Biology Commons^™

Trophic Cascades, Nutrients, And Lake Productivity: Whole-Lake Experiments, Stephen R. Carpenter, Jonathan J. Cole, James R. Hodgson, James F. Kitchell, Michael L. Pace, Darren Bade, Kathryn L. Cottingham

Dartmouth Scholarship

Responses of zooplankton, pelagic primary producers, planktonic bacteria, and CO2 exchange with the atmosphere were measured in four lakes with contrasting food webs under a range of nutrient enrichments during a seven-year period. Prior to enrichment, food webs were manipulated to create contrasts between piscivore dominance and planktivore dominance. Nutrient enrichments of inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus exhibited ratios of N:P > 17:1, by atoms, to maintain P limitation. An unmanipulated reference lake, Paul Lake, revealed baseline variability but showed no trends that could confound the interpretation of changes in the nearby manipulated lakes. Herbivorous zooplankton of West Long Lake (piscivorous fishes) …

Determining Differences In The Spatial Distribution Of Forest Structure On The Kaibab Plateau: Implications For Forest Management And The Northern Goshawk, Ryan S. Miller

Other Publications in Wildlife Management

The Kaibab Plateau, in North Central Arizona, has undergone extensive change in the last 100 years due to land management practices such as logging, road building, and fire suppression. The northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) has been a center of controversy, due to the potential effects of silvicultural practices on goshawk breeding habitat (Reynolds-1983, Bloom et al 1986, Kennedy 1989, Crocker-Bedford 1990). Current and past research efforts on the Kaibab Plateau have mapped Goshawk nesting territories and temporal change in nesting behavior and success. However, these research efforts have not determined how long-term spatial changes in land-use activities that have influenced …

Factors Influencing Spatial Variability In Soil Nitrogen (N) Dynamics In N-Treated And Untreated Watersheds Of The Fernow Experimental Forest, West Virginia, Nikki Lenore Lyttle

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The central Appalachian region of the United States receives some of the highest inputs of nitrogen (N) due to acidic deposition in the nation. It is believed that these high could levels contribute to a decline in forest soils within the next 50 to 70 yrs. This study examines factors that influence spatial variability in N-treated and untreated watersheds of the Fernow Experimental Forest, Parsons, West Virginia. Within each of the two watersheds [WS4 untreated control, > 100 yr.; WS3 N-treated, acidified, clear cut, ~ 31 yr.], two 0.04 ha plots, one high N and one low N, were selected for …

Fisheries Occasional Publication No. 31 - Feeding Lupins To Fish: A Review Of The Nutritional And Biological Value Of Lupins In Aquaculture Feeds, Brett Glencross

Fisheries Occasional Publications

Lupins are the harvested seed of species from the Lupinus genus, a group within the leguminous bean and pea family Fabaceae. Legumes are particularly valuable agricultural crops because of their capacity to provide a grain crop and also fix and return nitrogen to soils and improve the soil value for further cropping. The oilseeds, soybeans and peanuts are also leguminous plants, though traditionally they have been cropped for their oil value, whereas lupins, are cropped for both their protein and nitrogen fixing value (Gladstones, 1998; Perry et al., 1998).

The three key commercial species of lupins are L. angustifolius (Narrow-leafed …

Hydrologic Events And Water Quality In The Pigeon River, Ottawa County, Michigan, Neil W. Macdonald, Richard R. Rediske, Jonathan E. Van Denend

Peer Reviewed Publications

The Pigeon River drains a 16,765-ha agricultural watershed in western Ottawa County, Michigan and discharges into south-central Lake Michigan. Extensive areas of wetlands in the upper watershed were drained in the 1920s, causing significantly altered hydrology characteristics by flashy discharges during storms and periods of snowmelt. We studied stream chemistry and hydrology for a four-year period between September, 1996, and October, 2000, to determine water quality status, to estimate annual nutrient exports, and to evaluate the effects of different seasonal flow types. Results of our study confirmed that the upper reaches of the Pigeon River experience chronically degraded water quality, …

