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Phylogeography Of Two Species Of The Genus Apochthonius Chamberlin, 1929, In The Pacific Northwest (Arachnida, Pseudoscorpiones), Brandi Lynn Welch

Dissertations and Theses

I used mitochondrial COI sequence data from forty one individuals to investigate phylogenetic relationships among populations of two morphologically similar species of the pseudoscorpion genus Apochthonius, A. minimus and A. occidentalis, in western Washington, Oregon, and northern California. My goal was to assess whether genetic structure in the two species was congruent with geography. Many plant and animal species in the Pacific Northwestern United States have shown patterns of genetic differentiation that follow both north-south and east-west trends, indicating that geologic and climatic events in the past separated populations to the extent that they became genetically differentiated. A distinct geographic …

Preservation Of Three-Dimensional Anatomy In Phosphatized Fossil Arthropods Enriches Evolutionary Inference, Achim H. Schwermann, Tomy Dos Santos Rolo, Michael S. Caterino, Gunter Bechly, Heiko Schmied, Tilo Baumbach, Thomas Van De Kamp

Publications

External and internal morphological characters of extant and fossil organisms are crucial to establishing their systematic position, ecological role and evolutionary trends. The lack of internal characters and soft-tissue preservation in many arthropod fossils, however, impedes comprehensive phylogenetic analyses and species descriptions according to taxonomic standards for Recent organisms. We found well-preserved three-dimensional anatomy in mineralized arthropods from Paleogene fissure fillings and demonstrate the value of these fossils by utilizing digitally reconstructed anatomical structure of a hister beetle. The new anatomical data facilitate a refinement of the species diagnosis and allowed us to reject a previous hypothesis of close phylogenetic …

Gascoyne Demersal Scalefish Managed Fishery, Department Of Fisheries

Fisheries Occasional Publications

An operators’ guide to the management arrangements 1 September 2015 – 31 August 2016.

When Human-Leopard Conflict Turns Deadly: A Cross-Country Situational Analysis, Julie S. Viollaz

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Habitat destruction and pollution are two of the main causes for the decline of the planet’s biodiversity. Yet environmentalists are now recognizing that illegal wildlife killings, both poaching and retaliatory killings due to human-wildlife conflict, are perhaps the next major threat. Biologists have researched illegal killings and their effect on species conservation, but few researchers have applied criminological principles of crime reduction to them. This research will explore the situational factors that drive retaliatory leopard killings in parts of South Africa, Kenya, and India. These factors, human and environmental, include local expectations from wildlife, sensitivity to environmental issues, communication between …

The Evolution Of The Viral Rna Sensor Oas1 In Old World Monkeys And Cetartiodactyls, Ian Fish

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Animals produce an array of sensors patrolling the intracellular environment poised to detect and respond to viral infection. The oligoadenylate synthetase family of enzymes comprises a crucial part of this innate immune response, directly signaling endonuclease activity responsible for inhibiting viral replication. Oligoadenylate synthetase 1 plays a vital role in animal susceptibility to pathogens including flaviviruses such as dengue, West Nile, and hepatitis c virus. This thesis includes a population level analysis of OAS1 diversity within macaque and baboon species followed by a broader survey of the gene in nineteen Old World monkeys. My research found that at the species …

Effect Of Grazing Prairie Dog—Colonized Rangeland On Cattle Nutrition And Performance: A Progress Report, Kenneth C. Olson, Christopher Schauer, Chanda Engel, Janna J. Kincheloe, Jameson R. Brennan, Ben L. Hauptman

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

On the Ground

• One objective of the ongoing Renewal on Standing Rock Reservation project is to evaluate the response of grazing steers to the level of prairie dog colonization on Northern Mixed Grass Prairie.
• We fenced four pastures to create an increasing gradient of a proportion of the pasture area colonized by prairie dogs. Pastures are stocked with yearling steers during each growing season.
• Comparing steer performance, Global Positioning System (GPS) locations of grazing, diet samples, and ingestive behavior at each proportion of the prairie dog colony per pasture allows prediction of the optimal proportion of colonization, which enables selection …

