Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

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 …

The Spatial Ecology And Habitat Selection Of A Spotted Turtle (Clemmys Guttata) Population In Southwest Michigan, Michela Coury

Masters Theses

Turtles are arguably the most threatened group of vertebrates on the planet. Anthropogenic influences such as habitat loss and fragmentation, road mortality, subsidized predators, climate change, and illegal collection have contributed to their global decline. Understanding which isolated populations of turtles are viable despite these synergistic threats is crucial for making conservation and management decisions. In Michigan, the spotted turtle (Clemmys guttata) is a threatened species subjected to many negative anthropogenic influences that accelerate its rapid population decline. In order to properly sustain their populations, the goal of my research was to investigate relevant factors that help us …

Low-Head Dam Removal Increases Functional Diversity Of Stream Fish Assemblages, Adam Christopher Jones

Masters Theses

Despite the growing number of dam removals to date, very few have been studied to understand their impacts on stream fish communities. Despite being the most common type of dam in the U.S., an even smaller proportion of studies focus on the impacts of low-head dam removals, instead, focusing on the impacts of removal of larger dams. In this study, two previously impounded Illinois rivers were monitored to assess the impacts of low-head dam removal on the functional assemblage of stream fishes. This was accomplished by aggregating fishes into habitat and reproductive guilds, relating community changes to habitat, environmental metrics, …

Beetle Diversity In Temperate Deciduous Forests With Different Management History In Central Illinois, Syue Ru Chien

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Validation Of Edna Metabarcoding : A Comparison To Traditional Survey Methods In Ozark Streams, Veronica Marian Lee

Masters Theses

Environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling provides a method for assessing fish communities that has potential as a supplement to traditional sampling methods due to its ability to save time as well as its non-invasive nature. This is a method in which from just one sample, eDNA from multiple individual species are able to be sequenced in tandem and the resulting reads identified to describe a community. In order to evaluate this technique and its efficacy for monitoring fish community diversity, we collected water samples alongside surveys performed by the Missouri Department of Conservation sampling program in summers 2020-21. DNA were extracted …

Effects Of Shoreline And Watershed Development On Eastern Lake Michigan Drowned River Mouth Ecology, Megan M. Mader, Carl R. Ruetz Iii

Masters Theses

Lake Michigan’s drowned river mouths (DRM) are hydrologically unique systems with riverine and large-lake influences that create biologically diverse ecosystems. Serving as focal points for human development due to the ecosystem services they provide, DRMs have experienced a history of industrialization, urbanization, and are now moving towards an era of rehabilitation. Today, DRM shorelines have been hardened, their riparian zones have been severely altered, and their watersheds exist on a latitudinal gradient of less to greater anthropogenic stress (agriculture and development). The main goal of this study was to understand the current ecological state of DRMs related to anthropogenic development …

Assessing The Short-Term Effects Of Translocation On Freshwater Mussels: Is Habitat Or Water Quality More Important?, Joshua D. Arnold

Masters Theses

Freshwater mussels (Order: Unionida) are very important to the function of aquatic ecosystems and are typically indicators of good water quality. They provide a valuable link between the water column and the benthic substrate in which they live and are a valuable food resource for many species of animals. However, most species native to North America are currently threatened with extinction, to the point that more than 70% of native freshwater mussels are listed as either threatened or endangered at the state or federal level. The cause of this decline can be attributed to historical over exploitation, habitat alteration, and …

Pedigree And Molecular Assessment Of Relatedness In A Captive Chimpanzee Population, Francesca Golus

Masters Theses

As a crucial component of biodiversity, genetic diversity contributes to variability among individuals, allowing populations of endangered species to be resilient in the face of changing environmental conditions. Zoological institutions have become a cornerstone of conservation efforts and a refuge for endangered species given threats imposed on wild populations by climate change, habitat fragmentation and degradation, and overexploitation. Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are an endangered species experiencing drastic population decline in the wild, yet are common residents in zoos and wildlife sanctuaries. To sustain long-term, genetically viable populations of species of concern, zoos use studbooks and paternity testing to …

Effects Of Emerging Contaminants On Centrarchidae And Catostomidae In Midwestern Rivers: A Multiple Biomarker Approach, Camden Garret Nix

Masters Theses

Natural habitats of fish are gradually declining due to land use and pollution caused by industrial wastes, intensive agriculture and contamination from sewage systems. The United States has 14,780 wastewater treatment facilities that discharge effluent into navigable waters, and in some cases these discharge waters represent a considerable proportion of the water system flow. These activities make it critical to discern the effects of pollutants that are entering our waterways at a consistent rate, such as 17β-estradiol (E2) and nickel, on aquatic organisms. To determine the effects of 17β-estradiol on endocrine disruption in fish, Bluegill Sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus) …

