Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Comparative Population Genomics And Speciation Of Snakes Across The North American Deserts, Edward A. Myers

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Understanding the process of speciation is of central interest to evolutionary biologists. Speciation can be studied using a phylogeographic approach, by identifying regions that promote lineage divergence, addressing whether speciation has occurred with gene flow, and when extended to multiple taxa, addressing if the same patterns of speciation are shared across codistributed groups with different ecologies. Here I examine the comparative phylogeographic histories and population genomics of thirteen snake taxa that are widely distributed and co-occur across the arid southwest of North America. I first quantify the degree to which these species groups have a shared history of population divergence …

A Novel Qtl Associated With Dwarf Bunt Resistance In Idaho 444 Winter Wheat, Jianli Chen, Mary J. Guttieri, Junli Zhang, David Hole, Edward Souza, Blair Goates

Green Canyon Environmental Research Area, Logan Utah

Dwarf bunt [Tilletia controversa J.G. Kühn [as ‘contraversa’], in Rabenhorst, Hedwigia 13: 188 (1874)] is a destructive disease of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) that reduces grain yield and quality. A number of distinct genes conferring resistance to dwarf bunt have been used by breeding programs for nearly 100 years. However, few markers were identified that can be used in selection of dwarf bunt resistance. A recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from the bunt-resistant germplasm, Idaho 444 (IDO444), and the susceptible cultivar, Rio Blanco, was evaluated for phenotypic reaction to dwarf bunt inoculation in four trials in …

How Could Consciousness Emerge From Adaptive Functioning?, Max Velmans

Animal Sentience

The sudden appearance of consciousness that Reber posits in creatures with flexible cell walls and motility rather than non-flexible cells walls and no motility involves an evolutionary discontinuity. This kind of “miracle” is required by all “discontinuity” theories of consciousness. To avoid miraculous emergence, one may need to consider continuity theories, which accept that different forms of consciousness and material functioning co-evolve but assume the existence of consciousness to be primal in the way that matter and energy are assumed to be primal in physics.

A Species-Level Phylogeny Of Extant Snakes With Description Of A New Colubrid Subfamily And Genus, Alex Figueroa, Alexander D. Mckelvy, L. Lee Grismer, Charles D. Bell, Simon P. Lailvaux

Publications and Research

Background With over 3,500 species encompassing a diverse range of morphologies and ecologies, snakes make up 36% of squamate diversity. Despite several attempts at estimating higherlevel snake relationships and numerous assessments of generic- or species-level phylogenies, a large-scale species-level phylogeny solely focusing on snakes has not been completed. Here, we provide the largest-yet estimate of the snake tree of life using maximum likelihood on a supermatrix of 1745 taxa (1652 snake species + 7 outgroup taxa) and 9,523 base pairs from 10 loci (5 nuclear, 5 mitochondrial), including previously unsequenced genera (2) and species (61).

Results Increased taxon sampling resulted …

The Effects Of Drought On Diets Of Apex Predators In The South African Lowveld Inferred By Fecal Hair Analysis, Shelby Wade

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

To properly manage offtake quotas and conservation efforts, Balule Nature Reserve (South Africa) instituted a study in 2014 to determine prey species selection by megapredators. In 2015, Balule Nature Reserve received about 190 mm less rainfall between the months of January and June than in 2014 (116 mm less than average). This study compares the diets of lions and hyaenas between 2014 and 2015. Prey species consumed were determined by fecal analysis, and results were compared to prey availability. Sixteen, 1 km2 plots were chosen from the 400 km2 Reserve. Between June and August 2015, we walked three, 1 km …

Rapid Museum, Gary Barwin

The Goose

Poetry by Gary Barwin

Changes In Job Satisfaction Through Time In Two Major New England Fishing Ports, Tarsila Seara, Richard Pollnac, John J. Poggie

