Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Efficacy Of Tick Sampling Methods In Urban Parks., Emma Staples

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

Amblyomma americanum (Lone star ticks) are parasites and vectors of diseases, including Ehrlichiosis. Questions remain about how an urban environment affects the host-seeking behavior of A. americanum across different life stages and thus the efficacy of different sampling methods. We sought to compare the efficacy of different sampling methods on A. americanum ticks in urban parks during the fall season and explore how the urban heat island (UHI) effect may impact each method’s efficacy. We hypothesized that, where the UHI effect is weaker near the city’s periphery, the CO₂ trapping method would collect more A. americanum adults and nymphs …

Impact Of Legacy Amf Communities On Vegetative Growth & Yield Of Soybean, Dylan Habeeb, Connor Morozumi, Natalie Christian

The Cardinal Edge

Soil microbial communities are increasingly recognized as an important factor in sustainable agriculture. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), are key players in these communities, known to benefit their plant host in a number of ways, such as increased nutrient uptake. Plants can partner with multiple AMF species; however, little is known about how interactions between multispecies communities of AMF impact plant growth and yield. In an agricultural setting, the long-term development of these communities following practices such as rotational planting or cover cropping is also an important consideration, but there is little research on the long-term legacy of AMF communities or …

Effects Of Salinity On Interactions Between Epichloë Amarillans And Fusarium Spp. In American Beachgrass, Emma G. Mills, Dylan Habeeb, Natalie Christian, Connor Morozumi

The Cardinal Edge

Effects of Salinity on interactions between Epichloë amarillans and Fusarium spp. In American Beachgrass

Emma Mills, Dylan Habeeb, Natalie Christian, Connor Morozumi

Epichloë is a well-known genus of vertically transmitted fungal endophytes in many species of grasses. In Ammophila breviligulata (American beachgrass), Epichloë amarillans is a key endophyte species known to cause chemical and morphological changes to its host and provide protection from stressors. Additionally, Epichloë is thought to influence fungal endophyte community composition within its host. However, deepening research on the interaction of Epichloë with coexisting fungal endophytes may shed further light on its role in community composition. Additionally, …

Urban Areas Are Associated With Earlier Breeding Timing In American Robins, Lola Hackle, Jennifer Wickes, Elise Mittlestat, Ashley Stine, Keegan Abeson, Carolina Villalona, Mikus Abolins-Abols

The Cardinal Edge

Climate change and urban environment have been shown to affect bird reproductive timing. In particular, urban development can create the so-called “heat islands” – urban areas that are hotter than the surrounding environment. While the primary cue birds use to time their reproduction is daylength, birds also use temperature as a supplementary cue to fine-tune their reproductive timing. Change in the timing of breeding may impact the survivability of nestlings due to temperature fluctuations and food availability. The American Robin (Turdus migratorius) is a widespread songbird in North American cities and rural areas. We sought to see if urban heating …

Leaf Droppage Delayed In Sugar Maple Trees On An Urban To Rural Gradient, Isabella S. Bastien, Isabella Bastien

The Cardinal Edge

This study investigates the timing of leaf abscission in Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) trees along an urban-to-rural gradient in Louisville, Kentucky, to determine how proximity to urban environments influences leaf drop. We hypothesized that urban trees would retain their leaves longer than suburban or rural trees due to environmental stressors and tested this using weekly leaf collection and canopy cover measurements from three locations—urban, suburban, and rural. Results showed that urban trees exhibited delayed leaf drop and slower canopy opening compared to suburban and rural trees. These findings suggest that urban stressors significantly alter tree phenology, which may signal underlying …

Asimina Triloba (L.) Dunal: The Complete Story Of America’S Forgotten Fruit, Autumn M. Howard

The Cardinal Edge

Asimina triloba, commonly known as the pawpaw, is a unique and historically significant native fruit tree of the eastern United States. This research paper explores the taxonomy, botanical description, distribution, habitat requirements, ecological interactions, economic importance, and reproductive biology of A. triloba. The species is distinguished by its tropical-flavored fruits, adaptation to temperate climates, and reliance on clonal reproduction and specific insect pollinators. While offering promising opportunities for sustainable agriculture and riparian restoration, A. triloba faces challenges related to limited seed dispersal, susceptibility to certain pests and diseases, and the presence of neurotoxic compounds. Despite its historical importance …

