Digital Commons Network^™

Identification Of The Rainbowfish In Lake Eacham Using Dna Sequencing, Culum Brown, Yagiz Aksoy, Hilal Varinli, Michael Gillings

Veterinary Science and Medicine Collection

The Lake Eacham rainbowfish (Melanotaenia eachamensis) was once thought to be confined to its type locality within the Lake Eacham World Heritage National Park. M. eachamensis disappeared from the lake following the translocation of several species into the lake and the species was pronounced extinct in the wild in 1987. In a 2007 survey we noticed that rainbowfish were present in the lake once again. We used a molecular marker to identify these fish and the likely source population. Analysis of the D-loop region of mitochondrial DNA revealed that the species now present in the lake is Melanotaenia splendida, and …

Assumptions In Animal Cognition Research, Kristin Andrews, Brian Huss

Psychology Collection

No abstract provided.

Rating Harms To Wildlife: A Survey Showing Convergence Between Conservation And Animal Welfare Views, S. Dubois, D. Fraser

Environment and Nature Conservation Collection

Human activities may cause conservation concerns when animal populations or ecosystems are harmed and animal welfare concerns when individuals are harmed. In general, people are concerned with one or the other, as the concepts may be regarded as separate or even at odds. An online purposive survey of 339 British Columbians explored differences between groups that varied by gender, residency, wildlife engagement level and value orientation (conservation-oriented or animal welfare-oriented), to see how they rated the level of harm to wildlife caused by different human activities. Women, urban residents, those with low wildlife engagement, and welfare-orientated participants generally scored activities …

Association Of Spirochetal Infection With Morgellons Disease, Marianne J. Middelveen, Divya Burugu, Akhila Poruri, Jennie Burke, Peter J. Mayne, Eva Sapi, Douglas G. Kahn, Raphael B. Stricker

Biology and Environmental Science Faculty Publications

Morgellons disease (MD) is an emerging multisystem illness characterized by skin lesions with unusual filaments embedded in or projecting from epithelial tissue. Filament formation results from abnormal keratin and collagen expression by epithelial-based keratinocytes and fibroblasts. Recent research comparing MD to bovine digital dermatitis, an animal infectious disease with similar skin features, provided clues that spirochetal infection could play an important role in the human disease as it does in the animal illness. Based on histological staining, immunofluorescent staining, electron microscopic imaging and polymerase chain reaction, we report the detection of Borrelia spirochetes in dermatological tissue of four randomly-selected MD …

Improved Culture Conditions For The Growth And Detection Of Borrelia From Human Serum, Eva Sapi, Namrata Pabbati, Akshita Datar, Ellen M. Davies, Amy Rattelle, Bruce A. Kuo

Biology and Environmental Science Faculty Publications

In this report we present a method to cultivate Borrelia spirochetes from human serum samples with high efficiency. This method incorporates improved sample collection, optimization of culture media and use of matrix protein. The method was first optimized utilizing Borrelia laboratory strains, and later by demonstrating growth of Borrelia from sera from fifty seropositive Lyme disease patients followed by another cohort of 72 Lyme disease patients, all of whom satisfied the strict CDC surveillance case definition for Lyme disease. The procedure resulted in positive cultures in 47% at 6 days and 94% at week 16. Negative controls included 48 cases. …

Dietary Preference Of The Queensnake (Regina Septemvittata), Timothy J. Brust

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The Queensnake (Regina septemvittata) is a small secretive water snake found throughout the eastern United States. Once common, their numbers have declined to the extent that they are now threatened throughout most of their range, largely the result of pollutant-based reduction in prey species. These snakes are assumed to eat molted crayfish exclusively. For some common crayfish species, molting happens only twice a summer during a two- week period. It has not been documented if Queensnakes eat anything besides crayfish on a regular basis. The purpose of this study was to determine the prey preference of Queensnakes with particular focus …

Kalinia, A New North American Genus For A Species Long Misplaced In Eragrostis (Poaceae, Chloridoideae), Hester L. Bell, J. Travis Columbus, Amanda L. Ingram

