Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

West Virginia University

Discipline
Keyword
Publication Year
Publication
Publication Type
File Type

Articles 1321 - 1350 of 4525

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

Application Of Crispr/Cas9 Genome Editing Technology For The Improvement Of Crops Cultivated In Tropical Climates: Recent Progress, Prospects, And Challenges, Effi Haque, Hiroaki Taniguchi, Md. Mahmudul Hassan, Pankaj Bhowmik, M. Rezaul Karim, Magdalena Śmiech, Kaijun Zhao, Mahfuzur Rahman, Tofazzal Islam Jan 2018

Application Of Crispr/Cas9 Genome Editing Technology For The Improvement Of Crops Cultivated In Tropical Climates: Recent Progress, Prospects, And Challenges, Effi Haque, Hiroaki Taniguchi, Md. Mahmudul Hassan, Pankaj Bhowmik, M. Rezaul Karim, Magdalena Śmiech, Kaijun Zhao, Mahfuzur Rahman, Tofazzal Islam

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

The world population is expected to increase from 7.3 to 9.7 billion by 2050. Pest outbreak and increased abiotic stresses due to climate change pose a high risk to tropical crop production. Although conventional breeding techniques have significantly increased crop production and yield, new approaches are required to further improve crop production in order to meet the global growing demand for food. The Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9 (CRISPR-associated protein9) genome editing technology has shown great promise for quickly addressing emerging challenges in agriculture. It can be used to precisely modify genome sequence of any organism including plants …

Go to article

Cone Phosphodiesterase-6Γ’ Subunit Augments Cone Pde6 Holoenzyme Assembly And Stability In A Mouse Model Lacking Both Rod And Cone Pde6 Catalytic Subunits, Wen-Tao Deng, Saravanan Kolandaivelu, Astra Dinculescu, Jie Li, Ping Zhu, Vince A. Chiodo, Visvanathan Ramamurthy, William W. Hauswirth Jan 2018

Cone Phosphodiesterase-6Γ’ Subunit Augments Cone Pde6 Holoenzyme Assembly And Stability In A Mouse Model Lacking Both Rod And Cone Pde6 Catalytic Subunits, Wen-Tao Deng, Saravanan Kolandaivelu, Astra Dinculescu, Jie Li, Ping Zhu, Vince A. Chiodo, Visvanathan Ramamurthy, William W. Hauswirth

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Rod and cone phosphodiesterase 6 (PDE6) are key effector enzymes of the vertebrate phototransduction pathway. Rod PDE6 consists of two catalytic subunits PDE6α and PDE6β and two identical inhibitory PDE6γ subunits, while cone PDE6 is composed of two identical PDE6α’ catalytic subunits and two identical cone-specific PDE6γ’ inhibitory subunits. Despite their prominent function in regulating cGMP levels and therefore rod and cone light response properties, it is not known how each subunit contributes to the functional differences between rods and cones. In this study, we generated an rd10/cpfl1 mouse model lacking rod PDE6β and cone PDE6α’ subunits. Both rod and …

Go to article

Medical Celebrity In Eighteenth-Century Britain, Katherine Richards Jan 2018

Medical Celebrity In Eighteenth-Century Britain, Katherine Richards

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Medical Celebrity in Eighteenth-Century Britain argues that the cultural mechanisms responsible for creating and sustaining celebrity culture helped create and sustain commercialized medicine in eighteenth-century Britain. I identify the process by which celebrity and medical culture impact one another as a sociocultural phenomenon that I term medical celebrity. The following chapters present four case studies of how medical celebrity impacted the development of the medical profession, the medical market, cultural representations and perceptions of health and illness, and the patient experience. I engage with the work done by scholars in contemporary and early celebrity studies to shed light on the …

Go to article

Polarity And Competition In The Development Of The Calyx Of Held Terminal In The Medial Nucleus Of The Trapezoid Body In The Mouse, Paul Steven Holcomb Jan 2018

Polarity And Competition In The Development Of The Calyx Of Held Terminal In The Medial Nucleus Of The Trapezoid Body In The Mouse, Paul Steven Holcomb

