Digital Commons Network^™

Climate. A Period Of Consequence: Environmental Literature Of 2006 (2006), Shaun O’Connell

New England Journal of Public Policy

The author talks about the consequences of not respecting the climate and understanding global warming will cause ecocide and our own extinction.

Reprinted from New England Journal of Public Policy 21, no. 2 (2007), article 5.

Environmental Temperatures, Artificial Nests, And Incubation Of Cassin's Auklet, Emma Kelsey, Russell Bradley, Pete Warzybok, Jamie Jahncke, Scott A. Shaffer

Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences

Hatching success in birds is influenced by the temperature and turning rate of the egg, but our understanding of the environmental factors that effect incubation temperatures and egg turning rates in birds is limited. Especially little is known of these effects for species that nest in burrows or crevices, such as the Cassin's auklet. On Southeast Farallon Island, California, USA, a subset of the Cassin's auklet (hereafter auklet) population nest in artificial nest boxes. The nest boxes are above ground and made out of a single layer of plywood. Temperatures in unshaded nest boxes can increase significantly with high ambient …

Wildlife In U.S. Cities: Managing Unwanted Animals, John Hadidian

Conservation Collection

Conflicts between people and wild animals in cities are undoubtedly as old as urban living itself. In the United States it is only of late, however, that many of the species now found in cities have come to live there. The increasing kind and number of human-wildlife conflicts in urbanizing environments makes it a priority that effective and humane means of conflict resolution be found. The urban public wants conflicts with wildlife resolved humanely, but needs to know what the alternative management approaches are, and what ethical standards should guide their use. This paper examines contemporary urban wildlife control in …

Influence Of Traditional Taboo Practices On Natural Resource Conservation In Uli, Ihiala Local Government Area Of Anambra State Nigeria; Sustainable Community Development., Geoffrey O. Anoliefo, Paul Anulika Nwokeji, Beckley Ikhajiagbe

Journal of Environmental Sustainability

Environmental sustainability is the conservation and maintenance of the ecological integrity of a given area. The present study investigated the effective use of traditional laws and taboo practices in the preservation of the natural resources of Uli, a town in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State Nigeria. The study examined strategies employed in environmental sustainability in this area at the period leading upto Nigeria’s independence in 1960, impact of the civil war (1967-1970) and its aftermath till date. The instruments used for the data collection included literature review, field survey using the questionnaire, one on one oral interviews and …

North American River Otter (Lontra Canadensis) Presence And Habitat Analysis In Florida As Compared To Historical Data, Samantha Wilber

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

North American river otters are considered common in the state of Florida, but their populations have not been studied since the 1980’s. Since that time, Florida’s human population has more than doubled, and many natural areas of Florida have been developed. The aim of this study was to determine the presence or absence of river otters at locations in Florida which they historically inhabited. Forty-six sample sites where otters were historically found were obtained from the Florida Museum of Natural History Mammals Master Database (FMNH MMD). These sites were condensed to two focus areas, in and around Alachua and Collier …

Displaying To Females May Lower Male Foraging Time And Vigilance In A Lekking Bird, Sarah A. Cowles, Robert M. Gibson

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Males of many species use courtship behavior to attract mates. However, by doing so males may face the associated costs of increased energetic expenditure, reduced foraging time, and elevated predation risk. We investigated the costs of display in lekking male Sharp-tailed Grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus). We used lek-wide scan sampling to study how males allocated time among courtship display (‘‘dancing’’), agonism, foraging, and inactivity in relation to female numbers both within and across days. We also addressed the limited attention hypothesis and estimated visual attentiveness by videotaping 13 males and scoring head turns during these different activities. We found that the …

Understanding Acceptable Level Of Risk: Incorporating The Economic Cost Of Under-Managing Invasive Species, Alisha D. Davidson, Chad L. Hewitt, Donna R. Kashian

