Digital Commons Network^™

Distribution And Genetic Structure Of Pocket Gophers (Genus Geomys) In Kansas, Zachary J. Schwenke

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

The development of informed management practices and insightful research depends not only on an understanding of species natural history and ecology, but information regarding the distributions of these species and how they interact with adjacent taxa. The study of a species distribution can become complicated if the geographic variation within the species is not understood. Pocket gophers, including those in the genus Geomys, display morphological and chromosomal variation across their range, even within the same species. Genetic techniques, including Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP), have clarified population relationships and characterized zones of contact. Previous studies have suggested 2 species and …

The Identity Of Zachaenus Roseus Cope, 1890 (Anura: Species Inquirenda), Esteban O. Lavilla, J. J. Nuñez, F. E. Rabanal, José A. Langone, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

Zachaenus roseus Cope, 1890, has puzzled systematists working in southern South America. A single individual, the holotype, has ever been collected and this specimen is in extremely poor preservation condition. Herein, the precise location of the type locality of Z. roseus is determined based on a historical review of the literature. Furthermore, following a careful comparison with all species that inhabit the southern austral forest, and that could potentially correspond to Zachaenus roseus, we conclude that this taxon is placed in the synonymy of Eupsophus calcaratus (Günther, 1881)

Sierra Nevada Red Fox (Vulpes Vulpes Necator): A Conservation Assessment, John D. Perrine, Lori A. Campbell, Gregory A. Green

Biological Sciences

One goal of the Sierra Nevada Forest Plan Amendment (SNFPA) 2001 and 2004 Records of Decision was to protect and recover native Sierra Nevada red fox (Vulpes vulpes necator) populations in the Sierra Nevada (USDA Forest Service 2001 p. 14). To accomplish this goal, the ROD commits the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service to completing a conservation assessment for the Sierra Nevada red fox in cooperation with other federal, state, and local agencies, as well as Tribal governments. This conservation assessment synthesizes the best available scientific information and thought concerning habitat relationships, population status and trends, historical and …

Present Effects Of Past Wildfires On Leaf Litter Breakdown In Stream Ecosystems, Peter Koetsier, Teresa R. B. Krause, Quenton M. Tuckett

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

We investigated the present effects from a 10-year-old wildfire on leaf litter breakdown rates in 3 headwater streams in central Idaho. These systems experienced a massive debris flow one year after the fire. Based on soil instability and burn patterns, we identified 3 stream conditions: unburned, burned only, and burned/scoured. We placed leaf bags containing willow leaves (Salix sp.) in each stream type and removed bags at various time intervals until all bags were collected 100 days after their introduction. Leaf material was dried and weighed, and decay rate coefficients were calculated. Macroinvertebrates colonizing the bags were enumerated and identified, …

Community Structure And Dynamics Of Monogenea And Trematoda In Three North American Cyprinid Species In The Salt Valley Watershed, Nebraska, Alaine Kathryn Knipes

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

An investigation was made of the communities of gill monogene genus Dactylogyrus (Platyhelminthes, Monogenea) and the populations of blackspot parasite (Platyhelminthes, Trematoda) of Pimephales promelas, Notropis stramineus, and Semotilus atromaculatus in 3 distinct sites along the 3 converging tributaries in southeastern Nebraska from 2004 to 2006. This work constitutes the first multi-site, multi-year study of a complex community of Dactylogyrus spp. and their reproductive activities on native North American cyprinid species. The biological hypothesis that closely related species with direct lifecycles respond differently to shared environmental conditions was tested. It was revealed that in this system that, Cyprinid …

Distinguishing Technology From Biology: A Critical Review Of The Use Of Gps Telemetry Data In Ecology, Mark Hebblewhite, Daniel T. Haydon

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

In the past decade, ecologists have witnessed vast improvements in our ability to collect animal movement data through animal-borne technology, such as through GPS or ARGOS systems. However, more data does not necessarily yield greater knowledge in understanding animal ecology and conservation. In this paper, we provide a review of the major benefits, problems and potential misuses of GPS/Argos technology to animal ecology and conservation. Benefits are obvious, and include the ability to collect fine-scale spatio-temporal location data on many previously impossible to study animals, such as ocean-going fish, migratory songbirds and long-distance migratory mammals. These benefits come with significant …

Correlation And Studies Of Habitat Selection: Problem, Red Herring Or Opportunity?, John Fieberg, Jason Matthiopoulos, Mark Hebblewhite, Mark S. Boyce, Jacqueline L. Frair

