Digital Commons Network^™

Cold Truths: How Winter Drives Responses Of Terrestrial Organisms To Climate Change, Caroline M. Williams, Hugh A.L. Henry, Brent J. Sinclair

Biology Publications

Winter is a key driver of individual performance, community composition, and ecological interactions in terrestrial habitats. Although climate change research tends to focus on performance in the growing season, climate change is also modifying winter conditions rapidly. Changes to winter temperatures, the variability of winter conditions, and winter snow cover can interact to induce cold injury, alter energy and water balance, advance or retard phenology, and modify community interactions. Species vary in their susceptibility to these winter drivers, hampering efforts to predict biological responses to climate change. Existing frameworks for predicting the impacts of climate change do not incorporate the …

Naturalization Of Almond Trees (Prunus Dulcis) In Semi-Arid Regions Of The Western Mediterranean., Pablo Homet-Gutierrez, Eugene W. Schupp, José M. Gómez

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Agricultural land abandonment is rampant in present day Europe. A major consequence of this phenomenon is the re-colonization of these areas by the original vegetation. However, some agricultural, exotic species are able to naturalize and colonize these abandoned lands. In this study we explore the ability of almonds (Prunus dulcis D.A. Webb.) to establish in abandoned croplands in semi-arid areas of SE Iberian Peninsula. Domesticated during the early Holocene in SW Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean, the almond has spread as a crop all over the world. We established three plots adjacent to almond orchards on land that was abandoned …

Diversity Of Yeast And Mold Species From A Variety Of Cheese Types, Nabaraj Banjara, Mallory J. Suhr, Heather E. Hallen-Adams

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

To generate a comprehensive profile of viable fungi (yeasts and molds) on cheese as it is purchased by consumers, 44 types of cheese were obtained from a local grocery store from 1 to 4 times each (depending on availability) and sampled. Pure cultures were obtained and identified by DNA sequence of the ITS region, as well as growth characteristics and colony morphology. The yeast Debaryomyces hansenii was the most abundant fungus, present in 79 % of all cheeses and 63 % of all samples. Penicillium roqueforti was the most common mold, isolated from a variety of cheeses in addition to …

Integrating Phylogenomics, Biogeography And Systematics To Explore The Taxonomy And The Rise Of The Ratsnakes, Xin Chen

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Understanding the evolutionary processes that create the spectacular diversity of organisms, both in species numbers and form, is a primary goal for biologists. Global ratsnakes are a species-rich assemblage with high morphological and ecological diversity and a distribution that encompasses both the Old World (OW) and the New World (NW). To explore the mechanism leading to the divergence of the ratsnakes, I tested the hypotheses regarding the area of origin and global dispersal, and examined the patterns of diversification and trait evolution. Given adaptive radiation via ecological opportunity, a diversity-dependent diversification pattern and an early burst trait evolutionary pattern are …

Evolution Of Bat-Trypanosome Associations And The Origins Of Chagas Disease, Christian Miguel Pinto

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Trypanosoma cruzi is a genetically diverse parasite that causes Chagas disease, one of the most important zoonoses in the Americas. This generalist parasite of mammals belongs to a clade mostly comprised of bat parasites, the T. cruzi clade. The origins (i.e., biogeographic history and evolution of hosts associations) of this parasite are far from being understood, and the main areas that need further study are: species limits within T. cruzi sensu lato, further studies on the diversity of T. cruzi clade members and their hosts, and research on adaptations of the hosts to trypanosome infections. In this dissertation I explore …

On The Analysis Of Phylogenetically Paired Designs, Jennifer L. Funk, Cyril Rakovski, J. Michael Macpherson

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

As phylogenetically controlled experimental designs become increasingly common in ecology, the need arises for a standardized statistical treatment of these datasets. Phylogenetically paired designs circumvent the need for resolved phylogenies and have been used to compare species groups, particularly in the areas of invasion biology and adaptation. Despite the widespread use of this approach, the statistical analysis of paired designs has not been critically evaluated. We propose a mixed model approach that includes random effects for pair and species. These random effects introduce a “two-layer” compound symmetry variance structure that captures both the correlations between observations on related species within …

Improving The Efficacy Of Family Planning Policies In Indian, Chinese, Tanzanian Contexts, And Beyond, Jayce O'Shields

