Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Trophic Interactions In A Semiaquatic Snake Community: Insights Into The Structure Of A Floodplain Food Web, Cynthia M. Carter

Masters Theses

Food webs provide a useful conceptual framework for evaluating the relationships that exist within ecological systems. Characterizing the interactions within these webs can improve our understanding of how communities are structured and what mechanisms stabilize them. Untangling these interactions can be an intractable problem in complex systems and insights gained from conventional methods are often accompanied by inherent sources of bias. This study used stable isotope analysis, an alternative to traditional methods, to investigate the roles and relative contributions of consumers at the top of a food web to community structure and stability. I compared the niche parameters of five …

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, …

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, …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Short-Term Responses Of Fish Assemblages To Habitat Restoration In A Small Midwestern Stream, John Leon West

Masters Theses

Recent efforts to restore stream habitat have become a common practice, yet evaluations of biotic responses to these practices are not as common. I evaluated fish assemblage response to restoration in a reach of Kickapoo Creek, a fourth order stream southwest of Charleston, Illinois. Restoration included 446 meters of bank stabilization, pool scouring keys, and the creation of two artificial riffles. To have a representation of pre-restoration fish assemblages, I sampled four stream reaches of Kickapoo Creek twice before construction of habitat restoration: two control reaches (upstream and downstream) and two restored reaches within a 0.5 km restoration stretch (upstream …

From A Rodent To A Rhetorician: An Ideological Analysis Of George Alexander Kennedy's Comparative Rhetoric, James Begley

Masters Theses

George Alexander Kennedy, a professor of classics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has given birth to a new understanding of rhetorical studies: he argues for the evolution of rhetoric from animals to humans. Using Sonja Foss's methodology of "ideological criticism," this thesis examined Kennedy's case as presented in his book, Comparative Rhetoric: an Historical and Cross-Cultural Introduction. This study discovered that the book was heavily influenced by a secular, pro-evolutionary ideology which dually contributed to its selective use of scientific evidences and production of inconsistent arguments. Evaluated on the basis of Biblical principles, this thesis concluded …

Bat Habitat Use And Roost Tree Selection For Northern Long-Eared Myotis (Myotis Septentrionalis) In North-Central Ohio, Timothy J. Krynak

Masters Theses

Understanding roosting behavior and habitat use of bats is an important component when unraveling life histories and their ecology. Ohio remains under-represented in published information of bats compared to surrounding states. This large scale survey in 2002–2003 and Myotis septentrionalis radio telemetry study in 2005 is one of the few conducted within the state and is the first in Ohio’s North-Central region. It is also the first study conducted where net sites were chosen randomly and spatially distributed to adequately survey bat populations within Cuyahoga Valley National Park and Cleveland Metroparks. This survey documented seven species (n = 668), with …

The Capacity Of Diatom Species To Survive Ingestion By The Algivorous Minnow, Pimephales Notatus, Paul Gregory Grubach

Masters Theses

The capacity of diatom species to survive gastrointestinal passage through the algivorous minnows Pimephales notatusand Campostoma anomalum was studied. From a site on the Grand River in northeastern Ohio, 27 minnows and 7 epilithic diatom samples were taken. In order to determine whether diatom taxa varied in digestibility, live/dead ratios of diatom cells taken from the minnows’ feces were compared with live/dead ratios of cells taken from immersed rocks. Diatoms that were live/undigested at the time of collection were differentiated from dead/digested cells under light microscopy by noting the presence of chloroplasts and/or lipid droplets. Seventy-seven percent of the …

Sediment Remediation Impacts On Macroinvertebrate Community Structure: Assessing The Success Of Urban Stream Restoration, Laurie Beth Nederveld

Masters Theses

Land use practices altering the natural landscape have resulted in the widespread degradation of stream ecosystems and the need for urban stream restorations. While a number of studies have evaluated the success of these stream restoration efforts, few have assessed the recovery of macroinvertebrate communities following the remediation of contaminated sediments. The purpose of my study was to evaluate the impact of sediment remediation activities on macroinvertebate abundance, diversity, and richness to determine the success of stream restoration in Ruddiman Creek, a small stream in the Muskegon Lake watershed. During my investigation, macroinvertebrate samples were collected from all available habitat …

