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2010

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Prevention Of Illness, Paul Bernstein Oct 2010

Prevention Of Illness, Paul Bernstein

Marquette Elder's Advisor

No abstract provided.


A Regional Guidebook For Applying The Hydrogeomorphic Approach To The Functional Assessment, Hans Michael Williams, Adam J. Miller, Rachel Mcnamee, Charles V. Klimas Oct 2010

A Regional Guidebook For Applying The Hydrogeomorphic Approach To The Functional Assessment, Hans Michael Williams, Adam J. Miller, Rachel Mcnamee, Charles V. Klimas

eBooks

The Hydrogeomorphic (HGM) Approach is a method for developing and applying indices for the site-specific assessment of wetland functions. The HGM Approach was initially designed to be used in the context of the Clean Water Act Section 404 Regulatory Program permit review process to analyze project alternatives, minimize impacts, assess unavoidable impacts, determine mitigation requirements, and monitor the success of compensatory mitigation. However, a variety of other potential uses have been identified, including the design of wetland restoration projects, and management of wetlands.


Ranked Risk Assessment For Bycatch In Multiple Fisheries: A Bioregional Risk Assessment Method, Richard Evans, Brett W. Molony Oct 2010

Ranked Risk Assessment For Bycatch In Multiple Fisheries: A Bioregional Risk Assessment Method, Richard Evans, Brett W. Molony

Fisheries Research Reports

This report demonstrates a method to rapidly assess the cumulative risk to sustainability of bycatch species of multiple fisheries. The method draws on other techniques already published in scientific literature and adds a new cumulative ranked estimate of total catch across multiple fisheries.


Annual Sediment Retention And Hydraulic Residence Time Variability In A Riverine Wetland Receiving Unregulated Inflow From Agricultural Runoff, Randall W. Holloway Oct 2010

Annual Sediment Retention And Hydraulic Residence Time Variability In A Riverine Wetland Receiving Unregulated Inflow From Agricultural Runoff, Randall W. Holloway

SNS Master's Theses

The ability of a wetland to treat nonpoint source pollution is in part a function of its hydraulic residence time and physical trapping of sediment. Natural hydrologic variability of unregulated inflows to natural and restored riverine wetlands causes variability in hydraulic residence time and associated sediment retention functions. This study quantified the sediment retention and hydraulic residence time variation in a self-restoring riverine wetland receiving unregulated stormwater inflow from an agricultural watershed. Elkhorn Slough, an estuary affected by nonpoint source pollution in Monterey County, California, lies immediately downstream of the 22 ha wetland site. Two stream gages monitored hydrology at …


The Global Ip Upward Ratchet, Anti-Counterfeiting And Piracy Enforcement Efforts: The State Of Play, Susan Sell Oct 2010

The Global Ip Upward Ratchet, Anti-Counterfeiting And Piracy Enforcement Efforts: The State Of Play, Susan Sell

Joint PIJIP/TLS Research Paper Series

Proponents of an IP maximalist agenda increasingly have been rebuffed in recent years. Developing country governments, NGOs, and Access to Knowledge (A2K) advocates have thwarted their efforts to ratchet up standards of intellectual property protection in multilateral intergovernmental forums such as the World Trade Organization, the World Intellectual Property Organization, and the World Health Organization. A2K advocates challenge the premises behind ever higher and broader intellectual property protection and seek, if not a rolling back of IP rights, at the very least a standstill. They argue that in the balance between rights and obligations, IP maximalists assert their rights without …


Marine Plankton Phenology And Life History In A Changing Climate: Current Research And Future Directions, R Ji, M Edwards, Dl Mackas, Ja Runge, Ac Thomas Oct 2010

Marine Plankton Phenology And Life History In A Changing Climate: Current Research And Future Directions, R Ji, M Edwards, Dl Mackas, Ja Runge, Ac Thomas

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Increasing availability and extent of biological ocean time series (from both in situ and satellite data) have helped reveal significant phenological variability of marine plankton. The extent to which the range of this variability is modified as a result of climate change is of obvious importance. Here we summarize recent research results on phenology of both phytoplankton and zooplankton. We suggest directions to better quantify and monitor future plankton phenology shifts, including (i) examining the main mode of expected future changes (ecological shifts in timing and spatial distribution to accommodate fixed environmental niches vs. evolutionary adaptation of timing controls to …


