Digital Commons Network^™

Effects Of Food Deprivation, Body Size, And Egg Load On The Mating Behavior Of Female Japanese Beetles, Popillia Japonica Newman (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), Natasha Tigreros

Masters Theses

Female condition may play an important role in the mating frequency of species that mate at foraging areas. For example, in species where feeding females are more easily encountered or less resistant to mating than females that are performing other activities, low energy levels could increase mating activity. We studied the relationship between female condition and mating activity in the Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in a laboratory study. We altered condition by depriving some females of food for one day and comparing their mating behavior to well-fed females. Our results showed that the effect of condition on mating …

Red Squirrel Distribution And Habitat Use In Illinois, Corinna Hanson

Masters Theses

The North American red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) is a species of special concern in Illinois due to its restricted geographic range and low numbers. This species occupies a broad geographic range in North America and is usually associated with the boreal forests of Canada and coniferous forests in the Rocky Mountain range. The squirrels also occupy deciduous and mixed deciduous-coniferous forests in the eastern U.S. In Illinois, available habitat is suboptimal, and limited to pine plantations and small tracts of deciduous forest embedded in an agricultural matrix landscapе. Information on the spatial distribution of red squirrels in northeastern Illinois was …

Mating, Kinship, And Population Structure In Illinois Beaver Populations, Joanne C. Crawford

Masters Theses

The North American beaver, Castor canadensis, is an important wildlife species for a variety of reasons. As a furbearer, it provides income and recreation to trappers throughout the state. As a wetland engineer, it helps maintain functioning ecosystems (Naiman et al. 1986, McKinstry and Anderson 2002). Finally, the beaver serves as a model organism for studies of mating and kinship, as it has beed reported to be almost exclusively monogamous (Sun 2003).

Monogamy in mammals is generally restricted to the primates, canids, and rodents, and is defined as a mating system in which a pair remains together for at least …

Glow Sticks As Effective Bait For Capturing Aquatic Amphibians In Funnel Traps, Kristine L. Grayson, Andrew W. Roe

Biology Faculty Publications

Funnel traps of various designs have been used to capture adults and larvae of aquatic amphibians (e.g., Buech and Egeland 2002; Richter 1995). Most studies use unbaited funnel traps to capture amphibians while others have used shrimp or salmon eggs (Adams et al. 1997). Light traps and light sticks are commonly used in studies of fish, particularly larvae (Doherty 1987; Marchetti et al. 2004), but have not been widely used to capture amphibians. Glow sticks have been mentioned briefly in the literature as a means to increase capture rates of aquatic amphibians (Smith and Rettig 1996), but no studies have …

Habitat Use And Overwintering Ecology Of The Northern Watersnake (Nerodia Sipedon) On An Artificial Levee In Central Illinois, Melanie J. Olds

Masters Theses

Several reptile species have populations that are in decline, and anthropogenic habitat loss and alteration are arguably the factors having the greatest impact on these species. More attention has been paid to understanding the activity season habitat needs in snakes than on the habitat requirements for overwintering. I examined the patterns of both activity season and overwintering habitat use by a population of northern watersnakes (Nerodia sipedon) that inhabit an artificial levee in central Illinois. My research objectives were to determine how a population of northern watersnakes uses an artificial levee during the activity season and to determine what type …

Influence Of Fish Presence And Removal On Woodland Pond Breeding Amphibians, J. Brian Towey

Masters Theses

Predatory fish can have devastating effects on populations of amphibians, many of which are already declining around the world. Land managers seeking to restore disturbed woodland ponds to more historically-accurate conditions may consider removing fish, a potentially difficult or costly process. I report on the effects of introduced sunfish (Lepomis spp.) and black bullhead catfish (Ameiurus melas), and their removal, on the reproductive efforts of three species of amphibians: smallmouth salamanders (Ambystoma texanum), American toads (Bufo americanus) and wood frogs (Rana sylvatica). Using drift fences and pitfall traps around four woodland ponds, amphibians were monitored for one year prior to …

