Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Institution
-
- University of Tennessee, Knoxville (63)
- University of Massachusetts Amherst (36)
- Western University (28)
- Cal Poly Humboldt (25)
- City University of New York (CUNY) (22)
-
- University of Montana (22)
- California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (21)
- Georgia Southern University (21)
- Marshall University (21)
- The University of Maine (21)
- Virginia Commonwealth University (18)
- The University of Southern Mississippi (16)
- Boise State University (14)
- University of New Mexico (14)
- Central Washington University (13)
- Louisiana State University (13)
- University of New Orleans (13)
- East Tennessee State University (12)
- Michigan Technological University (12)
- University of South Florida (12)
- Claremont Colleges (9)
- James Madison University (9)
- University of Arkansas, Fayetteville (9)
- University of Denver (9)
- University of Louisville (9)
- University of North Florida (9)
- Mississippi State University (8)
- California State University, San Bernardino (7)
- Missouri State University (7)
- State University of New York College at Buffalo - Buffalo State College (7)
- Keyword
-
- Ecology (37)
- Climate change (31)
- Conservation (24)
- Evolution (20)
- Biodiversity (15)
-
- Diversity (12)
- Management (12)
- Restoration (12)
- Invasive species (11)
- Behavior (9)
- Biological Sciences (9)
- Birds (9)
- Community ecology (9)
- Microbiome (9)
- Migration (9)
- Predation (9)
- Academic -- UNF -- Master of Science in Biology; Dissertations (8)
- Biogeography (8)
- Diet (8)
- Disturbance (8)
- Thesis; University of North Florida; UNF; Dissertations (8)
- Climate Change (7)
- Competition (7)
- Fire (7)
- Habitat selection (7)
- Bacteria (6)
- Bats (6)
- Biology (6)
- California (6)
- Distribution (6)
- Publication Year
- Publication
-
- Electronic Theses and Dissertations (75)
- Doctoral Dissertations (56)
- Masters Theses (41)
- Theses and Dissertations (35)
- Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository (28)
-
- Master's Theses (27)
- Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects (24)
- Theses, Dissertations and Capstones (21)
- Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers (18)
- Boise State University Theses and Dissertations (14)
- University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations (13)
- Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports (12)
- USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations (12)
- Biology ETDs (11)
- Dissertations (11)
- All Master's Theses (10)
- Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects (9)
- Honors Theses (9)
- UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations (9)
- Biology Theses (8)
- LSU Master's Theses (8)
- Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects (7)
- Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations (7)
- Honors College Theses (7)
- MSU Graduate Theses (7)
- Theses (7)
- Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive) (7)
- Dissertations and Theses (6)
- Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses (5)
- Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (5)
Articles 1 - 30 of 654
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Prescribed Fire Effects On Microbial Communities And Functions In Managed Ecosystems, Viet Dao
Prescribed Fire Effects On Microbial Communities And Functions In Managed Ecosystems, Viet Dao
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
Microbes (both fungi and bacteria) serve important ecosystem functional roles in nutrient cycling and decomposition, which affect ecosystem response following disturbances such as prescribed fire. A multitude of abiotic and biotic factors influence microbial community compositions, which then drive microbial ecosystem functions. The factors driving microbial communities further change due to fire disturbances and progression with time. Although prescribed fire is commonly used as a technique for ecosystem management, the effects of fire on microbial communities or their functions are simply understudied. Ecosystem management decisions tend to focus on plant and ecosystem post-fire responses. Thus, incorporation of fire effects on …
Literature Review Nature-Based Art Therapy Exploring Connections And Relationships, Janell Lopez-Curtis
Literature Review Nature-Based Art Therapy Exploring Connections And Relationships, Janell Lopez-Curtis
Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses
Art therapy is a modality used in clinical psychotherapy. It is supported through both quantitative and qualitative research. Branching out from art therapy is nature-based art therapy. This branch of expressive therapies holds the potential to be beneficial as art therapy due to the interconnected access to the scientific fields of ecology, ecopsychology, art therapy, expressive therapies, and other nature-based therapeutic activities; this includes intersectionality in ecological theories such as ecofeminism and deep ecology as well. Through an exploration of literature, this paper will provide definitions and theory-based support through reviewing clinical psychotherapy, evidence-based practices, and art therapy theories. The …