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

With the advent of new technologies, animal locations are being collected at ever finer spatio-temporal scales. We review analytical methods for dealing with correlated data in the context of resource selection, including post hoc variance inflation techniques, ‘two-stage’ approaches based on models fit to each individual, generalized estimating equations and hierarchical mixed-effects models. These methods are applicable to a wide range of correlated data problems, but can be difficult to apply and remain especially challenging for use–availability sampling designs because the correlation structure for combinations of used and available points are not likely to follow common parametric forms. We also …

Long-Term Spatial And Temporal Variability Of Benthic Macroinvertebrate Communities: Implications For Bioassessment Of Lotic Systems, Eve O'Connor

Theses and Dissertations

The structure and composition of benthic macroinvertebrate communities can vary spatially and over time. Spatial and temporal variation along a stream has many implications for population and community dynamics, which may influence bioassessment programs. I examined variability in the benthic community of eight streams within the Polecat Creek, Virginia watershed. These streams vary in size from 1st to 4th order. The streams were sampled once every season for eleven years using standard bioassessment protocols. Macroinvertebrates were sampled from both sediment and submerged wood habitats at each site. The coefficient of variation (CV) was used to quantify among season, among year …

Development Of Representative Species-Level Molecular Markers And Morphological Character Analysis Of Leucothoid Amphipods (Crustacea: Amphipoda), Kristine Nicolle White

Dissertations

Leucothoid amphipods were investigated using morphology and molecular rDNA gene sequence fragments. The morphological diagnostic characters for traditional taxonomy have been clarified, a molecular marker for representative species has been developed, and one of the current anamorph-leucomorph connections has been confirmed with molecular sequence data. Ultimately this study has combined traditional morphological and modern molecular methods to clarify the taxonomy and to propose a preliminary phylogeny of the Leucothoidae. Analysis of 18S rDNA gene fragments from 13 species in two genera supported the current morphological species designations and the separation of the family into two clades. Combined analysis of 18S …

Tracing Deuterium Through The Food Web And Into Birds And Mammals Along An Elevational Gradient In The Southern Rocky Mountains, Matthew J. Baumann

Biology ETDs

Animals incorporate local δ2H values from available water and dietary sources during tissue synthesis, which can provide evidence of elevational movements if multiple tissues with different turnover times are examined. Here we test the applicability of using δ2H as an indicator of altitudinal movements by examining multiple tissues (δ2Hbw (body water), δ2Hfeather, δ2Hfur, and δ2Hclaw) in birds and mammals in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Additionally, we measured δ2Hsw (stem water) and insect δ2bw and δ2wb (whole body) values to assess changes with elevation. We sampled 15 species of birds and two small mammal species along with potential food sources …

Climate Change: Implications For Montane Mammals Of The Great Basin, Georgina Yvette Jacquez

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Climate change threatens biodiversity; in particular, species with narrow distributions and specific habitat requirements. The Great Basin provides an excellent model system to evaluate the effects of climate change on species with isolated distributions and specific habitat requirements. I have evaluated the McDonald and Brown (1992) model that examined the effects of climate change on montane mammals of the Great Basin based on its underlying assumptions and model predictions. I have modeled the distributions of twelve montane mammal species found in the Great Basin and identified potential local extinctions by using maximum entropy modeling (Maxent) for two emission scenarios of …

Annual Rainfall And Seasonality Predict Pan‐Tropical Patterns Of Liana Density And Basal Area, Saara J. Dewalt, Stefan A. Schnitzer, Jérôme Chave, Frans Bongers, Robyn J. Burnham, Zhiquan Cai, George B. Chuyong, David B. Clark, Corneille E.N. Ewango, Jeffrey J. Gerwing, Esteban Gortaire, Terese Hart, Guillermo Ibarra-Manriquez, Kalan Ickes, David Kenfack, Manuel J. Macía, Jean-Remy Makana, Miguel Martinez-Ramos, Joseph Mascaro, Sainge Moses, Helene C. Muller-Laudau, Marc P.E. Parren, Narayanaswamy Parthasarathy, Diego R. Perez-Salicrup, Francis E. Putz, Hugo Romero-Saltos, Duncan W. Thomas

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

We test the hypotheses proposed by Gentry and Schnitzer that liana density and basal area in tropical forests vary negatively with mean annual precipitation (MAP) and positively with seasonality. Previous studies correlating liana abundance with these climatic variables have produced conflicting results, warranting a new analysis of drivers of liana abundance based on a different dataset. We compiled a pan‐tropical dataset containing 28,953 lianas (≥2.5 cm diam.) from studies conducted at 13 Neotropical and 11 Paleotropical dry to wet lowland tropical forests. The ranges in MAP and dry season length (DSL) (number of months with mean rainfall < 100 mm) represented by these datasets were 860–7250 mm/yr and 0–7 mo, respectively. Pan‐tropically, liana density and basal area decreased significantly with increasing annual rainfall and increased with increasing DSL, supporting the hypotheses of Gentry and Schnitzer. Our results suggest that much of the variation in liana density and basal area in the tropics can be accounted for by the relatively simple metrics of MAP and DSL.