Stabel Isotope Turnover Rates And Diet-Tissue Discrimination In The Skin Of West Indian Manatees: Implcations For Evaluating Their Feeding Ecology And Habitat Use, Christy Alves

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus) is an herbivorous marine mammal that occupies freshwater, estuarine, and marine habitats. Despite being considered endangered, relatively little is known about the feeding ecology of either of the two recognized subspecies, the Florida manatee (T.m. latirostris) and Caribbean or Antillean manatee (T.m. manatus). A better understanding of their respective feeding preferences and habitat use is essential to establish criteria on which conservation plans can be based. The present study expands on previous work on manatee feeding ecology by both assessing the application of stable isotope analysis to manatee tissue and providing critical baseline parameters …

Restoration Of Intertidal Oyster Reefs Affected By Intense Recreational Boating Activity In Mosquito Lagoon, Florida, Andrea Barber

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, intertidal reefs of Crassostrea virginica (eastern oyster) along central Florida's east coast have suffered extensive losses due to wakes from recreational boats. These wakes have caused extensive shell movement and sediment resuspension which results in large piles of disarticulated shells along the seaward edges of reefs. Dead margins extend up to one meter above mean high water. The creation and enforcement of "no wake" zones in the area are unlikely. Thus, there is an urgent need for an alternative restoration strategy before these oyster reefs decline any further. The goal of this project was to develop a …

Genetic And Phenotypic Evolution In The Ornate Chorus Frog (Pseudacris Ornata): Testing The Relative Roles Of Natural Selection,, Jacob Degner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Understanding how migration, genetic drift, and natural selection interact to maintain the genetic and phenotypic variation we observe in natural populations is a central goal of population genetics. Amphibians provide excellent model organisms for investigating the interplay between these evolutionary forces because amphibians are generally characterized by limited dispersal abilities, high philopatry, and are obligately associated with the areas around suitable habitats (e.g. breeding ponds). Thus, on relatively small geographic scales, the relative effects of all of these evolutionary forces can be studied together. Here, we study the interaction of migration, genetic drift, natural selection, and historical process in the …

Life History And Reproductive Biology Of Clitoria Fragrans Relative To Fire History On The Avon Park Air Force Range, Michelle Nicole Lewis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The southeastern coastal plain of the United States is a center of endemism for plants in temperate North America and second only to California among the states. In the southeast, Florida has the largest number of these endemic plants. The largest number of these Florida endemics can be found in the fire maintained scrub and sandhill communities located on sandy ridges in Central Florida. One such endemic is Clitoria fragrans, a rare perennial herb. C. fragrans reproduces via a mixed mating system. It produces both open, chasmogamous flowers and closed, selfed, cleistogamous flowers. Little else is known about its biology. …

Demographic Consequences Of Managing For Florida Scrub-Jays (Aphelocoma Coerulescens) On An Isolated Preserve., Casey Lyon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many species naturally occupy discrete habitat patches within a mosaic of habitats that vary in quality. The Florida scrub-jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens) is endemic to Florida scrub, a habitat that is naturally patchy and greatly reduced in area over recent decades owing to development and urbanization. Because of this habitat loss, future management of Florida scrub-jays will focus on smaller, fragmented tracts of land. My study examines such a tract, Lyonia Preserve, southwest Volusia County, FL. This preserve was unoccupied by scrub-jays prior to habitat restoration. The preserve is now frequently managed exclusively for scrub-jays as a habitat island surrounded by …

Characterization Of Pigment Cell Specific Genes In The Sea Urchin Embryo (Strongylocentrotus Purpuratus), Tricia Stephens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In sea urchin development, cell fate specification appears by the 60-cell stage embryo when several embryonic territories are recognized: the small micromeres, the large micromeres which will generate primary mesenchyme cells, the vegetal2 layer that will give rise to pigment cells, immunocytes, and muscle cells, the vegetal1 layer, as well as the oral and aboral ectoderm. A Delta-Notch signaling event is required for the differential specification of mesodermal cells that will give rise to secondary mesenchyme cells (SMCs). SMCs produce four cell types: pigment cells, blastocoelar cells, circumesophageal muscle cells, and coelomic pouch cells. Pigment cells are the first to …

