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Quantifying The Effects Of Boat Wakes On Intertidal Oyster Reefs In A Shallow Estuary, Donna Campbell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There have long been concerns about the negative impacts of recreational boating activity in the Indian River Lagoon system (IRL), especially in Mosquito Lagoon (ML), the northernmost part of the IRL. My research is focused on the impacts of boat wakes on intertidal reefs formed by the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica. There has been a 24% loss of oyster habitat in ML since 1943, where natural oyster reefs have been replaced by dead oyster reefs which do not serve the same ecological function. While there is anecdotal and correlative evidence that this loss is a result of boat wakes, no …

Maximum Entropy Modeling Of Indiana Bat (Myotis Sodalis) Maternity Roost Habitat, Joseph Robert Lemen

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Since 1967, the Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis) has been on the U.S. Endangered Species list due to disruption of hibernating bats in caves, summer habitat degradation, and more recently, the onset of White-nose Syndrome. The purpose of this study is to evaluate landscape variables associated with Indiana bat maternity roost trees in an attempt to better understand what factors play a role in their distribution in north central Missouri. I tracked reproductive female Indiana bats to 20 different primary and secondary roost trees; these are roosts that had multiple bats visit them on multiple occasions. GPS location data for these …

Recovery Potential Of The Mussel Communities In The Lower Section Of Big Walnut Creek, Jared B. Ellenbogen

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

Since the enactment of the 1977 Clean Water Act, biologists have created numerous multimetric assessment tools to evaluate the biological integrity of water resources, using biological criteria. The integrity of Big Walnut Creek, Ohio, has been in flux since the 1955 construction of Hoover Dam, and while current water quality is high, mussel communities in the creek have yet to recover to historical levels. This study sought to determine the cause of the decline in the mussels in the lower section of the creek below the dam. Historical creek data, including a fish-based index of biotic integrity (f-IBI), invertebrate community …

Short-Horned Grasshopper Subfamilies Feed At Different Rates On Big Bluestem And Switchgrass Cultivars, Muhammad Ullah, Fatima Mustafa, William W. Hoback, Mathew L. Brust, Kerri M. Farnsworth-Hoback, John E. Foster

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Grasshopper species belonging to subfamilies Melanoplinae, Gomphocerinae and Oedipodinae were tested for their feeding rate on three types of grass. All grasshopper species were offered Shawnee and Kanlow cultivars of switchgrass, Panicum virgatum L. and big bluestem, Andropogon gerardii Vitman. The grasshoppers, Melanoplus femurrubrum and Melanoplus differentialis were also tested for their feeding on turgid or wilted leaves of the Shawnee cultivar of switchgrass. We found that M. differentialis consumed more switchgrass compared to big bluestem while M. femurrubrum and Arphia xanthoptera consumed the most Shawnee switchgrass. The M. differentialis consumed more turgid grass compared to wilted switchgrass. The feeding …

Vertebrate Natural History Notes From Arkansas, 2015, C. Renn Tumlison, M. B. Connior, H. W. Robison, C. T. Mcallister, L. A. Durden, D. Blake Sasse, D. A. Saugey

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Many important details of vertebrate biology are unknown to the scientific community because the observations are not part of a larger theoretical study. Yet, knowledge of such details not only fills gaps in understanding but also creates a framework for hypothesis building. We have collected observations of importance that can add to the growth of knowledge. Compiled here are important recent observations representing all vertebrate classes in Arkansas.

Antibody Response Of Cattle To Vaccination With Commercial Modified Live Rabies Vaccines In Guatemala, Amy T. Gilbert, Lauren Greenberg, David Moran, Marlon Alvarado, Daniel L. Garcia, Leonard Peruski

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Vampire bat rabies is a public and animal health concern throughout Latin America. As part of an ecological study of vampire bat depredation on cattle in southern Guatemala,we conducted a vaccine seroconversion study among three dairy farms. The main objectives of this cross sectional and cohort study were to understand factors associated withbat bites among cattle, to determine whether unvaccinated cattle had evidence of rabies virus exposure and evaluate whether exposure was related to bat bite prevalence, and to assess whether cattle demonstrate adequate seroconversion to two commercial vaccines used in Guatemala. In 2012, baseline blood samples were collected immediately …

