Digital Commons Network^™

Biological Condition Of Money Pont Benthic Communities, Southern Branch Of The Elizabeth River (2010, 2013, 2016), Daniel M. Dauer

Elizabeth River Reports

Executive Summary

This report summarizes the ecological condition of the subtidal macrobenthic communities off Money Point in the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River based upon quantitative sampling in summer 2016. The designated Money Point study area was part of a sediment contaminant remediation effort. The primary objectives were to: (1) characterize the biological health of the benthos of Money Point comparing pre-remediation condition (2010) to post-remediation condition in 2013 and again in 2016, and (2) assess the effectiveness of the sediment contamination remediation efforts with respect to the ecological condition of the Money Point benthos.

Prior to sediment contaminant …

Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser Fulvescens) Trophic Position And Movement Patterns In The Lower Niagara River, Ny, Eric Bruestle

Great Lakes Center Masters Theses

Lake sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens were once widely distributed throughout the Laurentian Great Lakes. However, widespread overharvest and habitat degradation has diminished their numbers. The lower Niagara River, NY contains one of the few remaining recovering populations of lake sturgeon in New York State. The goal of this study was to characterize the trophic position of lake sturgeon in the context of an invasive species dominated food web and to describe their movement patterns and residency within the lower Niagara River. Stomach content analysis and stable nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) and carbon (δ¹³C) isotope analysis of tissue was used …

The Cost Of Roaming Free: Assessing The Effects Of Plant Secondary Metabolites On Diet Selection And Nutritional Condition In A Free-Ranging Generalist Herbivore, Daniel Patrick Melody

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Large vertebrate herbivores have a wide variety of browsing options available. However, most plants contain a suite of plant secondary metabolites (PSMs) that can have toxic effects when ingested. Herbivores must therefore make dietary choices that minimize the potentially harmful effects of PSM ingestion and maximize the use of available nutrients and protein. During winter months, in northern latitudes, climatological factors restrict browsing options and many populations of herbivores must subsist primarily on forage that is relatively poor in nutritional quality and high in PSMs. Many species of herbivores have developed a suite of behavioral and physiological adaptations to cope …

Effectiveness Of Chain Link Turtle Fence And Culverts In Reducing Turtle Mortality And Providing Connectivity Along U.S. Hwy 83, Valentine National Wildlife Refuge, Nebraska, Usa, Marcel P. Huijser, Kari E. Gunson, Elizabeth R. Fairbank

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

We evaluated the effectiveness of existing turtle fences through collecting and analyzing turtle mortality data along U.S. Hwy 83, in and around Valentine National Wildlife Refuge, Nebraska, USA. We also investigated the level of connectivity for turtles provided through the culverts that were originally designed to pass water through a capture-mark-recapture experiment. While fenced valley sections had 33.1% fewer turtle observations than unfenced valley sections, the difference was not significant. However, we think that the effectiveness of the fence can be improved through fence repairs, other modifications of the fences, vegetation maintenance, and extending the length of the fences. Four …

Effects Of Temperature On Growth And Molting In Blue Crabs (Callinectes Sapidus) And Lesser Blue Crabs (Callinectes Similis), Abigail Ann Kuhn

Master's Theses

Temperature can exert impacts on many processes in ectotherms. With global temperatures rising due to climate change, many ectothermic species may exhibit changes in growth rates and size at maturity, and these changes can have population-level effects. Predicting responses of species to climate change will require not only knowledge of thermal tolerance limits, but also effects of temperature change on growth rates and other life history parameters. For arthropods that exhibit discontinuous growth (i.e., molting), this includes both intermolt period and growth per molt. Previous laboratory and field experiments suggest that temperature affects both intermolt period (IMP) and growth per …

Ecological And Oceanographic Influences On Leatherback Turtle Behavior And Scyphozoan Jellyfish Distributions In The Gulf Of Mexico, Katrina Aleksa

Dissertations

Leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) are a wide-ranging, oceanic species that feed exclusively on gelatinous zooplankton. Leatherback have been spotted in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) for several decades and consistently had a high level of interactions with longline fisheries. However, no quantitative studies have been performed to address the spatiotemporal distribution of these turtles in the GoM. This research determines 1) leatherback movements and high-use areas in the GoM, 2) their association with oceanographic features, 3) the distribution and density of two abundant medusae in the northern GoM and any association with biophysical parameters, and 4) the body …

