Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Somatic Prosthetics For Planetary Resonance, Disha Dharesh Kumar R

Masters Theses

This thesis investigates how industrial design can transcend extractive technological paradigms in favor of relational interfaces that foster planetary attunement. Framing the climate crisis as a 'crisis of imagination', the research challenges the Western bifurcation of nature and culture by drawing on Indic cosmologies- which recognize stones, plants, and ecosystems as conscious at different levels and participants in a shared cosmic field. By synthesizing research in Biosemiotics, Quantum Information Pansycishm, and Neuroscience, the project redefines intelligence as a distributed, more-than-human phenomenon.

The research materializes as a speculative design artifact: a device that functions as a somatic prosthetic for planetary resonance. …

Watershed Amendments: Assembling New Pervious Ground From Landscape Waste, Sophie Kaplan-Bucciarelli

Masters Theses

In Providence, Rhode Island, much of the downtown area is built over a vast historic tidal estuary. Though we no longer see the salt marshes, wooded bluffs, or meadows that once characterized this landscape, we recognize their absence in contemporary crises of urban heat, flooding, polluted soils and stormwater runoff, and habitat loss. These conditions are particularly acute along the city’s industrialized river corridors, where vacant lots and parking areas sit idle, their history paved over and potential constrained by limited imagination and resources.

These lots - already experiments in fill and land building after centuries of disturbance - can …

Long-Term Compositional Shifts In The Fish Community Of The Wabash River, Olivia R. Wertman

Masters Theses

There is concern about declining biodiversity in the world today and an increasing need to monitor biodiversity through collecting data and gauging changes occurring in biodiversity over time. Large river fish communities are one area of particular interest due to their sensitivity to environmental changes. One program seeking to address this is the Long-Term Survey and Assessment of Large River Fishes, LTEF, which monitors fish populations in the large rivers of Illinois. In this study, I assessed changes in the fish community of the lower 322 km of the Wabash River from 2010-2025 using annual direct current boat electrofishing surveys …

Compositional And Functional Shifts In Fish Community Structure In Response To Low-Head Dam Removals, Joshua D. Bruegge

Masters Theses

Low-head dams serve as intermittent barriers to aquatic connectivity and directly alter both upstream and downstream habitats and biotic communities. In 2018 and 2019, two low-head dams in the Vermilion River watershed of eastern Illinois were removed, reconnecting over 1,700 kilometers of upstream habitat within the basin. To determine the impacts of these dam removals, fish community surveys were conducted at 12 fixed sites across three reaches in two rivers from 2012-2022. This study assessed reach-specific temporal responses of the fish community and habitat characteristics. I linked trait expressions within the fish community to abiotic variables using the co-inertia RLQ …

Investigating Food Web Dynamics Of Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands Using A Novel Stable Isotope Approach, Alyssa M. Smith

Masters Theses

Coastal wetlands of the Great Lakes support abundant populations of fish, invertebrates, and vegetation, though the trophic linkages connecting primary production and lower consumers is not well understood in these systems. We implemented a multiple-tracer approach, pairing traditional food web isotope tracers like carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) with total mercury concentrations (THg). We predicted that filamentous algae would be the dominant energy resource in the diet of lower trophic-level invertebrates in the Grand River Estuary, a network of riverine coastal wetlands adjacent to lake Michigan. In addition, we predicted that adding THg as a tracer would improve the resolution …

Ecospiritual Entanglement, Ali Vedad Yüner

Masters Theses

Land breeds culture. It gives us the resources to thrive, and in that process we establish a relationship with its constituents. With a multitude of beings inhabiting the land, a complex web of relationships develop. Biology describes these relationships as food webs; the mass entanglement of organisms in a manner that each organism nourishes the other. These webs are not just mere scientific structures but rather an interpretation of existential connections that every organism in the world, humans included, are indebted to. Food webs are the first stepping stone in the formation of culture, as they account for the engagement …