Harvest Demographics Of Temperate-Breeding Canada Geese In South Dakota, 1967–1995, Jeffrey S. Gleason, Jonathan A. Jenks, David E. Naugle, Paul W. Mammenga, Spencer J. Vaa, Jennifer M. Pritchett

Human–Wildlife Interactions

In South Dakota, breeding giant Canada geese (Branta canadensis maxima) have increased substantially, and harvest management strategies have been implemented to maximize hunting opportunity (e.g., special early-September seasons) on local, as well as molt-migrant giant Canada geese (B. c. interior) while still protecting lesser abundant Arctic breeding Canada geese and cackling geese (e.g., B. hutchinsii, B. minima). Information on important parameters, such as survival and recovery rates, are generally lacking for giant Canada geese in the northern Great Plains. Patterns in Canada goose band recoveries can provide insight into the distribution, chronology, and harvest pressures …

Historical And Current Population Patterns Of The Staghorn Coral (_Acropora Cervicornis_) In Dry Tortugas National Park, Kaitlyn Lizza

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Acropora cervicornis was once one of the dominant reef building corals of the Caribbean, Florida Keys, and Dry Tortugas (DRTO), but since the 1970’s populations have been decimated throughout their geographic range. Recently, a repopulation was documented through detailed benthic surveys conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey at three locations (Pulaski Shoal, East Key, and Loggerhead Key) within DRTO. Benthic surveys using the U.S Geological Survey’s Along-Track Reef Imaging System (ATRIS) revealed hundreds of previously undocumented colonies.

These discoveries have provided a unique data-set, allowing a comparison between the historical (1883, 1976) and contemporary distributions (2009, 2011) of A. cervicornis. …

Stable Isotopes In Seabirds, Kimberly Gosciak

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Seabirds are a highly endangered group of vertebrates; they are more threatened than any other group of bird. However, the Common Murre is one species that is showing an increasing population trend; I found that Common Murres have shown a significant increase in δ¹⁵N since 1994, in contrast to the threatened Marbled Murrelet, which has a similar biology but has shown decreasing δ¹⁵ N values that typically correlate with declining population size. This is potentially due to sexual dimorphism that allows for the Common Murre to fill a larger niche. While I found no statistical difference between …

Establishing A Definition Of Polar Bear (Ursus Maritimus) Health: A Guide To Research And Management Activities, Kelly A. Park, Colleen Duncan, Pauline Noi, Christian Sonne, Kristin Laidre, Martyn Obbard, Oystein Wiig, Jon Aars, Eric Regehr, Lori L. Gustafson, Todd Atwood

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The meaning of health for wildlife and perspectives on how to assess and measure health, are not well characterized. For wildlife at risk, such as some polar bear (Ursus maritimus) subpopulations, establishing comprehensive monitoring programs that include health status is an emerging need. Environmental changes, especially loss of sea ice habitat, have raised concern about polar bear health. Effective and consistent monitoring of polar bear health requires an unambiguous definition of health. We used the Delphi method of soliciting and interpreting expert knowledge to propose a working definition of polar bear health and to identify current concerns regarding …

Antibody Response Of Cattle To Vaccination With Commercialmodified Live Rabies Vaccines In Guatemala, Amy T. Gilbert, Lauren Greenberg, David Moran, Danilo Alvarez, Marlon Alvarado, Daniel L. Garcia, Leonard Peruski

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Vampire bat rabies is a public and animal health concern throughout Latin America. Aspart of an ecological study of vampire bat depredation on cattle in southern Guatemala,we conducted a vaccine seroconversion study among three dairy farms. The main objec-tives of this cross sectional and cohort study were to understand factors associated withbat bites among cattle, to determine whether unvaccinated cattle had evidence of rabiesvirus exposure and evaluate whether exposure was related to bat bite prevalence, and toassess whether cattle demonstrate adequate seroconversion to two commercial vaccinesused in Guatemala. In 2012, baseline blood samples were collected immediately prior tointramuscular inoculation of …

Population Differentiation And Habitat Selection Of A Montane Red Fox Population In The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, Patrick Cross