Stable Isotope Analysis Reveals Detrital Resource Base Sources Of The Tree Hole Mosquito, Aedes Triseriatus, Michael G. Kaufman, Kirsten S. Pelz-Stelinski, Donald A. Yee, Steven A. Juliano, Peggy H. Ostrom, Edward D. Walker Oct 2010

Stable Isotope Analysis Reveals Detrital Resource Base Sources Of The Tree Hole Mosquito, Aedes Triseriatus, Michael G. Kaufman, Kirsten S. Pelz-Stelinski, Donald A. Yee, Steven A. Juliano, Peggy H. Ostrom, Edward D. Walker

Faculty Publications

  1. Detritus that forms the basis for mosquito production in tree hole ecosystems can vary in type and timing of input. We investigated the contributions of plant‐ and animal‐derived detritus to the biomass of Aedes triseriatus (Say) pupae and adults by using stable isotope (15N and 13C) techniques in laboratory experiments and field collections.
  2. Laboratory‐reared mosquito isotope values reflected their detrital resource base, providing a clear distinction between mosquitoes reared on plant or animal detritus.
  3. Isotope values from field‐collected pupae were intermediate between what would be expected if a single (either plant or animal) detrital source dominated the …


Landscape Factors Impacting Survival Of Sympatric Red-Necked Wallabies (Macropus Rufogriseus) And Swamp Wallabies (Wallabia Bicolor) In Urbanized Areas, Karen Zusi Oct 2010

Landscape Factors Impacting Survival Of Sympatric Red-Necked Wallabies (Macropus Rufogriseus) And Swamp Wallabies (Wallabia Bicolor) In Urbanized Areas, Karen Zusi

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Urbanization and infrastructure build-up often includes many processes that can damage the natural environment in surrounding areas. Road, powerline, and dam construction, as well as mining, drilling, and overall land-clearing, have severe impacts that resonate through the adjacent wildlife communities. Some species, however, are able to persist in the fringes of urban environments; the swamp wallaby, Wallabia bicolor, is one such example in Australia. A different species of macropod, the red-necked wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus), is similar to the swamp wallaby in many ways but has failed to persist in the outskirts of urban areas. This study aimed to quantitatively differentiate …


Cesarean And Vbac Rates Among Immigrant Vs. Native-Born Women: A Retrospective Observational Study From Taiwan Cesarean Delivery And Vbac Among Immigrant Women In Taiwan, Jung Chung Fu, Sudha Xirasagar Mbbs., Ph.D, Jihong Liu Sc.D., Janice C. Probst Sep 2010

Cesarean And Vbac Rates Among Immigrant Vs. Native-Born Women: A Retrospective Observational Study From Taiwan Cesarean Delivery And Vbac Among Immigrant Women In Taiwan, Jung Chung Fu, Sudha Xirasagar Mbbs., Ph.D, Jihong Liu Sc.D., Janice C. Probst

Publications

Background. Cultural and ethnic roots impact women's fertility and delivery preferences This study investigated whether the likelihood of cesarean delivery, primary cesarean, and vaginal delivery after cesarean (VBAC) varies by maternal national origin. Methods. We conducted a nation-wide, population-based, observational study using secondary data from Taiwan. De-identified data were obtained on all 392,246 singleton live births (500 g; 20 weeks) born to native-born Taiwanese, Vietnamese and mainland Chinese-born mothers between January 1 2006 and December 31 2007 from Taiwan's nation-wide birth certificate data. Our analytic samples consisted of the following: for overall cesarean likelihood 392,246 births, primary cesarean 336,766 (excluding …


Developing A Conceptual Model Of Virtual Organizations For Citizen Science, Andrea Wiggins, Kevin Crowston Sep 2010

Developing A Conceptual Model Of Virtual Organizations For Citizen Science, Andrea Wiggins, Kevin Crowston

Information Systems and Quantitative Analysis Faculty Publications

This paper develops an organisation design-oriented conceptual model of scientific knowledge production through citizen science virtual organisations. Citizen science is a form of organisation design for collaborative scientific research involving scientists and volunteers, for which internet-based modes of participation enable massive virtual collaboration by thousands of members of the public. The conceptual model provides an example of a theory development process and discusses its application to an exploratory study. The paper contributes a multi-level process model for organising investigation into the impact of design on this form of scientific knowledge production.


