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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Forest Disturbance And Occupancy Patterns Of Carnivores: Results Of A Large-Scale Field Study In Maine, Usa, Bryn E. Evans Dec 2021

Forest Disturbance And Occupancy Patterns Of Carnivores: Results Of A Large-Scale Field Study In Maine, Usa, Bryn E. Evans

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Understanding trends in the abundance and distribution of carnivores is important at global, regional and local scales due to their ecological role, their aesthetic and economic value, and the numerous threats to their populations. Carnivores in Maine range from the American black bear (Ursus americanus), to numerous native mesocarnivore species, such as American marten (Martes americana), fisher (Pekania pennanti), coyote (Canis latrans), red fox (Vulpes vulpes), bobcat (Lynx rufus), Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) and to two small weasel species (Mustela erminea and Neogale frenata). …


Does It Take A Community To Save A Species? Examining The Use Of Community Interactions To Restore Unionid Species At Risk, Roland Adriaan Eveleens Oct 2021

Does It Take A Community To Save A Species? Examining The Use Of Community Interactions To Restore Unionid Species At Risk, Roland Adriaan Eveleens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The conservation and restoration of freshwater ecosystems are complex. Knowledge from community ecology, conservation biology, and restoration ecology was integrated to interrogate the role of species interactions involving freshwater mussels (order Unionida) as keystone species. Freshwater mussels require host fish and provide ecosystem functions for other species throughout aquatic and riparian ecosystems, yet conservation efforts remain focused on focal mussel species or host fish associations. My thesis explored species co-occurrences within mussel and benthic macroinvertebrate community assemblages, and systematically reviewed the published literature to assess the breadth and reported effectiveness of mussel restoration. Community analyses confirmed species co-occurrences across environmental …


Population Genetic Analyses Of Arctic Char (Salvelinus Alpinus) Life History Types In Nettilling Lake & Amadjuak River Ecosystem: A Test Of Reproductive Isolation, Chen Liu Oct 2021

Population Genetic Analyses Of Arctic Char (Salvelinus Alpinus) Life History Types In Nettilling Lake & Amadjuak River Ecosystem: A Test Of Reproductive Isolation, Chen Liu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A great number of studies have identified strong genetic differences between sympatric anadromous and resident populations of Salmonidae. However, Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) migratory phenotypes in the Nettilling Lake and Amadjuak River ecosystem in Nunavut, Canada have not been genetically characterized, and it remains unclear if distinct genotypes and phenotypes associated with migratory life history differences are maintained through reproductive isolation, and they have been assumed to be sympatric populations, or co-occurring populations. Co-occurring Arctic char (n=225) were sampled from eleven sites along the Amadjuak River in 2014 and 2015. Twelve microsatellite loci were used to quantify genetic variation among …


Environmental Impacts On The Reproduction Of Three Cold-Water Corals, With Implications For Their Vulnerability To Ocean Warming And Climate Change, Julia Johnstone Aug 2021

Environmental Impacts On The Reproduction Of Three Cold-Water Corals, With Implications For Their Vulnerability To Ocean Warming And Climate Change, Julia Johnstone

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cold-water corals are important habitat builders in the deep ocean worldwide. Despite being known for centuries, recent technological advances and deep-sea exploration has revealed cold-water corals thriving at depths of up to 6000m. Similar to their warm-water relatives, cold-water corals are hotspots of diversity, with their structures creating habitat for thousands of associated species. Some cold-water corals create bioherms that stretch for tens of kilometers, while others come together to form vast undersea forests. These habitats are often home to commercially important fisheries species, and conservation efforts have recently begun to regulate fishing in cold-water coral ecosystems to protect them …


Using Predator Vocalizations To Deter Raccoon Predation On Nests Of Diamondback Terrapins (Malaclemys Terrapin), Colleen Elizabeth Naeger Aug 2021

Using Predator Vocalizations To Deter Raccoon Predation On Nests Of Diamondback Terrapins (Malaclemys Terrapin), Colleen Elizabeth Naeger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.