Use Of Ecological Sites In Managing Wildlife And Livestock: An Example With Prairie Dogs, John R. Hendrickson, Patricia S. Johnson, Mark A. Liebig, Kevin K. Sedivec, Gary A. Halvorson

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

On the Ground

• The perception of prairie dogs among Native Americans living on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation is mixed. Some Native Americans focus on the loss of forage productivity, whereas others are interested in the cultural and ecological aspects of prairie dogs.
• The use of ecological sites may provide a mechanism for developing a management framework that would consider both livestock and prairie dogs.
• The three ecological sites we surveyed had large differences in off-colony standing crop, but in 2 of the 3 years we surveyed, there were no differences between standing crop on-colony.
• This suggests that management of …

Effects Of Short-Term Cattle Exclusion On Plant Community Composition: Prairie Dog And Ecological Site Influences, Aaron Field, Kevin Sedivec, John Hendrickson, Patricia Johnson, Benjamin Geaumont, Lan Xu, Roger N. Gates, Ryan Limb

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

On the Ground

• Maintaining cattle and prairie dogs on rangelands is important ecologically, economically, and culturally. However, competition between these species, both actual and perceived, has led to conflict.
• We explored the effects of short-term (2-year) cattle exclusion on plant communities both on and off prairie dog towns and among three common ecological sites.
• Plant communities were different between on-town and off-town plots and among ecological sites but were similar between cattle-excluded and nonexcluded plots.
• Plant community composition did not differ between rangeland targeted for moderate forage utilization and that in which cattle had been excluded for 2 years.

Comparative Population Genomics Of Latitudinal Variation In Drosophila Simulans And Drosophila Melanogaster, Heather E. Machado, Alan O. Bergland, Katherine R. O'Brien, Emily L. Behrman, Paul S. Schmidt, Dmitri A. Petrov

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Examples of clinal variation in phenotypes and genotypes across latitudinal transects have served as important models for understanding how spatially varying selection and demographic forces shape variation within species. Here, we examine the selective and demographic contributions to latitudinal variation through the largest comparative genomic study to date of Drosophila simulans and Drosophila melanogaster, with genomic sequence data from 382 individual fruit flies, collected across a spatial transect of 19 degrees latitude and at multiple time points over 2 years. Consistent with phenotypic studies, we find less clinal variation in D. simulans than D. melanogaster, particularly for the autosomes. Moreover, …

Benefits Of Size Dimorphism And Copulatory Silk Wrapping In The Sexually Cannibalistic Nursery Web Spider, Pisaurina Mira, Alissa G. Anderson, Eileen Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

In sexually cannibalistic animals, male fitness is influenced not only by successful mate acquisition and egg fertilization, but also by avoiding being eaten. In the cannibalistic nursery web spider, Pisaurina mira, the legs of mature males are longer in relation to their body size than those of females, and males use these legs to aid in wrapping a female’s legs with silk prior to and during copulation. We hypothesized that elongated male legs and silk wrapping provide benefits to males, in part through a reduced likelihood of sexual cannibalism. To test this, we paired females of random size with …

High Genetic Diversity But Low Population Structure In The Frog Pseudopaludicola Falcipes (Hensel, 1867) (Amphibia, Anura) From The Pampas Of South America, José A. Langone, Arley Camargo, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

Relative to South America’s ecoregions, the temperate grasslands of the Pampas have been poorly studied from a phylogeographic perspective. Based on an intermediate biogeographic setting between subtropical forest (Atlantic Forest) and arid ecosystems (Chaco and Patagonia), Pampean species are expected to show unstable demographic histories due to the Quaternary climatic oscillations. Herein, we investigate the phylogenetic relatedness and phylogeographic history of Pseudopaludicola falcipes, a small and common frog that is widely distributed across the Pampean grasslands. First, we use molecular data to assess if P. falcipes represents a single or multiple, separately evolving cryptic lineages. Because P. falcipes is …

Beyond The Adaptationist Legacy: Updating Our Teaching To Include A Diversity Of Evolutionary Mechanisms, Rebecca M. Price, Kathryn E. Perez

