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Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons™
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- Acoustic telemetry (2)
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Articles 1 - 11 of 11
Full-Text Articles in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Evaluation Of Acoustic Telemetry Array Performance And Fine- Scale And Broad-Scale Spatial Movement Patterns For Coral Reef Species In Culebra, Puerto Rico, Roxann Cormier
Masters Theses
Acoustic telemetry is an important tool when studying the spatial ecology of marine animals. First, it is important to identify the challenges of using this tool in shallow tropical marine environments before tracking marine animals. One significant issue that can influence the effectiveness of acoustic telemetry is the efficiency or detectability of acoustic signals by receivers. Understanding factors influencing detection efficiency of acoustic tags is especially important for fine-scale positioning systems (such as the VEMCO positioning system, VPS) that use detections in an overlapping receiver network to calculate geographic positions of tagged fish. I modelled the efficiency of an acoustic …
Chemosensory Receptors In Berghia Stephanieae: Bioinformatics And Localization, Kelsi L. Watkins
Chemosensory Receptors In Berghia Stephanieae: Bioinformatics And Localization, Kelsi L. Watkins
Masters Theses
Chemosensation is achieved through the binding of chemical signals to chemoreceptor proteins embedded in the membranes of sensory neurons. The molecular identity of these receptors, as well as the downstream processing of chemosensory signals, has been well studied in arthropods and vertebrates. However, very little is known about molluscan chemosensation. The identity of chemoreceptor proteins in the nudibranch mollusc Berghia stephanieae are unknown. Data from other protostome and molluscan studies suggest Berghia may use ionotropic receptors for some forms of chemoreception. This study used a bioinformatics approach to identify potential chemosensory ionotropic receptors in the transcriptome of Berghia. A …
Patterns And Mechanisms Of Intraspecific Trait Variation Across Thermal Gradients In A Marine Gastropod, Andrew R. Villeneuve
Patterns And Mechanisms Of Intraspecific Trait Variation Across Thermal Gradients In A Marine Gastropod, Andrew R. Villeneuve
Masters Theses
As the earth’s climate changes due to anthropogenic emissions, it has increasingly become an imperative within the ecological community to understand existing species adaptations to climate change. Much focus has been paid to how a species might react to climate change, but the role of locally adapted traits and responsible environmental mechanisms have received less attention. Quantifying how sublethal (e.g. growth rates) and lethal (e.g. thermal tolerance) trait performance vary between populations can thus improve our understanding of how populations, and the entire species, will react to climate change. Here, I quantified the spatial patterns of performance of several traits …
An Examination Of Tern Diet In A Changing Gulf Of Maine, Keenan Yakola
An Examination Of Tern Diet In A Changing Gulf Of Maine, Keenan Yakola
Masters Theses
The Gulf of Maine is a dynamic ecosystem with rapidly warming sea surface temperatures (SSTs), therefore it is vital to understand how species interactions vary over time and space. In chapter two, I quantify and compare dietary differences among four tern species, across seven islands in the region, over a 32-year period. Multivariate statistical analyses were employed to discern spatial and temporal differences in foraging ecology. Findings suggest there are significant differences between species and islands; however, only three prey species comprise the majority of chick diet for all terns and islands. The reliance on only a few prey items …
Spatial Ecology Of Great Barracuda (Sphyraena Barracuda) Around Buck Island Reef National Monument, St. Croix, U.S.V.I., Sarah L. Becker
Spatial Ecology Of Great Barracuda (Sphyraena Barracuda) Around Buck Island Reef National Monument, St. Croix, U.S.V.I., Sarah L. Becker
Masters Theses
Marine protected areas (MPAs) are increasing in popularity as a tool to manage fish stocks through conservation of entire habitats and fish assemblages. Quantifying the habitat use, site fidelity, and movement patterns of marine species is vital to this method of marine spatial planning. The success of these protected areas requires that sufficient habitat is guarded against fishing pressure. For large animals, which often have correspondingly large home range areas, protecting an entire home range can be logistically challenging. For MPAs to successfully protect large top predator species, it is important to understand what areas of a home range are …
Population Genetic Analysis Of Atlantic Horseshoe Crabs (Limulus Polyphemus) In Coastal Massachusetts., Katherine T. Johnson
Population Genetic Analysis Of Atlantic Horseshoe Crabs (Limulus Polyphemus) In Coastal Massachusetts., Katherine T. Johnson
Masters Theses
