Digital Commons Network^™

Leveraging Mammal Mycophagy To Determine Environmental Drivers Of Truffle Diversity, Brittany Hartsock

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many mycorrhizal fungi are hypogeous (truffle-forming), producing underground fruiting bodies. Studying truffles is inherently challenging due to their hidden nature. However, mycophagous mammals provide a unique opportunity to study hypogeous fungi because they rely on truffles as a food source. Although several truffle species have recently been described in the southern Appalachian region, their fruiting patterns remain poorly understood. To address this, we quantified truffle richness and spore loads from 670 Peromyscus scat samples collected across 42 sites spanning an environmental gradient during 2024 in the Blue Ridge Mountains of East Tennessee. We found that truffle richness and spore abundance …

Exploring The Significance Of Kenya's Indigenous And Emerging Blue Foods For Sustainable Aquaculture Development. A Review, Jonathan Munguti, Mavindu Muthoka, Domitila Kyule, Esther Magondu, Kevin Obiero, Jimmy Mboya, Menaga Meenakshisundaram, Tanga M. Chrysantus, Gerald Kwikiriza, Francis K. Njonge

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Kenya's aquaculture sector is at a pivotal stage, transitioning from a historical reliance on Nile tilapia and African catfish toward a more diversified production portfolio that integrates indigenous and emerging freshwater and marine species. This shift is increasingly recognized as essential to enhance climate resilience, food security, and ecosystem health. This systematic review synthesizes more than two decades (2000 to 31st January, 2026) of peer-reviewed literature to evaluate the biological suitability, culture performance, and socio-ecological roles of underutilized native taxa, including Ningu (Labeo victorianus), Jipe tilapia (Oreochromis jipe), freshwater prawns (Macrobrachium spp.), rabbitfish (Siganus sutor), marine-acclimatized Nile tilapia, mud crab …

Multivariate Ecological Assessment Of Flora Of Village Karri Haider, District Tank, Kp, Numan Khan, Muhammad Azeem, Muhammad Adnan Hamza, Muhammad Aleem, Arshad Rasool, Ammara Wakeel, Sehrish Sadia

Journal of Bioresource Management

Spatial and temporal patterns of vegetation change are influenced by multiple factors, including the physical environment, land-use history, prior disturbance, and initial vegetation composition. The primary aim of this study was to understand floristic vegetation features, species diversity, and the classification of plant communities in Village Karri Haider, District Tank, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). Samples were collected from each transect using quadrats of 1 m × 1 m for herbs. Soil from three quadrats was mixed to make composite samples, and soil elements were quantified through laboratory analyses. Two surveys were conducted from July to December, 2023. In the first survey, …

Distribution And Diversity Of Ponyfishes (Perciformes, Leiognathidae) In The Waters Of Sonmiani’S Bay, Balochistan, Pakistan, Noor Hawa, Noor Us Saher

Journal of Bioresource Management

The current research was conducted during October 2020 to September 2021 in bay waters of Sonmiani, Balochistan as aimed to fill the paucity of diversity and distribution of research for the bay waters. Monthly fish samples were collected using gill net and beach seine during high and low tide. In the present study, out of nine species, the six species were identified as a new report species belongs to Leiognathidae family. Secutor interruptus (N=132) was the most abundant species whereas the least abundant species collected during the study period was Karalla daura (N=1). Highest diversity (1.37) was estimated during the …

Could The European Thanasimus Formicarius Outcompete The North American Thanasimus Dubius (Coleoptera: Cleridae) If Introduced To North America?, Robert A. Haack, Robert K. Lawrence

The Great Lakes Entomologist

A federal quarantine was enacted in the United States (US) in the fall of 1992 in response to discovery of the Eurasian pine shoot beetle, Tomicus piniperda (L.) (Coleoptera: Scolytinae), in July 1992 in Ohio. The quarantine regulated movement of pine products (e.g., Christmas trees, nursery stock, and logs) at the county level from infested to uninfested US states. A classical biological program was considered for T. piniperda starting in 1995, focusing on the Eurasian clerid beetle Thanasimus formicarius (L.), an important predator of T. piniperda. Concerns were raised in 1996 that if T. formicarius were released in the …

Using Environmental Dna (Edna) As A Tool To Detect Sharks And Rays Along The Coast Of Quintana Roo, Mexico, Sara T. Norment

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Elasmobranchs play a critical ecological role in marine environments, yet many populations worldwide remain poorly known and monitored. This is particularly true in Mexico despite its high biodiversity and ongoing fishing pressures. Traditional monitoring methods, such as commercial fisheries and fishery-independent surveys using longlines or nets, are often limited, leaving important knowledge gaps. Previous studies have shown that environmental DNA (eDNA), small traces of DNA left behind in the water column from feces, skin, or mucus, is a transformative, non-invasive tool for detecting elasmobranch presence and diversity across marine ecosystems.