The Ecology Of Arthropod Rain In A Tropical Forest., Andrew Robert Seiler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Tropical forests are structured by complex vertical linkages and nutrient exchanges between canopy and understory habitats. These linkages include the downward flux of organisms, the movement of canopy fauna, and the recycling of nutrients through litter and organic matter deposition. This dissertation investigates arthropod rain and its role in connecting the canopy and forest floor processes in a lowland tropical forest in Panama. Chapter 2 quantifies “arthropod rain”, the fall of canopy arthropods into the understory. Using pan and pole traps, I measured the composition, abundance, and biomass of arthropods falling from the canopy and assessed environmental drivers of the …

Ecosystem Services Of Urban Green Spaces In Louisville, Ky., Julia Kachanova

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Accelerating urbanization poses critical challenges to urban green spaces (UGS), vital for ecological balance and human health. Rapid development often results in fragmented habitats, biodiversity loss, and diminished ecosystem service delivery. There is an urgent need to explore and evaluate novel strategies capable of enhancing urban resilience, such as implementing urban orchards, and managing existing parks and gardens in sustainable ways. This dissertation explores how different forms of urban green spaces (UGS) contribute to the provision and maintenance of critical ecosystem services that support human well-being and urban biodiversity. By analyzing UGS impact on ecosystem service provisioning and long-term sustainability, …

Changing Globally, Acting Locally: Responses Of Coastal Plant Functional Traits To Global Change Are Mediated By Biotic And Abiotic Interactions., Shannon L. Walker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

We live in a time of rapid global change with substantial consequences for planet-wide functioning. Local ecosystems reflect this change, yet we struggle to predict their responses. Coastal ecosystems, like dune and interdunal wetlands, have declined rapidly and predicting their responses to global change is essential for future management. Functional traits may be particularly informative as they drive species and ecosystem responses and can provide generalizable findings. This dissertation investigates how global change, especially anthropogenic nitrogen (N) enrichment, interacts with abiotic and biotic factors to affect coastal sand dune and interdunal wetland plant functional traits. First, I used a long-term …

Linked Lives In The Riverbed: Integrating Fish Host Dynamics, Community Structure, And Demography For Freshwater Mussel Conservation., Jonathan Patrick Frommeyer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Freshwater mussels are long-lived benthic invertebrates that play key roles in nutrient cycling, water filtration, and habitat stability in rivers and streams. Despite their ecological importance, they are among the most imperiled faunal groups in North America, with their persistence increasingly threatened by environmental degradation and disruptions to host–parasite dynamics. This dissertation integrates host ecology, community structure, and demographic modeling to assess population viability and guide conservation priorities for mussel species in Kentucky river systems. The first chapter introduces the ecological context and conservation urgency surrounding freshwater mussels. In particular, emphasizing the need for multi-scale approaches to understand how parasitic …

The Impacts Of Management Practices On Industrial Hemp Chemistry, Physiology, And Microbiome Ecology., Allison Marie Rietman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Agroecology incorporates ecology and agronomy to inform crop management. Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) is a prime system to investigate agroecological questions because it has only recently been authorized for commercial cultivation and its sensitivity to biotic and abiotic stressors is unresolved. Here, I investigate how some conventional management choices, including the application of fungicide, plastic mulch, and irrigation, impact the physiology, chemistry, and microbial ecology of industrial hemp. Overall, I found that industrial hemp can be both resilient and resistant to these stressors, an important development for the industry. In Chapter II, I tested the impacts of fungicide application …

The Effects Of Geographic Isolation And Anthropogenic Activity On The Social Behavior Of Caribbean Green Monkeys., Rose Amrhein

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Green monkeys (Chlorocebus sabaeaus) arrived to the Caribbean with the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. Since then, they have experienced unique environments to those of their native ranges in West Africa. Additionally, recent taxonomic changes within the genus make previous knowledge about the species hard to determine to be accurate. In this dissertation, I both assess some of the effects the island environment may have had on monkey behavior as well as build on the understanding of their vocal communication across three islands: Barbados, St. Kitts, and St. Martin. In chapter one, I investigate how human activity in Barbados affects …

