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- Climate change (5)
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- Ants (2)
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Articles 1 - 30 of 35
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
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. …
Population Ecology Of The Diamondback Terrapin At Their Northern Range Limit, Patricia M. Levasseur
Population Ecology Of The Diamondback Terrapin At Their Northern Range Limit, Patricia M. Levasseur
Doctoral Dissertations
This dissertation research focuses on the population ecology of the northern diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin terrapin) in Wellfleet Bay, MA. The northern diamondback terrapin is a Massachusetts-threatened turtle species restricted to estuarine environments. With a range from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina to Massachusetts, Cape Cod Bay is the northernmost part of the subspecies range. Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary has been using capture-mark-recapture (CMR) methods since 1980 marking over 3,000 individuals; however, low detection rates and variable search effort have resulted in unreliable population estimates not suitable for informing conservation practices within the bay. Low sample sizes, …
Water Availability As A Cross-Scale Driver Of Microbial Functions And Free Viral Abundance In Soil, Aubrey K. Fine
Water Availability As A Cross-Scale Driver Of Microbial Functions And Free Viral Abundance In Soil, Aubrey K. Fine
Doctoral Dissertations
Viral infection is widespread in natural microbial communities, with extensive study in aquatic ecosystems demonstrating direct influence on host physiology, functional activity, and mortality. While similar dynamics are assumed to occur across ecosystems, soils are distinct microbial habitats where soil physiochemical structure and water availability constrain resource availability. These unique environmental conditions have been widely demonstrated to affect microbial distribution, diversity, and functional activity in bulk soil, while their influence on virus-microbe interactions and free viral abundance remains limited. To address this knowledge gap, this research had three broad aims: i) to investigate variability in microbial responses to drying-rewetting cycles …
Thermal Ecophysiology Of Juvenile Anadromous River Herring, Lian W. Guo
Thermal Ecophysiology Of Juvenile Anadromous River Herring, Lian W. Guo
Doctoral Dissertations
Temperature controls the rate of all biochemical processes, and thus can significantly influence the physiology and ecology of all living organisms on earth. Understanding how temperature influences fitness can therefore provide insight into mechanisms affecting population size, dynamics, and geographic distributions, especially in the context of climate change. Early life stages of fishes experience significant selective pressure to grow large and accumulate energy reserves in order to avoid predation and starvation. Increasing temperatures will increase routine metabolic rates, which may result in less energy being available for growth and energy storage. In this thesis, I examine the effects of temperature, …
Developing A Restoration Strategy For Brook Floater (Alasmidonta Varicosa) In Massachusetts, Ayla Skorupa
Developing A Restoration Strategy For Brook Floater (Alasmidonta Varicosa) In Massachusetts, Ayla Skorupa
Doctoral Dissertations
The brook floater (Alasmidonta varicosa) is a freshwater mussel (Order: Unionida) native to Atlantic Slope drainages from Canada (Nova Scotia and New Brunswick) to Georgia, U.S. The precipitous loss of brook floater populations and extant low densities in many regions evokes an urgency to establish conservation initiatives for the species. A targeted approach to population restoration is critical in Massachusetts (MA) where brook floater remain in low abundances in only 4 of the 11 originally occupied watersheds (Hydrologic unit code-12). A succinct strategy to restore a rare freshwater mussel species is unavailable yet critical to aid restoration. The …
Microbial Community Dynamics Of A Microcystis Bloom, Helena Pound
Microbial Community Dynamics Of A Microcystis Bloom, Helena Pound
Doctoral Dissertations