Liberalizing Climate-Friendly Goods And Technologies In The Wto: Product Coverage, Modalities, Challenges And The Way Forward, Zhongxiang Zhang Sep 2010

Liberalizing Climate-Friendly Goods And Technologies In The Wto: Product Coverage, Modalities, Challenges And The Way Forward, Zhongxiang Zhang

Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei Working Papers

The Doha Round Agenda (paragraph 31(3)) mandates to liberalize environmental goods and services. This mandate offers a good opportunity to put climate-friendly goods and services on a fast track to liberalization. Agreement on this paragraph should represent one immediate contribution that the WTO can make to fight against climate change. This paper presents the key issues surrounding liberalized trade in climate-friendly goods and technologies in WTO environmental goods negotiations. It begins with what products to liberalize and how. Clearly, WTO environmental goods negotiations to date show that WTO member countries are divided by this key issue. Focusing on the issue, …


Concurrent Sexual Partnerships Do Not Explain The Hiv Epidemics In Africa: A Systematic Review Of The Evidence, Larry Sawers, Eileen Stillwaggon Sep 2010

Concurrent Sexual Partnerships Do Not Explain The Hiv Epidemics In Africa: A Systematic Review Of The Evidence, Larry Sawers, Eileen Stillwaggon

Economics Faculty Publications

The notion that concurrent sexual partnerships are especially common in sub-Saharan Africa and explain the region’s high HIV prevalence is accepted by many as conventional wisdom. In this paper, we evaluate the quantitative and qualitative evidence offered by the principal proponents of the concurrency hypothesis and analyze the mathematical model they use to establish the plausibility of the hypothesis.

We find that research seeking to establish a statistical correlation between concurrency and HIV prevalence either finds no correlation or has important limitations. Furthermore, in order to simulate rapid spread of HIV, mathematical models require unrealistic assumptions about frequency of sexual …


My Life In Biology: Paul A. Johnsgard, Paul A. Johnsgard Sep 2010

My Life In Biology: Paul A. Johnsgard, Paul A. Johnsgard

Nebraska Bird Review

An autobiographical article by ornithologist Paul A. Johnsgard that spans his early years in North Dakota, undergraduate and graduate studies, his arrival and professional years at the University of Nebraska, his writings and writing influences, artwork, teaching and Cedar Point Biological Station, hunting and photography, conservation, religious beliefs, and numerous writing projects underway.


My Life In Biology: Paul A. Johnsgard, Paul A. Johnsgard Sep 2010

My Life In Biology: Paul A. Johnsgard, Paul A. Johnsgard

Papers in Ornithology

I was born in 1931 in the very small town of Christine, North Dakota, on the Red River about 20 miles south of Fargo. My granddad owned a general store there, and my father worked in that store for as long as we lived in Christine, which was until 1939. These were the Depression years, and my major memories of that time are of hot dusty streets in the summer and bitterly cold winters, when I had to walk across town to school. ...

Waterfowl became increasingly important to me because of my mother's cousin "Bud" Morgan, who at that …


The Relationship Between Rainbow Trout Stocking Success And Habitat Variables In Interior Alaska Lakes, Kelly A. Mansfield Aug 2010

The Relationship Between Rainbow Trout Stocking Success And Habitat Variables In Interior Alaska Lakes, Kelly A. Mansfield

Fisheries

"Fish are stocked for a variety of reasons, including the providence of diverse angling opportunities. Rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss are the most widely stocked sport fish species in North America. In Interior Alaska, over 90 of the 137 lakes chosen for stocking are stocked with rainbow trout. To optimize fish stocking programs, managers require a better understanding of the lake characteristics associated with success in meeting program objectives, for assessment of potential lakes proposed for stocking, and to address angler inquiries. For my project, I used a model-selection process with lake morphometric and biotic data from 36 stocked lakes in …


The Identity Of Zachaenus Roseus Cope, 1890 (Anura: Species Inquirenda), Esteban O. Lavilla, J. J. Nuñez, F. E. Rabanal, José A. Langone, Rafael O. De Sá Aug 2010

The Identity Of Zachaenus Roseus Cope, 1890 (Anura: Species Inquirenda), Esteban O. Lavilla, J. J. Nuñez, F. E. Rabanal, José A. Langone, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

