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Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons

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Biology

Georgia Southern University

Theses/Dissertations

Morphology

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Full-Text Articles in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

A Morphological And Genetic Analysis Of Forensically Important Blow Flies, From Georgia: The Genus Lucilia, Katie S. Googe Apr 2014

A Morphological And Genetic Analysis Of Forensically Important Blow Flies, From Georgia: The Genus Lucilia, Katie S. Googe

Honors College Theses

Identification of Blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) to species is important for estimating postmortem intervals, because insect species develop at different rates. Three Blow fly species in Georgia; Lucilia coeruleiviridis, L. cuprina, and L. sericata are similar morphologically, making identification difficult. Furthermore, the status of L. cuprina is in doubt; this species may be a complex of true L. cuprina, and L. cuprina x L. sericata hybrids. The objective of this study was to survey the Georgia Blow fly community and validate the statuses of L. coeruleiviridis, L. cuprina, and L. sericata, through morphological and …


The Effects Of Locomotor Posture On Kinematics, Performance And Behavior During Obstacle Negotiation In Lizards, Jessica Self Oct 2012

The Effects Of Locomotor Posture On Kinematics, Performance And Behavior During Obstacle Negotiation In Lizards, Jessica Self

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The ability to efficiently move over uneven terrain is critical for most terrestrial animals. Bipedal running is common in lizard species, however the biological advantage of a bipedal running posture remains uncertain. I examined the hypothesis that a bipedal posture is advantageous when crossing obstacles. Particularly, I determined whether kinematic adjustments differ among four focal species with contrasting body forms and ecology. I also examined how sprint speed changed when crossing obstacles with a quadrupedal versus a bipedal posture. I quantified kinematics from high-speed video (300 frames/second) of lizards running down a 3m runway both with and without the presence …