Harmful algal bloom events are notoriously associated with massive economic and environmental consequences, causing wildlife and human health risks. As these blooms increase in occurrence, duration, and severity around the world, it is essential to understand conditions leading to bloom formation and why they persist. Abiotic factors such as nutrients are commonly considered in bloom dynamics, but biotic interactions with co-occurring microbial species and viruses must also be taken into account. Harmful algal blooms dominated by the cyanobacterial genus Microcystis occur in bodies of water around the world and provide an ideal system in which to study top-down controls on …
Monitoring Mammals At Multiple Scales: Case Studies From Carnivore Communities, Kadambari Devarajan
Monitoring Mammals At Multiple Scales: Case Studies From Carnivore Communities, Kadambari Devarajan
Doctoral Dissertations
Carnivores are distributed widely and threatened by habitat loss, poaching, climate change, and disease. They are considered integral to ecosystem function through their direct and indirect interactions with species at different trophic levels. Given the importance of carnivores, it is of high conservation priority to understand the processes driving carnivore assemblages in different systems. It is thus essential to determine the abiotic and biotic drivers of carnivore community composition at different spatial scales and address the following questions: (i) What factors influence carnivore community composition and diversity? (ii) How do the factors influencing carnivore communities vary across spatial and temporal …
Don't Delay: The Effects Of Tide Gates And Road-Stream Crossing Culverts On River Herring (Alosa Spp.) Spawning Migrations, Derrick J. Alcott
Don't Delay: The Effects Of Tide Gates And Road-Stream Crossing Culverts On River Herring (Alosa Spp.) Spawning Migrations, Derrick J. Alcott
Doctoral Dissertations
River herring (Alosa spp.) are anadromous fish that spawn in freshwater rivers and lakes in North America from Florida to Nova Scotia, CA. They have been listed as a species of conservation concern due to dramatic stock declines observed in the 1970’s. Stocks have failed to show significant signs of recovery despite over a decade of harvest restrictions throughout their range. Bycatch in commercial fisheries and reduced access to spawning habitat due to anthropogenic barriers to migration, such as dams and tide gates, have been identified as major causes of the decline in herring populations. Physical barriers to …
Improving Understanding Of Forest Communities And Biodiversity With Multi-Dimensional Landscape Gradients, Ben J. Padilla
Improving Understanding Of Forest Communities And Biodiversity With Multi-Dimensional Landscape Gradients, Ben J. Padilla
Doctoral Dissertations
This dissertation was motivated by a desire to understand the effects of habitat degradation and urbanization on a single species in a single study system in western Massachusetts, the red-backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus), but along the way unexpected conceptual and methodological hurdles caused the work to grow into a multi-species, multi-region, and multi-scale endeavor. As I designed my dissertation research and began considering approaches to quantifying heterogeneity and human influence in my study landscape, I recognized inconsistencies in methods used to define and quantify landscape metrics, particularly in urban systems. To investigate further, I conducted a critical review …
Root Phosphomonoesterase As A Vital Component Of Increasing Phosphorus Availability In Tropical Forests, Kristine Grace Manno Cabugao
Root Phosphomonoesterase As A Vital Component Of Increasing Phosphorus Availability In Tropical Forests, Kristine Grace Manno Cabugao
Doctoral Dissertations
Tropical forests, relative to other terrestrial ecosystems, exchange the largest amount of carbon with the atmosphere and also constitute a significant carbon sink. However, nutrient limitation, particularly of phosphorus (P), could limit growth of tropical forests and their function with the global carbon cycle. Thus, understanding root mechanisms to acquire P is necessary to representing the P cycle and corresponding interactions with plant growth. A large portion of total soil P in tropical forests occurs in organic forms, only accessible through root and microbial production of phosphatase enzymes. These phosphatase enzymes mineralize organic P into orthophosphate, the form of P …
Investigating The Effects Of Winter Drawdowns On The Ecological Character Of Littoral Zones In Massachusetts Lakes, Jason R. Carmignani
Investigating The Effects Of Winter Drawdowns On The Ecological Character Of Littoral Zones In Massachusetts Lakes, Jason R. Carmignani
Doctoral Dissertations