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Montane red fox (Vulpes vulpes) populations across the western United States are genetically and morphologically distinct from foxes at lower elevations. These montane populations also share a preference for subalpine forest habitats. One hypothesis is that they stem from boreal forest-associated ancestors that expanded during the Pleistocene when boreal forests extended farther south than they do today. Forest habitat selection may therefore aid the persistence of native populations surrounded by non-native conspecifics. Alternatively, this behavior may be an avoidance mechanism in response to competition with larger coyotes (Canis latrans), or a product of the fox's natural adaptability. The red fox …

The Vascular Flora Of Boyle County, Ky, Heidi M. Braunreiter

Online Theses and Dissertations

The vascular flora of Boyle County, Kentucky, was conducted from March 2013 to March 2015. Boyle County is located in central Kentucky and is part of the Bluegrass Physiographic Section. A total of 127 families, 392 genera, and 722 species, varieties, and subspecies were documented from Boyle County. Twelve plant communities were described: acidic mesophytic forest, acidic sub-xeric forest, acidic xeric forest, Bluegrass woodland, bottomland ridge/terrace forest, calcareous mesophytic forest, calcareous sub-xeric forest, depression pond/mudflat, dry limestone cliff/outcrops, riparian forest, wet prairie/meadow, and one rare state-listed plant community, the shale/siltstone glade. Five rare species with state rankings were discussed: American …

Utah Shrubland Management, Thomas A. Monaco, Kari E. Veblen, Justin Williams

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

The Spring 2015 Newsletter highlights our study site in Park Valley, UT. The ranch where we work is owned and operated by Lance Westmoreland and family; greasewood is the targeted shrub.

Wolf-Cougar Co-Occurrence In The Central Canadian Rocky Mountains, Ellen Brandell

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Cougars and wolves are top carnivores that influence the dynamics of an ecosystem, including prey behavior and dynamics, and interspecific competition. Studies about the interactions between wolves and cougars typically find wolves are dominant competitors to cougars. We examined single-species, single-season occupancy models and co-occurrence models of wolves and cougars in the Central Canadian Rocky Mountains to understand interactions between these two species on a grand landscape. Data was collected from 2012-2013 using remote wildlife cameras and separated into seasons. Naïve occupancy estimates were larger for wolves in both seasons, but both species had smaller ranges in winter. There were …

Changes In Carbon Pools Influenced By Changes In Soil Texture, Slope, And Aspect A Decade Following Wildfire In Black Spruce Forests Of Interior Alaska, Gregory Houle

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Topography and parent material (PM) texture control site drainage owing to changes in water holding capacity, infiltration, and insolation. In turn, these factors also affect fire regime. However, the interactive effects of site physiography, edaphic controls, and wildfire severity on ecosystem carbon accrual after wildfire are poorly understood. Throughout the summer of 2004 an area the size of Massachusetts burned in interior Alaska, and several studies were initiated to investigate the controls on organic layer consumption. In this study we re-sampled organic layer depths, below ground carbon stocks, and site revegetation from 38 burned black spruce sites from the 2004 …

Anticoagulant Rodenticide Exposure And Toxicosis In Coyotes (Canis Latrans) In The Denver Metropolitan Area, Sharon A. Poessel, Stewart W. Breck, Karen A. Fox, Eric M. Gese

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Anticoagulant rodenticides are widely used in urban areas to control rodent pests and are responsible for secondary poisoning in many nontarget wildlife species. We tested the livers of five coyotes (Canis latrans) in the Denver Metropolitan Area, Colorado, US, for anticoagulant rodenticides. All five livers were positive for brodifacoum, with values ranging from 95 ppb to 320 ppb, and one liver was positive for bromadiolone, with a value of 885 ppb. Both of these rodenticides are second-generation anticoagulants, which are more potent and more likely to cause secondary poisoning than first-generation anticoagulants due to their accumulation and persistence …

Assessing Gull Abundance And Food Availability In Urban Parking Lots, Dan Clark, Jillian J. Whitney, Kenneth G. Mackenzie, Kiana K. G. Koenen, Stephen Destefano

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Feeding birds is a common activity throughout the world; yet, little is known about the extent of feeding gulls in urban areas. We monitored 8 parking lots in central Massachusetts, USA, during the fall and winter of 2011 to 2013 in 4 monitoring sessions to document the number of gulls present, the frequency of human–gull feeding interactions, and the effectiveness of signage and direct interaction in reducing human-provisioned food. Parking lots were divided between “education” and “no-education” lots. In education lots, we erected signs about problems caused when people feed birds and also asked people to stop feeding birds. We …

