Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Phenotypic Variation Between Surface And Cave-Adapted Poeciliids And Its Effect On Metabolism, Karch Knipp, Michael Tobler, Soren Johnson

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Cave-adapted organisms often exhibit pronounced morphological changes relative to their surface counterparts, a phenomenon known as troglomorphy. In Poecilia mexicana (Atlantic molly), these differences include variation in coloration between surface and cave populations. Troglobitic organisms also typically exhibit reduced metabolic rates, likely as an adaptation to environments with low primary productivity. This makes P. mexicana an ideal system for investigating the evolution of metabolic traits. In this study, we leveraged variation in coloration among cave-dwelling mollies to examine potential associations with resting metabolic rate (RMR). Coloration was quantified using PCR values, and individuals were categorized as “yellow” or “non-yellow.” We …

Relationship Between Morphological And Behavioral Laterality In Astyanax Mexicanus, Allison Lendman, Michael Tobler, Erik Johnson

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Populations within the Astyanax genus have experienced extreme differences in environment, leading to distinct morphological adaptations. The cave populations of these fish are eyeless and have acquired fixed, cranial asymmetries. We explored a possible relationship between this physical asymmetry and behavioral laterality. We tested 28 adult fish, 14 male and 14 female, from the Pachón cave in controlled behavioral trials. We found that both sexes demonstrated behavioral laterality, observed as a consistent left-turn bias in these trials. This supports the hypothesis that these populations display behavioral laterality that is correlated to their physical asymmetries. Ongoing research comparing behavioral patterns in …

Under The Surface: Human Disturbance Reduces Species Richness In Glade Microhabitats, Maddie Smith, Becky Hansis-O'Neill, Aimee Dunlap Phd

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Human disturbance can alter microhabitats in ways that affect biodiversity, especially in sensitive ecosystems like glades where many animals rely on rocks for thermoregulation and refuge. This study examined how rock displacement by human activity influences species richness and community composition in glade habitats at Shaw Nature Reserve and Victoria Glades Conservation Area. We hypothesized that disturbed rocks would be less suitable for wildlife and would support fewer species. From September to November 2025, about 30 rocks per site were pseudo-randomly selected and monitored. Each rock was classified as displaced or nondisplaced, and all organisms found beneath them were recorded. …

Wasps Survive Tornadoes, But It Impacts Nest Growth, Natalie Cummins, Sara E. Miller

Undergraduate Research Symposium

As the climate becomes more variable, extreme weather events become more common. Last May, St. Louis was hit by an EF-3 tornado. Many areas of the city suffered 90-150 mph winds and severe property damage. We knew there were established paper wasp populations in the affected areas, and so we took this opportunity to monitor emerging nests throughout the summer and fall in both tornado-affected and non-affected areas to observe any possible effect on their nest growth rate and overall size. There is currently very little literature investigating the response of insects to natural disturbances, like tornadoes. Additionally, most studies …

Nontarget Analysis Of The Volatile And Semivolatile Chemical Profile Of Wildland Firefighter Gear: Insight Into Occupational Exposure And Health Implications, Patrica Ivy Agorsor, Husam Kafeenah, Margaret D. Taiwo, Robin M. Verble, Michael O. Eze

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Prescribed fire releases a complex mixture of volatile and semivolatile organic compounds to the environment. Firefighters are directly exposed to these hazardous mixtures through occupational activities. This study investigated the volatile and semivolatile chemical contamination profile of firefighter protective gear and the effectiveness of laundering as a decontamination strategy. Our results revealed that firefighter gear accumulated a broad spectrum of combustion-derived contaminants, predominantly composed of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and derivatives, phenolic compounds, and aromatic hydrocarbons. Representative compounds identified included toluene, biphenyl, naphthalene, 1-methynaphthalene, 2-methylnaphthalene, acenaphthene, phenol, alkylated phenols, and chlorinated phenols. Quantitative analysis revealed representative combustion-derived compounds at concentrations (mean …

Implementation Of The Trojan Sex Chromosome Approach In The San Juan River: Investigation And Validation Of Feminization Methods For Channel Catfish, Chad Teal