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In the auditory brainstem, the connection between globular bushy cells of the anteroventral cochlear nucleus and principal cells (PCs) of the medial nucleus of the trapezoid body (MNTB) is created by one of the largest nerve terminals in the central nervous system, the calyx of Held (CH). The characteristics of the CH:MNTB connection—a short developmental period (48-72 hours), accessibility for recording from pre- and postsynaptic components, and clear monoinnervated end point—make this system an ideal model system for studying nervous system development. Model systems undergo stereotyped stages of development, including exuberant overinnervation, competition between terminals, and a refinement of innervation …

Go to article

Association Of Diet Quality And Body Mass Index With Serum Ceramides In Middle-Aged Adults, Margaret Ann Drazba Jan 2018

Association Of Diet Quality And Body Mass Index With Serum Ceramides In Middle-Aged Adults, Margaret Ann Drazba

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the leading causes of death worldwide and identifying CVD risk is important for determining and implementing appropriate intervention strategies. Ceramides are a class of sphingolipids that are implicated in the pathogenesis of obesity and CVD. However, their relationship to diet quality, a modifiable risk factor for CVD, is largely unknown. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to determine the association of an a priori diet quality index and body mass index (BMI) with circulating ceramides in middle-aged adults (n=96). Dietary intake was assessed using three 24-hour recalls and Nutrition Data System for Research …

Go to article

Habitat Suitability Of Restored Wetlands And An Investigation Of Sampling Bias For Freshwater Turtles In West Virginia, Alissa L. Gulette Jan 2018

Habitat Suitability Of Restored Wetlands And An Investigation Of Sampling Bias For Freshwater Turtles In West Virginia, Alissa L. Gulette

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Loss and drainage of wetlands in the United States has been remediated in part by wetland restoration on agricultural lands through the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP), operated by the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Freshwater turtles are important components of wetland ecosystems, where they contribute to nutrient cycling, storage, and transfer between terrestrial and aquatic systems, and function as apex predators. In 2016 and 2017, we investigated use of wetlands restored through the ACEP program in West Virginia by two common freshwater turtle species, snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina) and painted turtles (Chrysemys picta), and obtained comparative data from reference wetlands. …

Go to article

How To Plan A Successful Tedx Conference At West Virginia University, Shannon Lee Cunningham Jan 2018

How To Plan A Successful Tedx Conference At West Virginia University, Shannon Lee Cunningham

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This research paper and the coinciding booklet offer pertinent information to help one plan and organize a successful TEDx conference at West Virginia University. It describes all of the details and explains factors that are unique to this specific event. The information contained in these documents was gathered from planning the first ever TEDxWVU event, which took place on Friday, March 2, 2018 at the Media Innovation Center on the fourth floor of the Evansdale Crossing building. This first event was scheduled to be an all-day event with nine speakers.

Go to article

Composites For Hydraulic Structures: A Review, Yingxiang Lu Jan 2018

Composites For Hydraulic Structures: A Review, Yingxiang Lu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Composites for hydraulic structures: a review Composites have evolved over the years and are making major in-roads into the marine, aviation and other industries where corrosions and self-weight are the major impediments to advancing the state-of-the-art. Civil Works engineers have been reluctant to make use of these composite advantages, partially because of the absence of well documented success stories, accepted design and construction practices or specifications, and limited understanding of composites, higher initial costs and others. A few navigational structures using FRP composites have been designed, manufactured and installed in the United States of America and Netherlands, recently. US Army …

Go to article

Ergot Alkaloid Synthetic Capacity Of Penicillium Camemberti, Samantha J. Fabian Jan 2018

Ergot Alkaloid Synthetic Capacity Of Penicillium Camemberti, Samantha J. Fabian

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Penicillium camemberti plays a major role in the ripening process of brie and camembert type cheeses. Investigation of the recently sequenced P. camemberti genome revealed the presence of a cluster of five genes previously shown to be required for ergot alkaloid synthesis in other fungi. Clustered with the five ergot alkaloid synthesis genes (aka eas genes) were two additional genes with that had the apparent capacity to encode enzymes involved in secondary metabolism. We analyzed samples of brie and camembert cheeses as well as cultures of P. camemberti grown under different conditions and were not able to detect any known …

Go to article

Perceptions Of Students, Faculty, And Staff Concerning Visitation Dogs On College Campuses, Brieanna Hughes Jan 2018

Perceptions Of Students, Faculty, And Staff Concerning Visitation Dogs On College Campuses, Brieanna Hughes

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

No abstract provided.