Student Scholarship

In this paper, I will first present the problem of global overpopulation and the solution of decreasing populations to replacement level fertility using effective family planning and contraceptive policies. I will then describe the Indian state of Kerala as a model cultural context in which fertility rates have significantly declined in recent history and explain how Kerala can provide insight into efficient family planning and contraceptive strategies. Next, I will examine extant state and non-governmental organization (NGO) family planning and contraceptive policies in in India, China, and Tanzania, and in comparison to the Kerala mode, make general recommendations on how …

Fishes Of The Choctawhatchee River System In Southeastern Alabama And Northcentral Florida, Thomas P. Simon, Charles C. Morris, Bernard R. Kuhajda, Carter R. Gilbert, Henry L. Bart Jr., Nelson Rios, Paul M. Stewart, Thomas P. Simon Iv, Mitt Denney

Southeastern Fishes Council Proceedings

The diversity and distribution of fish species occurring in the Choctawhatchee River drainage in southeastern Alabama and northcentral Florida were surveyed to obtain historical baseline information. Three hundred seventy-four sites were evaluated for species diversity and distribution in the drainage, including compilation of unpublished records from southeastern natural history museums. The greatest diversity at any single site was 37 species. Sixty-eight sites were represented by 15 species or more, and 26 sites were represented by a single species. The most frequently encountered species includes Gambusia holbrooki, Percina nigrofasciata, Esox americanus, Notropis texanus, Lepomis macrochirus, Cyprinella n. sp. cf venusta, …

Year-End Report On Rac Project Entitled "Propagating Aspen Clones: Survival In The 21st Century", Ralph Baierlein

Aspen Bibliography

Initial damage caused by wild ungulates was minimal. In August 2013, a large elk pulled off five cones and destroyed three saplings on the exposed, eastern side of the exclosure. Although deer tracks were plentiful in the bare earth of the fire line, there was no evidence that deer had harmed the saplings. The combination of a cone and a mesh sleeve on the exposed saplings sufficed.

Drift Algae In New Haven Harbor And Impacts On Benthic Communities, Roman Zajac, Andrea Mccarthy

Biology and Environmental Science Faculty Publications

In 2009 the University of New Haven initiated studies to develop a contemporary database and assessment of the benthic ecology of New Haven Harbor. Previous studies were last conducted in the 1970s and 1980s (e.g. McCusker, and Bosworth 1979, 1981, Rhoads and Germano 1982). Benthic populations and communities are excellent indicators of environmental conditions and are regularly used for environmental assessment in estuarine and coastal waters (e.g. Pearson and Rosenberg 1978, Rhoads et al. 1978, Zajac and Whitlatch 2001, Mangi 2003). Given the inherent ability of the benthos to integrate sediment and water quality, many environmental indicators and indices to …

Does The Production Of Isoprene Affect The Productivity Of Poplars?, Erik J. Mcfarland, Elizabeth Ann Parra, Greg Barron-Gafford, Rebecca Larkin Minor, Maggie Heard

STAR Program Research Presentations

Poplar trees are known to produce a chemical called isoprene that plays a complex, and not fully understood, role in the chemical process of photosynthesis. Understanding why plants produce isoprene and under what conditions will help scientists make more accurate predictions about poplars’ photosynthetic capabilities in future climates.

What benefit could isoprene provide a plant? The literature suggests its production could help plants tolerate heat stress. We studied two genetic lines of trees in a common garden of Populus, one line with the gene for producing isoprene and a second line without that gene. We subjected some trees of …

Communicating The Overall Experience Of Research Through Various Approaches Using Art: A Case Study Of The Prothonotary Warbler, Hannah Huddle, Lesley P. Bulluck, Sarah E. Faris

Rice Rivers Center Research Symposium

Recommended Citation

In general, scientific research has publication of data as the end goal. The process and experience, which are of great importance in art disciplines, is not necessarily represented or valued. However, science has an inherent element of art to it, which deserves to be shown. I have been studying Prothonotary Warblers with a team from the VCU Biology Department to learn how I can reinterpret the research in a way that bridges the gap between the experience and typical scientific products. The research team measured spatial and temporal variation in warbler prey abundance (caterpillars and mayflies) and assessed …

