Animal Sciences Commons^™

Microplastics Exposure In At-Risk Myotis Lucifugus Bats Of The Northeastern United States, Leah Crowley

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Summer Foraging Range And Diurnal Roost Selection Of Tri-Colored Bats, Perimyotis Subflavus., Dustin Bradley Thames

Masters Theses

Tri-colored bat populations are declining in eastern North America where the fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans has been introduced. The pathogen causes disease and mortality in cave hibernating bats. Once considered a common species in Tennessee, tri-colored bats are now being considered for protection under the Endangered Species Act. There is a paucity of research examining the basic ecology of tri-colored bats. Research to fill these knowledge gaps is needed to inform conservation plans and to define critical habitat. The first objective of my research was to characterize the summer diurnal roosts of tri-colored bats and to examine roost selection at …

Health Assessment Of Two Reintroduced Populations Of American Martens (Martes Americana) In Michigan, Maria Catherine Spriggs

Doctoral Dissertations

The American marten (Martes americana) was extirpated from Michigan during the early-20th century due to loss of vast areas of mature conifer forest and unregulated trapping. The species was reintroduced into the Upper Peninsula (UP) and Northern Lower Peninsula (NLP) during the mid-20th century. While the American marten population in the UP has grown and is doing well, the population in the NLP has been less successful. The reasons for the limited success of the NLP population are unknown, but may include lack of suitable habitat, limited reproductive success, poor genetic diversity, disease, or negative environmental impacts. American …

Rare Occurrences Of Free-Living Bacteria Belonging To Sedimenticola From Subtidal Seagrass Beds Associated With The Lucinid Clam, Stewartia Floridana, Aaron M. Goemann

Masters Theses

Lucinid clams and their sulfur-oxidizing endosymbionts comprise two compartments of a three-stage, biogeochemical relationship among the clams, seagrasses, and microbial communities in marine sediments. A population of the lucinid clam, Stewartia floridana, was sampled from a subtidal seagrass bed at Bokeelia Island Seaport in Florida to test the hypotheses: (1) S. floridana, like other lucinids, are more abundant in seagrass beds than bare sediments; (2) S. floridana gill microbiomes are dominated by one bacterial operational taxonomic unit (OTU) at a sequence similarity threshold level of 97% (a common cutoff for species level taxonomy) from 16S rRNA genes; …

Development And Evaluation Of Novel Vaccination Strategies For Campylobacter Control In Poultry, Xiang Liu

Masters Theses

Chicken is the primary natural host of Campylobacter, the leading bacterial cause of human enteritis in the US and other developed countries. Thus, mitigation of Campylobacter in chicken using innovative approaches, such as vaccination, will have a significant impact on food safety and public health. Our previous studies have demonstrated that the two outer membrane proteins, CmeC (the essential component of the CmeABC multi-drug efflux pump) and CfrA (a ferric enterobactin receptor), are feasible candidates for immune intervention against Campylobacter. DNA vaccine has appeared to offer various advantages for poultry, particularly when combined with in ovo vaccination. Chitosan-encapsulated …

Evolution Of Acquiescence To Manipulation, Mauricio González-Forero

Doctoral Dissertations

A productive framework to study phenotypic evolution is based on the notion of ``inclusive fitness'', which considers how an individual's phenotype affects the fitness of other individuals. A promising extension of the notion of inclusive fitness is that of the ``extended phenotype'', which considers how an individual's phenotype affects its environment, including the phenotype of other individuals. Affecting another individual's phenotype is sometimes referred to as manipulation (which introduces indirect genetic effects). However, manipulated individuals may evolve resistance to manipulation, possibly reducing or eliminating the manipulated behavior (and the indirect genetic effects). In this dissertation I use mathematical modeling to …

Geographic Variation In The Lower Temperature Tolerance In The Invasive Brown Anole, Anolis Sagrei And The Native Green Anole, Anolis Carolinensis (Sauria: Polychrotidae), Laura Carolina Maria Rubio

