Biology Commons^™

Non-Breeding Ecology Of Loggerhead Shrikes In An Intensive Agricultural Region, Emily Rose Donahue

Student Theses and Dissertations

As intensive agriculture has transformed much of the landscape across central North America, many grassland species have had to learn to adjust these new, highly homogeneous habitats while facing steep population declines. The Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus; hereinafter shrike) is one such declining species that persists in these agricultural landscapes. However, we lack information on the sustainability of these populations, and shrike non-breeding ecology, as for most passerines, remains understudied. Specifically, little is known about non-breeding behavior, diet, survival, site fidelity, and habitat selection. If survival, space use, and habitat selection metrics differ between demographic groups within non-breeding populations also …

Local Adaptation To Continuous Mowing Makes The Noxious Weed Solanum Elaeagnifolium A Superweed Candidate By Improving Fitness And Defense Traits, Jesus Chavana, Sukhman Singh, Alejandro Vazquez, Bradley O. Christoffersen, Alexis Racelis, Rupesh R. Kariyat

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

The role of disturbance in accelerating weed growth is well understood. While most studies have focused on soil mediated disturbance, mowing can also impact weed traits. Using silverleaf nightshade (Solanum elaeagnifolium), a noxious and invasive weed, through a series of field, laboratory, and greenhouse experiments, we asked whether continuous mowing influences growth and plant defense traits, expressed via different avenues, and whether they cascade into offspring. We found that mowed plants produced significantly less number of fruits, and less number of total seeds per plant, but had higher seed mass, and germinated more and faster. When three herbivores …

Effects Of Varying Heat Indexes On Habitat Utilization And Behavior On Captive Red-Ruffed Lemurs (Varecia Rubra), Jeffrey Gammon

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

The two captive red-ruffed lemurs (Varecia rubra) at the Central Florida Zoo experienced a more temperate climate and utilized a differing habitat than they would in their native range, Madagascar. Proper management of the species in captivity is crucial for its long-term survival as they are critically endangered. Over a four month period, heat index temperature, lemur behavior, and habitat utilization data were collected via an instantaneous scan sample. Variables were analyzed to characterize how variations in heat index alter habitat utilization and behavior of the captive lemurs. As the heat index increased, habitat use became more restricted …

Microbiome Analyses Demonstrate Specific Communities Within Five Shark Species, Rachael Storo, Cole Easson, Mahmood S. Shivji, Jose V. Lopez

Biology Faculty Articles

Profiles of symbiotic microbial communities (“microbiomes”) can provide insight into the natural history and ecology of their hosts. Using high throughput DNA sequencing of the 16S rRNA V4 region, microbiomes of five shark species in South Florida (nurse, lemon, sandbar, Caribbean reef, and tiger) have been characterized for the first time. The microbiomes show species specific microbiome composition, distinct from surrounding seawater. Shark anatomical location (gills, teeth, skin, cloaca) affected the diversity of microbiomes. An in-depth analysis of teeth communities revealed species specific microbial communities. For example, the genus Haemophilus, explained 7.0% of the differences of the teeth microbiomes …

Molecular Characterization Of A Marine Turtle Tumor Epizootic, Profiling External, Internal And Postsurgical Regrowth Tumors, Kelsey Yetsko, Jessica A. Farrell, Nicholas B. Blackburn, Liam Whitmore, Maximilian R. Stammnitz, Jenny Whilde, Catherine B. Eastman, Devon Rollinson Ramia, Ana C. Leandro

School of Medicine Publications

Sea turtle populations are under threat from an epizootic tumor disease (animal epidemic) known as fibropapillomatosis. Fibropapillomatosis continues to spread geographically, with prevalence of the disease also growing at many longer-affected sites globally. However, we do not yet understand the precise environmental, mutational and viral events driving fibropapillomatosis tumor formation and progression.