Biology and Environmental Science Faculty Publications

Fishing communities in the U.S. have been the subject of great transformation due to changes in availability of resources and the implementation of different rules and regulations to manage the fisheries and conserve fish stocks. Job satisfaction has been widely regarded as an important component of well-being especially among fishermen because the occupation of fishing includes attributes of ‘adventure,’ ‘challenge,’ and ‘being outdoors’ infrequently found in other employment. It has been previously demonstrated that management driven changes to fishing communities can directly and indirectly affect aspects of fishermen’s job satisfaction and, consequently, their wellbeing. This paper presents a unique through …

If Insects Have Phenomenal Consciousness, Could They Suffer?, Elizabeth S. Paul, Michael T. Mendl

Animal Sentience

Klein & Barron’s (K & B’s) suggestion that insects have the capacity for phenomenal consciousness is a refreshing and challenging departure from the cautious and agnostic stance that is taken by many researchers when considering this possibility. It is impossible to falsify the sceptic’s view that neural and behavioural parallels between humans and insects need not imply either similar conscious experience or even any phenomenal consciousness in insects at all. But if K & B are right, it is important to consider the possible contents of insect consciousness. Here we discuss whether affective consciousness, with its implications for potential suffering, …

Population Dynamics And Genetic Differentiation Of The Threatened Freshwater Mussel Species Fusconaia Askewi, Fusconaia Lananensis, And Pleurobema Riddellii, Edith D. Plants-Paris

Biology Theses

North America has the most diverse freshwater mussel fauna in the world with approximately 300 species; unfortunately, extinction rates for freshwater mussels rivals the rates of many other groups of organisms. Population-level natural life history data is essential in the management of species of conservation concern, yet basic information about freshwater mussel life-history and demographic traits are unknown for many species. To further complicate matters, taxonomic uncertainty exists among some members of the group. The work detailed herein had two goals: to gain further understanding of the taxonomic relationship between Fusconaia lananensis and F. askewi by sequencing genes that had …

Theory Of Inclusive Fitness, David C. Queller

Biology Faculty Research

A review of Social Evolution and Inclusive Fitness Theory: An Introduction. By James A. R. Marshall. Princeton (New Jersey): Princeton University Press. $39.95. xix + 195 p.; ill.; index. ISBN: 978-0-691-16156-3. 2015.

Phylogenetic Relationships And Evolution Of Snakes, Alex Figueroa

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Snakes represent an impressive evolutionary radiation of over 3,500 widely-distributed species, categorized into 515 genera, encompassing a diverse range of morphologies and ecologies. This diversity is likely attributable to their distinctive morphology, which has allowed them to populate a wide range of habitat types within most major ecosystems. In my first chapter, I provide the largest-yet estimate of the snake tree of life using maximum likelihood on a supermatrix of 1745 taxa (1652 snake species + 7 outgroup taxa) and 9,523 base pairs from 10 loci (5 nuclear, 5 mitochondrial), including previously unsequenced genera (2) and species (61). I then …

Field Estimates Of Parentage Reveal Sexually Antagonistic Selection On Body Size In A Population Of Anolis Lizards, Mary C. Duryea, Patrick Bergeron, Zachary Clare-Salzler, Ryan Calsbeek

Dartmouth Scholarship

Sexual dimorphism evolves when selection favors different phenotypic optima between the sexes. Such sexually antagonistic selection creates intralocus sexual conflict when traits are genetically correlated between the sexes and have sex‐specific optima. Brown anoles are highly sexually dimorphic: Males are on average 30% longer than females and 150% heavier in our study population. Viability selection on body size is known to be sexually antagonistic, and directional selection favors large male size whereas stabilizing selection constrains females to remain small. We build on previous studies of viability selection by measuring sexually antagonistic selection using reproductive components of fitness over three generations …

Polyandry In The Absence Of Fitness Benefits In A Species With Female-Biased Sexual Size Dimorphism, Marie Claire Chelini, Eileen A. Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

Most studies exploring the evolution of female mating systems focus on species in which females are either monandric (mate with a single male) or highly polyandric (mate with multiple males), but less is understood about variation in mating decisions within a species. How and why do females of a single species decide whether or not to copulate with additional mates? In this study we attempt to answer this question in the highly dimorphic crab spider, Mecaphesa celer, whose females may be either monandric or polyandric. We tested three hypotheses: (1) a female’s decision to remate is based on sequential mate …

Guideline For Stakeholder Engagement On Aquatic Resource Management-Related Processes, Department Of Fisheries

Fisheries Occasional Publications

No abstract provided.

