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2020

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Articles 451 - 480 of 1996

Full-Text Articles in Biology

To Feed Or Not To Feed: Examining The Effects Of Provisioning Tourism On Nurse Sharks In Caye Caulker, Belize, Carlee Jackson Aug 2020

To Feed Or Not To Feed: Examining The Effects Of Provisioning Tourism On Nurse Sharks In Caye Caulker, Belize, Carlee Jackson

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Wildlife tourism is increasing in popularity around the world, creating the need to understand alterations in animal behavior and spatial distributions that may occur due to associated anthropogenic disturbances. Nurse sharks (Ginglymostoma cirratum, Bonnaterre 1788) are commonly used for wildlife tourism within the Caye Caulker Marine Reserve in Belize. Shark and Ray Village (SRV) is a site within the reserve where nurse sharks are consistently fed by tour/snorkel boats to create an interactive experience with tourists, termed provisioning tourism. Prior to this experiment, no studies had been conducted in SRV to evaluate the impact of provisioning tourism (tourism …

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Stormwater Capture Via Green Infrastructure In The Plaster Creek Watershed, Brett Barents, Kiara Bromley, Haley Weesies, Deanna Geelhoed, David P. Warners Aug 2020

Stormwater Capture Via Green Infrastructure In The Plaster Creek Watershed, Brett Barents, Kiara Bromley, Haley Weesies, Deanna Geelhoed, David P. Warners

Student Papers and Reports

No abstract provided.

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Roles For A Lipid Phosphatase In The Activation Of Its Opposing Lipid Kinase, Bethany S. Strunk, N. Steinfeld, S. Lee, N. Jin, Cecilia Munõz-Rivera, Garrison Meeks, Asha Mary Thomas, C. Akemann, A. K. Mapp, J. A. Macgurn, L. S. Weisman Aug 2020

Roles For A Lipid Phosphatase In The Activation Of Its Opposing Lipid Kinase, Bethany S. Strunk, N. Steinfeld, S. Lee, N. Jin, Cecilia Munõz-Rivera, Garrison Meeks, Asha Mary Thomas, C. Akemann, A. K. Mapp, J. A. Macgurn, L. S. Weisman

Biology Faculty Research

Fig4 is a phosphoinositide phosphatase that converts PI3,5P2 to PI3P. Paradoxically, mutation of Fig4 results in lower PI3,5P2, indicating that Fig4 is also required for PI3,5P2 production. Fig4 promotes elevation of PI3,5P2, in part, through stabilization of a protein complex that includes its opposing lipid kinase, Fab1, and the scaffold protein Vac14. Here we show that multiple regions of Fig4 contribute to its roles in the elevation of PI3,5P2: Its catalytic site, an N-terminal disease-related surface, and a C-terminal region. We show that mutation of the Fig4 catalytic site enhances the formation of the Fab1-Vac14-Fig4 complex, and reduces the ability …

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Plaster Creek Stewards Green Team Initiative, Michael Akpabey, David E. Martinez Vasquez, David P. Warners Aug 2020

Plaster Creek Stewards Green Team Initiative, Michael Akpabey, David E. Martinez Vasquez, David P. Warners

Student Papers and Reports

No abstract provided.

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Persistence Of Diet Effects On The Drosophila Suzukii Microbiota, Yanira Jiménez Padilla, Ebenezer Esan, Kevin D. Floate, Brent J. Sinclair Aug 2020

Persistence Of Diet Effects On The Drosophila Suzukii Microbiota, Yanira Jiménez Padilla, Ebenezer Esan, Kevin D. Floate, Brent J. Sinclair

Biology Publications

The insect commensal microbiota consists of prokaryotes and eukaryotes. The effect of diet and the persistence of the gut microbiota in Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae) are not well-understood. We transferred subsets of a single population of D. suzukii to different fruit-based diets (blueberry, raspberry, and strawberry) for three generations and then returned them to a common, banana-based, laboratory diet. We used 16S (bacteria) and ITS (fungi) sequencing of female endosymbiont-free flies to identify the microbiota. We identified 2700 bacterial and 350 fungal OTUs; there was no correlation between the number of bacterial and fungal OTUs in a sample. Bacterial …

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Relative Size Underlies Alternative Morph Development In A Salamander, Michael P. Moore, Joseph H. K. Pechmann, Howard H. Whiteman Aug 2020

Relative Size Underlies Alternative Morph Development In A Salamander, Michael P. Moore, Joseph H. K. Pechmann, Howard H. Whiteman

