Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Incorporating Biodiversity-Ecosystem Function Relationships Into Models And Conservation Planning, Sarah R. Weiskopf

Doctoral Dissertations

Unsustainable use of nature and climate change are leading to unprecedented biodiversity declines. These declines have cascading impacts on ecosystem function and ecosystem services, and ultimately on human well-being. International agreements have been adopted that aim to address both crises. The Paris Agreement, adopted in 2015, set global emission reductions targets. In 2022, most countries agreed to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). The GBF sets 23 ambitious targets for 2030 ranging from reducing threats to biodiversity, meeting people’s needs through sustainable use and benefit sharing, and solutions for implementation. Although adopting global goals and targets is an important first …

The Discovery Of A Novel Bacteria From A Large Co-Assembly Of Metagenomes, Matthew Finkelberg

Masters Theses

In the summer of 2022, a co-assembly of metagenome was created using the microbes found at Barres Woods in Harvard Forest. 14 samples were taken, and sample was split into the organic and mineral layer, which totals 28 Bulk MAGs. Within this Co-assembly, 4 different genomes were found which were designated with the phylum of FCPU426. Three of which were considered medium quality and one being assigned high quality. The novel phyla first appeared in NCBI and GTDB databases in June 2018. The name FCPU426 dates to 2010 and was named based on the 16s amplicon sequencing.

The novel phylum …

Climate Change Attitudes Of United States Family Forest Owners And Their Influence On Forest Management Practices, Logan Miller

Masters Theses

Understanding family forest owners’ (FFOs’) attitudes and behaviors towards climate change will allow for more sustainable forest management practices to be implemented, helping to combat climate change and its impacts. The goals for this research are (1) to begin measuring U.S. FFO attitudes toward climate change, (2) to determine what factors impact these attitudes, and (3) to determine how they influence the FFO’s management practices using the Responsible Environmental Behavior (REB) framework (Hines et al. 1987). Chapter 1 explores the different facets of my thesis project focusing on forests and forests’ ecosystem services, forest ownership in the United States, and …

Factors Affecting The Distribution Of Malayan Sun Bear In Htamanthi Wildlife Sanctuary, Northern Myanmar, Min Hein Htike

Masters Theses

To understand the modeling challenges and to examine the important factors considered in Malayan sun bear (Helarctos malayanus) distribution studies, we reviewed 33 peer-reviewed articles published from 2003-2023. These studies used 54 environmental or anthropogenic variable types to investigate the distribution, habitat preference, and home range composition of sun bears. Most variable types are human disturbance (n=4), climate (n=3), topography (n=1), vegetation (n=11), or other ecological factors (n=3). Nevertheless, a number of rarely used variables might also be useful to include in future evaluations (i.e., food abundance), and observational evidence suggests that predator occurrence could also be informative. …

Timing Is Everything: Climate Change Implications For Phenological Events And Reproductive Success In River Herring, Meghna N. Marjadi

Doctoral Dissertations

Anadromous river herring (alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) and blueback herring (Alosa aestivalis)) make annual spring spawning migrations from the ocean to freshwater, where juveniles reside before emigrating to the ocean. Climate change may alter environmental and biological cues that prompt both adult migration and juvenile emigration, with implications for adult spawning success and offspring survival for these imperiled species. Shifts in adult migration have been observed in some rivers, while impacts on reproductive success and juvenile survival remain unknown. Cues for juvenile emigration are poorly understood as they have been explored at limited spatial and temporal scales. …

Population Ecology Of The Diamondback Terrapin At Their Northern Range Limit, Patricia M. Levasseur

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation research focuses on the population ecology of the northern diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin terrapin) in Wellfleet Bay, MA. The northern diamondback terrapin is a Massachusetts-threatened turtle species restricted to estuarine environments. With a range from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina to Massachusetts, Cape Cod Bay is the northernmost part of the subspecies range. Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary has been using capture-mark-recapture (CMR) methods since 1980 marking over 3,000 individuals; however, low detection rates and variable search effort have resulted in unreliable population estimates not suitable for informing conservation practices within the bay. Low sample sizes, …

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 …

Taxonomic Relationships Of Established Plant Species In The Conterminous United States, Daniel Buonaiuto, Annette Evans, Mathew Fertakos, William Pfadenhauer, Justin Salva, Bethany Bradley

Data and Datasets

Invasion status of non-native vascular plants established in the conterminous United States and their phylogenetic relationships to other invaders at multiple taxonomic resolutions.

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 …

Data And R Code For "Gut Transplants From Bees Fed An Antipathogenic Pollen Diet Do Not Confer Pathogen Resistance To Recipients", Rachel T. Yost, Alison E. Fowler, Lynn S. Adler

Data and Datasets

Pollinators are threatened by diverse stressors, including microbial pathogens such as Crithidia bombi. Consuming sunflower pollen dramatically reduces C. bombi infection in the bumble bee Bombus impatiens, but the mechanism behind this medicinal effect is unclear. We asked whether diet mediates resistance to C. bombi through changes in the gut microbiome. We hypothesized that sunflower pollen changes the gut microbiome, which in turn reduces Crithidia infection. To test this, we performed a gut transplant experiment. We fed donor bees either a sunflower pollen treatment or buckwheat pollen as a control treatment, and then inoculated recipient bees with homogenized guts …

Habitat Use And Individual-Based Modeling Of Bald Eagles In Maine Near Current And Potential Wind Energy Facilities, Blake Massey

Doctoral Dissertations

Wind energy facilitates have expanded significantly in the United States over the last few decades due to technological advancements, regulatory incentives, and policies aimed at increasing renewable energy production, but poorly sited turbines may have adverse effects on local and migratory birds, bats, and other wildlife and their habitats. In the northeastern United States, Maine has become the leader in wind energy but also has the greatest density of Bald Eagles in the region. As wind energy production continues to be developed across the state and in coastal waters, research is needed to analyze and assess potential risks, including displacement, …

Historical Plant Sales (Hps) Database: Documenting The Spatiotemporal History Of Plant Sales In The Conterminous U.S., Matthew Fertakos, Evelyn M. Beaury, Neil R. Ford, Nicole L. Kinlock, Denise W. Adams, Bethany Bradley

Data and Datasets

The purpose of this database was to extract, standardize, and geocode the historical trade of vascular and non-vascular plant taxa sold in the horticultural industry of the conterminous United States. The HPS database aims to serve as a resource for analysis of contemporary patterns of introduced and invasive plants as well as for identifying opportunities to expand native plant sales in horticulture. Key data sources that make up this database include the Biodiversity Heritage Library's Seed and Nursery Catalog Collection, and the book Restoring American Gardens by D.W. Adams.