Life Sciences Commons^™

Bird And Mammal Fauna Assemblages In Well-Preserved Natural Grasslands Of Uruguay With Different Livestock Management, Rafael A. Tosi-Germán, Álvaro Laborda, Sebastián Donate, Oscar Blumetto

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The aim of this study is to assess the composition of mammalian and avian communities in sites under two different cattle management plans: one where sheep are present along bovine cattle and another where pastures are grazed solely by bovines.

A Reexamination Of The Freshwater Mussel Community Of The Little Miami River, Emily Davis

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

Understanding the changes in biodiversity and local freshwater mussel populations is critical to mitigate the risks to these populations. Freshwater ecosystems continue to degrade rapidly. The freshwater mussel community of the Little Miami River is degraded and has been in decline for many years. The biodiversity contained within freshwater ecosystems is lost at unprecedented rates influenced by human activity. Freshwater mussels play a key role in understanding the effects of human activity on freshwater ecosystems as well as maintaining the health of freshwater habitats. However, they are also sensitive to changes and disturbances, in their ecosystems. This study involved monitoring …

Taxonomy And Systematics Of The New Zealand Pselaphini (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae), Brittany Elin Owens

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The New Zealand (NZ) Pselaphini was revised at the species level, a phylogenetic analysis was performed using morphological data, and first steps were taken towards the construction of a molecular analysis of the tribe. Eight new genera and 33 new species were discovered from specimens collected from the NZ mainland, offshore islands, Chatham Islands and the Subantarctic Islands. Of the 13 species originally described in the genus Pselaphus by Thomas Broun during the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, all were either reassigned to the genera Pselaphaulax and Pselaphogenius, or were placed into new genera. Three names …

Diatom Voucher Flora And Comparison Of Collection Methods For Biodiversity Hotspot Upper Three Runs Creek, Katie M. Johnson

Biology Theses

Surface freshwater is a scarce resource. Due to the scarcity and necessity of this resource, it is imperative that its quality is routinely monitored. One way of monitoring water quality is through biological assessments, which include examining algal assemblages. Regionally, little remains known of algal taxa in the southeastern United States. In the past, the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (ANSP) conducted biological assessments along the Savannah River finding Gomphonema parvulum (Kützing) Kützing 1849 to be a dominant taxon rendering assessments inconclusive. Recent studies have provided evidence that species complexes and semi-cryptic taxa have been identified within the Gomphonema …

Improving Livestock Production Assuring Natural Grassland Ecosystem Conservation: Three Key Management Practices At Farm Level, Oscar Blumetto, Santiago Scarlato, Andrés Castagna, Guadalupe Tiscornia, Andrea Ruggia, Gerónimo Cardozo

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Ecosystem changes by human activities are a central topic in environmental discussions and temperate grasslands are among the most altered ecosystems on the planet (Millenium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005). The Rio de la Plata grasslands are among of the most extended temperate grasslands in the world, along with the prairie system of North America, the grasslands in east Europe and Mongolia, the grassvelds in South Africa and the New Zealand plains. They cover the central-eastern part of Argentina, Uruguay and south of Brazil. Natural grasslands are very rich in terms of number of species, reaching up to more than 3,000 vascular …

A Global View Of Aspen: Conservation Science For Widespread Keystone Systems, Paul C. Rogers, Bradley D. Pinno, Jan Šebesta, Benedicte R. Albrectsen, Guoqing Li, Natalya Ivanova, Antonín Kusbach, Timo Kuuluvainen, Simon M. Landhäusser, Hongyan Liu, Tor Myking, Pertti Pulkkinen, Zhongming Wen, Dominik Kulakowski

Geography

Across the northern hemisphere, six species of aspen (Populus spp.) play a disproportionately important role in promoting biodiversity, sequestering carbon, limiting forest disturbances, and providing other ecosystem services. These species are illustrative of efforts to move beyond single-species conservation because they facilitate hundreds of plants and animals worldwide. This review is intended to place aspen in a global conservation context by focusing on the many scientific advances taking place in such biologically diverse systems. In this manner, aspen may serve as a model for other widespread keystone systems where science-based practice may have world implications for biodiversity conservation. In many …

