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Endurance And Exercise Physiology In Urosaurus Ornatus: Sex And Morph Differences?, Elizabeth Christine Foulkes

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Locomotory performance has been the focus of many ecological and evolutionary studies, and lizards have been a model system. While several studies have demonstrated interspecific differences in performance, few have examined intraspeciflc variation in performance and the suites of underlying physiological traits in tree lizards ( Uro.,·aurns ornatus) a species with alternative reproductive tactics that show variation in spatial use patterns. To assess the functional ecology of movement behaviors of male morphs and or females, I examined variation in exertion, plasma metabolites, plasma steroid hormones, and muscle fiber types in ornate tree lizards ( Urosaurus ornalus). In my study population, …

Landbird Migration In The American West: Recent Progress And Future Research Directions, Jay D. Carlisle, Susan K. Skagen, Barbara E. Kus, Charles Van Riper Iii, Kristina L. Paxton, Jeff F. Kelly

Intermountain Bird Observatory Publications and Presentations

Our knowledge of avian behaviors during the non-breeding period still lags behind that of the breeding season, but the last decade has witnessed a proliferation in research that has yielded significant progress in understanding migration patterns of North American birds. And, although the great majority of migration research has historically been conducted in the eastern half of the continent, there has been much recent progress on aspects of avian migration in the West. In particular, expanded use of techniques such as radar, plasma metabolites, mist-netting, count surveys, stable isotopes, genetic data, and animal tracking, coupled with an increase in multi-investigator …

Distribution And Site Selection Of Le Conte's And Crissal Thrashers In The Mojave Desert: A Multi-Model Approach, Dawn Marie Fletcher

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Information on the distribution and habitat requirements of a species are critical components to the development of meaningful conservation plans. Such knowledge, however, is particularly difficult to obtain for species that are elusive and occur at low densities, such as the Le Conte's ( Toxostoma lecontei ) and Crissal (Toxostoma crissale ) thrashers. In association with a regional conservation plan, I evaluated the distribution and habitat selection of these thrashers within Clark County, Nevada in the eastern Mojave Desert. I used a call-broadcast approach to sample 432 stratified random locations, detecting Le Conte's thrashers at 45 locations and Crissal …

Yolk Androgens And Development In American Kestrel Nestlings, Melanie Dawn Berg

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Maternally derived yolk androgens affect many aspects of phenotypic development. To explore this phenomenon I injected clutches of American kestrels (Falco sparverius) with one of three different dosages of testosterone + androstenedione or with vehicle. Morphological measurements taken from nestlings 26 days after hatching showed no significant treatment effect. In 2007, nestlings with more yolk androgens had lower hatching mass and higher hematocrit levels 15 days after hatching than nestlings with less yolk androgens, but the effects disappeared by day 26. In 2008, there were no effects of androgens on mass or hematocrit. Because the results were not …

The Effects Of Climate Variability On The Structure Of The Phytoplankton Community In Tumaco Bay, Colombia, Ingrid Garcia-Hansen Honkala

Dissertations

Spatiotemporal variability in the diatom and dinoflagellate community structure and chlorophyll a (chl a) concentrations in Tumaco Bay during the 1993-2005 period was related clearly to seasonal and interannual variability in environmental conditions due to the migration of the Inter-tropical Convergence Zone (ITZC) and the influence of El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events. A total of 134 species of diatoms that belong to 57 genera, and 78 species of dinoflagellates that belong to 25 genera were identified during the survey. The diatom community was the dominant group in the waters of the bay, being the most abundant with the greatest …

The Effects Of Dolphin Education Programs On Visitors' Conservation-Related Knowledge, Attitude And Behavior, Lance Joseph Miller

Dissertations

Zoological institutions typically exhibit dolphins in educational programs such as dolphin shows and interaction programs. The goal of these programs is to entertain visitors while increasing their conservation-related knowledge, attitude and behavior towards dolphins and the marine environment. The purpose of the current study was to examine dolphin shows and interaction programs in terms of their effectiveness in meeting these goals. A multi-institutional study was conducted at six different facilities throughout the United States. A repeated measures design was used to examine the knowledge, attitude and behavior of visitors before, immediately after and three months following participation in dolphin shows …

