Life Sciences Commons^™

Microsatellite Dna Diversity And Paternity Determination In A Captive Population Of Radiated Tortoises (Geochelone Radiata), Jennifer Leigh Mook

All Theses

In the present study, five microsatellite loci are used to examine genetic diversity and determine genetic similarities among 66 radiated tortoises (Geochelone radiata) located in ten different zoos and institutions in the United States. These tortoises, representatives of one of the world's most endangered species, were originally collected in Madagascar and are being used as founders in the development of an organized breeding program, the radiated tortoise Species Survival Plan (SSP). Parentage analysis was also conducted for 13 juvenile tortoises of uncertain parentage from two institutions. Founder tortoises demonstrated high levels of genetic diversity at the five loci …

An Analysis Of Migratory Behavior Physiological Condition And Life History Strategy In The Salamanders Ambystoma Mabeei And A. Opacum In Southeastern Virginia, Michael W. Mccoy

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Ambystoma mabeei is listed as threatened in Virginia due to its rarity and susceptibility to urbanization and poor forestry practices. The goal of this study was to identify factors that may affect the persistence of A. mabeei in Virginia by studying the life history and ecology of A. mabeei and its syntopic congener A. opacum. This information will contribute to the knowledge of life history variation within Ambystomatidae and will be critical for the development of a comprehensive management plan for A. mabeei. Population sizes of the two species and the proximate factors responsible for initiating breeding migrations were determined …

Comparative Systematics Of Subterranean Amphipod Crustaceans In The Families Crangonyctidae And Bogidiellidae, Stefan Koenemann

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The research project presented in this doctoral dissertation deals with the systematics of two different taxonomic groups of subterranean amphipods (Crustacea). Therefore, rather than being a single project, this study is divided into several sub-projects. Altogether, the chapters for the sub-projects are composed of five publications. An introductory chapter and a summarizing discussion are added to provide a structural unit for the collection of papers and to compare the results of the individual projects.

The thesis investigates the systematics of the amphipod families Bogidiellidae Hertzog, 1936, and Crangonyctidae Bousfield, 1973. Based on descriptive taxonomy according to modern standards, revisions are …

An Ultrastructural Survey Of The Nuchal Glands Of Rhabdophis Tigrinus (Serpentes: Colubridae), Kathleen A. Roberts

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Rhabdophis tigrinus, an Asian natricine snake, possesses a series of integumentary glands located in the nuchal skin. Previous studies indicated that the nuchal glands are of mesodermal origin, contain cardiac steroids analogous to bufotoxins found in the parotoid glands of toads, which are included in the snake's diet. The nuchal glands are defensive in function. Preliminary histological studies revealed differences in quality of the gland tissue compared to previous studies, and difference in fixation techniques were suspected. Seven specimens of R. tigrinus were fixed by perfusion using a conservative fixation process standard for electron microscopy. The nuchal gland series …

The Effects Of Silviculture And Prescribed Burning On Herpetofauna In Florida Sand-Pine Scrub, Stig Ravdal

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Florida sand pine scrub is among the most endangered habitats in the United States and much of the remaining scrub is heavily influenced by management for timber production. In this study the effects of timber management practices on herpetofaunal community diversity and composition were investigated on experimentally manipulated plots near Orlando, Florida. Plots at three sites were either harvested, burned, or treated as a control (unmanipulated). Herpetofauna were trapped using pit-fall drift-fence trapping arrays. Animals were counted, measured, marked and released from March 1996 to June 1998. During this time period 1489 reptiles and amphibians were caught from 31 different …

A Diet Study Of Australia's Most Critically Endangered Mammal, Gilbert's Potoroo, Potorous Gilbertii (Marsupialia : Potoroidae), Vinh Nguyen

Theses : Honours

After 125 years of presumed extinction, Gilbert's Potoroo (Potorous gilbertii) was rediscovered in 1994 in Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve, Albany. As only one population is known to exist, conservation is of prime importance. Faecal analysis was used to examine the diet of P. gilbertii. The species was found to be predominantly mycophagous (fungus-feeding) with invertebrate and plant matter fanning only a small part of its diet. Fungal material made up more than 90% of faecal matter throughout the year. A total of 44 fungal spore types were discerned. Of these, five were tentatively identified to species level with the …

The Effect Of Predator Chemical Cues And Conspecific Alarm Signals Upon Behavior In Early And Late Developmental Stages Of American Toad (Bufo Americanus) Tadpoles, Carol Lynette Johnson

Masters Theses

The chemosensory capability and subsequent habitat choice of larval American toad (Bufo americanus) tadpoles were quantified using choice of refuge with both early and late developmental stages. Treatments were performed with two tadpole densities to ascertain the effect of social aggregations upon behavior. Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) and predaceous diving beetle larvae (Dytiscus sp.) predators were used to condition water. Conspecific tadpoles as well as Southern leopard frog (Rana sphenocephala) tadpoles were used to prepare treatment extracts.

