Biodiversity Commons^™

Terrestrial Soldier Crab (Coenobita Clypeatus, Fabricius 1787) And Cerion Spp. (Röding 1798) Shell Relationship On San Salvador Island, Bahamas, Harley Hunt

Biology Theses

The Caribbean terrestrial soldier crab, Coenobita clypeatus(Fabricius 1787), coexist and utilize the shells of numerous species of land and marine gastropods. Soldier crabs rely on gastropod shells for protection as the crabs have a soft abdomen, leaving them vulnerable for predation and desiccation, threatening their survival. This creates a strong pressure to obtain well-fitting shells that provide adequate protection against water loss. Cerion of Röding (1798) shells are one of the most commonly used shells among living colonies of C. clypeatuson San Salvador Island. This study is interested in the frequency of shell use by C. clypeatus crabs …

The Potential Influence Of Abiotic Conditions On Mussel Species Abundance In San Francisco Bay, Alexandra G. Farrell, M. Christina Vasquez Dr.

Honors Thesis

Climate change has negatively altered seawater conditions, which may have severe implications for marine ecosystems. Mussels are susceptible to environmental changes since they are primary consumers and filter-feeding bivalves. Two species of particular interest to the West Coast of the U.S. are Mytilus galloprovincialis and M. trossulus. M. trossulus is native to the California Coast and was historically prevalent from Southern California to Washington. However, with increased shipping and rising seawater temperature, M. galloprovincialis, an invasive species from the Mediterranean, pushed the species range of M. trossulus poleward. M. trossulus is more tolerant of cold seawater with variable salinity while …

Late Pleistocene Rodents From Clark Quarry, A Vertebrate Fossil Locality In Southeastern Georgia, Parker Rhinehart

Biology Theses

Clark Quarry is a Late Pleistocene fossil locality near Brunswick, GA, United States with a diverse vertebrate fauna. Morphological descriptions of Mammuthus columbi (Columbian Mammoth), snakes, amphibians, and birds from Clark Quarry have previously been completed along with a stable isotope analysis of M. columbi and Bison latifrons (Long-horned Bison) enamel. Herein, the rodent fauna is described using primarily teeth recovered by screen-washing quarry sediment. Nine rodent taxa have been identified, two of which are the extinct species Synaptomys australis (Florida Bog Lemming) and Neochoerus aesopi (Late Pleistocene Capybara). Of the remaining seven taxa, Erethizon dorsatum (North American Porcupine) and …

Species In Vernal Pools: Anova, Lisa Manne

Open Educational Resources

A one-way analysis of variance exercise using data on species diversities from vernal pools.Data are from vernal pools in Willowbrook Park (adjacent to College of Staten Island's campus) in spring.

The typical ANOVA gives a straightforward result (significant anova, easily-interpreted Tukey-Kramer analysis). This data set requires more nuanced interpretation, as the ANOVA is marginally significant, and Tukey-Kramer yields one significant pairwise comparison between groups. Relative lack of variation within groups explains this apparent enigma.

Center For Grassland Studies, May 2021

Center for Grassland Studies: Newsletters

Contents

Prescribed Burn Associations by Brian Teeter

Center for Grassland Studies Policy Advisory Committee

Director's Column by Walt Schact (Interim Director)

Looking for a Career in Conservation – How to Apply in USAJOBS for NRCS Positions by Mary Reece

Monitoring Sandhills Rangelands: A Key Step in Understanding Plant Community Dynamics by Mitch Stephenson

Development of Novel Plant Fluorescence Based Techniques for Remote Assessment of Grasslands and Pastures Health and Resilience by Anastasios Mazis

UNL PGA Golf Management Alumni Among Nebraska Section Award Winners by Brad Goetsch

Nebraska’s Grassland Legacy by Walt Schacht

Nebraska Grazing Conference: Save the Date, August 9-11, …

Review On Honey Bee Colony Collapse: Problems, Consequence And Solutions, Mariela Rodriguez