This project used eDNA metabarcoding to detect and identify elasmobranch …

A Genetic Analysis Of The Rare Endemic Astragalus Ripleyi Barneby, Juan Antonio Jaramillo-Chico

Master's Theses

Astragalus ripleyi Barneby is a rare endemic species found in the San Luis Valley of the southern portions of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado and New Mexico. Though not federally listed as endangered, the species is on the Bureau of Land Management’s Sensitive Species List, warranting protection and continued management. This study aims to provide information about the genetic health of the species to inform conservation efforts and provide updated management recommendations. A genetic health analysis was conducted investigating the levels of diversity present in the species, how genetic diversity is structured across the known range of the species and …

The Role Of Individual Specialization In Migration Phenology And How Restored Habits Are Used By Native And Nonnative Fishes, Austin Garner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Native fish species around the world have declined due to habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, and the spread of non-native species. Because these problems often happen at the same time and interact, recovery efforts can stall unless they address all of the factors limiting a species' comeback. The June sucker (Chasmistes liorus), native only to Utah Lake, UT, has declined for many of these reasons, though its recovery effort has made significant progress due in large part to a successful hatchery program. Yet, the recovery efforts have not yet been able to establish a self-sustaining population in Utah Lake, …

Behavioral And Landscape Factors Affecting The Effectiveness Of Egg-Bait Management For Common Ravens In The Great Basin, Usa, Sierra L. Pederson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Common Ravens have become increasingly common across the Great Basin of the western USA, largely because human activities, such as roads, agriculture, livestock operations, and human-made structures, provide them with abundant food, water, and nesting sites. As raven numbers have grown, so has their impact on vulnerable species like the greater sage-grouse. Like many other ground-nesting species, greater sage-grouse eggs and chicks are especially susceptible to predation. To help reduce raven numbers in sensitive areas, wildlife managers often place hard-boiled chicken eggs treated with a toxin (DRC-1339) on the landscape, expecting that ravens will die after eating these eggs and …

Long-Term Spatiotemporal Change In Coral Reef Fish Populations And Communities In The Philippines, John Christopher Whalen

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The Visayas Region of the Philippines is a global epicenter of marine fish biodiversity. Hypotheses attribute this peak of species richness within the Coral Triangle to processes that occur at geological time scales. However, changes in biodiversity may occur on ecological time scales, allowing for the assessment of the potential impact of anthropogenic activities. Recent declines in genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity have been observed in the tropics, including the Philippines. Within the Philippines the Visayas Region is considered the epicenter of species adversity due to anthropogenic stressors such as habitat degradation, overfishing, and harvesting individuals for the aquarium trade. …

Reconstructing Stand-Age Structure In A Wet Miombo Woodland Using Dendrochronology, Zambia, Clara Tiyembekeze Zulu

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Dendrochronological research in tropical Africa has remained limited, leaving critical gaps in stand-age structure and climate-growth relationships in seasonally dry tropical woodlands. This study reconstructed stand-age structure and assessed climate sensitivity in the wet Miombo woodland of African Explosives Limited (AEL) forest, Copperbelt Province, Zambia. Field sampling was conducted during four African Dendrochronology Fieldschools (2021-2024) using a Modified Variable Area Transect (MVAT) design across nine plots. The series intercorrelation was 0.351; the average mean sensitivity was 0.423. The oldest tree was 170 years old, and more than 70% of the sampled species showed potential for dendrochronology. Markhamia obtusifolia was the …

The Use Of Heavy Solvents For Separating Seed From Soil, Edward D. Carter, Stephen Challis, Ian G. Ridgway

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Problems related to separating seeds from soil in ecological studies involving seed-seedling dynamics of annual pastures are discussed. The special roles of non-flammable chlorinated solvents as flotation agents in separating seed from soil are described. Studies showed that there was a slight, but significant (P < 0.05), overall effect of these chemicals on germination of seed of six species and cultivars: however, perchloroethylene appears to have no effect on germination.

