Digital Commons Network^™

Genetic Divergence Of An Avian Endemic On The Californian Channel Islands, Amy G. Wilson, Yvonne Chan, Sabrina S. Taylor, Peter Arcese

Faculty Publications

The Californian Channel Islands are near-shore islands with high levels of endemism, but extensive habitat loss has contributed to the decline or extinction of several endemic taxa. A key parameter for understanding patterns of endemism and demography in island populations is the magnitude of inter-island dispersal. This paper estimates the extent of migration and genetic differentiation in three extant and two extinct populations of Channel Island song sparrows (Melospiza melodia graminea). Inter-island differentiation was substantial (G''ST: 0.14-0.37), with San Miguel Island having the highest genetic divergence and lowest migration rates. Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz Island populations were less diverged …

Effects Of Temperature And Water Flow On Morphology Of Astyanax Mexicanus (Teleostei: Characidae), Winer Daniel Reyes

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Most aquatic vertebrates are ectotherms. As a consequence, they are particularly susceptible to variation in environmental conditions during development, which can impact their phenotypes and survival. In fishes, vertebral morphology and body shape are particularly susceptible to changes in temperature and water flow regimes, two variables that are often correlated along altitudinal gradients in streams. This study addresses the impact of variation in these ecologically important environmental variables on the phenotype of the emerging model species Astyanax mexicanus (Teleostei: Characidae). Specifically, this study examines how variation in temperature and water flow impact vertebral number and body shape variation. Fish from …

Reflections Of The Holy Quran And The Mediterranean Diet: A Culturally Congruent Approach To Obesity?, Basil H. Aboul-Enein

Health & Wellness Department Faculty Publications and Research

BACKGROUND:

The Holy Quran is considered to be the authoritative spiritual and behavioral guide for practicing Muslims all around the world. With obesity becoming a growing public health problem in the predominantly Muslim Arab countries, culturally competent dietary and health-promoting strategies and interventions are warranted. The traditional Mediterranean-style diet (MD), which is considered among the healthiest diets, holds both a cultural and historical context within the dietary traditions of North Africa and the Middle East.

OBJECTIVE:

To conduct a narrative study of relevant passages mentioned in the Holy Quran which supports the characteristic features associated with the MD.

METHODS:

A …

Effects Of Harvest On Wolf Social Structure, Population Dynamics, And Viewing Opportunities In National Parks, Bridget Borg

Biological Sciences

Management of gray wolves (Canis lupus) in and adjacent to Denali National Park and Preserve (DNPP) is complex. Wolves that live primarily within the park, where they are protected from harvest, often range across the boundary of the park where harvest of wolves is legal. Protection of wolves within the park provides for wolf viewing opportunities along the Denali Park Road for tens of thousands of visitors annually. Additionally, there is interest in maintaining wolf harvest opportunities adjacent to the park. The objectives for wolf viewing and harvest have been perceived as in direct conflict, but quantitative analysis of the …

Understanding Place In Fisheries Management: An Examination Of Ecological And Social Communities In The Pribilof Islands, Alaska, Courtney Lyons

Fisheries

Holistic approaches toward fisheries management are widely considered a more sustainable option than standard single-species frameworks. This project uses the holistic frameworks of ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) and place-making to examine the ecological and social systems of the Pribilof Islands and the ways in which fisheries management decisions have structured these systems. In Chapter 1, we sought to understand potential ecological constraints of temperature, fish predation, and interactions with a congener (red king crab; Paralithodes camtschaticus) on blue king crab (Paralithodes platypus) recovery. These examinations suggest that blue king crab juveniles switch strategies from predator avoidance to a strategy of …

Alpine Thermal Dynamics And Associated Constraints On The Behavior Of Mountain Goats In Southeast Alaska, Jeffrey HéBert Frederick

Biological Sciences

Alpine Caprinae, including mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus), have been described to be sensitive to temperature changes within their summer range and consequently may be forced to select habitats that allow for the maintenance of a stable core temperature on warm days. Survival may be inhibited if warm ambient temperatures cause mountain goats to reduce time foraging or if too much time is spent on thermoregulatory habitat selection. I investigated mountain goat behavioral activity budgets across alpine temperature gradients in Southeast Alaska using focal animal sampling and scan sampling techniques. I tested the effects of temperature on mountain goat activity and …

Genetic Structure Of Rhizobia Associated With Chamaecrista Fasciulata, Hanna Elizabeth Dorman

