Life Sciences Commons^™

A Comparison Of The Dermal Swab And Waterborne Methods For Measuring Corticosterone Levels In Amphibians For Use In Wetland Condition Assessments, Andrew W. Sisson, Andrea Darracq, J.B. Moon

Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Wetlands are some of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the world but

have been declining in condition across the United States for decades.

Methods such as the National Wetland Condition Assessment, which

focuses on foliage health, nutrient enrichment, chemical contamination,

and surrounding land usage, are used to catalog the condition of those

wetlands that remain. It is unknown if and how these current measures

of condition related to the physiological responses of the organisms that

inhabit these systems. Amphibians can serve as a model organism for

assessing the linkage between organismal health and wetland condition

due to their high species …

Using Bioenergetics To Model The Effects Of Climate Change On Bluntnose Minnows Pimephales Notatus In A Western Kentucky Stream, Christian Slone, Christian Slone

Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Bioenergetics considers a variety of factors like consumption, excretion, and metabolism to quantify the energy use of an organism. A common use of bioenergetics modeling is to help solve fish stock problems. This project looks to develop a bioenergetics model for Bluntnose Minnows Pimephales notatus to help predict effects of climate change on the biodiversity of western Kentucky streams. We used R and NetLogo to create an agent-based bioenergetics model to simulate the size distribution of Bluntnose Minnows under various temperature regimes. Bluntnose Minnow metabolism increases, and consumption decreases with an increase in water temperature. Fish growth seems to be …

The Reconstruction Of Hatchery Creek: Effects On Macroinvertebrate And Fish Community Dynamics, Patrick Vrablik

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Hatchery Creek is a restored stream in Jamestown, KY that drains Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery. The previous degraded channel of Hatchery Creek caused large sediment plumes in the Lower Cumberland River and was restored to decrease sediment loss and provide the opportunity for a self-sustaining trout population. I predicted that the increased amount of habitat would increase taxa richness, abundance and biomass of macroinvertebrates. Macroinvertebrates were monitored in three periods; the degraded period, a one-year recovery period, and a restored period using surber and kicknet samples in order to determine biomass, abundance, diversity, taxa richness, and macroinvertebrate biotic index. …

Males Of The Wolf Spider Rabidosa Rabida Use Two Mechanisms To Stun Females During Copulation, Daniel Schoenberg

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

The differences in energetic input between the sexes required to produce gametes translates to the differences in reproductive behavior and overall mating systems seen in a species. Females generally produce a few energetically and resource expensive eggs and typically choose a high-quality suitor to ensure she has high quality offspring. In contrast, males produce abundant energetically cheap sperm and attempt to fertilize as many eggs as possible in as many females as possible. Both sexes are trying to maximize their inclusive fitness, but the dichotomy of interests can lead to sexual conflict and perhaps extreme or unusual behaviors such as …

Monitoring Relationships Between Corticosterone And Snake Fungal Disease In Timber Rattlesnakes (Crotalus Horridus) In Western Kentucky, John Bromley Hewlett

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Over the past four decades, emergent fungal diseases have been the most devastating relative to species declines and extinctions. While most research has focused on fungal diseases affecting amphibians and bats, less has focused on diseases like snake fungal disease (SFD), caused by Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola (Oo). SFD was first described in 2006 in North America within a Timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) population in New Hampshire. Since then SFD has been documented in 19 US states, one US territory (Puerto Rico), and Europe. SFD causes high mortality in some species, including the Eastern Massasauga rattlesnakes (Sistrurus …

Characterizing The Host Usage And Development Of Ormia Lineifrons (Diptera: Tachinidae), Kyler J. Rogers

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Insect communication systems are strongly driven by the evolution of signals or signal preferences. These systems rely on a signaler to truthfully emit signals for receivers to interpret. Often, these signals are conspicuously broadcasted. Conspicuous signals involved in animal communication are intended to attract mates, however, these signals are often exploited by eavesdroppers. Thus, many communication systems experience natural selection and sexual selection acting in opposite directions. New adaptations can arise in response to selective pressures, such as eavesdroppers, leading to co-evolving systems between eavesdroppers and hosts, for example. Understanding these systems can provide valuable insight into how unintended receivers …