Responses Of Small Rodents To Restoration And Management Techniques Of Florida Scrub At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florid, Alexis Suazo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Proper habitat management is essential for the survival and reproduction of species, especially those listed under state or federal laws as endangered, threatened or of special concern, and those with small local populations. Land managers use a combination of mechanical cutting and prescribed burning to manage and restore degraded scrub habitat in east central Florida. This approach improves habitat for the endangered Florida scrub-jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens), but little is known about its effects on other taxa, especially the threatened southeastern beach mouse (Peromyscus polionotus niveiventris). This single species approach may not be beneficial to other taxa, and mechanical cutting and …

Genmapp 2: New Features And Resources For Pathway Analysis, Nathan Salomonis, Kristina Hanspers, Alexander C. Zambon, Karen Vranizan, Steven C. Lawlor, Kam D. Dahlquist, Scott W. Doniger, Josh Stuart, Bruce R. Conklin, Alexander R. Pico

Biology Faculty Works

Background: Microarray technologies have evolved rapidly, enabling biologists to quantify genome-wide levels of gene expression, alternative splicing, and sequence variations for a variety of species. Analyzing and displaying these data present a significant challenge. Pathway-based approaches for analyzing microarray data have proven useful for presenting data and for generating
testable hypotheses.

Results: To address the growing needs of the microarray community we have released version 2 of Gene Map Annotator and Pathway Profiler (GenMAPP), a new GenMAPP database schema, and integrated resources for pathway analysis. We have redesigned the GenMAPP database to support multiple gene annotations and species as well …

Hyena Societies, Heather E. Watts

Biology Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Heterozygosity And Fitness In A California Population Of The Labyrinth Spider Metepeira Ventura (Araneae, Araneidae)., Martina G. Ramirez, Sarah S. Eiman, Melissa M. Wetkowski, Miranda K. Mooers, Luningning A. Ocampo

Biology Faculty Works

The relationship between individual heterozygosity and characteristics likely to be associated with fitness was investigated in the labyrinth spider Metepeira ventura. Adult females and their egg sacs were collected at a coastal site in southern California, and three measures of bodily condition (carapace width, weight, residual index) and six measures of reproductive output (number of egg sacs, variation in egg number among sacs [coefficient of variation], total number of eggs, mean eggs/sac, mean eggs/sac divided by carapace width, mean eggs/sac divided by weight) were determined for each spider. The sample was polymorphic at three allozyme loci that were in Hardy-Weinberg …

" A Conservation Assessment Of The Freshwater Crabs Of Southern Africa" , Neil Cumberlidge, Savel R. Daniels

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Tree Calls Of Three Treefrogs (Hyla Femoralis, H. Gratiosa, And H. Squirella): Analysis Of Environmental, Behavioral, And Acoustic Characteristics, Kristine Schad

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Male frogs typically call near water at dusk to attract females for breeding. During the breeding season, male treefrogs also emit diurnal "tree calls" or "rain calls" from the tops of trees. Very little is known about tree calls, although many treefrogs use them. Tree calls may be used to attract females, deter males or be triggered by weather conditions favorable for breeding: high temperature and relative humidity, and a drop in barometric pressure. As dusk approaches, male treefrogs continue tree calls from lower in the trees, and if conditions are favorable, jump to the ground and travel to a …

Relationships Between Body Size And Abundance In Ecology, Ethan P. White, S.K. Morgan Ernest, A. J. Kerkoff, B. J. Enquist

Biology Faculty Publications

Body size is perhaps the most fundamental property of an organism and is related to many biological traits, including abundance. The relationship between abundance and body size has received much attention, both to quantify the form of the relationship and to understand the processes that generate it. However, progress is impeded by the underappreciated fact that there are four distinct, but inter-related, relationships between size and abundance that are often confused in the literature. Here, we review and distinguish between these four patterns, and discuss the linkages between them. We argue that a synthetic understanding of size and abundance relationships …

Ecological Correlates Of Geographic Range Occupancy In North American Birds, A. H. Hurlbert, Ethan P. White

Biology Faculty Publications

The degree to which a species is predictably encountered within its range varies 36 tremendously across species. Understanding why some species occur less frequently within their 37 range than others has important consequences for conservation and for range map based analyses 38 of ecological patterns. We examined whether patterns in geographical range occupancy can be 39 explained by species level traits.