Field Journal: The Excluded Middle, Carrie E. Kouts

Masters Theses

What does it look like to engage with organisms and landscapes at the periphery of anthropocentric value structures? How does one break the internalized myth that the “built” environment is excluded from the natural world? When does a hyper-mobile and hyper-commodified society confront the exponential crisis of animal death? Within this series of journal entries, field notes, collection observations, weird prose, and sensory musings, one will find questions on the nature of being human and the complex narratives of care we encounter in a world shared with more-than-humans. Each handwritten vignette and photograph from daily life weaves a non-linear and …

Are There Predictable Shifts In Fish Communities Following Instream Habitat Restoration? A Multistream Analysis., Ryan A. Skowronski

Masters Theses

In the past two centuries, anthropogenic stressors have degraded the structure and function of streams by accelerating bank erosion, decreasing riparian buffer zones, and altering the natural flow regime. Habitat restoration has become a common mitigation strategy in response to stream degradation, though empirical research evaluating its effectiveness is lacking in the United States. This study investigated responses in fish community following habitat restoration in five restored, Illinois streams. We assigned fish species to habitat, trophic, and reproductive guilds based on their habitat preferences, feeding habits, and life history. Streams were separated into enhancement and removal groups for analysis. Shifts …

Parasite Communities Of Bluntnose Minnow (Pimephales Notatus) From Several Creeks In East Central Illinois, Md Rowshan Alam

Masters Theses

Parasites of freshwater fish play a vital functional role in aquatic ecosystems, but the spatial and ecological determinants of their prevalence and characteristics are still poorly understood. The current study quantified the diversity, prevalence, and environmental determinants of whole parasite burdens in bluntnose minnows across multiple creeks in central Illinois. Fish sampling and the collection of stream habitat data were conducted during the summers of 2023 and 2024. Fish were examined for parasites using necropsy and histology. A total of 20,817 parasites, predominantly trematodes (Posthodiplostomum spp.), cestodes (Proteocephalus spp), and protozoans, were identified. The most prevalent and abundant …

Habitat Use And Selection Of Silver Carp In The Lower Wabash River System, Coy B. Blair

Masters Theses

The spatial ecology of non-native species in invaded systems remains relatively poorly understood despite the importance of suitable habitat in the success of invasion. Silver Carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix are a highly invasive non-native species with established populations throughout the Midwestern United States. Much research has focused on habitat use of bigheaded carp in large river systems, though invasion risk remains high in smaller systems, such as tributaries of the Great Lakes and the Ohio River. The Wabash River, a unique system in the Midwest, remains largely un-impounded and is comparable to many of the smaller riverine systems at risk of …

Assessing Ecological And Food Web Responses To Small-Scale Stream Restorations In Urban And Agricultural Streams, Sydney Mcandrews

Masters Theses

Urban and agricultural streams across the Midwestern United States are vulnerable to elevated pollution, eutrophication, habitat simplification, and losses of sensitive species. Instream habitat restoration is increasingly used to mitigate the impacts of rapid land-use change. This study synthesizes habitat and biological responses from a 2020 urban stream restoration in the Saline Branch (Urbana, Illinois) and evaluates food web responses from both the Saline Branch and a 2010 restoration in Kickapoo Creek (Charleston, Illinois), an agricultural stream. In the Saline Branch, four years of fish and three years of habitat and macroinvertebrate pre-restoration surveys were compared to three years of …

Soils From Different Solidago Altissima Clones Mediate Intraspecific Interactions In Schizachyrium Scoparium, Sarah Alharbi

Masters Theses

While previous studies have examined plant intraspecific competition and soil microbial effects separately, fewer studies have investigated how these factors interact, particularly in the context of genotype-specific soil conditioning effects. Plant-soil feedbacks can significantly alter interspecific competitive outcomes, yet few studies have examined how local variation in soil conditioning influences plant responses to density-dependent competition. I investigated how soil inocula derived from four Solidago altissima clones that were previously shown to differ in their soil conditioning effects (Foster et al., 2022) affected the growth and root traits of Schizachyrium scoparium across a gradient of intraspecific competition (1, 2, or 4 …

Native Freshwater Mussel Communities In The Lower Grand River, Michigan: Assessing Tributary Confluence Effects And Updating Survey Information, Grayson L. Kosak