Faculty & Staff Research and Creative Activity

Size thresholds commonly underlie the induction of alternative morphological states. However, the respective importance of absolute and relative size to such thresholds remains uncertain. If absolute size governs expression, morph frequency should differ among environments that influence absolute sizes (e.g. resources, competition), and individuals of the same morph should have similar average sizes across environments. If relative size determines expression, the frequency of each morph may not differ among environments, but morphs within each environment should differ in size relative to one another. We tested these predictions in a salamander (Ambystoma talpoideum) that develops into either a terrestrial …

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Stream Biodiversity And Co-Occurrence Network Topology Along Sub-Continental To Global Nutrient And Land Use Gradients, William Robert Budnick Aug 2020

Stream Biodiversity And Co-Occurrence Network Topology Along Sub-Continental To Global Nutrient And Land Use Gradients, William Robert Budnick

Biology Dissertations - Archive

Freshwaters are some of the most vulnerable ecosystems to global change forces, such as land use and eutrophication, implicated in the loss of biodiversity and biotic homogenization (increased similarity) of species communities. However, much less is known about the impact of these forces on the mechanisms underlying biodiversity and the patterns of species co-occurrence. In this dissertation, I use sub-continental to global stream community datasets to investigate the effects of land use and nutrients on algal, macroinvertebrate, and fish biodiversity, abundance, and complexity of co-occurrence patterns to pursue three objectives. I first investigate how agriculture contributes to biotic homogenization, and …

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Combating Bacterial Infections With In-Situ Detection And Antibiotic Technology, Paul James Renick Aug 2020

Combating Bacterial Infections With In-Situ Detection And Antibiotic Technology, Paul James Renick

Biology Dissertations - Archive

Currently, there is a looming crisis in the field of antibacterial drug therapy. The emergence of antibacterial drug resistance because of poor antibacterial stewardship, coupled with booming elderly populations, economic disparity and climate change leading to societal instability is undoing the successes of the 20th century in combating infectious disease. New approaches and methods are needed to reverse these trends. My dissertation focuses on three key areas: (1) develop a better understanding of device-related biofilm infections, (2) the use of a bacterial specific D-glutamine positron emission tomography tracer for the direct visualization of infection, and (3) the development of an …

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Investigating Nest Box Utilization By Bumble Bees And Reproductive Development Of Male Bumble Bees, James Daniel Herndon Aug 2020

Investigating Nest Box Utilization By Bumble Bees And Reproductive Development Of Male Bumble Bees, James Daniel Herndon

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Bumble bees (Bombus Latrielle) are a wide-spread group of pollinating insects that are important species to conserve across many environments to ensure both ecological and economic resiliency because they pollinate important agricultural, horticultural, and wild flora. Surprisingly, fundamental questions still remain about this important charismatic group of pollinators. The investigations in this thesis are but two of many topics that require further research. The topics investigated are understanding bumble bee nest site preferences and reproductive development of both sexes of bumble bees. The first experiment (Chapter 2) investigates whether nest boxes elevated off of the ground and attached to …

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Interactions Between Water-Stress And Maize Resistance To Spider Mites With Varied Host Specialization, Gunbharpur S. Gill Aug 2020

Interactions Between Water-Stress And Maize Resistance To Spider Mites With Varied Host Specialization, Gunbharpur S. Gill

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Spider mites are well-documented pests of many agricultural crops including cereals such as maize. In hot and dry conditions, when crop plants are under water-stress, spider mite populations can rapidly increase within weeks and can cause severe yield losses. One approach to manage pests, such as spider mites, is through the development and selection of plants that can resist pests. Screening of maize lines has provided evidence of spider mite resistance; however, it is unclear how plant water-stress may affect the ability of maize to sustain spider mite resistance. In addition, it is important to understand how plants respond to …

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Impacts Of Tourism On The Ecophysiology Of The Endangered Northern Bahamian Rock Iguana (Cyclura Cychlura), Alison C. Webb Aug 2020

Impacts Of Tourism On The Ecophysiology Of The Endangered Northern Bahamian Rock Iguana (Cyclura Cychlura), Alison C. Webb

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Increased interest in ecotourism over recent years has led to more direct human-animal interactions and a striking concomitant increase in the provisioning of non-natural food, that may have unintended consequences for the wildlife involved. The critically endangered Northern Bahamian Rock Iguana provides a valuable model to address the potential impact of food provisioning on health as there are populations that represent a graded variation in human presence, with sites experiencing high, low, or no tourism. To assess the potential impacts of tourism on iguana physiology I first reviewed the relevant literature on iguana physiology and then performed three investigations focusing …