Testing For Isolation In Florida Raccoons (Procyon Lotor) Using Phylogenetics And Population Genetic Structure, Alexa Trujillo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Molecular data are useful in determining if populations are isolated and for species delimitation. Researchers and managers currently recognize five subspecies of raccoons (Procyon lotor) in Florida, based largely on perceived geographic isolation due to the island ranges of four subspecies. In this study, I provide the first estimate of phylogenetic relationships and population divergences within Florida raccoons using a molecular dataset. I analyze the mitochondrial control region, cytochrome b gene, and eight nuclear microsatellite loci to test two hypotheses: 1) the five, morphologically and geographically-defined subspecies of raccoon in Florida represent genetically distinct populations and (2) due to differing …

Does The Journey Matter More Than The Destination? The Contribution Of Geospatial And Local Conditions To Invasive Pomacea Maculata Distribution Across Ranchland Wetlands, Steffan Pierre

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Geospatial characteristics such as isolation and avenues of connectivity influence an invader's pattern of dispersal and distribution. However many examinations of invasion success ignore the contribution of dispersal to patterns of invasion and focus only on the local environmental/habitat factors. This study examines the interaction of geospatial characteristics, that may influence dispersal, and local environmental factors, that may govern successful occupation, on the likelihood of invasion (invasability) of wetlands within an agriculturally modified landscape. I examined the current invasion of seasonal wetlands in south-central Florida ranchland by non-native apple snails (Pomacea maculata (Ampullariidae)) as a model system for understanding this …

The Influence Of Diet Composition, Plant Defensive Chemicals, And Winter Severity On The Nutritional Condition Of A Freeranging, Generalist Herbivore, Grace L. Parikh

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Herbivory requires animals to manage intake of toxic phytochemicals. Detoxification and excretion of these chemicals prevents toxicity, but is energetically expensive. I investigated the relationship between investment in detoxification and nutritional condition for moose on Isle Royale National Park (Alces alces) during winter, using urinary indices from urine samples collected in snow. The ratio of urinary urea nitrogen:creatinine is an indicator of nutritional condition, and the ratio of glucuronic acid:creatinine is an indicator of investment in detoxification. Nutritional condition declined with greater investment in detoxification. An alternative means of managing defensive chemical intake is to diversify the diet. Microhistological …

Restoration Of Headwater And Coastal Fens In The Lake Superior Basin Of Upper Michigan, James A. Bess

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

In 2009, research projects were initiated at Michigan Technological University to develop restoration techniques for headwater fens and coastal wetlands in the southern Lake Superior Basin in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The primary focus of these was to quantify the efficacy of using locally collected seeds as a technique for wetland restoration. Two primary sites were selected, the Sleeper Lake Fen complex in Luce County and the Portage Waterway-Keweenaw Bay region of Lake Superior in Baraga and Houghton Counties. At the Sleeper Lake site, a combination of heavy machinery, seeding and mulch application was used to restore a 1.6 km ditch …

A Comparison Of Whole Body Mercury Concentrations Of Mummichogs (Fundulus Heteroclitus) And Atlantic Silversides (Menidia Menidia), Daniel P. Ferons

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Few studies have focused on mercury cycling within salt marsh estuaries. Mummichogs (Fundulus heteroclitus) and Atlantic silversides (Menidia menidia) are two species of forage fish that live year round in South Carolina salt marshes. During high tide, mummichogs feed from the water column, sediment, and off of smooth cordgrass while Atlantic silversides prey upon zooplankton. In this study, total and methyl mercury within mummichogs and Atlantic silversides from Dunn Sound, SC were quantified and compared over four seasons throughout 2014. Gut contents were also quantified and compared to determine if there was a dietary impact on the concentrations of total …

Studying Cellular And Molecular Interaction With Two-Photon Fluorescence Microscopy, Arifur Rahaman