Anthropogenic alteration of water levels in lakes is a major stressor to the ecological integrity of littoral zones, which provide critical heterogenous resources that support diverse biological communities. Annual winter drawdowns have been practiced in Massachusetts (MA) for several decades; however, few studies have estimated impacts to littoral zone habitat and biological communities, particularly at relatively mild magnitudes (i.e., m) and in lakes that co-occur with other anthropogenic pressures (e.g., lakeshore development) as seen in MA lakes. My dissertation reviewed the winter drawdown literature and collected empirical data in MA lakes to characterize winter drawdown hydrological regimes and estimate responses …
Ecology Of The Elusive: Genome-Informed Investigation Of Soil Microbial Diversity, Lauren Alteio
Ecology Of The Elusive: Genome-Informed Investigation Of Soil Microbial Diversity, Lauren Alteio
Doctoral Dissertations
Soil is considered one of the most diverse ecosystems on Earth, harboring diversity of organisms across the three domains of life. It is spatially and chemically heterogeneous: properties that intertwine in a complex matrix to support organismal diversity and function across different scales. Soil microorganisms both respond to and drive changes in ecosystems through metabolic activities. A single gram of soil is teeming with millions of cells comprised of thousands of species. Much of this diversity remains uncharacterized due to technical and methodological challenges faced by soil ecologists. Due to the complex physicochemical properties of soil and cross-feeding interactions between …
Modeling Fire Observations, Ignition Sources, And Novel Fuels To Understand Human Impacts On Fire Regimes Across The U.S., Emily Fusco
Doctoral Dissertations
Fire is a natural, and necessary, component of many ecosystems. However, people are changing the spatial and temporal distribution of wildfires in the U.S. at great economic and ecological costs. My dissertation addresses the impacts of humans on U.S. fires both through the introduction of ignition sources and flammable grasses. Further, I evaluate fire datasets that are widely used to investigate these phenomena over large spatial and temporal scales. Finally, I create an aboveground carbon map that can be used to estimate the potential carbon loss consequences in western U.S. ecosystems most at risk to fire. My work shows that …
Not Gone With The Wind: Addressing Effects Of Offshore Wind Development On Bat Species In The Northeastern United States, Zara Rae Dowling
Not Gone With The Wind: Addressing Effects Of Offshore Wind Development On Bat Species In The Northeastern United States, Zara Rae Dowling
Doctoral Dissertations
Development of coastal and offshore wind energy resources has the potential to add considerable renewable electricity capacity to the United States electrical grid, but could have detrimental impacts on wildlife. Land-based wind energy facilities are estimated to kill hundreds of thousands of bats every year in the United States, and could threaten population viability of some species. Little is known about the potential impacts of offshore wind development on bat populations along the North Atlantic coast, but a number of species are known to frequent marine islands or fly over the ocean during migration. This dissertation helps to characterize risks …
Tracking Migratory Bird Movements In The Gulf Of Maine With Automated Radio Telemetry And Stable Hydrogen Isotope Markers, Jennifer Smetzer
Tracking Migratory Bird Movements In The Gulf Of Maine With Automated Radio Telemetry And Stable Hydrogen Isotope Markers, Jennifer Smetzer
Doctoral Dissertations
Coastal and offshore areas of the eastern United States provide valuable resources for both migratory songbirds and breeding seabirds, but face some of the most drastic rates of habitat alteration and urbanization. Coastal development can result in loss of significant habitats, and in proliferation of collision hazards that can pose a grave threat to birds. Conserving birds that use these coastal and offshore areas requires better information on how coastal stopover habitats are used, what breeding populations visit these regions during migration, how birds move through these landscapes, and how development can be most sensibly and responsibly directed to minimize …
The Effects Of Anthropogenic Stress On Nitrogen-Cycling Microbial Communities In Temperate And Tropical Soils, George S. Hamaoui Jr.
The Effects Of Anthropogenic Stress On Nitrogen-Cycling Microbial Communities In Temperate And Tropical Soils, George S. Hamaoui Jr.