Effects Of Wastewater Effluent On Fish Fin Morphology Of Larval Fathead Minnows (Pimephales Promelas) And Swimming Performance Of Smallmouth Buffalo (Ictiobus Bubalus), Seth Michael Bogue

Masters Theses

The Sangamon River flows across central Illinois and is mostly free flowing except in the city of Decatur where it is impounded to form Lake Decatur. The Sanitary District of Decatur (SDD) is located approximately three miles downstream of the Lake Decatur dam. For a significant portion of the year, the stretch of the Sangamon River downstream of SDD is dominated by effluent due to limited discharge from the Lake Decatur dam. This has resulted in heavy nutrient loading, most notably phosphorus, and elevated levels of nickel and other compounds in the downstream section of the river. Smallmouth buffalo ( …

Genetic Relatedness Can Alter The Strength Of Plant-Soil Feedbacks, Kelly M. Clark

Masters Theses

Intraspecific variation may play a key role in understanding the relationships between plants and their interactions with soil microbial communities. The effects that soil-microbes have on individuals can venerate variation across individuals in their responsiveness. I explored how relatedness alters plant-soil feedbacks in established Solidago altissima clones grown in a common garden. Seedlings of known parentage were inoculated with soils from the maternal, paternal, or unrelated clones and compared to autoclaved control inocula. I found that the soil inocula generated from S. altissima had an overall negative effect of seedling biomass. Furthermore, seedlings inoculated with maternal or paternal soils experienced …

Preclassic Cultural Eutrophication Of Lake Petén Itzá, Lowland Guatemala, By The Early Maya Of Nixtun-Ch'ich', Brooke A. Birkett

Masters Theses

"Paleolimnological evidence indicates the ancient Maya transformed lowland terrestrial ecosystems by felling forest vegetation to construct large civic-ceremonial centers and expand agriculture. The effects of prehistoric Maya land alterations on lake trophic status, however, remain poorly understood. We analyzed a 515-cm-long sediment core from Lake Petén Itzá, lowland Guatemala, to infer paleoenvironmental changes resulting from Maya occupation of the riparian archaeological site of Nixtun-Ch'ich'. Substantial increases in charcoal and fecal stanol concentrations indicate Maya occupation of the Candelaria Peninsula by the late Early Preclassic period beginning ca. 1400 cal yr Before the Common Era (hereafter BCE), despite scant archaeological evidence …

Predator Scent And Presence Alter Mammal Assemblages In The Missouri Ozarks, Usa, Cara Jean Yocom-Russell

Masters Theses

"Species that are vulnerable to predation exhibit a host of behavioral and physiological adaptations toward the avoidance of this outcome: Heightened awareness of surroundings through visual, olfactory, and auditory senses are common ways in which these species avoid detection by predators. While links between direct predator-prey relationships are well established, less is known about how predators can shape overall community structure or the populations of secondary or less frequently consumed prey items. As humans expand into rural areas, the frequency of wildlife conflicts rises. In response, humans look to prevent these events with a variety of methods. One such method …

Analysis Of Seasonal Changes In Thermal Stress Resilience And Innate Immunity In The Temperate Coral, Astrangia Poculata, From Future Climate Impacts, Tyler Eugene Harman

Masters Theses

Over the years, global warming has had a devastating effect on coral reef ecosystems. Anthropogenic influences have caused significant increases in greenhouse gases, with a subsequent increase in solar radiation held within Earth’s atmosphere leading to increasing global temperatures. The increasing temperatures from concurrent increases in greenhouse gases impact fragile marine ecosystems such as coral reefs, which require particular environmental parameters such as temperature in order to survive and maintain a diverse ecosystem in which many marine species rely on. These increases in temperature exacerbate phenomena such as bleaching events and coral disease, drastically impacting coral on a global scale …

Great Lakes Snake: Estimating The Occupancy And Detection Probabilities Of The Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake (Sistrurus Catenatus), Arin June Thacker

Masters Theses

Detailed knowledge of a species’ range and distribution is important for understanding species persistence and developing species management plans. This issue is particularly pronounced in threatened species with wide-spread range and a low detectability in their natural environment, as surveying and successfully encountering this type of species is oftentimes difficult. One such species is the eastern massasauga rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus), a smallbodied pit viper with a distribution centered around the Great Lakes region. We used singleseason occupancy modeling in order to reassess the status of historic massasauga occurrences. We evaluated factors affecting eastern massasauga detection probability from a …

Bloom Or Bust: Search For Phytoplankton Community Drivers Using Long-Term Time-Series Observations And Field Measurements In A Model Great Lakes Estuary, Jasmine Mancuso

