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Behavior, Nest Site Selection And Success Of Black Terns (Chlidonias Niger), Dawn Marsh

All NMU Master's Theses

The Black Tern (Chlidonias niger) population has markedly declined over several decades in northern North America, the causes of which are still largely unknown. I monitored nest success and wetland use by Black Terns in three colony sites in northern Michigan throughout 2017 and 2018 and used traditional survey methods coupled with nest cameras to document Black Tern nest success and mortality events. Colony sites included in this study were experiencing invasion by non-native plant species including Phragmites, hybrid and narrow-leaved cattail (Typha spp.), and European frog-bit (Hydrocharis morus-ranae). Statistically significant differences (P …

The Ecological Niche Of Echinococcus Multilocularis In North America: Understanding Biotic And Abiotic Determinants Of Parasite Distribution With New Records In New Mexico And Maryland, United States, Sebastian Botero-Cañola, Altangerel Tsogtsaikhan Dursahinhan, Sara E. Rácz, Parker V. Lowe, John E. Ubelaker, Scott Lyell Gardner

Scott L. Gardner Publications

English abstract: Understanding the factors shaping the niche of parasites and its expression over geographical space and through time continues to be a modern scientific challenge with the results of research in this area directly influencing both theoretical and applied biology. This is especially important for proactive management of zoonotic parasites such as Echinococcus multilocularis, the etiologic agent of alveolar echinococcosis. Echinococcus multilocularis has a Holarctic distribution; with its geographic range and prevalence increasing recently in areas of the western Palearctic, while its distribution dynamics are poorly understood in the Nearctic. In this paper, we use an ecological niche …

Quantifying The Effects Of Trail Traffic On Nearby Plant Communities And Implications For Trail Users, Eli Robinson, Lein Turley

Achieve

Human activities, such as hiking and biking, have been shown to reduce the height, coverage, and species richness of vegetation along trail systems. Yet, research on the effects of such activities on Tennessee trail systems is limited. The goal of this study is twofold. First, it is to identify to what possible extent these activities along the White Oak Mountain trail system (Southern Adventist University) have on wildflower population abundance and diversity. Secondary, it is to discuss whether the mental health advantages of being outdoors outweigh possible adverse effects that human activity has on nature. Ten permanent quadrats were set …

Changes In Spring Arrival Times: Climate Change And The Phenology Of Spring Bird Migration, Aaron Svedlow

Student Scholarship

Climate change and weather affect the phenology of bird migration; however, specific climatological factors associated with these observed effects have only recently been described. The relationship between local, regional, and global climate patterns and avian migration are increasingly important to understand due to the widespread, and potentially negative, implications (such as reduced fecundity) of rapid human induced climate change on bird populations. Migratory birds are under selective pressure to arrive at breeding areas at the optimal time to set up nesting territories and exploit seasonally abundant food resources, and because climate change has the potential to occur more rapidly than …

Plant Mitochondrial Genome Evolution And Structure Has Been Shaped By Double-Strand Break Repair And Recombination, Emily Wynn

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

Plant mitochondrial genomes are large but contain a small number of genes. These genes have very low mutation rates, but genomes rearrange and expand at significant rates. We propose that much of the apparent complexity of plant mitochondrial genomes can be explained by the interactions of double-strand break repair, recombination, and selection. One possible explanation for the disparity between the low mutation rates of genes and the high divergence of non-genes is that synonymous mutations in genes are not truly neutral. In some species, rps14 has been duplicated in the nucleus, allowing the mitochondrial copy to become a pseudogene. By …

Sponge Community Biocomplexity, Competition, And Functional Significance In Hard-Bottom Habitats Of The Florida Keys, Fl (Usa), Marla Maxine Valentine

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Sponges can have powerful effects on ecosystem processes in shallow, tropical marine ecosystems and are an integral component of the bentho-pelagic cycle of nutrients, via filtering of dissolved and particulate organic matter from the water column. The diversity of marine communities is thought to play a determining role in intensity of ecosystem processes; thus the loss of taxa alters community function and by extension ecosystem processes. Coastal sponge populations worldwide are increasingly exposed to declining water quality that in several regions has resulted in mass sponge mortalities and reduced sponge diversity. In the Florida Keys (Florida, USA), for example, frequent …