Doctoral Dissertations
In this dissertation several research studies are discussed that characterize the effects of anthropogenic, or human-induced, stress on both ammonia-oxidizing and total bacterial soil microbial communities. The disturbances of land-use change in tropical, South American rainforests and artificial warming and nitrogen (N) fertilization in temperate, North American forests were investigated as these disturbances represent past and current disturbances caused by human landscape alteration and climate change. Initially, the response of soil ammonia-oxidizing microbial communities to land-use change from primary rainforest to pasture and, finally, back to secondary forest was determined. Next, these analyses of land-use change effects were expanded to …
Biotic And Abiotic Drivers Of Plant Symbionts Determine Plant Performance, The Maintenance Of Diversity, And Response To Global Change, Jeremiah A. Henning
Biotic And Abiotic Drivers Of Plant Symbionts Determine Plant Performance, The Maintenance Of Diversity, And Response To Global Change, Jeremiah A. Henning
Doctoral Dissertations
Interactions among organisms regulate the structure and function of ecosystems and the response of ecosystems to global change. The outcome of species interactions is shaped by the partners involved in the interaction and the climate contexts of the systems in which they reside. Global change is altering the distributions of organisms as well as the climate contexts of the systems they reside within, shifting the biotic and abiotic factors shaping species interactions. Thus, predicting the response of ecosystem structure and function to global change remains unresolved. For my dissertation, I explored how the interactions among plants and their mutualistic communities …
Methods For Incorporating Ecological Impacts With Climate Uncertainty To Support Robust Flood Management Decision-Making, Caitlin M. Spence
Methods For Incorporating Ecological Impacts With Climate Uncertainty To Support Robust Flood Management Decision-Making, Caitlin M. Spence
Doctoral Dissertations
Modern and historic flood risk management involves accommodating multiple sources of sources of uncertainty and potential impacts across a broad range of interrelated sectors. Sources of uncertainty that affect planning include internal climate variability, anthropogenic changes such as land use and system performance expectations, and more recently changes in climatology that affect the resources supporting the system. Flood management systems potentially impact human settlements within and beyond the systems’ scope of planning, local weather patterns, and associated ecological systems. Federal guidelines across nations have called for greater consideration of uncertainty and impacts of water resources planning projects, but methods for …
Spatial Ecology Of Black Bears (Ursus Americanus) In Newfoundland, Canada, Nathaniel D. Rayl
Spatial Ecology Of Black Bears (Ursus Americanus) In Newfoundland, Canada, Nathaniel D. Rayl
Doctoral Dissertations
Although black bears (Ursus americanus) are among the most studied mammals in the world, little is known about their ecology in Newfoundland, Canada. I investigated the spatial ecology of black bears on the island, focusing on unusual movements during the denning period and their role as caribou (Rangifer tarandus) calf predators. I investigated the influence of climatic conditions (rainfall) and anthropogenic disturbance on the rate of den abandonment for black bears in Newfoundland, a population with an unusually high rate of abandonment given its northern latitude. I found no evidence that rainfall or anthropogenic disturbance played …
Assessing The Functional Similarity Of Native And Invasive Anolis Lizards In The Food Webs Of Structurally-Simple Habitats In Florida, Nathan W. Turnbough
Assessing The Functional Similarity Of Native And Invasive Anolis Lizards In The Food Webs Of Structurally-Simple Habitats In Florida, Nathan W. Turnbough
Doctoral Dissertations
Invasive species often displace ecologically-similar native species, but the extent to which invading and displaced species function similarly in the food web processes of invaded communities is largely unknown. I investigated whether populations and individuals of an invasive Anolis lizard (the brown anole, Anolis sagrei) and the native congener it displaces in Florida (the green anole, Anolis carolinensis) are functionally equivalent in the food webs of open and structurally-simple habitats. In a system of invaded and uninvaded dredge-spoils islands, I found that both arthropod communities and winter bird communities covaried with brown anole abundance (and therefore the identity …
