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Analyzing Human - Nonhuman Primate Conflict Mitigation Techniques In Mto Wa Mbu, Northern Tanzania, Lil Adams

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

Human-wildlife conflict is a widespread challenge faced by those living in regular contact with wildlife that can have profound impacts on livelihood outcomes for humans, wildlife, and their shared environment (Barua et al., 2013; Blackie, 2023). Human – non-human primate conflict is particularly crucial due to primates’ high capacity to live among human populations (Chapman & Chapman, 1990; Alberts & Altmann, 2006; Reader et al., 2011; Sinha & Vijayakrishnan, 2017), and is currently on the rise due to increasing contact between human and non-human primates (Hockings, 2016; Uddin et al., 2020). To characterize and analyze techniques currently being used to …

More Equal Than Others: Taxonomic Bias In Animal Management, Barrett L. Christie

Animal Sentience

Oldfield & Bonano (2024) point out not only the scarcity of research on fish welfare but also significant taxonomic bias in broader research on these species. This bias extends to the management practices of aquaria and zoos, where the focus is on higher vertebrates. More resources need to be allocated to research to address this disparity. We also need to develop welfare constructs that recognize the inherent differences between aquatic and terrestrial species, taking into account the unique ecological contexts and behavioral patterns of fishes.

Bat Occurrence And Microclimatic Conditions Of The Sima Del Órgano Cave, Mexico, Luis A. Hernández, Jaime E. Gómez, Cyntia Reyes

International Journal of Speleology

Caves represent an important type of shelter for many species of bats, particularly in karstic regions. In Mexico, about 60 bat species regularly use caves as roosts. The microclimate of a cave is a key component of the overall cave ecosystem. So, an adequate microclimate can minimize the energetic costs of bats associated with thermoregulation, gestation, embryonic development, parental care, lactation and social interaction. Cave environments are among the least known and most threatened on the planet, which is why we aimed to determine the monthly occurrence of bat species in the Sima del Órgano Cave, estimate the population size …

Colonization-Persistence Trade-Offs In The Human Microbiome, Liam F. Nokes

Environmental Studies Senior Theses

Understanding how diverse microbial taxa coexist in the human body without competitively excluding one another remains a key challenge in microbiome ecology. One proposed explanation is the colonization-persistence trade-off, where species with high colonization ability are poor persisters, and vice versa. We test for this trade-off across human associated microbial communities among many individuals and in multiple body sites using a large-scale participant-level meta-analysis of longitudinal microbiome datasets curated from the MGnify database. We applied island biogeography-based models to calculate effective colonization and persistence rates for microbial families and genera across 606 individuals over twenty-six studies. Regression of the log-transformed …

Patterns Of Late Holocene And Historical Extinctions On Madagascar, Laurie R. Godfrey, Zachary S. Klukkert, Brooke E. Crowley, Robin R. Dawson, Peterson Faina, Benjamin Z. Freed, Evon Hekkala, Cortni Borgerson, Harimanjaka A. M. Rasolonjatovo, Patricia C. Wright, Stephen J. Burns

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Around 1000 years ago, Madagascar experienced the collapse of populations of large vertebrates that ultimately resulted in many species going extinct. The factors that led to this collapse appear to have differed regionally, but in some ways, key processes were similar across the island. This review evaluates four hypotheses that have been proposed to explain the loss of large vertebrates on Madagascar: Overkill, aridification, synergy, and subsistence shift. We explore regional differences in the paths to extinction and the significance of a prolonged extinction window across the island. The data suggest that people who arrived early and depended on hunting, …

Changes In Morphology, Phenology, And Demography Of Several Avian Species Over 18 Years At A Restored Grassland, Ashley Mcmahon, Katie Stumpf

Georgia Journal of Science

In response to a changing climate and the loss of habitat, avian species are displaying changes in body size, migration phenology, and demography. Several species have adhered to Allen’s and Bergmann’s rules by displaying increased wing length and decreased mass, respectively, over time in response to higher temperatures. Climate change has also resulted in earlier spring migration and depending on species, either earlier or later fall migration. Finally, species affected by habitat loss often display male-skewed sex ratios and juvenile skewed age ratios. Our goal was to determine how body size, migration phenology, and demography have changed for grassland birds …

Prescribed Fire Leads A Pine Flatwoods Specialist Tree Frog To Seek Local Refugia, Ian Biazzo, Pedro F. Quintana-Ascencio

