Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Remember Your Roots: Biogeographic Properties Of Plants' Native Habitats Can Inform Invasive Plant Risk Assessments, William Pfadenhauer, Michael Nelson, Britt Laginhas, Bethany Bradley

Organismic and Evolutionary Biology Graduate Student Publication Series

Aim: Reducing the effects of invasive plants is best accomplished by predicting which species will invade and preventing their introduction. To do this, risk assessments rely on a variety of plant traits and biogeographic properties to predict potential invasiveness. However, the relative importance of these traits and properties is unknown. Determining which biogeographic properties contribute the most to predicting invasiveness could improve the accuracy and reduce the time needed to complete future risk assessments. Here, we provide a comprehensive analysis and ranking of the biogeographic properties that best differentiate invasive and noninvasive plant species.

Location: Conterminous United States.

Methods: We …

Fungal Community Response To Long-Term Soil Warming With Potential Implications For Soil Carbon Dynamics, Gregory J. Pec, Linda T. A. Van Diepen, Melissa Knorr, A. Staurt Grandy, Jerry M. Melillo, Kristen M. Deangelis, Jeffery L. Blanchard, Serita D. Frey

Microbiology Department Faculty Publication Series

The direction and magnitude of climate warming effects on ecosystem processes such as carbon cycling remain uncertain. Soil fungi are central to these processes due to their roles as decomposers of soil organic matter, as mycorrhizal symbionts, and as determinants of plant diversity. Yet despite their importance to ecosystem functioning, we lack a clear understanding of the long-term response of soil fungal communities to warming. Toward this goal, we characterized soil fungal communities in two replicated soil warming experiments at the Harvard Forest (Petersham, Massachusetts, USA) which had experienced 5 degrees C above ambient soil temperatures for 5 and 20 …

Extreme Morphology, Functional Trade-Offs, And Evolutionary Dynamics In A Clade Of Open-Ocean Fishes (Perciformes: Bramidae), Michelle C. Gilbert, Andrew J. Conith, Catherine S. Lerose, Joshua K. Moyer, Steve H. Huskey, R. Craig Albertson

Biology Department Faculty Publication Series

Synopsis When novel or extreme morphologies arise, they are oft met with the burden of functional trade-offs in other aspects of anatomy, which may limit phenotypic diversification and make particular adaptive peaks inaccessible. Bramids (Perciformes: Bramidae) comprise a small family of 20 extant species of fishes, which are distributed throughout pelagic waters worldwide. Within the Bramidae, the fanfishes (Pteraclis and Pterycombus) differ morphologically from the generally stout, laterally compressed species that typify the family. Instead, Pteraclis and Pterycombus exhibit extreme anterior positioning of the dorsal fin onto the craniofacial skeleton. Consequently, they possess fin and skull anatomies that are radically …

Perilous Choices: Landscapes Of Fear For Adult Birds Reduces Nestling Condition Across An Urban Gradient, Aaron M. Grade, Susannah B. Lerman, Paige S. Warren

Environmental Conservation Faculty Publication Series

Predator fear effects influence reproductive outcomes in many species. In non-urban systems, passerines often respond to predator cues by reducing parental investment, resulting in smaller and lighter nestlings. Since trophic interactions in urban areas are highly altered, it is unclear how passerines respond to fear effects in human-altered landscapes. Nestlings of passerines in urban areas also tend to be smaller and lighter than their rural counterparts and are often exposed to high densities of potential predators yet experience lower per capita predation-the predation paradox. We suggest fear effects in urban habitats could be a significant mechanism influencing nestling condition in …

Large-Scale Patterns Of Green Turtle Trophic Ecology In The Eastern Pacific Oceans, Jeffery A. Seminoff, Lisa M. Komoroske, Diego Amorocho, Randall Arauz, Didiher Chacón-Chaverrí, Nelly De Paz, Peter H. Dutton, Miguel Donoso, Maike Heidemeyer, Gabriel Hoeffer