Masters Theses

Invasive species are considered to be the second greatest threat to native biodiversity and several factors have been identified as contributing to the success of introduced species, including their initial genetic variation and the ability of populations to adapt to a new environment. Temperature has a significant impact on reptilian ecology and distribution since they ordinarily rely on external heat sources for the maintenance of body temperatures suitable for normal activity. Body temperature affects performance in these organisms given its importance for all aspects of behavior, locomotion, courtship and rates of feeding and growth. Critical thermal tolerances can, therefore, give …

Identifying The Spatial Distribution Of Three Plethodontid Salamanders In Great Smoky Mountains National Park Using Two Habitat Modeling Methods, Matthew Stephen Kookogey

Masters Theses

The main objective was to create habitat models of three plethodontid salamander species (Desmognathus conanti, D. ocoee, and Plethodon jordani) in GSMNP. To investigate the relationships between salamanders and their habitats, I used three models—logistic regression with use-availability sampling, logistic regression with case-control sampling, and Mahalanobis distance (D²)—for each species to gain a robust view of the relationships. The secondary objective was to compare the different modeling methods within and across the three species. Elevation was the dominant variable for all three species.

D² for D. conanti predicted low elevations, close proximity …

An Evaluation Of Population Estimators And Forage Availability And Nutritional Quality For White-Tailed Deer In Tennessee, Jared Tyler Beaver

Masters Theses

Given the white-tailed deer’s (Odocoileus virginianus; deer) popularity and potentially negative impact on forested systems; Arnold Air Force Base (AAFB) in Tullahoma, Tennessee, USA has made minimizing negative deer impacts on biodiversity a priority. To address these management issues, I initiated a study on AAFB to investigate deer survey techniques and the effects of deer density on forage availability across vegetative communities.

Current use of infrared-triggered cameras (camera) for estimating deer populations does not provide a measure of precision critical for density estimation. I conducted a camera survey for deer in Wildlife Management Area (WMA) Units 1 and …

Capture-Recapture Of White-Tailed Deer Using Dna Sampling From Fecal Pellet-Groups, Matthew James Goode

Masters Theses

Reliable density estimates of game and keystone species such as white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are desirable to set proper management strategies and for evaluating those strategies over time. However, traditional methods for estimating white-tailed deer density have been inhibited by behavior, densely forested areas that can hamper observation (detection), and invalid techniques of estimating effective trapping area. We wanted to evaluate a noninvasive method of mark-recapture estimation using DNA extracted from fecal pellets as the individual marker and for gender determination, coupled with a spatial detection function to estimate density (Spatially Explicit Capture-Recapture, SECR). We collected pellet groups …

The Small Indian Mongoose (Herpestes Auropunctatus) On Adriatic Islands: Impact, Evolution, And Control, Arijana Barun

Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT

One cause of declines and extinctions of island species is carnivore introduction. Four carnivores, including the small Indian mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus), are on the IUCN’s list of 100 of the World's Worst Invasive Alien Species. My thesis summarizes global patterns of carnivore introductions and examines ecological, evolutionary, and management impacts of this mongoose. I study abundances of reptiles and amphibians on mongoose-infested and mongoose-free islands in the Adriatic Sea to determine if factors other than mongoose presence can account for abundance differences. For several reptiles and amphibians, the mongoose is implicated as causing differences. Additionally, I …

Impacts Of Predation Risk And Development On Susceptibility Of North American Anurans To Ranaviruses, Nathan Alden Haislip

Masters Theses

For over three decades, amphibian populations have been declining across the globe. Emerging infectious diseases are responsible for some of these declines. Ranaviruses have caused die-offs in wild amphibian populations on 4 continents, in 5 Canadian provinces, and in over 25 U.S. states. In order to understand host-pathogen dynamics, it is critical to establish baseline information on species susceptibility and the effects of natural stressors. The goal of my thesis research was to quantify the effects of anuran development and exposure to invertebrate predators on species-specific susceptibility to ranavirus. My experiments were designed in factorial arrangements, and consisted of exposure …

Four Aspects Of Dogwood Pollination: Insect Visitation, A Novel Approach To Identify Pollen, Floral Volatile Emission, And Tracking Parentage, Paul Raymond Rhoades