Using Rangewide Distribution Maps To Understand Tick Species Occurrence In Louisville, Ky, Ilham H. Al Amayreh, Mallory Harmel, Rachel Pigg

The Cardinal Edge

Ticks, though intriguing, come with inherent risks due to the diseases they carry, such as Lyme disease, or the allergies they cause, such as Alpha Gal syndrome. Understanding the distribution of ticks and the diseases they harbor is vital for effective prevention strategies. Among the most prevalent tick species in Louisville, KY are the Lonestar tick (Amblyomma americanum) and the deer tick (Ixodes scapularis); however, the Lonestar tick is much more prevalent than any other tick species. We expanded our study to the continental scale to investigate why Lonestar ticks were so abundant in Louisville. We downloaded research-grade citizen science …

A Scaly Science: Using Citizen Science To Predict Where Snakes Are Found In Louisville, Sarah E. Bridges, Mallory Harmel, Rachel Pigg

The Cardinal Edge

Researching snakes in Jefferson County, Kentucky is important to help wildlife managers conserve snake species while also mitigating human-wildlife conflict. Using citizen science data, we can determine where snakes have been seen in the past, and then use that data to predict venomous and nonvenomous presence throughout the county and how their mode of transportation impacts snake presence. We compiled research-grade citizen science data from two websites: iDigBio and iNaturalist. Each species was then classified by their mode of transportation (terrestrial, aquatic, fossorial) and as either venomous or nonvenomous. We created a preliminary species distribution model using BioClim data to …

North American Sucker Fish Diets In The Face Of Ecological Challenges (Catostomidae), Anesa Hozdic, Matthew Kolmann

The Cardinal Edge

Basic biological information, like fecundity, age at maturity, habitat occupation and range size, are critically important for conserving species under threat. However, funding for this sort of research is limited, especially for aquatic vertebrates like fishes, which have restricted ranges and are under threat from changes in land-use and watershed alteration. The suckers (Family Catostomidae) are freshwater fishes native to North America (and one species from China). Most species are presumed to be detritivorous, that is, feed on decaying plant and animal matter; however, the diet diversity of this family has never been analyzed at an evolutionary scale. Suckers are …

Effects Of A Protection Zone In A Reaction-Diffusion Model With Shifting Bounded Habitat And Allee Effect., Davis Henderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

We consider a reaction-diffusion equation that models a population in a shifting bounded habitat with a protection zone and the Allee effect. We assume that the population growth function exhibits the strong Allee effect and has a positive integral within the protection zone (indicating population persistence) and a negative integral in the surrounding patches (indicating population decay). We prove that the existence of steady-state solutions to this system depends on the length of the protection zone. It is demonstrated that there exists some value H* such that, for a protection zone of size H*, there exists a solution and, for …

Assessing The Impacts Of Soil Arthropods On Geochemical Transformations., Thomas Blake Hudson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis contains four individual chapters, two of which highlight studies assessing how arthropods contribute and drive geochemical transformations by directly and indirectly manipulating the availability of anoxic conditions. The first chapter serves as an introduction to the literature on the subject to contextualize the work carried out in later chapters. The second chapter is a field study conducted throughout the summer of 2023 in a lowland tropical rainforest in Costa Rica, where I characterized the temporal and environmental variation impacting greenhouse gas emissions from the nests of leaf-cutting ants (Atta cephalotes). From flux measurements taken across 29 …

Do American Bison Practice Democracy? Group Consensus Decision Making Drives Bison Herd Movements And Cohesion., Matthew Sapien

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The American bison is an iconic mammal that lives in large social herds and is considered a threatened species. Little is known about how bison make decisions as a group, whether through despotic individuals or group consensus. In this dissertation, I researched the mechanisms bison use to make herd movement decisions in 3 herds in the United States. In chapter one I examined the number of bison that participated in voting events for herd movement decisions and whether the final movement decision matched the direction with the most votes. Bison herd movements did match the direction with the most adult …

