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Co-Occurrence Patterns Of Bat Flies On Neotropical Chiroptera, Mitchell Louis Schooler

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Parasite-host systems provide excellent opportunities to explore ecological dynamics such as competition, competitive exclusion, and co-occurrence. The distribution of streblid bat flies on their host bats were examined for patterns of species co-occurrence and to understand mechanisms driving these patterns. The purpose of this study was to determine patterns of co-occurrence among individuals of different Neotropical bat fly species. After establishing patterns of co-occurrence, tests on whether variation in fly morphology was linked to observed patterns of co-occurrence were performed. Co-occurrence patterns were determined using null model analyses, and a predominant pattern of aggregation was detected. To examine the relationship …

An Improved Regional Honey Production Model For The United States, Anthony B. Trimboli

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Currently three systems are used to categorize honey production regions in the United States, one from the United States Department of Agriculture, one from the American Bee Journal used for its monthly U.S. Honey Crop and Markets report, and one from Bee Culture’s monthly regional honey price report. These systems follow political state boundaries and are based upon climate, bee forage, and regional beekeeping practices. While these systems are popular with the general beekeeping community, to our knowledge, their accuracy has not been studied.

Although differing geographic regions can vary in bee forage species availability, states with similar geography and …

Cyanobacterial Blooms In Highland Lake, Me, William Lambeth, Rachel Henson, Michael Morrison

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

Cyanobacterial blooms, like algal blooms, are a much studied phenomena; and many triggers that cause these blooms are well understood. Usually, excess nutrients (such as soluble nitrogen or phosphate) are prerequisite for a bloom to occur. Since 2013, annual summer cyanobacterial blooms have been observed at Highland Lake (HL), located in Cumberland County, Maine. Data going back more than 15 years, collected by the Highland Lake Association, shows this is a new phenomenon in this body of water. Other investigators have shown HL water chemistry to have high aluminum to phosphorous and aluminum to iron ratios. These metals bind phosphate …

Mechanical Harvesting Effectively Controls Young Typha Spp. Invasion And Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Data Enhances Post-Treatment Monitoring, Shane Lishawa, Brendan D. Carson, Jodi S. Brandt, Jason M. Tallant, Nicholas J. Reo, Dennis A. Albert, Andrew M. Monks, Joseph M. Lautenbach

School of Environmental Sustainability: Faculty Publications and Other Works

The ecological impacts of invasive plants increase dramatically with time since invasion. Targeting young populations for treatment is therefore an economically and ecologically effective management approach, especially when linked to post-treatment monitoring to evaluate the efficacy of management. However, collecting detailed field-based post-treatment data is prohibitively expensive, typically resulting in inadequate documentation of the ecological effects of invasive plant management. Alternative approaches, such as remote detection with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), provide an opportunity to advance the science and practice of restoration ecology. In this study, we sought to determine the plant community response to different mechanical removal treatments to …

Monitoring Anuran Populations In Bosque Protector Candelaria: A Multi-Year Comparison Of Frog Populations In An Ecuadorian Cloud Forest, Mindee Goodrum

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

For many years, amphibian populations around the world have been declining due to climate change, habitat loss or change, and diseases such as Ranavirus or the Chytrid fungus. However, there is still a great lack of information regarding the diversity of frogs, especially in the cloud forests of Ecuador where this study was conducted. This study was conducted in April and May of 2017 in the Ecominga Reserve of Cerro Candelaria in El Placer, Ecuador. The objective was to conduct visual-encounter surveys of several sites in the reserve and compare the results to studies that have been conducted in the …

Abiotic Conditions Of Rare Pitcher's Thistle Attract Selection By An Invasive Weevil, Monica Paniagua Montoya

Lawrence University Honors Projects

Plant associations occur when host selection of a focal plant is reduced or increased by the presence of another plant species. Larinus planus is an invasive weevil whose larvae feed in the flower heads of native and federally threatened Pitcher’s thistle (Cirsium pitcheri). Studies have linked the presence of neighboring plants to increased host selection of Pitcher’s thistle by the weevil, but the factors contributing to host selection remain unknown. In our study, we determined if there were differences among abiotic factors, host selection and weevil behavior at Pitcher’s thistles surrounded by beach grass, sand and at high …

Integrating The Field Of Prebiotic Chemistry Into A Christian Worldview, Matthew B. Anderson

