Biodiversity Commons^™

Changes In Peatland Soil Fauna Biomass Alter Food Web Structure And Function Under Warming And Hydrological Changes, Trevor L. Pettit

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Short-term climate perturbations affect both predator and prey species that comprise soil communities, and alter carbon flux. I used a mesocosm experiment to model the effects of experimentally-imposed temperature and moisture conditions that simulate potential future conditions during climate perturbations, on peatland soil food web flux and soil carbon sequestration after three-weeks of experimentally imposed conditions, and then again after an additional three-week recovery under control conditions. I compared system resistance and resilience, and modelled carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) fluxes throughout the mesocosm experiment. There was a lack of resistance of the soil food web to perturbation shown by …

Can Financialization Save Nature? The Case Of Endangered Species, Diane-Laure Arjalies, Delphine Gibassier

Business Publications

The current biodiversity loss is dramatic. Over the past 50 years, more than 68% of the mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and fish on earth have disappeared, putting the planet's survival and its inhabitants – including human beings – at risk (WWF, 2020). Financialization, or the transformation of nature into financial assets, is increasingly proposed as a solution to the biodiversity crisis. Proponents of financialization believe that assigning a monetary value to nature will incentivize human beings to protect habitats and their species. This article offers a four-mechanism model of nature’s financialization, explaining why it is virtually impossible to financialize nature. …

Using Conservation Genetics To Inform Reintroduction Of The Endangered Mottled Duskywing (Erynnis Martialis), Shayla Kroeze

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Habitat loss and climate change have caused declines in species diversity and abundance globally, including in butterflies which are important components of many ecosystems. Reintroductions are increasingly used to reverse diversity loss but are most effective when informed using genetics. I developed 24 microsatellites and characterized genetic structure and diversity of the endangered Mottled Duskywing (Erynnis martialis) in Ontario and neighbouring provinces and states. These were used to inform a planned reintroduction in Ontario. Populations had moderate levels of genetic diversity, however all but the largest populations may be subject to appreciable levels of genetic drift. Populations more …

From Individuals To Communities: The Effect Of Climate Change On Ectothermic Predators, Matthew Lawrence Meehan

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The living components of ecological systems exist within a nested hierarchy, consisting of individuals, populations, and communities. Because of this nestedness, climate change can greatly impact ecological systems, as whole-organism metabolic and physiological demands change for ectotherms under warming, the effects of which may compound with every succeeding level. Therefore, a multi-level approach can better isolate how climate change will reshape ecological systems. In my doctoral research, I used feeding and mesocosm experiments to examine how climate change affects ectothermic predators at the individual-, population-, and community-level, using mesostigmatic mites (Arachnida: Parasitiformes) as my model predator. My research objectives were …

Diversity And Drivers Of Oribatid Mites (Acari: Oribatida) In Boreal Peatlands, Carlos Rafael De Araujo Barreto

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Boreal peatlands are important ecosystems for carbon cycling, storing 1/3 of the world’s terrestrial carbon in only ~3% of the globe, making them a key component of potential mitigation strategies in response to global climate warming. Experiments have shown that warming can affect plant and microbial communities in ways that potentially shift peatlands from carbon sinks to sources. Soil food webs, including the microarthropod community, are key in carbon cycling but are relatively understudied both in peatlands and under experimental warming. My research capitalized on a large-scale experimental field manipulation of warming in two contrasting peatland sites in Northern Ontario, …

Fine-Scale Morphological Divergence Of Wing Trait Variables In Highly Fragmented Populations Of The Bog Copper Butterfly (Lycaena Epixanthe), Jessica L. T. Jeong

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Habitat fragmentation can adversely affect animal and plant species through subdividing their natural habitats into smaller, more isolated patches. Oftentimes, these isolated groups are subject to reduced dispersal and gene flow, leading to genetic divergence and, consequently, morphological divergence among populations. This study aims to quantify the morphological divergence of the bog copper butterfly, Lycaena epixanthe, between nine isolated bog sites in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, via seven quantitative morphological traits in their wing pattern. Statistical analyses demonstrate significant differences in wing trait measurements between populations. As bog coppers are small, weak fliers with a strict host-plant dependency, it …

