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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Population Physiology, Demography, And Genetics Of Side-Blotched Lizards (Uta Stansburiana) Residing In Urban And Natural Environments, Spencer B. Hudson Aug 2023

Population Physiology, Demography, And Genetics Of Side-Blotched Lizards (Uta Stansburiana) Residing In Urban And Natural Environments, Spencer B. Hudson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Wildlife populations across the globe are poised to lose their natural habitat to urbanization, yet there is limited information on how different species handle living in cities. Animals in urban environments are often susceptible to novel stressors, which can threaten their individual health and population viability. The physiological characteristics of animals, such as those related to metabolic hormones, oxidative stress, and immunity, are expected to be important for survival in this context. If so, animals persisting in urban areas may demonstrate physiological differences from their natural counterparts, perhaps due to evolutionary change. These potential outcomes have been documented in birds …


Neonate Atlantic Sharpnose Shark (Rhizoprionodon Terraenovae) Relative Abundance And Body Condition In Two South Carolina Estuaries Varying In Urbanization, Rileigh E. Hawk May 2023

Neonate Atlantic Sharpnose Shark (Rhizoprionodon Terraenovae) Relative Abundance And Body Condition In Two South Carolina Estuaries Varying In Urbanization, Rileigh E. Hawk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Urbanization near estuaries has been shown to affect the growth and survival of juvenile sharks using the system as a nursery. North Inlet and Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, are similarly-sized, tidally-dominated, bar-built estuaries with extensive Sporobolus-lined tidal creeks but differ in degree of human impact. Previously, Murrells Inlet was shown to have a lower abundance and diversity of large sharks than North Inlet and Atlantic Sharpnose Sharks (Rhizoprionodon terraenovae) were shown to use North Inlet as a primary nursery. To examine potential differences in neonate shark abundance and growth between a developed estuary, Murrells Inlet, and a protected estuary, North …


Consistent Nest Site Selection By Turtles Across Habitats With Varying Levels Of Human Disturbance, Molly Folkerts Caldwell, Jorge E. López-Pérez, Daniel A. Warner, Matthew E. Wolak Feb 2023

Consistent Nest Site Selection By Turtles Across Habitats With Varying Levels Of Human Disturbance, Molly Folkerts Caldwell, Jorge E. López-Pérez, Daniel A. Warner, Matthew E. Wolak

Biology Student Research

Human disturbance impacts the breeding behavior of many species, and it is particularly important to understand how these human-caused changes affect vulnerable taxa, such as turtles. Habitat alteration can change the amount and quality of suitable nesting habitat, while human presence during nesting may influence nesting behavior. Consequently, both habitat alteration and human presence can influence the microhabitat that females choose for nesting. In the summer of 2019, we located emydid turtle nests in east-central Alabama, USA, in areas with varying levels of human disturbance (high, intermediate, low). We aimed to determine whether turtles selected nest sites based on a …


Anthropogenic Land Uses Influence Stream Dissolved Organic Matter Quality More Than Decomposition Rates And Macroinvertebrate Diversity, Shayenna Nolan, Alyssa Alves Frazao, J D. Hosen, Catherine Febria Jan 2023

Anthropogenic Land Uses Influence Stream Dissolved Organic Matter Quality More Than Decomposition Rates And Macroinvertebrate Diversity, Shayenna Nolan, Alyssa Alves Frazao, J D. Hosen, Catherine Febria

Integrative Biology Publications

In the era of the Anthropocene, streams and rivers are among the most heavily impacted ecosystems due to the influence of catchment land use on stream water quality and ecological condition. In practice, structural and functional indicators collected by biomonitoring programs are underused and thus limited in their ability to offer practical insight into functional-based restoration approaches. Here we applied a novel combination of indicators—cotton strip decomposition, benthic invertebrate sampling together with dissolved organic matter (DOM) composition — to determine if streams highly impacted by urbanized and agricultural land use across Windsor-Essex (southwestern Ontario, Canada) were consistent across season, anthropogenic …


Winter Dynamics Of Storm Water Management Ponds And Winter Tolerance In Three Aquatic Plant Species, Patrick Strzalkowski Jan 2023

Winter Dynamics Of Storm Water Management Ponds And Winter Tolerance In Three Aquatic Plant Species, Patrick Strzalkowski

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The vast majority of the research into the performance of stormwater management ponds (SWMPs) has been performed in warm regions or during the warmer seasons in temperate regions. It is presumed that SWMPs are inactive in the winter as any potential stormwater is trapped in snow and ice. The main goal of this thesis was to test this presumption and to study the dynamics and performance of three SWMPs during the winter. Remote water level loggers were installed into the three SWMPs and daily grab samples from the influents and effluents were taken and analyzed for total phosphorus (TP), chloride, …