Los Anfibios Del Monumento Natural Barro Colorado, Parque Nacional Soberania Y Areas Adyacentes, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

This book focuses on the batrachofauna of Barro Colorado Nature Monument. Soberania National Park and adjacent areas. It complements other recent publications on Neotropical amphibians such as those by Rodriguez and Duellman ( 1994) on Peru, Achaval and Olmos (1995) on Uruguay, and Meyer and Foster (1996) on Belize. The goal of these books is to reach a wider audience than the more technical batrachofaunal summaries-e.g., Frogs of Boracéia (Heyer 1990). Amphibians of Argentina (Cei 1985), and Frogs of the Genus Eleutherodactylus in Western Ecuador (Lynch and Duellman 1997). These geographically focused guides are especially useful to students, amateur biologists, …

Los Coquís De Puerto Rico: Su Historia Natural Y Conservación, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

As the title indicates, this well-illustrated (115 photographs and 76 illustrations) book summarizes the current knowledge about the natural history of the 16 species of Eleutherodactylus inhabiting Puerto Rico. The book consists of eight chapters (including the epilogue) and it is clearly stated that it was written to serve both the scientific community and the nonspecialist reader. The goal of bridging these two audiences is ambitious and usually difficult; however, the book has probably accomplished this goal. The technical reader, i.e., students and professional herpetologists, will find a good summary of data and enough information to continue reading with interest. …

Survey Of Amphibians And Reptiles In Powhatan County, Virginia With Selected Natural History Notes, Jason Daniel Gibson

Theses & Honors Papers

This thesis establishes baseline data on the herpetofauna that exist in Powhatan county. No systematic study of the amphibians and reptiles in Powhatan county has ever been conducted. The methods used in this survey include hand capture, egg mass observations, road kill collections, and frog call surveys. Documentation of each species collected included measurements, photographs, range maps, and tape recordings.

This survey produced 8 species of salamanders, 11 anurans, 6 turtles, 4 lizards, and 14 snakes. Based on records in the Atlas of Amphibians and Reptiles of Virginia (Mitchell & Reay, 1999), 11 new county records were discovered. This brings …

Comparing The Tadpoles Of Hyla Geographica And Hyla Semilineata, Anne D'Heursel, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

External morphology, internal oral anatomy, and chondrocranial anatomy were examined for tadpoles of Hyla geographica from the Amazon rainforest, Brazil, and Hyla semilineata from the Atlantic rainforest, Brazil. Here, we provide morphological larval data to help diagnose these closely related species. Scanning electron microscopy analysis of buccal morphology showed the most distinctive features between these species: the distance between the lingual papillae in the buccal floor of H. geographica is three times greater than that distance in H. semilineata, and the relative size of the lingual papillae in H. geographica is less than half their size in H. semilineata. Although …

Estructura Del Condrocráneo Y Esqueleto Visceral De Larvas De Pseudis Minuta (Anura, Pseudidae, E. O. Lavilla, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

The chondrocranium and visceral skeleton of Pseudis minuta tadpoles are described, based on a series of five larvae in stages 31 - 35 of Gosner (1960). Among their striking characters are the presence of peculiar articular surfaces between cornua trabeculae and suprarostral cartilage, the incomplete development of the orbital cartilage, the high fenestration of the floor of the cavum cranii, the fusion of posterior foramina, and the fusion of spicules 3 and 4 in the hyobranchial skeleton.

The Timing And Pattern Of Myogenesis In Hymenochirus Boettgeri, Matthew T. Smetanick, Rafael O. De Sá, Gary P. Radice

Biology Faculty Publications

Differences in the relative timing of homologous developmental events among closely related species, known as heterochronies, may provide valuable clues in understanding evolutionary relationships (McKinney, 1988; McNamara, 1995). Examining the timing of myogenic events is a relatively easy and effective method for finding heterochronic events. For example, whether muscle proteins and myofibrils appear before or after multinucleation can be determined through histological techniciques (Kielbowna, 1981). Simple observations of live specimens can pinpoint functional landmarks such as first twitch (spontaneous or due to external stimuli) and first heartbeat.