Zachaenus roseus Cope, 1890, has puzzled systematists working in southern South America. A single individual, the holotype, has ever been collected and this specimen is in extremely poor preservation condition. Herein, the precise location of the type locality of Z. roseus is determined based on a historical review of the literature. Furthermore, following a careful comparison with all species that inhabit the southern austral forest, and that could potentially correspond to Zachaenus roseus, we conclude that this taxon is placed in the synonymy of Eupsophus calcaratus (Günther, 1881)


Sleep, Bmi, And Work-Family Conflict: A Gender Comparison Of U.S. Workers, Blake Lee Jones Aug 2010

Sleep, Bmi, And Work-Family Conflict: A Gender Comparison Of U.S. Workers, Blake Lee Jones

Theses and Dissertations

This study used structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine how sleep problems, Body Mass Index (BMI), and poverty were related to several work, personal, and family variables in a sample of married male and female workers in the United States. The data for this study came from the National Study of the Changing Workforce (NSCW) 2008. This large, nationally representative dataset provided a resource for examining potential gender differences in variables that have been linked to sleep problems and increases in BMI, as well as how each of these variables relate to several work, personal, and family life outcomes, including …


Use Of Environmental Variables To Infer Gene Flow And Population Structure In The Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus Polyphemus) And Predict The Seroprevalence Of An Emerging Infectious Disease, Rachel Wallace Clostio Aug 2010

Use Of Environmental Variables To Infer Gene Flow And Population Structure In The Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus Polyphemus) And Predict The Seroprevalence Of An Emerging Infectious Disease, Rachel Wallace Clostio

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Understanding worldwide declines in reptiles due to factors such as habitat loss and emerging infectious disease has become an increasingly important focus in conservation biology. Here, I use novel approaches from the field of landscape genetics to combine spatial genetic data with landscape data at both regional and local spatial scales to explore natural and anthropogenic landscape features that shape population structure and gene flow in a federally threatened reptile, Gopherus polyphemus. I also utilize approaches from the field of spatial epidemiology to examine the extent to which environmental variables can be used to predict the seroprevalence of an associated …


Sierra Nevada Red Fox (Vulpes Vulpes Necator): A Conservation Assessment, John D. Perrine, Lori A. Campbell, Gregory A. Green Aug 2010

Sierra Nevada Red Fox (Vulpes Vulpes Necator): A Conservation Assessment, John D. Perrine, Lori A. Campbell, Gregory A. Green

Biological Sciences

One goal of the Sierra Nevada Forest Plan Amendment (SNFPA) 2001 and 2004 Records of Decision was to protect and recover native Sierra Nevada red fox (Vulpes vulpes necator) populations in the Sierra Nevada (USDA Forest Service 2001 p. 14). To accomplish this goal, the ROD commits the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service to completing a conservation assessment for the Sierra Nevada red fox in cooperation with other federal, state, and local agencies, as well as Tribal governments. This conservation assessment synthesizes the best available scientific information and thought concerning habitat relationships, population status and trends, historical and …


Pages News, Volume 18, No. 2, August 2010, Cathy Whitlock, Willy Tinner, Louise Newman Aug 2010

Pages News, Volume 18, No. 2, August 2010, Cathy Whitlock, Willy Tinner, Louise Newman

PAGES

Contents: Inside PAGES -- PAGES calendar -- Special Section: Fire in the Earth System: A Paleoperspective -- Editorial -- Fire in the Earth System -- Science Highlights -- Recent advances in the analysis and interpretation of sediment-charcoal records -- Molecular markers in ice cores provide large-scale patterns in biomass burning -- Global patterns of biomass burning during the last glacial period -- A fire paradox in ecosystems around the Mediterranean -- Tropical fire ecology across the African continent: A paleoecological perspective -- Holocene fires in eastern Canada: Towards forest management -- Fire and climate variation in western North America -- …


A Comparative Study Of Salt Tolerance Parameters In 11 Wild Relatives Of Arabidopsis Thaliana, Francesco Orsini, Matilde Paino D'Urzo, Gunsu Inan, Sara Serra, Dong Ha Oh, Michael V. Mickelbart, Federica Consiglio, Xia Li, Jae Cheol Jeong, Dae Jin Yun, Hans J. Bohnert, Ray A. Bressan, Albino Maggio Aug 2010

