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Full-Text Articles in Biology
Relationships Of Haemosporidian Parasites To Populations Of Their Avian Hosts In Eastern North America, Vincenzo Alexander Ellis
Relationships Of Haemosporidian Parasites To Populations Of Their Avian Hosts In Eastern North America, Vincenzo Alexander Ellis
Dissertations
Avian Haemosporida are common, vector-transmitted blood parasites of birds throughout the world. During my dissertation research, I explored how multiple host species respond immunologically to natural infections in the wild (Chapter 1) and to experimental infections in the laboratory (Chapter 2). Despite their tractability as a model host-parasite system and a burgeoning literature on avian Haemosporida, little is known about how their populations interact across large areas (hereafter “regions”). I present data from parasite surveys of birds across eastern North America suggesting that continental parasite populations track host populations across the region, but also that the host breadth of a …
Community Organization Of Avian Malaria Parasites In Lowland Amazonia: Prevalence, Diversity, And Specialization In A Local Assemblage, Linda Maria Elenor Svensson
Community Organization Of Avian Malaria Parasites In Lowland Amazonia: Prevalence, Diversity, And Specialization In A Local Assemblage, Linda Maria Elenor Svensson
Dissertations
I characterized a lowland Amazonian assemblage of haemosporidian (“malaria”) parasites (Haemoproteus and Plasmodium) of understory birds by analyzing variation in prevalence (proportion of infected host individuals) among years and host species, documenting diversity of haemosporidian evolutionary lineages, and quantifying host specialization. Using standard molecular methods to screen for haemosporidia in 2488 individual birds from 104 species in the Tiputini Biodiversity Station, Ecuador, I found 21.7% to be infected. Prevalence ranged significantly among years and host species. Forty-five putative evolutionary lineages of haemosporidia were identified, by sequencing part of the cytochrome b (cyt b) gene. Based on a comparative analysis, among …
Middle Mississippi River Islands: Historical Distribution, Restoration Planning, And Biological Importance, Teresa Cecilia Allen
Middle Mississippi River Islands: Historical Distribution, Restoration Planning, And Biological Importance, Teresa Cecilia Allen
Dissertations
The Middle Mississippi River’s (MMR’s) hydrology and sedimentation patterns have been altered. These activities contribute to loss of backwaters, islands, secondary channels, and reduced biodiversity. The Fish and Wildlife Service included reasonable and prudent alternatives (RPAs) in its Biological Opinion for the Operation and Maintenance of the Nine-Foot Channel Navigation Project. These RPAs mandate dike notching and island building to increase habitat diversity. My first goal was to examine changes in the number and relative location of islands from 1797 to 2003. I found that the total number of islands increased, the number of central islands decreased, and the number …