Environmental Science and Geology Faculty Research Publications

Management of nonindigenous species includes prevention, early detection and rapid response and control. Early detection and rapid response depend on prioritizing and monitoring sites at risk for arrival or secondary spread of nonindigenous species. Such monitoring efforts require sufficient biosecurity budgets to be effective and meet management or policy directives for reduced risk of introduction. Such consideration of risk reduction is rarely considered, however. Here, we review the concepts of acceptable level of risk (ALOR) and associated costs with respect to nonindigenous species and present a framework for aligning risk reduction priorities with available biosecurity resources. We conclude that available …

Examining Temporal Sample Scale And Model Choice With Spatial Capture-Recapture Models In The Common Leopard Panthera Pardus, Joshua F. Goldberg, Tshering Tempa, Nawang Norbu, Mark Hebblewhite, L. Scott Mills, Tshewang R. Wangchuk, Paul Lukacs

Wildlife Biology Faculty Publications

Many large carnivores occupy a wide geographic distribution, and face treats from habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching, prey depletion, and human wildlife-conflicts. Conservation requires robust techniques for estimating population densities and trends, but the elusive nature and low densities of many large carnivores make them difficult to detect. Spatial capture-recapture (SCR) models provide a means for handling imperfect detectability, while linking population estimates to individual movement patterns to provide more accurate estimates than standard approaches. Within this framework, we investigate the effect of different sample interval lengths on density estimates, using simulations and a common leopard (Panthera pardus) …

Identifying Humanized Ecosystems: Anthropogenic Impacts, Intentionality, And Resource Acquisition At Crystal River (8ci1) And Roberts Island (8ci41), Charles Trevor Duke

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The impact of human activity on ecosystems is an issue at the forefront of global concern. Marine ecosystems are a particular concern, given their importance for human sustenance. Through the removal of species that are highly susceptible to the effects of overfishing, global fisheries have been driven to near collapse in recent decades. The long-term effects of such practices has resulted in declines in mean trophic level of aggregate fish catches over time, as well as decreasing diversity of species available for regular harvest (Jackson et al. 2001; Pauly et al. 1998). These supposedly “modern” problems have been recently identified …

Emergent Insect And Neotropical Migratory Bird Interactions And Responses To Habitat, Hydrology, And Progressive Urbanization In The Tampa Bay Region, Nathaniel Lee Goddard

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The growing human population threatens the many of the earth’s biological systems. In the last 600 years extinction rates risen from 1 extinction per million species per year (E/MSY) in the 1400’s to 50 E/MSY today. During this time period 1.5% of all known birds have gone extinct, because they could not adapt quickly enough to human mediated changes. The goal of this dissertation was to determine how urbanization and anthropogenic services needed to support urban areas impact cypress dome wetland aquatic insect and migratory bird populations that depend on them. In Central Florida cypress dome hydroperiods are driven by …

Predicting Toucan Locations In Panama Using Arcgis, Daniel J. Herrera

Geography: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Toucans are omnivorous birds native to southern Latin America and South America. They are non-migratory, and their range is disputed among experts. In an attempt to develop a better understanding of the range and behavior of toucans, correlations between toucan presence and geographic features of the area were analyzed to create a location probability map.

Research, Monitoring, Assessment And Development Plan 2015 – 2020, Department Of Fisheries

Fisheries Occasional Publications

No abstract provided.

Integrating Resource Selection Into Spatial Capture-Recapture Models For Large Carnivores, K. M. Proffitt, Joshua F. Goldberg, Mark Hebblewhite, R. Russell, B. S. Jimenez, H. S. Robinson, K. Pilgrim, M. K. Schwartz

Wildlife Biology Faculty Publications

Wildlife managers need reliable methods to estimate large carnivore densities and population trends; yet large carnivores are elusive, difficult to detect, and occur at low densities making traditional approaches intractable. Recent advances in spatial capture-recapture (SCR) models have provided new approaches for monitoring trends in wildlife abundance and these methods are particularly applicable to large carnivores. We applied SCR models in a Bayesian framework to estimate mountain lion densities in the Bitterroot Mountains of west central Montana. We incorporate an existing resource selection function (RSF) as a density co-variate to account for heterogeneity in habitat use across the study area …