Escorting Of Mother-Calf Pairs Of Humpback Whales (Megaptera Novaeangliae) In The Colombian Pacific During The Breeding Season, Natalia Botero Acosta

Dissertations

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) belonging to the “breeding G-stock” annually migrate from the Antarctic Peninsula and southern Chile to the southeastern Pacific to reproduce. Associations between mother-calf pairs and escorts were examined in the Gulf of Tribugá, northern Colombian Pacific, using photo-identification and behavioral/spatial sampling. Research hypotheses included: 1. The association between cows and escorts is short-lived, consistent with a male reproductive strategy, 2. The presence of escort(s) elicits a behavioral response from mother-calf pairs and, 3. The patterns of spatial distribution reflect the spatial segregation of maternal females. Groups were classified as mother-calf pairs (Mc), mother, calf …

A Road Out Of Naknek Part One: The Tide Turns, Keith Wilson

All NMU Master's Theses

I make an annual summertime return to Naknek, a town on Bristol Bay where the salmon have made their own annual summertime return for thousands of years. My thesis is a series of nonfiction essays about my background there, both as a commercial fisherman and my upbringing. It is something I consider the “Part One” of a book still under the process of writing. It is a series of essays, alternating these two motifs of the salmon and of my experiences growing up somewhere like Naknek.

I constructed this thesis to read like the tide. Bristol Bay salmon go out …

Impacts Of Anthropogenic Noise On Litter Chemistry And Decomposition Processes In A Semi-Arid Ecosystem, Peggy Martinez

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Chronic anthropogenic noise in ecosystems can change avian/arthropod/plant interactions, but it is unclear how changes in herbivory pressure affects functional traits of plants. We asked how anthropogenic noise, mediated through changes in arthropod abundance, altered timing of leaf senesce, chemical composition (i.e. C/N ratios, total phenolics) and decomposition rates of leaf litter in Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata spp. wyo.). Additionally, we asked if changes in arthropod abundance altered secondary metabolites (i.e. monoterpenes) in foliage. We broadcasted recorded gas compressor station noise (24hrs/day) from April through October 2015 in a sagebrush steppe ecosystem of Idaho, USA. We quantified …

Influences Of Anthropogenic Noise On Flight Initiation Distance, Foraging Behavior, And Feeder Community Structure Of Wild Birds, Alissa R. Petrelli

Master's Theses

Throughout the world, birds represent the primary type of wildlife that people experience on a daily basis. However, a growing body of evidence suggests that alterations to the acoustic environment can negatively affect birds as well as humans in a variety of ways, and altered acoustics from noise pollution has the potential to influence human interactions with wild birds. In this thesis, I investigated how anthropogenic noise impacts daily behavior as well as community structure of wild birds. In the first component of this thesis, I assessed the distance at which a bird initiates flight or escape behavior (i.e., flight …

Resource Allocation For Acorn Production: A Comparison Across Species Pairs Of Oaks With Contrasting Acorn Production Patterns And Water Use Strategies, Kyle A. Funk

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

Mast seeding, or masting, is a phenomenon where inter-annual seed production by individuals is synchronized across a population of plants. Masting is hypothesized to confer a selective advantage to plants by increasing rates of pollination or by decreasing rates of seed predation. Masting can also play a crucial role in ecosystem functioning as fluctuations in annual seed crops correspond with fluctuations in seed predator populations, which in turn have consequences that ripple throughout food webs. The mechanism(s) that causes masting is unresolved, but the high variability in seed production of masting plants is hypothesized to be caused, in part, by …

The Prairie Naturalist: The Journal Of The Great Plains Natural Science Society

The Prairie Naturalist

TABLE OF CONTENTS

45 EDITOR’S NOTE

RESEARCH ARTICLES

48 Avian Diversity, Abundance, and Nest Success among Managed Prairies and Agricultural Plots in Oklahoma and Texas Phillip J. Leonard, Douglas R. Wood, and Wayne E. Meyer

57 Severe Drought Impacts Female Pheasant Physiology in Southwest Nebraska Jessica A. Laskowski, Gwen C. Bachman, and Joseph J. Fontaine

66 Field Discrimination of Prairie Deer Mice and White-footed Mice using Morphological Characteristics Jacob L. Berl, Kelton M. Verble, Elizabeth A. Flaherty, and Robert K. Swihart

