Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Range Extension For The Dismal Swamp Southern Bog Lemming, Synaptomys Cooperi Helaletes, In Eastern Virginia, Robert K. Rose

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The distribution of the Dismal Swamp Southern Bog Lemming is extended to include three counties west of the Dismal Swamp in southeastern Virginia, long considered its only location in the state. Evidence of lemmings was detected at 10 of 27 survey sites, and confirmed by trapping at three of five sites, all dominated by herbaceous vegetation.

Comparative Phylogeography Of The Coral Triangle And Implications For Marine Management, Kent E. Carpenter, Paul H. Barber, Eric D. Crandall, Maria Carmen A. Ablan-Lagman, Ambariyanto Ambariyanto, Gusti Ngurah Mahardika, B. Mabel Manjaji-Matsumoto, Marie Antonette Junio-Menez, Mudjekeewis D. Santos, Craig J. Starger, Abdul Hamid A. Toha

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Extreme concentration of marine biodiversity and exploitation of marine resources in the Coral Triangle pose challenges to biogeographers and resource managers. Comparative phylogeography provides a powerful tool to test biogeographic hypotheses evoked to explain species richness in the Coral Triangle. It can also be used to delineate management units for marine resources. After about a decade of phylogeographical studies, patterns for theCoral Triangle are emerging. Broad connectivity in some species support the notion that larvae have maintained gene flow among distant populations for long periods. Other phylogeographic patterns suggest vicariant events resulting from Pleistocene sea level fluctuations, which have, at …

Cultural Botany: Toward A Model Of Transdisciplinary, Embodied, And Poetic Research Into Plants, John C. Ryan

Research outputs 2011

Since the eighteenth century, the study of plants has reflected an increasingly mechanized and technological view of the natural world that divides the humanities and the natual sciences. In broad terms, this article proposes a context for research into flora through an interrogation of existing literature addressing a rapprochement between ways to knowledge. The natureculture dichotomy, and more specifically the plant-to-human sensory disjunction, follows a parallel course of resolution to the schism between objective (technical, scientific, reductionistic, visual) and subjective (emotive, artistic, relational, multi-sensory) forms of knowledge. The foundations of taxonomic botany, as well as the allied fields of environmental …

Structuring Expert Input For A Knowledge-Based Approach To Watershed Condition Assessment For The Northwest Forest Plan, Usa, Sean N. Gordon, Kirsten Gallo

Institute for Sustainable Solutions Publications and Presentations

Assessments of watershed condition for aquatic and riparian species often have to rely on expert opinion because of the complexity of establishing statistical relationships among the many factors involved. Such expert-based assessments can be difficult to document and apply consistently over time and space. We describe and reflect on the process of developing a computer-based decision support application from expert judgments for assessing aquatic and riparian conditions over the 100,000 km2 managed by the US federal government under the Northwest Forest Plan. The decision support system helped structure and document the assessment process and provided consistency and transparency to the …

Egyptian Body Size: A Regional And Worldwide Comparison, Michelle H. Raxter

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Human body size and limb proportions can provide important information about adaptation, population movements, and health disparities. This study investigated changes in body size and limb proportions of adult Egyptians temporally and geographically in relation to climatological, sociopolitical and economic developments. It was predicted that Egyptian groups that experienced more environmental stress would be shorter and exhibit less sexual dimorphism. It was also predicted that Egyptians would be intermediate between higher and lower latitude populations in body form and limb length ratios. The main skeletal sample consisted of 492 males and 528 females, all adults from the Predynastic and Dynastic …

Late Cretaceous Faunal Dynamics In The Western Interior Seaway: The Record From The Red Bird Section, Eastern Wyoming, Joshua Stephen Slattery

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Studies examining bioevents (e.g., mass extinctions, faunal turnovers, diversification events) usually only scrutinize a short interval prior to such events, however, understanding their actual paleobiological implications requires a thorough understanding of the background conditions. The objective of this study is to document the background biodiversity dynamics in a single lithofacies of the Upper Cretaceous Pierre Shale that was deposited in an offshore setting of the Western Interior Seaway (WIS) and to place these changes into an environmental context. To assess the background biodiversity dynamics, the concretionary faunas of the Baculites eliasi through B. clinolobatus biozones of the Pierre Shale in …

Foraminiferal Assemblages On Sediment And Reef Rubble At Conch Reef, Florida Usa, Christy Michelle Stephenson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Benthic foraminiferal assemblages are widely used to interpret responses of the benthic communities to environmental stresses. This study compares epibiotic foraminiferal assemblages, collected from reef rubble, with those from reef sediments. The study site, Conch Reef, is the site of the Aquarius Underwater Habitat research facility and includes protected areas used only for scientific studies. Although a number of studies have enumerated foraminiferal taxa from the Florida reef tract, no projects have focused on the assemblages that occur at Conch Reef.