Environmental Conservation Faculty Publication Series

Trophic position and niche width are fundamental components of a species' ecology, reflecting resource use, and influencing key demographic parameters such as somatic growth, maturation, and survival. Concepts about a species' trophic niche space have important implications for local management and habitat protection, and can shed light about resilience to changing climate for species occurring over broad spatial scales. For elusive marine animals such as sea turtles, trophic niche is challenging to study, and researchers often rely on other metrics, such as isotopic niche, as a proxy. Here, stable isotope analysis (delta C-13 and delta N-15 values) was conducted on …

Annual Winter Water-Level Drawdowns Influence Physical Habitat Structure And Macrophytes In Massachusetts, Usa, Lakes, Jason R. Carmignani, Allison H. Roy

Environmental Conservation Faculty Publication Series

Annual wintertime water-level drawdowns are a common management strategy in recreational lakes; however, few studies have estimated their relative impact on lake littoral habitat among a set of typically co-occurring anthropogenic stressors including lakeshore development and herbicide application. Within 21 Massachusetts, USA lakes that represented a drawdown magnitude gradient (0.07-2.26 m), we assessed depth-specific littoral habitat (coarse wood, sediment, macrophytes) at two sites adjacent to forested or developed shorelines. Using generalized linear mixed models, we found coarse wood abundance and branching complexity was not correlated with drawdown magnitude but was primarily explained by the presence of lakeshore development. Drawdown magnitude …

The Value Of Considering Demographic Contributions To Connectivity: A Review, Joseph Drake, Xavier Lambin, Chris Sutherland

Environmental Conservation Faculty Publication Series

Connectivity is a central concept in ecology, wildlife management, and conservation science. Understanding the role of connectivity in determining species persistence is increasingly important in the face of escalating anthropogenic impacts on climate and habitat. These connectivity augmenting processes can severely impact species distributions and community and ecosystem functioning. One general definition of connectivity is that it is an emergent process arising from a set of spatial interdependencies between individuals or populations, and increasingly realistic representations of connectivity are being sought. Generally, connectivity consists of a structural component, relating to the distribution of suitable and unsuitable habitat, and a functional …

Larger Workers Outperform Smaller Workers Across Resource Environments: An Evaluation Of Demographic Data Using Functional Linear Models, Natalie Z. Kerr, Rosemary L. Malfi, Neal M. Williams, Elizabeth E. Crone

Biology Department Faculty Publication Series

Behavior and organization of social groups is thought to be vital to the functioning of societies, yet the contributions of various roles within social groups toward population growth and dynamics have been difficult to quantify. A common approach to quantifying these role-based contributions is evaluating the number of individuals conducting certain roles, which ignores how behavior might scale up to effects at the population-level. Manipulative experiments are another common approach to determine population-level effects, but they often ignore potential feedbacks associated with these various roles. Here, we evaluate the effects of worker size distribution in bumblebee colonies on worker production …

The Motion Of Trees In The Wind: A Data Synthesis, Toby D. Jackson, Sarab Sethi, Ebba Dellwik, Nikolas Angelou, Amanda Bunce, Tim Van Emmerick, Marine Duperat, Jean-Claude Ruel, Axel Wellpott, Brian Kane

Environmental Conservation Faculty Publication Series

Interactions between wind and trees control energy exchanges between the atmosphere and forest canopies. This energy exchange can lead to the widespread damage of trees, and wind is a key disturbance agent in many of the world's forests. However, most research on this topic has focused on conifer plantations, where risk management is economically important, rather than broadleaf forests, which dominate the forest carbon cycle. This study brings together tree motion time-series data to systematically evaluate the factors influencing tree responses to wind loading, including data from both broadleaf and coniferous trees in forests and open environments. We found that …

Hatching Date Influences Winter Habitat Occupancy: Examining Seasonal Interactions Across The Full Annual Cycle In A Migratory Songbird, Michael E. Akresh, David I. King, Peter P. Marra

Environmental Conservation Faculty Publication Series

Birds experience a sequence of critical events during their life cycle, and past events can subsequently determine future performance via carry-over effects. Events during the non-breeding season may influence breeding season phenology or productivity. Less is understood about how events during the breeding season affect individuals subsequently in their life cycle. Using stable carbon isotopes, we examined carry-over effects throughout the annual cycle of prairie warblers (Setophaga discolor), a declining Nearctic-Neotropical migratory passerine bird. In drier winters, juvenile males that hatched earlier at our study site in Massachusetts, USA, occupied wetter, better-quality winter habitat in the Caribbean, as indicated by …

