Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Plant Functional Traits Mediate Above- And Belowground Species Interactions In Ecological Communities, Courtney E. Gorman

Masters Theses

Functional plant traits provide a means whereby species identity can influence above- and belowground community interactions. To examine the role of plant functional traits in shaping ecological communities, Chapter 1 examines how the evolution of functional differences between closely related groups of endemic and non-endemic species influence associated species interactions, and Chapter 2 examines how plant functional traits can influence associated community composition.

Assessing Wild Canid Distribution Using Camera Traps In The Pioneer Valley Of Western Massachusetts, Eric G. Leflore

Masters Theses

With the ever-increasing human population, more people reside in urban areas than ever before; this is having marked effects on the landscape and in turn, wildlife. This study uses automatically triggered wildlife cameras to assess the distribution of three carnivore species (coyotes, Canis latrans; red foxes, Vulpes vulpes; and gray foxes, Urocyon cinereoargenteus) around the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts in relation to a gradient of human development. Cameras were placed at 141 locations within the 320-km² study area over the course of three field seasons (3,052 trap nights). Relative abundances for fourteen other species and site …

The Effects Of Suburbanization On Nest Ectoparasites And Nest Defense Behavior In The Wood Thrush, Evan N. Dalton

Masters Theses

The Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina) is declining throughout its range, yet is capable of persisting in both contiguous forests and small forest patches surrounded by human suburban development. Thus, it is an ideal species for gaining insight into the effects of suburbanization on migrant songbirds. I investigated two aspects of Wood Thrush nesting ecology: nest ectoparasites and nest defense behavior in order to determine if suburbanization influences either aspect. Nests from suburban forests had fewer haematophagous mites, though the abundance of haematophagous blowfly larvae did not differ between suburban and contiguous forests. There was no relationship between the …

Spatio-Temporal Factors Affecting Human-Black Bear Interactions In Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Nathan Buckhout

Masters Theses

Wildlife managers use models to aid in predicting high risk areas for human and black bear (Ursus americanus) interactions (HBI). These tools help managers implement management strategies to minimize HBI. Over 3,000 incidents of HBI were compiled from management reports at Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) during 1998-2011, a park with 9-10.2 million visitors per year and a black bear population of about 1,600 bears.

We used data from bear management reports along with annual visitor use, mast and bear abundance data to develop a series of generalized linear models to assess the spatial and temporal factors …

Were Neandertal Humeri Adapted For Spear Thrusting Or Throwing? A Finite Element Study, Michael Anthony Berthaume

Masters Theses

An ongoing debate concerning Neandertal ecology is whether or not they utilized long range weaponry. The anteroposteriorly expanded cross-section of Neandertal humeri have led some to argue they thrusted their weapons, while the rounder cross-section of Late Upper Paleolithic modern human humeri suggests they threw their weapons. We test the hypothesis that Neandertal humeri were built to resist strains engendered by thrusting rather than throwing using finite element models of one Neandertal, one Early Upper Paleolithic (EUP) human and three recent human humeri, representing a range of cross-sectional shapes and sizes. Electromyography and kinematic data and articulated skeletons were used …

Empirical Evaluation Of Proxies For The Acquisition Costs Of Protected Areas Suggests Care Is Needed To Deliver The Promise Of Cost-Effective Conservation, Nathan James Sutton

Masters Theses

Given limited budgets, conservation organizations need to efficiently allocate their resources for biodiversity protection. While many organizations combine socioeconomic and biological data to identify areas with the highest biological return per dollar invested, it is less clear how uncertainty in socioeconomic data affects this planning process. In Chapter 1, we show how uncertainty due to proxy choice and spatial averaging affect conservation planning by comparing average agricultural land values, a common proxy for the acquisition costs of protected areas, to a case study recent protected area investments in the Eastern US. We find this proxy explains little variation and significantly …

Evaluating Pollination Ecology Of The Endangered Pityopsis Ruthii (Small) Small (Asteraceae), Philip Anthony Moore

Masters Theses

Pityopsis ruthii (Small) Small, also known as Ruth’s golden aster, is a federally endangered herbaceous perennial, endemic to two river systems, the Hiwassee and the Ocoee, within the Cherokee National Forest, Polk County, Tennessee. There are approximately 13,000 individuals that may be at high risk of short-term extirpation (Thompson and Schwartz, 2006). Little is known of the basic reproduction and life history of P. ruthii. Clebesh and Sloan (1993), Cruzan (2001), Park (1998), and Wadl et al. (2014) found evidence that seed production and seed viability are highly variable. Clebesh and Sloan (1993) indicated that pollinator visitation was highly temporal …

Freshwater Mussels (Bivalvia: Margaritiferidae And Unionidae) Of The Buffalo River Drainage, Tennessee, Matthew Philip Reed