Masters Theses

Freshwater mussels (Unionidae) are ecosystem engineers and keystone species vital to stream ecosystems yet represent the most imperiled group of freshwater fauna. Conservation of unionids necessitates further understanding how assemblages interact with watershed features. This study investigates mussel occupancy, distribution, and assemblage structure upstream and downstream of tributary confluences in the lower Grand River, Michigan, alongside updated surveys of the unionid community with comparisons to previous assessments conducted by Michigan Natural Features Inventory (MNFI) in 2002–2003. Unionid density, richness, and diversity were greater upstream of confluences. No significant distance-gradient effects were observed. Assemblage structure differed between upstream and downstream reaches …

Effects Of Microplastic Biofilms On An Anthropogenically Impacted Suburban Lake, Paris M. Velasquez

Masters Theses

Plastics have been observed in every location on the planet, and their prevalence in the environment is due in part to their strong resistance to degradation. Inland lakes are susceptible to plastic pollution by highway runoff, which contains plastic fragments of brake pads, car tires, litter, and road paint. These plastics eventually enter freshwater environments and degrade into microplastics (

Estimating Daily Growth Of Age-0 Channel Catfish In A Free-Flowing, Commercially Exploited Midwestern River, Kaleb B. Wood

Masters Theses

The larval stage in fishes is an important stage in the life history, as their survival dictates the ability of the population to sustain itself as an adult population. While there is a plethora of information available for juvenile and adult life stages of Channel Catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), very little is understood about their larval life stage. This study sought to determine overall density, growth rates, and size structure of cohorts of age-0 Channel Catfish during a study year on the Wabash River. In 2018, I sampled age-0 Channel Catfish using a benthic trawl from May to September. …

Influence Of Seeding Strategy On Insect Communities Within Utility Lands, Kylee E. Nissen

Masters Theses

Pollinator populations are in decline globally due to anthropogenic changes, particularly in areas affected by agricultural expansion and urbanization. Utility lands - managed to prevent tall vegetation encroachment - represent an opportunity to establish native grasslands and support pollinator communities. This study investigates how different seeding strategies used by utility companies influence pollinator community composition within a 15-acre electric right-of-way (ROW) outside St. Louis, Illinois. Despite the logical benefits of native seeding to pollinators, utility companies are often hesitant to do this, often favoring seeding to turf. Seeded in late 2021, the site incorporates randomized plots with turfgrass seeding (no …

Using Community Science To Monitor Eastern Box Turtles And Engage Public In Conservation, Sarah Zoppa

Masters Theses

The eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina; EBT) is a charismatic species with populations in decline due to habitat loss, disease, and other anthropogenic factors. However, due to their cryptic nature, studying an EBT population can be a difficult and intensive process. To investigate EBT populations in Coles County, Illinois, we used a combination of community science and computer-based pattern analysis to develop an approach to tracking individual turtles. Citizen volunteers submitted photos of encountered eastern box turtle carapaces for shell pattern analysis along with GPS coordinates of the encounter. We have received 220 submissions from 47 community volunteers. …

Examining Bigheaded Carp Ichthyoplankton Drift In Tributary And Mainstem River Systems Of Two Midwestern Rivers, Adam Landry

Masters Theses

The bigheaded carp invasion in North America continues to negatively impact ecosystems making it essential to understand their reproductive dynamics at various spatial scales. Previous studies have highlighted the suitability of tributaries of large rivers for bigheaded carp reproduction, and the importance of tributaries for ichthyoplankton drift to mainstem rivers. This study investigated patterns in tributary-mainstem ichthyoplankton drift dynamics in two invaded river systems of the Midwestern United States, with distinct hydrology, the Illinois and Wabash Rivers. From May-September 2021, I sampled ichthyoplankton from three tributaries and three mainstem sites in each river basin. I analyzed bigheaded carp egg and …

The Sewage Microbiome Dynamics Of Different Serving Neighborhoods In Charleston, Illinois, Sandra Chiamaka Okoye