Cryptic Herbivorous Invertebrates Restructure The Composition Of Degraded Coral Reef Communities In The Florida Keys, Florida, Usa, Angelo Jason Spadaro

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Coral reefs have been on a trajectory of decline for nearly a century due to a variety of factors that have contributed to the shift in these communities away from dominance by reef-building corals, with commensurate changes on community composition and function. Florida’s reefs are a compelling example of a degraded system that has undergone a phase shift, and thus offered an excellent model system for my study of the effects of grazing by cryptic herbivores on community composition and their potential restoration value. I had four major objectives: (1) determine the suitability of Maguimithrax spinosissimus for manipulating grazing intensity …

Agro-Morphological Characterization Of The Wild Rice (Oryza Longistaminata) Populations From Selected Areas Of Tanzania, Hashim M. Mangosongo, Herbert V. Lyaruu, Emmarold E. Mneney

Tanzania Journal of Science

The study assessed the variations in ten agro-morphological characters among and within the wild rice (O. longistaminata) populations from four selected areas, namely Bagamoyo, Kibaha, Kilombero and Mbarali in Tanzania. The study was carried out through measurement of ten quantitative agro-morphological characters, based on morphological descriptors for wild and cultivated rice species developed by Bioversity International and International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). Measurement of morphological characters of O. longistaminata plants was done soon after heading. One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to compare the variations in quantitative characters between O. longistaminata populations from the four study areas. The results …

Plant Diet Selectivity And Some Environmental Parameters At Foraging Sites Of Wattled Crane (Bugeranuscarunculatus) In Malagarasi Wetlands, Tanzania, Jasson R.M. John

Tanzania Journal of Science

Wattled Crane Bugeranuscarunculatusis a threatened wetland-dependent bird species of sub-Saharan Africa with a declining population throughout its range due to habitat degradation. Ecological studies on this species have come from large populations in Botswana and Zambia. Little is known of the isolated small populations, especially those in Tanzania where about 200individuals survive. This study reports observations made on vegetation height, water depth and consumption of plant tubers at foraging locations of the Wattled Crane in Malagarasi-MuyovoziRamsar Site. Foraging birds preferred wet habitats with short vegetation. Birds fed mainly on Pycreusnitidus and Cyperusarticulatusplant tubersbut not those of Eleocharis, a chief food …

Arterial Distribution Of The Human Aorta: An Examination Of The Evolutionary, Developmental, And Physiological Bases Of Asymmetry., Brandon Oddo, Cooker Storm

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

The study of anatomy contends that “form follows function”; a disciplinary theme purporting that anatomical structures (i.e., cells, tissues, and organs) have a shape that serves its proper function. With this in mind, it is unclear why human arterial distribution off the aortic arch is asymmetrical, while the corresponding venous anatomy is symmetrical. We investigated the evolutionary, developmental, and physiological bases for the asymmetry of aortic arch branches in humans. First, we investigated the cardiovascular anatomy of ancestral species to determine if, and at what level, anatomical divergence (from aortic symmetry to asymmetry) occurs. Second, we examined the formation of …

Expanded Phenotypic Diagnoses For 24 Recently Named New Taxa Of Hesperiidae (Lepidoptera), Nick V. Grishin

The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey

Expanded diagnoses by phenotypic characters for the 24 new taxa named in the article "Genomes of skipper butterflies reveal extensive convergence of wing patterns" by Li, W., Cong, Q., Shen, J., Zhang, J., Hallwachs, W., Janzen, D.H. and Grishin, N.V., 2019 and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America on March 15, 2019 are provided and illustrated. More detailed diagnoses will help identifying these phylogenetic groups by their wing patterns and shapes and other morphological characters including the structures of antennae and genitalia using this single publication, instead of obtaining the …

Descriptions Of One New Genus And Seven New Species Of Rhinotragini (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae), James E. Wappes, Antonio Santos-Silva

