Life Sciences Commons^™

Conservation In The Context Of Climate Change: Practical Guidelines For Land Protection At Local Scales, Kevin Ruddock, Peter V. August, Christopher Damon, Charles Labash, Pamela Rubinoff, Donald Robadue Jr.

Natural Resources Science Faculty Publications

Climate change will affect the composition of plant and animal communities in many habitats and geographic settings. This presents a dilemma for conservation programs – will the portfolio of protected lands we now have achieve a goal of conserving biodiversity in the future when the ecological communities occurring within them change? Climate change will significantly alter many plant communities, but the geophysical underpinnings of these landscapes, such as landform, elevation, soil, and geological properties, will largely remain the same. Studies show that extant landscapes with a diversity of geophysical characteristics support diverse plant and animal communities. Therefore, geophysically diverse landscapes …

How Migratory Thrushes Conquered Northern North America: A Comparative Phylogeography Approach, Carrie M. Topp, Christin L. Pruett, Kevin G. Mccracken, Kevin S. Winker

Biomedical Engineering and Sciences Faculty Publications

Five species of migratory thrushes (Turdidae) occupy a transcontinental distribution across northern North America. They have largely overlapping breeding ranges, relatively similar ecological niches, and mutualistic relationships with northern woodland communities as insectivores and seed-dispersing frugivores. As an assemblage of ecologically similar species, and given other vertebrate studies, we predicted a shared pattern of genetic divergence among these species between their eastern and western populations, and also that the timing of the coalescent events might be similar and coincident with historical glacial events. To determine how these five lineages effectively established transcontinental distributions, we used mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences to …

Quantitative Relationship Of Soil Texture With The Observed Population Density Reduction Of Heterodera Glycines After Annual Corn Rotation In Nebraska, Oscar Perez-Hernandez, Loren J. Giesler

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Soil texture has been commonly associated with the population density of Heterodera glycines (soybean cyst nematode: SCN), but such an association has been mainly described in terms of textural classes. In this study, multivariate analysis and a generalized linear modeling approach were used to elucidate the quantitative relationship of soil texture with the observed SCN population density reduction after annual corn rotation in Nebraska. Forty-five commercial production fields were sampled in 2009, 2010, and 2011 and SCN population density (eggs/100 cm3 of soil) for each field was determined before (Pi) and after (Pf) annual corn rotation from ten 3 3 …

Physiological Ecology And Functional Traits Of North American Native And Eurasian Introduced Phragmites Australis Lineages, Thomas J. Mozdzer, Jacques Brisson, Eric L. G. Hazelton

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Physiological ecology and plant functional traits are often used to explain plant invasion. To gain a better understanding of how traits influence invasion, studies usually compare the invasive plant to a native congener, but there are few conspecific examples in the literature. In North America, the presence of native and introduced genetic lineages of the common reed, Phragmites australis, presents a unique example to evaluate how traits influence plant invasion.We reviewed the literature on functional traits of P. australis lineages in North America, specifically contrasting lineages present on the Atlantic Coast.We focused on differences in physiology between the lineage introduced …

Ecology Of Two High Copy Plasmids, Ermira Pazolli, Dr. Alan Harker

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Plasmids are genetic entities residing in the cell. They can vary in size and genetic content. There are alternate views about plasmids, but the consensus one is that they are genetic elements that are transferred from cell to cell, thus conferring resistance or performing some other function advantageous to the cell. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the behavior of plasmids as individuals ‘forced’ to cooperate under selective pressure. In the first phase, we had to extract the plasmids in large quantities and construct two similar models. Due to time constraint and other unforeseen obstacles, we have …

The Use Of Stable Isotopes To Determine The Physiology And Ecology Of Reptiles, Jessica Makin, Kent Hatch

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Stable isotope research is becoming more widely used in physiological ecology. Atoms of the same atomic number but different atomic weights are called isotopes. Nitrogen (N) has two isotopes, 14N and 15N, with the latter being the heavier isotope. The assumption is that 14N is excreted at a higher rate than 15N. It is also thought that this should cause an increase in 15N of the protein tissues and preferential excretion of 14N of an animal when the animal is in the process of breaking down proteins.

