Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Effects Of Short-Term Cattle Exclusion On Plant Community Composition: Prairie Dog And Ecological Site Influences, Aaron Field, Kevin Sedivec, John Hendrickson, Patricia Johnson, Benjamin Geaumont, Lan Xu, Roger N. Gates, Ryan Limb

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

On the Ground

• Maintaining cattle and prairie dogs on rangelands is important ecologically, economically, and culturally. However, competition between these species, both actual and perceived, has led to conflict.
• We explored the effects of short-term (2-year) cattle exclusion on plant communities both on and off prairie dog towns and among three common ecological sites.
• Plant communities were different between on-town and off-town plots and among ecological sites but were similar between cattle-excluded and nonexcluded plots.
• Plant community composition did not differ between rangeland targeted for moderate forage utilization and that in which cattle had been excluded for 2 years.

Benefits Of Size Dimorphism And Copulatory Silk Wrapping In The Sexually Cannibalistic Nursery Web Spider, Pisaurina Mira, Alissa G. Anderson, Eileen Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

In sexually cannibalistic animals, male fitness is influenced not only by successful mate acquisition and egg fertilization, but also by avoiding being eaten. In the cannibalistic nursery web spider, Pisaurina mira, the legs of mature males are longer in relation to their body size than those of females, and males use these legs to aid in wrapping a female’s legs with silk prior to and during copulation. We hypothesized that elongated male legs and silk wrapping provide benefits to males, in part through a reduced likelihood of sexual cannibalism. To test this, we paired females of random size with …

The Evolution Of The Viral Rna Sensor Oas1 In Old World Monkeys And Cetartiodactyls, Ian Fish

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Animals produce an array of sensors patrolling the intracellular environment poised to detect and respond to viral infection. The oligoadenylate synthetase family of enzymes comprises a crucial part of this innate immune response, directly signaling endonuclease activity responsible for inhibiting viral replication. Oligoadenylate synthetase 1 plays a vital role in animal susceptibility to pathogens including flaviviruses such as dengue, West Nile, and hepatitis c virus. This thesis includes a population level analysis of OAS1 diversity within macaque and baboon species followed by a broader survey of the gene in nineteen Old World monkeys. My research found that at the species …

When Human-Leopard Conflict Turns Deadly: A Cross-Country Situational Analysis, Julie S. Viollaz

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Habitat destruction and pollution are two of the main causes for the decline of the planet’s biodiversity. Yet environmentalists are now recognizing that illegal wildlife killings, both poaching and retaliatory killings due to human-wildlife conflict, are perhaps the next major threat. Biologists have researched illegal killings and their effect on species conservation, but few researchers have applied criminological principles of crime reduction to them. This research will explore the situational factors that drive retaliatory leopard killings in parts of South Africa, Kenya, and India. These factors, human and environmental, include local expectations from wildlife, sensitivity to environmental issues, communication between …

Biodiversity And You., Garth Woodruff

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Pre-Settlement Vegetation Of Greene, Jersey And Macoupin Counties Along The Prairie/Forest Border In Illinois, Richard B. Brugam Ph.D., Paul D. Kilburn Ph.D., Laura Luecking Ma

SIUE Faculty Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

The US Federal Government established the Public Land Survey (PLS) to survey federal land before sale to settlers in the early 1800’s. We used a Geographic Information System (GIS) and the PLS to explore the relationship among forests, fire frequency, topography, and soils in Greene, Jersey and Macoupin Counties in Illinois. The PLS data was digitized from microfiche copies of the survey in the Lovejoy Library at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The floodplains along the Illinois River supported a fire-intolerant forest of Salix sp., Populus deltoides, Acer spp., and Fraxinus spp. The floodplain is bordered by a line of …

Are We Overestimating The Niche? Removing Marginal Localities Helps Ecological Niche Models Detect Environmental Barriers, Mariano Soley-Guardia, Eliécer E. Gutiérrez, Darla M. Thomas, José Ochoa-G, Marisol Aguilera, Robert P. Anderson