Here we perform transcriptomic and immunohistochemical profiling of five fibropapillomatosis tumor types: external new, established and postsurgical regrowth tumors, and internal lung and kidney tumors. We reveal that internal tumors are molecularly distinct from the more common external tumors. However, they have a small number of conserved potentially …

Thermal Acclimation Of Tropical Coral Reef Fishes To Global Heat Waves, Jacob L. Johansen, Lauren E. Nadler, Adam Habary, Alyssa J. Bowden, Jodie Rummer

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

As climate-driven heat waves become more frequent and intense, there is increasing urgency to understand how thermally sensitive species are responding. Acute heating events lasting days to months may elicit acclimation responses to improve performance and survival. However, the coordination of acclimation responses remains largely unknown for most stenothermal species. We documented the chronology of 18 metabolic and cardiorespiratory changes that occur in the gills, blood, spleen, and muscles when tropical coral reef fishes are thermally stressed (+3.0°C above ambient). Using representative coral reef fishes (Caesio cuning and Cheilodipterus quinquelineatus) separated by >100 million years of evolution and …

Soil Macroinvertebrate Responses To Wildfires In The Blue Ridge Mountains, Usa, Madeline Nicole Olliff, Bruce Snyder, Mac Callaham Jr., Melanie K. Taylor

Graduate Research Showcase

Title: Soil Macroinvertebrate Responses to Wildfires in the Blue Ridge Mountains, USA Authors: 1Madeline N. Olliff, 1Bruce A. Snyder, 2Melanie K. Taylor, and 2Mac A. Callaham

1Georgia College and State University, Milledgeville, Georgia, USA; 2USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Athens, Georgia, USA

Abstract: Wildfires are of increasing concern in light of climate change, more frequent late summer droughts, and increasing incidence of human ignitions. There have been few studies examining the effects of wildland fires on soil macroinvertebrates in the Blue Ridge Mountains, in spite of the importance of these animals to soil processes, and their contributions to the …

Effects Of Invasional Meltdown On Community Structure In Marine Ecosystems In The Damariscotta Estuary Of Maine, Kate Lazzeri

Student Research Poster Presentations 2021

Basibiont organisms form the foundation of marine ecosystems by providing additional space for new species to settle on as epibionts. Invasive epibionts may take advantage of this new basibiont presence, which leads to many harmful effects on native organisms such as competition for both resources and food. In some cases, invasive species facilitate recruitment of other invasive organisms, a phenomenon referred to as invasional meltdown, but it is not known if invasion of new basibionts increases invasive epibiont occurrence. The purpose of this study is to answer the following research questions: 1) does the invasion status of the basibiont alter …

Analyses Of Coyote (Canis Latrans) Consumption Of Anthropogenic Material And Dietary Composition In Urban And Non-Urban Habitats, Audrey A. Hayes

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Coyotes are a generalist species that have adapted to nearly every terrestrial habitat in the United States. The species’ success is heavily attributed to their omnivorous diets and tolerance for environments that are regularly disturbed. Because the larger predator species that typically act as apex predators are sensitive to highly fragmented landscapes, the coyote is the functioning apex predator in many ecosystems where large predators, such as wolves, have been extirpated. The coyotes’ ecological role in urban ecosystems has received much attention in the last few decades as the species’ presence in cities and suburbs has increased, along with human-coyote …

Changes In The Vertical Stratification Of Neotropical Nymphalidae At Forest Edges In Relation To Light And Temperature Conditions, Brian Koji Oye

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The composition of neotropical fruit-feeding nymphalid butterflies assemblages often varies by location and stratum within a forest. Recent work has shown that vertical stratification in particular may serve as barrier to gene flow, indicating the potential role vertical stratification may play in evolution. At forest edges, the distinction between assemblages has been described to decrease, with species considered to be canopy specialists descending to the forest understory. The similarity in light conditions between the canopy and understory strata at edges or disturbed habitat is hypothesized to be responsible for this phenomenon. We conducted a study using standardized sampling to document …

Clarifying Patterns In Host Plant Use By Adelpha Butterflies (Nymphalidae: Limenitidinae), Karina Torres