Effects Of Dietary Thiaminase On Reproductive Traits In Three Populations Of Atlantic Salmon Targeted For Reintroduction Into Lake Ontario, Kimberly T. Mitchell

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The fitness of reintroduced salmonids in Lake Ontario can be reduced by high levels of thiaminase in exotic prey consumed at the adult stage. If sensitivity to dietary thiaminase differs among the three Atlantic salmon populations targeted for reintroduction into Lake Ontario, this could significantly influence their performance. I quantified the effects of experimental diets that contained high or low (control) levels of thiaminase on thiamine concentrations, survival, growth rate, and reproductive traits (sperm and egg quality) in Atlantic salmon from the three candidate source populations. Fish that consumed the high-thiaminase diet had comparable growth rates, but lower survival and …

Understanding Global Change: From Documentation And Collaboration To Social Transformation, Karen E. Pennesi

Anthropology Publications

The conclusion to the book situates the chapters within four programs of anthropological research on climate change: (1) documentation of local impacts of and adaptations to climate change, (2) connections to socioeconomic and political contexts, (3) collaborations with nonanthropologists, and (4) activism and social transformation. The final section notes the persistent challenges to creating positive change and meaningful research outcomes. It highlights some examples of success and outlines future directions for politically engaged anthropological work around climate change.

Biology 4920g: Companion Planting In The Community, Jacquline A. Nathaniel

Community Engaged Learning Final Projects

LIFE*SPIN is a local organization in London, Ontario that provides resources to individuals and families dependent on low income to ultimately break the poverty cycle by encouraging sustainable living and self-sufficiency. For this Seminar in Biology course, Maria Bata and I partnered with LIFE*SPIN to plan and execute a "Seeding Planting Party" to teach children about basic botany, nutrition, and leadership. The following final paper for this seminar discusses the project deliverables and efforts, biological research concerning companion planting, and personal reflection on this experience.

Arthropod Diversity In Contrasting Ontario Peatlands, Grace Carscallen

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Peatlands are important wetland systems, but dominant macroarthropod groups endemic to peatlands and the environmental factors that affect them are poorly represented in the literature. I examined the richness, abundance, and community composition of soil and surface dwelling macroarthropods using emergence traps, peat sorting, and pitfall traps in two Ontario fens differing in water table, nutrient level, and vegetation. I found 218 arthropod morphospecies, with each site having a similar richness of emergent arthropods, but patterns of community composition differed between the two sites. The Carex (sedge) dominated site had twice as many emergent individuals, and total abundances declined dramatically …

Cultivating Knowledge: Agrarian Science And Ecological Engagements In Southern Ontario Agriculture, Kelly Linton

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Agriculture and climate change are interconnected processes, with agriculture implicated in rising green house gas emissions, deforestation, soil and water pollution, and reductions in biodiversity. Conversely, changes within ecology (including a warming climate), alter growing conditions for farmers. Farmers face changes in both temperature and precipitation, as well as an increase in adverse weather events that significantly threaten productivity and livelihoods.

Based on 40 unstructured interviews as well as informal conversations conducted among farmers in southern Ontario, Canada between the spring of 2014 and the winter of 2017, this dissertation seeks to contribute to a growing body of work that …

Un/Dead Animal Art: Ethical Encounters Through Rogue Taxidermy Sculpture, Miranda Niittynen

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Beginning in 2004, the Minnesota Association of Rogue Taxidermists began an art movement of taxidermied animal sculptures that challenged conventional forms of taxidermied objects massively produced and displayed on an international scale. In contrast to taxidermied ‘specimens’ found in museums, taxidermied ‘exotic’ wildlife decapitated and mounted on hunters' walls, or synthetic taxidermied heads bought in department stores, rogue taxidermy artists create unconventional sculptures that are arguably antithetical to the ideologies shaped by previous generations: realism, colonialism, masculinity. As a pop-surrealist art movement chiefly practiced among women artists, rogue taxidermy artists follow an ethical mandate to never kill animals for the …

Soil Homogenization: Plant Species Diversity, Ecosystem Properties And Soil Freezing Effects During Tallgrass Prairie Restoration, Holly J. Stover