NOTES

72 Range Extension of the Virgina Opossum (Didelphis virginiana) in North Dakota Lisa L. Walsh

76 Prairie Falcon …

The Great Plains Natural Science Society

The Prairie Naturalist

The Great Plains Natural Science Society, formerly the North Dakota Natural Science Society, was founded in 1967 and seeks to promote interest in and understanding of natural history in the Great Plains, to encourage the conservation of natural resources, and to provide communication among individuals, institutions, and organizations of like interests. The GPNSS actively promotes the study of natural history of the Great Plains region, including geology, plants, birds, mammals, fish, insects, and other forms of life. Together with local, state, and national conservation organizations, the GPNSS fosters natural resource conservation and preservation of outstanding natural areas. The GPNSS publishes …

Understanding And Finding Solutions To The Problem Of Sedimentation In The National Wildlife Refuge System, Max Post Van Der Burg, Karen E. Jenni, Timothy L. Nieman, Josh D. Eash, Gregory A. Knutsen

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

The National Wildlife Refuge System (Refuge System) is a collection of public lands maintained by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for migratory birds and other wildlife. Wetlands on individual National Wildlife Refuges (Refuges) may be at risk of increased sedimentation because of land use and water management practices. Increased sedimentation can reduce wetland habitat quality by altering hydrologic function, degrading water quality, and inhibiting growth of vegetation and invertebrates. On Refuges negatively affected by increased sedimentation, managers have to address complex questions about how to best remediate and mitigate the negative effects. The best way to account for these …

Notes: Range Extension Of The Virginia Opossum (Didelphis Virginiana) In North Dakota, Lisa L. Walsh, Robert Seabloom, Cody W. Thompson

The Prairie Naturalist

The Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) is broadly distributed across North America from Costa Rica in the south to southern Ontario in the north and from the southern Great Plains in the west to the eastern United States. The Virginia opossum also was introduced multiple times to thePacific Coast beginning in the late 1800s and has established populations in that region. This species is a habitat generalist known to frequent wetland and hardwood habitats but also can be found in grasslands, along forest edges, and in agricultural and suburban settings throughout its range. However, the Virginia opossum is adapted …

Acute Salivary Steroid Hormone Responses During Coalitional And Dyadic Competitions In Hong Kong Juvenile Children, Timothy Mchale

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A large body of research links testosterone and cortisol responses to competition during adulthood. Little psychoneuroendocrine research has explored salivary steroid hormone responses to competition during middle childhood. This project investigated the relationship between acute salivary steroid hormone change, performance, competitor type, and outcome effects in three different field studies, while controlling for Body Mass Index (BMI) and pubertal development, in a population of ethnically Chinese, Hong Kong juvenile children, 8-11 years of age. The relative dynamics of salivary steroid change were assessed during a 1) coalitional physical competition (soccer) in boys, 2) a non-physical mixed-sex coalitional competition (math contest), …

Emerging Infectious Disease And The Imperiled Relict Leopard Frog, Anthony Wayne Waddle

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The disease chytridiomycosis, caused by the aquatic fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), has emerged as a major contributing factor for worldwide amphibian declines. Although relatively recently described, the impacts from the disease this pathogen causes have been definitively tied to amphibian declines, including some that occurred decades ago. In some cases, declines of individual species occurred with little documentation and are thus poorly understood. The relict leopard frog (Rana onca = Lithobates onca) has experienced such a decline and by the latter part of the 20th century only occurred in two general areas in southern Nevada. Recent research has found …

Habitat Ecology, Trophic Interactions, And Distribution Of Endangered Himalayan Musk Deer In The Nepal Himalaya, Kapil Kishor Khadka

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation seeks to explore and assess the habitat selection, trophic interactions and distribution of Himalayan musk deer. Chapter one deals with seasonal diet analysis of musk deer along with the overlap in consumption with livestock during summer. Microhistological technique was employed to assess dietary consumption. Results showed that Abies spectabilis, Pinus wallichiana, and Berberis species constituted the major portion of musk deer’s diet. Dietary breadth measured by the Shannon index was found higher in winter compared to summer. Although musk deer and livestock shared a considerable number of plant species in their diets, the consumption however was significantly different …

Current Status Of Pseudococcidae (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) In South Korea, Ah-Ram Son, Soo-Jung Suh

Insecta Mundi

Thirty-one species of mealybugs (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) are reported from South Korea based upon monitoring surveys conducted from 2010 to 2016, along with a dichotomous key to separate them. Six species, Nipaecoccus nipae (Maskell), Palmicultor lumpurensis (Takahashi), Planococcus citri (Risso), Pseudococcus dendrobiorum Williams, Pseudococcus longispinus (Targioni-Tozzetti), and Pseudococcus orchidicola Takahashi, known only to occur in greenhouses, are considered as adventive mealybug species to South Korea; of these, P. citri has already established in the exterior environment in South Korea.