Publications and Research

Correlative ecological niche models (ENMs) estimate species niches using occurrence records and environmental data. These tools are valuable to the field of biogeography, where they are commonly used to infer potential connectivity among populations. However, a recent study showed that when locally relevant environmental data are not available, records from patches of suitable habitat protruding into otherwise unsuitable regions (e.g., gallery forests within dry areas) can lead to overestimations of species niches and their potential distributions. Here, we test whether this issue obfuscates detection of an obvious environmental barrier existing in northern Venezuela – that of the hot and xeric …

Scorpions Of Ethiopia. Part Iv. Genus Uroplectes Peters, 1861(Scorpiones: Buthidae), František Kovařík, Graeme Lowe, David Hoferek, Jana Plíšková, František Šťáhlavský

Euscorpius

All data about the distribution of Uroplectes fischeri (Karsch, 1879) in Ethiopia and Somalia are summarized. U. fischeri is fully illustrated with color photos of habitus and locality. Uroplectoides abyssinicus Lourenço, 1998 is discussed and synonymized with U. fischeri. Genus Uroplectoides Lourenço, 1998 is synonymized with Uroplectes Peters, 1861. Hemispermatophore of U. fischeri was extracted and illustrated for the first time. In addition to morphological analysis we also describe the karyotype of male U. fischeri from Ethiopia (2n=28).

Tiger Salamanders Disappearing In Region, Dennis M. Ferraro

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

"Where have all the salamanders gone?" 'This is a question I have been increasingly asked over the past five to six years from area residents. It seems we are observing a dramatic population decline of the western barred tiger salamander in parts of Southeast Nebraska. The western barred tiger salamander (Ambystoma mavortium) is one of only two salamanders in Nebraska. Over the past two years, none have been found in southeast Nebraska.

Salamanders, like all amphibians, are excellent indicator species. In many cases they act like the iconic canary in the mine shaft, telling us when to run …

Dna Barcoding Indicates Hidden Diversity Of Euscorpius (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae) In Turkey, Victor Fet, Matthew R. Graham, Gergin Blagoev, Ayşegül Karataş, Ahmet Karataş

Euscorpius

The Anatolian fauna of the genus Euscorpius (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae) is in the process of reassessment. Twelve species of this genus are currently recognized for Anatolia, of which seven have been recently described on the basis of morphology. We demonstrate additional cryptic diversity in Anatolian Euscorpius by applying molecular markers (mitochondrial COI and 16S rDNA genes) from 14 populations, of which 13 were morphologically characterized by “em=3,” a phenotypic marker on the pedipalp patella. All studied Anatolian forms are strongly supported as a single clade compared to the European (from the Alps to the Balkans) taxa of the subgenus …

Precipitation Legacy Effects On Dryland Ecosystem Carbon Fluxes: Direction, Magnitude And Biogeochemical Carryovers, Weijun Shen, Darrel Jenerette, Dafeng Hui, Russell L. Scott

Biology Faculty Research

The precipitation legacy effect, defined as the impact of historical precipitation (PPT) on extant ecosystem dynamics, has been recognized as an important driver in shaping the temporal variability of dryland aboveground net primary production (ANPP) and soil respiration. How the PPT legacy influences whole ecosystem-level carbon (C) fluxes has rarely been quantitatively assessed, particularly at longer temporal scales. We parameterized a process-based ecosystem model to a semiarid savanna ecosystem in the southwestern USA, calibrated and evaluated the model performance based on 7 years of eddy-covariance measurements, and conducted two sets of simulation experiments to assess interdecadal and interannual PPT legacy …

Editorial: "Euscorpius" Bicentennial Booklet, Victor Fet

Euscorpius

Names and images of Euscorpius authors. Various images of scorpions from around the world.