Honor’s College Freeman Research Journal

This thesis manuscript is a review on how climate change, nutritional stress, and other factors contribute to colony collapse disorder (CCD). This is a phenomenon when majority of adult bees vacate their hive to die, leaving what little what little is left of the colony to fend for themselves. This phenomenon is considered a serious threat to global food biosecurity. The big question is on when and why honeybees abandon the colony and die. This phenomenon remains a mystery. Unable to study their carcasses for analysis to better serve the pollinator species, there has been a rise in research focused …

The Bees Of Two Sites In The Big Thicket National Preserve, Texas, With A Consideration Of The Effects Of A Rare Flooding Event, Archie Ray Sauls Jr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Native bees are an important part of terrestrial ecosystems due to their coevolution with flowering plants. This study catalogued the bee fauna of two sandyland sites in the Big Thicket National Preserve and assessed whether a community was impacted by a historic hurricane-induced flooding event. It was hypothesized that a change in diversity metrics would be evident following the flood. Datasets were analyzed for differences in species richness, abundance, evenness, and Shannon’s diversity. Similarities between datasets were also assessed using the multivariate tests analysis of similarity (ANOSIM) and similarity of percentages (SIMPER). At two sites over two years of sampling …

Gray Wolves, Eric Gese, John P. Hart, Patricia Terletzky

Wildlife Damage Management Technical Series

Wolf conflicts are primarily related to predation on livestock, pets and other domestic animals, as well as their direct and indirect impacts on native ungulates (i.e., big game). Economic losses vary widely with some livestock producers facing high levels of depredation in some areas. This publication focuses on wolf ecology, damage, and management, particularly as it relates to wolf depredation on livestock and other conflicts with people.

Wolves and people share the same environments more than people realize. In the U.S., wolves are not confined to wilderness areas. Though curious, wolves generally fear people and rarely pose a threat to …

Evaluating Urban Parks Accessibility And Equity: A Case Study Of Hartford, Ct And New Haven, Ct, Natalie Roach, Mara Tu

Honors Scholar Theses

Public parks provide cities with environmental benefits, positive health effects, recreational opportunities, community building, educational spaces, and public amenities. However, certain populations have been systematically denied their fair share of these benefits because of unjust practices in the creation and maintenance of urban parks. With a lens of environmental justice, the goal of this research was to assess park quality and accessibility of two Connecticut cities, Hartford and New Haven, by gathering publicly available information as well as using GIS tools.

The Trust for Public Land (TPL) has an existing ParkScore rating system that evaluates the quality of a city’s …

Not All Pollinator Gardens Are Created Equally: Determining Factors Pertinent To Improving Pollinator Garden Effectiveness, Travis Watson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Increasing evidence documenting the decline of insect populations, resulting from increasing human disturbances has resulted in efforts to establish pollinator gardens to provide additional resources for insect populations. However, our understanding of biotic and abiotic garden characteristics important for attracting and sustaining pollinator diversity is limited. Here, we evaluated 17 pollinator gardens to evaluate the effect of five biotic and three abiotic garden characteristics on pollinator species richness, abundance, and proportional representation of four pollinator functional groups. Plant species richness positively influenced pollinator richness and negatively influenced flower visitation. Bombus proportional abundance responded to several variables (distance to vegetation, plant …

The Biodiversity Of Deadwood-Associated Arthropods In The Southern Appalachian Mountains, Isabelle Ong

Honors Theses

A biodiversity hotspot is a location that has significantly elevated levels of biodiversity including many species found nowhere else, and which is also in danger of losing much of this diversity. By identifying biodiverse regions, conservation efforts can be targeted to those locations where they are likely to have the most beneficial impacts. We looked at deadwood associated arthropods within the Southern Appalachian Mountains to examine centers of biodiversity. Nine logs were sampled, three of which were located in Bankhead National Forest and six were located in the Great Smoky Mountains. Polymerase chain reaction was used to amplify the mitochondrial …

Climate-Driven Impacts On Himalayan Aquatic Biodiversity: A Case Study Involving Snowtrout (Cyprinidae: Schizothorax), Riri Wiyanti Retnaningtyas

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Monitoring biodiversity, to include its relative dispersal and contraction, has become a conservation task of great importance, particularly given the catastrophic and ongoing loss of habitat due to climate change. However, the timing, direction, and magnitude of these rates vary across taxa and ecosystems. Predicting specific impacts of climate change can thus be difficult and this, in turn, hampers management action. Metrics are needed to not only quantify contemporary requirements of species, but also predict potential distributions that fluctuate in lockstep with climate.