Exotic Two-Spined Trap-Jaw Ants (Odontomachus Haematodus) In Urban Parks Of Hattiesburg, Mississippi: Recommended Sampling Methods And Notes On Nesting Biology, Caroline M. Marley, Vinny Halsey, Lila Blackburn, Kayla D. Stan, Kaitlin M. Baudier

Midsouth Entomologist

The two-spined trap-jaw ant, Odontomachus haematodus (Linnaeus), is native to South America and was introduced to the United States via Mobile, Alabama in the mid-twentieth century. Misidentification as a native congener for several decades has inhibited the study of the ecology of O. haematodus in its introduced range within the Gulf Coastal Plain. We conducted a multimethod survey to: 1) assess the abundance of O. haematodus across urban parks in Hattiesburg, MS, the northernmost published record in this species’ exotic range, 2) establish which sampling methodologies are most effective for conducting urban surveys of O. haematodus, and 3) study …

Dietary Stability Of The Eurasian Beaver Revealed By Hair Stable Isotopes, Linas Balčiauskas, Rasa Vaitkevičiūtė Koklevičienė, Andrius Garbaras, Inga Garbarienė, Laima Balčiauskienė

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) is a keystone ecosystem engineer whose expanding populations increasingly occupy agricultural landscapes. Hair stable  isotope analysis was applied to reconstruct assimilated diet in 56 legally  hunted beavers in Lithuania in 2024–2025. Stable carbon isotope values were tightly  clustered (–25.53 ± 0.10‰ SE), while those for nitrogen showed greater variability (5.38 ± 0.20‰ SE), indicating limited interindividual dietary differentiation.  Generalized linear models revealed no significant effects of sex, year, or month, and  age-related differences were limited to the youngest individuals. Comparison with  published Polish data showed no significant differences in mean isotope values.  Overall, the results …

Environmental Assessment Of The Shatt Al-Basra Canal: Petroleum Hydrocarbons, Heavy Metals And Water Quality, Mohammed A. Jasim Aldoghachi, Bassam A. B. Alabdul Aziz, Shurooq Al-Mosawi

Journal of King Abdulaziz University: Marine Science

The environmental assessment of the Shatt al-Basra Canal in the area of the regulatory was studied. Petroleum hydrocarbons and heavy elements (cobalt (Co), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and chromium (Cr)) in the waters of this area were analyzed. In addition, some water quality characteristics were evaluated (salinity, total dissolved solids (TDS), pH, oxygen, biological oxygen demand (BOD₅), chemical oxygen demand (COD), nitrate (NO_3^-), nitrite (NO_2^-), phosphate (PO₄ ^-3), and ammonia (NH₃). Petroleum hydrocarbons had been recorded in studied area and dominated with medium-chain alkanes, namely decane …

Light-Driven Zonation And Community Structure Of Aerophytic Microalgae In A Tropical Limestone Cave (Gua Tempurung, Malaysia), Wan Maznah Wan Omar, Mohammad Basri Eshak, Luthfiana Aprilianita Sari, Zulaihat Hamza Abdullahi, Yusuf Abdullahi

International Journal of Speleology

Cave ecosystems host specialized phototrophic biofilms structured primarily by light availability, yet quantitative assessments of aerophytic microalgal community organization in tropical limestone caves remain limited. This study investigated spatial variation in the structure of aerophytic microalgal communities across four ecologically distinct zones (entrance, transition, penetration, and low light) of Gua Tempurung, Malaysia. Stratified sampling was conducted during three seasonal periods. Dominant phototrophic morphospecies were identified using microscopy, and community composition was analyzed in relation to key environmental variables. Twenty-three dominant microalgal morphospecies were recorded across the cave gradient. Cyanobacteria constituted the major component of both richness and abundance, followed by …

Vector-Borne Viral Diseases In Horses, Sunutcha Suntrarachun

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

Vector-borne viral diseases are major threats to equine health worldwide. These infections are transmitted by arthropod vectors such as mosquitoes, biting midges, and horseflies, resulting in clinical manifestations ranging from mild febrile illness to severe neurological, respiratory, circulatory, or hematologic disorders with high mortality rates. Major equine vector-borne viral diseases include African horse sickness (AHS), equine infectious anemia (EIA), equine encephalomyelitis (Eastern: EEE, Western: WEE, and Venezuelan: VEE), West Nile virus (WNV), and Japanese encephalitis (JE). Each disease is caused by a distinct viral pathogen and transmitted by specific vectors that influence their epidemiology and geographic distribution. Transmission occurs through …

Air Pollution And Public Health: Global Evidence And Implications, Mohammed Obaid Al-Mansoori

