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Does Habitat Affect Clonal Demography? An Experiment With Polygonella Myriophylla In Roadside And Florida Scrub, Kristina Dianne Horn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Polygonella myriophylla (Polygonaceae) is a clonal shrub listed as endangered and narrowly endemic to pyrogenic scrub ecosystems in central Florida. It is almost restricted to gaps within the matrix of shrubs in the scrub but also occurs along adjacent road-side habitats. I hypothesize that persistent disturbed microhabitats and more dynamic sand accretion in roadsides will increase rooting probabilities compared to more stable scrub habitats, affecting survival, growth and reproduction. In April 2004- March 2006, I compared plant (genet) and basal branch (ramet) performance between experimentally manipulated plants in native scrub and roadside habitats at two locations within the Lake Wales …

Demographic Consequences Of Managing For Florida Scrub-Jays (Aphelocoma Coerulescens) On An Isolated Preserve., Casey Lyon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many species naturally occupy discrete habitat patches within a mosaic of habitats that vary in quality. The Florida scrub-jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens) is endemic to Florida scrub, a habitat that is naturally patchy and greatly reduced in area over recent decades owing to development and urbanization. Because of this habitat loss, future management of Florida scrub-jays will focus on smaller, fragmented tracts of land. My study examines such a tract, Lyonia Preserve, southwest Volusia County, FL. This preserve was unoccupied by scrub-jays prior to habitat restoration. The preserve is now frequently managed exclusively for scrub-jays as a habitat island surrounded by …

Models Of Density‐Dependent Genic Selection And A New Rock‐Paper‐Scissors Social System, Barry Sinervo, Benoit Heulin, Yann Surget-Groba, Jean Clobert, Donald B. Miles, Ammon Corl, Alexis Chaine, Alison Davis

Biology Faculty Publications

We describe new ESS models of density regulation driven by genic selection to explain the cyclical dynamics of a social system that exhibits a rock-paper-scissors (RPS) set of three alternative strategies. We tracked changes in morph frequency and fitness of Lacerta vivipara and found conspicuous RPS cycles. Morphs of Uta and Lacerta exhibited parallel survival-performance trade-offs. Frequency cycles in both species of lizards are driven by genic selection. In Lacerta, frequency of each allele in adult cohorts had significant impacts on juvenile recruitment, similar to mutualistic, altruistic, and antagonistic relations of RPS alleles in Uta. We constructed evolutionarily stable strategy …

Consumers Limit The Abundance And Dynamics Of A Perennial Shrub With A Seed Bank, Matthew J. Kauffman, John L. Maron

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

For nearly 30 years, ecologists have argued that predators of seeds and seedlings seldom have population-level effects on plants with persistent seed banks and density-dependent seedling survival. We parameterized stage-based population models that incorporated density dependence and seed dormancy with data from a 5.5-year experiment that quantified how granivorous mice and herbivorous voles influence bush lupine (Lupinus arboreus) demography. We asked how seed dormancy and density-dependent seedling survival mediate the impacts of these consumers in dune and grassland habitats. In dune habitat, mice reduced analytical lambda (the intrinsic rate of population growth) by 39%, the equilibrium number of above-ground plants …

Small Treasures: Rare Frogs Of The New Zealand Rainforests, Heather Moulton

Inquiry Journal 2006

No abstract provided.

Population Demography And Herbivory Of Trillium Grandiflorum, Thomas P. Rooney, Kendra C. Millam

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Numerous pedicellate and sessile Trillium species are endemic to eastern North America, where white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) populations have been growing in recent decades. Deer feed on Trillium plants, and because they often consume all leaves and flowers, the photosynthetic capacity of browsed plants is greatly diminished. To determine if deer can influence Trillium population dynamics, we review two recent studies that applied matrix population models to understand how deer browsing affects Trillium grandijlorum. Research conducted in the Great Lakes region indicated Trillium populations in which 6-12% plants were browsed declined 3.6% per year. Simulations show that …

Annual Publication Of The Department Of Agronomy And Horticulture 2006

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Annual Newsletters

CONTENTS

Alumni news . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Articles:

Agriculture biotechnology pipeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Come to Kimmel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . …

An Examination Of Seasonal Growth And Survivorship Of Sigmodon Hispidus In Southeastern Virginia, Heather Alyssa Green

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

A reexamination of specific population dynamic aspects of Sigmodon hispidus, the hispid cotton rat, is necessary in order to gain additional knowledge and perspective on this species in its northernmost distribution on the east coast of the United States. Previous studies of Virginia cotton rats were based on data from necropsies, which do not allow for the determination of certain population characteristics, such as density, growth, and survival. General population trends and rates of growth and survival in males and females throughout the seasons in Virginia will also provide a basis for comparison with populations of cotton rats in …

