Biodiversity Commons^™

Additions To The Knowledge Of The Vietnamese Tiger Beetle Species (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae), Jürgen Wiesner, Christian Kerkering, Miroslav Klícha

Insecta Mundi

Therates tuberosus Fleutiaux, 1893 and Calochroa octogramma octogramma (Chaudoir, 1852) (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae) are newly recorded for Vietnam. Ten additional species are reported to have new provincial records in Vietnam.

Range Extension For Pulchriphyllium Anangu Cumming Et Al., 2023 (Phasmatodea: Phylliidae) And First Record From Maharashtra, Gaurang Tawde, Amol Patwardhan, Royce Cumming

Insecta Mundi

Pulchriphyllium anangu Cumming et al., 2023 is here reported for the first time from Maharashtra state, India. Also, this is the first record of a leaf insect (Phasmatodea: Phylliidae) for Phansad Wildlife Sanctuary, District Raigad, Maharashtra. This sighting represents the northernmost distribution in the Western Ghats for Pulchriphyllium anangu.

The Evolution Of A Response To Smoke Within The Arthropoda, Adam Miles

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Many animals have a survival instinct to flee in response to fire, but do they respond to smoke alone? Many arthropods respond to fire or smoke by moving in the opposite direction (a negative taxis) to obtain shelter. At the species level, taxa that have adapted a behavioral response to fire increase their fitness. This response behavior has been observed in many terrestrial arthropods. Still, the behavior is currently unknown for marine, aquatic, or cave arthropods, which are atypically exposed to smoke or fire. This project assesses how often behavioral adaptation to smoke avoidance may have evolved within Arthropoda. Twenty-two …

Unraveling Wetland Ecology: The Effect Of Abiotic Heterogeneity And Habitat Size On Wetland Plant Diversity In The Piedmont, Gregory T. Gilmore

All Theses

Ecosystems around the world are seeing an unprecedented decline in biodiversity. However, to better prevent this decline we cannot only understand the drivers of biodiversity loss, but also the factors that support diversity. Traditional ecological hypotheses such as the Habitat Heterogeneity Hypothesis (HHH) and the Theory of Island Biogeography (TIB) have provided frameworks for understanding biodiversity drivers. However, recent research suggests a more nuanced relationship between heterogeneity, habitat size, and diversity than previously thought. This study looks to bridge existing research gaps by examining the ecologically and conservational important habitat of wetlands. Specifically, the study focuses on the plant diversity …

Impacts Of Invasive Carp And Their Population Dynamics On Fish Communities In The Missouri River, Joshua F. Kocik

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Invasive Carp species: Silver Carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix, Bighead Carp Hypophthalmichthys nobilis, Grass Carp Ctenopharyngodon idella, and Black Carp Mylopharyngodon piceus have both potential and realized abilities to negatively impact native species. Specifically, Bighead Carp and Silver Carp as filter feeders have been theorized to be detrimental not only to adult filter-feeding species, but to many fish which rely on plankton and algae in their early-life stages. The impact of Invasive Carp on the overall fish community remains underexplored. The fish communities below Gavins Point Dam (Invasive Carp present) and Fort Randall Dam (Invasive Carp absent) afford the …

Spatiotemporal Plasticity In Reproductive Readiness And Recruitment Of Ichthyoplankton Of Invasive Silver Carp Along A Western Invasion Front, Jessi L. Urichich

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Individuals of invasive species at the edge of their invasion distribution may exhibit enhanced reproductive capacity and phenotypic plasticity leading to accelerated range expansion. Environmental conditions in highly fluctuating environments at distribution edges may either promote or hinder such reproductive readiness and phenotypic plasticity. Dynamic habitat conditions and periodic disturbances experienced in prairie streams, such as drought (e.g., low-flow, high water temperatures), may potentially reduce suitable spawning environments and ichthyoplankton recruitment of invasive Silver Carp, potentially slowing range expansion or enabling management strategies that reduce abundance in the absence of a reproducing population. Female Silver Carp batch fecundity, Gonadosomatic Index …

Avian Communities Monitored Along A Successional Chronosequence In Bottomland Hardwood Forests In The Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley, Eamonn Alasdair Thurmond