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Tillage can increase soil uniformity in former agricultural sites. Within plant communities, niche-based species sorting may occur among distinct soil patches (microsites), increasing diversity, and the interfaces between microsites (microedges) also may provide unique microsites. However, the influence of soil homogenization and microedges on ecosystem processes and plant responses to stress have not been examined. My thesis assessed if adding microsites containing sand, woodchips, pits or mounds increased plant species diversity, productivity, decomposition and nitrogen retention (¹⁵N tracer) and buffered plant responses to soil freezing in a tallgrass prairie restoration on former cropland. Homogenization decreased diversity in flat …

Wildlife In A Premier African Protected Area Do Not Perceive Ecotourists As Predators, Badru Mugerwa

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Researchers have reported that the presence of ecotourists may displace or disturb wildlife with potentially adverse effects, and may be a more serious problem if wildlife perceive ecotourists as predators. I used a playback experiment to test if wildlife at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda, perceive ecotourists as predators. I contrasted wildlife behavioural responses to vocalizations that simulate those of ecotourists to those of local predators (positive controls; dogs and the extirpated native apex predator, leopard) and a non-predator (negative control; insects). Using responses from 14 mammal species, I show that wildlife do not perceive ecotourists as predators, responding no …

Characterizing Mekk1: Candidate Behavioural Isolation Gene, Caryn Dooner

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Behavioural isolation can occur due to divergence in aspects of courtship and mating, and can contribute to reproductive isolation. The purpose of this study is to determine how a gene, Mekk1, contributes to female rejection behaviour between D. melanogaster and D. simulans. Unique polymorphisms were identified within D. simulans Mekk1 that could contribute to behaviour, most of which are non-coding. Both transcripts of Mekk1 appear to be expressed at similar levels in D. simulans and D. melanogaster. These data also indicate that Mekk1 may be expressed in a specific region of the brain called the mushroom body, …

Cellular/Molecular Analysis Of Interspecies Sterile Male Hybrids In Drosophila, Rachelle L. Kanippayoor

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Over time, genetic differences can accumulate between populations that are geographically separated. This genetic divergence can lead to the evolution of reproductive isolating mechanisms that reduce gene flow between the populations and, upon secondary contact, result in distinct species. The process of speciation is, thus, what accounts for the multitude of species that contribute to the rich biodiversity on Earth. Interspecies hybrid sterility is a postzygotic isolating mechanism that affects the development of hybrids, rendering them sterile. A notable trend, known as Haldane's Rule, describes that heterogametic individual (e.g. males in Drosophila) are more susceptible to sterility than homogametic …

Evolutionary Genetic Aspects Of Host Association In Generalist Ectoparasites, Benoit Talbot

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Despite the use of the host for dispersal by most parasite species, the extremely loose relationship typical between highly mobile hosts and generalist ectoparasites may lead to very different gene flow patterns between the two, leading in turn to different spatial genetic structure, and potentially different demographic history. I examined how similar gene flow patterns are between Cimex adjunctus, a generalist ectoparasite of bats present throughout North America, and two of its key bat hosts. I first analyzed the continent-scale genetic structure and demographic history of C. adjunctus and compared it to that of two of its hosts, the …

Rate Of Vegetation Recovery In Restored Prairie Wetlands, Saloni Salaria

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Wetlands are restored to compensate for wetland loss and degradation. To determine the potential rate and success of vegetation recovery in restored wetlands, prairie wetlands of different restoration ages (3 to 23 years since restoration), including drained and natural (embedded within both agricultural and protected landscape), were sampled for vegetation in Alberta, Canada. Vegetation was assessed based on species richness, percentage and cover of hydrophytes, natives and non-natives, and community composition. Analysis of covariance with wetland area as a covariate and non-metric multidimensional scaling results indicated that restored wetlands resembled low-integrity natural wetlands that occurred on agricultural landscapes within 3-5 …

The Influence Of Adjacent Forest And Agriculture On Restored Grassland Diversity And Composition, Rachel A. Chambers

