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Full-Text Articles in Animal Sciences

Reconstructing Species Responses To Past Climatic Changes Using Niche Modeling And Genetic Data, Tereza Jezkova Dec 2010

Reconstructing Species Responses To Past Climatic Changes Using Niche Modeling And Genetic Data, Tereza Jezkova

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Glacial – interglacial cycles have a pronounced impact on species distributions and genetic structure. Many species shift their distributions to lower latitudes and altitudes during the colder glacial periods and expand northwards and up the elevation during warmer interglacial periods. Some species however are capable of adapting to changing environment which allows them to persist in place despite climatic changes. I explored how climatic changes after the last glacial maximum (LGM) effected two species inhabiting the deserts of western North America: one mammal (Chisel-toothed Kangaroo Rat, Dipodomys microps) and one reptile (Desert Horned Lizard, Phrynosoma platyrhinos). I used …


Land Use Planning And Vernal Pool Conservation In A Southern Maine Town, Robert Carlton Freeman May 2010

Land Use Planning And Vernal Pool Conservation In A Southern Maine Town, Robert Carlton Freeman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation I investigate the impacts of both growth management regulations and vernal pool protection regulations on landscape permeability for wood frogs (Rana sylvatica), a vernal pool-obligate species. Motivated by new legislation in Maine (USA) to protect vernal pools and the species that depend on them, I combined a spatially-explicit economic model of the conversion of undeveloped parcels to residential use with a landscape permeability model for wood frogs. I estimated the economic model using a Bayesian Gibbs Sampler to account for spatial error dependence and used the results to predict future landscape patterns in a focal town, Falmouth, …


Body Size And Growth Patterns Of Microtus Pennsylvanicus (Ord.) In Chesapeake, Virginia, Sara E. Bell Apr 2010

Body Size And Growth Patterns Of Microtus Pennsylvanicus (Ord.) In Chesapeake, Virginia, Sara E. Bell

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

From Dec 2002-Feb 2008, a capture-mark-release study was conducted on 2 Chesapeake, Virginia populations of meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus). The study sites were effectively 1 ha grids in old fields. Two modified live Fitch-type traps were placed at 12.5 m intervals on grids that were trapped for 3 days each month. In northern North America, voles have distinct breeding cohorts (spring and autumn), experience autumn and winter weight loss, demonstrate both delayed growth and sexual maturation in autumn-born young, have lifespans less than 15 weeks, and average about 35-50 g as adults. Chesapeake voles bred year-round, experienced no …


The Presence Of Micropterus Salmoides (Largemouth Bass) Influences The Populations Of Rana Draytonii (California Red-Legged Frog) And Pseudacris Regilla (Pacific Treefrog) In Two Ponds In Santa Barbara County, California, Kenneth Lee Gilliland Feb 2010

The Presence Of Micropterus Salmoides (Largemouth Bass) Influences The Populations Of Rana Draytonii (California Red-Legged Frog) And Pseudacris Regilla (Pacific Treefrog) In Two Ponds In Santa Barbara County, California, Kenneth Lee Gilliland

Master's Theses

Alien fish have been implicated in the decline of Rana draytonii (California red-legged frog) and Pseudacris regilla (Pacific treefrog) populations. Micropterus salmoides (largemouth bass) is a common sport fish that has been introduced into the sympatric range of these two anuran species; however, no studies have investigated the individual influence that this alien fish has on these two species. I conducted M. salmoides control or eradication experiments during a four year study in two ponds within the Transverse Mountain Range of Santa Barbara County, California. Changes in the densities of all life stages of R. draytonii and P. regilla were …


Dopamine Modulates The Lateral Giant Neuron And Serotonergic Facilitation In Crayfish, Joshua Scott Titlow Jan 2010

Dopamine Modulates The Lateral Giant Neuron And Serotonergic Facilitation In Crayfish, Joshua Scott Titlow

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The lateral giant (LG) neural circuit is a model system used to study the function of individual neurons. The LG circuit is part of a tail flip escape reflex that is a defensive behavior for crayfish. This thesis begins by addressing the effects of dopamine (DA), a neurotransmitter involved in normal and abnormal behaviors of most animals. Here it is shown that dopamine decreases the excitability of the LG neuron, a trigger for the escape reflex. An electrophysiology protocol was used to mimic sensory input to the LG neuron. Stimulating a sensory nerve in the last ganglion with an electrode …


The Natural History & Distribution Of Riverine Turtles In West Virginia, Linh Diem Phu Jan 2010

The Natural History & Distribution Of Riverine Turtles In West Virginia, Linh Diem Phu

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Turtles are unique evolutionary marvels that evolved from amphibians and developed their protective shelled form more than 200 million years ago. In West Virginia, there are 10 native species of turtles, 9 of which are aquatic. Most of these aquatic turtles feed on carrion and dead plant matter, in the water and essentially "clean" our water systems. Turtles are long-lived animals with sensitive life stages that can serve as both long-term and short-term bioindicators of environmental health. With the increase in commercial trade, habitat fragmentation, degradation, destruction, there has been a marked decline in turtle species. The need for well …