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Eragrostis obtusiflora (Poaceae, Chloridoideae), a species distributed from the southwestern United States to central Mexico, has long been recognized for exhibiting morphological and anatomical features atypical of Eragrostis. Phylogenetic analyses of nuclear internal transcribed spacer sequences and plastid sequences demonstrate that E. obtusiflora should be excluded from Eragrostis (Eragrostideae) and instead be placed in Cynodonteae, although its position within this tribe was unresolved. Additional data, including anatomical and micromorphological characters, suggest a close relationship with Distichlis. However, differences in spikelet and rhizome characters prevent its inclusion in Distichlis. Therefore, the species is transferred to a newly described …

A New Species Of Linanthus (Polemoniaceae) From San Bernardino County, California, Naomi S. Fraga, Duncan S. Bell

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Linanthus bernardinus is described as new from San Bernardino County, California. It is morphologically similar to L. killipii and L. orcuttii subsp. pacificus but differs from plants of these taxa in height, corolla length, seed morphology, and habitat. Linanthus bernardinus can be found growing in vernally moist areas within Joshua tree woodland, often in shallow depressions, or on gentle slopes, in decomposed granite sand that is surrounded by large granite boulder fields.

Imaginenative 2012: Ecocinema And The Indigenous Film Festival, Salma Monani, Miranda Brady

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

Much scholarship points to how ecological concerns are never far from Indigenous struggles for political sovereignty and public participation. In this paper we turn to the Indigenous film festival as a relatively understudied yet rich site to explore such ecological concerns. Specifically, we highlight the ImagineNATIVE 2012 film festival based in Toronto, Canada.

Consequences Of Climate Change For The Soil Climate In Central Europe And The Central Plains Of The United States, Miroslav Trnka, Kurt Christian Kersebaum, Josef Eitzinger, Michael Hayes, Petr Hlavinka, Mark Svoboda, Martin Dubrovský, Daniela Semerádová, Brian D. Wardlow, Eduard Pokorný, Martin Možný, Donald A. Wilhite, Zdeněk Žalud

National Drought Mitigation Center: Faculty Publications

This study aims to evaluate soil climate quantitatively under present and projected climatic conditions across Central Europe (12.1°–18.9° E and 46.8°–51.1° N) and the U.S. Central Plains (90°–104° W and 37°–49° N), with a special focus on soil temperature, hydric regime, drought risk and potential productivity (assessed as a period suitable for crop growth). The analysis was completed for the baselines (1961–1990 for Europe and 1985–2005 for the U.S.) and time horizons of 2025, 2050 and 2100 based on the outputs of three global circulation models using two levels of climate sensitivity. The results indicate that the soil climate (soil …

Insights Into Forest Soil Carbon Dynamics From Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy, Chris E. Johnson

Civil and Environmental Engineering - All Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Mohave Desert—An Overview And Byu's Lytle Preserve, Stanley L. Welsh, Larry St. Clair

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

Table of Contents

Introduction

The Mohahve or Mohave (Mojave) gets its Explorer and its Name (sort of?)

The Frémont Odyssey through the Mohahve

What of the Crossing of the Mohahve?

References

BYU's Lytle Preserve

Acknowledgments

Species Status Of Sclerocactus Brevispinus, S. Wetlandicus, And S. Glaucus: Inferences From Morphology, Chloroplast Dna Sequences, And Aflp Markers, J. Mark Porter, Jennifer Cruse-Sanders, Linda Prince, Robert Lauri

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

We examine patterns of variation in 12 continuous morphological traits, chloroplast DNA sequences from 10 intergenic spacer regions (petA-psbJ, psbk-trnS, psbM-trnD, rpob-trnC, trnC-trnD, trnGCU-trnG2S, trnFM-trnUGA, atpF-atpH, trnT-trnD, trnQ-psbk), atpF, and rpl16, and Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) genetic markers in Sclerocactus glaucus sensu lato (= S. brevispinus, S. glaucus, and S. wetlandicus), a complex that historically has been considered conspecific and afforded protection …

Late Gestation Supplementation Of Beef Cows Differing In Body Condition Score: Effects On Cow And Calf Performance, D. W. Bohnert, L. A. Stalker, R. R. Mills, A. Nyman, S. J. Falck, R. F. Cooke