Wildlands Conservancy/Connick Ranch Research, Susie Van Kirk

Susie Van Kirk Papers

Susie Van Kirks research notes on the Wildlands Conservancy and Connick Ranch. Includes newspaper references, interviews, as well as deed, survey and patent information.

Mechanics, Diversity, And Ecology Of Gecko Adhesion, Travis Jay Hagey

Biology

The question of why animals are shaped the way they are has intrigued scientists for hundreds of years. Studies of ecological morphology (the relationship between an organism’s form, function, and environment) often bridge multiple disciplines including biomechanics, ecology, phylogenetics, and comparative methods. In this dissertation, I gathered data and tested hypotheses that considered the link between morphology and performance and the relationship between performance and ecology. I focused my research on the adhesive abilities of geckos. Geckos are an understudied, diverse group of lizards, well known for their adhesive toe pads. I propose that geckos are an excellent group to …

Feeding Ecology Of Delta Smelt During A Seasonal Pulse Of Turbidity, William A. Hilton, Aaron Johnson, Wim Kimmerer

STAR Program Research Presentations

The delta smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus) is a small, pelagic fish endemic to the San Francisco Estuary (SFE) and protected under federal and state endangered species acts. This study examines the diet of adult delta smelt during their spawning migration in the winters of 2010 and 2012. Delta smelt and their zooplankton prey were sampled concurrently during a seasonal pulse of turbidity at sites along their migratory route from the low salinity zone in Suisun Bay to the fresher waters of the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta. Gut contents were identified to the lowest possible taxon and counted, along with zooplankton …

The Effects Of Calcium Concentration And Food Levels On Daphnia, Fawn Goodberry

Biology Theses

Many physiological processes of Daphnia are negatively affected at low calcium concentrations. The concentration of calcium within lake water influences how Daphnia populations will survive and reproduce in natural environments. An experiment was designed to test the effects of calcium concentration and food level on the growth and reproduction of a Daphnia hybrid. Daphnia pulex x Daphnia pulicaria were reared in a soft water medium at three calcium concentrations (2.5mg/L, 1.0mg/L, 0.50mg/L) and high and low food levels (5.6 x 10⁵ and 5.6 x 10⁴ cells of the algae Ankistrodesmus sp.) in a 2 x 3 factorial …

Shovelnose Sturgeon Reproductive Ecology In The Lower Platte River, Nebraska, Mathew L. Rugg

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Biodiversity and abundance of freshwater organisms are experiencing drastic declines. Anthropogenic disturbances have altered the natural flow regimes of large rivers, and have led to declines in species that rely on elements of natural flow. Similarly, shovelnose sturgeon distribution has diminished in the last 100 years due to habitat alteration, overharvest, and water contamination. To fully understand the status and viability of a fish population, basic knowledge of a fish’s reproductive strategy is needed. Aspects of reproduction that should be understood to manage for sustainability include maturation, fecundity, and spawning dynamics. There is currently little published information on age/size of …

James’S Rule And Causes And Consequences Of A Latitudinal Cline In The Demography Of John’S Snapper (Lutjanus Johnii) In Coastal Waters Of Australia, Mike Cappo, Ross J. Marriott, Stephen J. Newman

Fisheries Research Articles

Demographic parameters were derived from sectioned otoliths of John’s Snapper (Lutjanus johnii) from 4 regions across 9° of latitude and 23° of longitude in northern Australia. Latitudinal variation in size and growth rates of this species greatly exceeded longitudinal variation. Populations of John’s Snapper farthest from the equator had the largest body sizes, in line with James’s rule, and the fastest growth rates, contrary to the temperature size rule for ectotherms. A maximum age of 28.6 years, nearly 3 times previous estimates, was recorded and the largest individual was 990 mm in fork length. Females grew to a larger mean …

Greater Sage-Grouse Habitat Selection And Use Patterns In Response To Vegetation Management Practices In Northwestern Utah, Stephanie E. Graham

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; sage-grouse) are a sagebrush obligate species and an indicator of sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) habitat quality. Sage-grouse populations have declined across western North America. Fragmentation of landscapes and habitat loss have been identified as factors that negatively impact sage-grouse populations. Wildfires can increase the distribution of invasive plants and contribute to fragmentation and habitat loss across sagebrush ecosystems. Greenstripping has been identified as a technique to reduce the threat of wildfire and subsequent spread of invasive species. Forage kochia (Bassia prostrata) is a semi-shrub that contains a high moisture content year-round, high …

