Digital Commons Network^™

Scaling Of Feesing Behavior And Performance In The Goliath Grouper, Epinephelus Itajara, Michelle Riggs

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Scaling is defined as the changes related to body size an animal undergoes during its life history. This change in body size can have implications for habitat use, prey consumed, and predatory threats, among others. The goliath grouper, Epinephelus itajara, undergoes one of the greatest amounts of scaling of any animal known, growing from 3mm at hatching to 2.3 m as adults. This tremendous change has implications for their development and niche as a top-level predator in their habitats. However, the consequences of their drastic change in body size for feeding performance have never been quantified. Here, a juvenile goliath …

Midwest Alcoholism Research Center: An Overview, Andrew C. Heath

Posters

No abstract provided.

Evaluating Ecological Studies In Epidemiology, Brenden T. Dufault

Digitized Theses

The purpose of this research was twofold. The first objective was to assess the quality of modern cross-sectional ecological studies with a bibliometric review. The second objective was to investigate via simulation study the reliability of common ecological regression models for analysing count data.

The bibliometric review found that the quality and areas of application of the ecological literature is quite diverse. However, a large proportion of studies exhibited poor statistical practice and provided insufficient amounts of justification and information.

Linear, weighted linear, Poisson, and negative binomial regression were included in the simulation study based on their prevalence in the …

Development And Application Of Dna Techniques For Validating And Improving Pinniped Diet Estimates, Dominic J. Tollit, Angela D. Schulze, Andrew W. Trites, Peter F. Olesiuk, Susan J. Crockford, Thomas S. Gelatt, Rolf R. Ream, Kristina M. Miller

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Polymerase chain reaction techniques were developed and applied to identify DNA from .40 species of prey contained in fecal (scat) soft-part matrix collected at terrestrial sites used by Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) in British Columbia and the eastern Aleutian Islands, Alaska. Sixty percent more fish and cephalopod prey were identified by morphological analyses of hard parts compared with DNA analysis of soft parts (hard parts identified higher relative proportions of Ammodytes sp., Cottidae, and certain Gadidae). DNA identified 213 prey occurrences, of which 75 (35%) were undetected by hard parts (mainly Salmonidae, Pleuronectidae, Elasmobranchii, and Cephalopoda), and …

Rio Bravo: A Journal Of Borderlands 2009 V.1 No.2

Rio Bravo: A Journal of the Borderlands

AIDS, Diabetes and Lung Cancer Mortality at the Northern Mexican Border - 1979-1997 / Tim A. Clary -- Shock to the System - Latino Political Trust, Pre- and Post- 9-11 / Diana Evans, Joseph Stewart Jr., Robert D. Wrinkle, and James P. Wenzel -- The Regional Institutionalization of the Texas Rio Grande Valley / Baltazar Arispe y Acevedo, Jr. -- La escritura como terapia de rehabilitación para personas con discapacidad psiquiátrica / Alma Silvia Rodriguez -- Espacio Fronterizo: La Tijuana de Santitos y Peregrinos en Aztlán / Sergio M. Martinez -- El tema de la identidad en La muerte me …

Biofuels: Cultivating Energy, Not Invasive Species

National Invasive Species Council

To provide alternatives to petroleum-based energy, the United States (U.S.) government has mandated a greater proportion of plant-based biofuels be integrated into its energy portfolio. However, certain plant species being proposed for biofuel production in the U.S. are invasive species or are likely to escape cultivation and become invasive.

U.S. Executive Order (E.O.) 13112¹ defines invasive species as “alien [non-native] species whose introduction does or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health” and states:

“Each Federal agency whose actions may affect the status of invasive species shall, to the extent practicable and permitted …

Who Dung It? The Impact Of Seed Dispersal By Mammals On The Fate Of Miliusa Lineata (Annonaceae) Seeds In A Dry Evergreen Forest, Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand, Jessica H. Wheeler

Theses & ETDs

This thesis assesses the impact of seed dispersal by mammals on the fate of seeds from a common Annonaceae species in Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand. I experimentally evaluated three hypotheses: 1) that seeds experimentally placed within mammal dung have higher survivorship than control (bare) seeds; 2) that seeds in higher density clumps (25 as opposed to 5) suffer a higher mortality rate; and 3) that mortality rates decrease with distance from nearest adult conspecific. Seeds dispersed in high density piles (25 seeds) actually had a higher survival rate than seeds dispersed in low density (5 seed) piles. Additionally, …

