Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Examining Habitat Selection And Home Range Behavior At Multiple Scales In A Population Of Eastern Box Turtles, (Terrapene C. Carolina), With Notes On Demographic Changes After 17 Years, Brian Anthony Williamson

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The Eastern Box Turtle, Terrapene c. carolina, is a terrestrial species native to the eastern United States. Once considered common, it is currently declining in much of its range due to habitat destruction and disease. To conserve the species, knowledge of Eastern Box Turtle habitat selection and the factors influencing their movement is necessary. Although the home range behavior of the Eastern Box Turtle has been well studied, few studies have quantified habitat selection at the home-range scale. Therefore, I examined home-range selection and within home range habitat selection in a population of Eastern Box Turtles at Hungry Beech Nature …

Filling In The Gaps In Phenology And Life History Of The Cumberland Plateau Salamander (Plethodon Kentucki), Robert C. Bowers

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The Cumberland Plateau Salamander, Plethodon kentucki, is a member of the Plethodon glutinosus complex comprising 16 sibling species, which are best differentiated by range. Few studies have been conducted to gain information on the natural history of P. kentucki. To alleviate this, two sites at Beech Fork State Park in Wayne County, West Virginia were used to study the salamander’s general life history with emphasis on reproduction, phenology, and population size. At each site, three 20m x 20m sample plots were arranged based on viability of the habitat for P. kentucki. Ground searches of all cover objects …

Examining The Influence Of Mating Systems On Testes Size In Salamanders, Howard James Stanton Ii

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Sperm competition theory predicts that relatively larger testes sizes evolve in animals with polygamous mating systems compared to those in monogamous mating systems due to sperm competition. Whereas intensity of sperm competition is the significant predictor of testes sizes in other taxa such as mammals, frogs, birds, insects, and fish, in salamanders the intensity of male-male competition in the transfer of spermatophores to females is predicted to be a critical factor. This is because males have to deposit more spermatophores to secure reproductive pay-off under higher intensity of male-male competition. I hypothesized that salamander species that breed explosively as groups …

Quantitative Reconstruction And Two-Dimensional, Steady Flow Hydrodynamics Of The Plesiosaur Flipper, Mark Cruz Deblois

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Plesiosaurs are a group of extinct marine reptiles that thrived during the Mesozoic Era. They are unique for swimming with two hydrofoil-shaped flippers. Penguins, sea turtles, and cetaceans all have hydrofoil shaped flippers but penguins and sea turtles only use the front pair to produce thrust and cetaceans use their tail flukes. Consequently, the mode of swimming for plesiosaurs has long been debated. However, a quantitative study of the hydrodynamic properties of the flippers, which would constrain inference about their mode of swimming, has not yet been done. The main reason is that the trailing edge of the plesiosaur flipper …

Ontogenetic State Of A Juvenile Polycotylid Plesiosaur (Sauropterygia: Plesiosauria) And Its Implications For Plesiosaur Growth, Christina Joanne Byrd

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Understanding ontogenetic variation in plesiosaurs from the family Polycotylidae can provide insight into the evolutionary history of this group of extinct short-necked marine reptiles from the Cretaceous period. In this study, I analyzed a juvenile polycotylid plesiosaur from the University of Nebraska State Museum (UNSM 55810). UNSM 55810 came from the Pierre Shale (99-65 Ma) of Nebraska and possesses skeletal elements that include a partial skull, nearly complete pectoral and pelvic girdles, and an assortment of paddle elements. Based on several cranial characteristics, this specimen is probably referable to the genus Dolichorhynchops. Previous qualitative studies have included UNSM 55810 but …

Phase Ii Of Tidal Marsh Restoration At Steedman Woods Reserve At York, Maine, David M. Burdick, Chris Peter, Gregg Moore

Jackson Estuarine Laboratory

No abstract provided.

Improved Integrated Vegetation Management Strategies For Indiana Roadsides, Jamie Mariah Herold

Open Access Theses

With over 90,000 miles of road in Indiana, it is important that adjoining vegetation be maintained for safety, road structure maintenance and aesthetics. An understanding of vegetation management tools, the disturbance they cause and the effect of that disturbance on the plant community are important when designing an integrated vegetation management (IVM) program. In this study, I examine multiple components of an IVM plan for the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT), including mowing regimes, selective broadleaf control, plant growth regulators and native species plantings.

