Biology Commons^™

Winter Skate (Leucoraja Ocellata) Jaw, Krystal Renta, David Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

Jaw prep from Winter Skate (Leucoraja ocellata)

Barndoor Skate (Dipturus Laevis) Jaw Prep, Nathan P. Andrews, David Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

Jaw Prep from Barndoor Skate (Dipturis laevis)

Blue Jay Call Profile In Disparate Environments, Daniel A. Gesualdi

Pell Scholars and Senior Theses

Many species of birds have been observed to develop higher-pitched calls in urban environments; however local Blue Jays are unstudied (Mockford and Marshall, 2009). The urban environment's high noise pollution imposes a significant fitness challenge; then, the urban Jay calls will be different (higher) than rural Jay(Parris and Schneider, 2009). A series of recordings were taken in rural and urban environments; it was clear that there is a significant increase in maximum and minimum kHz in urban jays than rural jays. These results suggest that blue jays alter their calls to accommodate the environmental factors in urban settings similar to …

[Squalus Acanthus (Spiny Dogfish Shark)]Jaw, Ally E. Sheehan

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

Jaw from Female, [length] 6cm, [width] 5.5 cm [Squalus acanthias (Sping Dogfish shark)]

Spiny Dogfish (Squalus Acanthias) Jaw Prep, Olivia Williams, David Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

Jaw from female spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias)

Spiny Dogfish (Squalus Acanthias) Jaw, Jordan Warren, David Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

Jaw from approximately 1 m total length Spiny Dogfish (Squalus acanthias).

Connecting Environment And Phenotype: Deciphering Mechanisms Of Diapause Entry And Exit In The Annual Killifish Austrofundulus Limnaeus, Erin Monica Davis

Dissertations and Theses

Embryonic development is complex, dynamic, and dependent on environmental factors. Mechanisms of sensing and integrating environmental stimuli are diverse, and understanding these mechanisms in extant species can elucidate how complex phenotypes emerge from genomic information expressed in an environmental context. In Austrofundulus limnaeus, an annual killifish with alternative developmental trajectories, light and temperature are vital factors that determine if an embryo will enter a state of diapause. We hypothesize that embryos of A. limnaeus use the vitamin D₃ signaling pathway as a vehicle to incorporate these ecological signals into their developmental programing. Here we provide evidence of …

Spiny Dogfish (Squalus Acanthias) Jaw Prep, Matthew B. Edwards, David W. Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

Jaw from Spiny Dogfish (Squalus acanthias)

Male Longnose Skate (Raja Rhina) Jaw, James A. Moss, David Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

Male Longnose Skate Jaw (Raja rhina). Provided by Dr. David Kerstetter.

Barndoor Skate (Dipturus Laevis) Jaw, Erika M. Carrera, David W. Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

Jaw from 14.4 cm total length (TL) Barndoor skate (Dipturus laevis), collected from Massachusetts on an unknown date by Jeff Kneebone

Barndoor Skate (Dipturus Laevis) Jaw Prep, Chase Adam Dejarnett, David Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

Barndoor skate (Dipturus laevis) jaw preparation done by Chase DeJarnett and David Kerstetter for the Sharks and Their Relatives course Winter Semester 2021.

Squalus Acanthias, Spiny Dogfish Shark, Jaw, Sam Snell, David Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

Jaw from Squalus acanthias, Spiny Dogfish Shark

Longnose Skate (Raja Rhina) Jaw, Tyler Miclau, David W. Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

Jaw from Longnose Skate (Raja rhina)

Winter Skate (Leucoraja Ocellata) Jaw, Paige Spratt, Kathryn Kuruoglu, David W. Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

Jaw from a winter skate (Leucoraja ocellata)

Winter Skate (Leucoraja Ocellata) Jaw, Emily M. Salonia, David W. Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

Jaw 11.7 cm total length (TL) from Winter Skate (Leucoraja ocellata) collected from NSU Fisheries and Avian Ecology Laboratory on 3/23/21 by Emily Salonia.