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Little native grassland remains in North America due to land-use changes. Conversion to agriculture is a common means of loss. This fragmentation creates edges in the landscape and associated edge effects. Grassland plant communities are susceptible to edge effects, directly via dispersal and indirectly through environment. This study took place in Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada, in a landscape of agriculture, forest, rural development, and patches of grassland restored by Nature Conservancy Canada. I examined restored grassland edges bordering forest and crops. An intensive study at a single site identified spatial and soil environmental influences on plant diversity and composition. I …

P08. Unravelling Organelle Genome Evolution Architecture Using Rna-Sequencing Data, Matheus Sanita Lima, David Roy Smith

Western Research Forum

Background: Mitochondria genomes vary from 11 Mb to 6 kb, while plastids can vary from 1 Mb to 30 kb. Non-coding DNA accounts for most of this size variation, but the mechanistic and evolutionary reasons for that are still unknown. Next generation sequencing has generated unprecedented amounts of genomic and transcriptomic data that can be used for organelle genome evolution studies. However, most of these data is used only for the study of cell nucleus. Therefore, I decided to use these untapped data source to investigate the transcription of organelle genomes in plastid-bearing protists.

Methods: I mapped the transcriptomes over …

Fungi Associated With Common Buckthorn (Rhamnus Cathartica) In Southern Ontario, Nimalka M. Weerasuriya

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) is a competitive Eurasian woody shrub currently invading North America. Buckthorn thickets reduce native diversity and may reduce mycorrhizal diversity through the release of allelochemicals. Two aspects of buckthorn’s invasional biology are explored: 1) identifying fungi associating with buckthorn, and 2) determining buckthorn’s allelochemical impacts on arbuscular mycorrhizae in forest soils and an open-greenhouse experiment.

Twenty-three fungi were found growing on buckthorn, including Armillaria mellea s.l., Hypoxylon fuscum, H. perforatum, Nectria cinnabarina, and Cylindrobasidium evolvens. Data from invaded and uninvaded sugar maple (Acer saccharum) soils revealed that arbuscular …

Microbial Repopulation Following In Situ Star Remediation, Gavin Overbeeke

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In situ STAR (Self-sustaining Treatment for Active Remediation) is an emerging remediation technology which uses smouldering combustion to destroy nonaqueous phase liquid (NAPL) contamination in the subsurface. Since STAR smouldering travels through contaminated soils slowly (~0.5 to 5 m/day) and subjects them to high temperatures (400–1000°C), it is expected that this technology will thoroughly dry and sterilize the zones which it treats. Further, soils surrounding the treatment zone which are not smouldered will be heated, although not smouldered, by virtue of their proximity to STAR, impacting microbial communities within them. Therefore, the objectives of this work are to quantify the …

The Impacts Of Climate Change On Communities Of Fungi In Boreal Peatlands, Asma Asemaninejad Hassankiadeh

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Peatlands have an important role in global climate change through sequestration of atmospheric CO₂. Climate change is already affecting these ecosystems, including both above- and below- ground communities and their functions. Fungi play a central role in these communities. As a result, there is concern that altered fungal community function may turn peatlands from carbon sinks to carbon sources, greatly exacerbating the impacts of climate change. In order to gain a better insight into effects of climate change on the structure and function of these carbon sequestrating ecosystems, this thesis focuses on diversity and structure of fungal communities …

Agaricomycetes Of Ontario Tallgrass Prairies, Christopher R. J. Hay

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study provides the first characterization of the Agaricomycetes of Ontario tallgrass prairies, assesses the influence of various environmental factors, and compares results of aboveground mushroom surveys with belowground high-throughput DNA sequencing. Overall, the Mycenaceae, Ceratobasidiaceae and Polyporaceae were the most abundant, and the Clavariaceae, Entolomataceae and Sebacinaceae the richest in species. Position along a transect (geographic region) was the primary factor differentiating Agaricomycete composition of sites whereas tillage history and soil organic carbon content were secondary. The Hygrophoraceae and Clavariaceae were associated with pristine sites, and Minimedusa spp. associated with tillage. The belowground method captured most of the minor …

Exploration Of Spatial And Temporal Changes In Trophic Status Of Lakes In The Northern Temporal Forest Biome Using Remote Sensing, Aleksey Paltsev

