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2020

All Master's Theses

Articles 1 - 17 of 17

Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Toadal Isolation: Genetic Connectivity Of The Western Toad (Anaxyrus Boreas) Along I-90 In The Snoqualmie Pass Area Of Washington State, Anneliese Myers Jan 2020

Toadal Isolation: Genetic Connectivity Of The Western Toad (Anaxyrus Boreas) Along I-90 In The Snoqualmie Pass Area Of Washington State, Anneliese Myers

All Master's Theses

Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were used to assess the genetic connectivity of western toad (Anaxyrus boreas) breeding populations along Interstate-90 near Snoqualmie Pass, WA. Sites north and south of the freeway were sampled during the breeding season of 2019. SNP loci were subsequently generated using the proprietary DArTseqTM (Canberra, ACT, Australia) method. A total of 15,468 SNPs were used to calculate pairwise FST values and three distinct breeding populations were identified, two north and one south of I-90. All pairwise FST values between these sites were low (0.02) but significantly different from 0. The lowest pairwise …

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Effects Of Western Spruce Budworm Herbivory On Forest Soils And Litter Decomposition In Central Washington, Izak R. Neziri Jan 2020

Effects Of Western Spruce Budworm Herbivory On Forest Soils And Litter Decomposition In Central Washington, Izak R. Neziri

All Master's Theses

Disturbances by herbivores can drive nutrient cycling in forest ecosystems by adding frass, carcasses, and molts to the forest floor which are broken down into nitrogen, phosphorous, and other elements to be recycled into biomass. Western spruce budworms are defoliators native to the central Cascades and their herbivory could increase the decomposition rate of forest materials by adding essential nutrients and/or by increasing light and rainfall penetration to the forest floor by thinning the forest canopy during outbreaks. Budworm defoliation events are expected to increase in severity as the climate warms, potentially altering forest ecosystem function. The purpose of this …

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Floral Trait Architecture In Crop Sunflower (Helianthus Annuus) Under Drought Conditions, Lauren Segarra Jan 2020

Floral Trait Architecture In Crop Sunflower (Helianthus Annuus) Under Drought Conditions, Lauren Segarra

All Master's Theses

Longer and more intense droughts are predicted to become more common in the coming century due to anthropogenic climate change. Drought can reduce crop yield and decrease food security. In order to mitigate the negative effects of drought on crop production, it is important to elucidate the underlying mechanisms that promote drought stress resistance in crop plants. Floral traits impact yield, especially in oilseed crops such as sunflower (Helianthus annuus), but their susceptibility to drought stress is understudied. The goal of this study was to describe the floral trait architecture of H. annuus crop lines under drought versus …

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The Effects Of Induced Polycystic Ovary Syndrome In Nag-1 Transgenic Mice, Nicholas Werner Jan 2020

The Effects Of Induced Polycystic Ovary Syndrome In Nag-1 Transgenic Mice, Nicholas Werner

All Master's Theses

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the leading cause of infertility among women in the US and the most common endocrine disorder among women. PCOS is characterized by cystic ovaries, hyperandrogenism (heightened levels of male sex hormones), altered menstrual cycles and various metabolic dysfunctions. The metabolic symptoms associated with PCOS are difficult to treat, as they are a result of hormonal imbalances, rather than diet. The human Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug Activated Gene (NAG-1) been shown to prevent diet-induced metabolic disorders and weight gain in mice. We hypothesized that the expression of NAG-1 may also prevent hormonal-induced metabolic disorders. To test this …

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Diversity Analysis Of Soil Fungus Communities In Disturbed, Nursery, And Mature Forest Conditions, Dana Whitmore Jan 2020

Diversity Analysis Of Soil Fungus Communities In Disturbed, Nursery, And Mature Forest Conditions, Dana Whitmore

All Master's Theses

Populations of soil fungi were examined in Derby Canyon Natives, Coeur d’Alene Forest Service nursery, Swamp Lake, and the Keechelus Lake wildlife overcrossing soils. All sampling sites were connected by their relation to the revegetation and native soil plug inoculation of the wildlife overpass. This study was an effort to describe soil fungi communities present on the overpass before plant introduction, those that plants would be bringing in their pots, and the fungi that could be introduced via soil plug transplantation. DNA was extracted from soil samples, then sequenced using next-generation sequencing methods, allowing for the analysis of species richness …

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Evaluation Of The Relationship Between Land Use And Water Quality In Kittitas County, Wa, Lindsay Schulz Jan 2020

Evaluation Of The Relationship Between Land Use And Water Quality In Kittitas County, Wa, Lindsay Schulz