Blacktip Shark (Carcharhinus Limbatus) Jaw, Katerina D. Sawickij, David Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

Jaw from 176.1 cm total length (TL) Carcharhinus limbatus (Blacktip), collected from Hollywood Beach, FL on 3/13/21 by Katerina Sawickij.

Longnose Skate Jaw (Beringraja Rhina), Golda Stewart, David Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

Jaw from female Longnose Skate (Beringraja rhina) collected on 30/3/2021 by Golda Stewart.

Spiny Dogfish (Squalus Acanthias) Jaw Prep, Meredith M. Pratt, David W. Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

Spiny dogfish jaw prep performed at NSU's Fisheries and Avian Ecology lab.

What’S The Buzz?, Christine L. Moskalik

Teacher Resources

Read more: Moskalik, C. (2021). What’s the Buzz? A hands-on, interdisciplinary, & FUN way to learn about circuits, energy, engineering, bee communication and pollination. Science and Children. National Science Teaching Association. Volume 58 (Issue 5). May/June 2021.

Ecological Impacts Of Apiaries, Lewis University

Sustainability

The Come Clean, Go Green competition is a program dedicated to making Lewis a more sustainable campus with ideas from Lewis Students across all disciplines. The program is sponsored by the Lewis University Sustainability Council and supported by, the sustainability fee, which was approved last year. The fee will fund the implementation of sustainability projects on campus that are chosen by students.

Low Activities Of Digestive Enzymes In The Guts Of Herbivorous Grouse (Aves: Tetraoninae), Jennifer Sorensen Forbey

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Avian herbivores face the exceptional challenge of digesting recalcitrant plant material while under the selective pressure to reduce gut mass as an adaptation for fight. One mechanism by which avian herbivores may overcome this challenge is to maintain high activities of intestinal enzymes that facilitate the digestion and absorption of nutrients. However, previous studies in herbivorous animals provide equivocal evidence as to how activities of digestive enzymes may be adapted to herbivorous diets. For example, “rate-maximizing” herbivores generally exhibit rapid digesta transit times and high activities of digestive enzymes. Conversely, “yield-maximizing” herbivores utilize long gut retention times and express lower …

Fecal Findings: Investigating Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake Diet Using Dna Metabarcoding, Alyssa Swinehart

Masters Theses

Characterizing the diet of imperiled species using minimally invasive methods is crucial to understanding their conservation requirements. DNA metabarcoding methods have been used to characterize the diet primarily in mammalian systems, while reptiles are heavily underrepresented in this literature. Here, we apply a DNA metabarcoding approach to study the diet of the eastern massasauga rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus); a Federally Threatened snake found throughout the Great Lakes Region. Eighty-three fecal samples collected across 10 different massasauga populations located in Michigan were sequenced. We use universal metazoan primers and develop a host-specific oligonucleotide blocker to uncover the full potential diet …

Spatial And Demographic Patterns Of Two Threatened Turtle Species In An Urban Environment, Carly E. Brouwers

Masters Theses

Urban development is a global threat to native wildlife. The process of urbanization reduces and degrades the useable habitat of a region, and creates novel “urban ecosystems” that possess new threats and stressors to local species. Turtles are one of the most threatened vertebrate groups worldwide, and are particularly at risk of decline in urban ecosystems due to reduced nesting success, increased road mortality events, altered movement patterns, and increased predation rates. Eastern box and Blanding’s turtles are two at-risk turtle species in the state of Michigan, USA, primarily due to land use change. Presently, there are urban populations of …

Evaluation Of Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser Fulvescens) Spawning Success On An Artificial Reef Constructed In The Kalamazoo River, Michigan, Jason P. Lorenz

Masters Theses

Since lake sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens monitoring began on the Kalamazoo River in 2009, there has been no documentation of survival past the egg stage. Spawning has occurred directly below Calkins Dam and, in 2016, an artificial spawning reef was constructed 275-m downstream to improve habitat and increase survival to the larval stage. The site was monitored with egg mats and larval drift nets to document evidence of successful natural reproduction of lake sturgeon one year prior to construction (2016) and three years post-construction of the artificial reef (2017-2019). Fertilized lake sturgeon eggs were captured all four years of the study …