The first portion of this study examines the use of herbicide and mowing at six sites …

Using Stable Isotope Analysis Of Zooplankton To Document Trophic And Biogeochemical Changes In The San Francisco Estuary, Steven C. Westbrook, Julien Moderan

STAR Program Research Presentations

Zooplankton represent a vital link between phytoplankton and fish, like the endangered Delta Smelt. Human interferences (nitrates from waste water, flow alteration, invasive species introduction…) have altered the structure of the San Francisco Estuary (SFE) ecosystem. We use stable isotope analysis to improve our knowledge of the planktonic food web in the SFE and gain insights into its evolution over the past decades. We use the ratios of certain isotopes (Nitrogen, Carbon, Sulfur, etc.) in different species of zooplankton to tell us what it is feeding on as well as the trophic level it feeds in. My research focused on …

The Importance Of Female Choice: Evolutionary Perspectives On Constraints, Expressions, And Variations, David Frederick, Tania A. Reynolds, Maryanne L. Fisher

Psychology Faculty Books and Book Chapters

This chapter introduces the reader to some of the influential perspectives on female mate choice in human evolutionary biology, including parental investment theory. We then present two key theories in evolutionary psychology that have been applied to understand variations in women’s mating preferences and choices: sexual strategies theory and strategic pluralism theory. Although the importance of female choice has gained widespread acceptance in the biological sciences, the influence that female choice has on mating systems can be limited by many factors, such as control over mating decisions by parents and men’s control over women’s sexuality. Despite these constraints on female …

Forest Development And Carbon Dynamics After Mountain Pine Beetle Outbreaks, E. Matthew Hansen

The Bark Beetles, Fuels, and Fire Bibliography

Mountain pine beetles periodically infest pine forests in western North America, killing many or most overstory pine stems. The surviving secondary stand structure, along with recruited seedlings, will form the future canopy. Thus, even-aged pine stands become multiaged and multistoried. The species composition of affected stands will depend on the presence of nonpines and outbreak severity, among other factors, and can range from continued dominance by pines to hastened conversion to more shade-tolerant species. The loss of mature host trees results in reductions of ecosystem carbon productivity. The surviving and recruited stems, however, grow more quickly in response to the …

Age Structure Of Moose (Alces Alces) Killed By Gray Wolves (Canis Lupus) In Northeastern Minnesota, 1967–2011, L. David Mech, Michael E. Nelson

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

The ages of 77 adult Moose (Alces alces) killed by gray Wolves (Canis lupus) during the period 1967–2011 in northeastern Minnesota were significantly older than those of a sample of 17 585 Moose killed by hunters in nearby Ontario. Our findings support those of earlier studies of protected Moose populations in national parks that found that gray Wolves tend to kill disproportionately more older Moose.

Nietzsche And Darwin, Babette Babich

Working Papers

Abstract

I argue against the popular view of Nietzsche as Darwinist and I concur with other Nietzsche scholars who have also noted that other authors worked in Nietzsche’s thinking in association with Darwin, not only Spencer and Malthus but also Roux and Haeckel among others which also for Nietzsche included Empedocles and other ancient scientists. Nietzsche offers plain condemnation of Darwin’s views but he is also often associated with Darwin owing to Darwin’s racism and his own vision of rank-order. I conclude with an emphasis on style and Nietzsche’s reading of antiquity to highlight the distinction he sought to make …

Wallace: The Review, And Wallace: The Preview, Charles H. Smith

DLPS Faculty Publications

In this essay commemorating the one hundred year anniversary of his death, Alfred Russel Wallace (1823–1913) is remembered for his main contributions to biogeography, and pointed to as a possible source of inspiration for future work in that field. As one of the science’s “fathers,” Wallace established both methods for study and a long-lived geographical systemization of animal distribution patterns. His efforts, moreover, may yet have the potential to inspire further new studies in the subject.

Sequoiadendron Giganteum (Cupressaceae) At Lake Fulmor, Riverside County, California, Rudolf Schmid, Mena Schmid

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

A GPS census made on 19 June 2012 of the Lake Fulmor area, northwestern San Jacinto Mountains, Riverside County, California, revealed seven trees of the Sierra Nevada endemic Sequoiadendron giganteum (Cupressaceae). The trees occur in a 234-meter-long narrow strip along the northwestern side of the lake. The population appears to be naturalizing. The largest tree (45 cm DBH, about 20 m tall), planted in 1980, is reproductively mature. Its six offspring to the northeast and southwest are 3–5 m tall and do not presently bear cones.

A Further Look At The 1858 Wallace-Darwin Mail Delivery Question, Charles H. Smith

DLPS Faculty Publications

Recent investigations have led to a conclusion that Alfred Russel Wallace probably mailed his ‘Ternate’ paper on natural selection to Darwin a month later than some have thought, thus freeing Darwin from possible accusations of plagiarism. Further examination of the question suggests this conclusion is premature, as the evidence in favor of the later mailing date appears to be shakier than first thought.