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bottomland hardwood forests in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley have been extensively reduced due to agriculture conversion and altered hydrology. Remnant forests have undergone further degradation from sources such as a lack of forest management, invasive species, and reduced regeneration of oaks (Quercus spp.). Recent restoration efforts of bottomland hardwood forests have focused on implementing wildlife forestry practices that prioritize restoring wildlife habitat while retaining profitable timber harvests. In this study I surveyed bird communities in bottomland hardwood forests in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley along a successional chronosequence. Birds were sampled using automated recording units over 10 days …

Phylogenetic And Biogeographic Patterns Of Devonian Proetid Trilobites, Katherine Jane Jordan

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Ecological disruption events such as mass extinctions can result in the permanent alteration in clades and ecosystems. A pivotal time of change during the history of life on Earth can be seen in the Devonian Period. During this time, major transitions in marine and terrestrial system resulted in a different world at the end of the period in comparison to the beginning. One such group most heavily impacted were trilobites. Trilobites were reduced to one order by the end of the Devonian: Proetida. My dissertation focuses on phylogenetic, biogeographic, and paleocommunity patterns of this group, known as the last of …

The Role Of Forest Disturbance And Habitat Characteristics In Shaping Arthropod Ecology., Kane Alec Lawhorn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Disturbances in forests often generate dead wood, which is an important resource for a variety of arthropods. In tropical wet forests where fire is rare, lightning and branchfalls are common disturbances that create canopy gaps with associated large amounts of localized dead wood. By contrast, prescribed fire is a common disturbance in temperate forest that creates habitat heterogeneity and widely dispersed dead wood resources. The ecological effects of these disturbances on arthropod communities are largely unknown. This dissertation investigates how disturbance and habitat associations in both tropical and temperate forest shape arthropod ecology. Throughout, I primarily focus on beetles, ants, …

Aposematic-Habitat Correlation In Nearctic Species Of Episyron Schiødte (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae: Pompilinae: Pompilini), Frank E. Kurczewski

Insecta Mundi

Three Nearctic species of Episyron Schiødte (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae: Pompilinae: Pompilini) were examined morphologically, geographically, and ecologically with intent to infer an aposematic correlation with habitat type, protarsal digging rake morphology, and host spider association. Episyron quinquenotatus quinquenotatus (Say) and E. conterminus cressoni (Dewitz), two subspecies with extensive aposematic markings and more and longer protarsal comb spines, were associated with bare or sparsely vegetated sandy soils near water courses. Episyron biguttatus biguttatus (Fabricius), with few aposematic markings and less and shorter protarsal comb spines, was associated with more densely vegetated terrain and gravelly and loamy soils. Three subspecies of Anoplius …

Revision Of Trachyderines Related To Sphaenothecus From North America With Description Of Three New Genera, And New Species Of Lophalia Casey, 1912, Mannophorus Leconte, 1854, And Ischnocnemis Thomson, 1864 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae: Trachyderini), Bryan K. Eya

Insecta Mundi

The genera Lophalia Casey, 1912, Mannophorus LeConte, 1854 and Ischnocnemis Thomas, 1864 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae: Trachyderini) are recharacterized by providing additional morphological features to enhance the delineation of these genera. Two species, Lophalia cribricollis Bates, 1892 and Ischnocnemis luteicollis (Bates, 1885), are transferred to a new genus Lophaliamorpha Eya with Lophaliamorpha luteicollis (Bates) new combination as the type species. Ischnocnemis skillmani Chemsak and Hovore, 2010 is transferred to a new genus Paramannophorus Eya with Paramannophorus skillmani (Chemsak and Hovore) new combination as the type species. A new genus Microteroschema is created to accommodate two additional species from Mexico: Microteroschema parvum …

An Analysis Of The Genus Aleyrodes Latreille (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Aleyrodidae) In California, With Three Synonymies, Natalia Von Ellenrieder, Raymond J. Gill

Insecta Mundi

Abstract

Based on the examination of an extensive series of specimens and available type material, three out of the six species of Aleyrodes Latreille (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Aleyrodidae) described from California, A. diasemus Bemis, 1904, A. essigi Penny, 1922, and A. osmaroniae Sampson, 1945, are newly synonymized under A. spiraeoides Quaintance, 1900. The species of Aleyrodes reported from California are keyed and diagnosed based on characters from puparia and male genitalia, and character variability is documented and illustrated.

Resumen

Basado en el examen de una extensa serie de especímenes y material tipo disponible, tres de las seis …

A New Species Of Gaindaphodius Král And Mencl From Nepal (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae), Stefano Ziani

Insecta Mundi

A new species from Nepal, Gaindaphodius marigold (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae), is described, illustrated and compared with G. gainda Král and Mencl, 2024, the only other species in the genus Gaindaphodius Král and Mencl, 2024.

