Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Measuring Flowering Phenology And Its Consequences: A Systematic Review, Samantha M. Mangum

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite growing interest in flowering phenology among ecologists, as reflected by an increase in the number of papers, there is little information on how studies typically measure and describe a plant’s flowering phenology. The focus of this study was the literature on flowering phenology and the approaches researchers have taken to quantify flowering phenology. Initially, a comprehensive description of the breath of literature on flowering phenology was produced. From there, I described the current research on flowering phenology: the year that the studies were published, the locations of the studies, and the particular biomes where the studies were performed. The …

Documenting Evolution: Comparing And Contrasting Late Mesozoic And Late Cenozoic Molluscan Patterns, Joshua Slattery

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite major advances, evolutionary theory still has numerous shortcomings in terms of fully understanding the controls on speciation and diversification. A major factor limiting our knowledge is how biology and paleobiology view speciation from separate micro- and macro-evolutionary perspectives, respectively. Biologists typically examine microevolutionary changes within species from various biogeographic, behavioral, morphological, and genetic perspectives, which contrasts to the macroevolutionary approach of most paleobiologists, who have examined the same phenomena at larger scales but with the standpoint of time, have also concentrated on aspects of global or regional diversification (e.g., richness, origination rates, and extinction rates) over the long-term. Noticeably …

Genome Size And Host Specialization In Parasites, Nicholas Theodore Ogburn

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In parasites, there are several examples of changes in genome size linked to a parasitic lifestyle—with some species having greatly reduced or expanded genome sizes relative to free-living non-parasitic relatives. What is unknown is whether there is correlated evolution between genome size and host specialization, and whether there is a generalizable framework in predicting genome size evolution in parasites using their genetic architecture and host use ecology. Here, I tested whether genome size of 96 eukaryotic parasites across a wide variety of taxa correlates with host specialization, quantified by the number and phylogenetic relatedness of host species they parasitize. I …

Behavioral Thermoregulation And Thermal Mismatches Influence Disease Dynamics In Amphibians, Erin Louise Sauer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Amphibians are currently the most threatened vertebra taxa on the planet. Hundreds of species are thought to have gone extinct while thousands more have been listed as threatened or endangered over the past few decades. Habitat loss, invasive species, climate change, and disease are all thought to have partially contributed to these declines. Two pathogens in particular, infectious viruses in the genus Ranavirus (simply referred to as ranavirus) and the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), have been associated with global mass mortality events of amphibians. Virulent pathogens such as these tend to impose strong selective pressures on their hosts driving the …

Integrating Towed Underwater Video With Multibeam Acoustics For Mapping Benthic Habitat And Assessing Reef Fish Communities On The West Florida Shelf, Alexander Ross Ilich

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Using a towed underwater video camera system, benthic habitats were classified along transects in a popular offshore fishing area on the West Florida Shelf (WFS) known as “The Elbow.” Additionally, high resolution multibeam bathymetry and co-registered backscatter data were collected for the entire study area. Using these data, full coverage geologic and biotic habitat maps were developed using both unsupervised and supervised statistical classification methodologies. The unsupervised methodology used was k-means clustering, and the supervised methodology used a random forest algorithm. The two methods produced broadly similar results; however, the supervised methodology outperformed the unsupervised methodology. The results of the …

Use Of A Towed Camera System Along The West Florida Shelf: A Case Study Of The Florida Middle Grounds Benthic Marine Communities, Katie S. Davis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As technologies advance the study of ocean dynamics, new approaches to vexing problems of scale and process are becoming more widely available. Originally conceived as a tool primarily for indexing the abundance of near-bottom fishes, the Camera-based Assessment and Survey System (C-BASS) may also be an effective tool for monitoring benthic invertebrate resources vulnerable to natural and anthropogenic perturbations, and for characterizing the composition of benthic communities to inform spatial management. Using still images derived from the C-BASS video of benthic transects within the Florida Middle Grounds, I documented the abundance of benthic habitat-forming functional groups—sponges, algae, and corals—and noted …

Intraspecific Variation In The Recruitment Dynamics Of A Transgressing Avicennia Germinans Population, Shannon Victoria Grogan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Survival and establishment of mangrove propagules at higher tidal elevations beyond the landward margin of their distribution is a requirement for the continued existence of mangrove populations in response to rising sea-level. Despite the growing body of literature that discusses mangrove recruitment patterns, few studies have empirically examined establishment and post-establishment growth success of propagules at the higher intertidal positions into witch mangrove populations are migrating. Using an experimental field approach, this study compares establishment and post-establishment growth success of propagules at three positions across a tidal elevation gradient within a landward-transgressing mangrove population of SW Florida (USA). I observed …

Microbial Associations Of Four Species Of Algal Symbiont-Bearing Foraminifera From The Florida Reef Tract, Usa, Makenna May Martin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Marine microbiome research is a rapidly expanding field of study, as scientists investigate the functions of microbial associations in eukaryotic organisms. Foraminifera are among the most abundant shelled organisms in the oceans, yet little is known of their associated microbiomes. This study investigated microbes associated with four species of Foraminifera that host three kinds of algal endosymbionts. The Order Miliolida, Family Soritidae, was represented by three species: Archaias angulatus and Cyclorbiculina compressa, which both host chlorophyte symbionts, and Sorites orbiculus, which hosts dinoflagellate symbionts. The fourth species, Amphistegina gibbosa, belongs to the Order Rotaliida and hosts diatom endosymbionts. Bacterial DNA …

The Effects Of Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus Polyphemus) Herbivory On Plant Community Composition And Seed Germination, And The Effects Of Gut Passage On The Germinability Of Seeds: A Meta-Analysis, Jason C. Richardson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Herbivory produces direct and indirect effects on plants and at different spatial scales will have varied consequences. Consumption of plants by vertebrate grazers may affect the plants on an organismal level through direct mortality, on a community level by changing species composition or by altering the rate of succession, and even at a whole ecosystem level by altering nutrient cycles.