Estimation Of Probability Of Habitat Use Of Roosevelt Elk On The Olympic Peninsula, Vincent Michael Gugliotti
Estimation Of Probability Of Habitat Use Of Roosevelt Elk On The Olympic Peninsula, Vincent Michael Gugliotti
Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts
Estimating the probability of habitat use for a particular species is crucial to the direct management and conservation of that species. Without knowledge of habitat preferences, managers cannot effectively focus efforts on vital resources or landscape types. However, modelling probability of habitat use can be done in several ways which leaves room for variation and uncertainty in the estimates produced by each method. This study is an examination of the variation between two estimates of probability of habitat use while focusing on a particular subspecies of elk that inhabits a unique ecosystem relative to other elk subspecies. I modeled elk …
Interactive Effects Of Sublethal Concentrations Of Fracking Biocides And Abandoned Mine Drainage On Amphipod Behavior, Kelly Lenhart
Interactive Effects Of Sublethal Concentrations Of Fracking Biocides And Abandoned Mine Drainage On Amphipod Behavior, Kelly Lenhart
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This thesis examined the sublethal effects of three pollutants, namely glutaraldehyde, 4,4-dimethyloxazolidine (DMO), and abandoned mine drainage (AMD), on amphipods. The primary objective was to investigate their combined effects on amphipods. The three pollutants, despite having the potential to combine in the environment, have not been studied to determine their potential for detrimental interactive effects which could result in unexpected environmental damage.
The research employed a series of experimental setups involving controlled exposure of amphipods to varying, putatively sublethal, concentrations of the chemicals of interest. Subsequently, effects were assessed via both behavioral and feeding assessments. To facilitate this analysis, novel …
Regeneration Response To Salvage Logging Following Tornado Disturbance, Colby K. Bosley-Smith
Regeneration Response To Salvage Logging Following Tornado Disturbance, Colby K. Bosley-Smith
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
In an era of increasing natural disturbances, successful tree regeneration has grown more difficult to achieve. Salvage logging, a common management response to disturbance, may further impede regeneration success, although published literature currently remains inconclusive. In 2013, a rare tornado in northcentral Maine, USA, and subsequent salvage operation created three clear ‘treatments’ for evaluation of post-disturbance regeneration: blowdown, blowdown followed by salvage logging and an undisturbed control. In the summers of 2022 and 2023, (nine and ten) years post-tornado, we revisited this site to examine regeneration outcomes.
During the summer of 2022, we evaluated stand structure and regeneration success of …
Assessing The Role Of The Microbiome, Parasite Infections, And Movement In Avian Health, Olivia N. Choi
Assessing The Role Of The Microbiome, Parasite Infections, And Movement In Avian Health, Olivia N. Choi
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Avian health encompasses the physical, physiological, and behavioral well-being of birds. Assessing avian health is not only important for the conservation and management of wild birds and the recreational economy, but also for the management of infectious diseases that threaten public health and agriculture. Birds, comprising approximately 10,000 species and an estimated 50 billion individuals worldwide, are known to be involved in the spread of pathogens, some of which are zoonotic (from animals to humans), such as avian influenza and West Nile viruses. Individual measures of avian health may include physical measurements (e.g., body mass, wing length), pathogen infection status, …
Freezing Tolerance Of Herbaceous Legumes Within Southwestern Ontario: Evidence Of Disproportionate Freezing Sensitivity, Samuel L. Rycroft
Freezing Tolerance Of Herbaceous Legumes Within Southwestern Ontario: Evidence Of Disproportionate Freezing Sensitivity, Samuel L. Rycroft
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Legumes (Fabaceae) represent a diverse and ecologically significant plant taxon; most described legumes form mutualisms with diazotrophic rhizobia, potentially fixing substantial quantities of nitrogen within habitats where they are well-established. Stressors causing lethal or sub-lethal impacts in legumes or rhizobial symbionts may therefore impact the nitrogen dynamics of such habitats. In recent decades, variability of winter temperatures, precipitation, and soil freeze-thaw cycling has increased in temperate regions. Without adequate snow cover to insulate roots and shoot bases, herbaceous plants will likely be exposed to more frequent or severe freezing. In southwestern Ontario, a pattern of disproportionate freezing sensitivity relative to …