A Comparative Study Of Salt Tolerance Parameters In 11 Wild Relatives Of Arabidopsis Thaliana, Francesco Orsini, Matilde Paino D'Urzo, Gunsu Inan, Sara Serra, Dong Ha Oh, Michael V. Mickelbart, Federica Consiglio, Xia Li, Jae Cheol Jeong, Dae Jin Yun, Hans J. Bohnert, Ray A. Bressan, Albino Maggio

Faculty Publications

Salinity is an abiotic stress that limits both yield and the expansion of agricultural crops to new areas. In the last 20 years our basic understanding of the mechanisms underlying plant tolerance and adaptation to saline environments has greatly improved owing to active development of advanced tools in molecular, genomics, and bioinformatics analyses. However, the full potential of investigative power has not been fully exploited, because the use of halophytes as model systems in plant salt tolerance research is largely neglected. The recent introduction of halophytic Arabidopsis-Relative Model Species (ARMS) has begun to compare and relate several unique genetic resources …


Stimulating Students’ Interest In And Curiosity About Nature Through Frequent And Brief Trips Outdoors, Joanne Claire Kornoelje Aug 2010

Stimulating Students’ Interest In And Curiosity About Nature Through Frequent And Brief Trips Outdoors, Joanne Claire Kornoelje

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This study considers whether frequent and brief trips outdoors can affect students’ interest in and curiosity about nature. Recent research shows that people - and children in specific - are not spending as much time outdoors as in previous generations. This has raised concerns that today’s children will be less likely to champion environmental issues as adults, due to their lack of connection to the environment that surrounds and supports them.

I took my five sixth-grade science classes outdoors eleven times for ten-minute field trips during the 2009-10 school year. Using inquiry-based instruction, the initial trips were focused observation. Subsequent …


Community Ecology Approaches To Amphibian Conservation, Joanna Hawley Aug 2010

Community Ecology Approaches To Amphibian Conservation, Joanna Hawley

All Theses

Amphibian declines have been observed globally for several decades and populations continue to decline in many areas today. Through an extensive literature review of amphibian `impact studies,' I evaluated the use of multiple species, multiple spatial and temporal scales in an effort to ascertain a more complete, community-wide perspective on the causes of amphibian declines as well as management and conservation implications aimed at reversing these declines. Additionally, I performed multivariate analysis of an amphibian community dataset from southern Maine, USA using a multi-species and scalar approach to identify potentially important environmental variables associated with high levels of amphibian reproductive …


Ecology: A Prerequisite For Malaria Elimination And Eradication, Heather M. Ferguson, Anna Dornhaus, Arlyne Beeche, Christian Borgemeister, Michael Gottlieb, Mir S. Mulla, John E. Gimnig, Durland Fish, Gerry F. Killeen Aug 2010

Ecology: A Prerequisite For Malaria Elimination And Eradication, Heather M. Ferguson, Anna Dornhaus, Arlyne Beeche, Christian Borgemeister, Michael Gottlieb, Mir S. Mulla, John E. Gimnig, Durland Fish, Gerry F. Killeen

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Existing front-line vector control measures, such as insecticide-treated nets and residual sprays, cannot break the transmission cycle of Plasmodium falciparum in the most intensely endemic parts of Africa and the Pacific. The goal of malaria eradication will require urgent strategic investment into understanding the ecology and evolution of the mosquito vectors that transmit malaria. Priority areas will include understanding aspects of the mosquito life cycle beyond the blood feeding processes which directly mediate malaria transmission. Global commitment to malaria eradication necessitates a corresponding longterm commitment to vector ecology.