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis will provide an overarching examination into the scientific field of prebiotic chemistry, the purported chemistry of the formation of life on earth. Prebiotic chemistry is a critical area of science particularly for Christian scientists to study since it is used by many evolutionists as evidence for the evolution of life, rather than the formation by an intelligent designer. Extensive literature-based research from previously published articles will be conducted on the formation of biologically necessary molecules, including amino acids. Primary focus will be placed on the formation of amino acids in a primordial earth environment, first demonstrated by the …

Population Dynamics Of The Cotton Rat In Southeastern Virginia, Robert K. Rose, Heather Green Salamone

Virginia Journal of Science

We used monthly live trapping for 2.5 years to evaluate the life-history features of the most common small mammal, Sigmodon hispidus (hispid cotton rat), in an old field at its northern limit of distribution on the Atlantic Coast. Peak densities, achieved in late autumn or early winter, were among the highest recorded for the species and were more typical of geographically marginal populations rather than of central ones. Unlike some other marginal populations, hispid cotton rats in southeastern Virginia did not lose significant body mass over the winter (when few juveniles were present) and survival in winter was not significantly …

Climate Change, Managed Relocation, And The Risk Of Intra-Continental Plant Invasions: A Theoretical And Empirical Exploration Relative To The Flora Of New England, Jesse Bellemare, Bryan Connolly, Dov F. Sax

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

The high rate of anthropogenic climate change projected for coming decades and evidence of low migration ability for many species have led researchers to warn of a looming extinction crisis. This threat is expected to be most acute for small-ranged endemic species, which could see novel climatic conditions develop rapidly across the entirety of their limited geographic ranges. To avoid extinctions, some conservationists have proposed that climateimperiled species might be candidates for "assisted colonization" or "managed relocation" to new regions, outside their historical ranges. One major concern related to managed relocation is the possibility that some relocated species could later …

The Role Of Adult Fiddler Crab Environmental Acoustic Cues And Chemical Cues In Stimulating Molting Of Field-Caught Megalopae, Emily E. Waddell, Wendy Dow Piniak, Kathleen A. Reinsel, James M. Welch

Student Publications

In mid-Atlantic estuaries, three fiddler crab species, Uca pugilator, Uca pugnax and Uca minax co-occur, with their adults occupying different habitat types distinguished by salinity and sediment size. Some evidence exists that selective settlement is responsible for this separation but the mechanism is largely unknown. We tested the hypothesis that field-caught megalopae would accelerate metamorphosis in the presence of adult species-specific environmental acoustic cues and conspecific chemical cues. We placed megalopae in seawater with and without adult chemical cues, exposed them to one of three sound treatments for 8 days, and recorded the time each megalopa took to metamorphose. In …

Changes In The Breeding Range Of The Broad-Winged Hawk (Buteo Platypterus) Due To Habitat Fragmentation In The Northern Appalachian Region, Rachael M. Pruitt

Student Publications

The Broad-winged Hawk (BWHA), Buteo platypterus, a small, secretive hawk with distinguishing broad black tail bands, breeds in northeastern North America. The hawks nest in deciduous or mixed forest, often near water, and close to clearings or forest edges. Land conversion and fragmentation alters the landscape and reduces the area of contiguous forest used by BWHA. This study seeks to determine the habitat metrics that may be influencing the apparent breeding range declines of the BWHA at the landscape scale. Landscape characteristics and BWHA presence data from 18,684 Breeding Bird Atlas blocks (each about 25km2) from Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland, …

Social Buffering In A Eusocial Invertebrate: Termite Soldiers Reduce The Lethal Impact Of Competitor Cues On Workers, Li Tian, Evan L. Preisser, Kenneth F. Haynes, Xuguo Zhou

Entomology Faculty Publications

While the impact of predator‐induced stress on prey has received considerable attention, there has been far less research into the effect of competitors. Cues from aggressive competitors should be particularly likely to evoke behavioral and/or physiological responses, since they may be indicative of both direct (interference) and indirect (exploitative) threats. The danger posed by such competitors, and the “fear” they evoke, should be reduced at lower competitor densities and by the presence of individual conspecifics specialized for defense. We assessed how Reticulitermes flavipes termite workers and soldiers were affected by cues from conspecific nestmates, conspecific non‐nestmates, and the heterospecific competitor …

Phylogenetic Studies Of The Madagascan Freshwater Crabs (Potamoidea, Potamonautidae, Deckeniinae), Rainee Stevens

All NMU Master's Theses

Relationships within the Madagascan freshwater crab fauna were examined based on unstudied specimens from all parts of Madagascar. This study allowed the examination of the validity of existing genera and species, and identified potential new taxa. The new specimens provided phylogenetic and evolutionary data, as well as new insights into the distribution patterns of the Malagasy freshwater crab fauna. In addition, the large number of new localities from previously unsurveyed areas of Madagascar allowed the construction of updated distribution maps.