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The Potential Impacts Of Soy Protein On Fish Gut Health, Vikas Kumar, Sakhawat Hossain, Janice A. Ragaza, Marina Rubio Benito Aug 2020

The Potential Impacts Of Soy Protein On Fish Gut Health, Vikas Kumar, Sakhawat Hossain, Janice A. Ragaza, Marina Rubio Benito

Biology Faculty Publications

Soy protein is the major source of protein as fishmeal replacement in fish feed because of its worldwide availability and low price. However, the presence of high carbohydrate content along with saponins, lectins, and phytates can have a negative impact on fish gut health. Based on the literature and our lab studies, dietary soybean meal can cause a dose-dependent type of distal intestine inflammation called enteritis in commercial fish species including salmonids. This leads to reduced absorptive capacity, increased mucus secretion, hyperpermeability, and leucocyte infiltration in the lamina propria and submucosa, also inducing the pro-inflammatory cytokine genes expression, including Il-1β, …

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Colony Dynamics And Plant Community Associations Of The Harvester Ant, Pogonomyrmex Salinus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) In Sagebrush-Steppe Habitat, Ian C. Robertson, Wilma G. Robertson Aug 2020

Colony Dynamics And Plant Community Associations Of The Harvester Ant, Pogonomyrmex Salinus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) In Sagebrush-Steppe Habitat, Ian C. Robertson, Wilma G. Robertson

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

We present the results of a 5-yr field study on colony dynamics and plant community associations of Owyhee harvester ants, Pogonomyrmex salinus (Olsen), in sagebrush-steppe habitat in southwestern Idaho. Over a 5-yr period, the total number of ant colonies across 16 sites increased from 843 to 878 (4.15%) as a result of 315 colony deaths and 350 colony initiations. Up to 7.1% of colony initiations may have been instances of nest relocation. Colonies had a higher rate of failure in their first year than in subsequent years (12.4 vs 4.6–8.4% over the next 3 yr). Of the 11 sites analyzed …

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The Evolution Of Life Histories And Phenotypic Plasticity Across Environmental Gradients In Daphnia Sp., Michelle Renee Swan Packer Aug 2020

The Evolution Of Life Histories And Phenotypic Plasticity Across Environmental Gradients In Daphnia Sp., Michelle Renee Swan Packer

Biology Dissertations - Archive

Understanding how environmentally-induced variation ultimately leads to speciation is a main component of evolutionary ecology. This dissertation uses Daphnia in experimental and comparative studies to address several theoretical questions concerning the role of phenotypic plasticity in the evolutionary process. Specifically, I explore novel environmental factors which induce plasticity and investigate the plastic response across systems to determine general hypotheses for understanding the mechanisms which may be involved. Additionally, this dissertation provides empirical results which add to the body of research investigating the transition between environmentally induced phenotypes and genetic adaptation. The results of this body of work show that ancestral …

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The Investigation Of Group 1 Late Embryogenesis Abundant Protein 6 And Its Role In Arabidopsis Thaliana Desiccation Tolerance, Joann Eise Thomson Aug 2020

The Investigation Of Group 1 Late Embryogenesis Abundant Protein 6 And Its Role In Arabidopsis Thaliana Desiccation Tolerance, Joann Eise Thomson

Masters Theses

Like most seeds, Arabidopsis thaliana seed development is divided into three major phases: morphogenesis, storage deposition, and maturation drying. During maturation drying the seed becomes desiccation tolerant (DT) at some point and the seed rapidly loses water until its moisture level is approximately 10% on a fresh weight basis. The ability of the seeds to withstand this extreme water loss is hypothesized to be due, in part, to the accumulation of late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins. In A. thaliana, there are 51 LEA proteins which are divided into seven groups based on amino acid sequence similarities. Group 1 LEA …

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Bloom Or Bust: Search For Phytoplankton Community Drivers Using Long-Term Time-Series Observations And Field Measurements In A Model Great Lakes Estuary, Jasmine Mancuso Aug 2020

Bloom Or Bust: Search For Phytoplankton Community Drivers Using Long-Term Time-Series Observations And Field Measurements In A Model Great Lakes Estuary, Jasmine Mancuso