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Exploring Evolution As A Unifying Theme In The General Biology For Majors Course Sequence, While Iteratively Examining Attitudes And Decisions About Learning: An Application Of Lonergan’S Transcendental Method, Christine E. Gray

San Jose - Lonergan Chair in Catholic Philosophy

As I reflect upon my journey as an educator, I recognize it has been shaped, in large part, by my own foundational roots in the Catholic Liberal Arts tradition. As I prepare for another academic year, I find myself, once again, considering how my pedagogical practice can better meet my students “where they are” in my General Biology for Majors I and II courses. Since that “place” is shaped by a student’s prior experiences, both in and out of the classroom, I also recognize that “place” is unique for each student. This is precisely why each term pushes me to …

Genomic Analysis Reveals New Subspecies Of Cercyonis Scudder, 1875 (Nymphalidae: Satyrinae: Satyrini), Jing Zhang, Qian Cong, Jinhui Shen, Leina Song, Todd L. Stout, Michael S. Fisher, Robb Hannawacker, Nick V. Grishin

The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey

Genomic analysis of Cercyonis (Cercyonis) Scudder, 1875 (Nymphalidae Rafinesque, 1815) partitions the subgenus into three species groups and reveals five new subspecies from the USA (type localities in parentheses): Cercyonis (Cercyonis) pegala koosharem Stout and Grishin, ssp. n. (Utah, Sevier Co.), Cercyonis (Cercyonis) pegala lasala Grishin, M. Fisher, and Hannawacker ssp. n. (Utah, Grand Co.), Cercyonis (Cercyonis) pegala hortoni Grishin, ssp. n. (Arizona, Gila Co.), Cercyonis (Cercyonis) meadii maculana Grishin, ssp. n. (Colorado, Montezuma Co.), and Cercyonis (Cercyonis) meadii rimana Grishin, ssp. n. (Arizona, Yavapai Co.). A neotype is designated for Satyrus boopis Behr, 1864 (USA, California, Contra Costa Co.). …

Variability In Nutrient And Carbon Cycling Of Constructed Marshes, Alyssa Leclaire, Jenny Davis, Molly Bost, David De La Garza

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Salt marshes provide valuable ecosystem services, including filtering nutrients and trapping sediments from the water column, but are increasingly threatened by sea-level rise and coastal development. Constructed marshes offer a potential pathway to offsetting marsh loss, but the extent to which they can replace the ecosystem services provided by mature natural marshes is not well understood. Using a chronosequence of constructed marshes (1, 21, and 44 years old) and a natural reference marsh (>100y old) in Beaufort, NC, we assessed the development of plant communities, sediment characteristics, and nutrient and carbon cycling over time. We compared aboveground biomass, surface …

A Poetic Call For And A Reflection And Commentary On Clarity, Understanding, Hope, Courage, And Compassion, Carroy U. Ferguson

Psychology Faculty Publication Series

Finding a published poem I had written as a teenager, titled “The Heavens Weep.” this article uses that poem as the basis for a commentary that reflects on the state of the world today (2026),  As a commentary, the article uses the poetic and metaphoric words in the poem as a relevant "reality check" for what is still going on today.  In essence, the commentary is about a call for Clarity, Understanding, Hope, Courage, and Compassion, or what I call Archetypal Energies, Higher Vibrational Energies that operate deep within our individual and collective psyches to creatively urge us to "see" …

Land Condition Standards For The Western Australian Nullarbor Pastoral Region, Peter-Jon A. Waddell, Wayne J. Fletcher

Natural resources published reports

This report outlines the quantitative land condition standards that define acceptable pastoral land condition for the Western Australian part of the Nullarbor, to meet the regulatory requirements of the Land Administration Act 1997 and the Soil and Land Conservation Act 1945.

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development is developing regional-level pastoral land condition standards for Western Australia as a critical component of the Framework for sustainable pastoral management – revised edition (Fletcher 2022), the purpose of which is to address the Office of the Auditor General’s recommendations to improve the management of pastoral lands in WA …

Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 42: How Accurate Are The Transcriptions Presented At The Alfred Russel Wallace Page Website?, Charles H. Smith

Faculty/Staff Personal Papers

A look is taken at the level of accuracy displayed by the transcriptions of Wallace writings offered at the Alfred Russel Wallace Page website, as determined by a ChatGPT analysis.