Roads And The Reproductive Ecology Of Hesperidanthus Suffrutescens, An Endangered Shrub, Matthew B. Lewis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

We studied the pollination ecology of the endangered Utah desert shrub, shrubby reed-mustard (Hesperidanthus suffrutescens). We also studied the impacts that dust from unpaved roads has on successful reproduction. In addition, we looked at the relationship between the total number of plants, the spacing of plants, and reproduction. We found that shrubby reed-mustard requires pollinators for successful pollination. Pollinators include many small native bees from the genera Andrena, Dialictus, and Halictus. Additionally, we found that reproduction of shrubby reed-mustard is limited, possibly due to scarcity of these bees. We found that dust from the road …

Ecology Of Coyotes On The Valles Caldera National Preserve, New Mexico: Implications For Elk Calf Recruitment, Suzanne J. Gifford

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Valles Caldera National Preserve (VCNP) managers were concerned about low elk recruitment observed at the same time as an apparent increase in sightings of coyotes and observations of coyote predation on elk calves. The goal of this study was to describe coyotes’ ecological interactions with elk, particularly coyote diet and movements on the Valle Grande, a large grassland meadow in the southeastern portion of the VCNP.

We examined coyote diet by quantifying undigested remains of food items in coyote scats (feces). The most frequent taxa were rodents (montane voles and pocket gophers), elk (adult and calf), insects (grasshoppers and beetles), …

Integrating, Developing, And Testing Methods To Generate More Cohesive Approaches To Biogeographic Inference, Mallory Elizabeth Eckstut

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

As a fundamental component of the developing discipline of conservation biogeography, broadscale analyses of biotic assembly and disassembly across multiple temporal and spatial scales provide an enhanced understanding of how geologic transformations and climate oscillations have shaped extant patterns of biodiversity. As with any scientific field, there are limitations in the case of biogeographic historical reconstructions. Historical reconstructions are only as robust as the theoretical underpinnings of the methods of reconstruction (including data collection, quality, analysis, and interpretation). Nevertheless, historical reconstructions of species distributions can help inform our understanding of how species respond to environmental change.

My dissertation takes a …

Life History And Morphometric Variation Of Gambusia Nobilis At Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Alyssa Renee Hopkins

Biology ETDs

The Pecos Gambusia, Gambusia nobilis, is an endangered, live bearing fish inhabiting sinkholes in a restricted range of the Pecos River Watershed in New Mexico and Texas. The sink holes at Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge (BLNWR), Roswell, NM create isolated habitats with varying ecological conditions (habitat size, community composition, dissolved oxygen, salinity and pH). This ecological variation imposes unique selective pressures that may shape differences in life history characteristics and morphology between populations. The goals of this research were to characterize seasonal and population variation in 1) life history characteristics, 2) embryo development patterns, 3) morphology and 4) explore …

Enhancing Coastal Resilience: Perspectives On Valuing Ri Coastal Lands, Kyle Nyskohus

Honors Projects in Science and Technology

This paper discusses coastal resilience as an organizing framework for future policymaking, coastal planning, and insurance decisions, and explores the different perspectives of the value of ecosystems held by various stakeholders in Rhode Island’s coastal communities. A grounded theory approach was used in an effort to abstract general insights from the substantive but isolated areas of coastal management and economics. Special attention is given to the perspectives of municipal decision makers, the National Flood Insurance Program, natural economists, and real estate developers. We have (1) conducted a statistical analysis of environmental spending of RI towns, (2) identified key models for …

Warm Springs, Early Lay Dates, And Double Brooding In A North American Migratory Songbird, The Black-Throated Blue Warbler, Andrea K. Townsend, T. Scott Sillett, Nina K. Lany, Sara A. Kaiser, Nicholas L. Rodenhouse, Michael S. Webster, Richard T. Holmes