Do Novel Weapons That Degrade Mycorrhizal Mutualisms Explain Invasive Species Success?, Philip L. Pinzone Mr.

Biology Theses

Invasive plants often dominate novel habitats where they did not co-evolve with local species. Several hypotheses suggest mechanisms that explain increased exotic plant success, including 'novel weapons' and 'degraded mutualisms'. Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica) and European buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) are widespread plant invaders in North America that can dominate ecosystems. The goal of this study is to test whether these impacts are more consistent with novel weapons or degraded mutualism hypotheses. I examine tree seedling recruitment, (germination and initial survival) growth, (biomass) and mycorrhizal invasion (AMF content) as a function of F. japonica and R. cathartica …

A Review On The Invasion Ecology Of Amur Honeysuckle (Lonicera Maackii, Caprifoliaceae), A Case Study Of Ecological Impacts At Multiple Scales, Rachel E. Mcneish, Ryan W. Mcewan

Biology Faculty Publications

Invasive species are of global importance because of their impacts on ecological communities, habitat structure, native community dynamics, and ecosystem processes and function. Scientists and conservation managers are increasingly focusing on the biological impacts of invasive species and on devising management practices that emphasize the health of ecosystems based on measured biological processes. Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii (Rupr.) Herder) is a highly successful invasive shrub in forests of eastern North America. The scientific literature surrounding this species has grown in the past several decades as researchers have investigated L. maackii impacts across multiple ecological scales. In this review we …

Incomplete Denitrification In Thermus Species, Chrisabelle Mefferd

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Members the bacterial genus Thermus have been shown to be incomplete denitrifiers, terminating with nitrite or nitrous oxide (N2O). However, the ability to carry out denitrification and the evolution of nitrogen oxide reductase genes in Thermus remains poorly understood. This study tests the hypothesis that incomplete denitrification is common in Thermus and seeks to uncover patterns in the evolution of denitrification pathways in Thermus. Denitrification capacity was determined in a collection of 25 strains representing ten species of Thermus and phylogenetic analysis was performed to determine whether denitrification genes evolved horizontally in Thermus. No strains in this study reduced nitrate …

Community Structure And Production Of The Macrobenthos On Four Artificial Reefs In The Mississippi Sound In Relation To Substrate And Profile Type, Patrick Daniel Gillam

Master's Theses

In recent years, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (DMR) has made a concerted effort to enhance its coastal fishery resources by creating artificial reefs. Through this effort, 73 nearshore reefs have been created across the MS coast. Different substrate types used to construct MS artificial reefs include oyster shell and cement rubble. Two types of reef architecture used include high profile breakwater and low profile submerged structures. This study compared the benthic biota associated with oyster shell and cement rubble substrates among four artificial reefs representing high and low profile structures in summer 2011. Colonized benthic biota were quantified …

Variation Of Small Mammal Populations Across Different Habitat Types In The Serengeti Ecosystem, Flora J Magige

Tanzania Journal of Science

This study investigated the abundance and diversity of small mammals in cultivated land (unprotected area) and wooded grassland in the Serengeti National Park (protected area) in the Serengeti ecosystem. Small mammal populations were sampled through capture-mark-recapture trapping techniques in March-April 2010. A total of 896 trap nights covering wet season, 9 species of rodents and 1 species of soricomorphs (shrew family) were captured. Overall, Multimammate rat Mastomys natalensis (Smith) was by far the most abundant rodent in cultivated land (28%) while inside the park, shrew Crocidura sp., was high in numbers (8%). A significantly higher abundance (trap success) of small …

