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Articles 1 - 14 of 14
Full-Text Articles in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Ecological Epigenetics Of Avian Range Expansions, Holly J. Kilvitis
Ecological Epigenetics Of Avian Range Expansions, Holly J. Kilvitis
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
In light of human-mediated environmental change, a fundamental goal for biologists is to determine which phenotypic characteristics enable some individuals, populations or species to be more adept at coping with such change, while rendering others more vulnerable. Studying ongoing range expansions provide a unique opportunity to address this question by allowing documentation of how novel environments shape phenotypic variation on ecological timescales. At range-edges, individuals are exposed to strong selective pressures and population genetic challenges (e.g. bottlenecks and/or founder effects), which make genetic adaptation difficult. Nevertheless, certain species, such as the house sparrow (Passer domesticus), seem to thrive in their …
Bioleaching Potential Of Filamentous Fungi To Mobilize Lithium And Cobalt From Spent Rechargeable Li-Ion Batteries, Aldo Lobos
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Demand for lithium (Li) and cobalt (Co) is on the rise, due in part to their increased use in rechargeable Li-ion batteries (RLIB). Current recycling processes that utilize chemical leaching efficiently recover in Li and Co from the cathode material in spent batteries; however, these processes are costly and emit hazardous waste into the environment. Therefore, a more sustainable process for recycling Li and Co is needed, and bioleaching may provide a solution. Fungal bioleaching has been shown in previous studies to effectively mobilize metals (Pb, Al, Mn, Cu, and Zn) from mine tailings, electronic scrap, and spent batteries with …
Reef Fish Biodiversity In The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Megan E. Hepner
Reef Fish Biodiversity In The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Megan E. Hepner
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
The biological diversity of reef-fish in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) from 1999 – 2016 was evaluated in terms of abundance, biomass, species richness, evenness, Shannon diversity, Simpson diversity, and functional diversity, using observations collected by multiple agencies and institutions under the Reef Visual Census (RVC) program. To compare the different diversity indices species richness, Shannon diversity, Simpson diversity, and functional diversity were converted into effective number of species. I examined the seven indices by no-take marine zones, in seven benthic habitat strata, and across the three-distinct geographic subregions in the Florida Keys domain (Upper, Middle, and Lower …
Response To Nitrogen And Salinity Conditions In Rhizophora Mangle Seedlings Varies By Site Of Origin, Kristen L. Langanke
Response To Nitrogen And Salinity Conditions In Rhizophora Mangle Seedlings Varies By Site Of Origin, Kristen L. Langanke
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Many coastal plant species thrive across a range of environmental conditions, often displaying dramatic phenotypic variation in response to environmental variation. We characterized the response of the critical foundation species Rhizophora mangle L. to full factorial combinations of salt and nitrogen (N). We used seedlings collected from five populations and measured traits related to salt tolerance and N amendment. The response to increasing salt included significant plasticity in succulence, leaf mass area (LMA), and root to shoot ratio (R:S). Seedlings also showed overall reduced maximum photosynthetic rate in response to N amendment, but this response depended on the level of …
Freshwater Wetland Creation In A Changing Urban Environment: Designing For Long-Term Viability, Aaron Thomas Ryan Brown
Freshwater Wetland Creation In A Changing Urban Environment: Designing For Long-Term Viability, Aaron Thomas Ryan Brown
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Urbanization and wetland mitigation are increasingly common in coastal watersheds with expanding populations. These mitigation wetlands are intended to offset the functional and structural losses experienced when natural systems are degraded or destroyed. In the Tampa Bay watershed, urbanization is both expanding into the upper reaches of the watershed and intensifying in previously-developed areas, resulting in the creations of hundreds of freshwater mitigation wetlands. This dissertation utilized an existing database of mitigation wetlands, publicly available data, and field surveys to investigate the relationship between constructed wetlands and their surroundings and also determine how design affects wetland condition over time. The …
Subtropical Benthos Vary With Reef Type, Depth, And Grazing Intensity, Kara R. Wall
Subtropical Benthos Vary With Reef Type, Depth, And Grazing Intensity, Kara R. Wall
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Marine epibenthic communities are influenced by both pre- and post-recruitment processes. For instance, the larval supply and cues that influence settlement (pre-recruitment), as well as the growth and mortality of individuals (post-recruitment), may differ across reef type and depth. Determining the relative influence of these processes is important to understanding how epibenthic communities can develop in a region. Using both a recruitment experiment that controlled grazing by urchins and in situ photographic surveys of epibenthic communities, this study examined the recruitment and composition of epibenthos on natural limestone and artificial reefs in the eastern Gulf of Mexico (eGOM). In the …
Beyond Age And Stage: Consequences Of Individual Variation In Demographic Traits, Erin Elizabeth Feichtinger
Beyond Age And Stage: Consequences Of Individual Variation In Demographic Traits, Erin Elizabeth Feichtinger
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Within natural populations, individuals vary in their propensity to grow, survive and produce offspring. Additionally, fates of individuals are often correlated and non-independent as a result of shared genes, rearing environment or both. Variation in demographic traits can change population dynamics over time. The effects of variation in individual growth rate on population growth rate, net reproductive rate and generation time are examined, along with quantifying the sources of variation in survival of a long-lived cooperatively breeding bird, the Florida Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens). I built a 2 stage population model with two growth phenotypes, fast and slow, and …
