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Are Biodiverse Communities More Resistant To Invasion? A Case Study With Marine Fouling Communities, Taylor Robert Bruntil Jan 2023

Are Biodiverse Communities More Resistant To Invasion? A Case Study With Marine Fouling Communities, Taylor Robert Bruntil

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The theory of biotic resistance predicts that more diverse communities should be less susceptible to invasion by novel species, but given the opposing results of multiple observational and experimental studies in marine systems, it is unclear how changes in environmental conditions can affect invasion success in communities that differ in diversity. I used marine fouling communities to test how the diversity of the species present in an initial community (hereafter termed “resident species”) affected the establishment and growth of all species not present in the initial communities (hereafter termed “novel species”) at two locations at the Eureka Public Marina, in …


A Reexamination Of The Freshwater Mussel Community Of The Little Miami River, Emily Davis Apr 2020

A Reexamination Of The Freshwater Mussel Community Of The Little Miami River, Emily Davis

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

Understanding the changes in biodiversity and local freshwater mussel populations is critical to mitigate the risks to these populations. Freshwater ecosystems continue to degrade rapidly. The freshwater mussel community of the Little Miami River is degraded and has been in decline for many years. The biodiversity contained within freshwater ecosystems is lost at unprecedented rates influenced by human activity. Freshwater mussels play a key role in understanding the effects of human activity on freshwater ecosystems as well as maintaining the health of freshwater habitats. However, they are also sensitive to changes and disturbances, in their ecosystems. This study involved monitoring …


Saving The Planet Begins With Saving The Coral Reefs, Marla Maconochie Dec 2017

Saving The Planet Begins With Saving The Coral Reefs, Marla Maconochie

Honors Projects

This honors project uses a children’s book format to aid in explaining the importance of saving the coral reefs. This book will be informing the younger generations about important, yet complicated issues at hand in a way that they can understand and relate to. The book explains how coral reefs are important for oxygen production, biodiversity, research opportunities, protection of coastal environments and for the economy. The children’s book explains how human activities and natural stressors can impact coral survivorship. The book explains how overfishing allows for excessive algal growth that smothers corals and tackles how coral bleaching occurs and …


Marine Fungi Of U.S. Gulf Of Mexico Barrier Island Beaches: Biodiversity And Sampling Strategy, Allison Kathleen Walker Dec 2012

Marine Fungi Of U.S. Gulf Of Mexico Barrier Island Beaches: Biodiversity And Sampling Strategy, Allison Kathleen Walker

Dissertations

Marine fungi are an important but often overlooked component of marine ecosystems. Primarily saprotrophic, they are vital to coastal nutrient cycling processes and food webs. However, basic marine fungal distribution data are lacking in many parts of the world, as is knowledge of the sampling intensity required to characterize the biodiversity of these communities. The roles of substrate, season and latitude in shaping intertidal ascomycete community structure were examined for the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, and the role of sampling frequency on species richness estimates was also addressed. Best sampling practices were developed and 750 collections of beach detritus, sand …