Sediment and reef rubbles samples were collected via SCUBA from a depth range of 13 to 26 m during …

A Comparison Of Ecological Conditions And Relationships In An Altered Wetland And An Unaltered Wetland, Mark Kiyoshi Hurst

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study is to identify and quantify the hydrologic and ecologic differences between two adjacent sections of Colt Creek; one section unaltered and one section altered by clearing and drainage. These differences were measured by monitoring water levels, groundcover vegetation in each of the two areas, and monitoring numbers and species of birds utilizing the two areas. Surface water levels were measured in three locations: in the historic Colt Creek flow way, in the ditch draining the creek, and in an adjacent wetland strand. In addition, a shallow monitor well in the creek was used to measure …

The Conservation And Ecology Of Carnivorous Plants, David Jennings

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As discussed in Chapter 1, although our understanding of the ecology and evolution of carnivorous plants has greatly improved in recent years, many fundamental questions remain unanswered. Unfortunately, at the present time, many carnivorous plants are increasingly threatened by anthropogenic activities. Indeed, over half of the carnivorous plant species assessed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) are listed as `threatened', but the threats to carnivorous plants have not previously been quantified. In Chapter 2, I quantified the conservation threats to carnivorous plant taxa worldwide by searching peer-reviewed literature, and found data on the threats to 48 …

Can Resource-Use Traits Predict Native Vs. Exotic Plant Success In Carbon Amended Soils?, Robert J. Steers, Jennifer L. Funk, Edith B. Allen

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Productivity in desert ecosystems is primarily limited by water followed by nitrogen availability. In the deserts of southern California, nitrogen additions have increased invasive annual plant abundance. Similar findings from other ecosystems have led to a general acceptance that invasive plants, especially annual grasses, are nitrophilous. Consequently, reductions of soil nitrogen via carbon amendments have been conducted by many researchers in a variety of ecosystems in order to disproportionately lower invasive species abundance, but with mixed success. Recent studies suggest that resource-use traits may predict the efficacy of such resource manipulations; however, this theory remains largely untested. We report findings …

The Response Of Banksia Roots To Change In Water Table Level In A Mediterranean-Type Environment, Caroline Canham

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

For phreatophytic plants to persist in a given habitat they need to maintain a functional connection to the water table, and the capacity for roots to respond to changes in the water table is a key aspect of this. If root growth is limited by season, plants may not be able to grow roots to adjust to changes in the water table at a particular time of the year. The redistribution of roots, particularly the capacity for roots to follow the water table down in summer and autumn months, is vital for phreatophytic plants to maintain a functional connection with …

Taxonomy And Ecology Of The Western Australian Soldier Crab, Mictyris Occidentalis (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Mictyridae), Joyleen Florence Unno

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The taxonomy and autoecology of the Western Australian soldier crab, Mictyris occidentalis Unno, 2008 is presented including a new species description, a comprehensive ichnology, sampling methods, an extensive habitat description and a decadal population dynamics study. Such a wide ranging, holistic study has not been carried out for any mictyrid specious previously. In detail, a taxonomy component compares M. occidentalis with congeners, clearly establishing it as a separate species from M. longicarpus to which it was previously referred, and the issues affecting taxonomic classification in the Mictyris genus in general are discussed. A species identification key is provided for the …

Rodents And Other Vertebrate Invaders In The United States, Michael W. Fall, Michael L. Avery, Tyler A. Campbell, Peter J. Egan, Richard M. Engeman, David Pimentel, William C. Pitt, Stephanie A. Shwiff, Gary W. Witmer

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Contents

Introduction

Assessing impacts of rodents and other vertebrate invaders

Accounts of some important vertebrate invaders
Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus)
Roof rat (Rattus rattus)
Polynesian rat (Rattus exulans)
House mouse (Mus Musculus)
Nutria (Myocastor coypus)
Gambian giant pouched rat (Cricetomys gambianus)
Feral swine (Sus scofa)
Small Indian Mongoose (Herpestes javanicus)
Rock pigeon (Columba livia)
House sparrow (Passer domesticus)
European starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
Monk parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus)
Brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis)
Burmese python (Python …