Emergent Non-Consumptive Predator Effects Alter Habitat Colonization By Mosquitoes, Ethan G. Staats, Salvatore J. Agosta, James R. Vonesh

Rice Rivers Center Research Symposium

Top-down consumptive control (suppression) is an important driver of populations and communities of prey organisms. Diverse predator assemblages often yield non-linear suppression with respect to constituent species' effects (emergence); most often diversity enhances suppression. Predators also affect prey organisms non-consumptively through changes in prey physiological, physical, spatial, temporal, and behavioral responses to predators. Role of predator diversity in non-consumptive response by prey is relatively un-studied. Role of predator diversity in shaping prey populations and communities through habitat colonization is a novel question.

The Relationship Of Female Physical Attractiveness To Body Fatness, Guanlin Wang, Kurosh Djafarian, Chima A. Egedigwe, Asmaa El Hamdouchi, Robert Ojiambo, Harris Ramuth, Sandra Johanna Wallner-Liebmann, Sonja Lackner, Adama Diouf, Justina Sauciuvenaite, Catherine Hambly, Lobke M. Vaanholt, Mark D. Faries, John R. Speakman

Faculty Publications

Aspects of the female body may be attractive because they signal evolutionary fitness. Greater body fatness might reflect greater potential to survive famines, but individuals carrying larger fat stores may have poor health and lower fertility in non-famine conditions. A mathematical statistical model using epidemiological data linking fatness to fitness traits, predicted a peaked relationship between fatness and attractiveness (maximum at body mass index (BMI) = 22.8 to 24.8 depending on ethnicity and assumptions). Participants from three Caucasian populations (Austria, Lithuania and the UK), three Asian populations (China, Iran and Mauritius) and four African populations (Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria and Senegal) …

Vegetation Structure Of Mangrove Ecosystems In Panama, Christopher L. Arrington, Cole Gandee, Spencer R. Parkinson

Rice Rivers Center Research Symposium

Mangroves provide important habitat for terrestrial and marine wildlife. They buffer shorelines from flooding and sequester excess nutrients and pollutants in runoff before reaching rivers and oceans. Mangroves provide a wintering habitat for migratory bird species. These habitats are being rapidly lost to coastal development. This research focused on assessing the vegetation structure of mangrove ecosystems in Panama.

Population Level Responses To Direct Application Liming In Gyrinophilus Porphyriticus, Shelby Renea Timm

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Direct application liming (DAL) has been used to neutralize acidified streams to restore aquatic biota. This mitigation technique has been used globally for decades, yet little data exist on its effects on amphibian populations. My study investigated the effects of liming on amphibians by measuring variability in life histories of larval Gyrinophilus porphyriticus. I collected larvae from six streams in the Monongahela National Forest, West Virginia. I examined the effects of DAL on age structure, and I failed to detect a treatment effect. I used ANCOVAs to examine differences in body condition, body size, and gape size. I observed that …

Effects Of Roads And Trails On Peaks Of Otter Salamander (Plethodon Hubrichti) And Eastern Red-Backed Salamander (Plethodon Cinereus) Movement Behavior, Cory Benjamin Goff

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Habitat fragmentation negatively affects movement and dispersal of wildlife by altering useable space and creating barriers. The objective of this study was to assess impacts of fragmentation by roads and trails on the movement behavior of two terrestrial, woodland salamander species. I evaluated whether proximity to roads and trails affected the movement behavior of two species: the Peaks of Otter Salamander (Plethodon hubrichti), a species of special concern, and the Eastern Red-backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus). I examined movement behavior in three treatments: paved roads, gravel roads and hiking trails. I compared treatments to controls located at least 200m from treatment …

Monitoring The Land Cover Change In The Historic Range Of Cambarus Veteranus In West Virginia Using A 1973-2013 Landsat Time Series, Emma Martha Arneson

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The crayfish Cambarus veteranus is near extinction in its historic range of the Upper Guyandotte River watershed. The biggest threats to C. veteranus are mining and road construction. Mining has been a continuous activity in the southern coalfields where the crayfish has historically been found, yet little is known about how much land cover change the practice has done to the region. Crayfish act as important organisms within aquatic ecosystems and without them, those systems are often degraded. Quantifying the change in land cover is important to understanding threats to C. veteranus for future protection of the crayfish and its …