Tadpole density (n=10 and n=20) had no significant effect upon the percentage of tadpoles seeking cover …

Osteology, Phylogeny, And Biogeography Of The Marine Fish Family Ephippidae (Perciformes, Acanthuroidei), With Comments On Sister Group Relationships, Martin Ray Cavalluzzi

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The marine fish family Ephippidae comprises eight genera and 15 species of extant fishes. Spadefishes or batfishes inhabit nearshore tropical to temperate waters. They are almost circumglobal in distribution, with the highest diversity in the Indo-west Pacific and the lowest diversity in the east Pacific and west Atlantic. Fifty-nine potentially informative morphological characters, 10 outgroup taxa, and eight ingroup taxa (i.e., genera) were used to explore sister group hypotheses to the Ephippidae, as well as generate a phylogeny of the Ephippidae. Seven constraint tree analyses were utilized to examine various sister group hypotheses based on previous morphological and molecular analyses …

The Habitat Utilization Of Juvenile Hawksbill Sea Turtles (Eretmochelys Imbricata) At Buck Island Reef National Monument, St Croix, U.S Virgin Islands, Roy A. Pemberton

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

A Framework For Construction And Analysis Of Juvenile Abundance Indices For American Shad (Alosa Sapidissima) In The York River, Virginia, Mary Lynn Aiken

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

Maturation And Repeat Spawning By American Shad In The York River, Virginia, Kristin L. Maki

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

Population Dynamics Of The Smooth Dogfish, Mustelus Canis, In The Northwest Atlantic, Christina L. Conrath

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

Biology Of The Spotted Seatrout, Cynoscion Nebulosus, In The Chesapeake Bay Region, Thomas F. Ihde

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

An Investigation Of Hybridization Between Two Serranid Fishes, The Coney (Cephalopholis Fulva) And The Creole Fish (Paranthias Furcifer), Meredith A. Bostrom

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

Seasonal Residence, Movement, And Activity Patterns Of Adult Tautog, Tautoga Onitis, In Lower Chesapeake Bay, Michael D. Arendt

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

Demographics, Production, And Benthic -Pelagic Coupling By The Suspension Feeding Polychaete Chaetopterus Pergamentaceus In The Lower Chesapeake Bay, Michelle Lynne Thompson Neubauer

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

For many shallow water environments, ecosystem function depends on the cycling and flow of materials and energy between benthic and pelagic subsystems. Benthic suspension feeders often are important links between the water column and sediment in coastal ecosystems. Populations of the suspension feeding polychaete Chaetopterus pergamentaceus (previously reported as Chaetopterus variopedatus) are widely distributed along the United States East Coast, ranging from New England to Florida. This species is a structurally and functionally important member of the lower Chesapeake Bay benthic community, where it has maintained stable populations for at least the last 15 years. Little is known regarding the …

A Molecular Phylogeny Of The Sparidae (Perciformes: Percoidei), Thomas M. Orrell

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The Sparidae are a diverse group of over 110 marine species whose putative six subfamilies have been defined primarily on the basis of dentition and feeding type. Monophyly of the subfamilies has not been tested, nor have the phylogenetic relationships of all sparid genera been hypothesized. I used mitochondrial DNA sequences from the complete cytochrome b gene (1140 bp) and the partial 16S gene (621 bp) in independent and combined analyses to test the monophyly of the Sparidae, elucidate the inter-relationships of the 33 recognized genera of the Sparidae, test the validity of the six subfamilies of the Sparidae, and …

Suboptimal Foraging Behavior By Herring Gulls, Jennifer R. Gamble

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

Stopover Ecology Of The Blackpoll Warbler, Dendroica Striata, During Spring Migration On The Coastal Plain Of Virginia, Magill Weber

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.