Theses and Dissertations

The legume-rhizobia relationship is an important symbiosis. Studies have found variation in specificity and the functionality of symbiotic specificity can vary among plants of the same species and among rhizobia, as well as in concert with geographical variation. Here, we examined the diversity and geographic structure of rhizobia nodulating Chamaecrista fasciculata, which grows throughout the east-central U.S. and is symbiotic with Bradyrhizobium species. We investigated the association of geography and soil variables on rhizobial diversity by sampling plant nodules and soil across Mississippi and evaluated variation in rhizobia housed in different nodules of individual plants. Using nifH and truA, we …

Allelopathy In The Non-Native Macrophyte, Myriophyllum Spicatum And Its Influence On Trophic Dynamics In Aquatic Systems, Daniel J. Sullivan

Theses and Dissertations

Non-native macrophytes structurally impact aquatic assemblages, yet little is known regarding how they influence energy pathways in freshwater ecosystems. Allelopathy in Eurasian watermilfoil- Myriophyllum spicatum has been shown to target basal epiphytic organisms resulting in differences in assemblage structure of colonizing epiphyton between M. spicatum and native M. sibiricum. I conducted a growth chamber experiment to investigate the hypothesis that differences in assemblage structure of colonizing epiphyton between these two macrophytes influence trophic dynamics within aquatic systems. My data suggest M. spicatum produces higher concentrations of allelochemicals, resulting in a more diverse epiphytic assemblage compared to M. sibiricum. This could …

Effects Of Intercropping Switchgrass In Managed Pine Stands On Plant Communities And White-Tailed Deer Forage Production, Bradley Robert Wheat

Theses and Dissertations

Interest in renewable energy and governmental mandates has motivated land managers to consider cellulosic feedstocks for bioenergy. I investigated plant community response to a system including switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) as a feedstock intercropped with loblolly pine (Pinus taeda). I estimated plant species evenness, richness, and diversity and biomass production, with emphasis on white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) forages. I detected 225 species in 2,220 1-m2 quadrats, and 7,495 biomass samples (96.4 kg dry weight) from 960 quadrats. Intercropping reduced plant species diversity, total non-pine tree biomass, and biomass of deer forages during switchgrass establishment. These effects were no longer apparent at …

Modeling Tree Species Distribution And Dynamics Under A Changing Climate, Natural Disturbances, And Harvest Alternatives In The Southern United States, Zhen Sui

Theses and Dissertations

Forests in the southern United States with diverse forest ownership entities are facing threats associated with climate change and natural disturbances. This study represented the relationship between climate and species dominance, predicted future species distribution probability under a changing climate, and projected forest dynamics under ownership-based management regimes. Correlative statistics and mechanistic modeling approaches are implemented. Temporal scale includes the recent past 40 years and the future 60 years; spatial scale downscaled from southern United States to the coastal region of the northern Gulf of Mexico. In the southern United States, dominance of four major pine species experienced shifts from …

Foraminiferal Biostratigraphy And Paleoenvironments Of The Middle Eocene Deposits From The Northern Part Of The Tarcău Nappe (Eastern Carpathians, Romania), Raluca Bindiu, Sorin Filipescu

Studia UBB Geologia

Middle Eocene foraminiferal assemblages have been analyzed from three representative sections of bathyal deposits cropping out along the Brodina Valley and Voroneţ Valley in the northern part of the Tarcău Nappe (Eastern Carpathians, Romania). The foraminiferal assemblages are dominated by agglutinated species with tubular forms (Psammosiphonella cylindrica, Nothia spp., Bathysiphon sp.), globular (Saccammina spp., Psammosphaera spp.), coiled (Recurvoides spp., Reticulophragmium spp.) and flattened streptospiral (Paratrochamminoides spp., Trochamminoides spp.). Coarsely agglutinated taxa are characteristic for the “flysch – type” agglutinated foraminiferal biofacies. The depositional setting was probably upper to middle bathyal, as suggested by the …

Chateaubriand And His Influence On The Early French Romantics' Perspective On Nature, Kyra Kalina Sanchez Clapper

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

This work analyzes Chateaubriand's writings on America and compares them to Rousseau's philosophical writings on nature. In doing so, Iargue that Chateaubriand showed an exception interest in nature without human intervention - unlike Rousseau, who had an anthropomorphic approach to nature. By emphasizing Chateaubriand's nonanthropomorphic approach to nature, this paper rejects the monolithic view of FrenchRomanticism and contributes a deeper understanding of this important trend eighteenth century onwards.In order to arrive at a global picture of Chateaubriand's idea of nature, the primary source I will analyze are Chateaubriand's Atala, Voyage en Amerique, and Memoires d'outre-tombe and Rousseau's Discours sur l'origine …

