.C. Rodgers

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Research suggests an androgen mediated trade-off between nurturing and defensive behaviour during parental care. This research, however, comes from species with biparental care, where changes in behaviour of one parent can be compensated for by the other parent. I tested the validity of this trade-off by manipulating androgen levels in bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus), a species where males provide sole parental care. I implanted males with testosterone, 11-ketotestosterone or flutamide, an androgen receptor blocker, and tested their nurturing behaviour and aggressiveness towards a brood predator. Males implanted with 11-ketotestosterone were 64% more aggressive and 71% less nurturing than …

Physiological Ecology Of Bat Migration, Liam P. Mcguire

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Migration is perhaps the most poorly understood aspect of bat biology and the underlying physiological basis is virtually unstudied. Although distantly related, bats and birds are both endothermic flying vertebrates and bird migration physiology has been studied for decades. Therefore, I used migratory birds as a model system to make predictions regarding the physiological ecology of bat migration.

First, I compared brain size of migratory and sedentary bat species. Migratory species have smaller brains which suggests the costs of carrying and maintaining a large brain are incompatible with the demands of migration. Next, I studied silver-haired bats (Lasionycteris noctivagans …

Eelgrass Habitat Creation In Nantucket Harbor, Massachusetts, David M. Burdick, Gregg Moore, Chris Peter

Natural Resources & the Environment

In response to eelgrass habitat losses associated with development and marine activities in and around Nantucket Harbor, a plan to restore a meadow by transplanting eelgrass to previously vegetated areas was developed in conjunction with the Nantucket Land Council. Over 6,000 eelgrass shoots were sustainably harvested from an extensive bed within the Harbor that was located just west of First Point and near the inlet to Nantucket Sound. Four weeks following collection, impacts from our collection were shown by a 24% decline in shoot density, but live eelgrass cover did not decline significantly. After 12 weeks, no effects of collecting …

Introduced Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha) In Lake Huron: Do They Spawn At The Right Time?, Meghan T. Gerson

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), following their introduction to the Great Lakes, have successfully colonized many tributaries. Under the hypothesis that colonization success is facilitated by intrinsic factors (i.e., preadaptation), I predicted that patterns of reproductive timing in an introduced population would show similarities with those in their native range. To test this prediction, attributes of reproductive timing were characterized in Chinook salmon from the Sydenham River, Ontario. In their native range, female Chinook salmon exhibit a seasonal decline in reproductive lifespan, a decline in fat stores, low egg retention at death (< 0.5%), and spawning at temperatures below 12.8°C. In contrast, Sydenham River Chinook salmon showed no seasonal decline in reproductive lifespan or fat stores and nineteen of twenty females had egg retention greater or equal to 0.5%. Also, many individuals (30%) spawned when water temperatures exceeded 12.8°C. Thus, individuals do not appear to be pre-adapted in this system.

The Lobster Bulletin, Spring 2012, Lobster Institute, University Of Maine

Lobster Bulletin

The Lobster Bulletin newsletter includes research updates, and information on lobsters and the lobster industry. The Lobster Institute at the University of Maine is dedicated to protecting and conserving the lobster resource, and enhancing lobstering as an industry and a way of life.

Headlines in the Spring 2012 issue include:

• Lobster Institute’s 2012 Canadian/U.S. Lobstermen’s Town Meeting Attracts over 100
• Darden Restaurants to Establish a “Lobster Farm” in Malaysia
• National Seafood Marketing Coalition Addresses U.S. Senate
• Lobster Science Symposium Planned for November
• Research Report: Warm Water Affecting Lobsters
• Research Report: Steneck participates in Task Force on Global Fishing
• Lobster Institute’s …

Multifactor Controls On Terrestrial N2o Flux Over North America From 1979 Through 2010, X. F. Xu, Hanqin Tian, G. S. Chen, M. L. Liu, Wei Ren, Chaoqun (Crystal) Lu, C. Zhang

Chaoqun (Crystal) Lu

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a potent greenhouse gas which also contributes to the depletion of stratospheric ozone (O3). However, the magnitude and underlying mechanisms for the spatiotemporal variations in the terrestrial sources of N2O are still far from certain. Using a process-based ecosystem model (DLEM – the Dynamic Land Ecosystem Model) driven by multiple global change factors, including climate variability, nitrogen (N) deposition, rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), tropospheric O3 pollution, N fertilizer application, and land conversion, this study examined the spatial and temporal variations in terrestrial N2O flux over North America and further attributed these variations to various driving …

Channel Width And Least Tern And Piping Plover Nesting Incidence On The Lower Platte River, Nebraska, Joel G. Jorgensen, Mary Bomberger Brown, Andrew J. Tyre

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences

Endangered interior least terns (Sternula antillarum athalassos) and threatened northern Great Plains piping plovers (Charadrius melodus) nest together on midstream sandbars in large rivers in the interior of North America. We investigated the relationship between river channel width and tern and plover nesting incidence on the lower Platte River, Nebraska, using a model-based logistic regression analysis. Multiple channel width measurements and a long-term nesting data set were used in the analysis. Nesting incidence was positively associated with increasing river channel width proximal to the nesting site. At a greater distance, up to 802 m away from …

Microgeographic Differentiation In Historical Yemen Inferred By Morphometric Distances, Maria Enrica Danubio, Emanuele Sanna, Fabrizio Rufo, Domenico Martorella, Elvira Vecchi, Alfredo Coppa

Human Biology Open Access Pre-Prints

This study analysed the variations in space of 8 body dimensions and 11 measures of the head of 1,244 adult Yemenite males, collected in 1933/34 by Coon in Yemen and in Hadhramawt. The aim was to evaluate the presence of geographic microdifferentiation of the populations settled in the different regions of Yemen at the time. Coon sub-divided the sample into 6 geographical areas according to birthplace and ethnicity of the individuals: Tihamah, the Western Mountains, the Central Plateau, the South Coast, the Eastern Mountains and Hadhramawt. The results of ANCOVA (age as covariate) show that the observed differences of all …

Living Shorelines Policy: The Integration Of Shoreline Management And Planning, Center For Coastal Resources Management, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

Rivers & Coast is a periodic publication of the Center for Coastal Resources Management, Virginia Institute of Marine Science. The goal of Rivers & Coast is to keep readers well informed of current scientific understanding behind key environmental issues related to watershed rivers and coastal ecosystems of the Chesapeake Bay.