The present analysis included 62 unidentified specimens plus 13 identified species of Malagasy freshwater crab taxa that had already been …

Comparative Biogeography Of North American Pika Parasites: Unraveling A History Driven By Climate Change, Heather M. Toman

All NMU Master's Theses

Parasites are an understudied group that can provide important information on ecosystem dynamics and climate change as well as host biogeographic history. I performed a comparative biogeographic study on two endoparasitic helminth lineages associated with pikas (Ochotona) -the tapeworm genus Schizorchis and the pinworm subgenus Labiostomum (Eugenuris). Colonization history across Beringia was assessed using analyses of historical range estimation and tests for simultaneous divergence. Analysis results allow me reject the hypothesis that these parasites colonized the Nearctic during a single glacial cycle, as evidenced by multiple Nearctic and Palearctic lineage pairs that did not diverge simultaneously. This …

Strawberries (Frag X Anan) Are Bigger When Native Mason Bees (Osmia Lignaria) Are Experimentally Added To Small Farms, Laura A. Campbell

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Agriculture is the cornerstone of our economy, and pollination plays a vital role in nearly all non-wind pollinated crops. Declining honey bee populations have caused a more diligent investigation into using solitary bees for crop pollination. The native, solitary Orchard Mason Bee has shown to successfully pollinate almonds and apples, but there has been little work conducted on their effectiveness as a low fruit crop pollinator. This study assesses their effectiveness as a small strawberry farm pollinator, and preferences for nesting materials. Mason bee cocoons and nest homes made with different materials (bamboo, Phragmites, or wood) were supplemented on …

Crassulacean Acid Metabolism As A Continuous Trait: Variability In The Contribution Of Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (Cam) In Populations Of Portulacaria Afra, Lonnie J. Guralnick, Kate Gladsky

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

Portulacaria afra L. is a dominant facultative CAM species growing in the Southeastern Cape of South Africa. P. afra is well adapted to regions of the Spekboom thicket in areas of limited and sporadic rainfall. P. afra populations occur in isolated drainages. We hypothesized the utilization of CAM would vary in the different populations in response to rainfall and temperature gradients. Carbon isotope composition can be used to determine the contribution of CAM in leaf tissue. P. afra leaves of populations were analyzed in transects running south to north and east to west in locations from the coast to elevations …

Development Of A Wild Infant Woolly Monkey Social Interactions, Time Allocation And Behavior Of A Wild Lagothrix Lagotricha Poeppigii Infant And Her Mother, Saba Zewdie

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The lowland woolly monkey (Lagothrix lagotricha poeppigii), like all species of woolly monkey, is extremely threatened due to anthropologic activities such as deforestation, petroleum drilling and commercial hunting across their habitat. Due to their low reproductive rate and low reproductive success in captivity, the captive population is decreasing every year as habitat loss increases. In late February of 2017 an infant female was born on the island of Sumak Allpa, a monkey rehabilitation organization and reserve in the western Ecuadorian Amazon. The woolly monkeys are completely independent on the reserve; and as such her birth marks the first …

What, Where, Why: A Survey Of Felidae Populations At Enashiva Nature Refuge, Tanzania, Lucrecia Aguilar

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As felid populations worldwide continue to deteriorate due to human activities, understanding how felid species utilize various landscapes, along with what factors affect such use or disuse, becomes essential to the preservation of these species. While previous research has examined felid populations around the world, many species and locations remain understudied. This study surveyed felid species at Enashiva Nature Refuge (ENR) in the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem to determine (1) what felid species are present at ENR, (2) where these species generally occur, and (3) why felids reside at ENR in low or high numbers. Through the use of opportunistic camera trapping, …

Avian Species And Family Composition Along Elevational And Disturbance Gradients In Santa Fe National Park, Veraguas Province, Panamá, Benjamin Shipley