Norms And Variance Fail To Predict Butterfly Effects On Social Dynamics By Idiosyncratic Individuals, Stephen F. Stringham, Lynn Rogers, Ann Bryant

Animal Sentience

Adaptations and adjustments to current environmental conditions are manifest in behavioral norms. Knowing norms facilitates population-level prediction, but doesn’t predict individual behavior where idiosyncrasies might trigger “butterfly effects." Knowledge of individual quirks is particularly important for risk assessment and management during close encounters between humans and potentially lethal wildlife, including bears (Ursus spp.). Innovative foraging techniques can alter population vigor and viability. Traits at the tails of a bell curve might hold the greatest potential for adapting to environmental change.

The Behavioral Specialization Of African Ant-Following Birds On Dorylus Driver Ants, Patricia F. Rodrigues

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Ant-following birds, that forage on arthropods flushed by swarm raiding army ants, are an iconic phenomenon in tropical forests around the globe. Despite capturing the attention of naturalists for over a century, research on ant-following birds has largely focused on Neotropical species. Decades of research on Neotropical ant-following birds has revealed fascinating aspects of their specialization, including complex cognitive and behavioral adaptations that allow birds to locate and track nomadic army ants. Despite this breadth of research on Neotropical species, virtually nothing is known of the behavioral ecology of African ant-following birds, and it remains unknown whether they exhibit adaptations …

Seed Dispersal By Martu Peoples Promotes The Distribution Of Native Plants In Arid Australia, Rebecca Bliege Bird, Douglas Bird, Christopher T. Martine, Chloe Mcguire, Leanne Greenwood, Desmond Taylor, Tanisha M. Williams, Peter M. Veth

Faculty Journal Articles

Commensal relationships between wild plants and their dispersers play a key ecological and evolutionary role in community structure and function. While non-human dispersers are often considered critical to plant recruitment, human dispersers have received much less attention, especially when it comes to non-domesticated plants. Australia, as a continent historically characterized by economies reliant on non-domesticated plants, is thus a key system for exploring the ecological role of people as seed dispersers in the absence of agriculture. Here, we utilize a controlled observation research design, employing ecological surveys and ethnographic observations to examine how seed dispersal and landscape burning by Martu …

Postweaning Skull Growth In Living Didelphid Marsupials: The Case Of Gracilinanus Agilis And Cryptonanus Chacoensis, Iveth A. Villalobos Guerrero, Noé U. De La Sancha

DePaul Discoveries

Ontogeny is described as the history of an organism through its lifetime including development, growth, and allometry. The ontogenetic approach in cranial dimensions has proved useful in interpreting evolutionary patterns. Among the largest Didelphidae family of Neotropical marsupials, the species of Gracilinanus agilis and Cryptonanus chacoensis are poorly known. In this study, we address three questions; Is there sexual dimorphism in these species? What is the pattern of allometry? Which allometric patterns best describe the patterns in the skull and mandible? We applied geometric morphometrics to describe and test these differences using MorphoJ. A discriminant function analysis was performed to …

Wildlife Conservation: The Importance Of Individual Personality Traits And Sentience, Karen A. Owens, Gosia Bryja, Marc Bekoff

Animal Sentience

Individual differences in personality types within the same species have been studied much less than differences between species and populations. Personality differences are related to risk-taking and exploration, which in turn correlate with individuals' daily responses, decisions, and fitness. Bold and shy personality types can have different advantages and disadvantages under different social or environmental pressures. Analyzing personality differences has helped clarify how elk habituate to a well-populated area and how management strategies can be adapted to them. For wolves newly repatriated to Colorado, individual personality factors are likely to prove important for adapting to their new homes as well …

Scientific Note: An Incursion Of The Widely-Cultivated Katsura (Cercidiphyllum Japonicum, Cercidiphyllaceae) In Pennsylvania, Kayleigh R. Long, Melody P. Sain, Elizabeth H. Williams, Christopher T. Martine

Faculty Journal Articles

Cercidiphyllum japonicum (katsura) is a dioecious tree native to China and Japan. Although imperiled in parts of its natural distribution, the species has become quite common as a cultivated tree in temperate North America. The species is noted as occasionally escaping cultivation in the eastern United States, but few records of established incursions (and the conditions under which they might recruit) exist in the literature. We here report an incursion of C. japonicum in central Pennsylvania, along with notes on seedling recruitment on the Bucknell University campus.