Functional Diversity Of Small And Large Trees Along Secondary Succession In A Tropical Dry Forest, Lucía Sanaphre-Villanueva, Juan Manuel Dupuy, José Luis Andrade, Casandra Reyes-García, Horacio Paz, Paula C. Jackson

Faculty Articles

Functional Diversity is considered an important driver of community assembly in environmental and successional gradients. To understand tree assembly processes in a semideciduous tropical forest, we analyzed the variation of Functional Richness (FRic), Functional Divergence (FDiv), and Functional Evenness (FEve) of small vs. large trees in relation to fallow age after slash-and-burn agriculture and topographical position (flat sites vs. hills). FRic of small trees was lower than null model predicted values across the successional gradient, and decreased unexpectedly in older successional ages. FRic of large trees was higher than null model predictions early in succession and lower in late-successional stands …

Thirty Years Of Compositional Change In An Old-Growth Temperate Forest: The Role Of Topographic Gradients In Oak-Maple Dynamics, Julia I. Chapman, Ryan W. Mcewan

Biology Faculty Publications

Ecological communities are structured in response to spatial and temporal variation of numerous factors, including edaphic conditions, biotic interactions, climatic patterns and disturbance regimes. Widespread anthropogenic factors such as timber harvesting can create long-lasting impacts, obscuring the relationship between community structure and environmental conditions. Minimally impacted systems such as old-growth forests can serve as a useful ecological baseline for predicting long-term compositional shifts. We utilized decadal tree species sampling data (1979–2010) divided into three strata (understory, midstory, overstory) to examine temporal changes in relative abundances and spatial distributions of dominant taxa, as well as overall shifts in community composition, in …

Effects Of Shoreline Dynamics On Saltmarsh Vegetation, Shailesh Sharma, Joshua Goff, Ryan M. Moody, Ashley Mcdonald, Dorothy Byron, Kenneth L. Heck Jr., Sean Powers, Carl Ferraro, Just Cebrian

University Faculty and Staff Publications

We evaluated the impact of shoreline dynamics on fringing vegetation density at mid- and low-marsh elevations at a high-energy site in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Particularly, we selected eight unprotected shoreline stretches (75 m each) at a historically eroding site and measured their inter-annual lateral movement rate using the DSAS method for three consecutive years. We observed high inter-annual variability of shoreline movement within the selected stretches. Specifically, shorelines retrograded (eroded) in year 1 and year 3, whereas, in year 2, shorelines advanced seaward. Despite shoreline advancement in year 2, an overall net erosion was recorded during the survey …

Implicit Mental Processes Are An Improbable Basis For Personhood, Michael L. Woodruff

Animal Sentience

Rowlands argues that animals have implicit pre-reflective awareness and that this is adequate to create the unity of conscious thought required for personhood. For him pre-reflective awareness does not include intentionality and is probably an unconscious process. I suggest that his sense of implicit leads to significant difficulties for his argument and that including intentionality in the definition of a first-person perspective provides a stronger base for viewing animals as persons.

Host-Parasite Relationships Between The Copepod Naobranchia Lizae And Its Host (Striped Mullet, Mugil Cephalus): A Description Of Morphological Development, Sara R. Teemer

DePaul Discoveries

The parasitic copepod, Naobranchia lizae, is often found within the gill arches of the striped mullet, Mugil cephalus, in the Charleston Harbor Estuarine System of South Carolina. The parasite is relatively common, but little is known about its early stages of development. In order to describe the developmental stages and pattern of morphological development, 221 female N. lizae that were collected between February 2002 and May 2003 were used. Using variation in morphological characters (maxilla, trunk), these parasites were assigned to developmental stages (juvenile, subadult, adult). A small number of the males (three ‘dwarf’ males) were also found …

Influence Of Free Water Availability On A Desert Carnivore And Herbivore, Bryan M. Kluever, Eric M. Gese, Stephen Dempsey

