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Multi-Scale Patch Dynamics Of Coral Communities: A Cross-Caribbean Investigation Using A Landscape Ecology Approach, Brittany Huntington

Open Access Dissertations

The overarching objective of this dissertation was to improve our knowledge of the relationship between seascape heterogeneity and diversity of stony coral assemblages across spatial scales. Coral communities on patch reefs in three regions of the Caribbean were used as a model system to investigating this relationship because patch reef heterogeneity could be readily quantified within the seascape using remote sensing and image analysis techniques. I began with a theoretical approach, exploring the origins of observed species diversity among coral communities at increasing spatial scales. Hierarchical sampling and null models revealed that coral diversity was governed by non-random processes at …

Implementation Of A Novel Continuous Fetal Doppler (Moyo) Improves Quality Of Intrapartum Fetal Heart Rate Monitoring In A Resource-Limited Tertiary Hospital In Tanzania: An Observational Study, Benjamin A. Kamala, Hege L. Ersdal, Ingvild Dalen, Muzdalfat Abeid, Matilda M. Ngarina, Jeffrey M. Perlman, Hussein Kidanto

Faculty of Health Sciences, East Africa

Background

Intrapartum Fetal Heart Rate (FHR) monitoring is crucial for the early detection of abnormal FHR, facilitating timely obstetric interventions and thus the potential reduction of adverse perinatal outcomes. We explored midwifery practices of intrapartum FHR monitoring pre and post implementation of a novel continuous automatic Doppler device (the Moyo).

Methodology

A pre/post observational study among low-risk pregnancies at a tertiary hospital was conducted from March to December 2016. In the pre-implementation period, intermittent monitoring was conducted with a Pinard stethoscope (March to June 2016, n = 1640 women). In the post-implementation period, Moyo was used for continuous FHR monitoring …

The New Hampshire, Vol. 101 [102], No. 10 [9] (Oct. 7, 2011), The New Hampshire

The New Hampshire Print Edition

An independent student produced newspaper from the University of New Hampshire. This volume was printed as 101, but it is the 102nd volume in the series. This was corrected in pencil.

This issue was printed as 10, but it is the 9th issue in this volume. This was corrected in pencil.

Tracking Large Carnivore Dispersal Using Isotopic Clues In Claws: An Application To Cougars Across The Great Plains, Viviane Hénaux, Larkin A. Powell, Keith A. Hobson, Clayton Kent Nielsen, Michelle A. Larue

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

1. Cougar (Puma concolor) populations, like other large carnivores, have increased during recent decades and may be recolonizing their former ranges in Midwestern North America. The dispersal routes taken by these animals from established populations are unknown and insight into these movements would facilitate their conservation and management.

2. We inferred the origin and migration route of four dispersing cougars using stable hydrogen (δD) and carbon (δ¹³C) isotope values along one of their claws. We compared isotopic variations within claws to regional and large-scale isoscapes of δD and δ¹³C values in prey species. Using …

Patterns In The Temporal Variability Of Temperate Reef Fishes And The Implications For Sampling Frequency In Citizen Science Monitoring Programs, Chelsea Parrish-Kuhn

SNS Master's Theses

Ecological monitoring enables our understanding of ecosystem change and is fundamental to the process of developing sound management policies. One major gap in all current California kelp forest monitoring programs is the limited frequency at which kelp forest fishes are sampled. Citizen science has been identified as a valuable tool to help meet monitoring needs in the marine environment, most recently in the California Marine Life Protection Act (1999). Because the costs of citizen science programs are mitigated by the use of volunteers, they are more able to expand their monitoring efforts to capture seasonal variations than other professional programs. …

Demasculinization And Feminization Of Male Gonads By Atrazine: Consistent Effects Across Vertebrate Classes, Krista A. Mccoy

Integrative Biology Faculty and Staff Publications

Atrazine is the most commonly detected pesticide contaminant of ground water, surface water, and precipitation. Atrazine is also an endocrine disruptor that, among other effects, alters male reproductive tissues when animals are exposed during development. Here, we apply the nine so-called “Hill criteria” (Strength, Consistency, Specificity, Temporality, Biological Gradient, Plausibility, Coherence, Experiment, and Analogy) for establishing cause–effect relationships to examine the evidence for atrazine as an endocrine disruptor that demasculinizes and feminizes the gonads of male vertebrates. We present experimental evidence that the effects of atrazine on male development are consistent across all vertebrate classes examined and we present a …