A Profile Of Strength And Conditioning Coaches At National Collegiate Athletic Association Division Ii And Iii Member Institutions., Leonard Haggerty

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this study were to compile demographic characteristics, educational backgrounds, coaching experiences, and duties of strength and conditioning (STC) coaches at NCAA Division II and III institutions, and compare the profile of Division II and III STC coaches to the Martinez (2004) study of Division I-A STC coaches. NCAA Division II and Division III athletic personnel (N=578) received an electronic survey for this study. The return rate from Division II and Division III STC coaches were as follows: Division II, 23 responses (n=175), Division III, 34 responses (n=403). Descriptive statistics were used …

The Symmetry Of Longevity, Lawrence G. Harshman, Hans-Georg Müller, Xueli Liu, Yue Wang, James R. Carey

Lawrence G. Harshman Publications

We tested the hypothesis that relatively symmetrical flies live longer. Vein measurements on the left and right wings from the same individual were used to characterize bilateral symmetry in relationship to age-specific survival in defined cohorts. A longitudinal cohort study supported the hypothesis of a correlation between bilateral symmetry and longevity. For another type of experiment, wings were removed from females and males at approximately the beginning of adult life. Thus, there would be no effect of wings per se on adult survival. These wings were measured to characterize bilateral asymmetry, and the day of death of each dewinged individual …

Human Activity Mediates A Trophic Cascade Caused By Wolves, Mark Hebblewhite, Clifford A. White, Clifford G. Nietvelt, John A. Mckenzie, Tomas E. Hurd, John M. Fryxell, Suzanne E. Bayley, Paul C. Paquet

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Experimental evidence of trophic cascades initiated by large vertebrate predators is rare in terrestrial ecosystems. A serendipitous natural experiment provided an opportunity to test the trophic cascade hypothesis for wolves (Canis lupus) in Banff National Park, Canada. The first wolf pack recolonized the Bow Valley of Banff National Park in 1986. High human activity partially excluded wolves from one area of the Bow Valley (low-wolf area), whereas wolves made full use of an adjacent area (high-wolf area). We investigated the effects of differential wolf predation between these two areas on elk (Cervus elaphus) population density, adult …

Demographic And Spatial Responses Of Coyotes To Changes In Food And Exploitation, Eric M. Gese

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Lethal control for reducing carnivore populations is a contentious issue throughout the world. While computer simulations have been developed modeling the effects of population reduction on coyote (Canis latrans) population parameters, testing these hypotheses with empirical data from the field is lacking. We documented the demographic and spatial responses of coyotes to changes in the levels of food resources and human exploitation on the Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site, southeastern Colorado. We captured, radio-collared, and tracked 92 (53 M: 39 F) coyotes from March 1983 to April 1989. Of these, 74 animals were residents from 32 packs, plus 12 …

The Effect Of Wildfire On Populations Of The Jemez Mountains Salamander (Plethodon Neomexicanus) With Consideration To Arthropod Prey Availability Following The Cerro Grande Fire Of Northern New Mexico, Michelle R. Cummer

Biology

Fire regimes in North America, including the American Southwest, have undergone relatively dramatic shifts in the last century, resulting in novel stand-replacing fires that are changing landscapes in unprecedented ways. Some possible effects of these novel landscape changes on a terrestrial plethodontid salamander (Plethodon neomexicanus) were investigated. Microhabitat temperatures in four burn-severity types following recent fires were measured. Temperatures were significantly greater in high-severity and moderate-severity burn areas than in low-severity and unburned areas. Salamander presence/absence data from four burn-severity types that were documented as having salamanders prior to wildfire are considered. The proportions of presence and absence …

Effects Of Density On Timing Of Emergence And Its Consequences For Survival And Growth In Two Communities Of Annual Plants, Roy Turkington, Deborah E. Goldberg, Linda Olsvig-Whittaker, Andrew R. Dyer

Faculty Publications

We tested whether increasing seed density results in a change in the timing of emergence in two communities of sand dune annual plants in Israel. Specifically we tested (i) if emergence is accelerated or delayed due to high seed density. We also tested two predictions about the consequences of changes in the timing of emergence; (ii) seedlings emerging earlier will have higher survival and growth; (iii) the advantage of earlier emergence increases as seed density increases. We examined these predictions for both monocots and dicots growing under different irrigation regimes and using species from a desert and a semi-arid community …

Natural History And Conservation Biology Of A Southern West Virginia Contour Surface Mine Reptile And Amphibian Community, Zachary James Loughman

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

During the 2004-2005 field seasons, natural history of a herpetofaunal community was studied on an abandoned contour surface mine in Eccles, Raleigh County, West Virginia. This study is the first natural history investigation of amphibian and reptile populations present on an abandoned mine site. Specific natural history parameters for each order on the mine were investigated to determine what effect the post mining landscape had on herpetofaunal communities. Pond breeding caudates population success was dependent on life history parameters. Anurans were efficient at re-colonization, with 12 of a possible 14 species collected on the mine site. Anuran diversity was linked …

Natal Dispersal Of Beavers In The Embarras River Watershed In Central Illinois, Erin A. Cleere

Masters Theses

Dispersal is an important mechanism influencing the dynamics, genetics, spatial distribution and size of wildlife populations (Gese and Mech 1991). Natal dispersal may afford individuals breeding opportunities and access to resources, while reducing inbreeding and competition with family members. However, dispersal also can be risky if mortality rates are high or if mates or suitable habitat are unavailable. When dispersal costs are high, subadults may be better off remaining in their natal territory.