West Central Research and Extension Center, North Platte

A 2-yr study utilizing 120 mature, crossbred (Angus × Herford) cows/year, evaluated the influence of cow BCS and dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) supplementation during late gestation on cow performance and productivity of subsequent offspring. Treatments were arranged as a 2 × 2 factorial in a randomized complete block design with 2 BCS and with or without DDGS supplementation. Cows were nutritionally managed to enter the last trimester of gestation with a BCS of approximately 4 (LBCS) or 6 (HBCS) and were thereafter managed in a single herd (initial BCS were 4.4 and 5.7 for LBCS and HBCS treatments, …

Fall 2013, Nova Southeastern University

Currents

No abstract provided.

The Crayfishes Of West Virginia’S Southwestern Coalfields Region With An Emphasis On The Life History Of Cambarus Theepiensis, David Allen Foltz Ii

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Crayfish are the third most endangered faunal group in the world behind freshwater snails and unionid mussels. A better understanding of each species’ life history is vital in order to aid in crayfish conservation; however, little to no life history information is available for most crayfish. Recently, an undescribed species of crayfish, Cambarus theepiensis, was discovered in the Cumberland Mountains of West Virginia and Eastern Kentucky. In conjunction with the species’ scientific description, life history data was collected from May 2012 through April 2013 from two sites located within the Twelvepole watershed of southwestern West Virginia. Animals were collected monthly …

Euryhalinity In An Evolutionary Context, Eric T. Schultz, Stephen D. Mccormick

EEB Articles

This chapter focuses on the evolutionary importance and taxonomic distribution of euryhalinity. Euryhalinity refers to broad halotolerance and broad halohabitat distribution. Salinity exposure experiments have demonstrated that species vary tenfold in their range of tolerable salinity levels, primarily because of differences in upper limits. Halotolerance breadth varies with the species’ evolutionary history, as represented by its ordinal classification, and with the species’ halohabitat. Freshwater and seawater species tolerate brackish water; their empirically-determined fundamental haloniche is broader than their realized haloniche, as revealed by the halohabitats they occupy. With respect to halohabitat distribution, a minority of species (<10%) are euryhaline. Habitat-euryhalinity is prevalent among basal actinopterygian fishes, is largely absent from orders arising from intermediate nodes, and reappears in the most derived taxa. There is pronounced family-level variability in the tendency to be halohabitat-euryhaline, which may have arisen during a burst of diversification following the Cretaceous-Palaeogene extinction. Low prevalence notwithstanding, euryhaline species are potent sources of evolutionary diversity. Euryhalinity is regarded as a key innovation trait whose evolution enables exploitation of new adaptive zone, triggering cladogenesis. We review phylogenetically-informed studies that demonstrate freshwater species diversifying from euryhaline ancestors through processes such as landlocking. These studies indicate that some euryhaline taxa are particularly susceptible to changes in halohabitat and subsequent diversification, and some geographic regions have been hotspots for transitions to freshwater. Comparative studies on mechanisms among multiple taxa and at multiple levels of biological integration are needed to clarify evolutionary pathways to, and from, euryhalinity.

Direct And Indirect Selection On Floral Pigmentation By Pollinators And Seed Predators In A Color Polymorphic South African Shrub, Jane E. Carlson, Kent E. Holsinger

EEB Articles

The coexistence of different color morphs is often attributed to variable selection pressures across space, time, morph frequencies or selection agents, but the routes by which each morph is favored are rarely identified. In this study we untangle the interactions and trait pleiotropisms that influence floral color polymorphisms on a local scale in Protea, within which ~40% of species are polymorphic. Previous work shows that seed predators and reproductive differences likely influence polymorphism maintenance in four Protea species. Here, we explore whether selection acts on floral color directly or indirectly in Protea aurea, using path analysis of pollinator …

Progress Towards A Phylogeny Of World Tachinidae. Year 1, John O. Stireman Iii, James E. O'Hara, Michael C. Moulton, Pierfilippo Cerretti, Isaac S. Winkler