Germination Trends Of American Chaffseed, Schwalbea Americana L., And Factors Affecting First-Year Seedling Development, Trenton Miller
Germination Trends Of American Chaffseed, Schwalbea Americana L., And Factors Affecting First-Year Seedling Development, Trenton Miller
All Theses
Following centuries of exploitation and fire suppression, longleaf pine systems are now the focus of many conservation efforts. Efforts to restore populations of Schwalbea americana L. in longleaf pine savannas have been met with frustratingly low recruitment. While past studies have briefly quantified germination rates for Schwalbea, there have not been any studies yet that truly investigate this plant’s germination requirements. Additionally, there has been little research into characterizing the parasitic relationship between Schwalbea and its various host species. We conducted a germination study in a growth chamber that investigated Schwalbea’s germination rate and time to germinates as …
Effect Of Plant Genotype On Plant-Microbe Interactions And Multi-Generation Ecosystem Selection Of Microbial Communities Associated With Plant Biomass In Arabidopsis Thaliana, Nachiket Shankar
Graduate Doctoral Dissertations
The microbiome's role in shaping host phenotypes is a critical area of investigation, with implications for ecology, evolution, and host health. Dynamic plant-microbe interactions are influenced by factors like soil type, environment, and genotype. Understanding their impact on microbial communities is key for tailored plant benefits. An artificial ecosystem selection experiment was done for eight generations with Arabidopsis thaliana Ler and Cvi. This revealed distinct microbial communities shaped by genotypes and biomass treatments. Initially, environment dominated, but over time, genotype and biomass gained influence, explaining ~40% of the variation. Moreover, genotype-specific rhizobacterial associations were observed, enhancing understanding of community dynamics …
Incorporating Biodiversity-Ecosystem Function Relationships Into Models And Conservation Planning, Sarah R. Weiskopf
Incorporating Biodiversity-Ecosystem Function Relationships Into Models And Conservation Planning, Sarah R. Weiskopf
Doctoral Dissertations
Unsustainable use of nature and climate change are leading to unprecedented biodiversity declines. These declines have cascading impacts on ecosystem function and ecosystem services, and ultimately on human well-being. International agreements have been adopted that aim to address both crises. The Paris Agreement, adopted in 2015, set global emission reductions targets. In 2022, most countries agreed to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). The GBF sets 23 ambitious targets for 2030 ranging from reducing threats to biodiversity, meeting people’s needs through sustainable use and benefit sharing, and solutions for implementation. Although adopting global goals and targets is an important first …
Climate Change Attitudes Of United States Family Forest Owners And Their Influence On Forest Management Practices, Logan Miller
Climate Change Attitudes Of United States Family Forest Owners And Their Influence On Forest Management Practices, Logan Miller
Masters Theses
Understanding family forest owners’ (FFOs’) attitudes and behaviors towards climate change will allow for more sustainable forest management practices to be implemented, helping to combat climate change and its impacts. The goals for this research are (1) to begin measuring U.S. FFO attitudes toward climate change, (2) to determine what factors impact these attitudes, and (3) to determine how they influence the FFO’s management practices using the Responsible Environmental Behavior (REB) framework (Hines et al. 1987). Chapter 1 explores the different facets of my thesis project focusing on forests and forests’ ecosystem services, forest ownership in the United States, and …
Effects Of A Major Hurricane On Dynamics, Structure, And Composition Of Mississippi River Delta Forests, Lance C. Umlang
Effects Of A Major Hurricane On Dynamics, Structure, And Composition Of Mississippi River Delta Forests, Lance C. Umlang
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
Tropical cyclones recurrently influence coastal forests worldwide. Tree survival (resistance) and post-cyclone recruitment (resilience) can vary with cyclone intensity, producing differences in composition, arboreal structure, and dynamics among affected forests. Studies of tropical cyclone wind effects on coastal forests typically emphasize damage more than post-cyclone responses. We hypothesized that intense cyclones might produce large, stratum-dependent effects that prevent affected forests from returning to pre-storm conditions. We explored direct effects of major Hurricane Katrina and post-hurricane changes in oak-dominated bottomland and cypress/tupelo-dominated swamp forests within the inactive portion of the Mississippi River deltaic plain. Overall mortality was high (14-25%) but concentrated …