Description Of The Female Of Solenoptera Tomentosa Lingafelter, 2015 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Prioninae: Solenopterini), Sergio Devesa, Elier Fonseca, Alejandro Barro

Insecta Mundi

The female of Solenoptera tomentosa Lingafelter, 2015 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Prioninae: Solenopterini) is described and illustrated for the first time.

La hembra de Solenoptera tomentosa Lingafelter, 2015 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Prioninae: Solenopterini) es descrita e ilustrada por primera vez.

Relative Contribution Of Neutral And Deterministic Processes In Shaping Fruit-Feeding Butterfly Assemblages In Afrotropical Forests, Kwaku Aduse-Poku, Freerk Molleman, William Oduro, Samuel K. Oppong, David J. Lohman, Rampal S. Etienne

Publications and Research

The unified neutral theory of biodiversity and biogeography has gained the status of a quantitative null model for explaining patterns in ecological (meta)communities. The theory assumes that individuals of trophically similar species are functionally equivalent. We empirically evaluate the relative contribution of neutral and deterministic processes in shaping fruit-feeding butterfly assemblages in three tropical forests in Africa, using both direct (confronting the neutral model with species abundance data) and indirect approaches (testing the predictions of neutral theory using data other than species abundance distributions). Abundance data were obtained by sampling butterflies using banana baited traps set at the forest canopy …

Spatially Explicit Model Of Areas Between Suitable Black Bear Habitat In East Texas And Black Bear Populations In Louisiana, Arkansas, And Oklahoma, Caitlin M. Glymph, Christopher Comer, Daniel Scognamillo, Daniel Unger, Yanli Zhang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although black bears (Ursus americanus, Ursus americanus luteolus) were once found throughout the south-central United States, unregulated harvest and habitat loss resulted in severe range retractions and by the beginning of the twentieth century populations in Oklahoma, Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas were nearing extirpation. In response to these losses, translocation programs were initiated in Arkansas (1958-1968 & 2000-2006) and Louisiana (1964-1967 & 2001-2009). These programs successfully restored bears to portions of Louisiana and Arkansas, and, as populations in Arkansas began dispersing, to Oklahoma. In contrast, east Texas remains unoccupied despite the existence of suitable habitat in the region.

To facilitate …

The Diversity, Costs, And Benefits Of Shelters Built By Lepidopteran Caterpillars In A Costa Rican Dry Forest, Christina Baer

Dissertations

Thousands of Lepidoptera species build shelters as caterpillars using plant material and their own silk. Although these caterpillars and their shelters are recognized as playing important ecological roles, the structural diversity of shelters and the costs and benefits of different shelters to their builders are still poorly understood. In this dissertation, I use natural history observations, observational and manipulative field projects, and molecular and phylogenetic tools to investigate these questions for a diverse and abundant shelter-building caterpillar community within the dry forest of Palo Verde National Park, Costa Rica. In Chapter 1, I develop a system for categorizing and describing …

Genomic Data Reveal A Loss Of Diversity In Two Species Of Tuco-Tucos (Genus Ctenomys) Following A Volcanic Eruption, Jeremy L. Hsu, Jeremy Chase Crawford, Mauro N. Tammone, Uma Ramakrishnan, Eileen A. Lacey, Elizabeth A. Hadly

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Marked reductions in population size can trigger corresponding declines in genetic variation. Understanding the precise genetic consequences of such reductions, however, is often challenging due to the absence of robust pre- and post-reduction datasets. Here, we use heterochronous genomic data from samples obtained before and immediately after the 2011 eruption of the Puyehue-Cordón Caulle volcanic complex in Patagonia to explore the genetic impacts of this event on two parapatric species of rodents, the colonial tuco-tuco (Ctenomys sociabilis) and the Patagonian tuco-tuco (C. haigi). Previous analyses using microsatellites revealed no post-eruption changes in genetic variation in C. …

Evaluating The Ecological Status Of The Introduced Nile Monitor (Varanus Niloticus) In Florida: Forecasting Presence And Population Expansion Using Computational Geographic Information Systems, Noah G. Cohen