Go to article

Understanding Multi-Social Media Platform Use In An Earthquake, Tonmona Tonny Roy Jan 2018

Understanding Multi-Social Media Platform Use In An Earthquake, Tonmona Tonny Roy

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

No abstract provided.

Go to article

Towards A Better Understanding Of Paleoindian Native American Settlement In Southern Ohio: A Multi-Scalar Approach, Matthew P Purtill Jan 2018

Towards A Better Understanding Of Paleoindian Native American Settlement In Southern Ohio: A Multi-Scalar Approach, Matthew P Purtill

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

No abstract provided.

Go to article

Evaluation And Testing Of Eye, Nose, And Mouth Protection For Biological Hazards To Support A Consensus Standard, Jeremy R Gouzd Jan 2018

Evaluation And Testing Of Eye, Nose, And Mouth Protection For Biological Hazards To Support A Consensus Standard, Jeremy R Gouzd

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

No abstract provided.

Go to article

Protein And Lipid Characterization Of Acheta Domesticus, Bombyx Mori, And Locusta Migratoria Dry Flours, Emily N. Brogan Jan 2018

Protein And Lipid Characterization Of Acheta Domesticus, Bombyx Mori, And Locusta Migratoria Dry Flours, Emily N. Brogan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Cricket (Acheta domesticus), silkworm pupae (Bombyx mori), and locust (Locusta migratoria) dry flours were obtained to examine the biochemical properties and composition of the flours. This study aimed to characterize the protein and lipid components of three insect species utilizing proximate composition analyses, amino acid composition analysis, protein solubility, SDS-PAGE, fatty acid composition analysis, and thin layer chromatography to determine lipid classes, and lipid extraction efficiency. Kjeldahl determined the cricket, locust, and silkworm flours contained 72.0%, 53.1%, and 71.2% protein, respectively. All proximate composition analyses were significantly (p< 0.05) different between species. Amino acid composition analysis revealed that the flours contained 3.6-3.9% and 0.90-1.5% of lysine and methionine, respectively. Many countries have cereal grains and legumes as a staple in their diet that contain these limiting amino acids. Essential amino acids were 22% of total amino acids. Protein solubility revealed that the three species studied were most soluble in alkaline environments with highest protein solubility occurring at pH 13 at 66% solubility in silkworm. Lowest solubility occurred in more acidic conditions between pH 4-5. SDS-PAGE revealed five major protein fractions with estimated molecular weights of 27 (cuticle proteins), 41 (arginine kinase), which has been identified as an allergen in shrimp, 42 (actin), 71 (hemocyanin), and 220 myosin) kDa. Soxhlet extraction determined cricket, silkworm, and locust flours contained 15.4%, 33.3%, and 11.4% lipid, respectively. The only omega-3 fatty acid found in the flours was α-linolenic acid. Silkworm flour contained the most α-linolenic acid at 33.3% of total fatty acids, followed by locust (13.7%), and cricket (0.6%). TLC resolved lipids for typical lipid classes. The four major lipid classes noted were triacylglycerol, free fatty acid, cholesterol, and phospholipid. Lipid extraction efficiency found that the organic solvents chloroform and methanol had the highest lipid extraction yield in both cricket (69.3%) and locust (93.0%). Methyl-tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE) extracted lipids most efficiently in the silkworm. Proteins and lipids found in insects need to be isolated to further or commercial use.