The Effect Of Bts Induced Inactivity On A Zebrafish Model Of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Sean Driscoll May 2021

The Effect Of Bts Induced Inactivity On A Zebrafish Model Of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Sean Driscoll

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Duchenne’s Muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a congenital disease of the muscle characterized by muscle atrophy, weakness, and a lower quality of life. Often diagnosed in children, it affects about 1 in every 5,500-7,700 males. A patient diagnosed with DMD is often told to avoid physical activities outside the required amount needed to go on with their day in order to preserve the muscle fibers and integrity. Inactivity in a healthy person leads to decreased muscle mass and increased weakening of the muscle, so we questioned if the effects may be exacerbated in a person diagnosed with DMD having already weakened …


Dietary Change Among Canis Familiaris During The Late Ceramic Period On The Maine-Maritime Peninsula: A Case Study From The Holmes Point West Site (Me 62-8), Machias Bay, Maine, Abby E. Mann May 2021

Dietary Change Among Canis Familiaris During The Late Ceramic Period On The Maine-Maritime Peninsula: A Case Study From The Holmes Point West Site (Me 62-8), Machias Bay, Maine, Abby E. Mann

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Archaeological study of Indigenous pasts has been characterized by a focus on objects over people. This study attempts to humanize the past by illuminating human agency in the human-dog relationship through a case study of dog health and diet during the Late Ceramic period (ca. 950 – 450 BP) in the Maine-Maritime Peninsula region. To circumvent the cycle of western knowledge building and marginalization of Indigenous communities, past Wabanaki people and their relationships with dogs are positioned at the center of research questions presented here. Few studies in the Northeast have analyzed dog remains from the Ceramic period (ca. 3050 …


Effects Of Anthropogenic Light And Noise On Anuran Breeding Behavior, Ashley Kobisk May 2021

Effects Of Anthropogenic Light And Noise On Anuran Breeding Behavior, Ashley Kobisk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The natural environment can be negatively impacted by a variety of human activities, including the production of artificial light at night and anthropogenic noise. Recent studies suggest that pollution from anthropogenic light and noise alters animal behavior. Despite being highly nocturnal and vocal animals, little attention has been given to anurans and the effects artificial light at night and anthropogenic noise have on their behavior. This study investigated the effects of artificial light at night and anthropogenic noise on anuran breeding systems in eastern Texas. Specifically, this study investigated whether (1) artificial light and anthropogenic noise altered calling behavior in …


Predation Threat In A Variable Landscape: Connecting Predation Risk To Nesting Success For The Seaside Sparrow (Ammospiza Maritima Macgilivraii), Corina D. Newsome Jan 2021

Predation Threat In A Variable Landscape: Connecting Predation Risk To Nesting Success For The Seaside Sparrow (Ammospiza Maritima Macgilivraii), Corina D. Newsome

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Predation, the leading cause of nest-failure in birds, not only exists as a direct threat to nesting success, but may exacerbate other sources of nest mortality. Birds inhabiting Atlantic coastal marshes, such as Seaside Sparrows (Ammospiza maritima; hereafter SESP), are experiencing significant and rapid changes to their habitat, particularly sea level rise (SLR) and encroaching urbanization, that may affect the relative influence of nest predation on overall productivity. For SESPs, SLR presents an inherent threat to nest success in its potential to increase the frequency of nest flooding. In addition to this direct threat, the ability of SESPs …


Sexual Dimorphism Of Thermal Preference In Florida Scrub Lizards (Sceloporus Woodi) And Predicting Response To Climate Change In Two Rare Habitats, Sidney E. Anderson Jan 2021

Sexual Dimorphism Of Thermal Preference In Florida Scrub Lizards (Sceloporus Woodi) And Predicting Response To Climate Change In Two Rare Habitats, Sidney E. Anderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Florida Scrub Lizard (Sceloporus woodi) is endemic to Florida, where it inhabits fragments of xeric sandhill uplands including endangered long-leaf pine and sand pine scrub habitats. Lizards depend on a predictable range of temperatures to maximize their growth and productivity, and to do so, they shuttle among various thermal micro-environments. Thus, the spatial distribution of temperatures in the habitat is important. Habitats dominated by either high or low extremes of an organism’s preference are energetically costly and dangerous (less optimal), especially to gravid females. This study examines thermal preference of a near-threatened species that also inhabits increasingly rare habitats. …


Assessing Habitat Suitability Of Ribbed Mussels (Geukensia Demissa) In Georgia Salt Marshes By Examining Predicted Mussel Densities And Mussel Population Parameters, William K. Annis Jr Jan 2021

Assessing Habitat Suitability Of Ribbed Mussels (Geukensia Demissa) In Georgia Salt Marshes By Examining Predicted Mussel Densities And Mussel Population Parameters, William K. Annis Jr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Geukensia demissa (ribbed mussel) is an ecology important bivalve that has the potential to contribute to salt marsh restoration. Understanding the factors that contribute to the distribution of mussels can help inform managers on choosing locations to optimize the survivorship of mussels in restoration projects. This study sought to model mussel densities across the coast of Georgia and to compare predicted mussel densities with mussel population parameters as means to gauge habitat suitability. Mussel densities were collected through field surveys across a range of salt marshes along the coast of Georgia and were compared with spatial data such as distance …