Leaf Mining Insects And Their Parasitoids In The Old-Growth Forest Of The Huron Mountains, Ronald J. Priest, Robert R. Kula, Michael W. Gates

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Leaf mining insects in an old-growth forest along the south central shore of Lake Superior in Michigan are documented. We present the results of a 13-year survey of leaf mining species, larval hosts, seasonal occurrence, and parasitoids, as well as report biological observations. Representative larvae, mines, adults, and parasitoids were preserved. Among the larval host associations, 15 are reported as new. Additionally, 42 parasitoid taxa were identified resulting in six first reports from the New World and 32 new host associations. Two undescribed species (Gelechiidae and Figitidae) discovered through this research were described in earlier publications.

Planet At Risk From Grazing Animals?, Albrecht F. Glatzle

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The famous FAO report “Livestock’s Long Shadow” (Steinfeld et. al. 2006) and hundreds of subsequent publications blamed domestic livestock, in general, and grassland-based production systems in the (sub) tropics, in particular, of causing serious environmental hazards such as climate change, claiming that 18% of anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are from livestock, more than from the transport sector. Few reviews challenged this claim, and those that did received little attention from the media. Pitseky et al. (2009) revealed the double standard applied by the FAO in this matter. Whereas for livestock products a full life cycle assessment for …

Agroecosystem Health Cards: A Practical Tool For Sustainable Management Of Grasslands, Iker Mijangos, Isabel Albizu, Mikel Anza, Iker Martin, Sorkunde Mendarte, Lur Epelde, Carlos Garbisu

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The traditional grazing activity carried out for centuries in mountainous areas of the Basque Country (Northern Atlantic Spain) facilitated the presence of different extensive pasture habitats, such as those included in the Gorbeia Natural Park and surrounding valleys (43° 02’N, 2° 49’W). Currently, these pastures are highly valued due to the ecosystem services they provide. In this context, one of the main objectives of the LIFE-SOILMONTANA project (ref. LIFE 10 NAT/ES/579) is to develop a practical tool that allows grassland managers (farmers, scientists and authorities) to auto-evaluate the suitability of alternative agronomic practices in relation to the conservation of these …

Biogeographic Patterns In Members Of Globally Distributed And Dominant Taxa Found In Port Microbial Communities., Ryan B Ghannam, Laura G. Schaerer, Timothy M. Butler, Stephen M Techtmann

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

We conducted a global characterization of the microbial communities of shipping ports to serve as a novel system to investigate microbial biogeography. The community structures of port microbes from marine and freshwater habitats house relatively similar phyla, despite spanning large spatial scales. As part of this project, we collected 1,218 surface water samples from 604 locations across eight countries and three continents to catalogue a total of 20 shipping ports distributed across the East and West Coast of the United States, Europe, and Asia to represent the largest study of port-associated microbial communities to date. Here, we demonstrated the utility …

Correlation Between Ocean Acidification And Zooplankton In The South Pacific Gyre, Samuel Noonan, Rachel Scudder

DU Undergraduate Research Journal Archive

The South Pacific Gyre is a naturally occurring carbon sink, meaning that it absorbs atmospheric carbon dioxide by dissolving it into the moving surface water. The dissolution of CO2 level will dictate the water’s acidic levels a larger the concentration of dissolved CO2 is known to increase the salt water’s acidity. A great amount of the ocean’s biomass is composed of calcifying organisms, which produce tests or shells made from calcium carbonate CaCO3.The goal of our project is to determine if there is a correlation between the water acidity across various locations, as we sailed through the South Pacific gyre …