Hybridization Between The Rare Gray-Headed Chickadee And The Abundant Boreal Chickadee In The Midst Of Shifting Climate, Matthew R. Armstrong

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

As species respond to changing climate, distributions and abundances may shift and alter species interactions. Hybridization, a relatively widespread phenomenon becoming more common with climate change, can have beneficial and detrimental effects on population growth rates and genetic integrity. Beneficial effects due to the introduction of advantageous alleles and increased genetic diversity may result from hybridization. Species may also accrue fitness costs associated with changing climates if mismatches occur between environmental variables and phenotypes. The gray-headed chickadee, Poecile cinctus lathami, is an extremely rare songbird that has experienced marked declines in recent decades within its restricted distribution in Alaska …

Phylogeny And Disparity Of Ammonoid Family Acanthoceratidae Over Ocean Anoxic Event 2, Lindsey Howard

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The widespread use of genera as proxies for species in paleobiological studies might affect the results of these studies. Although most attention has been given to taxonomic diversity studies, this could also be true of disparity and phylogenetic studies. In particular, the assumption that particular character states truly diagnose all members of a genus might distort results. This study examines the disparity of Acanthoceratid ammonoids at both the generic and species level. 149 species from 42 genera were examined with 52 characters measured. Following the measurements, an inverse modeling simulation was run 100 times to generate a simulated phylogeny with …

The Relationship Between Changing Land Cover And Benthic Macroinvertebrate Diversity In Choccolocco Creek, Northeast Alabama, Kindall Brown

Theses

Land cover changes, driven by urbanization, agriculture, and deforestation, significantly affect the physical and chemical characteristics of water bodies at both the watershed and riparian levels. At the larger spatial scale, a stream’s surrounding watershed facilitates lateral inputs into the stream that are essential for biodiversity support, hydrological stability, and water quality. When a stream becomes disconnected from the lateral inputs due to urban or agricultural development, the morphology of the stream is significantly altered. On a smaller spatial scale, the riparian zone can act as a buffer to pollutants. The vegetation surrounding the stream bank promotes stability to the …

New Insights On Hybridization In Potamogeton Floridanus (The Florida Pondweed), Kaitlyn R. Sampson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

Freshwater ecosystems are some of the most important and highest threatened habitats in the world, and aquatic plants play an important, but often-overlooked, role in maintaining them. Potamogeton is a diverse and ecologically important aquatic plant genus well known for taxonomic difficulty and rampant hybridization. lbis study aimed to 1) test the hypothesis that Potamogeton jloridanus (Florida pondweed) is a hybrid between P. oakesianus and P. pulcher, and 2) to investigate correlations in ecological conditions for the focal species. This study revealed the discovery of a new population of P. jloridanus in Big Coldwater Creek in Santa Rosa Co., FL, …

Establishing Marine Protected Areas In The Southern Ocean, Lessons For The Bbnj Agreement, Nengye Liu

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This paper first gives a brief overview of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR)’s struggle to establish Antarctic Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). The paper then addresses the question: what lessons can countries learn from CCAMLR's experience in establishing high seas MPAs under the Biodiversity in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement? The paper finds that the final text of the BBNJ Agreement did largely reflect CCAMLR's experience when it comes to MPAs. This is particularly so with respect to 1) clarification of the relationship between conservation and use; 2) the interpretation and application of a …

Offsetting, Paul Govind, Donna Houston, Michelle Mei Ling Lim, Andrew Mcgregor, Emily O'Gormon, Sandie Suchet-Pearson, Jonathan Symons

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

In Australia, the State of the Environment 2021 report (hereafter, SOE) revealed an unprecedented rate of biodiversity loss. 1 Yet development projects that will reduce biodiversity further continue to receive legal approval. Indeed, shortly after the release of the report, a new outer ring road was approved for construction in the state of Western Australia. 2 Land clearing undertaken as part of the project will result in significant loss of existing habitat for critically endangered western ringtail possums and endangered black cockatoos. This destruction was legitimized through the state government’s commitment to undertake “biodiversity offsetting,” whereby the loss of possum …

Behavioural Distributions Of Macrophytes In An Oxbow Lake, Dhir Beel With Reference To Its Water Quality In Assam, India, Arup Nama Das, D. K. Sharma

