Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Keyword
-
- AFLP (1)
- Admixture (1)
- Avian (1)
- Bacteria (1)
- Bald Eagle (1)
-
- Canopy cover (1)
- Climate change (1)
- Conservation (1)
- Contact zone (1)
- DFA comparison (1)
- Distribution and abundance (1)
- Environmental physics (1)
- Extinction (1)
- Flooding (1)
- Fluorescent powder tracking (1)
- G. bursarius (1)
- G. halli (1)
- Geomys (1)
- Gram-positive cocci (1)
- Great Basin (1)
- Haliaeetus leucocephalus (1)
- Hemi-marsh (1)
- Hybridization (1)
- Introgression (1)
- Kansas (1)
- Macroecology (1)
- Matagorda Island (1)
- Mechanism (1)
- Microbiology (1)
- Microhabitat (1)
Articles 1 - 10 of 10
Full-Text Articles in Biology
Genetic Analysis Of Vancomycin-Resistant Gram-Positive Cocci Isolated From Wild Songbirds, Shingo Ishihara
Genetic Analysis Of Vancomycin-Resistant Gram-Positive Cocci Isolated From Wild Songbirds, Shingo Ishihara
Master's Theses
The antibiotic vancomycin was developed by Eli Lilly in the 1950s in response to the growing number of Staphylococcus aureus infections that were resistant to penicillin. Vancomycin was not widely used at the time because of its high toxicity. However, use of vancomycin in the United States has increased dramatically since the 1980s because of the emergence of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Enterococcus species. There are three known mechanisms for vancomycin resistance: 1) target site modification by van genes, 2) biofilm formation, and 3) bacterial cell wall thickening. Of these mechanisms, target site modification is the most common. …
Distribution And Genetic Structure Of Pocket Gophers (Genus Geomys) In Kansas, Zachary J. Schwenke
Distribution And Genetic Structure Of Pocket Gophers (Genus Geomys) In Kansas, Zachary J. Schwenke
Master's Theses
The development of informed management practices and insightful research depends not only on an understanding of species natural history and ecology, but information regarding the distributions of these species and how they interact with adjacent taxa. The study of a species distribution can become complicated if the geographic variation within the species is not understood. Pocket gophers, including those in the genus Geomys, display morphological and chromosomal variation across their range, even within the same species. Genetic techniques, including Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP), have clarified population relationships and characterized zones of contact. Previous studies have suggested 2 species and …
Effects Of Flooding On Photosynthesis And Root Respiration In Salt Cedar (Tamarix Ramosissima), An Invasive Riparian Shrub, Kristen Polacik
Effects Of Flooding On Photosynthesis And Root Respiration In Salt Cedar (Tamarix Ramosissima), An Invasive Riparian Shrub, Kristen Polacik
Master's Theses
The introduced shrub Tamarix ramosissima Lebed. invades riparian zones, but loses competitiveness under flooding. This was tested in Tamarix ramosissima by examining responses to flooding by soil type in a greenhouse setting. A field study examined responses of Tamarix ramosissima and other species to natural flooding. Leaf level photosynthesis rates, stomatal conductance, transpiration, and root alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity were measured weekly to assess oxygen stress. In the field, stomatal conductance, leaf water potential, transpiration, canopy cover, and δ13C were measured as responses to soil water potential, soil moisture, Julian date, relative humidity, and water depth. In the greenhouse study, …
Effects Of Sediment Removal Techniques On Avian Communities And Vegetational Attributes In Restored Prairie Pothole Wetlands, Alexander Galt
Effects Of Sediment Removal Techniques On Avian Communities And Vegetational Attributes In Restored Prairie Pothole Wetlands, Alexander Galt
Master's Theses
With the loss and degradation of wetlands in some areas of the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) reaching 80-90%, it is critical that resource managers ensure that the habitat that is put back on the landscape is as high quality as possible. Resource managers have been excavating sediment and topsoil, to promote the “hemi-marsh” condition, during the wetland restoration process in the PPR for over 20 years. I refer to the commonly held perception that the hemi-marsh condition supports the most diverse avian communities in small prairie pothole wetlands as the hemi-marsh condition hypothesis. The literature currently does not address the …
Nested Subsets, Scale, And The Distribution Of Abundance: A Macroecological Approach, Elita Baldridge
Nested Subsets, Scale, And The Distribution Of Abundance: A Macroecological Approach, Elita Baldridge
Master's Theses
While the canonical nested subset pattern suggests that less species-rich areas will contain a proper subset of the species observed in richer areas, actual data sets do not show perfect nestedness; however, they show a pattern with more structure than would be expected by chance. Biological processes like immigration and extinction have traditionally been thought to produce the nested subset pattern. These processes acting indirectly could cause variation in the distribution and abundance of species that could produce nestedness at a variety of scales. Determining at what scales the pattern is observed might allow inference of processes that are more …