Rapid Recovery Of A Coral Reef At Darwin Island, Galapagos Islands, Peter W. Glynn, Bernhard Riegl, Adrienne M. S. Correa, Iliana B. Baums

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Surveys at Darwin Island in 2006 and 2007 have demonstrated that this northernmost Galapagos Islands coral reef has recovered significantly since the 1982–3 El Niño event. When first surveyed in 1975, this structural reef exhibited actively accreting frameworks of pocilloporid and poritid corals. The coral suffered severe mortality in 1983, resulting in the near total loss of pocilloporids and extensive partial mortality of poritid corals. Large sections of the reef had not recovered by 1992 and dead frameworks were subject to bio-erosion, although small numbers of sexual recruits of pocilloporid corals and numerous recruits plus regenerating patches of Porites lobata …

Subarctic Atmospheric Aerosol Composition: 2. Hygroscopic Growth Properties, Hanna Herich, Lukas Kammermann, Beth Friedman, Deborah S. Gross, Ernest Weingartner, Ulrike Lohmann, Peter Spichtinger, Martin Gysel, Urs Baltensperger, Daniel J. Cziczo

Chemistry Faculty Work

Subarctic aerosols were sampled during July 2007 at the Abisko Scientific Research Station Stordalen site in northern Sweden with an instrument setup consisting of a custombuilt Hygroscopicity Tandem Differential Mobility Analyzer (HTDMA) connected in series to a single particle mass spectrometer. Aerosol chemical composition in the form of bipolar single particle mass spectra was determined as a function of hygroscopic growth both in situ and in real time. The HTDMA was deployed at a relative humidity of 82%, and particles with a dry mobility diameter of 260 nm were selected. Aerosols from two distinct air masses were analyzed during the …

Estimating Predation On Declining River Herring: Tag-Recapture Study Of Striped Bass In The Connecticut River, Eric T. Schultz, Justin P. Davis, Jason Vokoun

EEB Articles

Populations of anadromous alewife Alosa pseudoharengus and blueback herring Alosa aestivalis, collectively referred to as river herring, have declined in the Connecticut River. A hypothesis for why river herring have declined is that predation pressures have increased associated with recent increases in abundance of striped bass Morone saxatilis. Information on striped bass abundance, size structure, and consumption rates are required to test this hypothesis. This study was designed to provide estimates of striped bass population size in the Connecticut River during the spring migration season, via an intensive mark-recapture exercise and either an open or robust mark-recapture model. …

Climate Change And Human Migration: A Tenuous Relationship Symposium, Gaim Kibreab

Fordham Environmental Law Review

No abstract provided.

Farmington Bay Wetlands Of Great Salt Lake: Nutrient Criteria, Macroinvertebrate Studies And Beneficial Uses, Theron G. Miller, Heidi M. Hoven, John F. Cavitt

Natural Resources and Environmental Issues

No abstract provided.

Dust Emission At Franklin Lake Playa, Mojave Desert (Usa): Response To Meteorological And Hydrologic Changes 2005-2008, Richard L. Reynolds, Rian Bogle, John Vogel, Harland Goldstein, James Yount