Timing Is Everything: Climate Change Implications For Phenological Events And Reproductive Success In River Herring, Meghna N. Marjadi
Timing Is Everything: Climate Change Implications For Phenological Events And Reproductive Success In River Herring, Meghna N. Marjadi
Doctoral Dissertations
Anadromous river herring (alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) and blueback herring (Alosa aestivalis)) make annual spring spawning migrations from the ocean to freshwater, where juveniles reside before emigrating to the ocean. Climate change may alter environmental and biological cues that prompt both adult migration and juvenile emigration, with implications for adult spawning success and offspring survival for these imperiled species. Shifts in adult migration have been observed in some rivers, while impacts on reproductive success and juvenile survival remain unknown. Cues for juvenile emigration are poorly understood as they have been explored at limited spatial and temporal scales. …
Investigation Of Orthohantavirus Genetics In Rodent Reservoirs And Clinical Samples, Samuel M Goodfellow
Investigation Of Orthohantavirus Genetics In Rodent Reservoirs And Clinical Samples, Samuel M Goodfellow
Biomedical Sciences ETDs
Orthohantaviruses are negative-sense, single stranded RNA viruses with trisegmented genomes that can cause severe disease in humans and are carried by several host reservoirs throughout the world. In the United States, Sin Nombre orthohantavirus (SNV) is the primary cause of hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS) with a fatality rate of ~36% and the highest cases occuring in the southwest region. The primary SNV host reservoir is thought to be the western deer mouse, Peromyscus maniculatus, however it has been shown that other rodents can carry different orthohantaviruses. We designed a pan-orthohantavirus detection tool to survey several small mammal populations throughout New …
Resolving The Paradox Of Polyploidy: Underexplored Facets Of Polyploid Plants, Benjamin Gerstner
Resolving The Paradox Of Polyploidy: Underexplored Facets Of Polyploid Plants, Benjamin Gerstner
Biology ETDs
Polyploidy, or whole genome duplication, is a common phenomenon in plants, but the establishment and persistence of mixed-ploidy populations remains a paradox. This dissertation explores factors that contribute to the persistence and establishment of mixed-ploidy populations in nature. The first chapter investigates the role of unreduced gametes in neopolyploid establishment and finds that variability in their formation rate can have a significant impact on polyploid establishment and persistence. The second chapter searches for evidence of soil microbes exhibiting ploidy-specificity, a pre-condition for microbe-mediated niche differentiation, a possible stabilizing mechanism contributing to ploidy coexistence. Finally, the third chapter tests for microbe-mediated …
Assessing Ecological Relationships Among Late Triassic Vertebrates In Petrified Forest National Park, Alexandra Davis Apgar
Assessing Ecological Relationships Among Late Triassic Vertebrates In Petrified Forest National Park, Alexandra Davis Apgar
Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs
The complex vertebrate ecosystem of the Late Triassic has not yet been fully understood, largely due to oversimplification of hypothesized trophic hierarchies and limited preservation of direct evidence of faunal interaction. Paleocommunity reconstruction attempts can also fall victim to taphonomic biases, time-averaging inaccuracies, and non-analogue paleoecologies. Utilizing a combination of PAIRS analysis and NMDS ordination, we highlight vertebrate faunal relationships within the Adamanian and Revueltian faunachrons of Petrified Forest National Park, assess the likelihood that these patterns have ecological rather than preservational drivers, and examine how these potential interactions may have been impacted by the Adamanian-Revueltian turnover event. We are …
The Impact Of Road Crossings On Karst Headwater Streams In Northwest Arkansas, Anthony M. Zenga
The Impact Of Road Crossings On Karst Headwater Streams In Northwest Arkansas, Anthony M. Zenga
ATU Theses and Dissertations 2021 - Present
The karst region of NW Arkansas is home to many headwater endemic Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN). This includes many species of darters, such as Etheostoma cragini, E. microperca, and E. mihileze, as well as crayfish such as Faxonious meeki brevis and F. nana. NW Arkansas is rapidly urbanizing, increasing the need to construct structures like culverts, bridges, and fords. These man-made road crossings can cause stream habitat degradation and fragmentation, as well as impair overall stream connectivity. To evaluate the impact that road crossings have on aquatic SGCN species and their habitat, 30 headwater streams were sampled throughout …