Challenges In The Application Of Geometric Constraint Models, C. R. Mcclain, Ethan P. White, A. H. Hurlbert

Biology Faculty Publications

Discerning the processes influencing geographic patterns of species richness remains one of the central goals of modern ecology. Traditional approaches to exploring these patterns have focused on environmental and ecological correlates of observed species richness. Recently, some have suggested these approaches suffered from the lack of an appropriate null model that accounts for species’ ranges being constrained to occur within a bounded domain. Proponents of these null geometric constraint models (GCMs), and the mid-domain effect these models produce, argue their utility in identifying meaningful gradients in species richness. This idea has generated substantial debate. Here we discuss what we believe …

Sexual Dimorphism, Population Dynamics And Some Aspects Of Life History Of Echiniscus Mauccii (Tardigrada; Heterotardigrada), Colleen R. Mitchell, Frank A. Romano Iii

Research, Publications & Creative Work

A fifteen month study (December 2002 though February 2004) of a meiofaunal community living in moss and lichen from a Pecan tree on the campus of Jacksonville State University reports 9,791 microinvertebrates. Echiniscus mauccii was the most prevalent tardigrade species (1,329 specimens) and was chosen to determine population dynamics and some aspects of their life histories. The average length of all the specimens (adults, juveniles, males, and females) for each month was determined. A plot of all E. mauccii specimens was used to determine the following life stages of this species; juvenile, pre-reproductive, and reproductive. The studied population exhibited relatively …

Ambystoma: Perspectives On Adaptation And The Evolution Of Vertebrate Genomes, Jeramiah James Smith

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Tiger salamanders, and especially the Mexican axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum), are important model organisms in biological research. This dissertation describes new genomic resources and scientific results that greatly extend the utility of tiger salamanders. With respect to new resources, this dissertation describes the development of expressed sequence tags and assembled contigs, a comparative genome map, a web-portal that makes genomic information freely available to the scientific community, and a computer program that compares structure features of organism genomes. With respect to new scientific results, this dissertation describes a quantitative trait locus that is associated with ecologically and evolutionarily relevant …

Functional Characteristics Of Nematocysts Found On The Scyphomedusa Cyanea Capillata, Sean Colin, John H. Costello

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

Although prey capture by cnidarians is mediated through nematocysts, their influence on prey selection by cnidarians remains poorly documented. The difficulty in visualizing nematocyst–prey interactions remains the chief obstacle to understanding how the wide variety of nematocyst types influences the mechanics of prey capture. One solution to this limitation has been to assign functional roles to nematocysts based on morphological characters of discharged cnidae. Here we report results of an alternative approach based upon dynamic traits of nematocyst discharge. We examined tubule lengths, tubule discharge velocities and net-to-gross displacement ratios of tubules of discharging nematocysts possessed by the cosmopolitan scyphomedusa, …

Density-Dependent Effect On Reproductive Behaviour Of Lysmata Amboinensis And L. Boggessi (Decapoda: Caridea: Hippolytidae), Dong Zhang, Andrew L. Rhyne, Junda Lin

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

We compared the reproductive behaviours of two protandric simultaneous hermaphroditic species (Lysmata amboinensis and L. boggessi) that belong to two groups of Lysmata shrimp with different morphology, geographical distribution, and density. Lysmata amboinensis occurs in tropical waters at low population densities, and L. boggessi is found in aggregation in sub-tropical and temperate areas. Reproductive behaviour of L. boggessi under two densities and L. amboinensis in different habitats were compared. Results show that L. amboinensis was much less active during mating than L. boggessi. Male shrimp of L. amboinensis did not display obvious pre-copulation behaviour. They also took …

Cell Cycle Analysis Of Atrazine-Treated Human Fibroblast Cells Using Flow Cytometry, Andrea L. Austin

Honors Program Theses

Atrazine is the most frequently used triazine herbicide in the United States. Studies have shown an association between herbicide exposure and increased levels of DNA damage, reproductive and endocrine problems, and an increased risk for certain cancers. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEP A) has set a maximum allowable limit at 3 parts per billion (ppb ). Previous work from our lab has shown decreased cell proliferation of normal human fibroblasts after low-level atrazine exposure for 72 hours at 0.8-100 ppb without a corresponding increase in apoptosis or necrosis.