Masters Theses

As sentinels of climate change and other anthropogenic effects, freshwater lakes are experiencing ecosystem disruptions at every level of the food web, beginning with the phytoplankton. One of the major threats to waterbodies around the world are cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (HABs) resulting from anthropogenic eutrophication and exacerbated by climate change. Muskegon Lake, a drowned river mouth Great Lakes estuary on the east coast of Lake Michigan, is no exception and was declared an Area of Concern by the EPA in 1987 with nuisance algal blooms cited as a beneficial use impairment. Using long-term data and additional 2019 sampling, we …

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A Preliminary Investigation Of World Trade Center (Wtc) Dust Effects On Mrc-5 Lung Fibroblasts And The Cellular Inflammatory Response, Katelyn Anna Kerod Aug 2020

A Preliminary Investigation Of World Trade Center (Wtc) Dust Effects On Mrc-5 Lung Fibroblasts And The Cellular Inflammatory Response, Katelyn Anna Kerod

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The World Trade Center (WTC) attack on September 11th, 2001 was the biggest terrorist attack that has ever occurred in New York City. About 3,000 people died on September 11th, 2001 and more than 6,000 were injured including law enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency medical services and military personnel. The building collapse generated a huge cloud of dust and first responders have suffered from long-term lung related illnesses. The present study evaluated three questions: 1.) does WTC dust treatment of MRC-5 lung fibroblasts induce an inflammatory response as evidenced by the production of nitric oxide? 2.) Do heavy metals such as …

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Impacts Of The Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station On The Zooplankton Community Structure Of Barnegat Bay, New Jersey, Alyssa M. Petitdemange Aug 2020

Impacts Of The Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station On The Zooplankton Community Structure Of Barnegat Bay, New Jersey, Alyssa M. Petitdemange

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Estuaries are biologically diverse and productive marine ecosystems, but many have been degraded as a result of anthropogenic activity, which can also negatively impact sensitive aquatic organisms like zooplankton. Zooplankton represent the crucial link between phytoplankton and higher trophic-level organisms. They are sensitive to environmental variation and increasing water temperature can cause dramatic shifts in zooplankton community structure. Climate change and coastal development favor species that are more tolerant of poor water quality. Barnegat Bay, New Jersey is an eutrophied estuarine lagoon in the Mid-Atlantic Ocean region. A major stress on Barnegat Bay was the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station …

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Transcriptomic Identification Of Venom Candidates In The Clinging Jellyfish Gonionemus Vertens, Alorah D. Bliese Aug 2020

Transcriptomic Identification Of Venom Candidates In The Clinging Jellyfish Gonionemus Vertens, Alorah D. Bliese

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Gonionemus vertens appearances and stings have been increasing internationally. The medusae of this hydrozoan are small, having an average bell diameter of 2 cm, and are noted for their potent stings that can lead to systemic pain, hospitalization, and disrupted neurocognitive function. They are typically found among algae and in eelgrass beds during the summer months when the population peaks, thus posing a seasonal public health concern for those participating in recreational water activities. To explore the nature of this species’ toxic sting, transcriptome libraries were constructed from poly A+ mRNA isolated from mature individuals and sequenced on an …

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Factors Affecting Clutch Size In A Population Of Red-Backed Salamander (Plethodon Cinereus) In Northwestern New Jersey, Veronica Lynn Puza Aug 2020

Factors Affecting Clutch Size In A Population Of Red-Backed Salamander (Plethodon Cinereus) In Northwestern New Jersey, Veronica Lynn Puza

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The salamander family Plethodontidae is known for being an indicator of environmental health and has been labeled as the “canary in the coal mine” of forest ecosystems (Urban et al. 2014). One of the most widely distributed and commonly studied plethodontid species is the red-backed salamander (RBS, Plethodon cinereus). Populations of P. cinereus will be influenced by different variables within the environment including temperature, humidity, and leaf litter. Fundamental data on populations of P. cinereus must be gathered before we can understand how these intercorrelated variables will influence P. cinereus distribution and demographics. In this study I aimed to gather …

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Estimating Parasitoid Wasp Assemblages On Fragmented Land : Do Habitat And Trap Type Matter?, Matthew Charles Christopher Havers Aug 2020

Estimating Parasitoid Wasp Assemblages On Fragmented Land : Do Habitat And Trap Type Matter?, Matthew Charles Christopher Havers

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Parasitoid wasps are a hyper-diverse monophyletic group of Apocrita (Hymenoptera) that typically oviposit inside or on an arthropodal host, whereafter the wasp larvae obtain nutritional resources for development. Although some species are well-studied as agents in biological control, little is known about the biology of the less diverse and less abundant superfamilies; and even less about assemblages of parasitoid wasp taxa within a given habitat. The aim of the present study was twofold: to estimate parasitoid wasp assemblages within two habitats common in central and northern New Jersey, USA, and to develop a protocol to increase the yield and diversity …