Body Size Affects Individual Winter Foraging Strategies Of Thick-Billed Murres In The Bering Sea, Rachael Orben, Rosana Paredes, Daniel Roby, David Irons, Scott A. Shaffer

Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences

Foraging and migration often require different energetic and movement strategies. Though not readily apparent, constraints during one phase might influence the foraging strategies observed in another. For marine birds that fly and dive, body size constraints likely present a trade-off between foraging ability and migration as smaller bodies reduce flight costs, whereas larger bodies are advantageous for diving deeper. This study examines individual wintering strategies of deep diving thick-billed murres (Uria lomvia) breeding at three colonies in the south-eastern Bering Sea: St Paul, St George and Bogoslof. These colonies, arranged north to south, are located such that breeding birds forage …

P-04 Cavan Burren 2015 Project, Rhonda Root, Robin Johnson, Ariel Solis, Abelardo Rivas

Celebration of Research and Creative Scholarship

The Cavan Burren is a plantation forest within the Marble Arch Caves UNESCO Global Geopark overlay along the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland border. The exposure of Cavan Burren’s "relict landscape" resulted from a 2012 partial clear fell. Our multidisciplinary team of researchers in architecture, technology, ecology, fine arts, and archaeology investigated domestic architecture reflected in three stone configurations: circular/semicircular sites, rectangular sites, and tomb structures. We also investigated human action on pedestal boulders (PBs), which had been modified by sculpting, splitting, and cutting away. Our first goal was to show human action on structures by using three-dimensional (3D) …

No Effect Of Host Species On Phenoloxidase Activity In A Mycophagous Beetle, Vincent A. Formica, Amanda Kar-Men Chan , '16

Biology Faculty Works

Ecological immunology is an interdisciplinary field that helps elucidate interactions between the environment and immune response. The host species individuals experience have profound effects on immune response in many species of insects. However, this conclusion comes from studies of herbivorous insects even though species of mycophagous insects also inhabit many different host species. The goal of this study was to determine if fungal host species as well as individual, sex, body size, and host patch predict one aspect of immune function, phenoloxidase activity (PO). We sampled a metapopulation of Bolitotherus cornutus, a mycophagous beetle in southwestern Virginia. B. cornutus live …

A Bat-Guano-Derived Δ15N And Δ13C Record Of Paleoenvironmental Change: Zidită Cave, Romania, Daniel Martin Cleary

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Because nitrogen isotopes are fractionated along the soil-plant-insect-bat-guano pathway, it may be possible to reconstruct environmental and climatic changes reflected in the nitrogen isotopic composition of guano. A 1.5-m core of bat guano from Zidită Cave (western Romania) provides a record of climatic and anthropogenic influence on the regional nitrogen cycle and paleoenvironmental controls on nitrogen transforming processes. Increasing and decreasing trends of nitrogen isotopic composition (δ¹⁵N values) correspond well with changes in the influence of farming practices, deforestation, and forest expansion. These influences likely had a significant effect on the openness of the nitrogen cycle, resulting in …

A Polyglot Approach To Bioinformatics Data Integration: A Phylogenetic Analysis Of Hiv-1, Steven Reisman, Thomas Hatzopoulos, Konstantin Laufer, George K. Thiruvathukal, Catherine Putonti

Bioinformatics Faculty Publications

As sequencing technologies continue to drop in price and increase in throughput, new challenges emerge for the management and accessibility of genomic sequence data. We have developed a pipeline for facilitating the storage, retrieval, and subsequent analysis of molecular data, integrating both sequence and metadata. Taking a polyglot approach involving multiple languages, libraries, and persistence mechanisms, sequence data can be aggregated from publicly available and local repositories. Data are exposed in the form of a RESTful web service, formatted for easy querying, and retrieved for downstream analyses. As a proof of concept, we have developed a resource for annotated HIV-1 …

Migration In The Social Stage Of Dictyostelium Discoideum Amoebae Impacts Competition, Chandra N. Jack, Neil J. Buttery, Boahemaa Adu-Oppong, Michael Powers, Christopher R.L. Thompson, David Queller, Joan E. Strassmann