Ovarian Cycle Activity Varies With Respect To Age And Social Status In Free-Ranging Elephants In Addo Elephant National Park, South Africa, Elizabeth Freeman, Jordana Meyer, Sarah Putman, Bruce A. Schulte, Janine Brown

Biology Faculty Publications

Free-ranging African elephants live in a fission–fusion society, at the centre of which is the matriarch. Matriarchs are generally older females that guide their families to resources and co-ordinate group defense. While much is known about elephant society, knowledge is generally lacking about how age affects the physiology of wild elephants. Investigation of the ovarian activity of free-ranging elephants could provide insight into the reproductive ageing process, with implications for population management. Faecal samples were collected from 46 individuals ranging in age from 14 to 60 years for a 2-year period, and progestagen metabolite analyses were used to examine relationships …

Size And Age Variation Of Larval Gyrinophilus Porphyriticus Porphyriticus In Sympatry With Salvelinus Fontinalis, Aaron Jacob Semasko

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The Northern Spring Salamander (Gyrinophilus porphyriticus) has a larval stage that could extend up to six years, an anomaly unheard of in other plethodontid salamanders. The size of a larva could be larger than an adult of a younger age. A sympatric species, Salvelinus fontinalis, the native brook trout, negatively alters the individual mass and survival of G. p. porphyriticus larvae. In the absence of trout, the role of G. porphyriticus ascends to top predator in a small stream community. Amphibians specifically have proven their role as stream indicators, a position attributed to their porous skin. I attempted to determine …

Differential Jumping Performance In Newly Metamorphosed Blanchard's Cricket Frogs, Acris Blanchardi (Anura: Hylidae), From Fish- And Invertebrate-Dominated Ponds, Taylor L. Hall, Daniel Saenz, Matthew Kwiatkowski

Faculty Publications

Organisms that adopt phenotypically plastic anti-predator strategies during larval stages may incur fitness costs later in development. These costs are typically difficult to define in many species. The difficulty of identifying ecological trade-offs may result from experimental comparisons that do not adequately mirror naturally occurring predator-prey relatioships. To examine this, we captured 61 newly metamorphosed Acris blanchardi from ponds dominated either by fish or invertebrate predators. These predators are known to induce alternate phenotypic anti-predator responses at the larval stage. We use jumping performance as a measure of post-metamorphic fitness, and compared the morphological traits and jumping ability of frogs …

Examining The Causes Of Rarity For The Odonata Of Illinois, Miranda R. White, Paul V. Switzer

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) play an important role in habitat management and conservation, but our understanding of the causes of commonness versus rarity in this group is limited. In this study we examined the causes of rarity for the Odonata of Illinois. Using S-ratings for conservation status and published habitat classifications for Illinois odonates, we investigated whether habitat type (lotic versus lentic) or habitat specificity (whether they were limited to a specific type of aquatic habitat) was related to commonness. We found that lotic species and habitat specialists were more likely to be rare than lentic and generalist species. More …

Examining The Causes Of Rarity For The Odonata Of Illinois, Miranda White, Paul Switzer

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) play an important role in habitat management and conservation, but our understanding of the causes of commonness versus rarity in this group is limited. In this study we examined the causes of rarity for the Odonata of Illinois. Using S-ratings for conservation status and published habitat classifications for Illinois odonates, we investigated whether habitat type (lotic versus lentic) or habitat specificity (whether they were limited to a specific type of aquatic habitat) was related to commonness. We found that lotic species and habitat specialists were more likely to be rare than lentic and generalist species. More …

Explaining China’S Wildlife Crisis: Cultural Tradition Or Politics Of Development, Peter J. Li

Threatened and Endangered Animal Populations Collection

This chapter is about China’s wildlife crisis. As the following sections attempt to demonstrate, abuse of and assault on wildlife in captivity and in the wild have reached an unprecedented level on the Chinese mainland in the reform era (1978–present). Shocking brutality against wildlife animals has been frequently exposed by Chinese and international media. To readers outside East Asia, they ask if the Chinese are culturally indifferent to animal suffering. Indeed, does the Chinese culture sanction cruelty to animals? Or is it the contemporary politics of economic development that is more directly responsible for the crisis?

Environmental Impacts Of Puppy Mills, The Humane Society Of The United States

PUPPY MILL REPORTS

A puppy mill is “a dog breeding operation in which the health of the dogs is disregarded in order to maintain a low overhead and maximize profits.” Avenson v. Zegart, 577 F. Supp. 958, Dist. Court, Minnesota (1984). State and federal inspection reports reveal that a common method employed to maximize profits includes irresponsible waste management practices that are harmful to the environment. Impacts may be caused by improper disposal of feces, urine and carcasses.