Al-Bahir

Globally, the issue of air pollution keep being one of most serious challenges that affecting environment and human health, coming from emissions of industries, transport, agriculture and also from the fuel people use in homes, in addition to natural events that make the situation worse. This review try to bring together the available evidences about the sources, types, and the health impacts of the main air pollutants, including the gaseous ones like SO₂, O₃, NO₂, and CO, and the particulate matter (PM₁₀, PM₂.₅). Exposure for short or long time to these pollutants is linked with many harmful outcomes, such as …

The Relationship Between The Environment And Pollution With Surgical Outcomes And Disparities, Wendelyn Marie Oslock

ETDs from 2020-2029

Air pollution exposure has been linked to many surgically managed diseases and adverse health events that occur in the postoperative period. Despite this, the impact of air pollution on postoperative recovery is poorly understood. This knowledge gap may be one of the underlying mechanisms for persistent disparities in surgical outcomes. Previous studies have found racial and economic disparities in air pollution exposure. These same communities have been shown to experience worse surgical outcomes. The goal of this thesis is to explore if exposure to air pollution impacts surgical outcomes and determine if disparities in socioeconomic factors impact this relationship. The …

Climate-Driven Stochastic Modelling Of Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever Transmission In Uganda, P. G. Kpatchana, J. Aduda, K. M. Agboka

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a climate-sensitive tick-borne zoonosis that remains a significant public health concern in Uganda, where temperature and vapour pressure deficit influence tick ecology and consequently disease transmission. This study aimed to develop and analyse a climate-driven stochastic model for CCHF transmission among ticks, livestock, and humans under environmental variability in Uganda. A compartmental transmission model was formulated and extended into a stochastic differential equation framework by incorporating multiplicative environmental noise. Climate-dependent tick recruitment, development, and mortality were parameterized using district-level temperature and vapour pressure deficit data to capture spatial heterogeneity in transmission risk. Theoretical analyses based …

Geographic Range And Body Size Influence Abundance Patterns In Reef Fishes, M. F. Maxwell, D. R. Barneche, R. Divieso, S. R. Floeter, O. J. Luiz, A. L. Luza, M. R. Pie, A. C. Siqueira, M. G. Bender

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Aim: Understanding how body size and geographic range size influence species abundance is central to macroecology. Here, we characterized these relationships for reef fishes, the world's most diverse vertebrate group, across global and regional scales. Location: Global tropical and subtropical reefs. Time Period: Current. Major Taxa Studied: Reef-associated fishes. Methods: We compiled a comprehensive dataset on abundance, body size and geographic range size for 828 reef fish species. Abundance was measured as density (ind/m²) using transect-based observational data. To analyse global-scale patterns, we applied Bayesian quantile regressions and Bayesian phylogenetic regressions to account for phylogenetic relatedness. We also …

Rethinking Functional Groupings In Basketball Wings Through Ecological Trait Frameworks, Dhruv Mehrotra

Theses and Dissertations

This paper starts with a review about Plant Functional Types and then goes deeper into the conceptual foundations of Plant Functional Types (PFT's) with detailed discussion of global trait spectra such as the leaf economics spectrum and the fast-slow continuum. Using concepts like response and effect traits, the review then talks about how a trait based ecological framework can provide a more robust guideline to classify plants. The review then talks about how players in basketball have been classified in the past along with some of the newer typologies. The review starts to draw some parallels between the ecological framework …

Structure And Diversity Of Play Behavior In Juvenile Belding's Ground Squirrels, Paul O'Driscoll Ii

Master's Theses

Play behavior is ubiquitous among juvenile mammals and can promote motor, social, and cognitive development, providing multiple adaptive benefits to young animals in some cases. The structure of play can be linked to the benefits it confers on individuals. I evaluated the structure of play in juvenile Belding’s ground squirrels (Urocitellus beldingi), a species for which multiple adaptive benefits of play have been identified. I compared juvenile play in U. beldingi to adult sexual and aggressive behavior to determine and classify similarities between juvenile play and adult behavior. I evaluated diversity in the behaviors expressed during play interactions and diversity …

Endemism Patterns Of Leaf Beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) In Türkiye, İsmai̇l Şen, Ali̇ Gök

Turkish Journal of Zoology

In this study, the distribution of endemic leaf beetles in Türkiye was analyzed  holistically at the provincial scale using species richness (ENR), corrected weighted  endemism (CWE), and range-restricted endemism (RRE) indices. A total of 95  endemic taxa were found in Türkiye and these taxa exhibited significant spatial  heterogeneity in terms of richness and extent of distribution. The Western and  Central Taurus Mountains and the Eastern Black Sea Region were found to be the  main centers of endemism, with high densities of narrowly distributed and  geographically restricted species. These patterns clearly demonstrate that key  biogeographic factors, such as steep elevation gradients, …