First Contribution On Distribution, Abundance, And Species Richness Of Blowfly Species (Diptera) Of Isparta Province With Five New Records For The Turkish Fauna, Ozan Demi̇rözer, Gamze Pekbey, Rüstem Hayat, Azi̇me Herdoğan, Jelena Acanski, Marija Milicic, Asi̇ye Uzun

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Despite the increasing importance of species richness of blowfly fauna and their environmental, medical, and agricultural importance in the world they are poorly studied in Turkey. This study was carried out in 2014 and 2015 to determine the distribution, abundance, and species richness of blowfly species in Isparta Province of Turkey. A total of 15 species (10 from Calliphoridae, 4 from Polleniidae, and 1 from Rhiniidae) were identified from 13 different localities. The adult specimens were obtained from areas of organic and decayed organic matters, waste and dumpsite, surrounding waste water deposits, and flowering plants. While all the species were …

A Preliminary Checklist Of Lichens From Kamiak Butte County Park, Washington State, Emma Sell, Amanda Chandler

2020 Symposium Posters

The semiarid Palouse ecoregion of North America was once dominated by temperate prairies and connects areas of southeast Washington, north-central Idaho, and northeast Oregon. Transformation of nearly all habitats comprising this ecosystem into agricultural lands has drastically reduced extant native grasslands to small, highly fragmented pieces. These land conversion practices, coupled with the subsequent takeover of invasive plant species, have placed the Palouse ecoregion among the most critically endangered ecosystems in the United States, with < 1% of land remaining that is suitable to host native species. The enormous loss of biodiversity across the Palouse has prompted a need for further study regarding a wide variety of organisms. In particular, lichen diversity of the Palouse ecoregion has never been formally characterized, and there are overall very few detailed studies of lichens throughout eastern Washington. To improve knowledge of Palouse lichen diversity, we first reviewed collection data from historical herbarium specimens via the Consortium of North American Lichen Herbaria (CNALH) database. We then collected lichen voucher specimens from Kamiak Butte County Park (KBCP), one of the largest contiguous natural areas within the Palouse ecoregion as its relatively steep, rocky slopes make it ill-suited for agricultural conversion. KBCP consists of 298 acres of mixed Pinus ponderosa (ponderosa pine) and Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas fir) forest and native grassland that rises above the surrounding farmland, as well as an east-west ridgeline …

Supporting The Essential - Recommendations For The Development Of Accessible And Interoperable Marine Biological Data Products, D. Lear, P. Herman, G. Van Hoey, L. Schepers, N. Tonné, M. Lipizer, F. E. Muller-Karger, W. Appeltans, W. D. Kissling, N. Holdsworth, M. Edwards, E. Pecceu, H. Nygård, G. Canonico, S. Birchenough, G. Graham, K. Deneudt, S. Claus, P. Oset

Marine Science Faculty Publications

In this paper we outline the stakeholder-led approaches in the development of biological data products to support effective conservation, management and policy development. The requirements of a broad range of stakeholders and iterative, structured processes framed the development of tools, models and maps that support the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data principles. By structuring the resultant data products around the emerging biological Essential Ocean Variables, and through the engagement with a broad range of end-users, the EMODnet (European Marine Observation and Data Network) Biology project has delivered a suite of demonstration data products. These products are presented in the …

Examining Biodiversity Metrics And The Utility Of Dna Barcoding In The Northern Great Plains, Sarah Herzog

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Due to heavy threats to remaining global floral and faunal diversity, it is imperative we can identify species and quantify ecosystem health to find best practices for land management and conservation. The tallgrass prairies of the Northern Great Plains are one example of a heavily imperiled ecosystem. The tallgrass prairies have been reduced to less one percent of their historical extent and are facing continued loss. Genetic approaches and evolutionary theory offer insights for identifying species and assessing how biodiversity metrics may correlate with ecosystem processes. My two projects aim to address two facets imperative to conservation in the tallgrass …

Temperate Eurasian Origins Of Hawaiian Chenopodium (Amaranthaceae) Plus Description Of A New Species Endemic To Moloka‘I, Jason T. Cantley, Angela J. Mcdonnell, J Branson, S R. Long, W Garnett, Christopher T. Martine

