Life Sciences Commons^™

Historical Biogeography And Natural History Of Nocturnal Wasps In The Southwestern Deserts With Special Emphasis On The Genus Chyphotes (Hymenoptera: Chyphotidae), Emily A. Sadler

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Deserts are interesting places due to the large number of plants and animals that live there. Nocturnal wasps are extremely abundant in deserts, but they are difficult to identify and their life cycles are not well known especially the families of Chyphotidae, Tiphiidae (Brachycistidinae), and Mutillidae (velvet ants). In this dissertation, I determine how to correctly identify a particularly difficult group of species that all have black heads from the family Chyphotidae. This is important because these species make up a large proportion of specimens collected. Also, I expanded our knowledge on the distribution of the species of these three …

The Biogeography And Nesting Biology Of Anthophora, With A Revision And Phylogeny Of The Anthophora (Micranthophora), Michael C. Orr

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Bees are necessary pollinators for a vast array of different plants, including many which we rely on for food. In order to grow sufficient crops to feed the world’s growing population, we need to make sure our crops are visited by the most effective possible pollinators. However, this is complicated by the fact that there are over 4,000 bee species in North America, many of which vary in their pollination effectiveness and are difficult to identify. My dissertation’s first two data chapters focus on classifying the species of the xeric solitary bee group Anthophora subgenus Micranthophora, including seven newly …

Ecology, Behavior And Taxonomy Of Anurans From Brazil's Atlantic Forest, Rodrigio Barbosa Ferreira

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Anura is a diverse group with more than 7382 species described, which represents 88% of the species belonging to the Class Amphibia. Anurans are among the first organisms to be affected by environmental stressors, so when they show decline in the wild, it is a warning to other species, including humans. It is alarming that one-third of the world’s anurans are facing extinction. Following the same trend, a substantive portion of the 988 recognized species of the Atlantic Forest have suffered population declines and local extinctions, attributed primarily to habitat changes.

Despite the unique life history characteristics that make amphibians …

A Cytological, Morphological, And Anatomical Study Of Elymus Simplex, Stephan L. Hatch

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the taxonomy, report the chromosome number, report meiotic chromosome behavior, and give the anatomy of Elymus simplex Scribner and Williams. The isotype of Elymus simplex and the type description were used to compare this and other species that have been confused.

Cytological and anatomical methods are reported as an aid in clarification of the taxonomic problem that has been associated with this species.

A Taxonomic And Ecological Study Of Acridinae Of Utah (Orthoptera-Locustidae), Herald C. Bennion

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Orthoptera, especially the family Locustidae, is one of the most important and most interesting orders of insects in the state of Utah. It includes a polyphagus group of great economic importance in the state. The topography and climate of Utah varies from forested alpine slopes to hot arid desert wastes, several life zones being represented. This great variation from desert to alpine in Utah presents a rather unique region for taxonomic and ecological studies of the Orthoptera.

The most familiar representatives of the insect order Orthoptera are the long-horned grasshoppers, locusts, crickets, katydids, and cockroaches. Orthoptera are characterized by Comstock …