Natural Resources and Environmental Issues

Playa type, size, and setting; playa hydrology; and surface-sediment characteristics are important controls on the type and amount of atmospheric dust emitted from playas. Soft, evaporite-rich sediment develops on the surfaces of some Mojave Desert (USA) playas (wet playas), where the water table is shallow (< 4 m). These areas are sources of atmospheric dust because of continuous or episodic replenishment of wind-erodible salts and disruption of the ground surface during salt formation by evaporation of ground water. Dust emission at Franklin Lake playa was monitored between March 2005 and April 2008. The dust record, based on day-time remote digital camera images captured during high wind, and compared with a nearby precipitation record, shows that aridity suppresses dust emission. High frequency of dust generation appears to be associated with relatively wet periods, identified as either heavy precipitation events or sustained regional precipitation over a few months. Several factors may act separately or in combination to account for this relation. Dust emission may respond rapidly to heavy precipitation when the dissolution of hard, wind-resistant evaporite mineral crusts is followed by the development of soft surfaces with thin, newly formed crusts that are vulnerable to wind erosion and (or) the production of loose aggregates of evaporite minerals that are quickly removed by even moderate winds. Dust loading may also increase when relatively high regional precipitation leads to decreasing depth to the water table, thereby increasing rates of vapor discharge, development of evaporite minerals, and temporary softening of playa surfaces. The seasonality of wind strength was not a major factor in dust-storm frequency at the playa. The lack of major dust emissions related to flood-derived sediment at Franklin Lake playa contrasts with some dry-lake systems elsewhere that may produce large amounts of dust from flood sediments. Flood sediments do not commonly accumulate on the surface of Franklin Lake playa because through-going drainage prevents frequent inundation and deposition of widespread flood sediment.

Avian Use Of Harvested Crop Fields In North Dakota During Spring Migration, Alegra M. Galle, George M. Linz, H. Jeffrey Homan, William J. Bleier

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Broad-spectrum herbicide applications and improved harvesting efficiency of crops have reduced the availability of weed seeds and waste grains for game and nongame wildlife. Over the last decade, corn and soybean plantings have steadily increased in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of North Dakota, while sunflower plantings have declined. The PPR is an important corridor for migratory birds, and changes in food availabilities at stopover habitats may affect how food resources are used. In early spring 2003 and 2004, we compared bird use of harvested fields of sunflower, soybeans, small grains, and corn in the PPR of North Dakota. Across …

Tracking Diet And Movement Of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus Thynnus) Using Carbon And Nitrogen Stable Isotopes, John Logan

Doctoral Dissertations

Atlantic bluefin tuna (ABFT; Thunnus thynnus) are important top predators in pelagic ecosystems. Understanding their diet and movements is necessary for proper management, but existing methods are costly and logistically challenging. Naturally occurring stable isotopes have been used to study diet and movement in many aquatic ecosystems and offer a novel approach for studying these large pelagic fishes.

Lipids, which have lower carbon isotope values than protein, can affect isotope analyses of bulk tissue. Both chemical and mathematical corrections were used to address lipid effects on ABFT and the prey. All chemical extraction methods altered nitrogen isotope values. Mathematical corrections …

Causes And Impacts Of Salinization In The Lower Pecos River, Christopher W. Hoagstrom

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

River salinization is a byproduct of water resource development that results from cumulative impacts of flow-regime modifications and crop irrigation. However, historical salinization in the Lower Pecos River is often attributed to natural, high-salinity groundwater. Here, evidence from literature and U.S. Geological Survey gaging stations is reviewed to summarize historical changes associated with water development that potentially contributed to Pecos River salinization. A suite of hydrological changes, initiated in the 1880s, likely contributed to streamflow salinization: (1) reduced flood frequency and magnitude, (2) diminished streamflow, (3) increased evapotranspiration, and (4) increased prevalence of natural, high-salinity groundwater. Salinization is presently highest …

Birds Of The Rocky Mountains—References On Individual Species, Paul A. Johnsgard

Birds of the Rocky Mountains by Paul A. Johnsgard

Approximately 650 reference (through 1986). See "Supplement" for additional references to 2009.

Habitat Variation Among Aquatic Gastropod Assemblages Of Indiana, U.S.A., Mark Pyron, Jayson Beugly, Matthew Spielman, Jennifer Pritchett, Stephen J. Jacquemin

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

We collected aquatic gastropods at 137 sites in lakes and streams of Indiana and tested for patterns of assemblages with environmental variables. The survey resulted in 32 species with a mean of 2.8 species at each site, and a mean abundance at each site of 144 individuals. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMS) multivariate analyses resulted in watershed drainage area, water conductivity, substrate category frequency, and dissolved oxygen as significant correlates of gastropod assemblage structure. Gastropod assemblages of lakes were not significantly different than assemblages of streams in the ordination. Prosobranch taxa occurred in higher abundances than pulmonate taxa at sites with …

The Role Of Black Barbudans In The Establishment Of Open-Range Cattle Herding In The Colonial Caribbean And South Carolina, Andrew Sluyter