Insecta Mundi

Descriptions of a new genus, Giesberticus Wappes and Santos-Silva, and seven new species in the Rhinotragini (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae) are included: Oxylymma soniae Wappes and Santos-Silva, from Bolivia; O. surinamensis Wappes and Santos-Silva, from Suriname; O. birai Wappes and Santos-Silva, from Brazil; Paraeclipta albopilosa Wappes and Santos-Silva, from Bolivia; P. vandenberghei Wappes and Santos- Silva, from Nicaragua; Odontocera elllanocarti Wappes and Santos-Silva, from Panama; and Giesberticus longiventris Wappes and Santos-Silva, from Bolivia. In addition, the holotype of Oxylymma gibbicollis Bates, 1873 is figured for the first time, Odontocera argenteolineata Santos-Silva and Bezark, 2016 is newly recorded for Guatemala and the …

Revisión Del Género Microogenius Gutiérrez (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae: Rutelini), Con Descripción De Dos Nuevas Especies Altoandinas, José Mondaca

Insecta Mundi

The genus Microogenius Gutiérrez (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae: Rutelini), endemic to the Andean biogeographic region, is revised and now includes six species: Microogenius arrowi (Ohaus) (Bolivia), Microogenius borealis sp. nov. (Peru), Microogenius gutierrezi Martínez (Bolivia), Microogenius lanterii (Soula) (Argentina), Microogenius martinezi Gutiérrez (Bolivia) and Microogenius puna sp. nov. (Bolivia, Chile, Peru). Redescription of the genus, individual diagnoses, identification keys and distribution records for all known species are provided. Additionally, photographs of adults and of diagnostic morphological characters are included. Eremophygus calvus Gutiérrez, based on the female holotype, is synonymized under Microogenius arrowi (Ohaus), based on the male lectotype. The genus Microogenius …

Two New Tiger Beetle Species Of The Genus Calochroa Hope, 1838 (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae) From Myanmar. 150. Contribution Towards The Knowledge Of The Cicindelidae, Jürgen Wiesner, Moe Hnin Phyu

Insecta Mundi

Calochroa horii Wiesner and Phyu, new species, and Calochroa fumikoae Wiesner and Phyu, new species (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae) are described from Myanmar. A key to all members of the genus known to occur in Myanmar is provided.

Amphicoma Gandhara, A New Species Of Glaphyridae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) From Swat District In Northern Pakistan, Milan Nikodým, Guido Sabatinelli

Insecta Mundi

Amphicoma gandhara Nikodým and Sabatinelli (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Glaphyridae), a new species from Swat District of northern Pakistan, is described and illustrated. The new species is compared with related taxa, in particular with the most similar species, A. schneideri Nikodým, 2005.

Fish And Wildlife Conservation For Educators Nrs 580, Michael Cerbo

Library Impact Statements

No abstract provided.

Population Characteristics Of Co-Managed White Bass And Hybrid Striped Bass In Lake Mcconaughy, Nebraska, Benjamin J. Schall, Casey W. Schoenebeck, Keith D. Koupal

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

White Bass (Morone chrysops) and Hybrid Striped Bass (M. saxatillis × M. chrysops) populations often coexist in the same waterbody and are known to achieve different lengths, have differing reproductive success, and provide different opportunities for anglers. However, comparative population dynamics from systems where Moronids are managed with the same regulation is often lacking. This study aimed to assess the recruitment, mortality, and growth of these species from seasonal samples collected at Lake McConaughy in 2015 and fall 2016. White Bass demonstrated highly variable recruitment in Lake McConaughy despite stocking efforts (mean recruitment variability index = …

Genomics Based Approaches To Fungal Evolution, Aaron J. Robinson, Donald O. Natvig

Biology ETDs

Advances in DNA sequencing and data analysis make it possible to address questions in population genetics and evolution at the genomic level. Fungi are excellent subjects for such studies, because they are found in diverse environments, have short generation times, can be maintained in culture and have relatively small genomes. My research employed genetic approaches using a variety of sequencing technologies and methods of analysis to explore questions in fungal evolution.