Improving Conservation Efforts Through A Better Understanding Of Forest Elephant Ecology, The Impacts Of Threats On Elephants And Freshwater Fisheries In Northern Congo, Roger Patrick Boundja
Improving Conservation Efforts Through A Better Understanding Of Forest Elephant Ecology, The Impacts Of Threats On Elephants And Freshwater Fisheries In Northern Congo, Roger Patrick Boundja
Doctoral Dissertations
IMPROVING CONSERVATION EFFORTS THROUGH A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF FOREST ELEPHANT ECOLOGY, THE IMPACTS OF THREATS ON ELEPHANTS AND FRESHWATER FISHERIES IN NORTHERN SEPTEMBER 2016 ROGER PATRICK BOUNDJA, B.Sc. FORESTRY, MARIEN NGOUABI UNIVERSITY, BRAZZAVILLE MSc. UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN PhD. UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST Directed by: Professor Curtice R. Griffin Catch data, including fish numbers, length-weight were collected during a multi-mesh Gillnet fisheries-independent survey in 2007-2008, and fisheries-dependent mixed gear surveys in 2009-2010 and 2015 across 400km stretch of the Sangha River located in the Sangha Tri-National. Overall, very high species richness (Chao 2 mean=250, SD=16.15) and diversity index (Simpson Inverse …
Evaluating Resistance Surfaces For Modeling Wildlife Movement And Connectivity, Katherine Zeller
Evaluating Resistance Surfaces For Modeling Wildlife Movement And Connectivity, Katherine Zeller
Doctoral Dissertations
The continued growth of human populations and associated development in many areas of the world is causing persistent fragmentation of natural habitats. In response, wildlife corridors are often promoted as essential for the conservation of wildlife species. Wildlife corridors allow for the movement of individuals between habitat patches and confer many benefits including the maintenance of metapopulations and metapopulation dynamics, the maintenance of seasonal migratory routes, genetic exchange, and the potential for individuals and populations to shift their ranges in response to climate change. Wildlife corridors are modeled across a resistance-to-movement surface where resistance represents the willingness of an organism …
Individual Variation In Plant Traits Drives Species Interactions, Ecosystem Functioning, And Responses To Global Change, Quentin Daniel Read
Individual Variation In Plant Traits Drives Species Interactions, Ecosystem Functioning, And Responses To Global Change, Quentin Daniel Read
Doctoral Dissertations
Ecologists have long sought to understand the processes that lead to the riotous diversity in communities of organisms that inhabit disparate climates and landscapes. Such a diversity of traits leads to a diversity of interactions among species in natural communities, which in turn generates a diversity of potential responses to ongoing global change. In this dissertation, I do three things: I explore the forces that structure plant communities and the ecosystem functions that they mediate, I describe patterns of variation among communities, species, and individual organisms across environmental contexts, and I disentangle the direct effects of global change from the …
The Effectiveness And Applicability Of Amphibians As Indicator Species For Long-Term Monitoring Of Ecological Changes In New England Forests, Ahmed Siddig
Doctoral Dissertations
The objective of this study is to assess the potential of two amphibians species, Eastern Red-backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus (Green)) and Eastern Red-spotted Newt (Notopthalmus viridescens viridescens Rafinesque), as indicator species of forest disturbances at Harvard Forest, located in Petersham, Massachusetts, United States. Specifically, I 1) assess the impacts of these focal species to decline of hemlock forests in Harvard Forest; 2) calibrate abundance indices of P. cinereus based on artificial and natural objects surveys with a population size estimator based on depletion sampling; and 3) assess the potential of these salamanders as indicator species by developing an …
Evidence Of Late Quaternary Fires From Charcoal And Siliceous Aggregates In Lake Sediments In The Eastern U.S.A., Joanne P. Ballard
Evidence Of Late Quaternary Fires From Charcoal And Siliceous Aggregates In Lake Sediments In The Eastern U.S.A., Joanne P. Ballard
Doctoral Dissertations
The late-glacial transition to the Holocene, 15,000–11,600 cal yr BP, is an enigmatic period of dynamic global changes and a major extinction event in North America. Fire is an agent of disturbance that transforms the environment physically and chemically, and affects plant community composition. To improve understanding of the linkages between fire, vegetation, and climate over the late glacial and Holocene in the eastern U.S., I analyzed lake-sediment cores for charcoal and indicators of wood ash, and compared results to existing pollen records. A new microscopic charcoal record from Anderson Pond, Tennessee revealed high fire activity from 23,000–15,000 cal yr …