Dartmouth Scholarship

Numerous studies have correlated the advancement of lay date in birds with warming climate trends, yet the fitness effects associated with this phenological response have been examined in only a small number of species. Most of these species–primarily insectivorous cavity nesters in Europe–exhibit fitness declines associated with increasing asynchrony with prey. Here, we use 25 years of demographic data, collected from 1986 to 2010, to examine the effects of spring temperature on breeding initiation date, double brooding, and annual fecundity in a Nearctic - Neotropical migratory songbird, the black-throated blue warbler (Setophaga caerulescens). Data were collected from birds breeding at …

The Effect Of Ph On The Metal Binding Capabilities Of Exopolymeric Substances From A Marine Benthic Diatom, Vanessa O'Donnell

All Theses And Dissertations

The marine sediment-water interface is a dynamic microenvironment containing diatoms, which produce exopolymeric substance (EPS). EPS has various functions for individual cells and for marine ecosystems. EPS substance is a species-specific composition that has strong absorptive qualities and is able to bind metals from even a very dilute aqueous solution. As industrially derived metals tend to accumulate in marine mudflats, where diatoms are the major EPS producing organisms, it is important to determine how marine benthic diatom EPS will bind with metals. To address the metal binding properties of diatom EPS, Cylindrotheca closteriums’ EPS was isolated by tangential flow filtration, …

Persons As Plants: Ecopsychology And The Return To The Dream Of Nature, Monica Gagliano

Landscapes: the Journal of the International Centre for Landscape and Language

Abstract. In this article, I examine human-plant perceptions and interactions in terms of developing a new perspective on the perception and the actions of people towards plants. By combining my scientific understanding of the biological world and my own experiences working with plant shamans, storytellers and mystics from around the world, I engage with the idea that the hierarchical structure by which Western science defines the variety of life forms as ‘primitive’ or ‘more evolved’ is at the root of the current environmental crisis and I argue that the solution to it rests in a change of this very perspective.

The Yellow Stingray, Urobatis Jamaicensis (Chondrichthyes Urotrygonidae): A Synoptic Review, Richard E. Spieler, Daniel P. Fahy, Robin L. Sherman, James Sulikowski, T. Patrick Quinn

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

The yellow stingray, Urobatis jamaicensis (Cuvier) has been the subject of a multitude of diverse studies on its natural history, morphology, and physiology. We have attempted here to briefly review all the studies on U. jamaicensis both published and unpublished with the goal of providing comparative information for researchers working on related species as well as to highlight areas of research requiring further investigation in this one.

First Record Of Pond Sliders (Trachemys Scripta Scripta And T. S. Elegans) At Fredericksburg, Virginia With Observations On Population Size, Age And Growth, Werner Wieland, Yoshinori Takeda

Virginia Journal of Science

We conducted a turtle mark-recapture program within a 160 m stretch of the Fredericksburg Canal with standard, baited hoop nets from May to July 2012 to determine if a population of the introduced Red-eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) and Yellow-bellied Slider (Trachemys s. scripta) are established in this area. We captured and marked nine Red-eared Sliders (1 male, 8 females) and estimated a population size of 23 individuals. Most were reproductively mature. The established population in the canal may be a source of introduction into the Rappahannock River.

Biology And Ecology Of Glyphosate-Resistant Giant Ragweed, Kabelo Segobye

Open Access Theses

Giant ragweed (Ambrosia trifida L.) is a competitive annual plant found in disturbed landscapes and is the most troublesome weed in Indiana and the US Corn Belt. It is one of the most common and problematic weeds in corn and soybean production. The introduction of herbicide glyphosate, N-(phosphonomethyl) glycine in early 1970's provided farmers with a better and low-cost tool to control weeds. The use of glyphosate drastically increased after the development of glyphosate resistant agronomic crops in 1996 and was use as a post-emergence selective herbicide. This led to overreliance and repeated use of glyphosate for weed control especially …

Ecology Of Glacial Relict Fishes In South Dakota's Sandhills Region, Eli Felts

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Native stream fish zoogeography has changed substantially across North America during the last century as habitat degradation, stream fragmentation and introductions of nonnative species have led to numerous extinctions, extirpations and altered distributions. Insufficient information regarding imperiled species often results in reactive, rather than proactive, management, and knowledge of species status and ecology is critical in identifying conservation priorities. South Dakota populations of three dace species (northern redbelly dace Chrosomus eos, finescale dace Chrosomus neogaeus, and pearl dace Margariscus margarita) are relict of Pleistocene Glaciation and are isolated from the northern core of their distribution, but little information exists regarding …