Faculty Publications

Pine savannas of the southeastern United States evolved with frequent low-intensity wildfires. Today, land managers use prescribed fires to restore this ecological process while also controlling vegetative fuel accumulation. Given the ubiquitous application of this management tool, studies should consider impacts on target and nontarget taxa in these systems. During fires, animal populations persist in the landscape when individuals emigrate to unburned areas or seek refugia within the burn zone; otherwise, they experience local extirpation. We examined the effect of prescribed fires on a pine flatwoods specialist frog, the pinewoods treefrog Dryophytes femoralis, in a frequently burned pine landscape. …

United Seas For Resilient Reefs: A Blueprint For Coral Conservation Through International Cooperation, John J. Bohorquez, Maoz Fine, Dana I. Grieco, David A. Gill, Ali Al-Swalimih, Jacqueline Padilla-Gamino, Isaiah W. Bolden, Margaux Hein, Callum Backstrom, Melanie Mcfield, Raphael Martinez, Benjamin Midberry, Fahd Al-Guthmy, Ellen K. Pikitch, Natalia Benejam, Chen Azulay, Britt Ronen, Oren Levy, Anne Mcelroy, Karine Kleinhaus

School of Marine & Atmospheric Sciences Faculty Publications

Coral reefs are one of Earth’s most vital and threatened ecosystems. They protect coastlines, generate billions of dollars of tourism revenue, support valuable fisheries, and contribute to the development of vital medicines. Yet half of the world's coral reefs have been lost in the last 50 years, and 90% of remaining reefs are projected to die off by the middle of this century, mainly due to warming seas from climate change.

Despite these challenges there is reason for hope. Some coral reefs – such as in the northern Red Sea and Gulf of Aqaba – have demonstrated remarkable resilience to …

An Unusual Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus Buccinator) In Nebraska: Albinism Or Leucism?, Jacob C. Cooper, Peggy M. Huss, Eugene A. Huryn, Cody Mcgregor

Nebraska Bird Review

On 26 January 2025, we observed a large mixed flock of Trumpeter Swans (Cygnus buccinator) and Tundra Swans (C. columbianus) at Hansen Reservoir ca. 7 miles (11 km) NNW of North Platte along the east side of Nebraska Highway 97. The flock of 158 swans consisted of 4 “Whistling” Tundra Swans (C. c. columbianus), 153 typical Trumpeter Swans, and one individual that we were not immediately able to identify. Our unknown swan was in the company of a family group of Trumpeter Swans but immediately stood out due to its broad yellow base of …

Nebraska Ornithologists' Union Tri-State Meeting With Iowa Ornithologists' Union And South Dakota Ornithologists' Union, South Sioux City, Nebraska, May 16-18, 2025

Nebraska Bird Review

The NOU Spring Meeting was held at the Salvation Army Western Plains Camp in South Sioux City, Nebraska, in conjunction with the IOU and SDOU, with approximately 180 attending. The organizers of the meeting included Chris Anderson and Mark Schmidtbauer from South Dakota, Tyler Harms and Kevin Murphy from Iowa, and Ruth Stearns, Joel Jorgenson, and Paul Pearson from Nebraska.

A scientific poster session featuring the work of 9 ornithological researchers from UN-Kearney, USD-Vermillion, and Hitchcock Nature Center was held Friday evening. Thanks to Dr. Jacob Cooper from UNK, Dr. David Swanson from USD, and the students who participated.

Field …

Nou Tri-State Meeting—South Sioux City [Spring 2025 Nou Meeting Species Tally]

Nebraska Bird Review

Bird species tally (185) for the Spring 2025 NOU Tri-State Meeting, South Sioux City (Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union Tri-State Meeting with Iowa Ornithologists’ Union and South Dakota Ornithologists’ Union, South Sioux City, Nebraska, May 16–18, 2025)

Abstracts Of Posters Presented At South Sioux City Nou Meeting

Nebraska Bird Review

A scientific poster session featuring the work of 9 ornithological researchers from UN-Kearney, USD-Vermillion and Hitchcock Nature Center was held Friday evening. Thanks to Dr. Jacob Cooper from UNK, Dr. David Swanson from USD, and the students who participated.

Wandering from the River: On- and Off-River Abundance of Interior Least Terns along the 59-Mile Reach of the Missouri National Recreational River. Zoe Donelan, Hannah Slattery, Kyle Jorgensen, and David L. Swanson, University of South Dakota, Department of Biology.