How Diverse Detrital Environments Influence Nutrient Stoichiometry Between Males And Females Of The Co-Occurring Container Mosquitoes Aedes Albopictus, Ae. Aegypti, And Culex Quinquefasciatus, Donald A. Yee, Michael G. Kaufman, Nnaemeka F. Ezeakacha

Faculty Publications

Allocation patterns of carbon and nitrogen in animals are influenced by food quality and quantity, as well as by inherent metabolic and physiological constraints within organisms. Whole body stoichiometry also may vary between the sexes who differ in development rates and reproductive allocation patterns. In aquatic containers, such as tree holes and tires, detrital inputs, which vary in amounts of carbon and nitrogen, form the basis of the mosquito-dominated food web. Differences in development times and mass between male and female mosquitoes may be the result of different reproductive constraints, which could also influence patterns of nutrient allocation. We examined …

Modeling The Ecological Consequences Of Visitor Behavior In Off-Trail Areas Of Dispersed Recreation Use, Ashley L. D'Antonio

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Parks and protected areas are often created to protect important social, ecological, or cultural resources from impairment. In the United States, a large majority of these parks and protected areas are also public land where recreational activities such as hiking or scenic driving are allowed. Managers of many parks and protected areas must therefore try to protect resources while also allowing for recreation use that may put these resources at risk for damage. The field of recreation ecology is interested in understanding how recreation use in parks and protected areas can sometimes cause ecological impacts to vegetation, soil, wildlife, water, …

Effects Of Different Agricultural Management Systems On Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Diversity, Community Structure, And Ecosystem Services., Charles Bradford Gottshall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Disturbances associated with row-crop agricultural management systems include mechanical (tillage and cultivation) and chemical (fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides) inputs and are often co-occurring. Many soil microbes are sensitive to these disturbances, including arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), important plant mutualists in agricultural systems. AMF associate with many crop plants and provide direct benefits through root pathogen protection, drought resistance, nutrient acquisition and uptake, as well as contribute to ecosystem services by improving overall soil fertility. Examining how different row-crop management system disturbances affect the AMF community is important for understanding and enhancing benefits provided by these important mutualists, and key to …

Beyond Bivariate Correlations: Three-Block Partial Least Squares Illustrated With Vegetation, Soil, And Topography, Daehyun Kim, Thomas J. Dewitt, Cesar S. B. Costa, John A. Kupfer, Ryan W. Mcewan, J. Anthony Stallins

Geography Faculty Publications

Ecologists, particularly those engaged in biogeomorphic studies, often seek to connect data from three or more domains. Using three-block partial least squares regression, we present a procedure to quantify and define bi-variance and tri-variance of data blocks related to plant communities, their soil parameters, and topography. Bi-variance indicates the total amount of covariation between these three domains taken in pairs, whereas tri-variance refers to the common variance shared by all domains. We characterized relationships among three domains (plant communities, soil properties, topography) for a salt marsh, four coastal dunes, and two temperate forests spanning several regions in the world. We …

The Role Of Silver Carp In The Trophic Position And Diet Of River Otters In Illinois, Preston Feltrop

Theses

Invasive prey species pose a threat to ecosystems and can alter food web and community dynamics. Populations of silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix), recognized with bighead carp (H. nobilis) as “Asian carp,” are growing rapidly in Illinois and may make up a large fraction of available prey for river otters (Lontra canadensis) in larger waterbodies. Asian carp occupy a considerably lower trophic level than most commonly recognized otter prey. My goals were 1) to assess the influence of consuming silver carp on the trophic position of Illinois otters using stable isotopes of nitrogen (δ15N) and carbon (δ13C), and 2) to assess …

Beyond Bivariate Correlations: Three-Block Partial Least Squares Illustrated With Vegetation, Soil, And Topography, Daehyun Kim, Thomas J. Dewitt, César S. B. Costa, John A. Kupfer, Ryan W. Mcewan, J. Anthony Stallins

Biology Faculty Publications

Ecologists, particularly those engaged in biogeomorphic studies, often seek to connect data from three or more domains. Using three-block partial least squares regression, we present a procedure to quantify and define bi-variance and tri-variance of data blocks related to plant communities, their soil parameters, and topography. Bi-variance indicates the total amount of covariation between these three domains taken in pairs, whereas tri-variance refers to the common variance shared by all domains. We characterized relationships among three domains (plant communities, soil properties, topography) for a salt marsh, four coastal dunes, and two temperate forests spanning several regions in the world. We …