Conservation And Ecology Of The Yellow-Blotched Sawback (Graptemys Flavmaculata), William Winsyl Selman Ii

Dissertations

The role of species conservation is becoming increasingly important due to the mounting pressures from humans on habitats and populations of organisms. This is particularly evident in riverine ecosystems throughout the world where the human demand for freshwater resources is increasing, and consequently, the number of imperiled aquatic organisms is also growing. The seven chapters of this dissertation primarily focus on the Yellow-blotched Sawback, Graptemys flavimaculata, an endangered riverine turtle that is endemic to the Pascagoula River system of southeast Mississippi, USA. At the population level, we aimed to study the impacts of Hurricane Katrina on two study populations within …

Spatial And Temporal Distribution Of Larval Fishes In A Large Tidal River., Harold Seelig

Theses and Dissertations

There are few published studies of larval fish assemblages from unregulated, tidal freshwater rivers. Patterns in the spatial and temporal distribution of larval fishes in the Mattaponi River were examined. Sampling took place on a weekly basis from February through August, 2006 and 2007. Larval fishes were categorized by taxa, reproductive guild, and residency guild. Group comparisons using multi-response permutation procedures (MRPP) indicated significant spatial and temporal differences in assemblage composition on multiple scales. Differences in assemblage composition were analyzed using non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMS). Interannual differences were attributable to anadromous and semi-migratory species. Seasonal differences were attributable to herrings, …

Taxonomy And Applied Biogeography Of Mongolian Stoneflies (Insecta: Plecoptera), Sarah Walker Judson

Theses and Dissertations

Since the early 1900s, efforts have been made to catalogue the stoneflies of Mongolia. Taxonomic work from 1960 to 1980 greatly expanded basic lists of stoneflies in Mongolia, but no comprehensive survey or synthesis of this dispersed literature has been completed. In conjunction with a modern survey of the aquatic insects of Mongolia, we collected Plecoptera on a series of expeditions to the Selenge (north) and Altai (west) regions of Mongolia. A total of 48 species distributed in 24 genera and 8 families were documented, including 3 of the 5 Mongolian endemics, 2 new species records for Mongolia, and 1 …

Cruise Foraging Of Invasive Chameleon (Chamaeleo Jacksonii Xantholophus) In Hawai’I, Travis J. Hagey, Jonathan B. Losos, Luke Harmon

Biology

We quantified the foraging behavior of the Jackson’s chameleon (Chamaeleo jacksonii xantholophus), an invasive insectivorous lizard species in Hawai’i. Using video taken in the field, we focused on percent time moving, moves per minute, and movement speeds. Our results supported previous findings that chameleons are ‘‘cruise foragers’’ (sensu Butler, 2005), a foraging behavior unlike almost all other species of lizards.

Organismal Climatology: Analyzing Environmental Variability At Scales Relevant To Physiological Stress, Brian Helmuth, Bernardo R. Broitman, Lauren Yamane, Sarah E. Gilman, Katharine Mach, K. A.S. Mislan, Mark W. Denny

Faculty Publications

Predicting when, where and with what magnitude climate change is likely to affect the fitness, abundance and distribution of organisms and the functioning of ecosystems has emerged as a high priority for scientists and resource managers. However, even in cases where we have detailed knowledge of current species’ range boundaries, we often do not understand what, if any, aspects of weather and climate act to set these limits. This shortcoming significantly curtails our capacity to predict potential future range shifts in response to climate change, especially since the factors that set range boundaries under those novel conditions may be different …

Liana Host Preference And Implications For Deciduous Forest Regeneration, Laura M. Ladwig, Scott J. Meiners

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Lianas have the potential to shape forest communities and alter forest regeneration. However, impacts of lianas on forest regeneration, particularly in temperate forests, are largely unstudied. To understand potential liana impacts on the community we need to first know the location and intensity of liana burdens on host trees. We examined liana-tree host references within a series of young regenerating deciduous forests in the Piedmont region of New Jersey, USA. Established trees ($ 5 cm dbh) and the lianas associated with each tree were surveyed in 2008. The five most abundant liana species were Celastrus orbiculatus, Lonicera japonica, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, …