The Costs And Benefits Of Sunflower Pollen Diet On Bumble Bee Colony Disease And Health, Jonathan J. Giacomini, Sara J. Connon, Daniel Marulanda, Lynn S. Adler, Rebecca E. Irwin

Biology Department Faculty Publication Series

Pathogen transmission between domesticated and wild host species has important implications for community ecology, agriculture, and wildlife conservation. Bumble bees provide valuable pollination services that are vital for both wildflowers and agricultural production. Intense concerns about pathogen spillover from commercial bumble bees to wild bee populations, and the potential harmful effects of pathogen spillback to commercial bees, has stimulated a need for practical strategies that effectively manage bumble bee infectious diseases. Here, we assessed the costs and benefits of a medicinal sunflower pollen diet (Helianthus annuus) on whole-colony bumble bee disease and performance using commercial colonies of the common eastern …

Effects Of The Floral Phytochemical Eugenol On Parasite Evolution And Bumble Bee Infection And Preference, Evan C. Palmer-Young, Austin C. Calhoun, Anastasiya Mirzayeva, Benn M. Sadd

Organismic and Evolutionary Biology Graduate Student Publication Series

Ecological and evolutionary pressures on hosts and parasites jointly determine infection success. In pollinators, parasite exposure to floral phytochemicals may influence between-host transmission and within-host replication. In the bumble bee parasite Crithidia bombi, strains vary in phytochemical resistance, and resistance increases under in vitro selection, implying that resistance/infectivity trade-offs could maintain intraspecific variation in resistance. We assessed costs and benefits of in vitro selection for resistance to the floral phytochemical eugenol on C. bombi infection in Bombus impatiens fed eugenol-rich and eugenol-free diets. We also assessed infection-induced changes in host preferences for eugenol. In vitro, eugenol-exposed cells initially …

Sex-Biased Oviposition By A Nursery Pollinator On A Gynodioecious Host Plant: Implications For Breeding System Evolution And Evolution Of Mutualism, Laura A. D. Doubleday, Lynn S. Adler

Biology Department Faculty Publication Series

Dioecy, a breeding system where individual plants are exclusively male or female, has evolved repeatedly. Extensive theory describes when dioecy should arise from hermaphroditism, frequently through gynodioecy, where females and hermaphrodites coexist, and when gynodioecy should be stable. Both pollinators and herbivores often prefer the pollen-bearing sex, with sex-specific fitness effects that can affect breeding system evolution. Nursery pollination, where adult insects pollinate flowers but their larvae feed on plant reproductive tissues, is a model for understanding mutualism evolution but could also yield insights into plant breeding system evolution. We studied a recently established nursery pollination interaction between native Hadena …

Supporting New England Communities To Become River-Smart: Policies And Programs That Can Help New England Towns Thrive Despite River Floods, Eve Vogel, Et. Al.

Water Reports

This report aims to help New England’s communities and their residents, as well as the governments thatserve them, to better deal with and adjust to riverfloods. It points to practical policy solutions at federal, state and regional levels that can support NewEngland communities to become what we call river-smart.

Spatial Capture–Recapture Models Allowing Markovian Transience Or Dispersal, J. Royle, Angela Fuller, Chris Sutherland

Environmental Conservation Faculty Publication Series

Spatial capture–recapture (SCR) models are a relatively recent development in quantitative ecology, and they are becoming widely used to model density in studies of animal populations using camera traps, DNA sampling and other methods which produce spatially explicit individual encounter information. One of the core assumptions of SCR models is that individuals possess home ranges that are spatially stationary during the sampling period. For many species, this assumption is unlikely to be met and, even for species that are typically territorial, individuals may disperse or exhibit transience at some life stages. In this paper we first conduct a simulation study …

Quantifying The Human Influence On Fire Ignition Across The Western Usa, Emily J. Fusco, John T. Abatzoglou, Jennifer K. Balch, John T. Finn, Bethany Bradley