A Comparison Of Fish Communities In Southwestern Lake Ontario Tributaries From One Century Ago, Ben Carson

Theses

I evaluated a study performed by Albert Hazen Wright between 1902 and 1904, on the Tributaries of Lake Ontario in Monroe County, NY. I extracted data from Wright's original graphical analysis, and analyzed these data with Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA), to assess the value of these data for use as historical benchmarks for future studies on the same tributaries. Wright identified 52 species of fish within his distribution diagrams, eight of the species were rare species and were not analyzed with the CCA. Of the 44 remaining species analyzed, 37 matched very well between Wright's interpretations of his data, and …

Rural Opioid And Other Drug Use Disorder Diagnosis: Assessing Measurement Invariance And Latent Classification Of Dsm-Iv Abuse And Dependence Criteria, Billy Brooks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The rates of non-medical prescription drug use in the United States (U.S.) have increased dramatically in the last two decades, leading to a more than 300% increase in deaths from overdose, surpassing motor vehicle accidents as the leading cause of injury deaths. In rural areas, deaths from unintentional overdose have increased by more than 250% since 1999 while urban deaths have increased at a fraction of this rate. The objective of this research was to test the hypothesis that cultural, economic, and environmental factors prevalent in rural America affect the rate of substance use disorder (SUD) in that population, and …

Discovery And Delimitation: Criconematid Nematodes Of North American Grasslands, Magdalena Jean Olson

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Approximately 200 years ago, North American landscapes were dominated by vast expanses of grassland. The Great Plains, an ecologically complex and diverse ecoregion, extended from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, and from the Rocky Mountains to the border of the eastern hardwood forest in Indiana. Now the original tallgrass prairie exists in small widely dispersed remnant patches surrounded by agroecosystems. This study is an effort to characterize soil nematode diversity and population structure within those remnant patches. The plant parasitic nematode family Criconematidae serves as our indicator for nematode diversity, due to its global distribution, high abundance in natural …

Cryptic Speciation In The Acari: A Function Of Species Lifestyles Or Our Ability To Separate Species?, Anna Skoracka, Sara Magalhães, Brian G. Rector, Lechosław Kuczyński

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

There are approximately 55,000 described Acari species, accounting for almost half of all known Arachnida species, but total estimated Acari diversity is reckoned to be far greater. One important source of currently hidden Acari diversity is cryptic speciation, which poses challenges to taxonomists documenting biodiversity assessment as well as to researchers in medicine and agriculture. In this review, we revisit the subject of biodiversity in the Acari and investigate what is currently known about cryptic species within this group. Based on a thorough literature search, we show that the probability of occurrence of cryptic species is mainly related to the …

Directional Dominance On Stature And Cognition In Diverse Human Populations, Peter K. Joshi, Tonu Esko, Hannele Mattsson, Niina Eklund, Ilaria Gandin, Teresa Nutile, Anne U. Jackson, Claudia Schurmann, Albert V. Smith, Weihua Zhang, Yukinori Okada, Alena Stančáková, Jessica D. Faul, Wei Zhao, Traci M. Bartz, Maria Pina Concas, Nora Franceschini, Stefan Enroth, Veronique Vitart, Stella Trompet, Xiuqing Guo, Daniel I. Chasman, Jeffrey R. O'Connel, Tanguy Corre, Suraj S. Nongmaithem, Yuning Chen, Massimo Mangino, Daniela Ruggiero, Michela Traglia, Aliki Eleni Farmaki, Tim Kacprowski, Andrew Bjonnes, Ashley Van Der Spek

Faculty Publications

Homozygosity has long been associated with rare, often devastating, Mendelian disorders, and Darwin was one of the first to recognize that inbreeding reduces evolutionary fitness. However, the effect of the more distant parental relatedness that is common in modern human populations is less well understood. Genomic data now allow us to investigate the effects of homozygosity on traits of public health importance by observing contiguous homozygous segments (runs of homozygosity), which are inferred to be homozygous along their complete length. Given the low levels of genome-wide homozygosity prevalent in most human populations, information is required on very large numbers of …

Graduating Age At First Caesarean Delivery Of Female, Brijesh P. Singh, Shweta Dixit