Masters Theses

As sentinels of climate change and other anthropogenic effects, freshwater lakes are experiencing ecosystem disruptions at every level of the food web, beginning with the phytoplankton. One of the major threats to waterbodies around the world are cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (HABs) resulting from anthropogenic eutrophication and exacerbated by climate change. Muskegon Lake, a drowned river mouth Great Lakes estuary on the east coast of Lake Michigan, is no exception and was declared an Area of Concern by the EPA in 1987 with nuisance algal blooms cited as a beneficial use impairment. Using long-term data and additional 2019 sampling, we …

Competitive Interactions: Spatial And Temporal Niche Partitioning Between Brook And Brown Trout In Southwest Michigan, Frederick J. Glassen

Masters Theses

Niche diet partitioning between Brook Trout and Brown Trout were studied in two southwestern Michigan, USA streams, one dominated by Brook Trout, the other with both Brook and Brown Trout. Brook Trout are endemic to eastern North America and have been introduced throughout the world for sport fishing. Brown Trout were first introduced to Michigan in 1883 using a genetic strain from Germany. Stomach contents were collected from a population of Brook Trout in the absence of Brown Trout in Frost Creek, while the other population was in potential competition with Brown Trout in Cedar Creek. Absent Brown Trout, Brook …

Is Context Dependency Imperative To Understanding The Impacts Of Invasive Plants?, Brendan B. Haile

Masters Theses

Introduced exotic species have a tendency to become invasive and impact local biological communities. Invasions often impact community attributes such as cover and species richness, but these factors may also regulate patterns of invasion. In such cases, impacts may be dependent on the invasion context. We used data from the Buell-Small Succession Study, a long-term permanent plot study in the piedmont region of New Jersey, to document context dependency in invasion. To do this, we analyzed the factors that affected the colonization and growth of four invasive species, Alliaria petiolata, Lonicera japonica, Microstegium vimineum and Rosa multiflora, as well …

Effects Of Insect Opportunists On A Four-Level Trophobiotic System Involving Nectar-Producing Galls Of The Cynipid Wasp Disholcaspis Quercusmamma (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae), Stephanie L. Smith

Masters Theses

The induction of plant galls is considered an adaptive life history trait found in many insect groups. The formation of galls provides several advantages to the gall maker, such as enhanced nutrition, favorable microclimate, and protection from natural enemies, including parasitoids, inquilines, and predators. Order Hymenoptera has many gall-making species, belonging to the gall wasp family Cynipidae. As an extended phenotype of the gall makers, some galls exhibit very sophisticated adaptive mechanisms involving multilevel species interactions. In particular, the oak galls of the Cynipid species Disholcaspis quercusmamma, found in much of Illinois, produce a palatable, sugary nectar-like secretion, attracting …

Aquatic Plants And Their Application To Successful Floating Treatment Wetlands, Katherine May Mazanec

Masters Theses

“This research aims to mitigate eutrophication of freshwater habitats affected by urban stormwater runoff. Two highly impacted urban ponds near the Missouri S&T campus in Rolla were the focus of this research on the application of floating treatment wetlands (FTWs). An FTW consists of a man-made floating mat that is planted with emergent or floating macrophytes. The plants grow on the mat and their roots extend into the water column below the mat. Plant tissues, especially roots in direct contact with the water, take up nutrients, act as biofilm growth sites, and may facilitate precipitation of nutrients. With urbanization, ponds …

Snowshoe Hare (Lepus Americanus) Abundance In Relation To Habitat And Predator Assemblage Across The Apostle Islands, Jarod Reibel

Masters Theses

Snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus) are a climate sensitive species that have a southern range boundary moving northward. Snowshoe hares are found on the Apostle Islands, Wisconsin which are near their southern boundary and differ by island in vegetative and carnivore communities. The archipelago serves as a natural laboratory to assess how top-down and bottomup forces interact and impact snowshoe hare populations. The objectives of this study were to determine the influence of vegetative characteristics, specifically visual obstruction, and the presence of predators on snowshoe hare abundances across the Apostle Islands. We conducted fecal pellet surveys to estimate hare abundance, measured …

The Implementation Of Qpcr Beach Monitoring Methods: Analysis Of A Multi-Lab Validation Study And The Role Of Environmental Parameters On A Comparison Of Colilert And Qpcr Methods, Molly J. Lane

Masters Theses

Public beaches are routinely tested for potentially pathogenic bacteria to protect beachgoers from possible illness. An EPA approved method, Colilert™, used for testing E. coli in recreational water requires 18 – 22 hours before a result is reported but, recreators have already contacted unsafe water before the beach is closed. My study focused on a U.S. EPA proposed qPCR method (Draft Method C) to quantify E. coli in recreational waters that can provide same-day results. In Chapter 2, I examined the calibration procedure used to validate Draft Method C and compared standard curve intercept and slope estimates calculated with a …

Impacts Of Shoreline Restoration And Source Of Nutrient Enrichment On Macrophytes And Epiphytic Algal Communities, Paige Marie Kleindl

Masters Theses

Macrophytes and their epiphytic algal communities are integral for optimizing littoral ecosystem functioning in lakes. Epiphytic algae’s placement on the plant’s surface can reduce light and nutrient availability (i.e., nitrogen and phosphorus) for the host macrophyte. Macrophyte and epiphytic algal proximity complicates these primary producer group interactions and responses to bioavailable nutrients in the water column or porewater. For example, epiphytic algae may have a competitive advantage over surface water nutrients compared to macrophytes, which may have a competitive advantage over porewater nutrients via root systems.