Faculty Journal Articles

Chenopodium taxa of Hawai‘i are tetraploids distinguished from other members of the circumglobally distributed genus by minute morphological characters. Because of these reasons, the geographic origin of Hawaiian Chenopodium has remained unclear. Across the Hawaiian Archipelago, Chenopodium taxa are morphologically variable and grow in highly disparate xeric habitats, especially in terms of precipitation, temperature, wind, salt spray, and solar irradiation. Habitats include dry subalpine shrublands, sandy beach strand of atolls in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands, dry forests, and precipitously tall sea cliffs of northwestern Moloka‘i. From the Moloka‘i sea cliffs, which are battered by high energy winds, salt spray, and …

New Approach To Health And The Environment To Avoid Future Pandemics, Serge Morand

Animal Sentience

This commentary expands Wiebers & Feigin’s target article by pinpointing how declining wildlife, expanding livestock and globalisation contribute to the increase in epidemics of zoonotic diseases, the COVID-19 crisis and future health crises. Epidemics and the emergence of zoonoses are manifestations of dysfunctional links with animals, both wild and domestic, requiring a new approach to health and the environment.

Efficient Coi Barcoding Using High Throughput Single-End 400 Bp Sequencing, Chentao Yang, Yuxuan Zheng, Shangjin Tan, Guanliang Meng, Wei Rao, Caiqing Yang, David G. Bourne, Paul A. O'Brien, Junqiang Xu, Sha Liao, Ao Chen, Xiaowei Chen, Xinrui Jia, Ai-Bing Zhang, Shanlin Liu

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

Background

Over the last decade, the rapid development of high-throughput sequencing platforms has accelerated species description and assisted morphological classification through DNA barcoding. However, the current highthroughput DNA barcoding methods cannot obtain full-length barcode sequences due to read length limitations (for example, a maximum read length of 300 bp for the Illumina’s MiSeq system), or are hindered by a relatively high cost or low sequencing output (e.g. a maximum number of eight million reads per cell for the PacBio’s SEQUEL II system).

Results

Pooled cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) barcodes from individual specimens were sequenced on the …

A Survey Of The Reptiles And Amphibians At The University Of Georgia Costa Rica Field Station In San Luis De Monteverde, Costa Rica, John David Curlis, Elliot Convery Fisher, W. Kody Muhic, James Moy, Martha Garro-Cruz, José Joaquín Montero-Ramírez

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Reptiles and amphibians are experiencing declines across the globe. In Monteverde, Costa Rica, these declines and their underlying causes have been relatively well studied since the early 1990s, and many protected areas have been set aside to conserve these species. However, thorough surveys of the herpetofaunal diversity in these areas have been scarce over the last 20 years. We conducted a survey of all reptile and amphibian species at the University of Georgia Costa Rica (UGACR), a field station in San Luis de Monteverde. Herein, we present an annotated checklist of the 48 species (35 reptiles and 13 amphibians) that …

Wildlife Ecology And Conservation In A Suburban Preserve Matrix: Applications Of Long-Term Monitoring Data, John Peter Vanek

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Wildlife is important to humans, offering economic, nutritional, ecological, and socio-cultural value. However, vertebrate biodiversity is being lost at rates 100 times greater than the background extinction rate, threatening human livelihood via the loss of ecosystem services. These human-induced species losses are primarily due to habitat destruction, which is increasingly tied to urban development. Conservation of wildlife resources is therefore imperative in a world where more than 50% of the human population, and 80% of people living in the United States, now live in urban areas. In this dissertation, I demonstrate how monitoring data can be applied to answer questions …