Journal of Statistics Applications & Probability

The caesarean delivery is a mode of delivery appears, as an uncommon practice in present scenario in developed as well as developing societies. Also this mode of delivery of children is observed increasing over the time in both developed and developing society. Caesarean birth has increased noticeably over the last years especially in countries with high or middle income. The present study is based on analysis of data taken from National Family Health Survey-III (2005-06). Finding suggests that cubic and inverse cubic model are appropriate to graduate the age of female at marriage and at first birth in case of …

Performance-Based Tools For Assessing Functional Performance In Individuals With Mild Cognitive Impairment, Patricia Da Cunha Belchior, Melanie Holmes, Nathalie Bier, Carolina Bottari, Barbara Mazer, Alexandra Robert, Navaldeep Kaur

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: It is now recognized that individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) face subtle functional declines that can compromise performance in everyday tasks. However, it is still not clear how to capture these declines in the clinical setting. Thus, the goal of this study was to conduct a scoping review to identify performance-based tools for which the psychometric properties have been evaluated with the MCI population.

Methods: A scoping review of the scientific literature was performed with the guidance of a health science librarian in searching the MEDLINE, PsychINFO, CINAHL, and EMBASE databases from their inception until May 2014.

Results: …

Los Baños Times, Vol. 35, No. 7, College Of Development Communication, University Of The Philippines Los Baños

Los Baños Times

No abstract provided.

Feasibility And Informative Value Of Environmental Sample Collection In The National Children's Vanguard Study, Elizabeth Barksdale Boyle, Nicole C. Deziel, Bonny L. Specker, Scott Collingwood, Clifford P. Weisel, David J. Wright, Michael Dellarco

Ethel Austin Martin Program Publications

Background: Birth cohort studies provide the opportunity to advance understanding of the impact of environmental factors on childhood health and development through prospective collection of environmental samples. Methods: We evaluated the feasibility and informative value of the environmental sample collection methodology in the initial pilot phase of the National Children's Study, a planned U.S. environmental birth cohort study. Environmental samples were collected from January 2009–September 2010 at up to three home visits: pre-pregnancy (n¼306), pregnancy (n¼807), and 6-months postnatal (n¼117). Collections included air for particulate matter r2.5 mm (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide, ozone, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and carbonyls; vacuum dust …

The Nature Of Food: Indigenous Dene Foodways And Ontologies In The Era Of Climate Change, David S. Walsh

Religious Studies Faculty Publications

Climate change leading to a drastic decline in caribou populations has prompted strict hunting regulations in Canada’s Northwest Territories since 2010. The Dene, a subarctic indigenous people, have responded by turning to tradition and calling for more respectful hunting to demonstrate respectful reciprocity to the caribou, including a community-driven foodways project on caribou conservation and Dene caribou conservation which I co-facilitated in 2011. In these ways the caribou is approached as a person. Dene responses to caribou decline can best be understood by ontological theories of an expanded notion of indigenous personhood. However, I argue these theories are inadequate without …

Bactericera Cockerelli (Sulc) (Hemiptera: Triozidae): Nearly Complete Mitochondrial Genome, Single Mitochondrial Genes And Complete Mitochondrial Genome Comparison, And Insecticide Resistance Genes Of Potato Psyllid Populations From North America, Amalia Rosa Lopez Montiel

Biology Theses

The potato psyllid, Bactericera cockerelli (Sulc.), is an economic pest of potatoes and other solanaceous crops, and the vector of the causal agent of zebra chip disease. The expanded distribution of the potato psyllid has resulted in the differentiation of biotypes (central and western), and haplotypes (southwestern and northwestern), according to analysis of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome oxidase I (COI). In this study, the nearly complete (part of the control region unsequenced) mitochondrial genome from potato psyllid populations occurring in North America: Texas, Nebraska, California, Washington, northwest (Washington) and southwest (Arizona), were sequenced using next generation sequencing technology. The raw …

Ethics And Pope Francis’S Encyclical Letter Laudato Si: A Teaching Module, David E. Decosse, Brian Patrick Green

Staff Publications and Research

This open-source teaching module consists of: 1. This Teaching Note for the instructor provides background on the Encyclical and specific discussion questions which the instructor can use to guide discussion in class. After each discussion question, this note identifies key points students or the instructor should make during the discussion. The teaching note concludes with “A Summary the Instructor May Use to Conclude Discussion.” 2. “Excerpts from Laudato Si for Discussion in Class,” is a separate document to be read by students before class. It can be reproduced and handed out, or sent electronically to students. It consists of a …