The Effects Of Wastewater Effluent On A Fish And Amphibian Species, Anthony Sowers

All Dissertations

Wastewater effluents have been shown to contain a variety of anthropogenic compounds, many of which have endocrine-disrupting properties. While multiple laboratory studies have shown the effects of such compounds on an individual basis at elevated concentrations, little research has attempted to characterize the effects of exposure to environmentally relevant mixtures of endocrine disruptors. The current study examined the effects of long-term exposure to graded concentrations of wastewater effluent on the fathead minnow, Pimephales promelas, and the northern leopard frog, Rana pipiens. Fathead minnows were exposed from the larval stage through sexual maturity, while northern leopard frogs were exposed as eggs …

Taxonomic Revision Of Species Of The Genus Monoecocestus (Cestoda: Anoplocephalidae), Terry R. Haverkost

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

My dissertation research is an important contribution to the taxonomy of anoplocephalid cestodes. Almost all research conducted for these chapters was done by staining, mounting, and measuring anoplocephalid cestodes from the Bolivian Biodiversity Survey conducted in Bolivia from 1984-2000. These specimens were collected and processed in the field and deposited in the Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology. I was particularly interested in species of the genus Monoecocestus Beddard, 1914 that parasitize caviid and sigmodontine rodents. In all instances, the material studied has lead to the description of new species or the redescription of existing species of Monoecocestus. In …

Metabolic Tracer Studies Of Linoleic And Linolenic Acids To Identify Biohydrogenation Intermediates Produced By Ruminal Microorganisms, Yong-Jae Lee

All Dissertations

Conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) have been shown to regulate many physiological functions affecting human health. These CLA can endogenously originate from trans fatty acids through the enzymatic activity of desaturase, or they are produced from dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids via the biohydrogenation process in the rumen. A minimum of seventeen CLA isomers have been identified in the intestinal contents of ruminants; however, the entire synthetic pathway for all isomers is not known. The objective of this study was to establish the number and identity of intermediates including CLA that originate from linoleic and linolenic acid biohydrogenation. To accomplish this objective, …

Stress Responses To Salinity In A Native Fresh Water Snake (Nerodia Rhombifer), Joana A. Cordoba

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Salinity stress at 0 ppt, 9 ppt, 18 ppt, and 27 ppt was investigated in Nerodia rhombifer, a fresh water snake. The purpose of this study was to establish if exposure to salinity could elicit a hormonal response in the form of corticosterone. Salinity treatment 27 ppt was lethal for 50% of the snakes. Factors such as population and gender differences were not significant, p=0.748 and p=0.135, respectively. Exposure to the different salinities did not significantly affect the overall mass of the animal, p=0.951. A significant increase in circulating corticosterone was noted in salinity treatments 0 ppt and 18 ppt, …

Effects Of Direct And Indirect Predator Cues On Heteromyid Seed Selection And Seed Fate, Kelly J. Sivy

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Many factors affect foraging behavior of rodents, including predation risk, which is thought to influence seed selection and seed handling by desert rodents in patchy environments. Understanding forces that drive seed selection and seed fate can aid understanding of rodents' impacts on vegetation structure and dynamics. In a feeding arena study, we tested how indirect and direct predation cues influence seed selection and handling behaviors (e.g., scatterhoarding and larderhoarding) of two heteromyid rodents, Dipodomys ordii (Ord's kangaroo rat) and Perognathus parvus (Great Basin pocket mouse), foraging on three seed species. The indirect cue was shrub cover: one half of the …

Maintaining Population Persistence In The Face Of An Extremely Altered Hydrograph: Implications For Three Sensitive Fishes In A Tributary Of The Green River, Utah, Jared L. Bottcher

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The ability of an organism to disperse to suitable habitats, especially in modified and fragmented systems, determines individual fitness and overall population viability. The bluehead sucker (Catostomus discobolus), flannelmouth sucker (Catostomus latipinnis), and roundtail chub (Gila robusta) are three species native to the upper Colorado River Basin that now occupy only 50% of their historic range. Despite these distributional declines, populations of all three species are present in the San Rafael River, a highly regulated tributary of the Green River, Utah, providing an opportunity for research. Our goal was to determine the timing and …