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

The Nile monitor (Varanus niloticus) is a large, carnivorous lizard that has become a notorious invasive species in Florida, USA. Initially released in the 1980s from the pet trade, the species has since established at least three breeding populations and spread throughout much of southern Florida. While current control efforts have failed to eradicate V. niloticus, it is important to attain a better understanding of its invasive dynamics to guide and inform better control strategies. In this study, available georeferenced records of V. niloticus in Florida were compiled and linked to a habitat classification map to evaluate ecotype preferences. Factored …

Ecological Epigenetics Of Avian Range Expansions, Holly J. Kilvitis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In light of human-mediated environmental change, a fundamental goal for biologists is to determine which phenotypic characteristics enable some individuals, populations or species to be more adept at coping with such change, while rendering others more vulnerable. Studying ongoing range expansions provide a unique opportunity to address this question by allowing documentation of how novel environments shape phenotypic variation on ecological timescales. At range-edges, individuals are exposed to strong selective pressures and population genetic challenges (e.g. bottlenecks and/or founder effects), which make genetic adaptation difficult. Nevertheless, certain species, such as the house sparrow (Passer domesticus), seem to thrive in their …

A Study Of The Urban Red Fox (Vulpes Vulpes) Population In Baton Rouge, Louisiana Using Social Media, Ahsennur Soysal

LSU Master's Theses

Foxes are timid yet resourceful animals that are integrated into many urban environments. Because they are elusive, collecting information about the number of urban foxes, their diet and spatial distribution, their interactions with the ecological community in their urban habitat, as well as residents’ response to them, is difficult. Involving stakeholders to participate in the data collection on wildlife via citizen science on social media is one way to overcome this complication, while simultaneously engaging residents in the ecology happening around them. Therefore, we used social media as the platform to engage the public to document and map the foxes …

Mode And Rate Of Evolution Of Haemosporidian Mitochondrial Genomes: Timing The Radiation Of Avian Parasites, M. Andreína Pacheco, Nubia E. Matta, Gediminas Valkiūnas, Patricia G. Parker, Beatriz Mello, Craig E. Stanley Jr., Miguel Lentino, Maria Alexandra Garcia-Amado, Michael Cranfield, Sergei L. Kosakovsky Pond, Ananias A. Escalante

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

Haemosporidians are a diverse group of vector-borne parasitic protozoa that includes the agents of human malaria; however, most of the described species are found in birds and reptiles. Although our understanding of these parasites’ diversity has expanded by analyses of their mitochondrial genes, there is limited information on these genes’ evolutionary rates. Here, 114 mitochondrial genomes (mtDNA) were studied from species belonging to four genera: Leucocytozoon, Haemoproteus, Hepatocystis, and Plasmodium. Contrary to previous assertions, the mtDNA is phylogenetically informative. The inferred phylogeny showed that, like the genus Plasmodium, the Leucocytozoon and Haemoproteus genera are not monophyletic groups. Although …

Bioleaching Potential Of Filamentous Fungi To Mobilize Lithium And Cobalt From Spent Rechargeable Li-Ion Batteries, Aldo Lobos

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Demand for lithium (Li) and cobalt (Co) is on the rise, due in part to their increased use in rechargeable Li-ion batteries (RLIB). Current recycling processes that utilize chemical leaching efficiently recover in Li and Co from the cathode material in spent batteries; however, these processes are costly and emit hazardous waste into the environment. Therefore, a more sustainable process for recycling Li and Co is needed, and bioleaching may provide a solution. Fungal bioleaching has been shown in previous studies to effectively mobilize metals (Pb, Al, Mn, Cu, and Zn) from mine tailings, electronic scrap, and spent batteries with …

Cryptic Diversity And Discordance In Single‐Locus Species Delimitation Methods Within Horned Lizards (Phrynosomatidae: Phrynosoma), Christopher Blair, Robert W. Bryson Jr.

Publications and Research

Biodiversity reduction and loss continues to progress at an alarming rate, and thus there is widespread interest in utilizing rapid and efficient methods for quantifying and delimiting taxonomic diversity. Single-locus species-delimitation methods have become popular, in part due to the adoption of the DNA barcoding paradigm. These techniques can be broadly classified into tree-based and distance-based methods depending on whether species are delimited based on a constructed genealogy. Although the relative performance of these methods has been tested repeatedly with simulations, additional studies are needed to assess congruence with empirical data. We compiled a large data set of mitochondrial ND4 …