Bats And Disease: Behavioral And Community Responses Of Southern Bat Populations During The White-Nose Syndrome Epizootic, Riley Fehr Bernard
Bats And Disease: Behavioral And Community Responses Of Southern Bat Populations During The White-Nose Syndrome Epizootic, Riley Fehr Bernard
Doctoral Dissertations
This dissertation investigates regional differences in the behavior and activity of bats in eastern North America during the white-nose syndrome epizootic, specifically in the understudied region of the Southeastern United States. An introductory section provides a brief review of the history of white-nose syndrome, an emerging infectious disease in bats, and its introduction into North America. Chapter one provides the first documented evidence of bat activity outside of hibernacula throughout winter. The research presented in chapter two attempts to explain the variation in load and prevalence of P. destructans among species, sites and between years. Finally, chapter three examines the …
The Effect Of Thermoregulation And Roads On The Movements And Habitat Selection Of Moose In Massachusetts, David W. Wattles
The Effect Of Thermoregulation And Roads On The Movements And Habitat Selection Of Moose In Massachusetts, David W. Wattles
Doctoral Dissertations
Massachusetts, U.S.A. is located along the southern boundary of the geographic range of moose (Alces alces) in North America. This is an atypical environment for moose, because of its extremely high levels of human development and high year-round temperatures, which are possibly at the limits of moose physiological tolerances. I investigated the role of these two factors on moose movements and habitat selection to determine how human development of the landscape and temperature influence moose occupation of this extreme environment. In addition, the response of moose to these factors provides insights into the influence of development and temperature …
Turning Up The Heat On The Little Things That Run The World: Evaluating The Impacts Of Climate Change On Ant Biodiversity In The Temperate Forest Communities Of The Northeastern United States, Israel Del Toro
Doctoral Dissertations
Climatic change threatens biodiversity worldwide. In the forests of the northeastern United States, climate change is expected to increase mean annual temperatures by up to 4.5˚C and change precipitation seasonality. These changes in climate are likely to have impacts on the biodiversity of the region. In order to better understand the impacts of climate change on biodiversity, I used ants, an indicator taxonomic group, to predict how ant communities and ant-mediated ecosystem processes change as the climate warms. In the first chapter of this dissertation, I review the major ecosystem processes and services mediated by ants using the Millennium Ecosystem …
Impacts Of Climate Change, Human Land Use, And Mercury Contamination On Southern Appalachian Plethodontid Salamanders, Michael Kevin Hamed
Impacts Of Climate Change, Human Land Use, And Mercury Contamination On Southern Appalachian Plethodontid Salamanders, Michael Kevin Hamed
Doctoral Dissertations
The Southern Appalachian Mountains are home to the greatest diversity of Plethodontid Salamanders in the world. The future for these salamanders is uncertain as globally amphibians have been experiencing significant population declines. We investigated the impact of habitat loss, chemical contaminants, and climate change on Plethodontid salamanders in northeastern Tennessee and southwestern Virginia. Four-toed salamanders (Hemidactylium scutatum) were negatively impacted by powerline right-of-way (ROW) mowing. Embryonic and larval survival significantly decreased in ROW after mowing and required up to 3 years of vegetation regrowth to reach post mowing survival. We also investigated mercury contamination in black-bellied salamanders ( …
Wood Decomposition In A Warmer World, Emily Elizabeth Austin
Wood Decomposition In A Warmer World, Emily Elizabeth Austin
Doctoral Dissertations
Climatic warming is altering species distributions and ecosystem functions across the globe. Wood is an important carbon pool and the fungal communities in wood are relatively simple compared to those in soil. These factors make decomposing wood an ideal system for exploring the influence of decomposer community on the response of decomposition to warming. My research has focused on the effects of warming wood decomposition rates and wood decomposing communities. Using field and lab- based manipulative experiments and field observations I explore the influence of tree species, wood decomposition stage, geography and warming on fungal community structure and activity. In …