Characterization Of Antimicrobial Properties Of Excrement And Functional Microbiome Of Black Vultures (Coragyps Atratus), Bridgette Gray
Characterization Of Antimicrobial Properties Of Excrement And Functional Microbiome Of Black Vultures (Coragyps Atratus), Bridgette Gray
Theses
Black vultures, Coragyps atratus, are obligate scavenging birds that consume and dispose of decaying carcasses and carrion. They fulfill a key ecological niche in the environments in which they live. It has been observed that these vultures sometimes excrete bodily waste onto their legs. This adaptive behavior could help aid them in controlling bacteria and other microbes they encounter while stepping into a carcass to eat. This study directly examined the antimicrobial properties of the excrement of black vultures across various bacterial species utilizing a zone of inhibition test and a nematode species utilizing a survival assay. The black vulture …
Hydric Physiology Of Lizards, Savannah Weaver
Hydric Physiology Of Lizards, Savannah Weaver
Master's Theses
Chapter 1: Animals can respond to extreme climate by behaviorally avoiding it, or by physiologically coping with it. We understand behavioral thermoregulation and physiological thermal tolerances, but water balance has largely been neglected. Climate change includes both global warming and changes in precipitation regimes, so improving our understanding of organismal water balance is increasingly urgent. We assessed the hydric physiology of endangered Blunt-nosed Leopard Lizards (Gambelia sila) by measuring cutaneous evaporative water loss (CEWL), plasma osmolality, body mass, and body condition throughout their active season. On average, G. sila had low CEWL that is likely desert-adaptive, and high …
The Response Of An Avian Community To Intercropping And Forest Management Practices In A Private Working Pine Forest, Rebecca Doyne Bracken
The Response Of An Avian Community To Intercropping And Forest Management Practices In A Private Working Pine Forest, Rebecca Doyne Bracken
Theses and Dissertations
Within managed pine forest systems, a plethora of bird species exist throughout the lifecycle of a stand akin to what may be experienced through post-disturbance regeneration in a natural forest system. I sought to address how breeding avian communities shift across time in response to stand aging and forest management, evaluate species-specific responses to stand conditions, investigate the responses of at-risk avian species to forest management, and determine avian non-breeding, over-wintering presence in a managed loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) forest. I conducted breeding bird point count and vegetation surveys within five stands of privately owned and managed pine forest in …
An Argument For The Utilization Of Amphibian Stress As An Indicator Of Wetland Condition, Andrew W. Sisson
An Argument For The Utilization Of Amphibian Stress As An Indicator Of Wetland Condition, Andrew W. Sisson
Honors College Theses
Traditional forms of rapid wetland condition assessments focus on foliage health, nutrient enrichment, chemical contamination, and surrounding land usage, often overlooking an evaluation of the animals living in the wetland. More intense assessments include the National Wetland Condition Assessment (NWCA) and indices of biotic integrity, which focus on community composition (e.g., diversity and species richness) and abundances. These indices require expertise in species identification and do not provide information about the animal’s fitness. Animal stress physiology, which generally correlates with measures used to quantify animal fitness (e.g., survival, reproduction, and body condition), may provide a complementary rapid assessment method aimed …
Optimizing Strategies To Hydraulically Plant Atlantic Salmon Eggs Based On Fry Dispersal Patterns, Ernest J. Atkinson
Optimizing Strategies To Hydraulically Plant Atlantic Salmon Eggs Based On Fry Dispersal Patterns, Ernest J. Atkinson
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The Gulf of Maine Distinct Population Segment of Atlantic Salmon has suffered from habitat loss and exploitation over the last century. Hatchery supplementation has prevented the extirpation of the species, but stocking methods represent tradeoffs between survival, domestication, and logistics. Egg planting, the use of eyed embryos, maximizes natural rearing opportunities which can be important for adaptation. This method, however, is logistically demanding and requires significant labor over large spatial, but short temporal, scales dictated by the ontogeny of the fish. However, the survival and dispersal behavior of Atlantic Salmon fry immediately after emergence from eggs planted in artificial nests …