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The remarkable diversity of plant-feeding insects could be explained by the dynamics of their plant associations, where host plant shifts and specialization onto a small fraction of available plants may promote diversification. Neotropical Adelpha butterflies contain a large number of species, and previous work indicated the colonization of a novel host plant family (Rubiaceae) fueled its rapid diversification. However, accumulating host records indicate wide taxonomic host breadth at family level and below. Here, we categorize Adelpha diet breadth based on known host plant relationships across the Neotropics and from Costa Rica, Ecuador and Brazil. We also use a diet breadth …

Monitoring Relationships Between Corticosterone And Snake Fungal Disease In Timber Rattlesnakes (Crotalus Horridus) In Western Kentucky, John Bromley Hewlett

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Over the past four decades, emergent fungal diseases have been the most devastating relative to species declines and extinctions. While most research has focused on fungal diseases affecting amphibians and bats, less has focused on diseases like snake fungal disease (SFD), caused by Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola (Oo). SFD was first described in 2006 in North America within a Timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) population in New Hampshire. Since then SFD has been documented in 19 US states, one US territory (Puerto Rico), and Europe. SFD causes high mortality in some species, including the Eastern Massasauga rattlesnakes (Sistrurus …

A Comparison Of The Foraging Biology Of Two Tropical Gecko Species In Disturbed Areas, Charles Cummings, Tony Gamble, Michael Wells

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

The traditional foraging mode dichotomy in lizards has been one of ambush predators vs. wide ranging predators. Each mode has been associated with its own suite of other complementary characteristics, including metabolic rates, sensory capacities, as well as predator and prey species. While foraging mode within lizard families is often consistent, few studies have compared the foraging modes of sympatric members of a clade in which one species is nocturnal and the other diurnal. Hemidactylus frenatus, an introduced, nocturnal house gecko, and Gonatodes albogularis, a native, diurnal species, inhabit disturbed habitats in Costa Rica. Using traditional movement-based indices, moves per …

Black Vulture Conflict And Management In The United States: Damage Trends, Management Overview, And Research Needs, Bryan M. Kluever, Morgan B. Pfeiffer, Scott C. Barras, Brett G. Dunlap, Lee A. Humberg

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Contrary to rapid declines of many vulture (Accipitridae, Cathartidea) species worldwide, black vulture (Coragyps atratus) populations are increasing and expanding their range in North America. Vultures exhibit complex behaviors and can adapt to any human-dominated landscape or land use. These traits, combined with population growth and range expansion, have contributed to increased human–vulture conflicts. Our goal was to summarize the current status and trends in human–black vulture conflicts (hereafter human–vulture conflicts), review available management strategies, identify knowledge gaps, and provide recommendations to enhance management and understanding of this species and the associated conflicts. We found human–vulture conflicts are …

Residency, Diel Movement, And Tidal Patterns Of Large Juvenile Bull Sharks (Carcharhinus Leucas) In Winyah Bay, Sc, Jeremy Lee Arnt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

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 …

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 …

A Review Of Plant-Soil Feedbacks And Their Importance For Palouse Prairie Restoration And Management, Rachael Sv Pentico

2020 Symposium Posters

A plant-soil feedback (PSF) is the process in which plants alter both the biotic and abiotic characteristics of the soil they grow in. These changes in the soil composition alter which plants can grow and survive there in the future. Negative PSFs occur when plants struggle to grow in soil that was previously inhabited, due to a buildup of soil pathogens. Positive PSFs, however, provide benefits to the plants due to an abundance of soil microbes, such as AMF. Understanding the effects that PSFs have on plant communities and dynamics could be vital for restoring damaged ecosystems, like the Palouse …

Ecological Analyses Of Macroinvertebrates And Fish Species In Six Streams On A Louisiana Military Base From 2001 To 2019, Danielle Joerger