A Post-Restoration Assessment Of The Fishes And Macroinvertebrates Of Mill Branch, Knox County, Kentucky, With Emphasis On The Blackside Dace (Chrosomus Cumberlandensis), Dwayne Kevin Merrill

Online Theses and Dissertations

The first stream habitat restoration project for the federally threatened blackside dace, Chrosomus cumberlandensis (Starnes and Starnes), was initiated in fall 2005 on Mill Branch, a small headwater stream located in the Upper Cumberland River basin, Knox County, Kentucky. The lower 700 meters of Mill Branch were restored through construction of a new, stable channel with specially designed habitat features for blackside dace. In August 2009, the newly restored channel was connected to the mainstem and the old channel was eliminated. A post-restoration survey was conducted on the fishes (with emphasis on the blackside dace) and benthic macroinvertebrate communities, between …

Population And Conservation Genetics Of Crawfish Frogs, Lithobates Areolatus, At Their Northeastern Range Limits, Schyler O. Nunziata

Online Theses and Dissertations

Crawfish Frogs (Lithobates areolatus) are state endangered in Indiana and Iowa, with populations in decline throughout their range. I studied populations of Crawfish Frogs on local and statewide scales at their northeastern range limits to (1) assess the level of genetic diversity within populations (2) estimate fine-scale genetic structure, and (3) estimate genetic differentiation between populations at the state level. Crawfish Frogs breed in temporary pools and wetlands, and have high breeding-pond fidelity; therefore I predicted to find genetic differences between ponds at small geographic scales. I used 10 microsatellite loci to genotype frogs collected from three primary populations in …

Land Snail Species Diversity And Composition Between Different Forest Disturbance Regimes In Central And Eastern Kentucky Forests, Daniel Douglas

Online Theses and Dissertations

Land snails are cornerstone organisms that contribute to properly functioning ecosystems. However, habitat loss and destruction have led to these organisms being one of the most imperiled groups on the planet. Due to their relatively sedentary nature, land snails can be susceptible to anthropogenic disturbance and habitat fragmentation. Because of this, old-growth forests have the potential for being premiere habitat for these organisms, and snails have the potential to be good indicators of old-growth habitats. This study compared land snail species diversity and community composition in old-growth and second-growth forests in the Inner Bluegrass, Cumberland Plateau, and Pine Mountain ecoregions …

Amphibian Community Similarity Between Natural Ponds And Constructed Ponds Of Multiple Types In Daniel Boone National Forest, Kentucky, Robert Daniel Denton

Online Theses and Dissertations

Amphibians are in a worldwide decline. Among the many causes for amphibian declines, habitat loss and alteration remains one of the most significant. A lack of federal protection for isolated wetlands that provide habitat for unique species has resulted in the loss of breeding habitat and unregulated mitigation practices. Ponds built for mitigation purposes often do not replicate the lost ponds in structure or ecological processes. A lack of general monitoring has produced a void in knowledge of what long-term role constructed ponds play in shaping amphibian communities. My objective was to compare amphibian communities of natural ponds and multiple …

Age, Forest Structure, And Disturbance History Of Five Potential Old-Growth Forests In Eastern Kentucky's Cumberland Plateau, Adrienne Michelle Cooper

Online Theses and Dissertations

The Cumberland Plateau (CP) is an ecoregion of global importance, yet its extent of old- growth forest (OG) is not well known. Due to its rarity and importance, understanding what OG remains is needed to deduce the region's health. This study described five potential OG forests in eastern Kentucky. Sites possessing >5 trees/ha established prior to 1780, and being similar in disturbance history and forest structure to other regional OG were to be considered OG. Shillalah Creek (SC) and Hensley-Pine Mountain (HP) possess no in plot trees established prior to 1780, show evidence of stand-wide disturbance during the 1930's, are …

Characteristics Of Rest Sites Used By Raccoons (Procyon Lotor) In Richmond, Kentucky, Jonathan Ridenour

Online Theses and Dissertations

The raccoon (Procyon lotor) is one of many species that have adapted to living in urban/suburban environments. In this study, radio-tagged raccoons within the city limits of Richmond, KY, were monitored to locate rest sites. A rest site is defined as any site occupied by a raccoon during the non-motile periods of its daily activity cycle. Thirty-three different rest sites were located throughout the spring and summer seasons of 2009-10. With some rest sites being used multiple times for a total of 50.