Herpetofaunal Response To Prescribed Burning On Matagorda Island, Texas: With Emphasis On Texas Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma Cornutum), Ashley Inslee
Herpetofaunal Response To Prescribed Burning On Matagorda Island, Texas: With Emphasis On Texas Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma Cornutum), Ashley Inslee
Master's Theses
Texas horned lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum) populations have been in steady decline over the past twenty years due to habitat loss, pesticide use, the pet trade, and invasion of the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta). At Aransas National Wildlife Refuge the P. cornutum population has declined, except for on Matagorda Island. A prescribed burn regime was initiated to maintain the coastal prairie habitat. This closed environment was unique in its composition of arid adapted and wetland species. There was minimal human disturbance, and a single road bisects the length of the island. The island was invaded by S. invicta around …
Climate Change: Implications For Montane Mammals Of The Great Basin, Georgina Yvette Jacquez
Climate Change: Implications For Montane Mammals Of The Great Basin, Georgina Yvette Jacquez
Master's Theses
Climate change threatens biodiversity; in particular, species with narrow distributions and specific habitat requirements. The Great Basin provides an excellent model system to evaluate the effects of climate change on species with isolated distributions and specific habitat requirements. I have evaluated the McDonald and Brown (1992) model that examined the effects of climate change on montane mammals of the Great Basin based on its underlying assumptions and model predictions. I have modeled the distributions of twelve montane mammal species found in the Great Basin and identified potential local extinctions by using maximum entropy modeling (Maxent) for two emission scenarios of …
Spatial And Temporal Patterns Of Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus Leucocephalus) Winter Habitat Use Along The Upper Mississippi River Corridor, Ryan T. Schmitz
Spatial And Temporal Patterns Of Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus Leucocephalus) Winter Habitat Use Along The Upper Mississippi River Corridor, Ryan T. Schmitz
Master's Theses
From March 1999 through February 2006, satellite transmitters were placed on 13 wild-caught individuals of the Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) in southwestern Wisconsin. These individuals (6 males, 7 females, 11 adults, 2 immatures) were tracked along the Upper Mississippi River corridor during the winters of 1999 through 2006. The objectives of my study were to: 1) estimate winter home range size and to compare home range size between sexes, 2) characterize and quantify winter night roost habitat, and 3) identify spatial and temporal patterns of winter habitat use and behavior relative to temperature, wind speed, and ice-cover. Mean 95% fixed …
Variation In The Southern Short-Tailed Shrew, Blarina Carolensis, Jennifer O'Neill
Variation In The Southern Short-Tailed Shrew, Blarina Carolensis, Jennifer O'Neill
Master's Theses
The southern short-tailed shrew (Blarina carolinensis) inhabits the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, the Gulf Coastal Plain, Florida, and the Atlantic Coastal Plain as far north as Virginia. Since its description by Bachman in 1837, this species has been widely studied and has a long and convoluted taxonomic history. Many of the morphometric studies were performed in different geographic locations and used different methodologies. These differences have made it difficult to make broad statements about the relationships within this species. Recently, a study of cranial measurements of specimens from the three subspecies of B. carolinensis found in Florida, identified a small population …
Flooding Tolerance Of Native And Nonnative Grasses: Variation In Photosynthesis, Transpiration, Respiration, And Carbon Isotope Discrimination, Elizabeth Waring
Flooding Tolerance Of Native And Nonnative Grasses: Variation In Photosynthesis, Transpiration, Respiration, And Carbon Isotope Discrimination, Elizabeth Waring
Master's Theses
Invasion by nonnative plants is particularly prevalent in wetlands. While the ecological patterns in wetland plants are well known, it is less well known how flooding-related soil conditions influence the physiological success of introduced species in wetlands. In chapter 1, effects of flooding were measured in invasive common reed (Phragmites australis), reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea), Johnson grass (Sorghum halepense), and native prairie cordgrass (Spartina pectinata). The four species were kept at four levels of flooding (deep flooding, medium flooding, low flooding, and dry conditions), and their responses were measured after 7 and 28 days of treatment using by a …