Masters Theses

The complex microbial ecosystem within sewage systems holds significant implications for environmental and public health. Unlike studies on wastewater treatment plant microbiomes, upstream sewage systems have not been studied widely. This research investigated the dynamic sewage microbiome across diverse serving neighborhoods in Charleston, Illinois, encompassing residential, hospital, industrial, and university areas. Drawing upon recent advancements in microbiome research, the study aimed to unravel the spatial and temporal variations in microbial structures. Three times between June to December 2023 sewage samples were collected from manholes in the areas mentioned above. Community DNA was extracted and sequenced for the V4-V5 region of …

Are Elaeagnus Umbellata Invasions Limited By Microbial Interactions?, Cody Anderson Leverette

Masters Theses

Mutualistic interactions with soil microbes are a key component of plant invasions. Mutualists such as ectomycorrhizal fungi and Rhizobia bacteria often limit invasive plant establishment and performance, but the role of nitrogen-fixing Frankia bacteria in invasions remains largely unexplored. In this study, I quantified the net effects of positive and negative plant-soil feedbacks, including Frankia nodulation, on invasive Elaeagnus umbellata (autumn olive; hereafter AO) seedling performance and traits at varying distances from focal shrubs using live soil and sterilized soil. The expectation was that seedling performance would decrease with further distance from shrubs as Frankia abundance decreased. Contrary to expectations, …

Population Demographics Of Channel Catfish In The Lower Wabash River, Valerie J. Thompson

Masters Theses

Inland fisheries are experiencing increasing demands due to anthropogenic stressors, especially within large river systems that support both recreational and commercial fisheries. Riverine species are sensitive to habitat degradation, species introductions, and exploitation, so continued monitoring and management of these communities are vital to maintain abundance and diversity within these systems. The North American catfish family, Ictaluridae, supports both recreational and commercial fisheries throughout the United States. Channel Catfish Ictalurus punctatus are heavily studied and managed compared to other sport catfishes in this family because of their economic and ecological significance. One important Channel Catfish fishery exists in the lower …

Molecular Investigation Of Tick-Borne Pathogens In Feral Swine (Sus Scrofa) From Seven Us States, Sofiane Aiche

Masters Theses

Feral swine (Sus scrofa) have been proposed as part of the lifecycles of multiple tickborne pathogens (TBP). This is a result of the increase in feral swine populations and increased tick populations and geographic ranges. Few surveys exist on the TBP relevant to human and wildlife of feral swine in the US. The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of 10 TBP: Anaplasma spp., Borrelia spp., Cytauxzoon felis, Hepatozoon spp., Babesia spp., Mycoplasma spp., Trypanosoma cruzi, Toxoplasma gondii, Yersinia pestis, and Rickettsia spp. A total of 87 feral swine blood samples …

Go Big Or Go Home: Divergence In Morphology And Behavior Between Island And Islet Populations Of The San Cristóbal Lava Lizard (Microlophus Bivittatus), Emilio J. Mancero

Masters Theses

Rapid divergence in body size is a well-documented phenomenon among island species, associated with macroevolutionary processes of diversification and adaptive radiation. The effect of insularity in determining larger body size as an optimal phenotype is primarily attributed to lower predation and greater intraspecific competition on islands. Our study examined interpopulation variation in morphology, social behavior and predator avoidance in Galápagos lava lizards endemic to San Cristóbal island (Microlophus bivittatus), and the nearby islet Isla Lobos. Islet populations have fewer competitors than those on the island, where native and introduced predators are abundant. We simulated interactions with predators and …

Machine Kinship: The Impossible Duet, Diana Sanchez

Masters Theses

Machine Kinship: The impossible duet What does it mean to vanish from earth when you are the last of your kind? In 1987 the Kauai OO was recorded singing his final song. It was meant to be a duet, but as the last of his kind his song hangs in the air, unanswered. The other half of the duet is forever lost. Built to sing at dawn, birds must wake up earlier to hear each other before human chaos interferes. So here, it is always almost sunrise. As a parallel past-future response, the last birdsong was fed into a machine …

The Impacts Of Road Salt On Water Quality And Phosphorus Dynamics In An Urban Lake, Ellen Foley