Greater Sage-Grouse Ecology, Chick Survival, And Population Dynamics, Parker Mountain, Utah, David K. Dahlgren

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

We estimated survival of ~ 1-day-old chicks to 42 days based on radio-marked individuals for the Parker Mountain greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) population. Chick survival was relatively high (low estimate of 0.41 and high estimate of 0.50) compared to other studies. Brood-mixing occurred for 21 % of radio-marked chicks, and within 43 % of radio-marked broods. Our study showed that brood-mixing may be an important ecological strategy for sage-grouse, because chicks that brood-mixed experienced higher survival. Additionally, modeling of chick survival suggested that arthropod abundance is important during the early brood-rearing period (1 - 21 days). We also …

Design And Evaluation Of Oligonucleotide Microarrays For The Detection Of Bovine Pathogens, Ryan Weldon Black

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Two microarray designs were developed and produced to screen for multiple bovine pathogens commonly found in the cattle industry today. The first microarray was designed, built, and processed in-house using conventional material and equipment and targeted Pasteurella multocida, Manheimia haemolytica, Histophilus somni, and Arcanobacterium pyogenes. For each pathogen, 12 perfect-match oligonucleotide probes, which were also designed in-house, targeted different sections of the respective 16S ribosomal genes, and were coupled with 12 corresponding mismatched probes for background. These arrays were able to produce distinct hybridization patterns for each pathogen that were easily visible without the need for …

Integrating Lethal And Nonlethal Approaches For Management Of Suburban Deer, Jason R. Boulanger, Paul D. Curtis, Michael Ashdown

Biology Faculty Publications

Evaluations of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) population management in suburban landscapes has included debate over lethal control (e.g., sharp-shooting and hunting). These management techniques are often stymied by political impediments, safety concerns, and public attitudes. We are implementing the novel use of surgical sterilization in combination with hunting to mitigate deer-related impacts on Cornell University lands near Ithaca, New York. The project lands are composed of 2 zones: a suburban core campus area (446 ha) and adjacent outlying areas that contain agricultural fields and natural areas where deer hunting is permitted (582 ha). Surgical sterilization will be the …

My 20-Year Research Journey For A New Species Of Spiders, Or How To Come To A New Discovery, Vladimir Ovtcharenko

Touchstone

From time to time students ask me whether it is difficult to discover new species of organisms on our planet. To answer this question, I have decided to tell my story of how I discovered a new species of spider that I have dedicated to Eugenio María de Hostos.

Fisheries Research Report No. 189 - Results Of A 2007 Survey Of The Swan River Region For Four Introduced Marine Species, Justin I. Mcdonald, Fred E. Wells

Fisheries Research Reports

A survey of the Swan River region for four non-indigenous marine species was conducted in 2007: the European shore crab Carcinus maenas, the Asian bag mussel Musculista senhousia, the European fan worm Sabella spallanzanii, and the scallop Scaeochlamys livida. The first three of these species are global in their distribution and on the ‘top-ten world’s worst invaders listing; the last species is introduced from the eastern states of Australia.

In this survey divers on SCUBA examined 43 sites for each of the listed species. Despite previous records of Carcinus maenas and Musculista senhousia in this region …

Behavioral Application In Wildlife Photography: Developing A Foundation In Ecological And Behavioral Characteristics Of The Zanzibar Red Colobus Monkey (Procolobus Kirkii) As It Applies To The Development Exhibition Photography, Matthew Jorgensen

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

A fundamental understanding of Zanzibar red colobus monkey (Piliocolobus kirkii) behavior can be used to increase the efficiency of a photographic expedition and to increase the impact and value of a subsequent exhibition of the photographs taken. Preliminary research on cercopithecine monkeys, as well as the individual species, was paired with animal behavior experience in the development and execution of a photographic expedition to Jozani Forest. Collected photographs were compiled, organized, analyzed and edited before final selection of twenty five pieces meant for exhibition. These shots were assessed for their aesthetic, documentary and educational quality both individually and collectively as …