Faculty Publications

Some significant problems remain in understanding the establishment of open-range cattle herding in the Caribbean and North America, especially regarding the role of blacks in that process. Research to date has identified the Greater Antilles, especially Spanish Cuba and British Jamaica, as the sole Caribbean sources of settlers who established the herding systems of, respectively, Mexico and South Carolina. Yet an open-range cattle herding system also occurred in the British Lesser Antilles, which provided many of the settlers for the South Carolina colony. Archival and field research in Antigua and Barbuda provide the basis for comprehensive reconstruction of that system’s …

Diverse Elevational Diversity Gradients In Great Smoky Mountains National Park, U.S.A., Nathan J. Sanders, Robert R. Dunn, Matthew C. Fitzpatrick, Christopher E. Carlton, Michael R. Pogue, Charles R. Parker, Theodore R. Simons

Faculty Publications

© 2010 by Taylor and Francis Group, LLC. Less well studied, however, are the factors that shape elevational diversity gradients. Because many climatic factors vary systematically along elevational gradients, as they might along latitudinal gradients, elevational diversity gradients were thought to be miniature versions of latitudinal gradients (Körner, 2000). For example, Brown (1988) wrote, “Just as change of physical conditions with altitude resembles in many respects the variation with latitude, so the decreasing diversity of most organisms with increasing elevation mirrors in most respects the latitudinal gradient of species richness.” Stevens (1992) noted that, “Biologists have long recognized that elevational …

The Effect Of Coalmine Effluent On The Parasite Assemblages Of Lepomis Spp. In The Saline River Basin, Andrew Claxton

Masters Theses

To determine the efficacy of using parasite assemblages as bioindicators of coalmine effluent, a survey of gastro-intestinal helminths from the gut of sunfish, Lepomis spp, was performed. Five species of Lepomis, L. cyanellus, L. nwcrochirus, L. megalotis, L. microlophus, and L. gulosus, were collected from six locations near the Palzo mine, an abandoned coalmine that actively discharges into the lower reach of Sugar Creek. Sunfish were collected from three sites which did not receive effluent from the Palzo mine (Sugar Creek (37° 37'/ 88° 50'), South Fork(37° 41 '/ 88° 52'), and the Little Saline River (37° 38'/ 88° 38')) …

School Of Renewable Natural Resources Newsletter, Fall 2009, Louisiana State University And Agricultural & Mechanical College

Research Matters & RNR Newsletters

The annual newsletter from the School of Renewable Natural Resources was a publication which aimed to update and entertain interested readers with the news and research from RNR faculty, students and staff.

"This Countries Ladies": Gender Negotiations At The Northwest Company, Grand Portage, Andrew E. Labounty

Nebraska Anthropologist

French interactions with Indians during the fur trade were characterized by intermarriage and cultural assimilation. Later, when Canadian traders took over, women were notably present at the Northwest Company s depot at Grand Portage, and participated in its affairs. Although the seasonal workings of Canadian fur trade depots are well-established, gender roles have been typically overlooked in the day-to-day recount of fur trade societies. This paper will thus investigate the aspect of gender at fur trade posts, and particularly at Grand Portage, as a study in cross-cultural negotiations for the fulfillment of gender roles.

The Gastropod Fauna And Their Abundance, And Some Physicochemical Parameters Of Lake Gölbaşı (Hatay, Turkey), Hülya Şerefli̇şan, M. Zeki̇ Yildirim, Menderes Şerefli̇şan

Turkish Journal of Zoology

An investigation was carried out on the native gastropod species in Lake Gölbaşı, Hatay. During the research 3 species belonging to the subclass Pulmonata (Gyraulus piscinarum, Radix labiata, Anisus leucostoma) were detected along with 9 species of the subclass Orthogastropoda (=Prosobranchia) including Theodoxus jordani, Semisalsa contempta, Semisalsa longiscata, Bithynia phialensis, Valvata saulcyi, Valvata piscinalis, Melanoides tuberculatus, Melanopsis praemorsa ferussaci, Melanopsis costata costata. These gastropod species were collected from 4 stations chosen in the lake. Furthermore, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, pH, and temperature were measured at the sampling sites.