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

D eveloping a structural phylogenetic framework for the family Tachinidae has been an interest of mine since I first started working on tachinids as a graduate student. It was then that I developed a new phylogenetic perspective with which to view the world, and many of the questions I wanted to ask of tachinids depended on some level of phylogenetic knowledge of them. I was surprised at the time that no one had attempted a broad quantitative phylogenetic analysis of the family, and a publication from my thesis work on the Exoristinae (Stireman 2002) became the first such study that …

Reconstruction Of Family-Level Phylogenetic Relationships Within Demospongiae (Porifera) Using Nuclear Encoded Housekeeping Genes, Malcolm Hill, April L. Hill, Et. Al.

Biology Faculty Publications

Background: Demosponges are challenging for phylogenetic systematics because of their plastic and relatively simple morphologies and many deep divergences between major clades. To improve understanding of the phylogenetic relationships within Demospongiae, we sequenced and analyzed seven nuclear housekeeping genes involved in a variety of cellular functions from a diverse group of sponges.

Methodology/Principal Findings: We generated data from each of the four sponge classes (i.e., Calcarea, Demospongiae, Hexactinellida, and Homoscleromorpha), but focused on family-level relationships within demosponges. With data for 21 newly sampled families, our Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian-based approaches recovered previously phylogenetically defined taxa: Keratosa^p, Myxospongiae …

White Bass Assessment In Regards To Changes In Water Level On Lake Traverse, Aaron Wilson

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Until recently the white bass Morone chrysops has been somewhat ignored by anglers, more so in Minnesota than other states; most likely due to their limited distribution throughout the state. However, with more anglers becoming aware of the sporting and culinary potentials of white bass, interests have risen. With this rise in angler interest, there should be a rise in white bass assessments. Knowing what factors may be influencing white bass population dynamics will allow fisheries professionals to better manage and protect white bass fisheries. White bass are often found in rivers and impoundments were dams are present and water …

The Effect Of Visual Wulst Lesions And Trigeminal Nerve Sectioning On The Discrimination Of Magnetic Inclination In The Homing Pigeon (Columba Livia), Merissa Acerbi

Honors Projects

The ability of homing pigeons to return to their loft from unknown places has fascinated scientists for centuries. It is well established that homing pigeons, like migratory birds, posses an innate magnetic inclination compass to determine direction by measuring the angle between the magnetic field vector and the Earth's surface. Recent work has indicated that the avian magnetic compass is light mediated and appears to mediate magnetic information to the brain. This occurs via a visual pathway with processing in the visual Wulst area of the forebrain. There is, however, also evidence from other avian species that magnetic direction may …

No Evidence For A Relationship Between Hemolymph Ecdysteroid Levels And Female Reproductive Behavior In Schizocosa Wolf Spiders, Reed M. Stubbendieck, Anthony J. Zera, Eileen A. Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

This study used radioimmunoassay (RIA) to explore the relationship between levels of hemolymph ecdysteroids and female reproductive behavior in Schizocosa wolf spiders. Specifically, we investigated the relationship between circulating ecdysteroid concentrations in females and 1) likelihood to copulate, or female receptivity [Experiment I— Schizocosa avida (Walckenaer 1837)], 2) time post copulation (Experiment 2— Schizocosa rovneri Uetz & Dondale 1979) and 3) exposure to conspecific male courtship (Experiment 3— Schizocosa uetzi Stratton 1997). In Experiment 1, we expected higher levels of circulating ecdysteroids in receptive versus unreceptive females, based upon prior research demonstrating an increase in receptivity following injections of 20-hydroexyedysone …

Distribución De La Herpetofauna En Cuatro Tipos De Vegetación Del Estado De Hidalgo, México, Uriel Hernández-Salinas, Aurelio Ramírez-Bautista