Sponges On Chumbe Island, Emily Marshall

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The sponge population of Chumbe Island, off the western coast of Unguja Island was studied. Opportunistic observation, underwater photography, and sponge collection on the eastern side of the island was conducted. The sponge samples collected where then taxonomically analyzed in the lab. This is study will contribute to the limited amount of information known about sponge taxonomy and prevalence in the Western Indian Ocean region. It will increase the knowledge about the diversity of sponges in this region. The information collected from this experiment was compiled into a booklet that will be available to the tourists as well as the …

Wild Justice - Honor And Fairness Among Beasts At Play, Marc Bekoff, Jessica Pierce

Social Cognition Collection

This essay challenges science’s traditional taboo against anthropomorphizing animals or considering their behavior as indicative of feelings similar to human emotions. In their new book Wild Justice: The Moral Lives of Animals, the authors argue that anthropomorphism is alive and well, as it should be. Here they describe some activities of animals, particularly animals at play, as clear signs that they have recognizable emotions and moral intelligence. Based on years of behavioral and cognitive research, the authors discuss in their book that animals exhibit a broad repertoire of moral behaviors, including empathy and cooperation, but here they concentrate on the …

Integrated Fisheries Management. Allocation Report Roe's Abalone Resource Perth Metropolitan Region., Integrated Fisheries Allocation Advisory Committee

Fisheries Management Papers

The introduction of Integrated Fisheries Management (IFM) is a recent development in the management of fisheries in Western Australia. IFM is an initiative aimed at addressing the issue of how fish resources in Western Australia can be best shared between competing users within the broad context of “Ecologically Sustainable Development”, or ESD.

Fisheries Occasional Publication No. 67 - Review Of Fisheries Research Report (177), Aldo Steffe, Department Of Fisheries Western Australia

Fisheries Occasional Publications

To provide a review of the Research Report (177) on recreational boat-based fishing in the West Coast Bioregion during 2005/06 including: • The appropriateness of the basic creel survey design used for deriving estimates of catch, effort and catch rates for this type of fishery. • An assessment of whether the assumptions, scope and omissions were suitably identified. • The robustness of the catch estimates, and any conclusions that were included in the report, and total and seasonal recreational catch estimates. These initial terms of reference were expanded to include some discussion on issues raised by (a) the WA Fisheries …

Nutrient And Fiber Type Relationships In Barrosã Muscles, P. Costa, L. C. Roseiro, V. Alves, Chris R. Calkins, R. J. B. Bessa, C. Santos

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Fiber type and nutrient compositions from Biceps femoris (Bf), Longissimus dorsi (Ld) and Supraspinatus (Ss) muscles of 10 Barrosã calves were determined and the respective relationships investigated by principal component analysis (PCA). The Ss muscle had higher proportion of type IIA fibers than Bf (P < 0.001) and Ld (P < 0.01), higher percentage of oxidative fibers than Ld muscle (P < 0.01) and lower proportion of IIB fibers than Bf (P P < 0.01). The latter muscle had higher intramuscular total lipids (ITL) (P P c9t11-CLA (P < 0.001), saturated fatty acids (SFA) (P < trans fatty acids (TFA) (P P P < n-6 PUFA (P < n-3 PUFA (P < 0.01), polyunsaturated/saturated fatty ac¬ids ratio (P/S) (P < 0.001) and hypocholesterolaemic/hypercholesterolaemic fatty acid ratio (h/H) (P P < and phospholipids (PL) (P < 0.05) contents were found in Ss muscle. Cholesterol amount was unaffected by anatomical location and ranged from 0.50 to 0.54 mg/g. Barrosã muscles were not well dis¬tinguishable by PCA since, based on fiber and nutritional compositions, they did not clearly present different pat¬terns. Barrosã-PDO veal is a low fat meat providing 367–558 mg of n-6 PUFA and 151-172 mg of n-3 PUFA of which 67–78 mg are EPA + DHA (based on 150 g consumption). The n-6 …