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Anthropogenic manipulation of finite resources on the landscape to benefit individual species or communities is commonly employed by conservation and management agencies. One such action in arid regions is the construction and maintenance of water developments (i.e., wildlife guzzlers) adding free water on the landscape to buttress local populations, influence animal movements, or affect distributions of certain species of interest. Despite their prevalence, the utility of wildlife guzzlers remains largely untested. We employed a before–after control-impact (BACI) design over a 4-year period on the US Army Dugway Proving Ground, Utah, USA, to determine whether water availability at wildlife guzzlers influenced …

Drivers Of Immune Cost And Implications For Host Protection From Parasites, Amber Jasmine Brace

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Among species, populations, and individuals, there exists a tremendous amount of variation in how hosts respond to, and are thus protected from parasites. Such variation inevitably affects host-parasite dynamics and ultimately how parasites will move through and evolve in communities. A likely factor in the diversity of immune responses seen in nature are the costs associated with activation of the immune system upon exposure to parasites. Costs can manifest in many ways, including changes in resource usage or metabolism, self-damage from inflammatory reactions, lost opportunities (e.g., foraging reproduction), and often as tradeoffs with other physiological processes. However, we do not …

Conservation Genetics And Mark-Recapture Monitoring Of The Rare Pigeon Mountain Salamander (Plethodon Petraeus) Within A Highly Restricted Range, Kate Donlon

Master of Science in Integrative Biology Theses

Globally, amphibian species are experiencing declines at an alarming rate largely due to habitat loss, disease and climate change. Species with limited ranges are at an elevated risk of a significant decline in population numbers and extinction because of the inability to avoid and recover from these impacts. Long-term management plans are critical for conservation of species with small ranges; however, the knowledge required to develop effective plans is absent from the literature for many species. One such species is the Pigeon Mountain Salamander. The distribution of the Pigeon Mountain Salamander, Plethodon petraeus, is restricted to roughly 17 kilometers …

Impacts Of Habitat Fragmentation On The Cranial Morphology Of A Threatened Desert Fish (Cyprinodon Pecosensis), Michael Chaise Gilbert

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Drastic alterations to the North American Southwest’s hydrology have highly influenced resident fish communities. In New Mexico and Texas, the Pecos River has been severely altered as a result of water manipulation, isolating backwaters and various habitats that were once connected to the main river. Cyprinodon pecosensis (Pecos pupfish) has been highly impacted due to the effects of anthropogenic water manipulation, as well as species introductions. Cyprinodon pecosensis populations have become isolated and scattered, residing in sinkholes, remnant lakes, and static backwaters, thus creating numerous micropopulations. The purpose of this study was to assess the morphological variation in cranial features …

The Maintenance Of Phenotypic Divergence Through Sexual Selection: An Experimental Study In Barn Swallows Hirundo Rustica, Rebecca Safran, Yoni Vortman, Brittany R. Jenkins, Joanna K. Hubbard, Matt Wilkins, Rachel J. Bradley, Arnon Lotem

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Previous studies have shown that sexual signals can rapidly diverge among closely related species. However, we lack experimental studies to demonstrate that differences in trait-associated reproductive performance maintain sexual trait differences between closely related populations, in support for a role of sexual selection in speciation. Populations of Northern Hemisphere distributed barn swallows Hirundo rustica are closely related, yet differ in two plumage-based traits: ventral color and length of the outermost tail feathers (streamers). Here we provide experimental evidence that manipulations of these traits result in different reproductive consequences in two subspecies of barn swallow: (H. r. erythrogaster in North …

From Tolerance To Transmission: Linking Within-Individual To Community-Level Disease Processes, Sarah Catherine Burgan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Hosts have two main strategies for coping with infections: resistance and tolerance. Resistance is aimed at preventing or eliminating parasites, whereas the goal of tolerance is to maintain performance regardless of parasite burden. The balance between resistance and tolerance within a host may mediate host competence, or the propensity of a host to infect other hosts or vectors. Hosts with high tolerance and low resistance to an infection, for instance, may be highly competent and possess the greatest potential to act as superspreaders. These superspreading hosts will contribute disproportionately to transmission, thus posing the greatest risk to other hosts within …