Social Goals In Urban Physical Education: Relationships With Effort And Disruptive Behavior, Alex C. Garn, Nate Mccaughtry, Bo Shen, Jeffrey J. Martin, Mariane Fahlman

Kinesiology, Health and Sport Studies

This study investigated the relationships among four distinct types of social goals, effort, and disruptive behavior in urban physical education. Social responsibility, affiliation, recognition, status goals, along with effort and disruptive behavior in physical education were reported by high school physical education students (N = 314) from three urban schools. Findings from correlation and structural equa- tion modeling analyses revealed that social responsibility goals had a positive relationship with effort and an inverse relationship with disruptive behavior. Social status goals demonstrated a positive relationship with disruptive behavior and no relationship with effort. Social recognition goal results were mixed, as …

Nitrogen Acquisition By Annual And Perennial Grass Seedlings: Testing The Roles Of Performance And Plasticity To Explain Plant Invasion, A. J. Leffler, T. A. Monaco, J. J. James

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

Differences in resource acquisition between native and exotic plants is one hypothesis to explain invasive plant success. Mechanisms include greater resource acquisition rates and greater plasticity in resource acquisition by invasive exotic species compared to non-invasive natives. We assess the support for these mechanisms by comparing nitrate acquisition and growth of invasive annual and perennial grass seedlings in western North America. Two invasive exotic grasses (Bromus tectorum and Taeniatherum caput-medusae) and three perennial native and exotic grasses (Pseudoroegneria spicata, Elymus elymoides, and Agropyron cristatum) were grown at various temperatures typical of autumn and springtime when resource are abundant and dominance …

Conservation Easements And Perpetuity: Till Legislation Do Us Part, Richard Brewer

Law and Contemporary Problems

Brewer talks about conservation easements and perpetuity. Although conservation easements have many appealing features, their drawbacks have caused some observers to see the heavy reliance on them by land trusts as a weakness with possibly serious consequences. The protection provided may be fragile or, at least, of unproven dependability.

Bird Strikes And Aircraft Fuselage Color: A Correlational Study, Esteban Fernández-Juricic, Jimmy Gaffney, Bradley F. Blackwelll, Patrice Baumhardt

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Collisions between birds and aircraft (bird strikes) pose safety risks to the public, cost airports and airlines money, and result in liability issues. Recent research suggests that aircraft visibility could be enhanced to increase detection and avoidance by birds. We questioned whether aircraft color scheme might play a role in bird-strike frequency. We used public records of bird strikes along with information on flights that were gathered by federal agencies in the United States. We estimated the bird-strike rates and compared them among airline companies using different fuselage color schemes, while controlling for aircraft type. Using an avian vision modeling …

La Etnia Y Las Cesáreas En Los Partos En El Hospital Público De Arica, Chile, Marisa Westbrook

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The principal objective of this project was to explore the relationship between ethnicity and the causes for Caesarean section in the regional public hospital in Arica, Chile. All births recorded in the maternity register (n=907) were analyzed over a 4-month period in 2011. The regional public hospital had a 27% caesarean section rate, higher than the WHO-recommended 15%. Last names were analyzed and deemed to be either of Aymara descent (n=275) or of European descent (n=632) based on criteria used from CONADI, the National Corporation for Indigenous Development. The overall rate of Caesarean section did not differ between Aymara and …

Distribution Of The American Milliped Genus Boraria Chamberlin, 1943: Introductions Of B. Stricta (Brölemann, 1896) In New York And B. Infesta (Chamberlin, 1918) In Connecticut; Indigenous Occurrence Of B. Profuga (Causey, 1955) In Louisiana (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Xystodesmidae)., Rowland M. Shelley, Chris T. Mcallister, Christopher M. Nagy, Mark E. Weckel, Roderick G. Christie, Paul Wilson, Allan Wilson

Insecta Mundi

The southern Appalachian millipeds Boraria stricta (Brölemann, 1896) and B. infesta (Chamberlin, 1918) (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Xystodesmidae) have become established in Westchester Co., New York, and Hartford Co., Connecticut, respectively. Only three individuals are available for the latter, but B. stricta has established a reproducing population in southern New York state. This species is also recorded from Bland Co., Virginia, in the Ridge and Valley Physiographic Province. Boraria profuga (Causey, 1955) comprises two allopatric populations, one in Montgomery Co., Arkansas, and the other in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana. Distributional records and gonopod drawings are presented for these species plus B. deturkiana (Causey, …

Tools For Birds’ Ecological Carrying Capacity Management At Airports, Ofer Bahat

Bird Strike Committee-USA/Canada Joint Annual Meeting: 13th (2011)

Management applications for airports

Based on previous ecological studies, it is proposed to use active management as a major tool for the reduction of carrying capacity for birds at specific ecological niches.