Montane ecosystems in the Himalayas are highly impacted by climate change, yet remain largely understudied due to …

The Big Picture: Consolidating National Government And Cites Records Of Animal Trade In The Philippines From 1975 To 2019, Ronald Allan L. Cruz, Catherine Genevieve B. Lagunzad

Biology Faculty Publications

The Philippines has exceptionally high biodiversity but is also a hotspot. It is a recognized source; destination; and transit point for the global wildlife trade; which drives biodiversity loss. There is an abundance of data from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) on the Philippines; but this data has not been assessed for historical trends. Confiscation data reflecting the illegal trade is scarcer; coming from recent (2008 onward) records of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources ___ Biodiversity Management Bureau (DENR-BMB) and the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD). CITES data …

Effectiveness Of Plastic Ordinances In Santa Monica, Ca: Do Regulations At The Municipal Level Reduce Plastic Waste?, John W. Hayes

School of Public Policy Capstones

Plastic is a cheap, robust and versatile material with numerous practical uses that contribute to the convenience of modern day life. However the very same properties that make it uniquely diverse and hardy also contribute to the hazards it poses to the ecosystems and human health. If current consumption and manufacturing practices remain unchanged, there will be hundreds of millions of additional tons of plastic introduced into the environment over the coming decades. To mitigate this issue, some cities, such as Santa Monica, have implemented ordinances and policies directly aimed at this growing problem, albeit with ambiguous results. To better …

208— Describing Genetic Diversity In A Non-Native Ant-Mimicking Spider, Cassidy Mills, Jennifer L. Apple

GREAT Day Posters

The ant-mimicking spider Myrmarachne formicaria (Salticidae) is a species native to Eurasia and was first identified in North America in 2001. It has since been found in many locations in the Northeast including western New York, western Pennsylvania, northeastern Ohio, and southern Ontario. Little is known about its introduction to North America and how it has dispersed since. By characterizing the mitochondrial genetic diversity of this species, we can learn about its introduction history and dispersal patterns in North America. Sequencing of a 600-bp mitochondrial DNA gene region spanning the 16s rRNA, leucine tRNA, and part of the ND1 gene …

Decline In Amphibian Health In Local Stream, Elyse Vetter, Elise Dearment, Colton Russell, Audrey Fontes, Lee Kats

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

Many local streams of the Santa Monica Mountains are populated by the native California Newt, Taricha torosa, a species of special concern. Arroyo Sequit is one of these streams, the upper and lower portions of which are split by a culvert and the Mulholland Highway. This stream and the surrounding areas burned during the Woolsey fire of 2018. Since the fire, construction has been ongoing in and around the stream. Two years post-fire (during the summer of 2020) significantly more newts were found in the stream than years prior. A large proportion of these newts were unhealthy in appearance, …

Conspecific Aggression Of Invasive Crayfish, P. Clarkii, In Response To Chemical Cues, Elyse Vetter, Elise Dearment, Audrey Fontes, Gary Bucciarelli, Lee Kats

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

Red Swamp Crayfish, Procambarus clarkii, have caused vast damage to the stream ecosystem of the Santa Monica Mountains, following their invasive introduction. Through their extensive eating habits, high levels of aggression, and responsiveness to environmental stimuli, P. clarkii have a tremendous impact on the success of native species in the Santa Monica Mountains. With exposure to chemical cues, crayfish are able to perceive threats and react accordingly. To determine the extent of such chemoreception, pairs of P. clarkii were tested in the laboratory for conspecific aggression in the presence of native newt, native frog, and conspecific alarm cues. The …

The Effects Of Symbiote Ostracods On Invasive Crayfish Behavior, Audrey Fontes, Elyse Vetter, Gary Bucciarelli, Lee Kats