Are Forested Buffers An Effective Conservation Strategy For Riparian Fauna? An Assessment Using Meta-Analysis, Laurie B. Marczak, Takashi Sakamaki, Shannon L. Turvey, Isabelle Deguise, Sylvia L. R. Wood, John S. Richardson

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Historically, forested riparian buffers have been created to provide protection for aquatic organisms and aquatic ecosystem functions. Increasingly, new and existing riparian buffers are being used also to meet terrestrial conservation requirements. To test the effectiveness of riparian buffers for conserving terrestrial fauna, we conducted a meta-analysis using published data from 397 comparisons of species abundance in riparian buffers and unharvested (reference) riparian sites. The response of terrestrial species to riparian buffers was not consistent between taxonomic groups; bird and arthropod abundances were significantly greater in buffers relative to unharvested areas, whereas amphibian abundance decreased. Edge-preferring species were more abundant …

Latitudinal Variation In Seasonal Activity And Mortality In Ratsnakes (Elaphe Obsoleta), Jinelle H. Sperry, Gabriel Blouin-Demers, Gerardo L.F. Carfagno, Patrick J. Weatherhead

Biology Faculty Publications

The ecology of ectotherms should be particularly affected by latitude because so much of their biology is temperature dependent. Current latitudinal patterns should also be informative about how ectotherms will have to modify their behavior in response to climate change. We used data from a total of 175 adult black ratsnakes (Elaphe obsoleta) radio tracked in Ontario, Illinois, and Texas, a latitudinal distance of > 1500 km, to test predictions about how seasonal patterns of activity and mortality should vary with latitude. Despite pronounced differences in temperatures among study locations, and despite ratsnakes in Texas not hibernating and switching from diurnal …

Multiple Endpoints Of Endocrine Disruption In Gravid Watersnakes (Colubridae:Nerodia) As A Function Of Ingestion Of A Common Herbicide, Lorin Anne Neuman-Lee

Masters Theses

Ecotoxicological studies that focus on a single endpoint might not accurately represent the true ecological effects of a contaminant. Exposure to atrazine, a widelyused herbicide, disrupts endocrine function and sexual development in amphibians, but studies involving reptilian species are lacking. This study examines several effects of atrazine ingestion on gravid females and neonates exposed in utero of the Northern Watersnake (Nerodia sipedon). Twenty-five gravid N. sipedon were collected and kept in the lab for the entirety of their gestation period. Each snake received one of four doses of atrazine: control, 2, 20, or 200 ppb. Blood samples were drawn each …

The Role Of Skeletal Development In Body Size Evolution Of Two North American Frogs, Sarah Beth Havens

Masters Theses

"In order to better understand the evolution of miniaturization in Acris blanchardi, a North American Hylid with a unique life history and of ecological interest in the United States. The development and ossification sequences of 48 larvae, 5 juveniles and 5 adult A. blanchardi were examined. The adult was described by Maglia et al. (2007) to be a miniature and to display morphological novelties. In addition, 44 larvae, 2 juvenile and 5 adults of Pseudacris crucifer a closely related frog that has been suggested to be a miniature, were examined. The cranial and postcranial adult elements of this species, as …

Characterizing The Vertical Structure And Structural Diversity Of Florida Oak Scrub Vegetation Using Discrete-Return Lidar, James J. Angelo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Vertical structure, the top-to-bottom arrangement of aboveground vegetation, is an important component of forest and shrubland ecosystems. For many decades, ecologists have used foliage height profiles and other measures of vertical structure to identify discrete stages in post-disturbance succession and to quantify the heterogeneity of vegetation. Such studies have, however, required resource-intensive field surveys and have been limited to relatively small spatial extents (e.g.,

Biology News, Winter 2010, University Of Northern Iowa. Department Of Biology.