The management techniques should include general steps which address a variety of bird species, e.g. removal of debris (used for example as raptor hunting posts) or removal of trees (used as hunting posts, or for nesting and roosting).

In addition, species specific measures that target the ecological needs of selected species should also be implemented, in order to significantly reduce the availability of their ecological resources (e.g. prevention …

The Fecal Viral Flora Of Wild Rodents, Tung G. Phan, Beatrix Kapusinszky, Chunlin Wang, Robert K. Rose, Howard L. Lipton, Eric L. Delwart

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The frequent interactions of rodents with humans make them a common source of zoonotic infections. To obtain an initial unbiased measure of the viral diversity in the enteric tract of wild rodents we sequenced partially purified, randomly amplified viral RNA and DNA in the feces of 105 wild rodents (mouse, vole, and rat) collected in California and Virginia. We identified in decreasing frequency sequences related to the mammalian viruses families Circoviridae, Picobirnaviridae, Picornaviridae, Astroviridae, Parvoviridae, Papillomaviridae, Adenoviridae, and Coronaviridae. Seventeen small circular DNA genomes containing one or two replicase genes distantly related to the Circoviridae representing several potentially …

Review Of Living The Drama: Community, Conflict, And Culture Among Inner-City Boys. David J. Harding. Reviewed By Wilma Peebles-Wilkins., Wilma Peebles-Wilkins

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of David J. Harding. Living the Drama: Community, Conflict, and Culture among Inner-City Boys. The University of Chicago Press, 2010. $25.00, paperback.

Planned Tournament Selection, Douglas Mccorkle, Daniel Ashlock, Steven Corns, Kenneth Mark Bryden

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Tournament selection is a versatile method of selection and replacement used in evolutionary computation. Normally tournaments are chosen uniformly at random. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of planning tournaments in advance to control information flow within a population being evolved for optimization. Tests are performed on a variety of evolutionary test problems, finding that different planned tournament schemes yield significant differences in performance. the correct type of planned tournament is found to be problem dependent. in addition to a linear-function scheme for planning tournaments, this study also introduces a technique called multi-deme planned tournaments selection which permits simpler cases of …

Extreme Variation In The Sagittal Crest Of Tapirus Polkensis (Mammalia Perissodactyla) At The Gray Fossil Site Northeastern Tn., Aaron Randall Abernethy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The preservation and quantity of fossil tapirs (Tapirus polkensis) from the Gray Fossil Site in northeastern Tennessee provides a unique opportunity for comparison and analysis of skeletal characters. Intraspecifically, modern tapirs show little to no variation in the morphology of the sagittal crest. However, several different morphologies exist within the sample at Gray. No osteological evidence of sexual dimorphism exists for tapirs, and no correlation between crest shape and sex was observed. Several juveniles display well defined crests, while some adults have only minor thickening of the temporal ridges; therefore, no distinct correlation between age and crest state …

Neighborhood Disparities In Stroke And Myocardial Infarction Mortality: A Gis And Spatial Scan Statistics Approach, Ashley Pedigo, Tim Aldrich, Agricola Odoi

ETSU Faculty Works

Background: Stroke and myocardial infarction (MI) are serious public health burdens in the US. These burdens vary by geographic location with the highest mortality risks reported in the southeastern US. While these disparities have been investigated at state and county levels, little is known regarding disparities in risk at lower levels of geography, such as neighborhoods. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate spatial patterns of stroke and MI mortality risks in the East Tennessee Appalachian Region so as to identify neighborhoods with the highest risks. Methods. Stroke and MI mortality data for the period 1999-2007, obtained free …

The Genome Of The Green Anole Lizard And A Comparative Analysis With Birds And Mammals, Jessica Alföldi, Federica Di Palma, Manfred Grabherr, Christina Williams, Lesheng Kong, Evan Mauceli, Pamela Russell, Craig B. Lowe, Richard Glor, Jacob D. Jaffe, David A. Ray, Stéphane Boissinot, Andrew M. Shedlock, Christopher Botka, Todd A. Castoe, John K. Colbourne, Matthew K. Fujita, Ricardo Godinez Moreno, Boudewijn F. Ten Hallers, David Haussler, Peter Novick