Go to article

Using Incidental Teaching To Teach Mands To Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Katherine S. Robinson Jan 2018

Using Incidental Teaching To Teach Mands To Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Katherine S. Robinson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Children with autism display deficits in three core areas; communication, social interaction, and restrictive and repetitive behaviors. Deficits in communication often manifest in the form of maladaptive behaviors that serve to have the individuals needs and wants met. Additionally, children with autism may have difficulty generalizing learned skills to novel environments and with novel items. Naturalistic teaching procedures, such as incidental teaching, can promote generalization through the use of naturally occurring learning opportunities and reinforcers. The purpose of this study is to evaluate an incidental teaching procedure on the acquisition of both rate of manding behavior as well as a …

Go to article

Temporal Bisection And Effects Of D-Amphetamine Administration In Lewis And Fischer 344 Rats, Marissa Turturici Jan 2018

Temporal Bisection And Effects Of D-Amphetamine Administration In Lewis And Fischer 344 Rats, Marissa Turturici

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Temporal control concerns the discrimination of intervals of time. Individuals with various psychological disorders have shown differences in temporal control when compared to control populations. It is unknown whether and how temporal control might be linked with impulsivity, another measure that predicts problem behavior such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Because Lewis (LEW) rats reliably show greater impulsive choice relative to Fischer 344 (F344) rats, the present study examined responding in these two strains under a temporal-bisection procedure that assesses temporal control. In the temporal-bisection procedure, rats are trained to discriminate between two durations. Intermediate durations are subsequently presented to determine the …

Go to article

Delay Discounting And Cannabinoid Enzyme Inhibitors, Devin Andrew Galdieri Jan 2018

Delay Discounting And Cannabinoid Enzyme Inhibitors, Devin Andrew Galdieri

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Delay discounting is a measure of impulsive choice that is correlated with maladaptive behavior and psychological disorders. Disruptions to serotonin and dopamine pathways can cause changes in delay discounting, as can lesions to the prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens. The endocannabinoid system modulates other neurotransmitter systems, including dopamine and serotonin pathways. Cannabinoid receptors type 1 are found in relatively high concentrations in the nucleus accumbens and the prefrontal cortex. These receptors are activated by endogenous cannabinoids, which are synthesized on demand and broken down by catabolic enzymes. The action of these enzymes can be inhibited by a class of drugs …

Go to article

Schmick’S Frontier: Native American And Moravian Community Building In Colonial Pennsylvania, 1753-1765, Megan Trent Mcgee Jan 2018

Schmick’S Frontier: Native American And Moravian Community Building In Colonial Pennsylvania, 1753-1765, Megan Trent Mcgee

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation explores community building during times of violence. I argue that the intense violence in Colonial Pennsylvania during the 1750s and 1760s did not prevent the Moravians from building multi-ethnic communities, even as other groups (French, British, and Iroquois) pursuing their own political gains sought to tear such communities apart. The project focuses on community building and cohesion during a time of violence. Both the Moravians and the Native Americans were marginalized outsiders in mid-eighteenth-century Pennsylvania. The Moravians were outsiders because they were Europeans who failed to integrate culturally with their European neighbors. The Delaware, Mohicans, and smaller Native …

Go to article

Effects Of Reinforcement Rate On The Aversive Function Of Timeout From Positive Reinforcement, Cory Whirtley Jan 2018

Effects Of Reinforcement Rate On The Aversive Function Of Timeout From Positive Reinforcement, Cory Whirtley

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Although the use of timeout from positive reinforcement is widespread and has been shown to be an effective punisher in clinical settings, the factors responsible for its effectiveness are not fully understood. The present experiment was designed to evaluate one of these factors, the reinforcement rate underway during periods of time-in. Rats’ lever pressing was maintained on variable-interval schedules of food reinforcement in a multiple schedule with two components. In one component, no timeouts were delivered. In the other component, when a variable-ratio schedule was met, lever presses were followed by a 30-s timeout during which a tone sounded, the …