Temporal And Spatial Assessment Of Evaporation, Transpiration, And Soil Moisture Redistribution, Brian M. Bird Aug 2010

Temporal And Spatial Assessment Of Evaporation, Transpiration, And Soil Moisture Redistribution, Brian M. Bird

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

At a native stand of creosote bush (Larrea tridentata) in North Las Vegas, a rainfall simulation study was conducted over a 12 month period from October 2005 to October 2006. Simulated rainfall occurred during the winter, spring, summer, and fall periods. Rainfall simulation systems were positioned on each of 12 plots, each containing a single creosote bush. Simulated rainfall events occurred at night with multiple short pulses designed to maximize infiltration while minimizing ponding. Yearly simulated rainfall amounts were set at 0, 15, 30 and 60 cm (replicated three times) and were approximately 0, 1.5, 3.0 and 6.0 times the …


Roosting Ecology Of Bats In A Disturbed Landscape, Joshua B. Johnson Aug 2010

Roosting Ecology Of Bats In A Disturbed Landscape, Joshua B. Johnson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In 2007 and 2008, I examined roost selection of forest-interior dwelling northern myotis (Myotis septentrionalis) maternity colonies in stands treated with prescribed fire (hereafter, fire) and in unburned (hereafter, control) stands on the Fernow Experimental Forest, West Virginia. Using radio telemetry, I tracked 36 female northern myotis to 69 roost trees; 25 in the fire treatment and 44 in the control treatment. Using logistic regression and an information-theoretic model selection approach, I determined that within the fire treatment, northern myotis maternity colonies were more likely to use cavity trees that were smaller in diameter, higher in crown class, and located …


An Exogenous Approach To Circumventing Demolition By Neglect: The Impact Of Agricultural Preservation On Historic Colonial Towns, Galen Newman Aug 2010

An Exogenous Approach To Circumventing Demolition By Neglect: The Impact Of Agricultural Preservation On Historic Colonial Towns, Galen Newman

All Dissertations

The effects of city decentralization and counter-urbanization of the American landscape have resulted in simultaneous negative impacts on both historic structures and agricultural landscapes. Rapid conversion of farmland has helped to facilitate the relocation of both populations and commercial activities in communities across the United States, leaving inner cities replete with functionless, unused, and unmaintained heritage structures. As civic core areas have become shells of their former selves, many once-vital structures have been removed while others have been abandoned and left to decay--a process known as demolition by neglect. While historic preservation efforts have attempted to salvage these historic structures, …


Detection Methods For The Genus Lysobacter And The Species Lysobacter Enzymogenes, Hu Yin Aug 2010

Detection Methods For The Genus Lysobacter And The Species Lysobacter Enzymogenes, Hu Yin

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Strains of Lysobacter enzymogenes, a bacterial species with biocontrol activity, have been detected via 16S rDNA sequences in soil in different parts of the world. In most instances, however, their occurrence could not be confirmed by isolation, presumably because the species occurred in low numbers relative to faster-growing species of Bacillus or Pseudomonas. In this study, we developed DNA-based detection and enrichment culturing methods for Lysobacter spp. and L. enzymogenes specifically. In the DNA-based method, a region of 16S rDNA conserved among Lysobacter spp. (L4: GAG CCG ACG TCG GAT TAG CTA GTT), was used as the forward …


Effect Of Nutritional Deficiency On Ruffed Grouse Condition And Reproductive Success, Aaron B. Proctor Aug 2010

Effect Of Nutritional Deficiency On Ruffed Grouse Condition And Reproductive Success, Aaron B. Proctor

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Maternal body fat condition (i.e., percent carcass fat) is often a focal point in determining reproductive success in female galliforms. Previous research has centered around habitat-related nutritional parameters affecting body condition and the influence on reproductive capacity. Past studies have shown that ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus) maintain higher mean body fat levels throughout the Appalachians and variation in body condition exceeds that found in northern grouse. In the Appalachians, ruffed grouse with diets devoid of energy-rich hard mast have lower body fat condition. It has been hypothesized that females in poorer condition will have lower productivity in the Appalachians. We …


Reproductive Senescence In The Florida Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma Coerulescens), Travis Eli Wilcoxen Jul 2010

Reproductive Senescence In The Florida Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma Coerulescens), Travis Eli Wilcoxen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Analysis of twenty years of historical reproductive data from our study population of Florida Scrub-Jays reveals a quadratic relationship between breeder age and number of fledglings produced, with the youngest and oldest birds having the lowest reproductive success. Such a decrease in reproductive performance in older birds, despite the likely benefits of increased experience, is often attributed to senescence. My dissertation research considered reproductive endocrinology, stress physiology, immunology, egg hatchability, life history trade-offs, and parental behavior. The oldest and youngest females have greater rates of hatching failure than middle-aged females. Results also indicate that circulating levels of reproductive hormones decrease …