Investigation Of Matrilineal Relationships Via Mitochondrial Dna In The Southeastern Yellowjacket (Vespula Squamosa), Anthony Deets

Masters Theses

The question of whether and how apparently "altruistic" behaviors can evolve in social animals has received an enormous amount of attention from evolutionary biologists and has been termed "the central theoretical problem of sociobiology". Thus, recent interest is eusocial species with coexisting multiple queens stems from the realization that the genetic relatedness of individuals in such colonies presents additional theoretical challenges beyond those addressed by the Hamiltonian model of kin selection and lengthens the potential list of reproductive conflicts of interest.

The Southeastern Yellowjacket (Vespula squamosa) exhibits two social forms sympatrically in the southern parts of its range. These two …

Nest-Site Selection In The Eastern Box Turtle, Terrapene Carolina Carolina, In A Population In Central Illinois, Beth Flitz

Masters Theses

Nest site selection in turtles might allow females to increase the survival of their offspring but little is known about the variables that influence that choice. I examined the microhabitat variables at nest sites of the eastern box turtle, Terrapene carolina carolina, at a Boy Scout camp in Shelby County, Illinois, to determine if females chose nest sites that differed from random sites within the camp. Nest sites differed from random sites in vegetation height and composition, percentage ground and canopy cover, and light intensity. All females placed their nests in open habitat within the camp or a pasture bordering …

Regional Dispersal Of Daphnia Lumholtzi In North America Inferred From Issr Genetic Markers, G. Matthew Groves

Masters Theses

The exotic zooplankter Daphnia lumholtzi is believed to have been introduced into Fairfield Lake, TX in 1983. Since introduction, D. lumholtzi has spread throughout the Midwest and Southeast United States. Due to its large head and tail spines, it may be less susceptible than native species to predation and therefore pose a threat to aquatic ecosystems. Development of management practices calls for study of the dispersal and potential impact of D. lumholtzi on invaded ecosystems.

Inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers were used in an effort to determine dispersal patterns of D. lumholtzi. Previous studies have shown that ISSRs possess …

Colony Composition And Demographics Of Beavers In Illinois, Stanley T. Mctaggart

Masters Theses

Beavers (Castor canadensis) have been extensively studied throughout North America, but little research has been conducted on this species in Illinois and the Midwest. Beavers exhibit wide variations in colony composition and demographics over their broad geographic range, so regional research is important for sound management. The objectives of this study were to investigate the: (1) typical composition of beaver colonies in Illinois; (2) reproductive potential of female beavers in Illinois; (3) sex-age composition of beaver populations in Illinois; and (4) efficacy of night-vision surveys versus removal trapping for estimating colony size. This study was conducted during the 1999-00 and …

Phylogeography And Genetic Diversity Of The Seal Salamander (Desmognathus Monticola), Erin D. Casey

Masters Theses

Phylogeography is defined as the spatial distribution of taxa with respect to geologic and geographic events. It is well documented that the distributions of many taxa have been affected by glacial events during the Pleistocene Era. The patterns generated can be very complex and result from shifts in climate and/or vegetation.

The Seal salamander, (Desmognathus monticola), is one species that still has questions pertaining to its phylogeography. The range of this species extends from southwestern Pennsylvania to northern Alabama and Georgia, with a highly disjunct, state-endangered population in the Red Hills of Alabama. The main goal of this study …

Phylogenetics Of Lymnaeidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda) With Emphasis On The Evolution Of Susceptibility To Fascioloides Magna Infection, Sarah Renee Joyce

Masters Theses

Snails in Lymnaeidae serve as intermediate hosts in the transmission of many trematode species, including Fascioloides magna that is responsible for disease and death in domestic livestock in North America. Previous classifications of lymnaeid snails have relied primarily on morphological characters that exhibit high levels of homoplasy; thereby, impeding a sound assessment of relationships in this group. The present study provides a phylogenetic hypothesis for lymnaeid snails employing sequences from the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of nrDNA, and addresses the evolution of susceptibility to Fascioloides infection in lymnaeid snails. The final data set, comprising ten species of lymnaeid snails …

