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Full-Text Articles in Biology
The Relationship Between Population Dynamics And Dietary Preferences Within Two Snake Genera (Storeria And Thamnophis), Molly M. Dixon
The Relationship Between Population Dynamics And Dietary Preferences Within Two Snake Genera (Storeria And Thamnophis), Molly M. Dixon
Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations
Amidst massive losses in biodiversity, it is vital to identify the factors driving species declines. The main objective of this research was to assess dietary differences between Storeria dekayi and Thamnophis sirtalis and their less abundant and more geographically restricted sister species, Storeria occipitomaculata and Thamnophis butleri, in Illinois and Michigan. I hypothesized that greater abundance and more cosmopolitan distribution are associated with consuming a wide variety of prey and more nonnative prey. To assess diets, I conducted field surveys of Storeria and Thamnophis and analyzed DNA metabarcoding data from fecal samples. I found no significant difference in the …
Coaggregation Patterns And Surface Characteristics Of Lactobacillus Rhamnosus Gg Under Varying Nutrient Conditions, Amanda Rielinger
Coaggregation Patterns And Surface Characteristics Of Lactobacillus Rhamnosus Gg Under Varying Nutrient Conditions, Amanda Rielinger
Senior Honors Theses and Projects
Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) is one of the best studied probiotic organisms. The ability of probiotics to adhere to other microorganisms and the intestinal epithelium is thought to play a major role in their protective functions. Coaggregation is an important mechanism for biofilm formation by microorganisms. The goals of this study were to examine the ways in which nutrient variation affects intercellular interactions between LGG and other gut microbes and the hydrophobic character of LGG. We hypothesized that nutritional variation may affect the ability of LGG to coaggregate and form biofilms and thus affect its probiotic characteristics and ability to …
Activity And Diet Of Bats In Apple Orchards Of Southern Michigan, Brenna Lynn Smith
Activity And Diet Of Bats In Apple Orchards Of Southern Michigan, Brenna Lynn Smith
Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations
I studied activity and diet of bats in apple orchards in southern Michigan. There was no difference between organic and conventional orchards in number and composition of insects captured with light traps, number of bats captured with mist nets, or number of acoustic files of bat activity that were recorded. The majority of insects captured were Coleptera, Diptera, Hemiptera, Lepidoptera, and Trichoptera. Only two species of bats were caught: big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) and eastern red bats (Lasiurus borealis). Most calls were produced by big brown bats, followed by hoary bats (L. cinereus), red …
Diet Of Three Mormoopid Bats (Mormoops Blainvillei, Pteronotus Quadridens, And Pteronotus Portoricensis ) On Puerto Rico, Ashley K. Rolfe
Diet Of Three Mormoopid Bats (Mormoops Blainvillei, Pteronotus Quadridens, And Pteronotus Portoricensis ) On Puerto Rico, Ashley K. Rolfe
Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations
This study used visual analysis to determine the percent volume and percent frequency of orders of insects in the guano of the Antillean ghost-faced bat (Mormoops blainvillei), sooty mustached bat (Pteronotus quadridens), and Puerto Rican mustached bat (Pteronotus portoricensis). The most common orders for all three species were Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, and Lepidoptera, although the relative proportions of these orders differed among species. Variation in diet was primarily due to species, but season, habitat, and sex also affected the composition of insects in the feces. In addition, species-level identification of prey was achieved through molecular techniques …