Preliminary Results of Raptor Migration Monitoring at Hitchcock Nature Center. Kellie Hayden, Jerry Toll, and Sandy Reinken, Hitchcock Nature Center, Pottawattamie Conservation, …

Spring Field Report, March–May 2025, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

Perhaps the most important takeaway this spring is the continuing phenomenon of large numbers of species with early spring arrival dates. Although about half as many as 2024, there were 64 examples of either tied or new early arrival dates, most obviously of insectivores such as swifts, flycatchers, vireos, swallows, pipits, longspurs, and 10 warbler species. Among these, record or near-record early were Whip-poor-will, Black-necked Stilt, Marbled Godwit, Black Tern, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Purple Martin, Rock Wren, Gray Catbird in central, Spotted Towhee in north and west, and Hooded Warbler.

Following along logically perhaps with early arrival dates were a number …

The Nebraska Bird Review (June 2025) 93(2), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Spring Field Report, March–May 2025, by W. Ross Silcock

NOU Spring Field Days and Annual Meeting in South Sioux City, May 16–18, 2025

Abstracts of posters presented at Spring 2025 NOU Meeting

Spring 2025 NOU Meeting Species Tally

An Unusual Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator) in Nebraska: Albinism or Leucism? by Jacob C. Cooper, Peggy M. Huss, Eugene A. Huryn, and Cody McGregor

Subscription and Organization Information

Individual, Social, And Environmental Factors Associated With Patterns Of Parasitic Infection In Capuchin Monkeys (Cebus Imitator), Megan C. Henriquez

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Parasites, and the infectious diseases they carry, are thought to have significantly impacted our evolutionary trajectory for millennia. Exploring how parasites are acquired and transmitted by their hosts in wild, natural populations is integral to understanding how similar processes may have shaped host-parasite co-evolutionary relationships over time. However, parasitological studies in humans and in non-human primates have produced inconsistent results, highlighting the dynamic, nuanced, and unique relationships individual parasites have with their hosts. These relationships are largely regulated by variation in factors at host, social, and environmental levels. Characteristics unique to the host (e.g., age and sex), factors pertaining to …

State And Transition Models For Mulga Rangelands Of Western Australia, Alison O'Donnell, Anna E. Richards, Suzanne Prober, Peter-Jon A. Waddell, Sarah Luxton, Ian Watson, Brett Abbott, Philip Thomas, Joshua E. Foster

Natural resources published reports

This report details a collaborative project between the Western Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and CSIRO that focused on developing State and Transition Models (STMs) for mulga rangelands in Western Australia. The overarching aim of the project was to improve the common understanding of the characteristics and dynamics of mulga rangeland ecosystems and the expected impacts of management. Specifically, the project aimed to collate expert knowledge and monitoring information using a nationally consistent framework to develop quantitative and dynamic STMs. The geographic scope of the project covers the extensive mulga rangelands of Western Australia, particularly the Gascoyne …

Woofs And Warbles: The Influence Of Urban Dog Walking On Birdsong, Grace Phillips

University Honors Theses

Recreational activity in natural areas can disrupt songbird singing during critical learning or courtship periods, increasing the risk of fitness and population declines in sensitive species. Local data on birdsong disturbance caused by recreation can guide management efforts protecting wildlife, such as signage, leash laws, and dog walking bans. This study assessed bird vocalization responses to groups with and without dogs in urban greenspaces. Surveys were conducted in Fall 2024 at three parks in Portland, Oregon, with varying rates of dog and human presence. Throughout two-hour observation periods, bird vocalization activity of seven songbirds was recorded at five-minute intervals and …

Ecospiritual Entanglement, Ali Vedad Yüner

Masters Theses

Land breeds culture. It gives us the resources to thrive, and in that process we establish a relationship with its constituents. With a multitude of beings inhabiting the land, a complex web of relationships develop. Biology describes these relationships as food webs; the mass entanglement of organisms in a manner that each organism nourishes the other. These webs are not just mere scientific structures but rather an interpretation of existential connections that every organism in the world, humans included, are indebted to. Food webs are the first stepping stone in the formation of culture, as they account for the engagement …

Field Journal: The Excluded Middle, Carrie E. Kouts

Masters Theses

What does it look like to engage with organisms and landscapes at the periphery of anthropocentric value structures? How does one break the internalized myth that the “built” environment is excluded from the natural world? When does a hyper-mobile and hyper-commodified society confront the exponential crisis of animal death? Within this series of journal entries, field notes, collection observations, weird prose, and sensory musings, one will find questions on the nature of being human and the complex narratives of care we encounter in a world shared with more-than-humans. Each handwritten vignette and photograph from daily life weaves a non-linear and …

A New Genus And New Synonyms For Liburnia Reducta Van Duzee, 1907 (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Delphacoidea: Delphacidae), Charles R. Bartlett, Adam M. Wallner