Investigating Changes In The Stable Isotopic Composition Of Juniperus Osteosperma Over 34,000 Years Of Climatic Shifts, Lisa S. Garcia

Biology ETDs

Isotopic compositions of plants from the past provides empirical evidence for paleoclimatic shifts and plants physiologically response. This study used Neotoma paleomiddens (fossilized debris piles) collected from Death Valley National Park, which contained preserved abundant plant materials. These middens range from modern to >35,000 years and capture different climatic events in Earth history. Employing Juniperus osteosperma (Utah Juniper) leaves found in middens, I investigated variation in carbon and nitrogen stable isotopic composition. To help interpret paleomidden results, we used modern field and herbaria samples of Juniperus from a spatial gradient stretching across their geographic range. Results showed δ ¹³C …

Bio 340 Final Project: Rural Population Structure And Food Production Interact To Shape Global Undernourishment, Ava Ripanti

Biology Student Scholarship

Ava Ripanti - Environmental Biology '27

Undernourishment remains a major global public health challenge, reflecting the proportion of a population lacking sufficient dietary energy intake. While food availability is central to food security, undernourishment is also shaped by structural and socioeconomic factors such as population distribution and access to resources. Although rural populations are closely tied to agriculture, they often experience higher food insecurity due to limited infrastructure, market access, and healthcare. Prior research emphasizes that broader determinants, particularly inequality and development, are stronger predictors of undernourishment than agricultural output alone, that food insecurity exists in both rural and urban …

Great Graminoids! Quantifying Vegetation On Roan’S Western Balds Over The Last 80 Years (1936, 1956, 2016), James T. Donaldson

Faculty Open Access Works

PowerPoint originally presented at Friends of Roan Mountain Winter Naturalists' Rally 11 Feb. 2017.

Grant funding from Friends of Roan Mountain for resampling historic transects from Carvers Gap to Grassy Ridge. Revised 2021, 2022, & 2023 (technical features and diversity); edited for clarity 2026 (for written rather than oral presentation & added references slide).

Discovering The Southern Appalachian Grassy Balds, Nicholas Lenze

Caravel Undergraduate Research Journal

Grassy balds are unique Appalachian wonders, open meadows in the mountains where, ecologically, there should be trees. It has been hypothesized that some of the balds originated more than ten thousand years ago and were kept open by the grazing of large herbivores such as the mastodon and the wooly mammoth. Over the course of earth’s history, environmental and anthropogenic factors have shaped, modified and maintained the balds. Up to one hundred grassy balds were once recognized to exist in the southern Appalachians, but fewer exist today due to forest succession (Gersmehl, 1970). Collectively, the grassy balds share a common …

Species Distribution Modeling Of Parasitic Corpse Flower Rafflesia Arnoldii Var. Arnoldii R. Br Related To Host’S Fractional Photosynthetically Active Radiation In Tanggamus, Sumatra, Indonesia, Andriwibowo Andriwibowo, Suyud Utomo

Jurnal Penelitian Kehutanan Wallacea

Corpse flower, or scientifically known as Rafflesia arnoldii var. arnoldii R.Br, is one of the species that is endemic to Sumatra, Kalimantan and Java Island. As a parasitic plant, this species depends on its tree host species. While the host species depends on environmental variables include Fractional Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FAPAR), forest covers, and elevation for its growth. Then those variables were important to develop the Species Distribution Modelling (SDM) of R. arnoldii using the MaxEnt technique. One of the important regions for R. arnoldii in Sumatra is Tanggamus in Lampung, and currently, information about suitable habitats for R. arnoldii …

Urban Bird Community Interaction With Ficus And Non-Ficus Tree, Eka Alifikri, Yeni Aryati Mulyani, Ani Mardiastuti

Jurnal Penelitian Kehutanan Wallacea

Ficus trees are recognised as keystone species in forest ecosystems and are crucial for urban wildlife, especially birds. IPB Darmaga Campus, a biodiversity-rich urban area, hosts a variety of plant species, including Ficus and non-Ficus tree species, along with diverse bird species. This study aimed to compare the utilisation of Ficus and non-Ficus plants by birds in the area. Observations were conducted on 5 Ficus benjamina, 5 Ficus microcarpa, and 10 non-Ficus tree individuals. Ficus trees were used by 15 bird species from 12 families, with 1700 recorded interactions. In contrast, non-Ficus trees were …