Go to article

An Interspecies Investigation Of Thyroid Plasma Hormone Concentrations, Histology, And Gene Expression, Emily A. Underwood Jan 2018

An Interspecies Investigation Of Thyroid Plasma Hormone Concentrations, Histology, And Gene Expression, Emily A. Underwood

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A high prevalence of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOCs) has raised concerns as to the health and fitness of fish and wildlife. It is not well understood to what extent existing contaminants, many with continuing inflows into the environment, may impact fish populations. This study provides an initial characterization of thyroid endocrine-related effects in two indigenous fish species sampled from Great Lakes AOCs. Biomonitoring was conducted on a pelagic, top predator species, smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) and benthic, omnivorous brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) at 7 sites in spring and fall …

Go to article

Analysis Of Dimensionless Scaling Relationships For Rotating Free Flight Bodies, Shawn A. Smearcheck Jan 2018

Analysis Of Dimensionless Scaling Relationships For Rotating Free Flight Bodies, Shawn A. Smearcheck

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Though more obscure than traditional flight analysis, the tendency for a rigid body to flutter or tumble in flight during unstable conditions has been analyzed through physical experiments since the 1960s. In more recent years, similar conditions have been subjected to numerical simulation to further understand the effects of dimensionless properties on unstable body motion. It is important to understand dimensionless scaling relationships to compare properties of a body to that of a scaled model or for adjusting data when manufacturing limitations exist. For example, if the geometry of a scaled object could easily be manufactured, within tolerance, but material …

Go to article

A Study Of Epithelial Cl- Secretion In The Murine Distal Colon, Trey S Rottgen Jan 2018

A Study Of Epithelial Cl- Secretion In The Murine Distal Colon, Trey S Rottgen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

No abstract provided.

Go to article

Staying Original: A Case Study For Film Composers Working With Temp Tracks, Kyle Maurits Simpson Jan 2018

Staying Original: A Case Study For Film Composers Working With Temp Tracks, Kyle Maurits Simpson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

No abstract provided.

Go to article

Toxicity Evaluations Of Nanoclays And An Associated Nanocomposite Throughout Their Life Cycle, Alixandra Wagner Jan 2018

Toxicity Evaluations Of Nanoclays And An Associated Nanocomposite Throughout Their Life Cycle, Alixandra Wagner

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

No abstract provided.

Go to article

Watching You Watching Me: Lateral Surveillance In Singapore, Yan Song Lee Jan 2018

Watching You Watching Me: Lateral Surveillance In Singapore, Yan Song Lee

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Historically, top-down surveillance -- surveillance from the state and other organizations -- has dominated social life, but not anymore. Technological advances drove down the price of surveillance equipment which aided in the proliferation of devices such as dashboard cameras. The widespread use of affordable surveillance equipment gave rise to the phenomenon of lateral surveillance, whereby laypersons can employ surveillance techniques to monitor individuals around them. The Singapore metropolis provides an excellent example with the ubiquitous use of dashboard cameras for cars today. In this research, I focus on Singaporean rideshare drivers who are simultaneously subjected to traditional forms of top-down …

Go to article

Beef Cattle Effluent Treatment In A Denitrifying Bioreactor., Bethani Chambers Jan 2018

Beef Cattle Effluent Treatment In A Denitrifying Bioreactor., Bethani Chambers

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Excess nutrient runoff, nitrates and phosphates, has led to the development of algal blooms and hypoxic zones worldwide. Based on a report from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation nearly half of all nutrient sources originate from agricultural production with a quarter of this resulting from improper management of manures. This project focuses on a novel adaption of a denitrifying bioreactor, which has demonstrated removals of agricultural nutrients, which may have implications on the treatment of manure nutrients. These subsurface bioreactors work by providing a substrate, usually wood based, to act as a carbon source to support denitrifying bacteria which in turn …

Go to article

Choice Dynamics In Concurrent Ratio Schedules Of Reinforcement, Daniel Bell-Garrison Jan 2018

Choice Dynamics In Concurrent Ratio Schedules Of Reinforcement, Daniel Bell-Garrison