Biology Faculty Research

Interaction conditions can change the balance of cooperation and conflict in multicellular groups. After aggregating together, cells of the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum may migrate as a group (known as a slug) to a new location. We consider this migration stage as an arena for social competition and conflict because the cells in the slug may not be from a genetically homogeneous population. In this study, we examined the interplay of two seemingly diametric actions, the solitary action of kin recognition and the collective action of slug migration in D. discoideum, to more fully understand the effects of social competition …

Odorant Receptor-Based Discovery Of Natural Repellents Of Human Lice, Julien Pelletier, Pingxi Xu, Kyong-Sup Yoon, John M. Clark, Walter S. Leal

SIUE Faculty Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

The body louse, Pediculus humanus humanus, is an obligate blood-feeding ectoparasite and an important insect vector that mediates the transmission of diseases to humans. The analysis of the body louse genome revealed a drastic reduction of the chemosensory gene repertoires when compared to other insects, suggesting specific olfactory adaptations to host specialization and permanent parasitic lifestyle. Here, we present for the first time functional evidence for the role of odorant receptors (ORs) in this insect, with the objective to gain insight into the chemical ecology of this vector. We identified seven putative full-length ORs, in addition to the odorant receptor …

A Tail Of Two Phages: Genomic And Functional Analysis Of Listeria Monocytogenes Phages Vb_Lmos_188 And Vb_Lmos_293 Reveal The Receptor-Binding Proteins Involved In Host Specificity, Aidan Casey, Kieran Jordan, Horst Neve, Aidan Coffey, Olivia Mcauliffe

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

The physical characteristics of bacteriophages establish them as viable candidates for downstream development of pathogen detection assays and biocontrol measures. To utilize phages for such purposes, a detailed knowledge of their host interaction mechanisms is a prerequisite. There is currently a wealth of knowledge available concerning Gram-negative phage-host interaction, but little by comparison for Gram-positive phages and Listeria phages in particular. In this research, the lytic spectrum of two recently isolated Listeria monocytogenes phages (vB_LmoS_188 and vB_LmoS_293) was determined, and the genomic basis for their observed serotype 4b/4e host-specificity was investigated using comparative genomics. The late tail genes of these …

Mapping The Movement Of Overwintering Western Monarch Butterflies (Danaus Plexippus) At The Pismo Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove Using Arcgis Software, Brett Johnson, Jesse Wycko, Daniel Goldthwaite, Tyler Brown

Symposium

Dr. Villablanca of the Cal Poly Biology Department commissioned this project with the goal of tracking Monarch Butterfly spatial redistribution in anticipation of or response to severe weather events. We believe that Monarchs cluster non-preferentially on introduced Eucalyptus trees until midwinter when they begin to cluster preferentially on native conifers. Based on the efforts of a previous group of students, it has been deter- mined that, over a two-week time period in mid-winter, Monarchs spend the majority of their time on native conifers. We set out to clearly demonstrate Monarch Butterfly spatial redistribution in either anticipation of or response to …

Métodos Cuantitativos Para La Conservación De Los Vertebrados, Michael J. Conroy, John P. Carroll, Juan Carlos Senar, Jeffrey J. Thompson

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Este libro es destinado para el uso por biólogos del campo y otras personas, incluso biólogos de campo en el futuro que podrían estar en un curso de la universidad y trabajando en estudios y conservación de animales. Nuestro objetivo es que los biólogos usen este libro como (haciendo apología a nuestro colega Evan Cooch) una “introducción suave” al campo de la ecología cuantitativa. Esperamos convencer a los lectores que los métodos y aproximaciones del libro no son solo para los matemáticos, estadísticos y programadores de computadoras, sino que de hecho son herramientas esenciales para practicar la conservación en el …

Promoting Predators And Compassionate Conservation, Arian D. Wallach, Marc Bekoff, Michael Paul Nelson, David Ramp

Conservation Collection

No abstract provided.

