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The George-Anne, Georgia Southern University

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Earmstrong, Armstrong Atlantic State University

Armstrong News & Publications: e-Armstrong Newsletter (Archived)

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Local Adaptation For Life-History Traits In Silene Latifolia, Brandy May Penna

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

A fundamental question in evolutionary ecology is how species adjust post colonization. The plant Silene latifolia was introduced to North America (NA) from Europe (EU) in the 1800s. The goal of this thesis was to test if Silene latifolia has become locally adapted across its range. My first experiment tested local adaptation of germination success to three temperatures across three latitudinal regions in a growth chamber using seeds from nine EU and NA populations. Germination success or speed was similar among latitudinal regions across continents. My second experiment examined local adaptation at a continental scale; I grew plants from 15 …

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Impacts Of Human Disturbance On The Behavior Of Sanderlings On The Georgia Coast, Amy Catherine Gray

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Habitat loss has a serious impact on wildlife. However, even when humans do not destroy habitat, their activity can have negative impacts on behavior. The purpose of my study was (1) to test whether the presence of humans altered the behavior of Sanderlings (Calidris alba), (2) to quantify the impacts of staged human encounters on Sanderlings, and (3) to assess whether Sanderlings on high-disturbance beaches habituate to the presence of humans. The study was conducted on two Georgia barrier islands with varying levels of human disturbances, Tybee Island and Sapelo Island. I found that Sanderlings on a high-disturbance beach had …

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Population Genetic Structure Of The Temperate Scleractinian Coral, Oculina Arbuscula, In Coastal Georgia, Lauren Michelle Wagner

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Dispersal of marine organisms has generally been assumed to be demographically open with planktonic larvae exploiting ocean currents to travel long distances. However, recent studies report evidence of local larval recruitment. In this study, I hypothesized that populations of the temperate coral, Oculina arbuscula, are maintained primarily by local recruitment off the Georgia coast because: 1) suitable substrate for settlement is patchy and 2) O. arbuscula's branching morphology is conducive to asexual reproduction by fragmentation. To address this hypothesis, I combined data from allozyme electrophoresis, histocompatibility assays, and despersion of established colonies. Results indicated substantial local recruitment maintained primarily by …

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Survey Of Reproduction Of The Southeastern American Kestrel (Falco Sparverius Paulus) In Electrical Transmission Towers In South-Central Georgia, Pamela Lynn Maney

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This study involved a survey of the distribution and the reproductive biology of the rare southeastern subspecies of the American kestrel, Falco sparverius paulus, which was found to be breeding in the hollow cross-arms of the 230 kV electrical transmission towers between the Offerman substation in the east, to Plant Mitchell (Putney), in the west, in south-central Georgia. This subspecies of the kestrel has declined in the southeastern United States by more than 80% over the last fifty years, and populations of F.S. Paulus have nearly disappeared below the Fall Line in Georgia. The major factor contributing to this decline …

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Age Effects On Social And Investigative Behaviors In A Closed Population Of African Elephants, Christen Eileen Merte

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

In this study of African elephants (Loxodonta africana), I examined two competing hypotheses to explain the development of social and reproductive behaviors. The reproductive hypothesis states that behaviors change around the time when an individual begins successfully reproducing, while the social dominance hypothesis states that behaviors change throughout the life of an individual, reflective of changes in social rank. These hypotheses were explored in male and female elephants during the entry to a signal-rich waterhole and in female African elephants across seasons. Chemosensory and social behaviors were recorded in Addo Elephant National Park between May 2004 and June 2005 using …

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