Long-Term Effects Of An Invasive Shore Crab On Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Christopher P. Bloch, Kevin D. Curry, John C. Jahoda

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Invasive species can cause dramatic changes in the structure of intertidal communities. In some systems, however, abundance or impacts of invaders may peak 10–20 years after invasion and decline thereafter. Hemigrapsus sanguineus (Asian Shore Crab) has been established at Sandwich, MA, on the north side of Cape Cod, since the mid-1990s. This study documented population dynamics of the Asian Shore Crab and 3 species of prey or competitors (Carcinus maenas [Green Crab], Mytilus edulis [Blue Mussel], and Littorina littorea [Common Periwinkle]) over 10 years. An additional goal of the study was to determine whether population growth of the Asian …

Understory Diversity And Composition Drives Carabid Assemblages, Tierney Brosius, Michael Reisner

Biology: Faculty Scholarship & Creative Works

Fire suppression has nearly eliminated fire as a disturbance in temperate deciduous forests. Lack of fire is transforming these ecosystems through a positive feedback loop termed mesophication: cool, damp, shady conditions become continually more favorable for a few mesophytic species, while deteriorating for diverse array of heliophytic ones. Disturbances caused by urbanization fragment and degrade remnant forests. In urban settings, human management (or lack thereof) is often a dominate driver of succession. Carabid diversity, understory vegetation, patch size, patch connectivity, and permeable surface area were all examined in multiple forest plots in Rock Island and Moline. The result of this …

Are Circadian Cycles The Dominant Proteome Rhythym In The Intertidal Mussel Mytilus Californianus?, Kristina M. Koster, Cory Elowe, Lars Tomanek

STAR Program Research Presentations

Mytilus californianus, also known as the California mussel, is a marine bivalve that is abundant along the West coast from Alaska to southern Baja California. They mainly reside in the upper-middle intertidal zone and cling to pier pilings and surf exposed rocks. They create multi-layered beds, which form a habitat for algae and many species of invertebrates. Intertidal mussels live in a naturally dynamic environment. It has previously been reported (Connor and Gracey, 2011) that the 24-hour circadian (day to night) rhythm of the intertidal mussel Mytilus californianus is primarily responsible for its rhythmic gene expression, as opposed to …

Sea Turtle Hatchling Sex Ratios Determined Via Hormone Assay: Implications Of Climate Change?, William A. Hilton, Matthew Godfrey, Camryn D. Allen

STAR Program Research Presentations

Currently all species of sea turtles are listed as threatened or endangered with extinction under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Due to their status, sea turtle conservation is a high priority for the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. One major challenge conservationists face is the lack of a noninvasive, cost efficient method for determining the sex of hatchling sea turtles. Because secondary sex characteristics (i.e. males have longer tails) are not evident until turtles start to reach sexual maturity, the sex of hatchlings is not easily determined. The least invasive way to determine the …

Mesa Verde Vegetal Survey, Stanley L. Welsh

Books by Faculty of the Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum

Abstract

This write-up is mainly concerned with plant specimens recovered and examined from major prehistoric cliff dwellings being excavated during the Wetherill Mesa Project. It also includes anecdotes from the author’s experiences in Mesa Verde. An overall summary of the species identified is presented at the end of this work, including suggestions as to how plants may have been used based on modern Native American surveys.

Table of Contents

Preface

Prologue

Introduction

Wetherill Mesa

Climate

Collections

Identification

Modern Plant Assemblage

Contemporary Species Compliment

Archeological Plant Assemblage

Plant Species Recovering from the Major Ruins

Kinds of Plant Materials Recovered

Wood-worked Items …

Why Money Matters In Ecological Valuation, Peter Calow

Office of Research and Economic Development: Publications

The ecosystem services movement was a reaction against nature being taken for granted in decision making. Put a value on the services that we enjoy from ecosystems and there is a better chance of showing their importance in economic and social development (Norgaard 2010). Yet there are still concerns that the monetization of these services is at best inappropriate and at worst flawed on ethical grounds and in terms of basic principles (Kapustka and McCormick 2015). Here, I argue that these views are missing the point about the need for a transparent approach to valuation.