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Elevational gradients are some of the most well-known and researched biological trends. However, how species diversity varies with elevation differs by taxa and location. One hypothesis suggests that bird diversity decreases with increasing elevation in the tropics. In addition, bird diversity may decrease along the forest edge and in areas of increasing disturbance. Therefore, in this study I surveyed avian diversity along an elevational gradient in Santa Fe National Park, Veraguas, Panamá using point-count observations. Thirty-six point-count locations in 3 elevation zones were surveyed between 19 Apr and 29 Apr 2017. Shannon diversity, richness, and evenness were calculated for both …

Fish Community Assessment Of The Bonyic And Teribe Rivers Within The Naso-Teribe Territory Bocas Del Toro, Panama: Possible Implications Of Bonyic Dam., Shaylyn Austin

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In the Changuinola/Teribe watershed of Bocas Del Toro, Panama, changes to the fluvial system due to the recently constructed Bonyic Dam have implications connected to the biodiversity of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and the livelihoods of thousands of people of the Naso-Teribe indigenous group. This study investigated the composition of fish communities in 6 study sites in 3 different areas in relation to the Bonyic Dam. A total of 318 individual fish were captured, representing 5 families and 10 species, using the cast net sampling method. The biodiversity was analyzed using Simpson’s Diversity Index, Evenness Index, species richness, and species …

2016 Oyster Reef Restoration Project Funded By The Aquatic Resources Mitigation Program, Raymond E. Grizzle, Krystin M. Ward

PREP Reports & Publications

This report describes the results of the construction and initial monitoring phase of an oyster restoration project conducted in 2016 by the University of New Hampshire (UNH) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC), funded by the New Hampshire Aquatic Resources Mitigation Program. The overall goal of the project was to construct 5 acres of new oyster reef habitat in an area adjacent to a live natural reef northwest of Nannie Island, in the Town of Newington, NH, off Woodman Point. The report is organized according to the four major tasks listed as deliverables in the subaward to UNH from TNC.

Nonlinear Responses Of Soil Respiration To Precipitation Changes In A Semiarid Temperate Steppe, Yuan Miao, Hongyan Han, Yue Du, Qian Zhang, Lin Jiang, Dafeng Hui, Shiqiang Wan

Biology Faculty Research

Extreme precipitation events are predicted to occur more frequently and will have significant influences on terrestrial ecosystem carbon (C) cycling in the future. However, response patterns of soil respiration to precipitation changes remain uncertain in terrestrial ecosystems. A field experiment with seven precipitation treatments (i.e. from −60% to +60% of ambient precipitation to form a drought to wet precipitation gradient) was conducted over three growing seasons (2010–2012) in a semiarid temperate steppe of Northern China. Results showed a nonlinear response pattern of soil respiration along the experimental precipitation gradient, with soil respiration suppressed by decreased precipitation and enhanced by increased …

New Neotropical Rhinotragini And A New Country Record For Nicaragua (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae), James E. Wappes, Antonio Santos-Silva

Insecta Mundi

Nine new species of Rhinotragini (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae) are described from the Neotropical region: Odontocera galileoae (Mexico); Odontocera mthomasi (Guatemala); Ecliptoides vandenberghei (Nicaragua); Eclipta ricei and Odontocera skelleyi (Costa Rica); Eclipta nearnsi (Panama); Odontocera stangei (Venezuela); Chariergodes lingafelteri and Ischasia martinsi (Costa Rica and Panama). Ischasia rufina Thomson, 1864 is formally excluded from the fauna of Costa Rica and Panama, and Nicaragua is added as a new country record for Eclipta ficta Bezark, Martins and Santos-Silva, 2013. Notes on Ecliptoides monostigma (Bates, 1869) are provided in the “Diagnosis” of E. vandenberghei.

High resolution version attached as a Supplementary file (below).

Draft Genome Sequences Of Three Cellulolytic Bacillus Licheniformis Strains Isolated From Imperial Geyser, Amphitheater Springs, And Whiterock Springs Inside Yellowstone National Park, Joshua A. O'Hair, Hui Li, Santosh Thapa, Matthew Scholz, Suping Zhou

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

Novel cellulolytic microorganisms are becoming more important for rapidly growing biofuel industries. This paper reports the draft genome sequences of Bacillus licheniformis strains YNP2-TSU, YNP3-TSU, and YNP5-TSU. These cellulolytic isolates were collected from several hydrothermal features inside Yellowstone National Park.