In one study, I explored the genetics behind differences in thermotolerance between isolates of Neurospora discreta from Alaska and New Mexico. Isolates from the two states exhibited differences in …

Modelling Non-Linear Functional Responses In Competitive Biological Systems., Nickolas Goncharenko

Western Research Forum

One of the most versatile and well understood models in mathematical biology is the Competitive Lotka Volterra (CLV) model, which describes the behaviour of any number of exclusively competitive species (that is each species competes directly with every other species). Despite it's success in describing many phenomenon in biology, chemistry and physics the CLV model cannot describe any non-linear environmental effects (including resource limitation and immune response of a host due to infection). The reason for this is the theory monotone dynamical systems, which was codeveloped with the CLV model, does not apply when this non-linear effect is introduced. For …

Genome Size And Host Specialization In Parasites, Nicholas Theodore Ogburn

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In parasites, there are several examples of changes in genome size linked to a parasitic lifestyle—with some species having greatly reduced or expanded genome sizes relative to free-living non-parasitic relatives. What is unknown is whether there is correlated evolution between genome size and host specialization, and whether there is a generalizable framework in predicting genome size evolution in parasites using their genetic architecture and host use ecology. Here, I tested whether genome size of 96 eukaryotic parasites across a wide variety of taxa correlates with host specialization, quantified by the number and phylogenetic relatedness of host species they parasitize. I …

Temperature Effects On Greenhouse Gas Production From Treatment Wetland Soils Along A Nutrient Gradient, Kyle Dittmer, Havalend Steinmuller

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

It is generally accepted that increased temperatures are positively correlated with microbial respiration rates, causing greater greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (CO₂ and CH₄) from wetlands. The goal of this study was to understand the interacting effects of temperature and nutrient concentrations on GHG emissions from wetland soils. Complementary field studies and a laboratory study were completed within Cell 1 of the Orlando Wetlands Park (Christmas, FL). Four sampling locations were established along a transect and sampled in summer and winter for the field studies. Soils (0-10 cm) were incubated under anaerobic conditions for 48-hours at ambient or …

Chronosequence And Direct Observation Approaches Reveal Complementary Community Dynamics In A Novel Ecosystem, Andrew Kulmatiski, Karen H. Beard

Ecology Center Publications

Non-native, early-successional plants have been observed to maintain dominance for decades, particularly in semi-arid systems. Here, two approaches were used to detect potentially slow successional patterns in an invaded semi-arid system: chronosequence and direct observation. Plant communities in 25 shrub-steppe sites that represented a 50-year chronosequence of agricultural abandonment were monitored for 13 years. Each site contained a field abandoned from agriculture (ex-arable) and an adjacent never-tilled field. Ex-arable fields were dominated by short-lived, non-native plants. These ‘weedy’ communities had lower species richness, diversity and ground cover, and greater annual and forb cover than communities in never-tilled fields. Never-tilled fields …

Macroalgal Monitoring In The Great Bay Estuary: 2018 Annual Report, David M. Burdick, Gregg E. Moore, Arthur C. Mathieson, Andrew Payne, Chris Peter

PREP Reports & Publications

Since 2013, the abundance and taxa of intertidal macroalgae have been assessed at fixed locations throughout the Great Bay Estuary in New Hampshire. Algal abundance may be influenced by environmental conditions such as nutrient levels, water temperature, light and invasive species. Therefore, abundance of different algal groups can provide insights into the overall health of the estuary and signal ecological change. In 2018, intertidal abundance data for percentage cover and biomass were collected, as planned, from five of the eight sites. For the first time, subtidal sampling arrays were also incorporated at all four sites in Great Bay proper to …

Breeding Record Of The Hooded Vulture Necrosyrtes Monachus (Timminek, 1823) At Emi Abumo Woro, Kogi State, Nigeria, K. L. Adang, D. Tanko, K. L. Saliu, Umarfarooq Abdulwahab

Watershed Sciences Student Research

The hooded vulture Necrosyrtes monachus is a critically endangered species and recently published evidence suggests that its population is experiencing an extremely rapid decline, owing to indiscriminate poisoning, trade for traditional medicine, hunting, persecution, electrocution, habitat loss and degradation. As a result of these threats, the species is gradually disappearing from its range and thus, the sighting of vultures or their nests is becoming very rare. This paper thus, presents a report on the sighting of the Hooded Vulture and its nest at Emi Abumo Woro Village, Kogi State, Nigeria. This is an evident and equally an indication that Emi …

Assessment Of Wildlife Rehabilitation Trends: Domestic Dog And Cat Attacks, Rachel Wilson

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

Human-wildlife conflict is a growing concern, and domestic cat predation is estimated to be responsible for billions of wildlife deaths every year in the Unites States. Domestic dog predation has been less well studied, but as dogs are the second most numerous pet in the U.S. after cats, their impact on native wildlife should also be assessed. One method to assess domestic animal predation is to examine trends in wildlife rehabilitation records. Using the online database WILD-ONe, I analyzed over 31,000 wildlife hospital records in the United States from 2011-2016. During this time span, data showed over 14,000 domestic dog …