Analysis Of Intraguild Predation With A Consideration Of Adaptive Foraging, Toshinori Okuyama

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Identification of interactive units in food webs is particularly important in population and community ecology. Intraguild predation has gained much attention recently with the recognition of its prevalence in the field, although its significance has not been fully studied. Nature contains much more complex interactions than a simple food chain. Yet, much theory still focuses on the trophic levels connected in a single linear chain. In this thesis, I study intraguild predation including the consideration of animal behavior whose importance is also often neglected in population and community ecology.

First, the concepts of intraguild predation and animal behavior are introduced. …

Development Of The Suprarostral Plate Of Pipoid Frogs, Rafael O. De Sá, Charles C. Swart

Biology Faculty Publications

The rostral region of nonpipoid tadpoles has two sets of cartilages, the cornua trabeculae and the suprarostral cartilages, whereas the rostral region in pipoid larvae is occupied by a single and continuous cartilage, the suprarostral plate. The homology of this region in pipoid and nonpipoids tadpoles has been controversial. We examined the early formation and development of the suprarostral plate using serially cross-sectioned specimens of Rhinophrynus, Xenopus, and Hymenochirus. We conclude that the cartilaginous structures present in the rostral area of pipoid and nonpipoid larvae are homologous. Furthermore, we found two different developmental patterns among pipoid larvae. The chondrocranium …

Functional Success Of Six Constructed Bottomland Hardwood Forests In Central And Western Kentucky, Ryan W. Mccall

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Science and Technology Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science by Ryan W. McCall on January 25, 1999.

Osteological Analysis Of The Killifish Genus Cynolebias (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae), Marcelo Loureiro, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

Relationships among the species of the annual fish Cynolebias are unclear. An analysis of the variation and utility of osteological characters for phylogenetic analysis was done using cleared and double-stained specimens representing 21 species of Cynolebias. This analysis showed that some of the characters previously used to diagnose this genus and some of the species are polymorphic. Osteologically, Cynolebias can be diagnosed by the following synapomorphies: (1) triangular-shaped parietal, (2) vomer positioned ventral to the parasphenoid, (3) long ventral process of the dentary, (4) teeth on fourth ceratobranchial, and (5) teeth on first epibranchial. In addition, characters that help …

Distribution Of The Sucker Family (Pisces: Catostomidae) In The Ohio River, Tara L. Rose

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The family Catostomidae represents a major component of the fish fauna in the Ohio River. Because of their abundance, large biomass, and susceptibility to environmentally-induced anomalies, suckers are expected to significantly influence the Ohio River Fish Index (ORFIn), a biological index being developed by the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO) for large river systems. To correctly interpret information obtained from ORFIn, the impact of suckers upon the index must be thoroughly understood, including relative importance and uneven spatial distribution of Ohio River suckers. In this study, suckers represented 7.1 percent of the total fish captured and 36.6 percent …

Ecology And Natural History Of Rana Clamitans Melanota In West Virginia, Alison M. Rogers

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Fourteen study sites were sampled with aquatic funnel traps and D-frame net sweeps in the plateau and mountain region of West Virginia to determine differences in larval period. Larval stage class abundance and larval total length and mass measurements were recorded from February to December 1997. Larval stage classes 25 and 26, the first free living stages, were absent from the plateau region from February to April, but were present in the mountain region. Pre-transformation larval stages, 40 through 44, were found from May through October, and peaked in July. Significant relationships were found with simple linear regression analysis between …

Benthic Biodiversity And Physico-Chemical Parameters Of Acid Mine Drainage, Acid Impacted And Nonimpacted Streams, Stephen D. Greene

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

South Fork of Sand Lick Creek, Logan County, West Virginia, drains an abandoned coal strip mine which had exploited Pottsville series coalbeds (Pennsylvania strata). These strata outcrop throughout southwestern West Virginia. North Fork watershed is relatively unchanged, save a small roadcut throughout. South Fork benthic community had not recovered although mining activity had ceased about 20 years earlier. Benthic communities were analyzed with detrended correspondence analysis (DCA). Family Chironomidae predominated South Fork benthic community throughout the study. North Fork’s benthic community had as major contributors acid resistant caddisfly family Hydropsychidae, mayfly family Baetidae, and stonefly families Perlodidae and Nemouridae. Family …