Effects Of A Protection Zone In A Reaction-Diffusion Model With Strong Allee Effect., Isaac Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A protection zone model represents a patchy environment with positive growth over the protection zone and strong Allee effect growth outside the protection zone. Generally, these models are considered through the corresponding eigenvalue problem, but that has certain limitations. In this thesis, a general protection zone model is considered. This model makes no assumption on the direction of the traveling wave solution over the Strong Allee effect patch. We use phase portrait analysis of this protection zone model to draw conclusions about the existence of equilibrium solutions. We establish the existence of three types of equilibrium solutions and the necessary …

Breaking Virulent: The Coincidental Evolution Of Virulence Factors In Bacteria., Rhiannon Emmanuelle Cecil

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Understanding how innocuous organisms can evolve to be pathogenic to humans is of increasing global concern. Further, understanding how existing pathogens may evolved to be more virulent is also vital to our ability to provide healthcare to people afflicted with diseases that promote chronic bacterial infections, such as cystic fibrosis. With the rise of antibiotic resistance in both bacteria and fungi it is paramount that new therapeutics are identified. Understanding what mutations occur that result in increased virulence in microbes can potentially provide new targets for antimicrobial drugs to combat antibiotic resistance. The Coincidental Evolution Hypothesis is a fundamental hypothesis …

Tropical Understory And Canopy Twig Ants (Pseudomyrmex): Natural History, Sensory Homing, And Neuroecology., Daniella Prince

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, I examined the behavior of foraging twig ants, explored the sensory profile of their homing behavior, and investigated the role of habitat use in shaping the sensory neurobiology of species within the genus Pseudomyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). In chapter one, I reviewed the ecology of Pseudomyrmex, and introduced the focal species, P. boopis, a neotropical understory-dwelling twig ant. In chapter two, I described the natural history of P. boopis on Barro Colorado Island, Panama—specifically, their nesting habits, activity rhythm, and foraging behavior on understory surfaces. Pseudomyrmex boopis colonies were diurnal and nested in dead twigs in …

New Species Of Dryolestoid From The Late Cretaceous Allen Formation And Implications For South American Faunal Diversity., Brigid Erin Connelly

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Dryolestoids are extinct cladotherians mammals from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. I describe a collection of dryolestoid specimens from the Late Cretaceous localities of Cerro Tortuga (Allen Formation), Anfiteatro 1, and Shining (both La Colonia Formation) from Patagonia, Argentina. Using comparative morphology, I identify a new species of meridiolestidan dryolestoid based on eleven specimens across both formations. The new species’ recovery from La Colonia Formation represents the first dryolestoid connection between the two approximately contemporaneous formations. The species’ morphology may represent an ecological shift within Meridiolestida from insectivory to herbivory, showing a transition in characters between the plesiomorphic sharp-toothed meridiolestidans …

Understanding The Impacts Of Global Change: From Students To Microbes., Kylea Garces

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Global change is a crucial process, affecting every organism, from the billions of humans on earth, to the billions of microbes in the soil belowground. Evaluating the impacts of the many drastic changes associated with global change is essential in advancing our understanding in how to mitigate these consequences. Alongside the production of basic ecological knowledge associated with these environmental changes, improving education practices to promote science literacy surrounding global change is another step towards a more optimistic future. This dissertation investigates global change from two standpoints: ecologically, where increased atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition alters plant-fungal endophyte symbiosis, and pedagogically, …

Impacts Of Bacterial Evolution On Host Lethality In Drosophila, Andrew Preston

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

Evolution is the process by which species change their genetic traits, such as the pathogenicity of bacteria, over time in response to changes in their environment. Although the genetic mechanisms underlying many evolutionary processes have been revealed, it is still not well understood how opportunistic pathogens, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, become virulent. The overall goal of this thesis is to test the Coincidental Evolution Hypothesis, which proposes that the virulence of opportunistic pathogens evolves coincidentally as a by-product of their interaction with their natural predators. I hypothesized that the virulence of ancestral Pseudomonas aeruginosa changes over time if it co-evolves …

Diversification And Convergence Following The Transition From Saltwater To Freshwater In Stingrays., Autumn D. Magnuson

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

One of the most fundamental questions in biology is why some groups of organisms are more diverse than others. Classic hypotheses for explaining differences in diversity consider distinctions in time, place, resources, and competitors as the staging grounds for differential diversification. Freshwater and saltwater environments have similar levels of diversity despite significant differences in size, so studying transitions between the two systems can provide insights into evolutionary processes. Despite the challenges associated with this transition, stingrays have invaded freshwater habitats multiple times across different continents, making them useful for better understanding these systems. In this study, I evaluated the frequency …