Bridging The Gap In Science Research: Preparing Students For College- Level Research In The Sciences, Victoria Helwig, Yaoguang Li

UConn Library Presentations

Many first-year students enter college unprepared to fully engage with scientific literature and academic library resources. Drawing on experiences from academic librarians working with STEM students, this session explores common gaps in science research skills, including navigating databases, identifying scholarly sources, and understanding the structure of scientific literature. Participants will be introduced to practical strategies and classroom-ready activities to better prepare students for college-level research. Discussion questions: What science research skills do students struggle with most when entering college? How can high school instruction better support these skills? Where can librarians and educators collaborate to support student success?

Plant Diversity Modifies Multi-Trophic Interactions In Croplands, Grasslands And Forests, Nian Feng Wan, Muyao Li, Siyuan Shen, Jun Xiang Zhou, Yu Tong Zhu, Ben A. Woodcock, Yue Qing Hu, Shinichi Nakagawa, David Tilman, Andy Hector, Michel Loreau, Peter B. Reich, Matteo Dainese, Forest Isbell, Bernhard Schmid, Kris A.G. Wyckhuys, Geoff M. Gurr, Linsheng Wan, Nico Eisenhauer, Yann Hautier, Anu Eskelinen, Richard D. Bardgett, Paul Kardol, Lauchlan H. Fraser, Qi Su, Shiyun Qiu, Yavanna Aartsma, Ramon Albajes, Matthias Albrecht

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Multitrophic interactions can strongly influence the structure and functioning of ecosystems, but how plant diversity influences the direction and predictability of multitrophic interactions across agricultural and natural ecosystems remains unclear. Using 149 field studies across five continents, we found that, on average, increasing plant diversity tended to exert differential top-down and bottom-up effects in croplands versus grasslands and forests. Organic and nonorganic croplands exhibited 846 and 148% higher invertebrate natural enemy-to-herbivore abundance ratios under increased plant diversity, consistent with top-down control patterns where predator gains cause herbivore declines, enhancing crop outcomes. In grasslands and forests, increasing plant diversity was associated …

Mobile Genetic Elements Shape Microbial Diversity And Functions In Thawing Permafrost Soils, Jiarong Guo, Samuel T. N. Aroney, Guillermo Domínguez-Huerta, Derek Smith, Dean Vik, Carlos Owusu-Ansah, Akbar Adjie Pratama, Sergei Solonenko, Funing Tian, Cristina Howard-Varona, Zhi-Ping Zhong, Aminata Fofana, Garrett J. Smith, Suzanne B. Hodgkins, Dylan Cronin, Isogenie Field Teams 2010–2017, 2019, Emerge Coordinators, Ben J. Woodcroft, Gene W. Tyson, Virginia I. Rich, Matthew B. Sullivan, Simon Roux, Sarah C. Bagby, Michael Ibba

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Ecosystems are shaped by communities of microorganisms whose niches and impacts depend on functional profiles influenced by gene gains and losses. Culture-based experiments demonstrate that mobile genetic elements (MGEs) can mediate gene flux, but quantitative understanding of these dynamics in natural systems remains limited. Here we develop and apply a systematic, meta-omic framework to investigate MGEs in a complex natural system using an 8-year soil time series collected at Stordalen Mire, in Sweden’s thawing permafrost margin. In this climate-critical peatland, we identify ~2.1 million MGE recombinases across 89 microbial phyla and assess ecological distributions, affected functions, past mobility and current …

Butterfly Taxa Discovery Via Genomic Analysis, Jing Zhang, Qian Cong, Jinhui Shen, Leina Song, Nick V. Grishin