Insecta Mundi

The delphacid species Liburnia reducta Van Duzee is transferred to the new genus Calkinodelphax Bartlett and Wallner (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Delphacoidea: Delphacidae) and is designated the type species of this genus under the name Calkinodelphax reductus (Van Duzee), new combination. Calkinodelphax reductus is broadly distributed from Florida, the Antilles, Central America, and northern South America. Calkinodelphax reductus is the subjective senior synonym of Pissonotus striolus Osborn, Delphacodes cornuta Beamer, and Euides fasciatella auct. (nec. Osborn). A new lectotype is designated for Liburnia reducta Van Duzee. The female holotype and male allotype of Liburniella fasciatella Osborn were reviewed and found to …

Four Synonyms Of Tetraleurodes Mori (Quaintance, 1899) (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Aleyrodidae), Natalia Von Ellenrieder, Raymond J. Gill, Ian C. Stocks

Insecta Mundi

Examination of type specimens of Aleyrodes errans Bemis, 1904, A. dorseyi Kotinsky, 1907 (replacement name for A. quaintancei Bemis, 1904), and A. splendens Bemis, 1904 and comparison with a large series of specimens of Tetraleurodes mori (Quaintance, 1899) (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Aleyrodidae) confirms that the first four names represent new junior subjective synonyms of the latter species, since their types do not differ from it in any significant way and display the combination of diagnostic characters that identifies that species.

Resumen

El análisis de ejemplares tipo de Aleyrodes errans Bemis, 1904, A. dorseyi Kotinsky, 1907 (nombre de …

Comparative Methylation Analyses Across Juglans Species To Investigate Epigenetic Contributions To Fungal Resistance, Keertana Chagari

Honors Scholar Theses

Juglans cinerea (butternut) is a critically threatened North American tree species experiencing severe declines due to the fungal pathogen Ophiognomonia clavigignentijuglandacearum. In contrast, its Asian relative, Juglans ailantifolia (Japanese walnut), shows natural resistance. To investigate the genomic and epigenetic factors underlying this difference, we constructed and analyzed high-quality, chromosome-level genome assemblies for both species from long-read sequencing data (J. ailantifolia: 527Mb; J. cinerea: 586Mb), focusing on transposable element (TE) content, DNA methylation patterns, and regulation of pathogen resistance genes (PRGs).

Repeat analysis revealed that J. cinerea has a slightly higher overall transposable element (TE) content, with …

Adaptation And Discovery In The Ethiopian Highlands: Testing Rules, Cryptic Shrews, And Patterns Of Montane Mammal Diversity, Evan W. Craig

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Montane landscapes of the Horn of Africa harbor exceptional but incompletely documented biodiversity. Focusing on rodents and shrews—the dominant but least studied of Ethiopia’s high-elevation fauna—this dissertation integrates repeat faunal surveys, genomic taxonomy, and phylogenetically informed modelling to clarify how small mammals distribute, diversify, and morphologically adapt across steep elevational gradients.

A century‐scale resurvey of Simien Mountains National Park (1927-2015) revealed significant upward range shifts for multiple species and a persistent mid-elevation richness peak, implicating warming temperatures as a driver of community reassembly. Museomics using genome-skimming and craniodental morphometrics subsequently uncovered a deeply divergent miniature shrew lineage within the Crocidura …

From Epidemics To Experimental Treatments: Amphibian Mass Mortality Events And A Potential Treatment For Chytridiomycosis, Daniel Callahan

Graduate Masters Theses

Worldwide, amphibian populations have experienced dramatic declines due to a variety of threats. Among them, disease has been particularly deleterious and continues to impact populations. In the United States and Canada, the three leading causes of amphibian mass mortality events are ranavirosis, chytridiomycosis, and severe perkinsea infection, all caused by infectious pathogens. While research and policy have helped populations recover from these diseases, more work needs to be done to develop practical and efficient treatments for these infections. Of these three diseases, chytridiomycosis has had the most devastating effects on amphibian populations globally. Caused by the chytrid fungi Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis …

Cost-Effective Solutions For High-Throughput Enzymatic Dna Methylation Sequencing, Amy Longtin, Marina M. Watowich, Baptiste Sadoughi, Rachel M. Petersen, Sarah F. Brosnan, Kenneth Buetow, Qiuyin Cai, Cayo Biobank Research Unit, Vanderbilt University, Michael D. Gurven, James P. Higham, Heather M. Highland, Yi-Ting Huang, Hillard Kaplan, Thomas S. Kraft, Yvonne A. L. Lim, Jirong Long, Amanda D. Melin, Michael J. Montagne, Jamie Roberson, Kee Seong Ng, Michael L. Platt, India A. Schneider-Crease, Jonathan Stieglitz, Benjamin C. Trumble, Vivek Venkataraman, Ian J. Wallace, Jie Wu, Noah Snyder-Mackler, Angela Jones, Alexander G. Bick, Amanda J. Lea