Of the individual rest sites located, 9, 16, and 8 were located in trees, in …

Gray Wolf (Canis Lupus) Movements And Behavior Around A Kill Site And Implications For Gps Collar Studies, L. David Mech

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

Global Positioning System (GPS) radio-collars are increasingly used to estimate Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) kill rates. In interpreting results from this technology, researchers make various assumptions about wolf behavior around kills, yet no detailed description of this behavior has been published. This article describes the behavior of six wolves in an area of constant daylight during 30 hours, from when the pack killed a Muskox (Ovibos moschatus) calf and yearling on Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada, to when they abandoned the kill remains. Although this is only a single incident, it demonstrates one possible scenario of pack …

Mechanisms For Decisions About The Future, Jeffrey R. Stevens

Jeffrey Stevens Publications

Evolutionary and psychological perspectives on decision making remain largely separate endeavors. The bounded rationality approach integrates these two perspectives by focusing on simple, plausible mechanisms of decision making and the cognitive capacities needed to implement these mechanisms. Decisions about the future provide a class of decisions that lend themselves to a bounded rationality approach. Though many different mechanisms may exist for making decisions about the future, only a subset of these mechanisms actually require a representation of the future. The bounded rationality approach helps focus on the cognitive capacities and decision mechanisms that are necessary for a full understanding of …

Some Laelapine Mites (Acari: Laelapidae) Ectoparasitic On Small Mammals In The Galapagos Islands, Including A New Species Of Gigantolaelaps From Aegialomys Galapagoensis, Donald D. Gettinger, Fernanda Martins-Hatano, Scott Lyell Gardner

Scott L. Gardner Publications

A collection of laelapine mites from small mammals in the Galapagos Islands are identified and their host distributions reviewed. Two species of native rodents, Aegialomys galapagoensis and Nesoryzomys narboroughii, were infested only with species typical of Neotropical oryzomyine rodents; Rattus rattus was infested with Laelaps nuttalli, a host-specific ectoparasite to Old World Rattus. A synopsis of Gigantolaelaps Fonseca is provided and we describe a new laelapine mite, Gigantolaelaps aegialomys n. sp., from the pelage of the rodent A. galapagoensis on Santa Fe Island. The new species has strong morphological affinities with a subgroup of Gigantolaelaps associated …

Geographic Distribution: Osteopilus Septentrionalis (Cuban Treefrog). Usa: Florida: Bradford Co., Linda S. Stevenson, Louis A. Somma

Papers in Herpetology

OSTEOPILUS SEPTENTRIONALIS (Cuban Treefrog). USA: FLORIDA: B IlAI)flOIlD Co.: Starke. 703 South Orange Street (29.940 15"N, 82. 11532S'W; WGS84) . 12 December 2009. Linda S. Sleven son. Verified by Melvin P. Gra.mke. Florida Museum of Natural History. University of Florida. UF 162973. First county record (Meshaka et al. 2004. The Exotic Amphibians and Reptiles of Florida. Krieger Publ. Co., Malabar, Florida; Somma 2009. In Nonindigenous Aq uatic Species. USGS: hI rp: II nas.e r.usgs.gov I q ue ries! FactSheet. asp?specieslD=57). One adult collected from inside a mailbox on wall of a residence. Individ ual O. septentrionalis have been sighted at …

Complex Courtship Displays Facilitate Male Reproductive Success And Plasticity In Signaling Across Variable Environments, Dustin Wilgers, Eileen Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

Effective signal transmission is essential for communication. In environments where signal transmission is highly variable, signalers may utilize complex signals, which incorporate multiple components and modalities, to maintain effective communication. Male Rabidosa rabida wolf spiders produce complex courtship signals, consisting of both visual and seismic components. We test the hypothesis that the complex signaling of R. rabida contributes to male reproductive success in variable signaling environments. We first examine the condition-dependence of foreleg ornamentation (a presumed visual signal) and seismic signal components and find that both may provide potentially redundant information on foraging history. Next, we assessed reproductive success across …

The Degree Of Response To Increased Predation Risk Corresponds To Male Secondary Sexual Traits, Kasey Fowler-Finn, Eileen Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