Biology News

Contents:

-- Greetings from the Department of Biology
-- Focus on UNI Biology Alumni
-- Let us hear from you...
-- Faculty and Staff News
-- Trip to Chicago for Darwin Bicentennial
-- Botanical Center Wins Second Place
-- Focus on UNI Biology Students
-- Student Nature Society
-- Retirements
-- You Make a Difference! Messages from our donors....
-- New Advisor for Biology
-- Biology Video
-- You Can Make a Difference!
-- Scholarships and Funding
-- Support for students or department

The Effect Of The Study Region On Gis Models Of Species Geographic Distributions And Estimates Of Niche Evolution; Preliminary Tests With Montane Rodents (Genus Nephelomys) In Venezuela, Ali Raza

Dissertations and Theses

Various niche-based techniques exist to model a species' potential geographic distribution in a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) framework. These models compare the environmental conditions of localities of a species' occurrence versus those of the overall study region. In addition to uses in areas such as macroecology and conservation biology, this approach has been applied recently to studies of niche evolution and historical biogeography. Definition of the study region is critical for all of these applications but has not been addressed previously. Here, I examine the effect of changes in the extent of the study region on potential distribution models of …

Locomotion In Response To Shifting Climate Zones: Not So Fast, Martin E. Feder, Theodore Garland Jr., James H. Marden, Anthony J. Zera

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Although a species’ locomotor capacity is suggestive of its ability to escape global climate change, such a suggestion is not necessarily straightforward. Species vary substantially in locomotor capacity, both ontogenetically and within/among populations, and much of this variation has a genetic basis. Accordingly, locomotor capacity can and does evolve rapidly, as selection experiments demonstrate. Importantly, even though this evolution of locomotor capacity may be rapid enough to escape changing climate, genetic correlations among traits (often due to pleiotropy) are such that successful or rapid dispersers are often limited in colonization or reproductive ability, which may be viewed as a trade-off. …

Loss Of Foundation Species Increases Population Growth Of Exotic Forbs In Sagebrush Steppe, J S. Prevey, M J. Germino, Nancy J. Huntly

Biology Faculty Publications

The invasion and spread of exotic plants following land disturbance threatens semiarid ecosystems. In sagebrush steppe, soil water is scarce and is partitioned between deeprooted perennial shrubs and shallower-rooted native forbs and grasses. Disturbances commonly remove shrubs, leaving grass-dominated communities, and may allow for the exploitation of water resources by the many species of invasive, tap-rooted forbs that are increasingly successful in this habitat. We hypothesized that exotic forb populations would benefit from increased soil water made available by removal of sagebrush, a foundation species capable of deep-rooting, in semiarid shrub-steppe ecosystems. To test this hypothesis, we used periodic matrix …

A New Species Of Boubou (Malaconotidae: Laniarius) From The Albertine Rift, Gary Voelker, Robert K. Outlaw, Sushma Reddy, Michael Tobler, John M. Bates, Shannon J. Hackett, Charles Kahindo, Ben D. Marks, Julian C. Kerbis Peterhans, Thomas P. Gnoske

Biology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

We describe Laniarius willardi, a new species of boubou shrike (Malaconotidae) from the Albertine Rift of Africa. The most conspicuous, distinguishing morphological feature of the species is a gray to blue-gray iris. This and external morphometric data indicate that L. willardi is diagnosable from other black or sooty boubous. Further, L. willardi is genetically diagnosable, and its closest relative is the Mountain Sooty Boubou (L. poensis camerunensis) from Cameroon. The Crimson-breasted Bush-shrike (L. atrococcineus) and the Lowland Sooty Boubou (L. leucorhynchus) are together the sister clade to L. willardi—L.p. camerunensis. Laniarius willardi and …

The Isolation Of Viruses Infecting Archaea, Kenneth M. Stedman, Kate Porter, Mike L. Dyall-Smith

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

A mere 50 viruses of Archaea have been reported to date; these have been investigated mostly by adapting methods used to isolate bacteriophages to the unique growth conditions of their archaeal hosts. The most numerous are viruses of thermophilic Archaea. These viruses have been discovered by screening enrichment cultures and novel isolates from environmental samples for their ability to form halos of growth inhibition, or by using electron microscopy to screen enrichment cultures for virus-like particles. Direct isolation without enrichment has not yet been successful for viruses of extreme thermophiles. On the other hand, most viruses of extreme halophiles, the …

The Ecological Importance Of Extrinsic And Intrinsic Drivers Of Animal Movement, Josh Earl Rasmussen

Theses and Dissertations

The movement of individuals is foundational to many ecological processes. For example, the movement of an organism from one place to another alters population density at both sites and has potential for affecting the genetic dynamics within the new population. Individual movement events may be in synchrony with overall trends in populations, e.g. spawning migrations, or may be atypical (asynchronous). This latter movement type can affect population and metapopulation dynamics, depending on its prevalence within a population. Nevertheless, given the complexity of interactions, the causative factors of movement are understood vaguely, much less for aquatic organisms. Drivers of movement are …