Journal of Bioresource Management

An Oxbow lake, Dhir Beel, situated in Western Assam, India, stands as a habitat for a plethora of plant and animal species, nurturing a vibrant ecosystem within its freshwater environs. This study sought to address concerns surrounding pollution, encroachment, siltation, and overfishing within Dhir Beel. Over a span of three years (2016-2019), samples were meticulously collected from five distinct sites to analyze both water quality and macrophyte populations. Employing the APHA method, the physico-chemical parameters of the water were evaluated, while a comprehensive identification process was undertaken to categorize the macrophytes. These aquatic plants, spanning dicots, monocots, and pteridophytes, were …

Growing Urbanization In The Jammu Province Of Jammu And Kashmir, India: An Environmental And Social Interpretation, Rani Mughal, Javed Manzoor, Rouf Ahmad Wagay

Journal of Bioresource Management

Urbanization is a global phenomenon with profound implications for both physical and social landscapes and plays a noteworthy role in the progression and advancement of human civilizations. Urbanization influences and changes the social, economic, political, and traditionalorganization of a society. This paper examines the process and consequences of urbanization in the Jammu province of J&K India, focusing on its physical transformation and social dynamics. This study employs a descriptive research approach to investigate the multifaceted aspects of urbanization by synthesizing data from various sources, including demographic surveys, interviews, and spatial analysis. The study showed that Jammu province is gradually proceeding …

Comparative Performance Of Modern Jumbo Maize Variety And Local Varieties In Fodder Production Under Different Nitrogen Levels, Haseeb Ahmad, Muhammad Arif, Zubair Ahmed Khan, Saifur Rehman, Ikram Ullah, Raja Akram Khan, Uzair Ahmed, Waleed Iqbal

Journal of Bioresource Management

A trial was carried out at Cereal Crop Research Institute Pirsabak, Pakistan by employing a Randomized Complete Block design that was repeated thrice to investigate the performance of different varieties of maize (Jalal, Kaptan and Jumbo) under four nitrogen levels (N1= 0, N2= 100, N3= 150, and N4= 200 kg ha⁻¹). Variation was observed among maize varieties that affected silking and milking days with variety Jumbo recording the longest duration (62 and 80, respectively). Variety Jumbo also had higher leaf number (11.5), SPAD value (47), leaf area index (LAI) (3.4), Plant height (221 cm) and stem diameter (3.22 …

Limonoids Isolated From Chisocheton Pentandrus (Meliaceae) Stembarks And Its Cytotoxicity Towards Mcf-7 Breast Cancer Cell Line, Dudi Runadi, Intan Hawina Anjari, Purnama Purnama, Nurlelasari Nurlelasari, Desi Harneti, Tri Mayanti, Harizon Harizon, Ace Tatang Hidayat, Supriatno Salam, Mohamad Nurul Azmi, Unang Supratman

Makara Journal of Science

Chisocheton is a large source of limonoids with various pharmacological effects, such as antiviral, antibacterial, antimalarial, antifungal, and cytotoxic activities. This study aimed to isolate, elucidate, and evaluate the cytotoxicity of limonoids from C. pentandrus stembarks. Isolation was carried out using various separation methods including extraction and column chromatography. Spectral data were analyzed by FT-IR, UV, DEPT 135°, ¹H, ¹³C-NMR, and HRTOF-MS and compared with those previously reported to determine the chemical structure.The obtained limonoids were lasiocarpine (1), lasiocarpine B (2), pentandricine (3), and 16β-hydroxydysobinin (4); all of which were …

Biodiversity Conservation In Western China With Scientific And Technological Support: Current Status, Challenges, And Suggestions, Fuwen Wei, Hang Sun, Jiaojun Zhu, Baoguo Li, Gexia Qiao, Shilong Chen, Jiang Zhu, Xiaoge Ping

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

As a megadiverse country, China has made significant progress in biodiversity conservation in recent years. The western region is a critical area for biodiversity conservation in China, boasting rich species resources and a high proportion of endemic species. However, its ecosystems are fragile and vulnerable to the impacts of multiple factors like climate change and human activities. Scientific and technological support has played a vital supporting role in biodiversity conservation, providing comprehensive support from monitoring and assessment to restoration and decision-making through biodiversity surveys, scientific research, and the establishment of monitoring networks. Nevertheless, challenges remain, including gaps in taxa and …