Identification Of The Rainbowfish In Lake Eacham Using Dna Sequencing, Culum Brown, Yagiz Aksoy, Hilal Varinli, Michael Gillings

Veterinary Science and Medicine Collection

The Lake Eacham rainbowfish (Melanotaenia eachamensis) was once thought to be confined to its type locality within the Lake Eacham World Heritage National Park. M. eachamensis disappeared from the lake following the translocation of several species into the lake and the species was pronounced extinct in the wild in 1987. In a 2007 survey we noticed that rainbowfish were present in the lake once again. We used a molecular marker to identify these fish and the likely source population. Analysis of the D-loop region of mitochondrial DNA revealed that the species now present in the lake is Melanotaenia splendida, and …

Assumptions In Animal Cognition Research, Kristin Andrews, Brian Huss

Psychology Collection

No abstract provided.

Rating Harms To Wildlife: A Survey Showing Convergence Between Conservation And Animal Welfare Views, S. Dubois, D. Fraser

Environment and Nature Conservation Collection

Human activities may cause conservation concerns when animal populations or ecosystems are harmed and animal welfare concerns when individuals are harmed. In general, people are concerned with one or the other, as the concepts may be regarded as separate or even at odds. An online purposive survey of 339 British Columbians explored differences between groups that varied by gender, residency, wildlife engagement level and value orientation (conservation-oriented or animal welfare-oriented), to see how they rated the level of harm to wildlife caused by different human activities. Women, urban residents, those with low wildlife engagement, and welfare-orientated participants generally scored activities …

Association Of Spirochetal Infection With Morgellons Disease, Marianne J. Middelveen, Divya Burugu, Akhila Poruri, Jennie Burke, Peter J. Mayne, Eva Sapi, Douglas G. Kahn, Raphael B. Stricker

Biology and Environmental Science Faculty Publications

Morgellons disease (MD) is an emerging multisystem illness characterized by skin lesions with unusual filaments embedded in or projecting from epithelial tissue. Filament formation results from abnormal keratin and collagen expression by epithelial-based keratinocytes and fibroblasts. Recent research comparing MD to bovine digital dermatitis, an animal infectious disease with similar skin features, provided clues that spirochetal infection could play an important role in the human disease as it does in the animal illness. Based on histological staining, immunofluorescent staining, electron microscopic imaging and polymerase chain reaction, we report the detection of Borrelia spirochetes in dermatological tissue of four randomly-selected MD …

Improved Culture Conditions For The Growth And Detection Of Borrelia From Human Serum, Eva Sapi, Namrata Pabbati, Akshita Datar, Ellen M. Davies, Amy Rattelle, Bruce A. Kuo

Biology and Environmental Science Faculty Publications

In this report we present a method to cultivate Borrelia spirochetes from human serum samples with high efficiency. This method incorporates improved sample collection, optimization of culture media and use of matrix protein. The method was first optimized utilizing Borrelia laboratory strains, and later by demonstrating growth of Borrelia from sera from fifty seropositive Lyme disease patients followed by another cohort of 72 Lyme disease patients, all of whom satisfied the strict CDC surveillance case definition for Lyme disease. The procedure resulted in positive cultures in 47% at 6 days and 94% at week 16. Negative controls included 48 cases. …

Dietary Preference Of The Queensnake (Regina Septemvittata), Timothy J. Brust

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The Queensnake (Regina septemvittata) is a small secretive water snake found throughout the eastern United States. Once common, their numbers have declined to the extent that they are now threatened throughout most of their range, largely the result of pollutant-based reduction in prey species. These snakes are assumed to eat molted crayfish exclusively. For some common crayfish species, molting happens only twice a summer during a two- week period. It has not been documented if Queensnakes eat anything besides crayfish on a regular basis. The purpose of this study was to determine the prey preference of Queensnakes with particular focus …

Kalinia, A New North American Genus For A Species Long Misplaced In Eragrostis (Poaceae, Chloridoideae), Hester L. Bell, J. Travis Columbus, Amanda L. Ingram

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Eragrostis obtusiflora (Poaceae, Chloridoideae), a species distributed from the southwestern United States to central Mexico, has long been recognized for exhibiting morphological and anatomical features atypical of Eragrostis. Phylogenetic analyses of nuclear internal transcribed spacer sequences and plastid sequences demonstrate that E. obtusiflora should be excluded from Eragrostis (Eragrostideae) and instead be placed in Cynodonteae, although its position within this tribe was unresolved. Additional data, including anatomical and micromorphological characters, suggest a close relationship with Distichlis. However, differences in spikelet and rhizome characters prevent its inclusion in Distichlis. Therefore, the species is transferred to a newly described …

A New Species Of Linanthus (Polemoniaceae) From San Bernardino County, California, Naomi S. Fraga, Duncan S. Bell

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Linanthus bernardinus is described as new from San Bernardino County, California. It is morphologically similar to L. killipii and L. orcuttii subsp. pacificus but differs from plants of these taxa in height, corolla length, seed morphology, and habitat. Linanthus bernardinus can be found growing in vernally moist areas within Joshua tree woodland, often in shallow depressions, or on gentle slopes, in decomposed granite sand that is surrounded by large granite boulder fields.