Environmental Conservation Faculty Publication Series

Humans have a profound effect on fire regimes by increasing the frequency of ignitions. Although ignition is an integral component of understanding and predicting fire, to date fire models have not been able to isolate the ignition location, leading to inconsistent use of anthropogenic ignition proxies. Here, we identified fire ignitions from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) Burned Area Product (2000–2012) to create the first remotely sensed, consistently derived, and regionally comprehensive fire ignition data set for the western United States. We quantified the spatial relationships between several anthropogenic land-use/disturbance features and ignition for ecoregions within the study area …

Continent-Wide Survey Reveals Massive Decline In African Savannah Elephants, Michael J. Chase, Scott Schlossberg, Curtice R. Griffin, Philippe J.C. Bouché, Sintayehu W. Djene, Paul W. Elkan, Sam Ferreira, Falk Grossman, Edward Mtarima Kohi, Kelly Landen, Patrick Omondi, Alexis Peltier, S.A. Jeanetta Selier, Robert Sutcliffe

Environmental Conservation Faculty Publication Series

African elephants (Loxodonta africana) are imperiled by poaching and habitat loss. Despite global attention to the plight of elephants, their population sizes and trends are uncertain or unknown over much of Africa. To conserve this iconic species, conservationists need timely, accurate data on elephant populations. Here, we report the results of the Great Elephant Census (GEC), the first continent-wide, standardized survey of African savannah elephants. We also provide the first quantitative model of elephant population trends across Africa. We estimated a population of 352,271 savannah elephants on study sites in 18 countries, representing approximately 93% of all savannah …

Spatial Capture–Recapture: A Promising Method For Analyzing Data Collected Using Artificial Cover Objects, Chris Sutherland, David Mun'oz, David Miller, Evan Grant

Environmental Conservation Faculty Publication Series

Spatial capture–recapture (SCR) is a relatively recent development in ecological statistics that provides a spatial context for estimating abundance and space use patterns, and improves inference about absolute population density. SCR has been applied to individual encounter data collected noninvasively using methods such as camera traps, hair snares, and scat surveys. Despite the widespread use of capture based surveys to monitor amphibians and reptiles, there are few applications of SCR in the herpetological literature. We demonstrate the utility of the application of SCR for studies of reptiles and amphibians by analyzing capture–recapture data from Red-Backed Salamanders, Plethodon cinereus, collected using …

Ecological And Management Implications Of Climate Change Induced Shifts In The Phenology Of Alewife (Alosa Pseudoharengus), Sam Stettiner, Michelle Staudinger, Adrian Jordaan, John Sheppard

Student Showcase

Climate change is causing species to shift their phenology, or the timing of recurring life events such as migration and reproduction, in variable and complex ways. This can potentially result in mismatches or asynchronies in food and habitat resources that negatively impact individual fitness, population dynamics, and ecosystem function. This project seeks to improve our understanding of shifts in the timing of seasonal migration and spawning of adult anadromous alewife, Alosa psuedoherengus in seven natal stream systems within the state of Massachusetts: Acushnet, Agawam, Herring, Jones, Nemasket, Stoney Brook, and Town Brook Rivers. Initial analyses examined if and how the …

Modelling Non-Euclideanmovement And Landscape Connectivity In Highly Structured Ecological Networks, Chris Sutherland, Angela Fuller, J. Royle

Environmental Conservation Faculty Publication Series

1. Movement is influenced by landscape structure, configuration and geometry, but measuring distance as perceived by animals poses technical and logistical challenges. Instead, movement is typically measured using Euclidean distance, irrespective of location or landscape structure, or is based on arbitrary cost surfaces. Arecently proposed extension of spatial capture-recapture (SCR)models resolves this issue using spatial encounterhistories of individuals to calculate least-cost paths (ecological distance: Ecology, 94, 2013, 287) thereby relaxingthe Euclidean assumption. We evaluate the consequences of not accounting for movement heterogeneity whenestimating abundance in highly structured landscapes, and demonstrate the value of this approach for estimatingbiologically realistic space-use patterns …

An Assessment Of Environmental Dna As A Tool To Detect Fish Species In Headwater Streams, Stephen F. Jane