Estudios científicos en el estado de Hidalgo y zonas aledañas

Este estudio se realizó en un periodo de un año (2007-2008), con el propósito de elaborar una lista de especies de anfibios y reptiles que habitan en cuatro tipos de vegetación: bosque mesófilo de montaña (BMM), bosque de pino-encino (BPE), matorral xerófilo (MX) y bosque tropical perennifolio (BTP) del estado de Hidalgo, y comparar la riqueza de especies entre éstos. Se encontró que el MX fue el tipo de vegetación con la menor riqueza de especies (H = 2.942), mientras que el BMM presentó la mayor de riqueza (H = 3.267). El BTP y el BPE fue la combinación vegetal …

Odonata Species Of Special Concern For Oklahoma, Usa, Michael A. Patten, Brenda D. Smith-Patten

Entomology Papers from Other Sources

Assessment of conservation status is a necessary step before management plans can be formulated. Historically such assessments have a strong bias toward vertebrates, particularly endothermic terrestrial vertebrates (i.e. birds and mammals). Invertebrates, by contrast, tend to be ignored, and many insect groups, despite being species rich and reasonably well studied, such as the Odonata (damselflies and dragonflies), have not been assessed or have been assessed only at a broad geographic level (e.g. internationally or continentally). Assessment at a state level recognizes that states often are at the front of regional and local conservation and management planning and implementation. On the …

First Record Of Pond Sliders (Trachemys Scripta Scripta And T. S. Elegans) At Fredericksburg, Virginia With Observations On Population Size, Age And Growth, Werner Wieland, Yoshinori Takeda

Virginia Journal of Science

We conducted a turtle mark-recapture program within a 160 m stretch of the Fredericksburg Canal with standard, baited hoop nets from May to July 2012 to determine if a population of the introduced Red-eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) and Yellow-bellied Slider (Trachemys s. scripta) are established in this area. We captured and marked nine Red-eared Sliders (1 male, 8 females) and estimated a population size of 23 individuals. Most were reproductively mature. The established population in the canal may be a source of introduction into the Rappahannock River.

To 'Die Hel' And Back. Expeditions Of The Phylogeny Of World Tachinidae Project. Part I: Western Cape, South Africa, Pierfilippo Cerretti, James E. O'Hara, John O. Stireman Iii, Isaac S. Winkler, Ashley H. Kirk-Spriggs

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The “Phylogeny of World Tachinidae” project kicked off with an operational meeting in June 2012 at the Canadian National Collection of Insects (CNC) in Ottawa. Goals were discussed, work plans prepared, and of course the destinations and timing of major field expeditions were debated. During our three years of National Science Foundation funding we hope to gather fresh material for molecular analysis from all biogeographic regions of the world.

Transcriptome Characterization And Detection Of Gene Expression Differences In Aspen (Populus Tremuloides), Hardeep S. Rai, Karen E. Mock, Bryce A. Richardson, Richard C. Cronn, Katherine J. Hayden, Jessica W. Wright, Brian J. Knaus, Paul G. Wolf

Aspen Bibliography

No abstract provided.

Wolf Creek Ranch Aspen Monitoring Report, Paul C. Rogers, Allison Jones, James Catlin, James Shuler, Arthur Morris, Michael Kuhns

Aspen Bibliography

In the summer of 2012 we undertook a landscape assessment of aspen forest conditions at Wolf Creek Ranch (WCR) near Kamas, Utah. Using a geographic information system (GIS) coverage of predicted aspen coverage, fifty systematically selected field "plots" were located and mapped with aspen stands around WCR. Seven plots were eventually discarded from our survey due to lack of aspen cover. Volunteer field crews, mostly WCR homeowners, collected aspen data documenting tree sizes, height/age groups, diameters, reproduction, mortality, browse levels, and browse animal use levels.

Brown Trout Spawning Location And Relationship To Suitable Winter Habitat, Matthew L. Skoog

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Brown trout are a popular game fish throughout much of the world. Understanding habitat requirements is necessary for the successful management of brown trout. This study looks at the spawning habitat preferences and relationship of redd location to wintering habitat of brown trout in the Straight River, Minnesota. Brown trout in the Straight River were found to spawn in similar habitat to brown trout looked at in previous literature. All redds were located on gravel substrate. Seventy eight percent of redds were associated with some sort of cover. Water velocities at the redd sites. (mean=0.456 ms/cm), dissolved oxygen (mean=9.78 mg/L), …