Masters Theses

Part 1: Visitation of potential pollinators to Cornus florida and C. kousa flowers was assessed in East Tennessee in 2008 and 2009. Data regarding insect visitation rates to multiple trees per location were gathered throughout the flowering period. Diurnal and seasonal variations in visitation were recorded. Pollen coverage was assessed on portions of captured insect exoskeletons that were most likely to contact the stigma. Eleven families in four insect orders were collected from C. florida and 26 families in five orders from C. kousa. The most important pollinators in eastern Tennessee were bees in the Andrenidae and Halictidae. The most …

Distribution Of Fishes And Changes In Biotic Integrity In The New River, Tennessee, R. Brian Evans

Masters Theses

Electrofishing samples of fishes were obtained from forty-two localities in the New River system, Tennessee during summer and fall 1996. Eight of forty-two species collected represent new records from the New River: Notropis telescopus, Moxostoma macrolepidotum breviceps, M. carinatum, Lepomis auritus, L. gulosus, L. microlophus, Etheostoma cinereum, and Stizostedion vitreum. Temporal changes in the distribution of fishes were detected by comparing historical collection records with fish samples from 1996. Older records were also employed in the compilation of a modified index of biotic integrity (IBI) that was used to assess changes in fish assemblage health during the past twenty …

Caloric Production Of Black Bear Foods In Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Robert Michael Inman

Masters Theses

Understanding energetic potential of habitat patches is important for management designed to provide adequate habitat for wildlife species. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) has a high density of black bears that have been studied intensively from 1968-1997; habitats within the Park are relatively undisturbed, and similar vegetative cover types can be found throughout the southern Appalachian mountains. Black bear reproduction in the Park has been correlated to hard mast production, however little work has been done to assess the importance of soft mast. Geographic Information System (GIS) based habitat use models have been developed for bears in the Park, …

Fish Fauna Of The Upper Cumberland River Drainage In Tennessee, John T. Baxter

Masters Theses

This thesis reports the findings of an ichthyofaunal survey of the upper Cumberland River drainage in Scott, Campbell, and Claiborne counties, Tennessee. This drainage lies on the Cumberland Plateau in northeastern Tennessee and has been impacted by extensive coal mining activity in the region. Present in the drainage are five listed species of primary concern to this study, Phoxinus cumberlandensis, Ericymba buccata, Notropis rubellus rubellus, Etheostoma baileyi, and Etheostoma sagitta. An additional species found in this drainage, Etheostoma nigrum susanae, is being considered for protected status. Field work for this survey was conducted mainly during May-August 1996 and May-August …

A Repeatable, Visual Survey Of Three Rare Percina (Osteichthyes: Percidae) Fish In Little River, Blount County, Tennessee, Charles H. Heacock

Masters Theses

A recent apparent decline of the darter species in Little River, Blount County, Tennessee, suggested a deterioration on habitat quality was taking place. The objective of this study was to establish a baseline of the abundance and distribution of three large and easily recognized darter species (Percina aurantiaca, P. burtoni, and P. macrocephala) believed to be very pollution intolerant.

The study area included 27 river miles with 20 accessible sites which were determined by an area reconnaissance. Each site has been described, including diagrams and photographs, and was surveyed six times between July and October 1993. A review …

Distribution Of The Fishes Of The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Damien J. Simbeck

Masters Theses

Over 200 collections of fishes have been made within the boundaries of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, revealing a Park ichthyofauna of 74 native and 5 introduced fish species. Abrams Creek, containing the most diverse ichthyofauna in the park, currently contains only 35 of its historical 67 fish species. This loss of species resulted from intentional poisoning of eh creek to improve habitat for rainbow trout and impoundment of the lowest 2.6 miles by Chilhowee Reservoir.