Publications and Research

The evolution of the amniotic egg was one of the great evolutionary innovations in the history of life, freeing vertebrates from an obligatory connection to water and thus permitting the conquest of terrestrial environments1. Among amniotes, genome sequences are available for mammals2 and birds3–5, but not for non-avian reptiles. Here we report the genome sequence of the North American green anole lizard, Anolis carolinensis. We find that A. carolinensis microchromosomes are highly syntenic with chicken microchromosomes, yet do not exhibit the high GC and low repeat content that are characteristic of avian microchromosomes3. Also, A. carolinensis mobile elements are very …

Severe 2010 Cold-Water Event Caused Unprecedented Mortality To Corals Of The Florida Reef Tract And Reversed Previous Survivorship Patterns, Diego Lirman, Stephanie Schopmeyer, Derek Manzello, Lewis J. Gramer, William F. Precht, Frank E. Muller-Karger, Kenneth Banks, Brian Barnes, Erich Bartels, Amanda Bourque, James Byrne, Scott Donahue, Janice Duquesnel, Louis Fisher, David S. Gilliam, James C. Hendee, Meaghan E. Johnson, Kerry Maxwell, Erin Mcdevitt, Jamie Monty, Digna Rueda, Rob Ruzicka, Sara Thanner

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Background

Coral reefs are facing increasing pressure from natural and anthropogenic stressors that have already caused significant worldwide declines. In January 2010, coral reefs of Florida, United States, were impacted by an extreme cold-water anomaly that exposed corals to temperatures well below their reported thresholds (16°C), causing rapid coral mortality unprecedented in spatial extent and severity.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Reef surveys were conducted from Martin County to the Lower Florida Keys within weeks of the anomaly. The impacts recorded were catastrophic and exceeded those of any previous disturbances in the region. Coral mortality patterns were directly correlated to in-situ and satellite-derived …

In Situ Infrared Videography Of Sand Scorpion Nighttime Surface Activity, Douglas D. Gaffin

Euscorpius

Sand scorpions make burrows from which they emerge at night to seek mates and prey. Previous ecological studies have documented scorpion activities on the sand surface. Few studies, however, have videotaped scorpion movements in the context of understanding their sensory neurobiology. Our objective is to understand which signals guide scorpions as they emerge from and return to their burrows. Candidate stimuli include chemical trails, footsteps, celestial patterns, geomagnetic cues, humidity and/or temperature gradients, distinctive scents from the burrow, seismic echolocation, memory, or landmark orientation. We videotaped scorpions to learn whether they return to their burrows by the same path they …

Distributed Graduate Seminars: An Interdisciplinary Approach To Studying Land Conservation, Jessica Owley, Adena R. Rissman

Pace Environmental Law Review Online Companion

No abstract provided.

Temperature Thresholds And Degree-Day Model For Marmara Gulosa (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), M. J. O'Neal, David H. Headrick, Gregory H. Montez, E.E. Grafton-Cardwell

Horticulture and Crop Science

The developmental thresholds for Marmara gulosa Guillen & Davis (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) were investigated in the laboratory by using 17, 21, 25, 29, and 33°C. The lowest mortality occurred in cohorts exposed to 25 and 29°C. Other temperatures caused >10% mortality primarily in egg and Þrst and second instar sap-feeding larvae. Linear regression analysis approximated the lower developmental threshold at 12.2°C. High mortality and slow developmental rate at 33°C indicate the upper developmental threshold is near this temperature. The degree-day (DD) model indicated that a generation requires an accumulation of 322 DD for development from egg to adult emergence. Average daily …

Genetic Differentiation Of A Sympatric Lake-Resident/Anadromous Species Pair Of Threespine Stickleback In Mud Lake, Alaska, Cory J. Drevecky

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

The formation of new species is responsible for all the biological diversity we see on Earth. This process of speciation is not yet fully understood and is most often studied by comparing individuals of closely related species. The threespine stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus, a fish species complex found in marine and coastal freshwater environments of the northern hemisphere, has become a model species used to study speciation. Many morphological and genetically divergent forms within this complex have adapted to freshwater conditions. Studying the mechanisms that allow stickleback to adapt to freshwater conditions has provided much insight into the process of speciation. …