Asperula Anatolica (Rubiaceae), A New Species From South-East Anatolia, Turkey, Meryem Şeker

Turkish Journal of Botany

A new species, Asperula anatolica M.Ozturk (Rubiaceae), is described from south-east Turkey. A. anatolica grows on limestone bedrock, in Uludere District (C9 Şırnak Province). It is an endemic confined to south-east Anatolia, and it is related to A. comosa Schönb.-Tem in the section Cruciana. Asperula anatolica is distinct from a closely allied species, A. comosa, by its inflorescence, indumentum, corolla lobes and shape, bracts, bracteoles, internodes, seed coat surface, and pollen grains. Photos of the new species are provided, and observations on the population are discussed. Special attention is also given to its ecology and conservation status. In addition, pollen …

Population Genetics And Ecology Of Regional Malaria Vectors In Amazonian Brazil, Sascha Naomi Mckeon

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Species complexes are common among anopheline mosquitoes, but only some members of complexes are disease vectors. Research involving overall patterns of divergence, phylogenetic relationships and population structure is partly driven by the operational need to be able to reliably distinguish component taxa that may be involved in malaria transmission. Anopheles triannulatus, An. nuneztovari and An. albitarsis are broadly distributed species complexes that contain local and regionally important malaria vectors, whose genetic diversity has been largely overshadowed by studies involving An. darlingi, the principal vector of Central and South America. I have analyzed the ecological suitability of habitats and geographical ranges …

Soil-Plant Relations In The Annual Gypsophila (Caryopyhllaceae) Taxa Of Turkey, Mustafa Korkmaz, Hasan Özçeli̇k

Turkish Journal of Botany

The soil properties of the annual Gypsophila L. taxa of Turkey and their effects on plant morphology were investigated. The taxa studied were Gypsophila heteropoda Freyn & Sint., G. parva Barkoudah, G. elegans M.Bieb., G. bitlisensis Barkoudah, G. viscosa Murray, G. antari Post & Beauverd, G. muralis L., G. tubulosa (Jaub. & Spach) Boiss., G. confertifolia Hub.-Mor., and G. pilosa Hudson. The soils of the plant taxa were medium textured, sand or sandy-loam, saltless or a little salty, neutral, limy, rich in potassium and with very little phosphorous, and with medium levels of nitrogen and organic matter. G. antari, which …

Distribution And Ecology Of Ostracoda (Crustacea) From Troughs In Turkey, Okan Külköylüoğlu, Derya Akdemi̇r, Necmetti̇n Sari, Mehmet Yavuzatmaca, Ceren Oral, Eli̇f Başak

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Troughs are artificially transformed natural springs, underground waters, or related habitats. Some effects of such transformation are mentioned in a few studies, but there has been no extensive study on species composition and diversity in troughs. To contribute to the knowledge on the ostracods in troughs, we examined ostracod composition and diversity in 105 troughs from 6 provinces (Bolu, Erzincan, Gaziantep, Kahramanmaraş, Ordu, Van) in Turkey. The troughs were randomly visited between the years 2006 and 2010. A total of 32 ostracod species and a mean number of 2.16 species per trough were found. The most common 4 species (Heterocypris …

Family Matters: An Analysis Of Genetic Relatedness Of Tetraclita Rubescens (The Pink Volcano Barnacle) Over Several Spatial Scales At Monterey And Bodega Bay, California, Kelly N. Chang

Scripps Senior Theses

Inbreeding involves the mating of closely related individuals at a higher frequency than at random; this can decrease the average fitness of populations and individuals by reducing the presence of heterozygotes and augmenting the expression of deleterious genes. Since marine invertebrates exhibit widespread dispersal, their potential for inbreeding is often disregarded. The adult sessile state of barnacles creates the potential for inbreeding as a result of necessary copulation between neighboring individuals. Depending on the degree of mixing that occurs during dispersal, closely related individuals or siblings may settle in close proximity, generating the possibility of kin aggregation and consequent inbreeding. …