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Roughly 50 years of research has demonstrated that choice changes as a function of the amount of reinforcement available from two concurrently available schedules of reinforcement, and this function has been labeled the generalized matching law. The matching law, however, historically only accounts for choice between two variable-interval schedules of reinforcement. If the matching law is to be a general perspective for how organisms allocate behavior amongst several alternatives, then it ought to account for behavior when reinforcers depend on work requirements in addition to time requirements. To study these contexts, the present experiments employed concurrent ratio schedules that were …

Go to article

Investigation Into Composting Efforts At Wvu: A Case Study., Marina Alexis Berry Jan 2018

Investigation Into Composting Efforts At Wvu: A Case Study., Marina Alexis Berry

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Institutional composting systems have been adopted by many land grant universities to help better manage their waste and protect the environment. West Virginia University (WVU) has yet to begin formally managing their animal manure and waste at the university farms. This investigation will look into what has been done at other land grant universities to see which methods could be applied at WVU. This could have environmental, economic, and social benefits and also serve as a living learning classroom. University composting systems have often started small and grown to accommodate campus food waste, which could also be a possibility for …

Go to article

Parasitaemia Data And Molecular Characterization Of Haemoproteus Catharti From New World Vultures (Cathartidae) Reveals A Novel Clade Of Haemosporida, Michael J. Yabsley, Ralph E.T. Vanstreels, Ellen S. Martinsen, Alexandra G. Wickson, Amanda E. Holland, Sonia M. Hernandez, Alec T. Thompson, Susan L. Perkins, Christopher A. Lawrence Bryan, Christopher A. Cleveland, Emily Jolly, Justin D. Brown, Dave Mcruer, Shannon Behmke, James C. Beasley Jan 2018

Parasitaemia Data And Molecular Characterization Of Haemoproteus Catharti From New World Vultures (Cathartidae) Reveals A Novel Clade Of Haemosporida, Michael J. Yabsley, Ralph E.T. Vanstreels, Ellen S. Martinsen, Alexandra G. Wickson, Amanda E. Holland, Sonia M. Hernandez, Alec T. Thompson, Susan L. Perkins, Christopher A. Lawrence Bryan, Christopher A. Cleveland, Emily Jolly, Justin D. Brown, Dave Mcruer, Shannon Behmke, James C. Beasley

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background: New World vultures (Cathartiformes: Cathartidae) are obligate scavengers comprised of seven species in five genera throughout the Americas. Of these, turkey vultures (Cathartes aura) and black vultures (Coragyps atratus) are the most widespread and, although ecologically similar, have evolved differences in morphology, physiology, and behaviour. Three species of haemosporidians have been reported in New World vultures to date: Haemoproteus catharti, Leucocytozoon toddi and Plasmodium elongatum, although few studies have investigated haemosporidian parasites in this important group of species. In this study, morphological and molecular methods were used to investi- gate the epidemiology and molecular biology of haemosporidian parasites of …

Go to article

Genetic Analyses Reveal Cryptic Introgression In Secretive Marsh Bird Populations, Stephanie S. Coster, Amy B. Welsh, Gary Costanzo, Sergio R. Harding, James T. Anderson, Susan B. Mcrae, Todd E. Katzner Jan 2018

Genetic Analyses Reveal Cryptic Introgression In Secretive Marsh Bird Populations, Stephanie S. Coster, Amy B. Welsh, Gary Costanzo, Sergio R. Harding, James T. Anderson, Susan B. Mcrae, Todd E. Katzner

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Hybridization is common in bird populations but can be challenging for management, especially if one of the two parent species is of greater conservation concern than the other. King rails (Rallus elegans) and clapper rails (R. crepitans) are two marsh bird species with similar morphologies, behaviors, and overlapping distributions. The two species are found along a salinity gradient with the king rail in freshwater marshes and the clapper in estuarine marshes. However, this separation is not absolute; they are occasionally sympatric, and there are reports of interbreeding. In Virginia, USA, both king and clapper rails are …

Go to article

First Prev Next Last