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Advances in microscopy and fluorescent probes provide new insight into studying cellular and molecular interactions. Two-photon fluorescence microscopy is one of the most important recent inventions in cellular and molecular study. This technology enables noninvasive study at cellular and molecular levels in three dimensions with submicrometer resolution. Two-photon excitation of fluorophores results from the simultaneous absorption of two photons. This excitation process has a number of unique advantages, such as reduced specimen photodamage and enhanced penetration depth. In this study, we used our two-photon microscope to observe predatorial behavior of fast moving bacterivorous marine organism Cafeteria roenbergensis and quantify Mycobacterium …

Human-Managed Vs. Natural Grazing Systems: Exploring Effects Of Livestock And Wildlife Grazing At Multiple Scales, Megan Esther Mcsherry

Dissertations - ALL

Grazing by large herbivores is the most prevalent land use on grassland ecosystems, which cover greater than 40% of the earth's land surface and provide critical ecological and economic benefits. As such, understanding how grazing impacts different aspects of the ecosystem is of especially great importance. This study uses a range of approaches to explore the potentially contrasting effects of grazing across human-managed, livestock-grazed systems and natural, wildlife-grazed systems. The first chapter uses a short-term, small-scale approach in assessing differences across management type in plant community composition following a relaxation of grazing. Results reveal that livestock and wildlife grazers may …

The Mismanagement Of Limulus Polyphemus In Long Island Sound, U.S.A.: What Are The Characteristics Of A Population In Decline?, Mark Beekey, Jennifer Mattei

Biology Faculty Publications

Over the past 15 years, horseshoe crabs in Connecticut have gone from being considered a nuisance species to a species of Greatest Conservation Need in 2015. This has happened through first, its discovery as an economically important species, second through research of its ecological role in coastal estuaries, and third, through education of the public concerning its role in the environment and their own health. To manage horseshoe crab populations successfully requires long term monitoring, research and education. The use of annual or biannual trawl data trends to assess the success of management decisions is limited due to the high …

Consequences Of Vine Infestation: Linking Abiotic Influences And Biotic Interactions To Successional And Structural Changes In Coastal Communities, Spencer N. Bissett

Theses and Dissertations

Located at the interfaces of terrestrial and marine environments, coastal habitats are inherently vulnerable to the effects of global change. Barrier island systems in particular serve not only as protective buffers against storm events, but also as sentinel ecosystems for observation of the impacts of sea level rise, and of increasing storm frequency and intensity. In the mid-Atlantic region, shrub thickets of Morella species compose the dominant forest community. The often monospecific nature of these plant community assemblages is advantageous to ecological studies and cross-scale applications; the relatively low diversity facilitates transitions between scales. My objective was to investigate the …

A First Overview Of The Fauna Of Chloropidae Of Iran (Diptera, Acalyptratae), Zeinab Bazyar, Abu Fazel Dousti, Michael Von Tschirnhaus, Majid Fallahzadeh

Turkish Journal of Zoology

We present recent findings of Chloropidae in Iran and a first list of the Iranian species of this family. It includes 20 genera and 50 species (39 identified to species level), recorded up until 2014. Some European distribution records not included in Fauna Europaea are added. The courtship behavior of Polyodaspis sulcicollis is described for the first time.

Scales Of Resilience: Community Stability, Population Dynamics, And Molecular Ecology Of Brook Trout In A Riverscape After A Large Flood, Erin V. Rodgers

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Climate change in the northeastern United States currently and in future decadal predictions is characterized by warmer average temperatures and more frequent and intense storm events. Many aquatic organisms that thrive below a certain temperature threshold, such as brook trout, are being pushed towards their upper thermal limits, ultimately lowering their probability of survival and resilience to disturbance. In late-August and early-September 2011, Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee created an extended flood in the Delaware Water Gap region of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, as well as much of the northeast. This dissertation examines the effects of this flood on …

First Record And A New Species Description Of Dudgeodes (Ephemeroptera: Teloganodidae) From South India, Sankarappan Anbalagan, Chellapandian Balachandran, Mani Kannan, Sundaram Dinakaran, Muthukalingan Krishnan

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Dudgeodes bharathidasani sp. nov. is described from the Western Ghats of South India. The nymphs of this species were found in the seepage areas of a stream, and they were associated with the nets constructed by trichopteran larvae (Hydropsychidae: Hydropsyche).