Area And Distance From Mainland Affect In Different Ways Richness And Phylogenetic Diversity Of Snakes In Atlantic Forest Coastal Islands, José Thales Da Motta Portillo, Lilian Sayuri Ouchi-Melo, Lucas Batista Crivellari, Thiago Alves Lopes De Oliveira, Ricardo J. Sawaya, Leonardo Da Silva Duarte

Publications and Research

Aim: The Theory of Island Biogeography posits that ecological and evolutionary processes regulate species richness of isolated areas. We assessed the influences of an island area and distance from the mainland on species richness, phylogenetic diversity, and phylogenetic composition of snakes on coastal islands.

Location: Coastal islands of the megadiverse Atlantic Forest in southeastern Brazil.

Methods: We compiled the species composition of 17 coastal islands in southeastern Brazil. Species richness and phylogenetic diversity were calculated for each island. Phylogenetic composition was measured using principal coordinates of phylogenetic structure. We then employed generalized linear models to test the influence of …

Surface Fire To Crown Fire: Fire History In The Taos Valley Watersheds, New Mexico, Usa, Lane B. Johnson, Ellis Q. Margolis

Aspen Bibliography

Tree-ring fire scars, tree ages, historical photographs, and historical surveys indicate that, for centuries, fire played different ecological roles across gradients of elevation, forest, and fire regimes in the Taos Valley Watersheds. Historical fire regimes collapsed across the three watersheds by 1899, leaving all sites without fire for at least 119 years. Historical photographs and quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) ages indicate that a high-severity fire historically burned at multiple high-elevation subalpine plots in today’s Village of Taos Ski Valley, with large high-severity patches (>640 ha). Low-severity, frequent (9–29-year median interval) surface fires burned on the south aspects …

Nitrogen Fertilizer Suppresses Mineralization Of Soil Organic Matter In Maize Agroecosystems, Navreet K. Mahal, William R. Osterholz, Fernando E. Miguez, Hanna J. Poffenbarger, John E. Sawyer, Daniel C. Olk, Sotirios V. Archontoulis, Michael J. Castellano

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

The possibility that N fertilizer increases soil organic matter (SOM) mineralization and, as a result, reduces SOM stocks has led to a great debate about the long-term sustainability of maize-based agroecosystems as well as the best method to estimate fertilizer N use efficiency (FNUE). Much of this debate is because synthetic N fertilizer can positively or negatively affect SOM mineralization via several direct and indirect pathways. Here, we test a series of hypotheses to determine the direction, magnitude, and mechanism of N fertilizer effect on SOM mineralization and discuss the implications for methods to estimate FNUE. We measured the effect …

Phylogeny And Evolution Of Swallows (Hirundinidae) With A Transcriptomic Perspective On Seasonal Migration, Clare Elisabeth Brown

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Evolutionary biology seeks to understand the forces that have generated and shaped patterns of diversity. In this dissertation, I investigated phylogenetic relationships and the evolution of three traits—migration, nest-type, and geographic distribution—in the swallow family (Hirundinidae), a globally distributed group of about 85 species of aerial insectivorous birds. I first applied a dataset of several thousand ultraconserved element (UCE) loci to reconstructing the phylogeny of the New World genus Tachycineta. Three methods of phylogenetic inference produced topologically discordant trees, but post-inference analyses provided evidence that the tree produced by maximum likelihood analysis of a concatenated data matrix is the most …

Population Dynamics And Demographics Of Spotted Seatrout, Cynoscion Nebulosus, Through Spatial Analysis: Towards An Integrative Management Approach, Ashley Melancon Baer

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) is one of the most highly prized sportfish along the Gulf of Mexico coast, particularly in Louisiana. Although spotted seatrout are considered to be well managed and sustainably fished according to the state’s most recent stock assessment, the spatial ecology of this species is largely understudied in Louisiana waters. Acoustic telemetry is an innovative technology that is commonly used to assess the movements and behavior of aquatic species, and can be used as a tool to address the paucity of information on the spatial dynamics of spotted seatrout. The focus of this study was …