Morph- And Sex-Specific Differences In Corticosterone Of The Arizona Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma Mavortium Nebulosum), Megan Zerger

Scholars Week

Life history morph, sex, and body condition are traits that may influence stress within salamander populations because of differences in physiology and environmental conditions. Given widespread declines and the effects chronic stress can have on amphibian health, it is important to understand within-population drivers of stress and how population level variation may influence population viability. Thus, the objective of our study was to assess how corticosterone varies within the Arizona tiger salamander (Ambystoma mavortium nebulosum) population at the Mexican Cut Nature Preserve. We used a non-invasive skin swabbing method to collect baseline and elevated corticosterone from paedomorph (aquatic …

Non-Breeding Ecology Of Loggerhead Shrikes In An Intensive Agricultural Region, Emily Rose Donahue

Student Theses and Dissertations

As intensive agriculture has transformed much of the landscape across central North America, many grassland species have had to learn to adjust these new, highly homogeneous habitats while facing steep population declines. The Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus; hereinafter shrike) is one such declining species that persists in these agricultural landscapes. However, we lack information on the sustainability of these populations, and shrike non-breeding ecology, as for most passerines, remains understudied. Specifically, little is known about non-breeding behavior, diet, survival, site fidelity, and habitat selection. If survival, space use, and habitat selection metrics differ between demographic groups within non-breeding populations also …

Ecological Physiology Of Rafinesque’S Big-Eared Bats (Corynorhinus Rafinesquii) Roosting In An Anthropogenic Structure In Arkansas, Benjamin N. Spitz

Student Theses and Dissertations

Rafinesque’s big-eared bats (Corynorhinus rafinesquii) are suffering habitat loss due to deforestation of bottomland hardwoods which an increase in agriculture forces maternity colonies to roost in anthropogenic structures. In Arkansas I explore how bats from maternity colonies in anthropogenic structures use torpor and how torpor is affected by chronic stress and ectoparasites. During June- August of 2018-2019, I surveyed a maternity colony inside a barn. Captured bats were tagged with temperature-sensitive transmitters and tracked to roost trees and the barn daily confirming day roosts. Using Lotek data loggers, data from transmitters were collected as skin temperature and compared to ambient …

Caracuel_ Spiny Dogfish (Squalus Acanthias) Jaw, Nicolas M. Caracuel, David W. Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

Female Spiny Dogfish (Squalus acanthias) jaw collected in MBIO 3910 Lab on 11/03/2021 by Nicolas M. Caracuel.

2 cm tall at the center/middle of the jaw.

3.1cm tall at the hinges.

7.9 cm long from hinge to hinge.

Effects Of Varying Heat Indexes On Habitat Utilization And Behavior On Captive Red-Ruffed Lemurs (Varecia Rubra), Jeffrey Gammon

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

The two captive red-ruffed lemurs (Varecia rubra) at the Central Florida Zoo experienced a more temperate climate and utilized a differing habitat than they would in their native range, Madagascar. Proper management of the species in captivity is crucial for its long-term survival as they are critically endangered. Over a four month period, heat index temperature, lemur behavior, and habitat utilization data were collected via an instantaneous scan sample. Variables were analyzed to characterize how variations in heat index alter habitat utilization and behavior of the captive lemurs. As the heat index increased, habitat use became more restricted …

Phenology Of Antler Casting And Occurrence Of Late-Breeding In Nebraska White-Tailed Deer, Brian C. Peterson, Patrick D. Farrell, Dave Fehlhafer, Miranda C. Reinson, Dustin H. Ranglack

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in Nebraska primarily breed in November (stimulated by photoperiod), but this season extends into December and January for unfertilized females and healthy fawns reaching the appropriate breeding weight by winter. Variation in the typical mating period can be attributed to geographic region, skewed sex ratios, and fawns reaching sexual maturity during their first year of birth. During April of 2019, we observed late season breeding by a male white-tailed deer in the central Platte River valley and documented late antler casting for this same late-copulating male. An additional male was observed in April of …