All Master's Theses

Water in Kittitas County is extremely valuable since it supports farming, recreation, and cultural activities, as well as environmental processes and a diversity of biological life while providing many ecosystem services. However, land conversions required by agricultural and urban land uses can negatively impact water quality and the biological function of the stream. I studied how forested, agricultural, and urban land use affect six streams. Fourteen sites were sampled, once each in July, August, and September 2019. Land use was calculated as a percentage of forested, agricultural, and urban land use within a 100-m buffer of the stream, upstream of …

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Risk Of Low Energy Availability In Elite Male Athletes With Spinal Cord Injury, Savannah Glasgow Jan 2020

Risk Of Low Energy Availability In Elite Male Athletes With Spinal Cord Injury, Savannah Glasgow

All Master's Theses

Recent research examining male able-bodied athletes has suggested that males are at risk for low energy availability (LEA); however, there is a paucity of research pertaining to prevalence amongst male athletes with an impairment. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the risk of LEA and prevalence of symptoms related to Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S), including risk of disordered eating, hormonal profiles, and bone mineral density (BMD) scans, in male wheelchair para athletes. Collegiate- and national-level male athletes (n = 9) with spinal cord injury (SCI) completed 7-day concurrent diet and training logs, Eating Disorder Examination …

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Sampling The Local Fare: Fishes At The Sam Israel House Pit (45gr76), Soap Lake, Washington, Adam Fruge Jan 2020

Sampling The Local Fare: Fishes At The Sam Israel House Pit (45gr76), Soap Lake, Washington, Adam Fruge

All Master's Theses

The Sam Israel site is a precontact archaeological complex with numerous fish bones at the north end of Soap Lake, Washington. Excavated in 1976, the fish remains recovered from there were never fully analyzed prior to this research. Since this inland Columbia Plateau site had thousands of fish bones, it contained untapped potential for our understanding of ancient local fish procurement. As such, I conducted a detailed analysis of 2,862 fish bone specimens from the Sam Israel House Pit locus to: study a larger sample of fish bones in greater detail than was done before; compare the distribution of fishes …

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Environmental Dna Is An Effective Method To Monitor Species In Various Freshwater Habitats, Kayleigh Mullen Jan 2020

Environmental Dna Is An Effective Method To Monitor Species In Various Freshwater Habitats, Kayleigh Mullen

All Master's Theses

This research investigated the use of DNA shed from individuals into the environment (eDNA) to monitor three amphibian species and two trout species associated with habitat intersected by Interstate-90 in Snoqualmie Pass, Washington. This included a large catchment area within creeks and nearby wetlands historically affected by I-90, including sites where significant habitat improvements had been made. Species-specific primers were used to detect three focal amphibians of varying local abundance and two focal trout species. This study showed successful detection of species across both lentic and lotic systems throughout the study area through efficient multiplexing (detection of multiple species in …

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Early Life History And Stock Discrimination Of Kokanee Salmon (Oncorhynchus Nerka) In An Alpine Lake Environment, Alexandra Mccarrel Jan 2020

Early Life History And Stock Discrimination Of Kokanee Salmon (Oncorhynchus Nerka) In An Alpine Lake Environment, Alexandra Mccarrel

All Master's Theses

This study examines an ecologically and recreationally important population of kokanee salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) residing in Keechelus Lake and its tributary Gold Creek in the central Cascades of Washington State. This population of kokanee salmon is a vital food base for a population of ESA-listed resident bull trout. However, little is known about the early life history of this population and how it interacts with unique features in its rearing environment. With my research I described the early life history of kokanee salmon that spawn in the lake’s main tributary, Gold Creek, and proposed a framework to determine …

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Ecological And Genetic Connectivity Of Shrews (Sorex Spp.) Across Interstate-90 In The Washington Cascade Range, Jordan Ryckman Jan 2020

Ecological And Genetic Connectivity Of Shrews (Sorex Spp.) Across Interstate-90 In The Washington Cascade Range, Jordan Ryckman

All Master's Theses

Roads negatively affect wildlife by degrading and fragmenting habitat. The I-90 Snoqualmie Pass East project was established to improve traffic safety for both humans and wildlife. Here, the Washington State Department of Transportation is constructing wildlife crossing structures to increase ecosystem connectivity as part of this project. The goal of my study was to investigate shrews – very small mammals with presumably low mobility and dispersal capacity – at sites on the eastern slopes of the Cascade Range where wildlife crossing structures will be built in the future. My main objectives were to verify shrew species composition, assess population genetic …

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Group Differences In Mother-Infant Macaca Fascicularis Behavior, Parasite Load, And Body Condition Within An Anthropogenically Altered Forest, Elizabeth M.C. Coggeshall Jan 2020

Group Differences In Mother-Infant Macaca Fascicularis Behavior, Parasite Load, And Body Condition Within An Anthropogenically Altered Forest, Elizabeth M.C. Coggeshall