Spatial And Temporal Variation In Mangrove Distribution (1950-2014) In Tampa, Florida Usa, Carolyn Cheatham Rhodes
Spatial And Temporal Variation In Mangrove Distribution (1950-2014) In Tampa, Florida Usa, Carolyn Cheatham Rhodes
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
I carried out an observational study of historic high resolution aerial imagery spanning six decades (1950-2014) to identify recent and historic spatial extent of mangrove forests, within the municipal boundaries of the City of Tampa, Florida USA. My objectives were to map mangrove distribution and spatial extent and any change or patterns of change discernable. I observed variable patterns of change and rates of expansion varied between sites spatially as well as within sites between time intervals. I found notable changes in mangrove extent in the Tampa from historic and modern aerial imagery for the ~64-year period between 1950 and …
Epigenetic Response To Challenging Environmental Conditions, Marta Robertson
Epigenetic Response To Challenging Environmental Conditions, Marta Robertson
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
The discovery of epigenetic mechanisms has ignited speculation into their role in ecological and evolutionary processes. In particular, the contribution of epigenetic variation to adaptation or phenotypic plasticity that is distinct from genetic variation would be an important addition to existing evolutionary mechanisms. Although the research of epigenetic mechanisms from an ecological and evolutionary (or eco-evolutionary) perspective has been growing, it is still unclear how epigenetic variation might function in natural populations and settings and to what extent it might serve to mediate population response to changing environmental conditions over time. Over the course of my dissertation, I explored the …
Abundance And Habitat Preferences Of Introduced Muscovy Ducks (Cairina Moschata), Jacqueline Marie Perry Cahanin
Abundance And Habitat Preferences Of Introduced Muscovy Ducks (Cairina Moschata), Jacqueline Marie Perry Cahanin
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Muscovy ducks are native only to Central and South America, Mexico, and parts of southern Texas and are considered invasive in some areas outside of their native range. Although they have been introduced worldwide, they remain largely unstudied. The primary focus of this study was to relate Muscovy duck abundance to habitat characteristics of wetlands in Tampa, Florida. Muscovy abundance was measured using point count methods at 21 wetland sites that occur within an eight km radius of the University of South Florida’s main campus. Habitat features at these sites were assessed using field methods and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) …
Taxonomy, Ecology, And Behavior Of The Kleptoplastic Sea Slug Elysia Papillosa, William Alan Gowacki
Taxonomy, Ecology, And Behavior Of The Kleptoplastic Sea Slug Elysia Papillosa, William Alan Gowacki
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Sacoglossan sea slugs are one of the best known examples of specialist herbivores in the marine environment and can be found strongly associated with their algal hosts and food sources. Perhaps the most intriguing characteristic of many sacoglossans is their ability to sequester functional chloroplasts from their algal food sources in a process called kleptoplasty. Despite this, there continues to be issues regarding taxonomic identification of species. In turn, the ecological characteristics of many of these slugs, such as algal host and food source preference, as well as their behavioral aspects, have received little attention. A prime example of these …
Playing-With The World: Toy Story's Aesthetics And Metaphysics Of Play, Jonathan Hendricks
Playing-With The World: Toy Story's Aesthetics And Metaphysics Of Play, Jonathan Hendricks
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Pixar’s Toy Story (John Lassiter, 1995) is not just a story about toys and the children that play with them, but a demonstration of how we interact with the world. This thesis looks at the way in which both main children, Andy and Sid, interact with their toys and how this interaction is one that is structured by way of what Martin Heidegger calls “Enframing.” In this modality of playing, toys and other things and entities in the world, and the world itself, appear to the children as on-hand resources for use at any time and can be molded, as …
Zonation Pattern And Spatial Arrangement Of A Geukensia Granosissima Population In A Mixed Mangrove Forest Of Tampa Bay, Derrick Shane Hudson
Zonation Pattern And Spatial Arrangement Of A Geukensia Granosissima Population In A Mixed Mangrove Forest Of Tampa Bay, Derrick Shane Hudson
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Here I provide the first report on Geukensia granosissima patterns of abundance along a tidal gradient within a mixed mangrove stand located in Tampa Bay, Florida, USA. Specifically, I examined 1) the relationship between G. granosissima size and density with mangrove root type (e.g. prop root, pneumatophore), and of density within the intertidal zones; and 2) the possible role of predation in shaping the lower zonation patterns displayed. Transect surveys located along the lower and upper population limit boundaries were conducted every two months over a ten-month period. Variables measured include size distribution, density of mussels, above ground mangrove prop …
Land Use, Stream Stability, And Benthic Invertebrates In A Dry Forest Watershed Of Western Costa Rica, Jacqueline Ann Demko
Land Use, Stream Stability, And Benthic Invertebrates In A Dry Forest Watershed Of Western Costa Rica, Jacqueline Ann Demko
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
There is a paucity of data on dry forests, the most threatened biome in the tropics. The Nandamojo is a tropical dry forest watershed in Western Costa Rica that has been impacted by varying degrees of human induced modifications. This research was conducted to examine the influence of land use and channel characteristics on invertebrate communities within a sub basin of the Nandamojo watershed. This study addressed three hypotheses: (1) sites with low tree cover and small riparian buffer zones will have high erosion, (2) macroinvertebrate abundance will be lower at sites with low channel stability values, and (3) benthic …