Addressing Biased Occurrence Data In Predicting Potential Sierra Nevada Red Fox Habitat For Survey Prioritization, Casey Cleve, John D. Perrine, Barbara Holzman, Ellen Hines

Biological Sciences

The Sierra Nevada red fox Vulpes vulpes necator is listed as a threatened species under the California Endangered Species Act. It originally occurred throughout California’s Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain regions. Its current distribution is unknown but should be determined in order to guide management actions. We used occurrence data from the only known population, in the Lassen Peak region of northern California, combined with climatic and remotely sensed variables, to predict the species’ potential distribution throughout its historic range. These model predictions can guide future surveys to locate additional fox populations. Moreover, they allow us to compare the relative …

Evaluation Of Merra Land Surface Estimates In Preparation For The Soil Moisture Active Passive Mission, Yonghong Yi, John S. Kimball, Lucas A. Jones, Rolf H. Reichle, Kyle C. Mcdonald

Numerical Terradynamic Simulation Group Publications

The authors evaluated several land surface variables from the Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) product that are important for global ecological and hydrological studies, including daily maximum (T_max) and minimum (T_min) surface air temperatures, atmosphere vapor pressure deficit (VPD), incident solar radiation (SW_rad), and surface soil moisture. The MERRA results were evaluated against in situ measurements, similar global products derived from satellite microwave [the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for Earth Observing System (EOS) (AMSR-E)] remote sensing and earlier generation atmospheric analysis [Goddard Earth Observing System version 4 (GEOS-4)] products. …

Role Of Belowground Fungal Mutualisms And Nutrient Cycling Alteration In Invasion Success Of Polygonum Cuspidatum Sieb. & Zucc. (Polygonaceae) In The Eastern United States, Gretchen Addington

All Theses

Plant species invasion is problematic around the world due to its negative effects on native plant biodiversity, ecosystem function, and ecosystem stability. Understanding the mechanisms of plant species invasion is necessary to predict new invasions and to control current problematic species. Polygonum cuspidatum Sieb. & Zucc. (Polygonaceae, Japanese Knotweed) is an invasive species found in 40 of the 50 United States and listed as a noxious species in nine states. It is known to exclude native plant communities, and its eradication is nearly impossible. The extensive negative effects associated with this species make understanding its mechanism of invasion a prerogative. …

Climate And Vegetation Change In The Newberry Mountains, Southern Clark County, Nevada, Ross Joseph Guida

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Ecological studies have shown worldwide that vegetation is being affected by climate change. Species are shifting to new elevations and physiographic positions to adapt to changes in their environment. More specifically, paleoecology studies in the Mojave Desert have shown shifting vegetation patterns in response to past warming and precipitation changes. Recent studies have shown mortality among desert plants related to extended drought and warming. However, few studies have shown how the geographic distribution of Mojave Desert species has changed during this most recent period of warming. This study addresses this gap in the literature by focusing on several plant species …

Diet And Feeding-Related Morphometrics Of The Blackstripe Topminnow, Fundulus Notatus, In Allotropic And Syntopic Populations With The Blackspotted Topminnow, Fundulus Olivaceus, Charles Michael Champagne

Master's Theses

The Fundulus notatus species complex consists of three described species: F. notatus, F. olivaceus and F. euryzonus. Both F. notatus and F. olivaceus have broad overlapping ranges with many populations being found within and outside of contact zones. Contact zones are generally found in midreaches with F. olivaceus dominating headwaters and F. notatus in larger rivers downstream. Both species share similar ecological niches so the mechanism allowing for stable coexistence in contact zones is unknown. The purpose of this study was to examine variability in diet and feeding morphology of F. notatus in syntopic and allotopic populations across …

The Decline And Conservation Status Of North American Bumble Bees, Jonathan B. Koch

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Several reports of North American bumble bee (Bombus Latreille) decline have been documented across the continent, but no study has fully assessed the geographic scope of decline. In this study I discuss the importance of Natural History Collections (NHC) in estimating historic bumble bee distributions and abundances, as well as in informing current surveys. To estimate changes in distribution and relative abundance I compare historic data assembled from a >73,000 specimen database with a contemporary 3-year survey of North American bumble bees across 382 locations in the contiguous U.S.A. Based on my results, four historically abundant bumble bees, B. …