Effect Of Light Level On Feeding Behavior In A Lemur Species (Eulemur Rubriventer) With A Color Vision Polymorphism., Ainsley Lockhart

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Understanding the visual capabilities and correlated behavior of prosimians provides vital information regarding the evolution of color vision. Feeding behavior in particular is often modified based on color vision status in various primate taxa. The present study examined feeding behavior under various light conditions in Eulemur rubriventer, a lemur species with a color vision polymorphism in which only females can have trichromatic vision. Behavioral observations were conducted for a single E. rubrventer group over a 13 day study period in April 2012. Results found no significant difference in rates of frugivory or exploitation of green vs. non-green food between male …

Reproduction And Population Characteristics Of White-Tailed Jackrabbits In South Dakota, Charles Dieter, Dustin Schaible

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences

We evaluated the reproductive biology of314 white-tailed jackrabbits (Lepus townsendii) in 44 counties throughout South Dakota from June 2004 to September 2005. We classified jackrabbits as juveniles or adults based on the closure of the proximal epiphysis of the humerus using X-ray analysis. We determined annual reproductive activity through fluctuations in measured weights of reproductive organs for both sexes. The 2005 breeding season started in late February and proceeded until mid-July, approximately 142 days, allowing for females to potentially produce 3.3 litters. We found four distinct breeding periods by the overlap of estimated conception and parturition dates. Mean …

Strategies For Improving Lter Network Data Availability, Long Term Ecological Research

Long Term Ecological Research Network

A memorandum entailing current issues affected network data availability and citing goals for the IM Exec.

From A Rodent To A Rhetorician: An Ideological Analysis Of George Alexander Kennedy's Comparative Rhetoric, James Begley

Masters Theses

George Alexander Kennedy, a professor of classics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has given birth to a new understanding of rhetorical studies: he argues for the evolution of rhetoric from animals to humans. Using Sonja Foss's methodology of "ideological criticism," this thesis examined Kennedy's case as presented in his book, Comparative Rhetoric: an Historical and Cross-Cultural Introduction. This study discovered that the book was heavily influenced by a secular, pro-evolutionary ideology which dually contributed to its selective use of scientific evidences and production of inconsistent arguments. Evaluated on the basis of Biblical principles, this thesis concluded …

Effects Of A Cymothoid Ectoparasite On The Turning Behavior (Lateralization) Of The Bridled Monocle Bream Scolopsis Bilineata, Laura Strong

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Lateralization, or behavioral asymmetry, is the tendency to favor one side of the body over the other, and exists in humans and animals including in mammals, birds, and fishes. It has been found to increase performance in certain behaviors such as escape from predators by lowering reation time. Lateralization has predominantly genetic bases, but can also be influenced by environmental factors. For example, lateralization has been observed to increase in populations of fish subject to high predation pressure as it decreases their response time to predatory attacks. Parasitism may also have important effects on lateralization. In particular, increased drag from …

Gene Duplication And The Evolution Of Hemoglobin Isoform Differentiation In Birds, Michael T. Grispo

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The majority of bird species co-express two functionally distinct hemoglobin (Hb) isoforms in definitive erythrocytes: HbA (the major adult Hb isoform, with α-chain subunits encoded by the α^A-globin gene) and HbD (the minor adult Hb isoform, with α-chain subunits encoded by the α^D-globin gene). The α^D-globin gene originated via tandem duplication of an embryonic α-like globin gene in the stem lineage of tetrapod vertebrates, which suggests the possibility that functional differentiation between the HbA and HbD isoforms may be attributable to a retained ancestral character state in HbD that harkens back to a primordial, …

Scavenger Interactions In A Human-Influenced Environment: The Foraging Behavior Of The Red-Shouldered Hawk (Buteo Lineatus) At Residential Compost Piles, Eleanor Lucadamo

Senior Theses and Projects

Residential composting has increased in popularity in recent years, along with the untested claim that the addition of animal-based kitchen scraps will increase the number of scavenging wildlife visitors. This study represents the first experimental test of that claim. Using three compost piles consisting respectively of no kitchen scraps (CON), a mix of animal and vegetable scraps (MIX), or only vegetable scraps (VEG) that were monitored with heat-in-motion sensitive cameras, we studied the visitation pattern of attracted wildlife. Of the 29 species identified thus far at the compost piles, I chose to focus on the red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus …

Ecology Of Tenodera Sinensis And Tenodera Angustipennis (Mantodea: Mantidae) In Eastern Virginia, Cory A. Gall

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

My study, conducted on the Wildlife Refuge located on Virginia's Eastern Shore, focused on the life history, ecology, and intra- and interspecies interaction of Tenodera sinensis and T. angustipennis. Field methods included capture-mark-recapture, species, sex, and developmental life stage identification, and recorded key developmental milestones. Also, to analyze food-limiting growth, a laboratory cohort was fed ad lib, with lab and field cohorts measured bi-weekly and their mean weekly growth was compared.

When compared to a lab cohort, Tsinensis field mantises were shown not to be growth limited by the abundance of prey. In 2011, the dates of several developmental stages …