Secondary sexual traits are expected to reflect a balance between sexual selection and natural selection. We test the hypothesis that plasticity in sexual advertisement behaviors can influence this trade-off, allowing showier traits than expected for a given level of predation risk. Specifically, we tested whether the degree of behavioral plasticity exhibited in response to chemical cues of a co-occurring predatory wolf spider corresponds to courtship rate and the degree of ornamentation in male wolf spiders. Both ornamented (brush-legged) males and non-ornamented males decreased locomotion, decreased their likelihood to court, and increased their time to initiate courtship in response to predator …

Where Have All The Plant Foods Gone? The Search For Refined Dietary Reconstruction From Chinchorro Mummies, Karl J. Reinhard, Sara Le-Roy-Toren, Bernardo Arriaza

Karl Reinhard Publications

The Chinchorro cemeteries of northern Chile are the first graveyards of the Andes (Arriaza 1995, Schiappacasse & Niemeyer 1984). The excavation and analysis of Chinchorro mummies reveals the 'true character of the people'. The burials themselves are optimal for preservation of corpses, burial furniture, and aspects of ceremonies associated with the dead. The analysis of corporeal remains gradually clarifies the details of daily activities and status. Therefore, we feel that a holistic approach to mummy studies provides enormously fruitful paths to understanding the character of the ancient Chinchorro society.

Paleoepidemiology Of Intestinal Parasites And Lice In Pre-Columbian South America, Adauto Araujo, Karl Reinhard, Daniela Leles, Luciana Sianto, Alena M. Iñiguez, Martin Fugassa, Bernardo Arriaza, Nancy Orellana, Luis Fernando Ferreira

Karl Reinhard Publications

Some human parasites originated in prehominid ancestors in Africa. Nematode species, such as Enterobius vermicularis (pinworm), hookworms and Trichuris trichiura are shared by humans and other close phylogenetic primates (Pan and Gorilla), showing that they infected a common ancestor to this group. When humans migrated from Africa to other continents they carried these parasites wherever climate conditions allowed parasite transmission from host to host. Other parasites, however, were acquired throughout human biological and social evolutive history when new territories were occupied. Paleoparasitology data is a valuable source to recover emergence and disappearance of parasite infections through analysis of …

Regulated Commercial Harvest To Manage Overabundant White-Tailed Deer: An Idea To Consider?, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Charles W. Anderson, Timothy R. Van Deelen, David Drake, W. David Walter, Stephen Vantassel, Scott E. Hygnstrom

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Declines in hunter recruitment coupled with dramatic growth in numbers of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) have challenged our ability to manage deer populations through regulated hunting. We review the efficacy of current regulated hunting methods and explain how they are unable to reduce deer numbers sufficiently in some environments. Regulated commercial harvest would provide an additional tool to help state wildlife agencies manage overabundant populations of white-tailed deer. We outline potential means to govern regulated commercial deer harvest and explain how it is compatible with the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. We identified several benefits, including reduced …

Conservation Status Of Marine Biodiversity In Oceania: An Analysis Of Marine Species On The Iucn Red List Of Threatened Species, Beth A. Polidoro, Cristiane T. Elfes, Jonnell C. Sanciangco, Helen Pippard, Kent E. Carpenter

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Given the economic and cultural dependence on the marine environment in Oceania and a rapidly expanding human population, many marine species populations are in decline and may be vulnerable to extinction from a number of local and regional threats. IUCN Red List assessments, a widely used system for quantifying threats to species and assessing species extinction risk, have been completed for 1190 marine species in Oceania to date, including all known species of corals, mangroves, seagrasses, sea snakes, marine mammals, sea birds, sea turtles, sharks, and rays present in Oceania, plus all species in five important perciformfish groups. Many of …

Variation, Systematics, And Relationships Of The Leptodactylus BolivianusComplex (Amphibia: Anura: Leptodactylidae), W. R. Heyer, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

A cluster of morphologically similar frogs of the genus Leptodactylus having a pair of distinct dorsolateral folds on the dorsum and well-developed lateral fringes on the toes has never been systematically evaluated by examining materials from throughout its geographic range. The species involved are herein referred to as members of the Leptodactylus bolivianus complex. There have been three names proposed for members of this complex: Leptodactylus bolivianus Boulenger, 1898; Leptodactylus insularum Barbour, 1906; and Leptodactylus romani Melin, 1941. The collective range for the L. bolivianus complex is from Costa Rica southward through Panama, extending across northern South America (east of …