Chemotaxis In Tardigrades, Lindsay Rowland, Jensyn Goss, Sara Dipnarine, Alex Keta, Joy Bowling, Felicity Kelsch, Sophia Willis, Emma Welsh, Ella Newton, Kathyrn Morris

2023 Midwest Ecology & Evolution Conference

Chemotaxis describes the movement of an organism towards or away from a particular substance. Tardigrades are often thought to be lumbering organisms, not capable of seeking out nutrients and therefore unable to demonstrate chemotaxis. The ability to recognize foods and poisons in the environment and move up or down their concentration gradients appropriately is so beneficial for life that we suspected that tardigrades also possessed this ability. We constructed testing arenas where an agar block with concentrated test substance was placed on a water agar plate and incubated for two hours to establish a concentration gradient. Enough water was then …

Development Of Host-Selective, Pcr-Inhibiting Oligos As A Tool To Investigate The Eukaryotic Symbionts Of Insect Hosts, Christian L. Weinrich

2023 Midwest Ecology & Evolution Conference

Insects are hosts to diverse communities of other organisms. These communities can include microbes such as bacteria, yeast, and protists, as well as multicellular organisms such as nematodes and mites. The prokaryotic associates of many insects have been well-studied and are often investigated by amplifying and sequencing the gene for the 16S ribosomal subunit using universal primers.

However, the eukaryotic associates of many insects remain poorly characterized, and this is in part due to the difficulty in utilizing 18S (the eukaryotic analog for 16S) for eukaryote detection. Because the insect host is also a eukaryote and makes up the bulk …

Ketamine Slows Microinvertebrate Movement: Ecotoxicological Implications, Joy Bowling, Felicity Kelsch, Emma Welsh, Sophia Willis, Kathyrn Morris

2023 Midwest Ecology & Evolution Conference

With the new release of medications incorporating ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic, there is an ecotoxicology concern due to the presence of ketamine in local environments. Tardigrades, microscopic organisms commonly known as water bears, possess the same NDMA receptor that ketamine targets in humans, allowing for potential adverse reactions in exposure to ketamine. Our goal was to determine if tardigrade movement slowed under ketamine exposure over time. Tardigrade (Hypsibius exemplaris) velocity was measured using imaging software to record their response to increasing concentrations of the dissociative anesthetic. With higher concentrations, the tardigrades displayed a slower velocity. This indication of …

Survey Of Tardigrade Diversity In Cincinnati, Oh, Justin Groskopf, Alex Keta, Kathyrn Morris

2023 Midwest Ecology & Evolution Conference

This study was performed to assess tardigrade (Tardigrada) diversity in the localized Cincinnati area of Xavier University in response to a shortage of similar studies in recent years. We expected to find a wide variety of genera and species in moss and lichen samples. We collected moss and lichen from many locations on the campus of Xavier University and recorded height above ground level, tree genus, latitude and longitude, and cardinal directionality. Samples were air dried until processing, when we then individually rehydrated each sample and removed all intact tardigrades for identification. Tardigrades were identified as precisely as keys allowed, …

Anomalies In The Mitochondrial Genomes Of Members Of Aliciidae, Boloceroididae, And Gonactiniidae (Actiniaria:Metridioidea), Isabel Pen

2023 Midwest Ecology & Evolution Conference

Analysis of gene sequences from three mitochondrial and two nuclear genes for a broad sampling of actiniarian taxa proposed a novel grouping of the families Aliciidae, Boloceroididae, and Gonactiniidae. (Rodríguez et al., 2014). Although previously unlinked, the association of these taxa was credible given the consistency of the genetic data and the shared occurrence of anatomical traits, including complex column structures (Aliciidae and Boloceroididae), tentacular sphincters (Boloceroididae and Gonactiniidae), and retention of juvenile musculature in adults (Boloceroididae and Gonactiniidae). Although the mitochondrial genome structure of actiniarians is generally conserved, complete mitochondrial genomes identify unusual gene orders (Alicia sansibarensis: …