Unidad De Los Anfibios Modernos Como Grupo Natural, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

RESUMEN

La monofilia de la infraclase Lissamphibia ha sido cuestionada. Algunos autores sugieren un origen independiente del Orden Gymnophiona basados en la condición compacta (= estegocrotafía) del cráneo de la cecilias. La presente revisión indica la irrelevancia del estegocrotafismo para establecer las relaciones filogenéticas del grupo. Los datos disponibles sugieren: 1) el estegocrotafismo es secundariamente derivado en cecilias, y 2) Lissamphibia representa un grupo monofilético.

SUMMARY

Unity of modern Amphibians as a natural group

The monophyly of Lissamphibia has been previously questioned. Some authors suggested an independent origin of Gymnophiona based on the solid condition (= stegokrotaphy) of the caecilian …

Deforestation In The Tropics: Reconciling Disparities In Estimates For India, Shaily Menon, Kamaljit S. Bawa

Peer Reviewed Publications

Here we examine recent disparate estimates of deforestation obtained for India. We discuss the sources of disparity and the implications of inaccurate estimates and suggest ways in which future attempts at estimating deforestation might reconcile the disparity. Despite the importance of deforestation and its consequences, no attempt has been made to reconcile the different estimates obtained for India.

Temperature Sensitivity Of El Tor 01, Classical 01, And 0139 Vibrio Cholerae, Michelle Angela O'Neill

Dissertations and Theses

Vibrio cholerae has long been recognized as the causative agent of the disease cholera, but what has only become evident in recent years is the role of the environment in cholera. The cholera bacterium is found autochthonously in the marine and estuarian environment, and if there is any hope of controlling the disease the environmental aspects must be understood.

The central questions addressed in this study were how bacterial survival was influenced by temperature and the role that available nutrients play in V. cholerae survival. Survival of three different V. cholerae strains [classical (01); El Tor (01), and El Tor …

Life History, Ecology, And Low Ph Tolerance Of The Freshwater Prawn, Palaemonetes Kadiakensis Rathbun, In A Mitigated Wetland Of The Green Bottom Wildlife Management Area, West Virginia, Jennifer Ann Aderman

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

An ecological life history study of the freshwater prawn Palaemonetes kadiakensis was conducted at the mitigated wetland of the Green Bottom Wildlife management Area (GBWMA). Monthly samples were collected from November 1996 through November 1997. In addition, weekly samples were collected from May through November for growth and reproductive analysis. Monthly samples yielded 520 prawns. Palaemonetes kadiakensis had a one-year life cycle, with all adults dying by September. Males averaged 23.82 mm (range = 14.15 to 36.75 mm) and females averaged 26.78mm (range = 15.06 to 38.60 mm) in length. Males averaged 0.087g (range = 0.014to 0.293 g) and females …

Chondrocranial Anatomy And Skeletogenesis In Dendrobates Auratus, Rafael O. De Sá, Shannon Hill

Biology Faculty Publications

The larval chondrocranium and visceral skeleton of Dendrobates auratus ls described and compared with those of other dendrobatids. Four characters, i.e. lack of fusion between orbital cartilages and otic capsules, wide processus muscularis palatoquadrati, lack of processus pseudopterygoideus, and lack of processus anterolateralis hyalis, represent derived conditions for Dendrobates within Dendrobatidae. Cranial and postcranial ossification sequences are reported for D. auratus and Epipedobates tricolor. Skeletogenesis is earlier in E. tricolor, but the overall pattern of ossification is similar in the two species.