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

Invasive crayfish, Procambarus clarkii, are known to negatively impact the biodiversity of Santa Monica Mountain streams. Small symbiotes, ostracods, live on Procambarus clarkii in some local streams. However, their effect on the behaviour of invasive crayfish is unknown. We used an aqueous chlorobutanol solution to remove ostracods from crayfish. We paired control crayfish with those that had ostracods removed and scored aggressive interactions. Crayfish without ostracods were found to be significantly more aggressive towards crayfish with ostracods. When we compared feeding behavior, we found that crayfish without ostracods consumed food more quickly than control crayfish. We again subjected crayfish …

Seasonal Plumage Condition Variation And The Thermal Value Of The Feather Coats Of House Sparrows (Passer Domesticus), Jordana Mf Graveley, Margaret Rubega, Kevin R. Burgio

Honors Scholar Theses

Feathers are critical to how birds thermoregulate, and thus their total energy balance. The feather coat insulates birds by trapping air next to the skin and acting as a physical barrier to heat loss. Despite previous work studying thermal balance in birds, relatively few studies have focused on the thermal contribution of the feather coat alone; most studies have focused on physiological and behavioral responses. Moreover, to our knowledge, no studies have directly measured the effect of feather wear through the annual cycle on the thermal performance of the feather coat. To address this, we used a thermal camera to …

Breeding Ecology And Nest- Site Selection Of Turtle Doves (Streptopelia Turtur) In Three New Orchard Habitats, Thilelli Aitouakli, Ettayib Bensaci

Journal of Bioresource Management

The main aim of our work was to investigate the breeding parameters in three orchard types in Algeria (apple, cherry and nectarine) for better conservation of existing species. A total of 149 active Turtle dove nests were monitored in these man–made agro-systems. Egg laying occurred from early May and continued until mid-August. Egg laying started later in cherry trees and stopped earlier in nectarines. Nest density was higher in apple orchards. Nests were located higher in nectarine. Clutch size was similar among orchard types. Northeast was the dominant orientation in all orchards. Breeding success was higher than that recorded in …

Ecology Of Patas Monkey (Erythrocebus Patas) In Buffer Zone Ranges, Old Oyo National Park, Nigeria, Shafiu Kilishi Halidu, Olaoluwa Ayodeji Adebayo, Jude Chikezie, Azeez Olalekan Ibrahim, Olushola Emmanuel Adedeji

Journal of Bioresource Management

The buffer zones of Nigerian protected areas are poorly managed. Patas monkey (Erythrocebus patas) was studied in fact owing to its dearth of information on its ecology and existence in South-West Nigeria National Park. Therefore, it was necessary to examine E. patas spatial distribution and population structure in the Old Oyo National Park buffer zone ranges, situated in South-West Nigeria and as well know its dietary uptake alongside delineating its various activities. Observations were positioned on direct census methods. A total of 60 individuals of E. patas (23 female, 21 male, and 16 young individuals) were sighted within …

Earth Law And The Rights Of Nature A New Generation Of Laws Built For Nature, Lindsey Kayman, Paul Bartlett, Milena Popov, Grant Wilson

Open Educational Resources

Earth Law and the Rights of Nature: A New Generation of Laws Built for Nature

Wilson, Grant, Kayman, Lindsey, Bartlett, Paul, and Milena Popov John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Earth Law Center, Environmental Education Fund

Forget doom and gloom. Let’s educate students about the Rights of Nature, an inspiring, evolving legal development which is gaining traction in the US and around the world, and which can promote the cultural shift needed to address our overlapping intersecting environmental crises — climate change, accelerating species extinction, and ecosystem collapse. The Rights of Nature is one aspect of Earth Law. Some of …

A Guide To Helminth Parasites Reported From Shorebirds (Charadriidae) From The Americas, Albert G. Canaris, Sofia Capasso, Gay J. Canaris

MANTER: Journal of Parasite Biodiversity

The shorebird family Charadriidae in the Americas consists of 21 native and 7 vagrant species. Members of the family occupy a diversity of open habitats, ranging from Arctic tundra during nesting, coastal sands, and mudflats to inland prairies, savannas, and wetlands. Some native plovers migrate from nesting grounds in North America to wintering grounds in South America (Hayman et al., 1986; Paulson, 2005; Winkler et al., 2020). Our search of the literature revealed the following: 17 of 28 host species infected with helminth parasites, 153 helminth species, and 199 infections involving 13 geographic areas. The purpose of this guide is …

Preface Of Special Topic On Biodiversity Conservation And Ecological Civilization, Yaping Zhang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

No abstract provided.