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

A paradigm shift away from viewing evolution primarily in terms of adaptation - the "adaptationist programme" of Gould and Lewontin - began in evolutionary research more than 35 years ago, but that shift has yet to occur within evolutionary education research or within teaching standards. We review three instruments that can help education researchers and educators undertake this paradigm shift. The instruments assess how biology undergraduates understand three evolutionary processes other than natural selection: genetic drift, dominance relationships among allelic pairs, and evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo). Testing with these instruments reveals that students often explain a diversity of evolutionary mechanisms …

Biodiversity And You., Garth Woodruff

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Ecological Succession Of Mosquitoes Inhabiting Waste Tires In A Subtropical Swamp And Upland Forest In Central West Florida, Emily Thuong Nguyen Dinh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Literature has not yet seen a contribution involving the description of successional patterns of mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) inhabiting discarded automobile tires in sylvan areas nor an investigation into the macro- and micro-environmental factors that may influence the seasonal shifts in species composition and abundance in that respective habitat. Waste tires in undeveloped forests are a hazard to human and animal health because they can support a population of vector mosquitoes. Locating productive waste tire mosquito habitats is problematic in wooded areas but is crucial for diminishing pathogen transfer in areas where humans have regular access to forests because of possible …

Pre-Settlement Vegetation Of Greene, Jersey And Macoupin Counties Along The Prairie/Forest Border In Illinois, Richard B. Brugam Ph.D., Paul D. Kilburn Ph.D., Laura Luecking Ma

SIUE Faculty Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

The US Federal Government established the Public Land Survey (PLS) to survey federal land before sale to settlers in the early 1800’s. We used a Geographic Information System (GIS) and the PLS to explore the relationship among forests, fire frequency, topography, and soils in Greene, Jersey and Macoupin Counties in Illinois. The PLS data was digitized from microfiche copies of the survey in the Lovejoy Library at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The floodplains along the Illinois River supported a fire-intolerant forest of Salix sp., Populus deltoides, Acer spp., and Fraxinus spp. The floodplain is bordered by a line of …

Are We Overestimating The Niche? Removing Marginal Localities Helps Ecological Niche Models Detect Environmental Barriers, Mariano Soley-Guardia, Eliécer E. Gutiérrez, Darla M. Thomas, José Ochoa-G, Marisol Aguilera, Robert P. Anderson

Publications and Research

Correlative ecological niche models (ENMs) estimate species niches using occurrence records and environmental data. These tools are valuable to the field of biogeography, where they are commonly used to infer potential connectivity among populations. However, a recent study showed that when locally relevant environmental data are not available, records from patches of suitable habitat protruding into otherwise unsuitable regions (e.g., gallery forests within dry areas) can lead to overestimations of species niches and their potential distributions. Here, we test whether this issue obfuscates detection of an obvious environmental barrier existing in northern Venezuela – that of the hot and xeric …

Scorpions Of Ethiopia. Part Iv. Genus Uroplectes Peters, 1861(Scorpiones: Buthidae), František Kovařík, Graeme Lowe, David Hoferek, Jana Plíšková, František Šťáhlavský

Euscorpius

All data about the distribution of Uroplectes fischeri (Karsch, 1879) in Ethiopia and Somalia are summarized. U. fischeri is fully illustrated with color photos of habitus and locality. Uroplectoides abyssinicus Lourenço, 1998 is discussed and synonymized with U. fischeri. Genus Uroplectoides Lourenço, 1998 is synonymized with Uroplectes Peters, 1861. Hemispermatophore of U. fischeri was extracted and illustrated for the first time. In addition to morphological analysis we also describe the karyotype of male U. fischeri from Ethiopia (2n=28).

Tiger Salamanders Disappearing In Region, Dennis M. Ferraro

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

"Where have all the salamanders gone?" 'This is a question I have been increasingly asked over the past five to six years from area residents. It seems we are observing a dramatic population decline of the western barred tiger salamander in parts of Southeast Nebraska. The western barred tiger salamander (Ambystoma mavortium) is one of only two salamanders in Nebraska. Over the past two years, none have been found in southeast Nebraska.

