Life Sciences Commons^™

An Analysis Of Illegal Bushmeat Availability In Local Restaurants Located In Voi, Kenya, Bridget A. Sutton

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The illegal bushmeat harvest has been identified as a reason for declining wildlife populations throughout much of Africa. For many years the trade was thought to exist primarily in Western Africa. The illegal use of bushmeat in Eastern Africa, including Kenya, went undocumented and unstudied. In 2004, the Born Free Foundation published a study which claimed illegal sale of wild game was substantial in butcheries throughout Nairobi, Kenya. In an effort to determine other markets of the commercial trade, the goal of this study was to analyze local restaurants in Voi, Kenya for illegal bushmeat sale. The town of Voi …

Conversion Of Traditional Observation-Based Botany Labs To Investigative Inquiry Learning, Hajara Mahmood

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

“Tell me and I forget, show me and I remember, involve me and I understand.” - Chinese Proverb. Involvement in learning implies possessing skills and attitudes that permit students to seek resolutions to questions and issues while constructing new knowledge.

Low enrollment in Plant Biology and Diversity and upper level plant science courses has been noticed at Western Kentucky University. In addition, graduating students performed below the national average on the senior assessment examination in the area of botany content knowledge offered by WKU’s Biology Department. This may be due to the fact that observation-based botany has been taught in …

Trypanosoma Cruzi In Wild Raccoons And Opossums From Kentucky, Brian Chad Groce

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Only 6 autochthonous cases of human Chagas disease have been documented in the U.S.A., however, as many as 5% of immigrants from Latin America may be infected with the etiologic agent, Trypanosoma cruzi. The parasite has been isolated from a variety of wild mammals, particularly in the southeastern region of the U.S.A. The goal of our study was to determine if the sylvatic cycle of T. cruzi infection occurs in Kentucky, and, if present, to assess the prevalence of infection in Warren and Barren counties. Raccoons and opossums were live-trapped between June and December, 2007. Animals were anesthetized with …

Morphology Of The Inner And Peripheral Ear Of The Loricariid Catfish Pterygoplichthys Gibbiceps K., Brian David Rodgers

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The morphology of the peripheral and inner ear structures was studied in the loricariid catfish Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps. Specimens (n=6) were preserved in fixative (4% paraformaldehyde, 2% glutaraldehyde in 0.1M phosphate buffer) and dissected for examination of the gross morphology (using light microscopy) and ultrastructure of the auditory sensory epithelia (using scanning electron microscopy). One additional specimen was cleaned in a dermestid beetle colony in order to examine the osteology of the skull. The swim bladder of P. gibbiceps is divided along the midline of the fish into two reduced but equal lobes residing in two laterally oriented bony encapsulations. Immediately …