Data Loggers In Artificial Eggs Reveal That Egg-Turning Behavior Varies On Multiple Ecological Scales In Seabirds, Corey Clatterbuck, Lindsay Young, Eric Vanderwerf, Alexander Naiman, Geoff Bower, Scott A. Shaffer

Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences

In most avian species, egg-turning behavior during incubation is vital for proper embryonic development and hatching success. However, changes in turning behaviors are rarely studied across different temporal scales (e.g., day–night or across incubation phases), though the timing of incubation behaviors affects reproductive success. We used data loggers encapsulated in artificial eggs to measure turning rates and angle changes of eggs in Western Gull Larus occidentalis and Laysan Albatross Phoebastria immutabilis nests. We examined diurnal and daily cycles in egg-turning behaviors across early, middle, and late incubation phases. Our results indicate that (1) egg-turning behaviors remain similar throughout incubation, resulting …

A Reexamination The Freshwater Mussels (Family Unionidae) In Lower Big Walnut Creek, Kierra M. Lathrop

Undergraduate Distinction Papers

Freshwater mussels (family Unionidae) have become increasingly rare as the threats to water quality, habitat quality, and other aquatic animals, which the mussels depend on, have increased. The absence of mussels can provide evidence that one of these factors is insufficient. Lower Big Walnut Creek (BWC) is known to support a diverse community of mussels but they are unevenly distributed throughout the creek with abundance, density, and richness being high in the upper section, very low in the midsection, and intermediate in the lower section. It has been suggested water quality nor symbiotic fish host communities are responsible for this …

The Phenology Of Sand Crabs, Lepidopa Benedicti (Decapoda: Albuneidae), Zen Faulkes

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

Albuneid sand crabs are widespread on sandy beaches around the world, but because they conceal themselves by digging in sand and are often found at low densities, little is known about their basic biology. Lepidopa species were collected from the beaches of South Padre Island, Texas, on the western coast of Gulf of Mexico, a location that had previously been suggested to act as a population sink. The site contained Lepidopa benedicti and L. websteri, although the latter was extremely rare (collected three times in 5 years). There was significant variation in abundance across the year, with higher densities …

Cooperation And Competition Shape Ecological Resistance During Periodic Spatial Disturbance Of Engineered Bacteria, Cortney E. Wilson, Allison J. Lopatkin, Travis J. A. Craddock, William W. Driscoll, Omar T. Eldakar, Jose V. Lopez, Robert P. Smith

Biology Faculty Articles

Cooperation is fundamental to the survival of many bacterial species. Previous studies have shown that spatial structure can both promote and suppress cooperation. Most environments where bacteria are found are periodically disturbed, which can affect the spatial structure of the population. Despite the important role that spatial disturbances play in maintaining ecological relationships, it remains unclear as to how periodic spatial disturbances affect bacteria dependent on cooperation for survival. Here, we use bacteria engineered with a strong Allee effect to investigate how the frequency of periodic spatial disturbances affects cooperation. We show that at intermediate frequencies of spatial disturbance, the …

The North American Whistling-Ducks, Pochards, And Stifftails, Paul A. Johnsgard

Zea E-Books Collection

Although the 12 species representing three waterfowl tribes described in this volume are not closely related, they fortuitously provide an instructive example of adaptive evolutionary radiation within the much larger waterfowl lineage (the family Anatidae), especially as to their divergent morphologies, life histories, and social behaviors.

The whistling-ducks (Dendrocygna), with three known North American species, are notable for their permanent pair-bonds, extended biparental family care, and strong social cohesion. In contrast, males of the five typical pochards of North American diving ducks (Aythya) establish monogamous pair-bonds that are maintained only long enough to assure that the female’s eggs are fertilized. …

Social Amoebae Mating Types Do Not Invest Unequally In Sexual Offspring, T E. Douglas, David C. Queller, Joan E. Strassmann

Biology Faculty Research

Unequal investment by different sexes in their progeny is common and includes differential investment in the zygote and differential care of the young. The social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum has a sexual stage in which isogamous cells of any two of the three mating types fuse to form a zygote which then attracts hundreds of other cells to the macrocyst. The latter cells are cannibalized and so make no genetic contribution to reproduction. Previous literature suggests that this sacrifice may be induced in cells of one mating type by cells of another, resulting in a higher than expected production of macrocysts …