Environmental Dna Reveals Seasonal Shifts And Potential Interactions In A Marine Community, Anni Djurhuus, Collin J. Closek, Ryan P. Kelly, Kathleen J. Pitz, Reiko P. Michisaki, Hilary A. Starks, Kristine R. Walz, Elizabeth A. Andruszkiewicz, Emily Olesin, Katherine Hubbard, Enrique Montes, Daniel Otis, Frank E. Muller-Karger, Francisco P. Chavez, Alexandria B. Boehm, Mya Breitbart

Marine Science Faculty Publications

Environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis allows the simultaneous examination of organisms across multiple trophic levels and domains of life, providing critical information about the complex biotic interactions related to ecosystem change. Here we used multilocus amplicon sequencing of eDNA to survey biodiversity from an eighteen-month (2015–2016) time-series of seawater samples from Monterey Bay, California. The resulting dataset encompasses 663 taxonomic groups (at Family or higher taxonomic rank) ranging from microorganisms to mammals. We inferred changes in the composition of communities, revealing putative interactions among taxa and identifying correlations between these communities and environmental properties over time. Community network analysis provided evidence …

Systematics Of Amanita (Amanitaceae, Agaricales, Basidiomycota) From The Guiana Shield And Central Africa, Kennan S. Mighell

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This study is a systematic assessment of ten species of ectomycorrhizal fungi of the genus Amanita (Amanitaceae, Agaricales, Basidiomycota) from the lowland tropical rainforests of the Guiana Shield and Central Africa. Fungi were collected in each of the above regions, analyzed morphologically, and compared to the literature on Amanita diversity worldwide. All species addressed herein are given full formal taxonomic descriptions including complete macro- and microscopic character profiles, habit, habitat, and distribution. Phylogenetic assessments using ribosomal DNA and protein coding genes are provided for Guiana Shield taxa, and sequence data for two non-protein coding regions, the …

Efficacy Of Forest Restoration Treatments Across A 40-Year Chronosequence At Redwood National Park, Kevin Soland

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Following 20^th century logging, much of the natural coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) range consists of dense second-growth stands with slow tree growth and low biodiversity. There is a landscape-scale effort in much of coastal northern California to increase tree growth rates and ecosystem biodiversity via thinning treatments, thereby hopefully accelerating the development of old-growth forest characteristics. Redwood National Park (RNP) has been experimenting with thinning in these forest types since the 1970s. Given the interesting history of logging and restoration in RNP and the future plans for widespread thinning in this region, my thesis examined the effects …

Additions To Philippine Slender Skinks Of The Brachymeles Bonitae Complex (Reptilia: Squamata: Scincidae) Iv: Resurrection And Redescription Of Brachymeles Burksi, Cameron D. Siler, Elyse S. Freitas, Jennifer A. Sheridan, Stephanie N. Maguire, Drew R. Davis, Jessa L. Watters, Kai Wang, Arvin C. Diesmos, Rafe M. Brown

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

The diversity of Philippine amphibians and reptiles has increased over the last few decades, in part due to re-evaluation of species formerly believed to be widespread. Many of these investigations of widespread species have uncovered multiple closely related cryptic lineages comprising species complexes, each restricted to individual Pleistocene Aggregate Island Complexes (PAICs). One group in particular for which widespread cryptic diversity has been common is the clade of Philippine skinks of the genus Brachymeles. Recent phylogenetic studies of the formerly recognized widespread species Brachymeles bonitae have indicated that this species is actually a complex distributed across several major PAICs and …

What The Covid-19 Crisis Is Telling Humanity, David Wiebers, Valery Feigin

Animal Sentience

The planet is in a global health emergency exacting enormous medical and economic tolls. It is imperative for us as a society and species to focus and reflect deeply upon what this and other related human health crises are telling us about our role in these increasingly frequent events and about what we can do to prevent them in the future.