Abrams Creek also contains a very unusual ichthyofauna in its upper portion. Several species found above its 25-foot waterfall have not been found …

Life History And Ecology Of The Barrens Topminnow, Fundulus Julisia Williams And Etnier (Pisces, Fundulidae), Patrick L. Rakes

Masters Theses

The life history of the Barrens topminnow, Fundulus julisia, was investigated in a two-year study from 1983 to 1985. The species is restricted to a few isolated springs and groundwater-influenced upland streams on the Barrens Plateau in the vicinity of Manchester in middle Tennessee. In most aspects of its behavior, including feeding and reproduction, this topminnow differs little from other members of the same genus. The fish is an opportunistic carnivore, feeding upon aquatic insects, crustaceans, and gastropods, as well as terrestrial insects that fall in water. Like other killifish, F. julisia has an extended breeding season that is …

Systematics, Distribution, And Biology Of Fishes Currently Allocated To Erimystax (Jordan), A Subgenus Of Hybopsis (Cyprinidae), John Lowrey Harris

Doctoral Dissertations

Intra- and interspecific variation of species of the subgenus Erimystax, genus Hybopsis, are analyzed using multivariate statistical techniques. Diagnoses, descriptions, figures, supporting tables, and distribution maps are provided to facilitate identification of the subgenus and component species. Results of multivariate analyses support the elevation of the Ozark subspecies of Hybopsis dissimilis to specific standing as Hybopsis i. insignis distributed in the lower Tennessee and Cumberland river drainages and H. insignis eristigma found in eastern tributaries of the upper Tennessee River drainage. Populations interpreted as intergrades occur in the Clinch, Powell, and Holston rivers. Two subspecies of Hybopsis x-punctata are recognized …

Between Population Comparison Of Resource Acquisition In The Long Jawed Orb Weaving Spider Tetragnatha Elongata, Rosemary Grace Gillespie

Doctoral Dissertations

Behavioral adaptations for resource acquisition in the long jawed orb weaving spider Tetragnatha elongata Walckenaer (Araneae: Tetragnathidae) are documented in this study. It examines the form and mechanism of spider foraging behavior, an essential prerequisite to the realization of the commercial use of spiders in integrated pes t management. Being the most common and ubiquitous of insect predators, spiders offer tremendous potential as stabilizers in agro ecosystems with unstable cycling of phytophagous insects. The initial part of this study examines the mechanisms employed by T. elongata in selecting a habitat, and demonstrates that spiders do not build webs where the …

Comparative Bioavailability Of Sediment-Sorbed Hexachlorobiphenyl, C. Michael Swindoll

Doctoral Dissertations

The bioavailability of sediment-sorbed hexachlorobiphenyl (HCB) to bacteria, midge larvae (Chironomus tentans), and mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) was examined in order to elucidate the influence of abiotic and biotic factors on the bioaccumulation process. Factors examined included sediment type, sediment organic matter, HCB concentration, temperature, and biological viability. Additional experiments were conducted to evaluate the relative role of sediment and dietary HCB sources to the accumulation of HCB in mosquitofish.

In general, the bioavailability of sediment-sorbed HCB was inversely related to the surface area and the organic content of the sediment. The organic content of the sediment …

A Review Of The Adults And Larvae Of The Genus Pycnopsyche (Trichoptera: Limnephilidae) With Revision Of The Pycnopsyche Scabripennis (Rambur) And Pycnopsyche Lepida (Hagen) Complexes, John A. Wojtowicz

Doctoral Dissertations

The adults and larvae of the genus Pycnopsyche are reviewed. Nineteen species are recognized for the genus. The males and females of all species are described and illustrated. All species accounts include description, diagnosis, type locality, distribution, variation, notes and material examined sections. The P. scabripennis complex is revised, and three distinct species are recognized (P. scabripennis s.s., P. antica, and P. conspersa). The P. lepida group (P. lepida, P. indiana, P. subfasciata, and P. virginica) is also revised with all species remaining recognized; however, P. virginica is removed from the complex. …

Lotic Dragonfly (Anisoptera: Odonata) Nymphs Of The Southeastern United States: Identification, Distribution And Historical Biogeography, Jerry A. Louton

Doctoral Dissertations

An identification guide to the southeastern United States lotic dragonfly nymphs is constructed. Descriptions, figures, keys, verification tables, and distribution maps are provided to facilitate identification of families, genera, and species. Information developed in the study of nymphs is utilized to evaluate arrangements of taxa that have been traditionally based solely on adult characters. Traditional arrangements are supported except (1) subgenera of the genus Gomphus s.1. are highly distinctive in the nymphal stage and should be elevated to generic rank and (2) two species, Gomphurus consanguis and G. rogersi are improperly placed and as a group deserve generic rank.