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

There is a critical need for detailed surveys of lakes covering large spatial (>100 km²) and temporal scales (decades) to determine if there is an increase in the magnitude and frequency of phytoplankton blooms. Remote sensing was used to: (1) develop a regression model that relates chlorophyll a (chl-a) as a proxy of lake phytoplankton biomass to Landsat TM and ETM+ optical reflectance (r²=0.85, p

Testing For Positive Edge Responses In A Fragmented Landscape In The Eastern Tiger (Papilio Glaucus) And The Spicebush (P. Troilus) Swallowtail Butterflies, Jenna C. Siu

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Landscape changes such as habitat fragmentation and habitat loss are contributing to a global decline in biodiversity. While habitat fragmentation research has mainly focused on species that avoid edges, or the boundaries between different landcover types (negative edge response), a hypothesized resource distribution model predicts that species that require complementary resources in different landcovers will be most abundant at edges (positive edge response). Adults of Eastern Tiger (Papilio glaucus) and Spicebush (P. troilus) swallowtail butterflies require forests for oviposition sites and meadows for nectar resources. I examined the relative abundance and flight orientation of both species …

Averting Lemur Extinctions Amid Madagascar's Political Crisis, Christoph Schwitzer, Russell Mittermeier, Steig Johnson, Giuseppe Donati, Mitchell Irwin, Heather Peacock, Jonah Ratsimbazafy, Josia Razafindramanana, Edward E. Louis, Lounes Chikhi, Ian C. Colquhoun, Jennifer Tinsman, Ranier Dolch, Marni Lafleur, Stephen Nash, Erik Patel, Blanchard Randrianambinina, Tove Rasolofoharivelo, Patricia C. Wright

Anthropology Publications

The most threatened mammal group on Earth, Madagascar’s five endemic lemur families (lemurs are found nowhere else), represent more than 20% of the world’s primate species and 30% of family-level diversity. This combination of diversity and uniqueness is unmatched by any other country—remarkable considering that Madagascar is only 1.3 to 2.9% the size of the Neotropics, Africa, or Asia, the other three landmasses where nonhuman primates occur. But lemurs face extinction risks driven by human disturbance of forest habitats. We discuss these challenges and reasons for hope in light of site-specific, local actions proposed in an emergency conservation action plan.

Effects Of Biodiesel Concentration On Microbial Deterioration Of Polyethylene In A Simulated Fuel Storage Tank, Juan Manuel Restrepo-Florez

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In this study a simulated fuel storage tank was used to investigate the effect of biodiesel concentration on biodegradation of polyethylene. This research is relevant in the field of fuel storage. The simulated storage system consisted of a number of identical conical flasks. Each flask was comprised of two layers, an upper one consisting of a fuel blend of diesel with biodiesel in concentrations ranging from 0 to 100% of biodiesel and the bottom layer containing an aqueous mineral media inoculated with a community obtained from a real fuel storage facility. Polyethylene slabs cut to a specific size were immersed …

Structure Of An Ensemble Of Insectivorous Bats, Matthew A. Emrich

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Ensembles of species show distinct characteristics that may permit resource partitioning but few studies focus on more than one or two traits. Using seven sympatric Jamaican bats, I examined features which could allow for spatial, temporal, behavioural and dietary partitioning including wing morphology, echolocation characteristics, flight behaviour, habitat use, and diet. Using acoustic arrays I compared activity patterns at different sites to determine temporal and spatial partitioning and generated flight paths to determine flight speeds. From captured bats I measured wing morphology to examine morphological differences and did genetic analysis of guano to determine dietary partitioning. Morphology, call structure and …

Multiple Approaches For Assessing Mangrove Biophysical And Biochemical Variables Using In Situ And Remote Sensing Techniques, Francisco Javier Flores De Santiago

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Mangrove forests are important ecosystems and play a key role in maintaining the equilibrium in coastal lagoons and estuaries. However, in recent years, there has been a considerable loss of mangrove extension due to anthropogenic activities. Recent studies suggest that multiple in situ and remote sensing approaches must be carried out to understand the dynamics in these complex ecosystems. Therefore, the objective for this PhD dissertation is to develop multiple techniques for monitoring the seasonal biophysical and biochemical conditions of the mangrove forests. Particular objectives will include: i. Test the feasibility of using a Chlorophyll Content Index from a …