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Transcriptome Analyses In Bv2 Microglial Cells Following Treatment With Amino-Terminal Fragments Of Apolipoprotein E, Tanner B. Pollock, Giovan N. Cholico, Tarun Suresh, Erica S. Stewart, Madyson M. Mccarthy, Troy T. Rohn Aug 2020

Transcriptome Analyses In Bv2 Microglial Cells Following Treatment With Amino-Terminal Fragments Of Apolipoprotein E, Tanner B. Pollock, Giovan N. Cholico, Tarun Suresh, Erica S. Stewart, Madyson M. Mccarthy, Troy T. Rohn

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Despite the fact that harboring the apolipoprotein E4 (APOE4) allele represents the single greatest risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the exact mechanism by which ApoE4 contributes to disease progression remains unknown. Recently, we demonstrated that a 151 amino-terminal fragment of ApoE4 (nApoE41–151) localizes within the nucleus of microglia in the human AD brain and traffics to the nucleus causing toxicity in BV2 microglia cells. In the present study, we examined in detail what genes may be affected following treatment by nApoE41–151. Transcriptome analyses in BV2 microglial cells following sublethal treatment with nApoE4 …

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Investigation Of An Elevational Gradient Reveals Strong Differences Between Bacterial And Eukaryotic Communities Coinhabiting Nepenthes Phytotelmata, Kadeem J. Gilbert, Leonora S. Bittleston, Mark Arcebal K. Naive, Anthony E. Kiszewski, Perry Archival C. Buenavente, David J. Lohman, Naomi E. Pierce Aug 2020

Investigation Of An Elevational Gradient Reveals Strong Differences Between Bacterial And Eukaryotic Communities Coinhabiting Nepenthes Phytotelmata, Kadeem J. Gilbert, Leonora S. Bittleston, Mark Arcebal K. Naive, Anthony E. Kiszewski, Perry Archival C. Buenavente, David J. Lohman, Naomi E. Pierce

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Elevation is an important determinant of ecological community composition. It integrates several abiotic features and leads to strong, repeatable patterns of community structure, including changes in the abundance and richness of numerous taxa. However, the influence of elevational gradients on microbes is understudied relative to plants and animals. To compare the influence of elevation on multiple taxa simultaneously, we sampled phytotelm communities within a tropical pitcher plant (Nepenthes mindanaoensis) along a gradient from 400 to 1200 m a.s.l. We use a combination of metabarcoding and physical counts to assess diversity and richness of bacteria, micro-eukaryotes, and arthropods, and …

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Variation In Tundra Plant Traits Across A Latitudinal Gradient, Katlyn Rose Betway Aug 2020

Variation In Tundra Plant Traits Across A Latitudinal Gradient, Katlyn Rose Betway

Masters Theses

High latitude regions are warming faster than most regions. Studies documenting change in plant cover due to warming have reported that graminoids, deciduous shrubs, and evergreen shrubs are increasing in some regions of the Arctic, but not at others. Mixed responses to warming have caused researchers to shift towards an emphasis on functional traits of individual species rather than their growth forms. This thesis focuses on ten measured plant functional traits for twelve arctic species at three regions spanning a latitudinal gradient in northern Alaska (Utqiaġvik, Atqasuk, and Toolik Lake). We compare mean trait values across the three regions for …

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From The Dinner Pot To Smoking Pot; How A Better Understanding Of Cannabidiol In Crayfish Could Alleviate Anxiety And Modulate Hunger, Christopher Michael Timmer Aug 2020

From The Dinner Pot To Smoking Pot; How A Better Understanding Of Cannabidiol In Crayfish Could Alleviate Anxiety And Modulate Hunger, Christopher Michael Timmer

Masters Theses

Anxiety affects approximately 1/3 of the US population and presents in many different forms, ranging from social to panic disorders. It also presents with high comorbidity for other mental disorders. One treatment is Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) which allow for increased activation of serotonin (5-HT) receptors. SSRIs come with an extensive list of side effects, which can fail to maintain quality of life. Cannabidiol (CBD) is a cannabis derived compound which has been shown to decrease anxiety by activation of multiple subtype 5-HT amine receptors. CBD has few side effects, is not psychoactive, and exhibits anti-psychotic properties. The current …

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Competitive Interactions: Spatial And Temporal Niche Partitioning Between Brook And Brown Trout In Southwest Michigan, Frederick J. Glassen Aug 2020