A …

Some Aspects Of Amino Acid Regulation In The Tobacco Hornworm, Manduca Sexta, J. Michael Henry

Masters Theses

The nature and roles of the high free amino acid levels found in the haemolymph of insects is poorly understood. In order to elicit aspects of the regulation and metabolism of haemolymph free amino acids, we have measured the concentrations, half-lives, turnover rates and rate of incorporation into haemolymph proteins for eight amino acids in the tobacco hornworm Manduca sexta immediately prior to and throughout the larval-pupal transformation. Throughout this period the concentrations of alanine, arginine, glutamate, histidine, leucine, lysine, proline and valine each exhibited stage specific variations seemingly independent of blood volumes and levels of other amino acids. Half-lives …

Phylogeny, Convergence, And Snake Behavior, Harry Walter Greene

Doctoral Dissertations

Comparative studies of snake behavior were used to confront three related conceptual issues in ethology: (i) Can behavior evolve? (ii) If so, how can the origins of similarities and differences in behavior among animals be assessed? (iii) What is the significance of this information for evolutionary biology?

Some workers have recently asserted that behavior does not evolve and that behavioral homologies are generally not discernible. A consideration of genetics and developmental biology suggests that both points of view reflect an unrealistic structure-function dualism. In a strict sense, only transcriptional products are genetically determined; all other aspects of the phenotype are …

Larval Taxonomy Of The Caddisfly Genus Hydropsyche In Eastern North America, With Notes On Biology And Distribution, Guenter A. Schuster

Doctoral Dissertations

Larvae of caddisfly genus Hydropsyche are among the most encountered and abundant organisms in lotic environments in eastern North America. Yet, little is known of the larval stages of this genus. Previously, the larvae of only 12 species were known. In addition to these 12, descriptions of the larvae of additional 27 species are presented here for the first time.

Larval-adult associations were made by simutaneously collecting mature pupae (metamorphotypes) and larvae. Species determination is based on the cleared male genitalia of the mature pupae. The abdomen was cleared in strong KOH so that sclerotized structures lying beneath surrounding tissues …

The Distribution Of Fishes In The Little Tennessee River System, James Mckee Winfield Jr.

Masters Theses

This paper is the product of a study of the ichthyofaunal distribution within the Little Tennessee River. This system is a major tributary to the Tennessee River.

A total of 212 collections are included in this paper. Of this total, 67 were made by the author. The remainder of the collections were made by various agencies and individuals. Of the total number of collections made by the author, approximately half were done using diving gear and employing sight identification. The remaining collections were accomplished with the aid of seines.

Included in this paper is a list of the species of …

Fish Fauna Of The Hatchie River System, Wayne Calvin Starnes

Masters Theses

This thesis reports the findings of an ichthyofaunal survey of the Hatchie River system of northern Mississippi and southwestern Tennessee. This system represents the only drainage in that region which has not undergone large scale channelization, and it had previously been poorly collected. This survey was conducted mainly during August of 1972 with additional collections from other years also reported. Collections were made from the majority of streams in the entire drainage, and several methods were employed including seining, gill netting, trap nets, and the principal method, chemical application. A total of 108 collections is included, and the findings are …

Geographic Variation In The Primary Burrowing Crayfish, Cambarus Dubius Faxon And Cambarus Carolinus (Erichson) (Decapoda: Astacidae) In Tennessee With Notes On Ecology And Life History, Joel P. Dewees

Masters Theses

An investigation of Cambarus dubius and Cambarus carolinus was made in Tennessee to evaluate morphological Variation found in populations of these species and to determine aspects of life history and ecology. Taxonomic position and history of C. carolinus and C. dubius was reviewed and discussed. Three clines or possible subspecies in C. dubius were indicated in Tennessee based on both qualitative and quantitative evidence including: width and length of areola, shape and size of chelae, rostrum, central projection, mesial process, and color.

C. dubius populations from northern West Virginia and southern Pennsylvania were significantly different from populations to the south. …