Biology Theses

An in-depth ecological analysis of how and why the aquatic community changes over time was conducted for 6 streams on the Fort Polk military base in Louisiana using data collected from 2001 to 2019. Fort Polk is a unique location as nineteen first-order streams are located on the premises belonging to three separate drainages. The primary goal was to determine whether temporal or between-drainage variation has a larger effect on community structure. To accomplish this the effects of disturbance on fish and macroinvertebrate assemblages was determined temporally and between drainages. Several hypotheses were drawn from this: 1) temporally, assemblages exhibit …

Chronoecology Of A Cave-Dwelling Orb-Weaver Spider, Meta Ovalis (Araneae: Tetragnathidae), Rebecca Steele

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Circadian clocks enable coordination of essential biological and metabolic processes in relation to the 24-hour light cycle. However, there are many habitats that are not subject to this light cycle, such as the deep sea, arctic regions, and cave systems. This study analyzes the circadian pattern of isolated populations of a subterranean spider, Meta ovalis from two Tennessee caves and five Indiana caves. Locomotor activity was recorded with TriKinetics LAM50 Locomotor Activity Monitor under a 12-hour light (L), 12-hour dark (D) (LD 12:12) cycle preceding total darkness (DD). Significant differences were found within and among populations found in Tennessee cave …

Historical And Contemporary Variables Affecting The Range And Distribution Of Aedes Aegypti, The Yellow Fever Mosquito, In The United States, Nicole Mackey

Master's Theses

Aedes aegypti, the primary mosquito vector of the yellow fever virus, threatens global health by passing on this virus, as well as chikungunya, dengue, and Zika viruses. Through its natural tendency to live in highly urban areas and bite human hosts; understanding the factors that affect the historical and current range of the pest is invaluable (Gubler, 1998). Although these viruses are not normally found in the United States, lack of vaccinations and wide-spread presence of the mosquito could lead to these diseases being reintroduced with potentially devastating effects (Monath, 2001). To determine a partial historical range of A. aegypti …

Lightning Damage Stimulates Beetle Activity In A Tropical Forest, Samantha C. Vaughn, Kane A. Lawhorn, Evan M. Gora, Steve P. Yanoviak

Undergraduate Arts and Research Showcase

Disturbance alters the structure of ecological communities. Localized disturbances in tropical rainforests often create canopy gaps - patches of forest where large trees have fallen or are defoliated. Lightning is a major cause of large-tree mortality, and consequently gaps, in tropical forests. Lightning-caused gaps consist of abundant dead standing wood which likely is a predictable resource for saproxylic arthropods, specifically wood-boring beetles (Coleoptera). The goal of this study was to provide a preliminary evaluation of the beetles that are attracted to lightning-damaged trees in a tropical forest. We placed flight intercept traps in the subcanopy of 8 trees (4 struck …

Taking Temperature With Leaves: A Semester-Long Structured- Inquiry Research Investigation For Undergraduate Plant Biology, Paige E. Copenhaver-Parry

Faculty Publications - Department of Biological & Molecular Science

Inquiry- and course-based research pedagogies have demonstrated effectiveness for preparing undergraduate biology students with authentic scientific skills and competencies, yet many students lack the experience to engage successfully in open-ended research activities without sufficient scaffolding and structure. Further, curricula for student-centered laboratory activities are lacking for several biological disciplines, including plant biology and botany. In this article, I describe a semester-long structured-inquiry research curriculum developed for a plant biology course taught to second-year biology students that integrates key elements of inquiry and discovery while providing a structured approach to gaining research skills. In the research project, students collect leaves from …

Habitat Utilization Of Field Rats In Crop Fields And Adjacent Natural Vegetation In District Rawalpindi, Ali Hasnain Mosvi, Jibran Haider, Amir Naseer, Abdullah Ibrahim