Important Supporting Role Of Biological Specimen In Biodiversity Conservation And Research, Peng He, Jun Chen, Hongzhi Kong, Lei Cai, Gexia Qiao

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Biological specimens are important materials in the field of biological research and non-renewable strategic biological resources. The specimen collection of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) is the center of conservation, research, and scientific education. It plays an irreplaceable role in the research and protection of biodiversity in China. Biological specimens can provide important information in three dimensions: species, space, and time. The use of different levels of such information supports the research areas of species cognition, biodiversity cataloging, protection and management of endangered species, prevention and control of alien invasion, biodiversity monitoring, and species distribution pattern and biodiversity change. …

Biodiversity Construction Must Insist On Both Solid Policy Design And Advanced Science And Technology

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

No abstract provided.

Main Progress Of Biodiversity Conservation In China And Some Suggestions For Further Work, Ming Yang, Ju Zhou, Yan Zeng, Ming Sun

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Biological diversity is the foundation for the survival and development of human beings. Biodiversity conservation in China has been of great concern to the central government, which has implemented a series of policies and action plans to promote the conservation of biodiversity and species restoration. However, the crisis of biodiversity loss at the global level remains serious due to human activities. Region-wide cooperations are required to strengthen the protection of global biodiversity. The paper systematically reviews the actions and achievements of biodiversity protection in China in recent years, as well as the work of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in …

Review On Biodiversity Science In China, Xiangcheng Mi, Gang Feng, Jian Zhang, Yibo Hu, Li Zhu, Keping Ma

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

There have been rapid progresses in biodiversity science of China in recent two decades. These progresses have been achieved in six key respects: species catalogue, origination and evolution of biodiversity, biodiversity maintenance and its relationships with ecosystem functioning and services, threats to biodiversity and biodiversity's responses to global change, biodiversity and ecological security, and construction of research platforms. However, we still lack theoretical breakthrough in biodiversity science. For further progresses, we propose to: (1) translate basic biodiversity research into biodiversity conservation for sustainable utilization; (2) strengthen application of advanced technologies, including high-throughput sequencing, genomics, and remote sensing; and (3) strengthen …

Strengthen Ex Situ Conservation Of Plants And Promote Protection And Utilization Of Plant Resources, Ju Zhou, Ming Yang, Xiangying Wen, Nan Li, Hai Ren

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Plant resources are the basis of human survival and development. Due to human and natural disturbance, plant diversity is facing a serious threat. Ex situ conservation is an important way to remove the threat. Botanical garden and germplasm bank are the main institutions of ex situ conservation. A total of 105 634 species of plants have been ex situ protected in the global botanical gardens, accounting for about 30% of the global total, and more than 40% of the threatened species have been protected. More than 3 million crop germplasm resources have been collected in more than 500 germplasm banks …

Main Achievements, Challenges, And Recommendations Of Biodiversity Conservation In China, Fuwen Wei, Xiaoge Ping, Yibo Hu, Yonggang Nie, Yan Zeng, Guangping Huang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

After nearly 30 years of development, China has basically realized the comprehensive conservation of biodiversity. Biodiversity conservation has been upgraded to a national strategy and incorporated into the top-level design, with laws and regulations gradually being improved and major scientific breakthroughs continuously being achieved. Through the implementation of major biodiversity conservation and ecological restoration projects, establishment of protected area system, and delineation of ecological red line, important ecosystems and endangered species have been effectively protected, and social participation and public awareness have been significantly improved. In addition, by signing a number of biodiversity-related international conventions and agreements and proposing the …