Masters Theses

The Buffalo River in Tennessee once hosted a rich population of freshwater mussels. During the 1980s, monitoring efforts demonstrated evidence of drastic declines and extirpation of entire assemblages. Increases in municipal development in the headwater tributaries and agriculture in the main stem of the Buffalo River are suspected causes for mussel community declines throughout the river. In 2011, collection data documented evidence of recovery in the lower Buffalo River. The aims of this project were: 1) to update the status, distribution, and species composition of mussels in the Buffalo River and its major tributaries through qualitative sampling, and 2) to …

Habitat Selection And Partitioning Among Darters In Two Tributaries Of The Clinch River, And Stream Restoration Effects On Substrate Profile, Daniel James Walker

Masters Theses

The group of fish referred to as darters is extremely biodiverse. Often, several closely related species will inhabit the same areas of streams, and prior research has investigated how these species may be partitioning the resources in low-order streams in which they are sympatric. The habitat partitioning of darters in two streams in the Clinch River system, Coal and Cove Creeks, was investigated. The study sites were picked due to their involvement in both physical and biological stream restoration efforts within the last several years, including the collection, translocation, and reintroduction of rainbow darters (Etheostoma caeruleum) from reference sites in …

Microglia Respond To Both Permanent And Temporary Deaferentation In The Adult Zebrafish Olfactory Bulb, Amanda K. Mckenna

Masters Theses

The major goal of this study was to investigate a microglial response following deafferentation in the adult zebrafish, Danio rerio, olfactory bulb. Microglia were identified in the olfactory bulb using the 4c4 antibody and phagocytic-dependent labeling (DiA). Microglia responded to both methods of deafferentation namely, permanent (cautery) and temporary (Triton X- 100). On one and three days following both permanent and temporary deafferentation there was a significant increase in microglia in the treated olfactory bulb. At five and seven days after permanent and temporary deafferentation there was no longer a significant difference between the treated and untreated olfactory bulbs, …

Habitat Associations Of Larval And Juvenile Fishes In A Large Unimpounded River, Sharon V. Rayford

Masters Theses

Larval and juvenile life stages of fish are numerically the dominant component of fish populations. These early life stages experience high levels of mortality due, in part, to anthropogenic disturbances, but little is known about which habitats they utilize in large-rivers, as they are often difficult to sample and identify. My study examined the larval and juvenile fish assemblages in different habitats within the lower 322 km of the Wabash River. Fish were sampled with a conical-cylindrical ichthyoplankton net (larvae) and a DC-electrified mini-Missouri trawl (juveniles) between May and October 2013. Larval fish were collected every two weeks from mid-May …

Effects Of Instream Habitat Restoration On Macroinvertebrate And Fish Communities In A Small Midwestern Stream, Manisha Pant

Masters Theses

Although millions of dollars are spent annually on stream habitat restoration, the biological responses to these restorations are rarely monitored. I assessed the impact of habitat enhancement on fish and macroinvertebrate abundance and diversity in a small Midwestern stream. Fish and macroinvertebrate communities were sampled annually in two restored and two unrestored sites beginning two years before and continuing four years after restoration. Habitat heterogeneity increased in the restored sites following the restoration, but there were no significant changes in most macroinvertebrate and fish community indices. Macroinvertebrate composition was significantly different between spring and fall, but in general, assemblages within …

Effects Of Dams On Fish And Macroinvertebrate Communities In The Vermilion River, Il, Ryan Patrick Hastings

Masters Theses

Dams are a main source of anthropogenic disturbances on river systems and can affect rivers in a variety of ways. Dams have the ability to change rivers from lotic to lentic habitats, affect sediment transportation, connectivity, water quality, linkages with wetlands and the quality of in-stream and riparian habitats. The Danville Dam was constructed in 1914 on the Vermilion River in Danville, Illinois and is becoming a safety hazard for human recreation on the Vermilion River, resulting in three deaths in the last 10 years. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources in conjunction with the city of Danville has proposed …

Do Artificial Riffles Enhance Nutrient Retention In Restored Streams?, Adam Thomas Hughes

Masters Theses

Kickapoo Creek, a tributary of the Embarrass River in Central Illinois, has undergone a stream restoration that included the construction of two artificial riffles. These structures were designed to slow flood waters, increase channel and substrate stability, and increase habitat heterogeneity in a stream impacted by erosion and sediment deposition. They may also provide stable substrates that affect the algal community, leading to shifts in algal community composition, increases in the biomass of primary producers, and subsequent increases in nutrient retention. I explored the effects of the restoration on instream nutrient retention by measuring and comparing phosphate uptake lengths, velocities, …

Aspects Of The Trophic Ecology Of An Invertivorous Snake Community, Meagan Amanda Thomas

Masters Theses

Understanding the significance of trophic links has been of interest to ecologists for decades, likely because food web studies have the potential to reveal a considerable amount of information in the fields of ecosystem and community ecology. Despite the intrinsic benefits that come from elucidating food web structures, doing so is often problematic because of the complex and dynamic nature of ecological communities. The dietary ecology of small-bodied invertivorous snakes remains relatively understudied compared to other snake species. Many of these species are abundant throughout their range, making them ideal organisms for studying community-level questions. I employed a combination of …