Science, Community, And Culture: A Holistic Approach To Ecological Research And Education, Laura Whipple
Science, Community, And Culture: A Holistic Approach To Ecological Research And Education, Laura Whipple
All NMU Master's Theses
Global biodiversity has declined at an alarming rate over the past century as a result of many complex human-induced environmental changes. Standardized surveys have historically been used to identify drivers of species declines, but such studies are often resource-intensive, resulting in significant spatial and temporal data gaps when researchers lack the resources necessary to maintain such studies. One promising solution for overcoming gaps in standardized studies is the integration of species observations by community members (e.g., community science). Along with improving modeling techniques to address biodiversity declines, the education of future ecologists on the importance of Indigenous ecological knowledge, robust …
An Ecological Perspective Of American Rodent-Borne Orthohantavirus Surveillance, Nathaniel Mull
An Ecological Perspective Of American Rodent-Borne Orthohantavirus Surveillance, Nathaniel Mull
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Orthohantaviruses are a global group of viruses found primarily in rodents, though several viruses have also been found in shrews and moles. Many rodent-borne orthohantaviruses are capable of causing one of several diseases in humans, and the mortality associated with these diseases ranges from < 0.1% - 50% depending on the specific etiological virus. In North and South America, orthohantavirus research was ignited by an outbreak of severe disease in the Four Corners region of the United States in 1993. However, despite the discovery of over 20 orthohantaviruses in the Americas, our understanding of orthohantavirus ecology and virus-host dynamics in this region is still limited, and orthohantavirus surveillance is generally restricted in scope to select regions and small portions of host distributional ranges. In Chapter I, I present a literature review on the current understanding of American rodent-borne orthohantavirus ecology. This review focused on under-studied orthohantaviruses, addressing gaps in knowledge by extrapolating information from well-studied orthohantaviruses, general rodent ecology, and occassionally from Eurasian orthohantavirus-host ecology. There were several key conclusions generated from this review that warrant further research: 1) the large number of putative orthohantaviruses and gaps in orthohantavirus evolution necessitate further surveillance and characterization, 2) orthohantavirus traits differ and are more generalizable based on host taxonomy rather than geography, and 3) orthohantavirus host species are disproportionately found in grasslands and disturbed habitats. In Chapter II, I present a prioritized list of rodent species to target for orthohantavirus surveillance based on predictive modeling using machine learning. Probable orthohantavirus hosts were predicted based on traits of known orthohantavirus hosts using two different types of evidence: RT-PCR and virus isolation. Predicted host distributions were also mapped to identify geographic hotspots to spatially guide future surveillance efforts. In Chapter III, I present a framework for understanding and predicting orthohantavirus traits based on reservoir host phylogeny, as opposed to the traditional geographic dichotomy used to group orthohantaviruses. This framework establishes three distinct orthohantavirus groups: murid-borne orthohantaviruses, arvicoline-borne orthohantaviruses, and non-arvicoline cricetid-borne orthohantaviruses, which differ in several key traits, including the human disease they cause, transmission routes, and virus-host fidelity. In Chapter IV, I compare rodent communities and orthohantavirus prevalence among grassland management regimes. Sites that were periodically burned had high rodent diversity and a high proportion of grassland species. However, rodent seroprevalence for orthohantavirus was also highest in burned sites, representing a trade-off in habitat management outcomes. The high seroprevalence in burned sites is likely due to the robust populations supported by the high quality habitat resulting from prescribed burning. In Chapters V and VI, I describe Ozark virus and Sager Creek virus, two novel orthohantaviruses discovered from specimens collected during Chapter IV. Both chapters report full genome sequences of the respective viruses and compare both nucleotide and protein phylogenies with related orthohantaviruses. Additionally in Chapter VI, I support the genetic analyses with molecular and ecological characterizations, including seasonal fluctuations in host abundance, correlates of prevalence, evidence of virus shedding, and information on host cell susceptibility to Sager Creek virus.
