Life Sciences Commons^™

Systematics, Distribution, And Biology Of Fishes Currently Allocated To Erimystax (Jordan), A Subgenus Of Hybopsis (Cyprinidae), John Lowrey Harris

Doctoral Dissertations

Intra- and interspecific variation of species of the subgenus Erimystax, genus Hybopsis, are analyzed using multivariate statistical techniques. Diagnoses, descriptions, figures, supporting tables, and distribution maps are provided to facilitate identification of the subgenus and component species. Results of multivariate analyses support the elevation of the Ozark subspecies of Hybopsis dissimilis to specific standing as Hybopsis i. insignis distributed in the lower Tennessee and Cumberland river drainages and H. insignis eristigma found in eastern tributaries of the upper Tennessee River drainage. Populations interpreted as intergrades occur in the Clinch, Powell, and Holston rivers. Two subspecies of Hybopsis x-punctata are recognized …

Between Population Comparison Of Resource Acquisition In The Long Jawed Orb Weaving Spider Tetragnatha Elongata, Rosemary Grace Gillespie

Doctoral Dissertations

Behavioral adaptations for resource acquisition in the long jawed orb weaving spider Tetragnatha elongata Walckenaer (Araneae: Tetragnathidae) are documented in this study. It examines the form and mechanism of spider foraging behavior, an essential prerequisite to the realization of the commercial use of spiders in integrated pes t management. Being the most common and ubiquitous of insect predators, spiders offer tremendous potential as stabilizers in agro ecosystems with unstable cycling of phytophagous insects. The initial part of this study examines the mechanisms employed by T. elongata in selecting a habitat, and demonstrates that spiders do not build webs where the …

Comparative Bioavailability Of Sediment-Sorbed Hexachlorobiphenyl, C. Michael Swindoll

Doctoral Dissertations

The bioavailability of sediment-sorbed hexachlorobiphenyl (HCB) to bacteria, midge larvae (Chironomus tentans), and mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) was examined in order to elucidate the influence of abiotic and biotic factors on the bioaccumulation process. Factors examined included sediment type, sediment organic matter, HCB concentration, temperature, and biological viability. Additional experiments were conducted to evaluate the relative role of sediment and dietary HCB sources to the accumulation of HCB in mosquitofish.

In general, the bioavailability of sediment-sorbed HCB was inversely related to the surface area and the organic content of the sediment. The organic content of the sediment …