Salamanders, like all amphibians, are excellent indicator species. In many cases they act like the iconic canary in the mine shaft, telling us when to run …

Dna Barcoding Indicates Hidden Diversity Of Euscorpius (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae) In Turkey, Victor Fet, Matthew R. Graham, Gergin Blagoev, Ayşegül Karataş, Ahmet Karataş

Euscorpius

The Anatolian fauna of the genus Euscorpius (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae) is in the process of reassessment. Twelve species of this genus are currently recognized for Anatolia, of which seven have been recently described on the basis of morphology. We demonstrate additional cryptic diversity in Anatolian Euscorpius by applying molecular markers (mitochondrial COI and 16S rDNA genes) from 14 populations, of which 13 were morphologically characterized by “em=3,” a phenotypic marker on the pedipalp patella. All studied Anatolian forms are strongly supported as a single clade compared to the European (from the Alps to the Balkans) taxa of the subgenus …

Precipitation Legacy Effects On Dryland Ecosystem Carbon Fluxes: Direction, Magnitude And Biogeochemical Carryovers, Weijun Shen, Darrel Jenerette, Dafeng Hui, Russell L. Scott

Biology Faculty Research

The precipitation legacy effect, defined as the impact of historical precipitation (PPT) on extant ecosystem dynamics, has been recognized as an important driver in shaping the temporal variability of dryland aboveground net primary production (ANPP) and soil respiration. How the PPT legacy influences whole ecosystem-level carbon (C) fluxes has rarely been quantitatively assessed, particularly at longer temporal scales. We parameterized a process-based ecosystem model to a semiarid savanna ecosystem in the southwestern USA, calibrated and evaluated the model performance based on 7 years of eddy-covariance measurements, and conducted two sets of simulation experiments to assess interdecadal and interannual PPT legacy …

Editorial: "Euscorpius" Bicentennial Booklet, Victor Fet

Euscorpius

Names and images of Euscorpius authors. Various images of scorpions from around the world.

A New Species Of The Genus Thaicharmus Kovařík, 1995 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) From Northeast India, Zeeshan A. Mirza, Rajesh V. Sanap, Krushnamegh Kunte

Euscorpius

A new species Thaicharmus guptai sp. nov. is described from the northeast Indian state of Tripura. The new species differs from the known members of the genus in the following set of morphological characters: large size (total length 45.6 mm); trichobothrium d₂ is distal to i₁ on femur; trichobothria est, em and et on the external surface of the patella do not form a straight line. Subaculear tubercle is absent. The movable finger of pedipalp chela has 12 cutting rows of denticles. The movable finger is much longer than the pedipalp patella. Number of pectinal teeth 20/19; pectines …

Pseudouroctonus Peccatum Tate Et Al., 2013, Rediscovered, Richard F. Ayrey

Euscorpius

Shortly after the discovery of Pseudouroctonus peccatum Tate, Riddle, Soleglad et Graham, 2013 (Scorpiones: Vaejovidae) there was a large wildfire in the Spring Mountains of Nevada. At the time the species description was published, it was noted that the only known population of this species may have been extirpated by the fire and subsequent flooding of the type locality habitat (Tate et al. 2013). Today it is certain that the species has survived after the collection of 12 new specimens. Additional data on males are also presented.

Three New Species Of Scorpiops Peters, 1861 (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae: Scorpiopinae) From Pakistan, František Kovařík, Zubair Ahmed

Euscorpius

Three new species of the genus Scorpiops with 17 external trichobothria on the patella and total length of 50–72 mm are described from northern Pakistan and compared with other species of the genus. A key to the species of the genus is provided. In S. pakistanus sp. n. ventral trichobothria on the patella number 9–10, chela manus is wide and short, and pectinal teeth number 6–8. In S. pseudomontanus sp. n. ventral trichobothria on the patella number 14–18, chela manus is narrow and long, and pectinal teeth number 6–9. In S. zubairahmedi sp. n. ventral trichobothria on the patella number …

Two New Chaerilus From Vietnam (Scorpiones, Chaerilidae), With Observations Of Growth And Maturation Of Chaerilus Granulatus Sp. N. And C. Hofereki Kovařík Et Al., 2014, František Kovařík, Graeme Lowe, David Holferek, Martin Forman, Jiří Král