The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey

Expanding a genomics-guided assessment of butterfly taxonomy, we integrate phylogenetic evidence from all protein-coding genes with morphological considerations to refine our understanding of butterfly systematics and discover new taxa. As a result, 2 subgenera, 39 species, and 5 subspecies are proposed as new (type species in original combinations or type localities are listed in parentheses): Erebia (Magda) magdalena uintana Grishin, ssp. n. (USA: Utah, Uintah Co.) in Nymphalidae Rafinesque, 1815; Myselasia rondea Grishin, sp. n. (Brazil: Rondônia), Myselasia pseudocrinon Grishin, sp. n. (Ecuador: Pastaza), Myselasia paramatuta Grishin, sp. n. (Ecuador: Morona-Santiago), Euselasia anapellos Grishin, sp. n. (Peru: Loreto), …

Unveiling The Complexity Of Post-Roman Polity Formation In Pannonia Using Ancient Dna, Yijie Tian, István Koncz, Norbert Faragó, Corina Knipper, Ronny Friedrich, Deven N. Vyas, Levente Samu, Olga Spekker, Tamás Szeniczey, Tamás Hajdu, Balázs Gusztáv Mende, Péter Tomka, Ildikó Katalin Pap, Dávid Czigány, Rita Radzeviciute, Luca Traverso, Guido Alberto Gnecchi-Ruscone, Paolo Francalacci, Bernd Schöne, Gábor Tóth, Anna Szécsényi-Nagy, Petrus Le Roux, Kurt W. Alt, Zuzana Hofmanová, Walter Pohl, Johannes Krause, Tivadar Vida, Patrick J. Geary, Krishna R. Vereramah

Ecology & Evolution Faculty Publications

The transformation of the Roman world [fourth to ninth centuries common era (CE)], culminating in the Western Roman Empire’s fall, marked a fundamental transition in European history. Key questions persist regarding the regionally specific nature of this transformation. We generated a paleogenomic dataset to reconstruct post-Roman organizations in the Little Hungarian Plain at microregional resolution. Genetic and archaeological analyses of two Roman (n = 68) and five post-Roman (n = 246) sites reveal a rise in Northern European ancestry, reflecting large-scale population movements into this region. Moreover, despite post-Roman sites sharing similar genetic profiles, material culture, and burial …

Terrestrial Abiotic Synthesis Of Simple Precursor Molecules Starting From Two Approaches: The Universality Of Carbon Reduction, Eloi Camprubi, Ben K.D. Pearce, Martina Preiner

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications

To address the chemistry responsible for life’s emergence, we examine the simple chemicals accessible on early Earth and the processes that could have transformed them. We focus on carbon reduction as a process central to the direct precursors of life. Two main approaches for the emergence of life’s building blocks and their associated functions are discussed. One approach investigates chemical routes for forming life’s building blocks via processes that worked differently from those of extant life, referred to as “unrestricted” prebiotic chemistries. The other approach establishes a direct mechanistic connection between prebiotic building blocks and extant biochemistry, referred to as …

Scientific Note: Here The Whole Time: A Revised Understanding Of White Alumroot (Heuchera Alba, Saxifragaceae) In The Susquehanna River Valley., Anais Barnes, Madeline Wickers, Scott Schuette, Tanisha M. Williams, Ryan Folk, Christopher T. Martine

Faculty Journal Articles

Heuchera alba and H. pubescens (Saxifragaceae) are closely related species of alumroot endemic to the Appalachian region of eastern North America that can be difficult to distinguish morphologically. Heuchera pubescens has been understood to occupy a range from Kentucky to Pennsylvania, with the distribution of H. alba restricted to Virginia and West Virginia—plus a recently-recorded extension into Pennsylvania discovered with the help of social media. The uncovering of H. alba in Pennsylvania has challenged historical perceptions of Heuchera distributions in the state, particularly as this relates to the current concept of H. pubescens which may be in need of revision. …

One Assay To Rule Them All: Development Of A Global Environmental Dna Tool To Support Range-Wide Surveys Of An Imperiled Sawfish And Its Application In The Eastern Tropical Pacific, Juan C. Cubillos-M, Annmarie Fearing, Demian D. Chapman, Peter M. Kyne, P. Joana Dias, Cindy Gonzalez, Ryan N. Lehman, Yaliana Chichaco, Bryan L. Huerta-Beltrán, Kayla L. Mcculloch, Sarah M. Toepfer, John K. Carlson, Nicole M. Phillips