The objective of the current study is to determine a …

Nest Reuse By Eastern Kingbirds: Adaptive Behavior Or Ecological Constraint?, Lucas J. Redmond, Michael T. Murphy, Amy C. Dolan

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The reuse of old nests by open-cup nesting passerines is a seemingly rare but potentially adaptive behavior if, as a consequence, females begin to breed earlier, lay larger clutches, or fledge more young. We report an unusually high rate of nest reuse (~10% of 341 nests) for Eastern Kingbirds (Tyrannus tyrannus) breeding at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon. We found no difference in availability of nesting habitat or food abundance in territories in which nests were and were not reused. We also found no support for the hypotheses that kingbirds benefited from nest reuse by breeding earlier, laying …

Representing The Object Of Controversy: The Case Of The Molecular Clock, Michael Dietrich

Dartmouth Scholarship

Through a case study of the controversies surrounding the molecular clock, this paper examines the role of visual representation in the dynamics of scientific controversies. Representations of the molecular clock themselves became objects of controversy and so were not a means for closure. Instead visual representations of the molecular clock became tools for the further articulation of an ongoing controversy.

Germ-Line Chimerism And Paternal Care In Marmosets (Callithrix Kuhlii), Corinna N. Ross, J. A. French, G. Ortí

Biology Faculty Publications (Archived)

The formation of viable genetic chimeras in mammals through the transfer of cells between siblings in utero is rare. Using microsatellite DNA markers, we show here that chimerism in marmoset (Callithrix kuhlii) twins is not limited to blood-derived hematopoietic tissues as was previously described. All somatic tissue types sampled were found to be chimeric. Notably, chimerism was demonstrated to be present in germ-line tissues, an event never before documented as naturally occurring in a primate. In fact, we found that chimeric marmosets often transmit sibling alleles acquired in utero to their own offspring. Thus, an individual that contributes gametes to …

Mda-7/Il-24, Novel Anticancer Cytokine: Focus On Bystander Antitumor, Radiosensitization And Antiangiogenic Properties And Overview Of The Phase I Clinical Experience (Review), Irina V. Lebedeva, Luni Emdad, Zao-Zhong Su, Pankaj Gupta, Moira Sauane, Devanand Sarkar, Michelle R. Staudt, Shi-Jian Liu, Mohiuddin M. Taher, Ruoyu Xiao, Paola Barral, Seok-Geun Lee, Dongning Wang, Nicollaq Vozhilla, Eun Sook Park, Lejuan Chatman, Habib Boukerche, Rajagopal Ramesh, Satoshi Inoue, Sunil Chada, Rong Li, Anthony L. De Pass, Parameshwar J. Mahasreshti, Igor P. Dmitriev, David T. Curiel, Adly Yacoub, Steven Grant, Paul Dent, Neil Senzer, John J. Nemunaitis, Paul B. Fisher

Publications and Research

Subtraction hybridization applied to a ‘differentiation therapy’ model of cancer employing human melanoma cells resulted in the cloning of melanoma differentiation associated gene-7/interleukin-24 (mda-7/IL-24). Initial studies confirm an inverse correlation between mda-7 expression and melanoma development and progression. Forced expression of mda-7 by means of a plasmid or via a replication incompetent adenovirus (Ad.mda-7) promotes growth suppression and induces apoptosis in a broad array of human cancers. In contrast, mda-7 does not induce growth suppressive or toxic effects in normal cells. Based on structure (containing an IL-10 signature motif), secretion by cells (including subsets of T-cells) and location on chromosome …