ESI Publications

Characterizing DNA methylation patterns is important for addressing key questions in evolutionary biology, development, geroscience, and medical genomics. While costs are decreasing, whole-genome DNA methylation profiling remains prohibitively expensive for most population-scale studies, creating a need for cost-effective, reduced representation approaches (i.e., assays that rely on microarrays, enzyme digests, or sequence capture to target a subset of the genome). Most common whole genome and reduced representation techniques rely on bisulfite conversion, which can damage DNA resulting in DNA loss and sequencing biases. Enzymatic methyl sequencing (EM-seq) was recently proposed to overcome these issues, but thorough benchmarking of EM-seq combined with …

Network Analysis Of Antimicrobial Resistance In Staphylococcus Aureus: Characterization Of Hub Genes And Their Functional Implications, Md Imran Hasan, Davida Smyth, Jeong Yang, Ashley Teufel

Masters Theses (Archived)

Antimicrobial resistance is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with S. aureus infections. In this study, we analyzed genes, molecular mechanisms, and pathways driving drug resistance in S. aureus using network analysis. Using whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data and systems biology approaches, we identified 229 AMR-associated genes and constructed a protein-protein interaction network among these genes. Through network topology and functional enrichment analyses, we not only confirmed their association with resistance, but also highlighted the central roles of these genes in resistance pathways, such as efflux, target replacement, and target protection, which are directly linked to multiple drug …

Thermal Physiology Of The Giant Day Gecko, Phelsuma Grandis, Infinity Alvarez

Masters Theses (Archived)

Ectotherms rely on their environment to regulate and maintain their body temperature. For this reason, environmental fluctuations strongly impact their biology. Lizards are ectotherms that are suitable models to investigate thermal physiology. However, the bulk of this research has been studied using new world Anolis lizards. In this study, the giant day gecko, (P.grandis), native to Madagascar but invasive in Florida, was selected as a model for comparison. In our physiotype of P.grandis we included measurements such as metabolic rates, sprint speed at relevant temperatures, thermal preference, critical thermal minimum, and voluntary thermal maximum. Our findings showed that …

Mate Choice And Movement Ecology Of Plegadis Ibis In Louisiana, Ryan T. Klutts

LSU Master's Theses

In 1817, George Ord documented the first North American records of Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus), a species native to the Old World. Over the next 200 years, Glossy Ibis expanded its breeding range to include the Atlantic coast to southernmost Florida and thence up the Gulf coast to eastern Texas. Forty-five to 75 years ago, its range expansion brought it into secondary contact with White-faced Ibis (P. chihi) in Louisiana, a native species whose breeding range includes freshwater wetlands in Louisiana and eastern Texas. Hybridization between the two species resulted in a large hybrid zone in southern Louisiana, providing an …

Pollinator Plant Communities Within Restored Montane Longleaf Pine Ecosystems, Hanen Van Rossem

Master's Theses

Historically the fire-dependent and biodiverse longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) ecosystem was the dominant ecosystem of the Southeastern US. This ecosystem’s range was massively reduced due to land conversion and fire exclusion, causing the decline of many native species. Efforts to restore and protect longleaf pine stands are now ongoing with the goal of expanding habitat and refuge for threatened species. Differences in restoration practices and prior land use may influence the extent to which restored habitat patches can support pollinators and their plants. This study compared pollinator plant biodiversity between restored neighboring montane longleaf pine stands that differed in …

Sex, Skulls, And Selection: An Exploration Of Blakely Island's Deer Population And Their Ecology Through Genetic Sex Differentiation Of Juvenile Crania, Blair P. Graves

Honors Projects

As an isolated landmass with no natural predators, Blakely Island serves as an effective study site for the study of evolutionary factors relating to insular populations of large mammals. A disparity in the adult sex ratio of local deer has been observed, but the demographics of juveniles must still be ascertained through genetic methods. This study aims to further research concerning the development of a replicable and non-toxic procedure through which undergraduate students can identify the sex of numerous juvenile deer crania. Specifically, differing decalcification lengths, DNA extraction kit methods, and amelogenin primer sets were evaluated for relative success in …