Faculty Publications

Environmental DNA (eDNA) has emerged as a powerful tool to support the conservation of threatened species. The sawfishes are one of the most imperiled vertebrate groups, with all five species classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Owing to their toothy rostra, sawfishes are easily entangled in a wide range of fishing gear, with mortalities in fisheries and loss of habitat driving global declines. The Largetooth Sawfish, Pristis pristis, historically had a circumtropical range, but has experienced severe declines in geographic range and abundance. Viable populations are thought to be confined to northern Australia, but …

Popgenhelpr: An R Package To Streamline And Facilitate Informed Population Genomic Analyses And Visualization Of Genetic Ancestry, Diversity And Differentiation, Keaka Farleigh, Mason O. Murphy, Christopher Marie Blair, Tereza Jezkova

Publications and Research

Analysing large population genomic datasets requires an interdisciplinary skillset. Beyond a knowledge base in genetics and population biology, population genomic analyses involve computer science and statistics, representing a barrier for researchers without experience in those fields. PopGenHelpR seeks to lower this barrier by enabling researchers to perform population genomic analyses and generate near-publication quality figures in a streamlined and informed fashion. PopGenHelpR allows users to estimate genetic diversity within populations as well as differentiation among populations and individuals from single nucleotide polymorphism data. PopGenHelpR includes commonly used measures such as observed heterozygosity and FST. PopGenHelpR also provides five …

Insects And Arthropods And Their Role In Human Society, Emily Marie Perez-Medina

Whittier Scholars Program

With brightly colored exoskeletons, an excess of both eyes and legs, and seemingly  unpredictable behaviors, insects and arthropods come across as unusual and strange to general audiences. For this reason, they are often classified as “gross,” “ugly,” or “scary,” antagonists  in popular culture. What is not recognized when being represented to the masses is how much human society depends on their presence, and how a world without insects would be a world without most things humans know and love. In order to help reduce the stigma of these tiny, yet mighty creatures, this project serves as a call to action …

Cyanogenesis Variation In White Clover Is Decoupled From Regional Climate And Human Footprint Across A Longitudinal Gradient, Philips O. Akinwole, Yangjie Tan, Victor L. Alfonso

Biology Faculty publications

Latitudinal clines in adaptive traits are well documented, yet how such patterns translate across longitudinal gradients, where climatic variation is reduced, remains poorly understood. We investigated spatial variation in hydrogen cyanide (HCN) - a well-characterized anti-herbivore defense polymorphism governed by two independently segregating loci (Ac and Li), in white clover (Trifolium repens) across nine Midwestern U.S. cities. A total of 269 populations (4,035 individuals) were sampled along urban-rural transects, and cyanotype (cyanogenesis phenotypes) frequencies were quantified alongside regional and site-level environmental variables, including vegetation cover (NDVI), land surface temperature (LST), snow cover, impervious surface intensity, aridity, …

Recognition Of The Spring Flight Of Celastrina (Tutt) (Lycaenidae: Polyommatinae) In Southern New England As An Introgressed Hybrid Species, Harry Pavulaan

The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey

Populations of Celastrina (“Azure”) butterflies in southern New England have historically been referred to as either C. ladon (Cramer) or C. lucia (W. Kirby) by various authors. Following the discovery of elongated dorsal wing scales in males of C. ladon (D. Wright & Pavulaan, 1999; Ômura et al., 2015)—structures that replace the androconia that are typically present in most Celastrina species—it was believed that this trait was restricted to C. ladon, C. nigra (W. Forbes), and, more recently, C. iryna (Pavulaan, 2025). Microscopic examination of male “Spring Azure” specimens from across southern New …