Fisheries Occasional Publication No. 66 - Scientific Review Of The West Coast Demersal Scalefish Fishery, Western Australia, Michael O'Neill, Department Of Fisheries Western Australia

Fisheries Occasional Publications

In December 2008 the Hon Norman Moore MLC, Minister for Fisheries Western Australia appointed two independent experts to assess separately 1) the validity of scientific advice to management and 2) options to manage recreational fishing of west coast demersal scalefish. The following review (1) assesses the validity of research outlining the status of baldchin groper (Choerodon rubescens), West Australian dhufish (Glaucosoma hebraicum) and snapper (Pagrus auratus) as described in the terms of reference. In addition to the terms of reference, an opinion was requested regarding the current appropriateness of the research advice (Wise et al 2007) and the resulting management …

Final Report -- Missouri River Fish And Wildlife Mitigation Program: Fish Community Monitoring And Habitat Assessment Of Off-Channel Mitigation Sites, Van Sterner, Royce Bowman, Brandon L. Eder, Sabrina Negus, Gerald Mestl, Kasey Whiteman, Darrick Garner, Vince Travnichek, Joshua Schloesser, Joseph Mcmullen, Tracy Hill

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: Staff Research Publications

The Missouri River has been developed for flood control, commercial navigation, irrigation, fish and wildlife conservation, municipal water supply, water quality control and hydropower production through a series of congressional acts. However, prior to development, the lower Missouri River was characterized by a highly sinuous to braided channel with abundant log jams, sand bars, secondary channels and cut-off channels. Construction of the Bank Stabilization and Navigation Project (BSNP) converted the lower Missouri River into a narrow, self scouring channel. The active channel downstream of Sioux City, Iowa was as wide as 1.8 km before river modification, but is now confined …

Diet And Behavior Of Ferruginous Hawks Nesting In Two Grasslands In New Mexico With Differing Anthropogenic Alteration, William Hanlon Keeley

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

I analyzed regurgitated pellets, prey remains, and video recordings to describe Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo regalis) diet in two grasslands in New Mexico, USA, the Estancia Valley and the Plains of San Agustin, that differed in anthropogenic alteration. Video monitoring revealed Ferruginous Hawks provisioned nestlings with more biomass than pellet analysis estimates from the same nests. Three mammalian prey species, Botta’s pocket gopher (Thomomys bottae), Gunnison’s prairie dog (Cynomys gunnisoni), and desert cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii)contributed similar proportions to Ferruginous Hawk diet in percent biomass while Botta's pocket gopher dominated diet in percent frequency. …

Unlv Magazine, Michelle Mouton, Tony Allen, Afsha Bawany, Shane Bevell, Phil Hagen, Greg Lacour, Erin O'Donnell, Karyn S. Hollingsworth

UNLV Magazine

No abstract provided.

Sociality And Reconciliation In Monk Parakeets (Myiopsitta Monachus), Lynnsey Lee Morrison

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

For animals living within socially complex groups, it is beneficial for all individuals to maintain group cohesion. Conflicts often arise in groups, which could potentially have high costs both to the subordinate and dominant members, and could lead to group instability. It has been shown numerous times that highly social group members participate in affiliative relationships with other group members discriminately. They also perform related behavior patterns such as reconciliation at a high rate, which could strengthen group stability. Reconciliation occurs when an affiliative interaction takes place between two individuals following an agonistic encounter. The rate of affiliation is higher …

Effects On Hatchability Due To Pre-Incubation Warming Of End Of Lay Broiler Breeder Eggs, William Andrew Greenwald

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

A Survey Of Bats In Northern Trinidad Late In The Rainy Season, Keith Geluso, Mary J. Harner, Cliff A. Lemen, Patricia W. Freeman

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Located off the northeastern coast of Venezuela, Trinidad is a small tropical island with a rich diversity of bats. Although 66 species have been documented, few inventories have pub¬lished information on community structure of bats in the diverse habitats of the island. Here we report on composition, abundance, and natural history of species captured primarily in the Northern Range at the end of the rainy season (late December–early January). We captured 789 individuals representing 30 species in six families, including 672 bats in nets at ground level and 117 associated with roosts. Our capture rates in ground-level mist nets were …