Analyses Of Prairie Restorations At Rock Springs Environmental Center, Decatur, Illinois, Jennifer A. Ward

Masters Theses

Rock Springs Environmental Center was acquired in 1969 by the Macon County Conservation District. Several tracts totaling 1.6 hectares were developed as prairie restorations of varying ages on former farmland starting in 1977. During the summers of 1999 to 2001, 123 species were collected at Rock Springs. Of these, 56 species were collected within the sampling transects. The largest number of species (36 out of 56) was collected in the 1983 tract. The highest importance value of all tracts for any species was 42.6 for Andropogon gerardii. Sorensen's Index of Similarity between tracts ranged from 53.97- 72.97. The coefficient …

The Effects Of Habitat Fragmentation On Fish Developmental Stability, Matthew W. Gosses

Masters Theses

In nature, organisms exist in less than ideal conditions making stress a constant factor throughout their life. These stressful environments may disturb developmental processes, causing long-term, detrimental changes to an organism expressed as bilateral variation in morphology or fluctuating asymmetry (FA). Fluctuating asymmetry has been shown to be associated with accidents during morphogenesis due to environmental factors and hence is considered a measure of developmental instability.

One environmental stressor that may affect aquatic organisms is stream habitat fragmentation. Stream habitat fragmentation is the lack of connectivity between upstream and downstream populations or sites. Stream fragmentation can create distinct patches of …

Cyclomorphosis Of Daphnia Lumholtzi In Response To Spatial Heterogeneity In Lake Taylorville, Karen K. Schnake

Masters Theses

Reservoir zonation occurs longitudinally as water enters from a stream into an impoundment. Inflow areas (or riverine zones) are typified by high flow rate and shallow depth whereas areas near the dam (lacustrine zones) characteristically have decreased flow and greater depth. In a typical reservoir, abiotic and biotic variables change somewhat predictably along a continuum from the riverine, through a transitional and into a lacustrine zone which can have a significant affect on the biota. Daphnia lumholtzi, a cladoceran which exhibits extreme cyclomorphosis, is an exotic species introduced to North America within the past twenty-five years. I examined the morphology …

Managing Wetland Vegetation For Marsh Birds And Waterfowl At Carlyle Lake Wildlife Management Area, Il, Matthew W. Bowyer

Masters Theses

The high cost of restoring and managing wetlands warrants careful assessment of their management potential. We designed this study to provide basic information on how seed banks and hydroperiod influence the development of habitat for migratory birds in restored wetlands at Carlyle Lake Wildlife Management Area (CLWMA). The objectives were to: (1) survey the composition of the seed banks; (2) investigate the effects of early- vs. late-drawdowns on the germination and growth of these plants; and (3) monitor the use of these communities by wetland birds during migration and the breeding season. The study was conducted on a marsh complex …

Isolation Effects Of Aquatic Habitat Fragmentation On Greenside (Etheostoma Blennioides) And Fantail (Etheostoma Flabellare) Darters, Rita M. Klein

Masters Theses

Aquatic habitat fragmentation is defined as the lack of connectivity between upstream and downstream populations and can occur along two gradients, the longitudinal gradient and the lateral gradient. The longitudinal gradient focuses on objects within the stream and is concerned with the disruption of stream flow, which is normally brought about by the presence of dams and bridges. Fragmentation along the lateral gradient, on the other hand, examines factors outside of the stream and is related to any loss or modification of the surrounding riparian zone.

In Illinois within the last 100 years, stream habitats have become increasingly fragmented by …

Impacts Of White-Tailed Deer Grazing On Spring Wildflower Communities, Faye Frankland

Masters Theses

High deer densities on state forests and nature preserves throughout Illinois have prompted concerns that deer are impacting the growth, survival, and reproduction of spring-flowering herbaceous plants. I investigated the impacts of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) on the herbaceous vegetation, particularly spring wildflowers, at Beall Woods Nature Preserve (BWNP). BWNP was selected as the site for this study because it supports a diverse community of spring wildflowers and a large deer population. The objectives for this study were to: (1) quantify the extent of deer foraging on representative spring-flowering plant species at Beall Woods Nature Preserve, (2) investigate the effects …