Clethra Alnifolia: A Fact Sheet For Seed Transfer Considerations, Taylor Houggy

Plant Science Articles

Clethra alnifolia is a highly prized fragrant deciduous shrub, often found in many home gardens across Eastern North America. Despite its popularity in the landscape industry, there is little research comparing C. alnifolia's natural habits in the wild to its habits as a landscaped cultivar. Information such as flowering phenology, genetic diversity, and growth habits have the potential to change considerably depending on C. alnifolia's location. Because of this, it is important that landscape growers as well as forest conservationists have access to ecological fact sheets in order to make informed decisions when transferring seed to different areas. In this …

I Lost My Number, Can I Have Yours? Body Image Satisfaction With Sexually Dimorphic Traits Is Associated With Men's Dating Anxiety And Confidence, David A. Frederick, Tania A. Reynolds, Nikoline L. Smart, Justin R. Garcia, David A. Puts

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Evolutionary scientists posit that sexual selection processes caused males to develop sexually dimorphic traits to aid them during intrasexual competition and increase their likelihood of being chosen as mates. Evolutionary social sciences have extensively examined women's preferences for traits such as muscle mass and voice pitch, reasoning that these traits serve as cues of men's ability to provide direct benefits (e.g., resources) and indirect (genetic) benefits passed on to offspring. At the same time, body image researchers have extensively focused on the social causes and consequences of men's dissatisfaction with their muscularity and body fat. We connected these two research …

A New Subspecies Of Papilio Indra (Papilionidae) From The West Desert Of Utah, Usa, Wayne H. Whaley, Alexander A. Jason, Todd L. Stout

The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey

Papilio indra bonnevillensis is a new described subspecies partly based on taxonomic rearrangement of its larval host plant reproductive phenology relative to Wasatch Range nominate P. indra. It is geographically isolated in Utah’s West Desert from populations of ssp. nevadensis to the west and ssp. calcicola to the south. In addition to phenological differences compared to these two subspecies, it merits description based on host Lomatium depauperatum which recently speciated from L. grayi, neither of which is used as host by other subspecies of P. indra. The evolution of new host L. depauperatum is …

Comparing Awssi And Traditional Winter Metrics For Predicting Overwinter Survival Of Juvenile Walleye (Sander Vitreus), Camille N. Shifrin

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Winter conditions are an important driver of recruitment variability in freshwater fishes, yet winter severity is often characterized using single climate metrics. These simplified approaches may not capture the cumulative stress experienced by fishes during winter. The Accumulated Winter Season Severity Index (AWSSI) integrates multiple components of winter climate and may therefore provide a more biologically relevant indicator of overwinter survival. In this study, we compared AWSSI with traditional winter severity metrics to explain interannual variation in overwinter survival of juvenile Walleye (Sander vitreus) in Harlan County Reservoir, Nebraska. Model comparisons using Akaike’s Information Criterion (AIC) indicated that …

Awe As Signpost: An Argument For The Consistency Of Lewis’S “Joy” And Psychological Awe, Audrey Hendricks

Senior Honors Theses

C.S. Lewis’s Surprised by Joy details Lewis’s autobiographical apologetic for the existence of God through his experiences of “Joy,” a technical term invented by Lewis. Upon close study, his experiences of Joy contain many similarities to psychological awe. This investigation compares Lewis’s Joy with psychological awe using the Awe Experience Scale (AWE-S) to determine consistency. Lewis’s Joy was found to be consistent with all six criteria of the AWE-S in addition to other recognized psychological characteristics of awe. In addition to qualitative consistency, this review also argues for the teleological consistency of the two concepts, contending for a Christian teleological …

Herbivory Of Phragmites Australis Along A Salinity Gradient In Connecticut Wetlands, Sydney H. Kolz

Honors Scholar Theses

Invasive Phragmites australis (common reed) is widely distributed in New England wetlands, where it often outcompetes native plants and decreases biodiversity throughout the food web. Controlling its invasion is a priority, especially in salt marsh habitat, but current management techniques are inefficient. Leveraging natural processes may improve control strategies, but in order to do so, we must first better understand how abiotic and biotic stressors interact and affect Phragmites. This study focuses on herbivory and salinity, two factors limiting Phragmites’ fitness. I measured soil salinity and quantified the damage of three herbivore guilds (i.e. gall-formers and stem-borers, leaf-chewers, and …