Masters Theses

Road salt runoff from de-icing applications has notably increased chloride concentrations in lakes throughout north temperate regions of the planet, with negative impacts on freshwater ecosystems. For the past 20 months, I have monitored the water quality of a chloride-impaired lake and associated tributary in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Chloride levels in the deepest part of the lake have reached up to 331 mg/L, above EPA chronic toxicity thresholds. The salt-induced density gradient has prevented the lake from completely mixing during my study period and created persistent hypoxia in the hypolimnion. Total phosphorus (TP) concentrations in the hypolimnion can exceed 7500 …

The Influence Of Cover Crops On Grassland Restoration, Josh C. Poland

Masters Theses

Grassland ecosystems comprise almost a fourth of all Earth’s land mass; however, due to ever-increasing rates of agricultural land conversion, these habitats are facing a large-scale biodiversity crisis. The degradation of grasslands extends beyond physical impacts, such as soil erosion, to include the loss of soil microbial communities as a serious risk to the health and productivity of these habitats. Cover cropping, commonly used in agriculture to revive agricultural soils, has rarely been applied to grassland restorations, and could combat or reverse the harmful effects of modern agriculture techniques. For the first chapter of my thesis, I used a greenhouse …

A Survey Of Diatom Assemblages Of North Dakota: Identification, Enumeration, And Assessment Of Stream Health With Environmental Variables, Cole Tilford

Masters Theses

Diatoms have been used as biological indicators for assessing the environmental health of waterways for over a century. Their low motility and responsiveness to environmental changes makes them ideal for this purpose. North Dakota oil extraction has undergone a massive transformation as hydraulic fracturing across the Bakken Formation and the Williston Basin has increased over the last 20 years. Hydraulic fracturing increased the potential for environmental pollution of North Dakota’s waterways, especially in the form of highly saline hydraulic fracturing liquid. Many North Dakota streams are already saline and additional salinity could cause drastic changes in aquatic ecosystems. North Dakota …

Wood Turtle (Glyptemys Insculpta) Spatial Ecology, Habitat Selection, And Use Of Restored Oak-Pine Barrens In Northwestern Michigan, Diana Paige Methner

Masters Theses

Habitat fragmentation and loss, predation, and illegal collection are among the many threats plaguing turtle species worldwide which have caused substantial population declines. In the United States and Canada, approximately 38% of turtle and tortoise species are under significant threat. The wood turtle (Glyptemys insculpta) a freshwater turtle species experiencing declines and in 2023, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will determine if this species should be listed under the Endangered Species Act. We studied the spatial ecology of wood turtles in northwestern Michigan, USA to fill knowledge gaps that exist throughout their geographic range. Between May 2021 …

Using Plot Photographs To Estimate Tundra Vegetation Cover In Northern Alaska, Hana Christoffersen

Masters Theses

Plot photography can provide a quick, robust method to measure vegetation, especially in polar environments where logistics can be expensive and challenging. The success and widespread adoption of plot photography in the Arctic hinges on the accuracy of image analysis and data product interpretation. The relative cover of eight vegetation classes was estimated using a point frame and digital camera across thirty, 1-m² plots at Utqiaġvik, Alaska from 2012 to 2021. Geographic object-based image analysis (GEOBIA) was applied to generate objects and classify the three band (red, green, blue) images. Machine learning classifiers (random forest, gradient boosted model, classification …

Using Occupancy Modeling To Estimate American Marten Distribution In Michigan’S Lower Peninsula, Maria N. Weston

Masters Theses

The current distribution American marten (Martes americana) in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, USA is largely unknown. We used detection-nondetection data from a large-scale camera trap study encompassing 27,371km² of public lands on within the 1836 Ceded Territory to estimate marten occurrence across Michigan’s Northern Lower Peninsula. We modeled marten detection probability and occupancy as a function of covariates from two summer season that took place in 2019 and 2020. Model averaged predictions indicate high occupancy probabilities (ψ > 90%) when agricultural land was low (< 12% per 8km²) and canopy cover was high (> 85% per 8 km …