All Master's Theses

This study aimed to establish preliminary health and behavioral data, as well as understand group variation for a large population of Macaca fascicularis individuals within an anthropogenically altered monkey forest. A parasitic analysis of 40 mother and infant individuals showed that M. fascicularis carried 13 different parasitic taxa, and that there was parasitic variation between groups. Body condition scores were determined using a newly created and adapted body condition scale from 146 sampled mother macaques. Body condition scores were significantly different between groups, specifically the pond group when compared to the three other groups. Mother-infant behavioral differences were seen between …

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Examining Environmental Use By Captive Lemur Catta And Varecia Rubra, Rhiannon Belcher Jan 2020

Examining Environmental Use By Captive Lemur Catta And Varecia Rubra, Rhiannon Belcher

All Master's Theses

There are over 100 named species of lemurs, of which 94% are considered threatened with extinction by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). They live in increasingly fragmented forests. To understand how best to protect them in their natural habitats, we can observe how they manipulate the environment and how they use objects, both natural and humanmade, around them. Understanding their behavior is a critical component of conservation, and observing behavior in a captive setting allows us to study lemur-environment relationships without disrupting what little habitat is left in Madagascar. In this study I investigated whether the …

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Acoustic Analysis Of Nomascus Gibbon Songs As A Potential Measure Of Current Health Status, Caroline Rowley Jan 2020

Acoustic Analysis Of Nomascus Gibbon Songs As A Potential Measure Of Current Health Status, Caroline Rowley

All Master's Theses

Post-release monitoring is vital to the rehabilitation process. Gibbons offer a unique challenge, as they are notoriously difficult to follow through the forest, but their duets offer a non-invasive window into their lives. The aim of this project is to create a method that will evaluate the health of rehabilitated and released gibbons through acoustic analyses. Gibbon duets are in part genetically determined, but learning may play a role in song development. Additionally, songs may indicate resource holding potential, and are vital to acquiring mates and producing offspring. Captive-raised gibbons are often denied the experience of co-singing with their parents, …

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Mommy Issues: Do Differential Rearing Histories Affect The Social Behavior Of Captive Chacma Baboons (Papio Ursinus), Madeleine Spencer Jan 2020

Mommy Issues: Do Differential Rearing Histories Affect The Social Behavior Of Captive Chacma Baboons (Papio Ursinus), Madeleine Spencer

All Master's Theses

I observed the behavior of 17 chacma baboons (Papio ursinus) in order to understand the relationship between rearing history, dominance hierarchy, and social behavior. The Centre for Animal Rehabilitation and Education (C.A.R.E.) has utilized hand-rearing in the past and is currently using a surrogate-rearing method. Hand-rearing involves one or more primary caregivers attending to an infant for 6 – 12 months. Surrogate-rearing involves one individual being the primary surrogate for the first 3 months of the infant’s life prior to bonding her or him to an adult female baboon before integrating both back into the surrogate’s troop. Mother-reared …

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The Seasonality And Parasite Richness And Prevalence Of The Weddelli’S Saddleback Tamarin (Leontocebus Weddelli), Krista Banda Jan 2020

The Seasonality And Parasite Richness And Prevalence Of The Weddelli’S Saddleback Tamarin (Leontocebus Weddelli), Krista Banda

All Master's Theses

This study surveyed the intestinal helminths (parasitic worms) of Weddelli’s saddleback tamarins (Leontocebus weddelli), focusing on seasonality in parasite prevalence and richness. The collaborative study with Field Projects International took place at the Estación Biológica Rio Los Amigos (EBLA) in southeastern Peru. Fecal samples were collected by following semi-habituated groups of tamarins, yielding 16 samples in the dry season of 2015 and 11 samples in the wet season of 2015-2016. Findings were interpreted to understand trends for parasite prevalence and richness between the two seasons; however, novel helminths for the study species were observed. Trends were interpreted with …

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Distribution Of Invasive Plant Species On Debris Cones At Mount Rainier National Park, Shaun Morrison Jan 2020

Distribution Of Invasive Plant Species On Debris Cones At Mount Rainier National Park, Shaun Morrison

All Master's Theses

Invasive plant populations within Mount Rainier National Park are a biological and ecological threat to the unique mountain landscape. A better understanding of their distribution and transport within the landscape is needed to improve invasive species monitoring for National Park Service management. This study investigates how invasive plant populations in Stevens Canyon are utilizing the debris cone disturbances and associated geomorphic processes to facilitate movement within the park. Vegetation transects were performed along Stevens Canyon Road (to observe the roadside community composition) and on the debris cone features (to observe species movement from the roadside). These vegetation observations are presented …

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