Atlantic horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus) have endured decades of intense harvest pressure. Genetics studies have shown evidence of distinct sub-groups spanning the coast, although few fine-scale studies have been done to delineate these groups on a local level. Massachusetts lies directly between two of these sub-groups. With documented differences in prosomal widths of horseshoe crabs from either side of Cape Cod, it is possible that Cape Cod is a barrier to gene flow and that there are two distinct genetic groups within Massachusetts. Regulations currently consider all horseshoe crabs to be of one stock. I examined 6 microsatellite …
Evolvability Of The Skull: A Study Of Genetic Basis And Integration In The Teleost Craniofacial Skeleton, Yinan Hu
Doctoral Dissertations
As the field of evolutionary biology pivots away from a gene-centric view of how adaptive evolution proceeds, renewed emphasis is placed on the origin of phenotypic variation. Understanding the developmental processes that underlie the production of novel traits, and how they might influence evolvability, is considered a primary goal in the on-going “extended evolutionary synthesis”. The following dissertation explores these questions in the context of adaptive radiations in fish, with a focus on morphological variation in the craniofacial skeleton. Specifically, the first chapter investigates the genetic and developmental basis of shape (co-)variation in the feeding apparatus of African cichlid fishes, …
Movement Patterns And Catch-And-Release Impacts Of Striped Bass In A Tidal Coastal Embayment In Massachusetts, Heather M. Tyrrell
Movement Patterns And Catch-And-Release Impacts Of Striped Bass In A Tidal Coastal Embayment In Massachusetts, Heather M. Tyrrell
Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014
An investigation into the spatial ecology and effects of catch-and-release angling on the physiology and behavior of striped bass was conducted. Fine-scale behavior was assessed by tagging fish with acoustic transmitters equipped with pressure and tri-axial accelerometer sensors and tracking them within a fixed array (n=34 receivers) in a Massachusetts estuary. Activity space changed significantly over the course of the season and increased with water temperature. Striped bass most frequently exhibited low levels of locomotory activity representing 67% of total activity measurements, with occasional high activity and burst swimming, often within the upper 3 m of the water column. Depth …
Movement Patterns Of Brook Trout In A Restored Coastal Stream System In Southern Massachusetts, Erin L. Snook
Movement Patterns Of Brook Trout In A Restored Coastal Stream System In Southern Massachusetts, Erin L. Snook
Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014
Populations of anadromous brook trout can be found from northern Canada into New England. It is believed that the extent of anadromy exhibited by coastal brook trout populations decreases with latitude, but the ecology and movements of the more southern populations are less studied. A 33-month acoustic telemetry study of anadromous brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) was conducted in a restored coastal stream and adjacent marine system in southeastern Massachusetts. Movement and migration patterns of 54 brook trout were investigated for individual differences and common features. Individuals exhibited a range of movement patterns. Some were more resident and only …
Population Size, Habitat Use And Diet Of Kittlitz's Murrelets In Prince William Sound, Alaska, Andrew J. Allyn
Population Size, Habitat Use And Diet Of Kittlitz's Murrelets In Prince William Sound, Alaska, Andrew J. Allyn
Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014
During the summer of 2008 and 2009, we studied the ecology of the Kittlitz’s Murrelet (Brachyramphus brevirostris), a small diving seabird and candidate for the U.S. Endangered Species List, in Prince William Sound (PWS), Alaska. At-sea survey data suggests that the population significantly increased from 2001 to 2009, however there is limited evidence of reproductive success. Habitat use models showed individuals were observed in shallower waters, closer to glaciers, the shoreline, and further from moraines than the available habitat during the daytime. Finer extent sampling from 2008 suggests temperature-depth profiles also influence Kittlitz’s Murrelet daytime habitat use. The …
Population Dynamics, Chick Diet, And Foraging Behavior Of The Razorbill (Alca Torda) At Matinicus Rock, Maine, Katherine E. Kauffman
Population Dynamics, Chick Diet, And Foraging Behavior Of The Razorbill (Alca Torda) At Matinicus Rock, Maine, Katherine E. Kauffman
Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014
During the summers of 2007-2009, I studied the population growth and reproductive and foraging ecology of the Razorbill (Alca torda) at Matinicus Rock (MR), Maine. This medium-sized marine bird in the family Alcidae (auks) was extirpated from the Gulf of Maine in the late 19th century by hunting, collecting, and colony disturbance. Following legislation protecting seabirds and their nesting habitats, the Razorbill has recolonized probable former nesting habitat in the Gulf of Maine during the past several decades. Six small colonies comprise the Maine population, which is listed as threatened and forms the southern extension of the …