Cause: It is human behavior that is responsible for the vast majority of zoonotic diseases that jump the species barrier from animals to humans: (1) hunting, capture, and sale of wild animals for human consumption, particularly in live-animal markets; …

Host Relationships And Geographic Distribution Of Species Of Blanchard, 1848 (Onchoproteocephalidea, Onchobothriidae) In Elasmobranchs: A Metadata Analysis, Francisco Zaragoza-Tapia, Griselda Pulido-Flores, Scott L. Gardner, Scott Monks

Scott L. Gardner Publications

Species of Acanthobothrium have been documented as parasites of the spiral intestine of elasmobranchs. Results of a metadata analysis indicate that 114 species of elasmobranchs have been reported as hosts of 200 species of Acanthobothrium. The metadata analysis revealed that 3.7% of species of sharks and 14.9% of species of rays that have been reported as hosts to date; some species are parasitized by more than one species of Acanthobothrium. This work provides a Category designation, as proposed by Ghoshroy and Caira (2001), for each species of Acanthobothrium. These Category designations are a tool to facilitate comparisons …

Comparison Of Unmanaged And Managed Trojan Fir-Scots Pine Forests For Structuralcomplexity, Ferhat Kara, John M. Lhotka

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Unmanaged forests may exhibit a higher degree of biodiversity compared to managed forests. We examined and compared the stand structure, density, and volume of deadwood components of managed and unmanaged mixed forests of Trojan fir (Abies nordmanniana subsp. equi-trojani [Asch. & Sint. ex Boiss] Coode & Cullen)-Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) in northern Turkey. The single-tree selection method has been employed in the managed forests. Density of large live trees ha-1, density of standing deadwood (SDW) ha-1, and volume of lying deadwood (LDW) (m3 ha-1) were calculated for both treatments (i.e. managed or unmanaged). Results showed that unmanaged forests had …

Science, Diplomacy, And The Red Sea's Unique Coral Reef: It's Time For Action, Karine Kleinhaus, Ali Al-Sawalmih, Daniel J. Barshis, Amatzia Genin, Lola N. Grace, Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, Yossi Loya, Anders Meiborn, Eslam O. Osman, Jean-Daniel Ruch, Yonathan Shaked, Christian R. Voolstra, Assaf Zvuloni, Maoz Fine

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Rapid ocean warming due to climate change poses a serious risk to the survival of coral reefs. It is estimated that 70–90 percent of all reefs will be severely degraded by mid-century even if the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Climate Agreement is achieved. However, one coral reef ecosystem seems to be more resilient to rising sea temperatures than most others. The Red Sea’s reef ecosystem is one of the longest continuous living reefs in the world, and its northernmost portion extends into the Gulf of Aqaba. The scleractinian corals in the Gulf have an unusually high tolerance for the …

Protecting Biodiversity On National Forests: The Evolution And Implementation Of Forest Planning Regulations, Anna Wearn

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In 2012, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) promulgated new forest planning regulations that significantly altered national forest management. One of the most controversial and important advancements was the inclusion of what were meant to be stronger biodiversity protections. An analysis of USFS’s rationale in revising the biodiversity regulations provides insights into how to interpret the substantively and procedurally new ecosystem and species protections. Examining this regulatory history reveals three key changes to the manner in which national forests are required to manage and monitor biodiversity: 1) a greater reliance on science to inform planning, 2) a new emphasis on ecological …

Invasive Rat Establishment And Changes In Small Mammal Populations On Caribbean Islands Following Two Hurricanes, Aaron B. Shiels, Claudia D. Lombard, Laura Shiels, Zandy Hillis-Starr

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Invasive mammals, particularly black rats (Rattus rattus), house mice (Mus musculus), and mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus) are established on many tropical islands and threaten natural resources such as native birds, sea turtles, lizards, invertebrates, and plants. St. Croix (U.S. Virgin Islands, Caribbean) has a diversity of natural resources being protected from invasive mammals by U.S. conservation agencies. Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge and Buck Island Reef National Monument receive among the highest density of nesting sea turtles in the region, including annual nesting populations of 50e250 leatherbacks (Dermochelys coriacea), 25e80 hawksbills (Eretmochelys imbricata), and 100e250 green turtles (Chelonia mydas). Buck Island …