Effects Of Leafy Spurge (Euphorbia Esula) Infestation On Breeding Birds Of The Sheyenne National Grassland, Nd, Daniel M. Scheiman

Masters Theses

Leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula) is an exotic invasive weed in the northern Great Plains. We examined the effects of leafy spurge infestation on densities and nest success of breeding birds in grasslands on the Sheyenne National Grassland (SNG), ND. We categorized spurge-infested grasslands into three levels of infestation, based on the area covered by spurge patches: (a) low (0-20%), (b) medium (20-60%) and, (c) high (> 60%). We surveyed 60 100-m radius circular plots (20 in each category), and searched for nests in three 16-ha plots (one in each category). There were no statistically significant differences in mean species richness …

Prairie Analysis At Prairie Ridge State Natural Area, Jasper County, Il, Annette Kessler

Masters Theses

Five restored prairie sites at Prairie Ridge State Natural Area in Jasper County were studied during the growing season of 1998. These sites varied in age from two years to thirty years and in size from 4 acres to 10 acres. Key areas of data recorded were an overall and site specific vascular species lists, phenology of various species, and cover analysis of each site. Frequency cover and importance values of the taxa were determined using randomly located quadrats along line transects. Prairie quality of each site was determined, as well as a similarity index that compared the sites to …

Alarm Calls Affect Foraging Behavior In Eastern Chipmunks (Tamias Striatus), Jessica K. Baack

Masters Theses

I used playback experiments to test whether alarm calls affected the foraging behavior of Eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus). I subjected chipmunks, foraging at artificial feeding stations, to three playback treatments (silent, control noise, and alarm call) and examined changes in vigilant and foraging behavior. Chipmunks responded to alarm calls with a greater degree and duration of vigilant behavior, such as look-ups and alert postures. Chipmunks also ran a shorter distance to cover, ran more directly to cover, and took longer to re-emerge from the burrow after hearing an alarm call. Alarm calls caused individuals to spend more time …

The Role Of Bowfin, Amia Calva, In Multiple Species Management Plans, Benjamin Jacob Hausmann

Masters Theses

The major challenge to fisheries managers of the 21st century will be to maintain the diversity, not only of fishing opportunity, but also of traditionally non-game and economically unimportant species. With the relatively recent understanding of the importance of ecosystem level management, attention is being focused on native species that were often ignored or eradicated under past management practices. One such fish that has been largely ignored is the bowfin, Amia calva. Ecological data pertaining to bowfin natural history are limited and to date no attempt has been made to integrate bowfin into fisheries management decisions within the species native …

The Relationship Between Burrowing Behavior Of Native Unionid Bivalves And Infestation By Zebra Mussels, Amy Gries

Masters Theses

Burrowing behavior of unionids was examined as a variable in colonization of unionids by juvenile zebra mussels searching for substrate. For each unionid species represented, zebra mussel densities were compared between a free-living experimental unionid and an immobilized control during each replicate. Of the four species used (Amblema plicata, Quadrula quadrula, Leptodea fragilis and Obliquaria reflexa), only Q. quadrula had a statistically significant difference between zebra mussel densities on the experimental mussels as compared with the controls. When zebra mussel densities on the experimental mussels were compared between species, only the comparison of Q. quadrula and O. reflexa was …

Habitat Selection, Reproductive Success, And Impaling Patterns Of A Migratory Population Of Loggerhead Shrikes, Jeffrey D. Esely Jr.

Masters Theses

I studied habitat selection and reproductive success of a migratory population of Loggerhead Shrikes (Lanius ludovicianus migrans) as well as the temporal and spatial patterns of impaling exhibited by this population during the nesting season. The selection of breeding habitat was investigated at different spatial scales. Thirty-eight (67%) of 57 nests were located in osage orange (Maclura pomifera) trees. Shrike territories (area ≤ 200 m from nest site) contained significantly more pasture, fenceline, and perch sites, but less com, alfalfa, and forest than random sites. At larger spatial scales, more grassland was detected within 300 m …