Although a number of previous studies have investigated natal dispersal in beavers (Castor canadensis), conclusions regarding the percentage of subadults that disperse, timing of dispersal, evidence of …

Red-Cockaded Woodpecker Recovery: An Integrated Strategy, D. Craig Rudolph, Richard N. Conner, Jeffrey R. Walters

Faculty Publications

Populations of the red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis) have experienced massive declines since European colonization of North America. This is due to extensive habitat loss and alteration. Logging of old-growth pine forests and alteration of the fire regime throughout the historic range of the species were the primary causes of population decline. Listing of the red-cockaded woodpecker under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended, and increased emphasis on management of non-game species have resulted in efforts to recover remnant populations of the red-cockaded woodpecker in many parts of its historic range. Due to extensive research and adaptive management initiatives …

Tree Thinning And Prescribed Burning Effects On Ground Flora In Arizona Ponderosa Pine Forests: A Review, Scott R. Abella

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Research

Ground flora is an important response variable to monitor after tree thinning and prescribed burning treatments designed to restore Arizona ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa P.& C. Lawson) forests. This paper reviews published literature on the effects of thinning and burning on ground flora in Arizona ponderosa pine forests in five main categories of research: ground flora biomass, species diversity, plant community composition, population processes, and individual species ecology. Research published to date suggests that thinning and burning generally increase ground flora biomass, whereas other categories of research such as community composition and population processes have been little studied in Arizona …

Consumer Sensory Characteristics Of Butter Cake Made From Wheat And Rice Flours, Ashley Elizabeth Bond

LSU Master's Theses

Rice is an important commodity in Louisiana and throughout the world. During the milling process, about 15% of rice kernels become broken. Louisiana produced approximately 2,011,000 hundred weights of broken rice kernels in 2002. Converting broken rice into rice-based products adds dollars back to broken rice. The market potential for rice in processed foods is huge. In the refrigerated and frozen baked foods category, it is approximately $14.3 billion; while in the baked snack foods and wholesale bakery foods category, it is approximately $31.4 billion. Approximately 1-2% of the United States population suffers from Celiac Spruce Disease, which is a …

Summer Activity Of Small Snakes In Four Habitats In Northwestern Missouri, L. D. Johnson, Geoffrey R. Smith, Jessica E. Rettig

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Testing For Resistance Of Pelagic Marine Copepods To A Toxic Dinoflagellate, Sean Colin, Hans G. Dam

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

With few exceptions, the evolutionary consequences of harmful algae to grazers in aquatic systems remain unexplored. To examine both the ecological and evolutionary consequences of harmful algae on marine zooplankton, we used a two-fold approach. In the first approach, we examined the life history responses of two geographically separate Acartia hudsonica (Copepoda Calanoida) populations reared on diets containing the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium fundyense . One copepod population was from a region, Casco Bay, Maine, USA, that has experienced recurrent blooms of highly toxic Alexandrium spp. for decades; whereas the other population from Great Bay, New Jersey, USA, has never been …

Of Mice And Men And Trillium: Cascading Effects Of Forest Fragmentation, D. A. Tallmon, E. S. Jules, N. J. Radke, L. Scott Mills

Wildlife Biology Faculty Publications

Cascading ecological effects of anthropogenic habitat fragmentation have been studied primarily in extreme cases (e.g., the isolation of habitat fragments in a novel habitat matrix such as suburban developments, reservoirs, or agricultural fields), with less attention to more subtle and widespread cases, such as habitat fragmentation due to timber harvest. Few studies have used rigorous demographic data to demonstrate the direct and indirect effects of habitat fragmentation. We trapped deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) at five sites over two years in southwest Oregon, USA, and used multi-state capture-recapture models to estimate deer mouse survival and movement in clearcuts; forest-fragment edges, forest-fragment …

Life-History Variation In The Sagebrush Lizard (Sceloporus Graciosus): Phenotypic Plasticity Or Local Adaptation?, Michael W. Sears