Exploring A Potential Bias In Detection Of Mesopredators By Cameras, Rylee Gibson
Exploring A Potential Bias In Detection Of Mesopredators By Cameras, Rylee Gibson
Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses
Mesopredators, such as the raccoon (Procyon locor), Virginia opossum (Didpelphis virginiana), and striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis) play crucial ecological roles as predators, prey, and disease vectors across much of the United States. Because of their importance and the way that populations of these mesopredators can dramatically increase due to human-subsidized resources, it is imperative that studies attempting to quantify mesopredator community composition are accurate and unbiased. However, it has recently been suggested that not all mammals trigger motion-activated wildlife game cameras at the same rate and for some species detection probability may be biased. My goals for this thesis were …
Brown People, Green Spaces: Colonial Imaginaries And The Whiteness Of Nature, Jeffrey Michael Desalu
Brown People, Green Spaces: Colonial Imaginaries And The Whiteness Of Nature, Jeffrey Michael Desalu
Masters Theses
For several years, conversations about the absence of racial and ethnic diversity in ecology and evolutionary biology (EEB) and the conservation movement have been growing in scope. Critics argue that the overwhelmingly white demography of EEB departments and conservation organizations deprive both of a necessary diversity of perspective and, more importantly, deprive people of color and other minoritized groups of a voice in the study of and advocacy for their lived environments. Here, I situate the current conversations in historical context, arguing that the current lack of diversity is in part a reflection of the material and ideological bases for …
An Integrative Approach To Modelling Human-Wildlife Coexistence Landscapes In The Northern Great Plains, Keifer Titus
An Integrative Approach To Modelling Human-Wildlife Coexistence Landscapes In The Northern Great Plains, Keifer Titus
All Dissertations
Restoring wildlife populations in a human dominated world requires a deep understanding of the ecological conditions required for species persistence as well as the human social factors that influence restoration outcomes. Until recently, the majority of prior research has focused on understanding the ecological conditions and human social processes that contribution to wildlife restoration success separately, and often assign a higher value to ecological factors. I studied the human dimensions surrounding ongoing wildlife restoration efforts in the Northern Great Plains (NGP) of Montana to better understand how human social factors can affect and inform restoration efforts for a variety of …
Exploring Host-Parasite Interactions In The Euhaplorchis Californiensis-Fundulus Parvipinnis System, Bennett J. Perry
Exploring Host-Parasite Interactions In The Euhaplorchis Californiensis-Fundulus Parvipinnis System, Bennett J. Perry
All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations
Parasites with complex life-cycles may alter their intermediate host’s phenotype to increase the chance of successful transmission to their next host. This parasite-induced host modification often occurs in the form of behavioral changes, such as increased frequency of irregular locomotor behaviors (e.g., conspicuous behaviors), particularly in systems where the parasite is transmitted trophically through a predation event. However, most empirical evidence of host behavioral modification by parasites comes from a few model host-parasite systems and are frequently studied following a stressor (e.g., simulated predator attack). One host species studied is the California killifish Fundulus parvipinnis, which is infected by …
The Bellarmine Bee Bed: Organizing A Native Plant Garden Using Feedback From The Local Community, Kate Moran
The Bellarmine Bee Bed: Organizing A Native Plant Garden Using Feedback From The Local Community, Kate Moran
Undergraduate Theses
Animal pollinators are the cornerstone of healthy ecosystems. Their survival is essential for the persistence of entire food chains: from the flowers they cross-pollinate directly, to the animals who depend on those plants for nutrition. The establishment of pollinator gardens—particularly ones that consist of native plants—is an effective way to enhance their biodiversity, abundance, and well-being.
The main goal of this thesis is to construct a pollinator garden that maximizes the benefits for animal pollinators using feedback from local gardeners. A survey was used to gather information about the popularity and preferences of 40 flowering plants, and after analyzing the …
Evaluation Of Reproductive Phenology, Space Use, And Ecology Of The Eastern Wild Turkey (Meleagris Gallopavo Silvestris) In West-Central Louisiana, Chad Argabright
Evaluation Of Reproductive Phenology, Space Use, And Ecology Of The Eastern Wild Turkey (Meleagris Gallopavo Silvestris) In West-Central Louisiana, Chad Argabright
LSU Master's Theses
Nest site selection is a driving demographic force behind eastern wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) populations. However, previous research was likely not focused on the actual time of nest site selection, considering that nest site selection is likely only able to occur on the day of the first egg being laid. My objective was to determine if selection for any vegetation characteristics was occurring on the first day of laying. I estimated the path taken from the roost to the nest on the first day of egg laying (i.e., laying path) using GPS data collected from 164 unique …