Sampling And Classification Of Tree Holes Within A Northeast Temperate Forest System, Colleen M. Didas

Master's Theses and Capstones

Tree holes are water filled depressions on trees and harbor macroinvertebrate communities; they often serve as microcosms in studies of population dynamics, competition, and fungal decay of leaf litter. Quantification of tree hole prevalence and incidence in forest stands is lacking in the current literature. This study examined factors influencing tree hole occurrence and the types and formations of tree holes in northeastern forest stands. Modeling was used to correct for non-detection and estimate the abundance of tree holes on a per-hectare basis. Mixed-effects logistic regression was used to predict tree hole occurrence. Tree species, stand basal area, and diameter …

Effects Of Urbanization On The Size And Spatial Distribution Of Wetlands In New Hampshire, Katie Jacques

Master's Theses and Capstones

This study investigates the effects of land use change in the form of urbanization on the size and spatial distribution of wetlands in New Hampshire. I predict that with increased urbanization, the number of wetlands lost will rise, causing an increase in landscape fragmentation. Aerial photography, US Geological Survey topographic maps, National Agriculture Imagery Program imagery, hydrography and National Wetlands Inventory data layers were analyzed using GIS tools along four urban-rural gradient transects 5km by 25km in size. Each study area transect included urban, suburban and rural areas. This study identified the relationships between the urbanization level and the size …

Wind Energy In Indian Country: A Study Of The Challenges And Opportunities Facing South Dakota Tribes, Patrick Garry, Candice J. Spurlin, Derek A. Nelson

Faculty Publications

The development of wind power in Indian country presents a unique opportunity for Indian tribes to advance economic and social interests while adhering to traditional values and mores. Challenges exist, however, for turning wind-rich lands into viable wind energy production sites. This comment focuses on these challenges and highlights the legal issues surrounding such an undertaking as more tribes become interested in pursuing such an opportunity.

Harm Reduction In Outpatient Drug-Free Substance Abuse Treatment Settings, Michael Eversman

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

In the United States, drug-free substance abuse treatment programs generally operate under an abstinence-only, disease model based service orientation. Citing several reasons, critics suggest disease model approaches hinder client utilization and retention within such services. The framework of harm reduction offers an alternative approach to substance abuse treatment services and may have potential for improving utilization and retention outcomes. Yet little is known about how harm reduction is perceived by practitioners in drug-free substance abuse treatment settings, and the circumstances in which harm reduction may or may not be accepted. In addition, despite a body of narrative literature suggesting harm …

Morphology And Infraciliature Of Some Haptorid Ciliates (Protista, Ciliophora, Haptoria) In Alkaline Soil Samples Of Van (Turkey), With Notes On The Ontogenesis Of Enchelyodon Nodosus Berger, Foissner & Adam, 1984, Naci̇ye Gülkiz Şenler, İsmai̇l Yildiz

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The morphology and infraciliature of 4 haptorid ciliates obtained from alkaline soil habitats in Van, Turkey, were investigated: Pseudoholophrya terricola Berger, Foissner & Adam, 1984, Paraenchelys wenzeli Foissner, 1984, Armatoenchelys geleii (Foissner, 1981), and Enchelyodon nodosus Berger, Foissner & Adam, 1984. The descriptions were based on live observations and silver impregnated specimens and morphometry. The main morphological characteristics of these species are similar to those described in the literature. However, the dorsal brush row 3 is longer than dorsal brush rows 1 and 2 in A. geleii, and E. nodosus has a long monokinetidal tail not reported previously. This is …

Accounting For Uncertainty In Ecological Analysis: The Strengths And Limitations Of Hierarchical Statistical Modeling, Noel Cressie, Catherine A. Calder, James S. Clark, Jay M. Ver Hoef, Christopher K. Wikle

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Analyses of ecological data should account for the uncertainty in the process(es) that generated the data. However, accounting for these uncertainties is a difficult task, since ecology is known for its complexity. Measurement and/or process errors are often the only sources of uncertainty modeled when addressing complex ecological problems, yet analyses should also account for uncertainty in sampling design, in model specification, in parameters governing the specified model, and in initial and boundary conditions. Only then can we be confident in the scientific inferences and forecasts made from an analysis. Probability and statistics provide a framework that accounts for multiple …