Competitive Interactions: Spatial And Temporal Niche Partitioning Between Brook And Brown Trout In Southwest Michigan, Frederick J. Glassen

Masters Theses

Niche diet partitioning between Brook Trout and Brown Trout were studied in two southwestern Michigan, USA streams, one dominated by Brook Trout, the other with both Brook and Brown Trout. Brook Trout are endemic to eastern North America and have been introduced throughout the world for sport fishing. Brown Trout were first introduced to Michigan in 1883 using a genetic strain from Germany. Stomach contents were collected from a population of Brook Trout in the absence of Brown Trout in Frost Creek, while the other population was in potential competition with Brown Trout in Cedar Creek. Absent Brown Trout, Brook …

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Carbon Sequestration In A Restored West Michigan Oak Savanna: Implications For Management Practices, Jeffrey A. Heise Aug 2020

Carbon Sequestration In A Restored West Michigan Oak Savanna: Implications For Management Practices, Jeffrey A. Heise

Masters Theses

The savanna system is an ecosystem (i.e. a transitional ecosystem) that lies between forest and grassland ecosystems. They occur across the world in various forms, but in the North American Midwest they are specifically oak savannas: systems where the open overstory is dominated by various species of oak (Quercus spp.) and the understory consists of carbon-rich prairie grasses and forbs. This ecosystem is a highly degraded ecosystem and has lost almost 99% of its former range due to agriculture and fire suppression. Since savannas are fire-evolved systems, they are maintained by and require fire as a regular disturbance to …

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Population Genomics And Conservation Of Texas Cave And Spring Salamanders (Plethodontidae: Eurycea), Andrew Brian Corbin Aug 2020

Population Genomics And Conservation Of Texas Cave And Spring Salamanders (Plethodontidae: Eurycea), Andrew Brian Corbin

Biology Dissertations - Archive

Understanding species boundaries and gene flow among the cave and spring salamanders of the central Texas region (genus Eurycea) has been a challenge for many decades. Although previous research has greatly increased our understanding of these salamanders, there are still many unanswered questions involving the number of species in the group and the degree to which populations are connected. The plummeting cost of DNA sequencing has transformed the field of biology, including the field of population genetics. Before the recent advent of high-throughput sequencing, population genetic studies in Eurycea were limited to only a few genetic markers. Here, we leverage …

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Taxonomy, Systematics, Biogeography, And Conservation Of Toads (Anura: Bufonidae) In The Sunda Shelf Of Indonesia, Goutam Chandra Sarker Aug 2020

Taxonomy, Systematics, Biogeography, And Conservation Of Toads (Anura: Bufonidae) In The Sunda Shelf Of Indonesia, Goutam Chandra Sarker

Biology Dissertations - Archive

After Van Kampen’s 1905–1911 visit to Indonesia culminating in his Amphibians of the Indo-Australian Archipelago (1923), there has been no extensive herpetological exploration and compendium for Indonesia, particularly for Sumatra, Java, and Kalimantan. This lack of herpetological surveys has resulted in recent molecular studies from Southeast Asia lacking samples from Sumatra, Java, and Kalimantan, and subsequent underestimation of herpetofaunal diversity, inaccuracies in phylogeny and biogeography, and lack of massive conservation status assessments. This is truer for the not so aesthetically appealing and rather warty bufonid toads of Indonesia, which have received very little attention from the small scientific community who …

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Consequences Of The Misidentification Of Museum Specimens: The Taxonomic Status Of Canis Lupaster Soudanicus, Andrew C. Kitchener, Fabio A. Machado, Virginia Hayssen, Patricia D. Moehlman, Suvi Viranta Aug 2020

Consequences Of The Misidentification Of Museum Specimens: The Taxonomic Status Of Canis Lupaster Soudanicus, Andrew C. Kitchener, Fabio A. Machado, Virginia Hayssen, Patricia D. Moehlman, Suvi Viranta

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Researchers are increasingly using museum collections for taxonomy, systematics, phylogenetics, and faunal analyses, and they assume that taxonomic identifications on museum labels are correct. However, identifications may be incorrect or out of date, which could result in false conclusions from subsequent research. A recent geometric morphometrics analysis of skulls of African canids by Machado and Teta (2020) suggested that Canis lupaster soudanicus is a junior synonym of Lupulella adusta. However, the holotype of soudanicus was not measured and further investigation of the putative soudanicus specimens used in this study showed that these originally were identified as L. adusta. …

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