Journal of Bioresource Management

Current study was designed to assess habitat utilization of field rats in crop fields and adjacent natural vegetation in District Rawalpindi. The rodents are widely distributed and a serious agricultural pest in Pakistan. Relative abundance of rodent populations changes seasonally under field conditions. The field trials were conducted in district Rawalpindi of the Pothwar area, Pakistan. Wild vegetation plays an important role for providing shelter/cover to the rodent during non-crop season. The dominant wild vegetation recorded from field boundaries were: Cynodon dactylon, Achyranthes aspera, Aerva javanica Saccharum griffithii, Dactyloctenium aegyptium, Dichanthium annulatum, Desmostachya bipinnata, Imperata cylindrical, Ziziphus nummularia, Sorghum halepense …

Tropical Pitcher Plants (Nepenthes) Act As Ecological Filters By Altering Properties Of Their Fluid Microenvironments, Kadeem J. Gilbert, Leonora S. Bittleston, Wenfei Tong, Naomi E. Pierce

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Characteristics of host species can alter how other, interacting species assemble into communities by acting as ecological filters. Pitchers of tropical pitcher plants (Nepenthes) host diverse communities of aquatic arthropods and microbes in nature. This plant genus exhibits considerable interspecific diversity in morphology and physiology; for example, different species can actively control the pH of their pitcher fluids and some species produce viscoelastic fluids. Our study investigated the extent to which Nepenthes species differentially regulate pitcher fluid traits under common garden conditions, and the effects that these trait differences had on their associated communities. Sixteen species of Nepenthes …

The Current State Of Reptiles South Aral Sea Region And Their Protection, M. Jumanov, G. A. Asenov, Ya. I. Ametov, I. M. Arepbaev

Karakalpak Scientific Journal

The article presents the materials of herpetological studies conducted in 2007-2018 in the South Aral region. The main work on the study of the species composition, distribution and counting of all reptile species and ecological features was carried out in three large ecosystems (North-Western Kyzyl Kum, Ustyurt and the lower reaches of the Amu Darya). The studies were carried out according to standard methods using point and route counts. In the works, generally accepted methods of zoological and environmental studies are used. As a result of the inventory, the authors identified the modern species composition and number of reptiles in …

Anthropometric Characteristics Of The Population Of The Aral Region Of Uzbekistan, V. O. Yerkudov, A. P. Pugovkin, A. T. Matchanov, B. Yu. Akhmedova

Karakalpak Scientific Journal

The diversity of the national composition and the unfavorable ecological state of the Aral Sea region is the rationale for the relevance of the study of morphophysiological characteristics of the population living in this territory. The aim of the study was a comparative investigation of ethnic diversity of anthropometric distinctions in youngsters of both sexes – habitants of the Republic of Karakalpakstan (Uzbekistan).

White Sharks As A Novel Threat To Sea Otter Populations In California, Kimberly S. Schmutz

Scientific Communication News

No abstract provided.

Using Ecological Analyses To Characterize Socio-Economic Food Deserts, Annie Goyanes, J. Matthew Hoch

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Datasets

“Food desert” refers to an area where citizens lack access to fresh, affordable, nutritious food. Food deserts are generally in low-income urban neighborhoods or rural towns and can be considered environmental or economic injustice. South Florida and Broward County have been documented as having a high food insecurity rate, indicative of households having difficulty putting food on the table. Given the high rate of food insecurity, it was hypothesized that a lack of access to food and the presence of socio-economic food deserts was at least partially responsible. Data was collected by visiting three supermarkets in each of the 13 …

Effects Of A Neonicotinoid Insecticide On The Growth Of Honey Bee Gut Microbes, Macee Mitchell, Daniel Franzese, Taylor Morales, Shane Lucht, Jesse Steele, Jenifer Walke

2020 Symposium Posters

The gut microbiome plays an essential role in the overall health of organisms. However, the presence and abundance of these microbes may be altered by environmental factors, such as exposure to pesticides. The goals of this project were to understand 1) the prevalence of pesticide residues in honey bees in eastern Washington, and 2) the impact of pesticides to the honey bee gut microbiome. Accordingly, we tested bees from 24 hives among six sites across eastern Washington. High-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) was used to detect the presence and concentration of six commonly used agricultural pesticides: Carbaryl, Chlorpyrifos, Coumaphos, Cypermethrin, …