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Recent years have seen an explosion of interest in the use of freely available DNA present in aquatic systems, otherwise known as environmental DNA (eDNA), as a tool for monitoring aquatic organisms. However, much remains unknown about the behavior of eDNA over a range of environmental conditions. This is particularly true in high gradient headwater streams, which have received less attention than other types of water bodies. In the summer of 2011, a headwater stream system with well established species distributions was sampled using eDNA techniques. Though species were detected where known to be present, detections also occurred where traditional …

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

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 …

The Potential For Restoration Of Tan Brook, An Urban Headwater Stream In Amherst, Massachusetts, Alison Tenhulzen, Alyssa Black, Robert F. Smith

Research

The goal of the Tan Brook Student Conservation Group is to educate undergraduate students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst about freshwater sustainability. to accomplish this, the group will act to provide opportunities in original research, applied field and laboratory methods, and outreach. The initial goal for the group will be a collaborative project describing the ecological, historical, and social significance of the Tan Brook, which will result in an informative website and educational signage located at several locations in the town of Amherst and on University property where the Tan Brook enters campus. Ultimately, the group will contribute to …

Brief Analysis Of The Tan Brook Watershed In Amherst, Massachusetts, Andrew Mckenna, Robert F. Smith

Research

The Tan Brook is a small 3.91 square kilometer watershed that runs through and encompasses the highly urbanized areas of Amherst, MA. It is part of the Connecticut River basin and the Mill River sub-basin. In order to meet the high demands of the local middle and high school, and heavy runoff from high amounts of impervious cover from downtown Amherst and the University of Massachusetts, the Tan Brook has been highly culverted.

The Environmental Condition Of Tan Brook And Campus Pond, A Community And University Concern, Marita Clay, Robert F. Smith

Research

Small streams have the unfortunate ability to be greatly impacted by human intervention. Civilizations for centuries have attempted to alter the natural state of their environment, and Amherst's own Tan Brook is a local example of the consequences of human alterations on a stream. The brook flows over and under what many local citizens call home, and where many UMass students go to learn. A healthier Tan Brook would be expected to provide for improvement of ecosystem services such as flood control and nutrient processing, resulting in a cleaner campus pond and a better connection between the stream and the …

Qualitative And Comparative Analysis Of Stormwater Management In The Tan Brook Watershed, Natalia Von Hausen, Robert F. Smith

Research

The Tan Brook Watershed is both a daylighted and diverted underground stream that runs through the Town Center of Amherst and the campus of UMass Amherst. Various stormwater management practices have been used to infiltrate stormwater runoff from streets, lots, buildings and/or vehicles. These systems are custom-designed relative to the surrounding permeability of the soil, vegetation and geographical topography. Some systems have higher success rates than others.

Syllabus: Wildlife Habitat Management, Paige Warren

Sustainability Education Resources

This course provides an in-depth exploration of wildlife-habitat relationships, illustrated through basic field zoology and natural history, evolutionary biology, and ecological theory. We introduce you to quantitative tools used to explain ecological processes and their influence on wildlife and their environment. We will examine the dynamics and management of various habitats in New England, North America, and elsewhere through field visits and use of primary literature. We will place particular emphasis on managing wildlife habitat in an urbanizing world. By one estimate, roughly 9% of the land area of the United States is in a zone of wildland-urban interface, but …

Holyoke Dam, Connecticut River, 2013, Brett Towler

Fish Passage Data Archive

Holyoke River

Connecticut Dam

Massachusetts

Year data collected: 2013

Regional Comparison Of Overwintering Mortality, Fecundity, And Virulence In The Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, Artemis Demas Roehrig

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Throughout the eastern United States, the spread of the hemlock woolly adelgid, Adelges tsugae Annand, has caused high mortality of eastern hemlocks Tsuga canadensis (L.). We recorded overwintering survival and fecundity of A. tsugae, and tree new growth at sites in the northeastern and southeastern United States and in a common garden experiment in Massachusetts.

Overwintering mortality of A. tsugae was much higher in the north (87%) than the south (37%) in 2009, and showed significantly positive density-dependence in the north only. In 2010, overwintering mortality decreased in both regions but remained higher in the north (54%) than the …