Virginia’S Land Mammals: Past And Present, With Some Thoughts About Their Possible Future, John F. Pagels, Nancy D. Moncrief

Virginia Journal of Science

Mammals encountered today in Virginia’s forests and fields include native and nonnative species, feral populations, and free-ranging pets. We examine factors that have influenced Virginia’s terrestrial mammal fauna since the arrival of European colonists in the 1600s and some of the factors that are shaping the fauna today. We look in depth at changes since Handley and Patton’s (1947) first complete monograph on Virginia mammals and augment Linzey’s (1998) book, The Mammals of Virginia. We include current nomenclature, baseline information, and references to comprehensive literature. We discuss some of the current and developing anthropogenic factors that have impacted, or that …

Breeding Birds Of Virginia, Bryan D. Watts

Virginia Journal of Science

Virginia supports a diverse community of breeding birds that has been the focus of investigation for more than 400 years. The avifauna reflects the latitudinal position of the state and the fact that the border extends from the Atlantic Ocean to the Appalachian Mountains. A total of 224 species have been recorded breeding in Virginia, 214 of which are extant. Twenty species have colonized the state since 1900 including 14 since 1950. Of all extant species, 102 (48%) are considered common at least somewhere in the state and 64 (30%) are rare to very rare. Diversity varies by physiographic region …

Virginia’S Amphibians: Status, Threats And Conservation, Jennifer Sevin, John D. Kleopfer

Virginia Journal of Science

Virginia’s diverse environments support 84 amphibian species (anurans and caudates), making it the third highest state in terms of species richness. However, the Commonwealth matches the global trend in declining amphibian populations with over one-third of its amphibian species in conservation need. The Species of Greatest Conservation Need included in the most recent Virginia Wildlife Action Plan cut across amphibian families and ecoregions. It is challenging to ascertain the exact cause of most of the population declines. In one degree or another, all of the global threats to amphibians exist within Virginia’s borders. While an active research program on amphibians …

An Invasive Grass And A Desert Adapted Rodent: Is There An Effect On Locomotory Performance And Is It Modified By Prior Experience Or Familiarization?, Camille D. Boag

Master's Theses

Kangaroo rats (Dipodomys spp.) are frequently characterized as keystone species for their role in altering soil characteristics, changing habitat structure through seed consumption and dispersal, and being important primary consumers in their ecosystem. They are arid adapted and known to forage in areas with sparse vegetation. Studies suggests densely vegetated habitat to be unsuitable for kangaroo rats because plants are an impediment to their locomotion and predator avoidance behaviors. This study focuses on an invasive grass, South African Veldt (Ehrharta calycina), that converts landscapes with sparse vegetation into dense grassland habitats, and the Lompoc kangaroo rat …

Effects Of Supplemental Hydration On Physiology And Behavior Of Northern Pacific Rattlesnakes (Crotalus Oreganus Oreganus), Griffin D. Capehart

Master's Theses

Hydration is a critical element for many physiological processes in vertebrates, such as protein production, innate immunity, and behavioral processes such as daily activity and thermoregulation. Few studies have directly assessed the effect of hydration on these animals in nature. While it seems intuitive that drought is stressful to animals, studies examining drought are typically observational and fail to assess how the hydration state of these animals influences their physiology and behavior. We tested for an effect of hydration on several physiological and behavioral parameters in Northern Pacific rattlesnakes (Crotalus oreganus oreganus) by experimentally manipulating hydration levels in …

Gazetteer And Site-Based History Of The Ornithology Of Sabah. Malaysian Borneo, Frederick H. Sheldon

Occasional Papers of the Museum of Natural Science, Louisiana State University

The gazetteer lists sites in the state of Sabah, Malaysia, where birds have been collected, studied, or watched. Its purpose is to identify locations for research and birding in Sabah and to provide a brief scientific history of the more important sites. Each site description includes latitude, longitude, and general information on location. For many sites, elevation, habitat, scientific or birdwatching importance, historical notes, citations of key papers, specimen records, and records of certain species are also included.