The majority of the scientific literature has focused extensively on herbivory by mammals and birds. With regard to mammals, studies have shown how folivory affects individual plants, plant populations, and communities of plants.

Mammals, as well as birds, also ingest …

The Association Of Size Variation In The Dental Arch To Third Molar Agenesis For A Modern Population, Devin N. Williams

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The frequency with which individuals do not develop their third molars, or wisdom teeth, is increasing worldwide. This current topic of human evolution is relevant to the research of anthropologists, geneticists, dentists, and other researchers involved in the study of human dentition. Many explanations have been offered to account for the prevalence of molar agenesis including, evolutionary, environmental, and genetic theories. The purpose of this research project is to determine the frequency of third molar agenesis and investigate the relationship between third molar agenesis and maxillomandibular jaw dimensions in a sample of orthodontic patients. This research tests the hypotheses that: …

Remote Sensing And Spatial Metrics For Quantifying Seagrass Landscape Changes: A Study On The 2011 Indian River Lagoon Florida Seagrass Die-Off Event, René Dieter Baumstark

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Florida’s seagrasses are ecologically important marine environments which have suffered major degradation caused by increasing anthropogenic pressures. A 2011 seagrass die-off event caused by an algal bloom in the Florida Indian River Lagoon (IRL) was particularly severe with a majority of seagrass lost in areas such as the Banana River. An understanding of how this coastal marine environment changed is an important step toward better managing resources for conservation. Modern tools and methods provide new opportunities to study these changes at the landscape scale, a scale that informs on the larger more comprehensive state of a system. Classified satellite imagery …

Molecular Phylogenetics Of Floridian Boletes, Arian Farid

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The boletes are macrofungi which have undergone extensive taxonomic revisions since the advent of molecular tools. To further our understanding of the boletes in peninsular Florida, we sequenced two common Floridian boletes, and analyzed them with molecular phylogenetic tools. Boletus rubricitrinus, a common Florida bolete often found in lawns under Quercus, and likely has a distribution that extends to Texas. Based on ITS and LSU sequences and morphological studies, this species belongs in the genus Pulchroboletus. As the holotype is in poor condition, an epitype is established here. A thorough description of macroscopic and microscopic features is also provided for …

Grooming Behaviors Of, Lauren N. Williams

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The giant freshwater shrimp, Macrobrachium rosenbergii is a large species of prawn grown extensively in aquaculture settings. A social hierarchy exists within the males of this species, representing three distinct male morphotypes. These male morphotypes differ in their behavior, physiology, and morphology and include the largest blue-clawed males (BC males), moderately- sized orange-clawed males (OC males), and the undifferentiated small-clawed males (SM males). All individuals of this species perform grooming behaviors to rid themselves of body fouling which can impede important functions such as movement, respiration, chemoreception, and reproduction. Grooming behaviors in crustaceans often utilize specialized structures called setae, which …

Ecosystem Function And Phenotypic Variation In Spartina Alterniflora Salt Marshes, Sandra E. Voors

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Biodiversity is important to ecosystem function at many scales, and variation functional traits within a species can potentially influence ecosystem functioning by altering nutrient cycling dynamics. High population extinction rates are resulting in a rapid loss of within-species biodiversity, so there is a need to better understand the importance of intraspecific variation to ecosystem-level processes. Tidal salt marshes are ideal ecosystems for investigating intraspecific variation in plant-nutrient relationships because they are dominated by a monoculture of the foundation species Spartina alterniflora, with distinct phenotypes that correspond to environmental gradients across the marsh. We conducted a field survey of existing …

Sublethal Effects Of Crude Oil And Chemical Dispersant On The Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea Virginica) At Multiple Life History Stages, Sara Marie Garcia

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Oil spills in the marine environment can threaten vulnerable ecosystems that support ecologically and economically significant organisms, such as the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica), in coastal habitats. The use of chemical dispersant (Corexit 9500) was applied as a cleanup effort in response to the Deepwater Horizon blowout to minimize crude oil slicks, but also resulted in increased concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the water column. The effects of increased soluble fractions of crude oil and dispersant components may be harmful to marine organisms. This study aimed to investigate possible sublethal impacts to the eastern oyster at multiple life history …

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

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

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 …

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 …

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 …

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 …

Lilliput Effect Dynamics Across The Cretaceous-Paleogene Mass Extinction: Approaches, Prevalence, And Mechanisms, Matthew Brett Jarrett

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

An organism's body size entails both physiological and ecological costs. Furthermore, as a parameter in analyzing organisms, it represents a fundamental and essential morphometric character. Reductions in size following mass extinction is a commonly observed phenomenon in the fossil record. This study examines the evolutionary significance of this phenomenon termed the: 'Lilliput Effect' by proposing that it represents a rapid evolutionary response to altered selection pressures during a mass extinction. This primary hypothesis is evaluated against two additional hypotheses of size reduction: 1) stunted growth as a response to stressed ecosystems, and/or 2) mass extinctions are size selective.

These hypotheses …