Environmental Stress Effects On Vigor, Mortality, And Growth In Northern Hardwood Forests Along A Pollution-Climate Gradient, Neil W. Macdonald, John A. Witter, David R. Reed, Andrew J. Burton, Kurt S. Pregitzer, Hal O. Liechty

Peer Reviewed Publications

Concern exists over the effects of interacting environmental stresses on the ecological integrity of temperate forests. Coincidence of sensitivity to drought, increasing occurrence of defoliation, and elevated pollutant deposition has produced speculation that northern hardwood forests may be susceptible to the increased climatic stresses projected for the Great Lakes region. The objective of our study was to examine relationships among environmental stress factors, vigor, mortality, and growth in northern hardwood forests located along a pollution-climate gradient in the Great Lakes region. Between 1987 and 1993, we quantified climatic variables, pollutant deposition, insect defoliation, and tree vigor and growth at five …

Las Vegas Wash Water Quality Monitoring Program: 1996 Report Of Findings, Richard A. Roline, James J. Sartoris, U.S. Bureau Of Reclamation, U.S. Geological Survey

Publications (WR)

Las Vegas Wash, a natural wash east of the city of Las Vegas, Nevada, carries stormwater, groundwater drainage, and sewage effluent from three sewage treatment plants to Lake Mead. The Wash provides nearly the only surface water outlet for the entire 2,193 mi² of Las Vegas Valley. A drainage area of 1,586 mi² contributes directly to the Wash through surface flow which is channeled to Las Vegas Bay of Lake Mead, while drainage of the remaining 607 mi² is presumably subsurface and may drain toward Las Vegas Wash.

In the 1930's and 1940's, sewage treatment plants were …

Description Of The Tadpole Of Atelopus Tricolor, E. O. Lavilla, Rafael O. De Sá, Ignacio De La Riva

Biology Faculty Publications

Tadpoles of Atelopus belong to the gastromyzophorous guild of exotrophic larvae (Altig and Johnston, 1989), and are characterized by the presence of a conspicuous abdominal sucker and an expanded oral disc. The larvae of several Atelopus species have been described previously: A. varius (Starrett, 1967); A. certus, A. ignescens, and A. spumarius (Duellman and Lynch, 1969); A. cruciger (Mebs, 1980); A. flavescens (Lescure, 1981); A. peruensis (Gray and Cannatella, 1985); and A. subornatus (Lynch, 1986). These represent about 15% of the known species in the genus (Frost, 1985; Duellman, 1993). Although Atelopus tricolor was originally described at the beginning of …

Behavioral Response Of The Crayfish Procambarus Clarkii To The Crustacean Molting Hormone 20-Hydroxyecdysone, William D. Hornsby

Honors Capstone Projects and Theses

No abstract provided.

Características De La Osificación Craneal En Phyllomedusa Boliviana (Anura: Hylidae), Rafael O. De Sá, E. O. Lavilla

Biology Faculty Publications

RESUMEN. Dentro de la familia Hylidae disponemos de información sobre las secuencias de osificación craneal para menos del 4.0% de sus miembros. El presente trabajo describe la secuencia de osificación craneal de Phyllomedusa boliviana. El patrón general de osificación es similar a lo reportado para otras especies de la familia, pero existen algunas diferencias importantes tales como la osificación tardía de los próoticos y la osificación premetamórfica de neopalatino, vómer, cuadrado-yugal, pterigoides y columela. El lento desarrollo ulterior de la osificación resulta en juveniles con cráneos extensamente cartilaginosos.

ABSTRACT. Characteristics of the cranial ossification in Phyllomedusa …

Leptodactylus Silvanimbus (Amphibia: Anura: Leptodactylidae): Natural History Notes, Advertisement Call, And Relationships, W. Ronald Heyer, Rafael O. De Sá, James R. Mccranie, Larry David Wilson

Biology Faculty Publications

In July 1995, we visited two of the three previously known localities for Leprodactylus silvanimbus in Departamento de Ocotepeque, Honduras. We found a new breeding site for the species, recorded its advertisement call, and collected and observed its adults and larvae. The purpose of this paper is to present the results of these new findings and to comment on the relationships L. silvanimbus.

Water Quality Analysis Of Eastern Kentucky Reservoirs, Stephen E. Davis Iii

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Science and Technology at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Biology by Stephen E. Davis III on July 19, 1995.