Factors Affecting The Spatial Distribution Of Oviposition Sites For Tandem Black Saddlebags Dragonflies (Odonata: Libellulidae), Jessica L. Thornton, Paul V. Switzer

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Oviposition site location may be affected by (1) factors influencing the costs and benefits to the offspring (e.g., resource availability, competition, predation risk) and (2) factors influencing the costs and benefits to the female (e.g., predation risk or mate ha- rassment). In cases in which both the male and female are involved in locating a site, costs and benefits may differ for each parent and the resulting oviposition site location may represent the outcome of selection pressures on one or both of them. We studied oviposi- tion behavior in the black saddlebags dragonfly (Tramea lacerata Hagen), a species in which …

White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) Fawn Risk From Gray Wolf (Canis Lupus) Predation During Summer, L. David Mech, Aaron Morris, Shannon M. Barber-Meyer

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

Little is known about how often various prey animals are at risk of predation by Gray Wolves (Canis lupus). We used a system to monitor the presence during the day of two radio-collared Gray Wolves within 2 km of a radio-collared White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) with a fawn or fawns in August 2013 in the Superior National Forest of northeastern Minnesota. We concluded that the fawn or fawns were at risk of predation by at least one wolf at least daily.

Heterozygosity For A Hypomorphic Polβ Mutation Reduces The Expansion Frequency In A Mouse Model Of The Fragile X-Related Disorders, Rachel Adihe Lokanga, Ali Senejani, Joann B. Sweasy, Karen Usdin

Biology and Environmental Science Faculty Publications

The Fragile X-related disorders (FXDs) are members of the Repeat Expansion Diseases, a group of human genetic conditions resulting from expansion of a specific tandem repeat. The FXDs result from expansion of a CGG/CCG repeat tract in the 5’ UTR of the FMR1 gene. While expansion in a FXD mouse model is known to require some mismatch repair (MMR) proteins, our previous work and work in mouse models of another Repeat Expansion Disease show that early events in the base excision repair (BER) pathway play a role in the expansion process. One model for repeat expansion proposes that a non-canonical …

Algal Toxins In The Food Chain – A Comparative Study Of Chesapeake Bay And Baltic Coastal Food Webs, Spencer Tassone, Jūratė Lesutienė, Zita Gasiūnaitė, Linas Ložys, Renata Pilkaitytė, Žilvinas Pūtys, Paul A. Bukaveckas

Rice Rivers Center Research Symposium

Microcystin (MC) is a hepatotoxin produced by cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) which is found globally in eutrophic waters including lakes, lagoons and estuaries (Paerl and Paul 2012). The presence of MC in food webs is of concern due to adverse effects on biota and exposure to humans via commercial and recreational fisheries (Paerl and Otten 2013). Little is known regarding the factors which determine MC accumulation in food webs. We hypothesized that dietary exposure would be determined in part by sources of organic matter supporting the food web. We undertook a comparative study of the James River Estuary, a sub-estuary of …

A Fistful Of Polemoniaceae: New Names And Combinations, J. Mark Porter, Robert W. Patterson

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

New taxa, names, and combinations are provided for five genera in Polemoniaceae: Dayia, Giliastrum, Leptosiphon, Linanthus, and Loeselia. Combinations include the transfer to Dayia of two species formerly included in Ipomopsis and one in Bryantiella (Dayia glutinosa, D. havardii, and D. sonorae), as well as the return of Giliastrum stewartii to species rank. A new name is offered for Linanthus aureus when transferred into Leptosiphon: Leptosiphon chrysanthus and its subspecies, L. chrysanthus subsp. decorus. New combinations for infraspecific taxa are made available for Linanthus californicus (subspp. glandulosus and tomentosus …

Habituation To Auditory Stimuli By Captive African Elephants (Loxodonta Africana), Sarah Elizabeth Goodyear, Bruce A. Schulte

Biology Faculty Publications

Habituation is a major concern for the development of effective, long-term human-wildlife conflict mitigation and zoo enrichment programs. Elephants are cognitive species that exhibit many types of learning, such as associative, social, and insight learning. However, no study has examined the habituation process in elephants. Elephants possess a well-developed sensory system and may habituate to stimuli that could be used for enrichment and/or management. The aim of this study was to examine their habituation process in response to repeated presentations of two auditory stimuli: buzzing by a disturbed beehive and the sound created by banging on pots and pans, and …