Euscorpius

Chaerilus granulatus sp. n. and C. longimanus sp. n. from Vietnam are described and compared with other species of the genus. Both species are characterized by: median eyes present; movable finger of pedipalp with 7–9 rows of granules; total length of adults under 30 mm; male differing from female in having pedipalp chela much narrower and longer. The two new species are differentiated by: ventral sides of sternite VII are smooth in C. longimanus sp. n. and granulated in C. granulatus sp. n. Adults of both sexes of C. granulatus sp. n. and C. hofereki Kovařík et al., 2014 were …

A New Species Of The Enigmatic Genus Chiromachetes Pocock, 1899 (Scorpiones: Hormuridae) From Western Ghats, India, With A Key To The Genus, Zeeshan A. Mirza, Rajesh V. Sanap, Amod M. Zambre

Euscorpius

A new species of hormurid scorpion is described from the Western Ghats of India. Chiromachetes sahyadriensis sp. nov. differs from other members of this genus in the following set of characters: medium sized scorpions, total length reaching 62.9 mm, carapace flat, three pairs of lateral eyes, manus length/width ratio in males 4.6–4.8 and 3.4 in females, tarsi of leg ventrally with three spinoid setae at the base of tarsi. Dentate margin of pedipalp manus finger with two rows of granules fused at base. Pectines 8–9 in males, 6–8 in females. Lamellar hook positioned distinctly in basal half of hemispermatophore in …

New Analysis Of The Genus Pseudouroctonus With The Description Of Two New Species (Scorpiones: Vaejovidae), Richard F. Ayrey, Michael E. Soleglad

Euscorpius

Two new species of Pseudouroctonus are described from southeastern Arizona, USA, Pseudouroctonus santarita, sp. nov. from the Santa Rita Mountains and P. kremani, sp. nov. from the Santa Catalina Mountains. These new species are closely related to P. apacheanus (Gertsch et Soleglad, 1972). A combination of morphological differences in the hemispermatophore, the mating plug, and several morphometric-based characters are identified as diagnostic. New substructures are identified for the mating plug.

Four New Scorpion Species (Scorpiones: Buthidae) From Amazonian Peru, František Kovařík, Rolando Teruel, Graeme Lowe, Stefan Friedrich

Euscorpius

We describe four new species of buthid scorpions from a single Amazonian locality in Peru, situated at the pre-Andean piedmont: Ananteris ashaninka sp. n., Tityus dillerorum sp. n. (a member of the “melanostictus” species-group), Tityus panguana sp. n. (a member of the “bolivianus” species-group), and Tityus wachteli sp. n. (a member of the “clathratus” species-group). Additional information is given on their taxonomy, distribution, ecology, and reproductive biology, fully complemented with color photos of live and preserved specimens, as well as their habitat.

Review Of The Genus Gint Kovařík Et Al., 2013, With Description Of Two New Species From Somaliland And Somalia (Puntland) (Scorpiones: Buthidae), František Kovařík, Tomáš Mazuch

Euscorpius

We describe herein two new species, Gint dabakalo sp. n. from Somaliland and G. puntlandus sp. n. from Somalia (Puntland) (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Additional information is given on taxonomy and distribution of all four species of genus Gint Kovařík et al., 2013, fully complemented with color photos of live and preserved specimens, as well as their habitats. True male of G. calviceps is documented for first time, and validates original decisions to create separate genus Gint, and to transfer Buthacus calviceps Pocock, 1900, to that genus.

Two New Scorpions From The Puerto Rican Island Of Vieques, Greater Antilles (Scorpiones: Buthidae), Rolando Teruel, Mel J. Rivera, Carlos J. Santos

Euscorpius

Two new scorpion species of the family Buthidae are described herein: Microtityus vieques sp. n. (a member of the subgenus Parvabsonus Armas, 1974) and Tityus alejandroi sp. n. (belonging to the “quisqueyanus” species-group). Both were collected from pitfall traps in the Puerto Rican satellite island of Vieques, in the Greater Antilles, and the former represents the first official record of the occurrence there of the gens Microtityus Kjellesvig-Waering, 1966. As expected, the new species have their closest relatives in Puerto Rico. Fully illustrated descriptions and detailed comparisons are provided. Additionally, two other Puerto Rican species of Tityus currently not assigned …