Muskegon Lake’s industrial history and designation as an Area of Concern prompted shoreline restoration, …

Habitat Use Of The Climate-Sensitive Snowshoe Hare (Lepus Americanus) In The Manistee National Forest In Michigan’S Lower Peninsula, Spencer D. West

Masters Theses

Snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus) are a wide-ranging lagomorph that are important forest herbivores and a popular game species throughout their range. Across the southern boundary of their geographic range, snowshoe hares are experiencing population declines and possible extirpation due to increased predation pressure driven by climate change induced camouflage mismatch, competition for forage, degraded and fragmented habitat. One method of reversing the negative trends in snowshoe hare distribution is to increase and improve available hare habitat. A specific habitat analysis for local regions will most effectively advise managers how to target habitat management. I radio-collared 11 snowshoe hares in the …

The Association Between Dietary Niche Variation In Rodents And Climate Change Across The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, Hannah K. Vermeer

Masters Theses

Mammalian teeth play a crucial role in food acquisition and breakdown and are therefore closely tied to dietary niche. This study reconstructed the diet of early Paleogene paramyid rodents across the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) climatic event in an effort to understand the role of climate in mammalian dietary niche change. Dietary niches were quantified using three dental topographic measures: Dirichlet normal energy, relief index, and orientation patch count rotated. A Kruskal-Wallis test was conducted over eight time periods to determine if each of the dental topographic measures (i.e., diet) varied over time. Regression analysis of these measures with climatic …

An Assessment Of Periphyton Communities In Five Upper Peninsula Streams, Mi, Aaron Jeffrey Christiansen

Masters Theses

This project quantified lotic periphyton community change from May 2018-October 2018 in five, first and second-order Lake Superior tributary streams. Using periphyton communities, land use, geology, and abiotic factors pertinent to stream ecosystems we evaluated periphyton community succession. Using periphytometers, periphyton communities were collected and identified monthly to quantify community succession. Total phosphorus and total Kjeldahl nitrogen were measured monthly during the study. Depth, velocity, specific conductivity, and canopy cover were measured to quantify some of the physical factors within the streams. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling analysis indicated that the periphyton communities were similar between streams (ADONIS p-value =0.73) but was …

Habitat Use And Tributary Occupancy Of The Threatened River Redhorse (Moxostoma Carinatum) In The Grand River, Mi, Usa., Nicholas Michael Preville

Masters Theses

The resiliency of our aquatic ecosystems hinges on our ability to protect the native species that reside within them. The river redhorse (Moxostoma carinatum) is one such example and populations have become low enough to warrant listing by the State of Michigan. Causes of decline include overfishing, habitat alteration, and lack of knowledge of basic life-history attributes including their use of non-spawning habitat and spawning locations. In order to understand the river redhorse’s habitat use we implanted 15 individuals with radio transmitters and tracked their locations over the course of a summer. Tagged river redhorse were found to …

Dynamic Carbon Cycling In Muskegon Lake – A Great Lakes Estuary, Katie Lynn Knapp

Masters Theses

Ecosystem metabolism is the coupling of carbon and oxygen through photosynthesis and respiration. Gross primary production (GPP) is the carbon fixation by photosynthesis, ecosystem respiration (R) is carbon remineralization by bacterial and plankton respiration, and net ecosystem production (NEP) is the balance. Metabolism estimates determine if ecosystem is a sink or source of carbon to the atmosphere. When a lake has a positive NEP, or the GPP:R ratio is greater than 1, it is considered autotrophic and less carbon is being lost to the atmosphere than taken in, whereas if NEP is negative (GPP:R-1d^-1, respectively and the BOD …

Using Landscape Genetics To Understand Connectivity Of An Island Population Of Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnakes (Sistrurus Catenatus), Nathan Kudla

Masters Theses

Populations that experience low levels of gene flow commonly display increased levels of inbreeding, lower genetic diversity, and reduced adaptive potential. Landscape genetics allows for spatial and genetic information to be analyzed simultaneously to better understand how the landscape influences gene flow. The eastern massasauga rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus) is a federally threatened viper found in wetlands throughout the Great Lakes region. Many remaining populations are small and isolated due primarily to habitat loss. Atypical from a range-wide perspective, eastern massasaugas on Bois Blanc Island (BBI), Michigan live in a relatively undisturbed landscape with a potential for high connectivity …