Publications

We performed a laboratory common-environment study to determine the genetic and environmental sources of variation in growth rates of the sagebrush lizard (Sceloporus graciosus). Hatchling lizards were reared from gravid females collected from three study populations along an elevational gradient in southern Utah, USA. Hatchlings were fed ad libidum and were maintained on a 14:10 light:dark cycle, with temperatures at 33°C and 21°C during photophase and scotophase, respectively. Each hatchling was randomly assigned to either a water-supplementation treatment or a control group receiving no supplemental water. Once every five days, the water-supplemented lizards were administered orally a quantity …

Ecological Games In Space And Time: The Distribution And Abundance Of Antarctic Krill And Penguins, Suzanne H. Alonzo, Paul V. Switzer, Marc Mangel

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

The distribution and abundance of organisms are affected by behaviors, such as habitat selection, foraging, and reproduction. These behaviors are driven by interactions within and between species, environmental conditions, and the biology of the species in-volved. Although extensive theoretical work has explored predator–prey dynamics, these models have not considered the impact of behavioral plasticity and life-history trade-offs on predicted patterns. We apply a modeling method that allows the consideration of a spatial, dynamic ecological game between predators and prey using a life-history perspec-tive. As an illustrative example, we model the habitat selection of Antarctic krill and penguins during the time …

Ethanol: A Better Preservation Technique For Daphnia, A. Ross Black, Stanley I. Dodson

Biology Faculty Publications

A 4% formalin-40% sucrose solution has been used by limnologists for three decades as the preferred freshwater zooplankton preservative because it kills and fixes cladocera (Branchiopoda) with relatively little distortion. Because of the increasing evidence of health hazards related to formalin, we sought an alternative, safer preservative that satisfies the need for low distortion. Our results suggest the ethanol preservative methods (70% and 95% treatments) are as good or better as using 4% sugar formalin to fix and store samples. Our results indicate the best method is to fix samples in 95% EtOH followed by storage in 70% EtOH. This …

Extent Of Digestion Affects The Success Of Amplifying Human Dna From Blood Meals Of Anopheles Gambiae (Diptera: Culicidae), W. R. Mukabana, W. Takken, P. Seda, G. F. Killeen, W. A. Hawley, B. G.J. Knols

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The success of distinguishing blood meal sources of Anopheles gambiae Giles through deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) profiling was investigated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification at the TC-11 and VWA human short tandem repeats (STR) loci. Blood meal size and locus had no significant effect on the success of amplifying human DNA from blood meals digested for 0, 8, 16, 24 and 32 h (P = 0.85 and 0.26 respectively). However, logistic regression found a significant negative relationship between time since ingestion and the success probability of obtaining positive PCR products among meals digested for between 8 and 32 h (P …

Food Pulses Increase Longevity And Induce Cyclical Egg Production In Mediterranean Fruit Flies, James R. Carey, Pablo Liedo, Lawrence G. Harshman, X. Liu, Hans-Georg Müller, Linda Partridge, Jane-Ling Wang

Lawrence G. Harshman Publications

1. Inasmuch as virtually all studies on mortality and reproduction in insects are conducted under conditions in which food availability is constant, little is known about the demographic response of insects to variable food environments. For example, it is not known if and to what extent the life expectancy of insects subjected to shortages of high-quality food will increase and/or whether this increase is associated with major decreases in lifetime reproduction.

2. Therefore cohorts of 100 individual female medflies were subjected to different sets of conditions of protein availability (interspersed with sugar-only diets) including ad libitum sugar-only (no protein), ad …

Peer Nutrition Education: A Model For Nutrition Education Among Spanish-Language Participants Of The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program For Women, Infants And Children (Wic), Maximino Alfredo Mejía

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Despite the steady improvement in the health status of Americans, Hispanics are a minority in the United States with greater prevalence of several infectious and chronic diseases and less health knowledge than the average citizen. Nearly half of the Hispanics living in this country die of preventable nutrition-related conditions, with heart disease and cancer being the leading causes. Since this minority has limited access to health care and preventive services, there is a need for an inexpensive, viable model of health education for this underserved segment of the population in order to lower the excess of preventable diseases. We trained …

A Survey Of The Mammals Of The Archie Carr And Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuges, Joseph S. Weidlich

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT This summarizes a study conducted on the Archie Carr (ACNWR) and Pelican Island (PINWR) National Wildlife Refuges located on the barrier island complex of southern Brevard and northern Indian River counties, Florida. Major objectives of this study were designed to 1) survey the mammals of the ACNWR and PINWR, 2) perform a small mammal population demographic study in coastal scrub and maritime hammock habitats, and 3) document a population monitoring project of Peromyscus po/ionotus niveiventris in northern Indian River County at Treasure Shores Park, within ACNWR Segment 4. A total of7,279 trap nights was compiled during the survey portion …

Abnormalities In The Ozark Hellbender, (Cryptobranchus Alleganiensis Bishopi), Benjamin A. Wheeler, Malcolm L. Mccallum, Stanley E. Trauth

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.