A New Species Of The Genus Thaicharmus Kovařík, 1995 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) From Northeast India, Zeeshan A. Mirza, Rajesh V. Sanap, Krushnamegh Kunte

Euscorpius

A new species Thaicharmus guptai sp. nov. is described from the northeast Indian state of Tripura. The new species differs from the known members of the genus in the following set of morphological characters: large size (total length 45.6 mm); trichobothrium d₂ is distal to i₁ on femur; trichobothria est, em and et on the external surface of the patella do not form a straight line. Subaculear tubercle is absent. The movable finger of pedipalp chela has 12 cutting rows of denticles. The movable finger is much longer than the pedipalp patella. Number of pectinal teeth 20/19; pectines …

Pseudouroctonus Peccatum Tate Et Al., 2013, Rediscovered, Richard F. Ayrey

Euscorpius

Shortly after the discovery of Pseudouroctonus peccatum Tate, Riddle, Soleglad et Graham, 2013 (Scorpiones: Vaejovidae) there was a large wildfire in the Spring Mountains of Nevada. At the time the species description was published, it was noted that the only known population of this species may have been extirpated by the fire and subsequent flooding of the type locality habitat (Tate et al. 2013). Today it is certain that the species has survived after the collection of 12 new specimens. Additional data on males are also presented.

Three New Species Of Scorpiops Peters, 1861 (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae: Scorpiopinae) From Pakistan, František Kovařík, Zubair Ahmed

Euscorpius

Three new species of the genus Scorpiops with 17 external trichobothria on the patella and total length of 50–72 mm are described from northern Pakistan and compared with other species of the genus. A key to the species of the genus is provided. In S. pakistanus sp. n. ventral trichobothria on the patella number 9–10, chela manus is wide and short, and pectinal teeth number 6–8. In S. pseudomontanus sp. n. ventral trichobothria on the patella number 14–18, chela manus is narrow and long, and pectinal teeth number 6–9. In S. zubairahmedi sp. n. ventral trichobothria on the patella number …

Two New Chaerilus From Vietnam (Scorpiones, Chaerilidae), With Observations Of Growth And Maturation Of Chaerilus Granulatus Sp. N. And C. Hofereki Kovařík Et Al., 2014, František Kovařík, Graeme Lowe, David Holferek, Martin Forman, Jiří Král

Euscorpius

Chaerilus granulatus sp. n. and C. longimanus sp. n. from Vietnam are described and compared with other species of the genus. Both species are characterized by: median eyes present; movable finger of pedipalp with 7–9 rows of granules; total length of adults under 30 mm; male differing from female in having pedipalp chela much narrower and longer. The two new species are differentiated by: ventral sides of sternite VII are smooth in C. longimanus sp. n. and granulated in C. granulatus sp. n. Adults of both sexes of C. granulatus sp. n. and C. hofereki Kovařík et al., 2014 were …

A New Species Of The Enigmatic Genus Chiromachetes Pocock, 1899 (Scorpiones: Hormuridae) From Western Ghats, India, With A Key To The Genus, Zeeshan A. Mirza, Rajesh V. Sanap, Amod M. Zambre

Euscorpius

A new species of hormurid scorpion is described from the Western Ghats of India. Chiromachetes sahyadriensis sp. nov. differs from other members of this genus in the following set of characters: medium sized scorpions, total length reaching 62.9 mm, carapace flat, three pairs of lateral eyes, manus length/width ratio in males 4.6–4.8 and 3.4 in females, tarsi of leg ventrally with three spinoid setae at the base of tarsi. Dentate margin of pedipalp manus finger with two rows of granules fused at base. Pectines 8–9 in males, 6–8 in females. Lamellar hook positioned distinctly in basal half of hemispermatophore in …

New Analysis Of The Genus Pseudouroctonus With The Description Of Two New Species (Scorpiones: Vaejovidae), Richard F. Ayrey, Michael E. Soleglad

Euscorpius

Two new species of Pseudouroctonus are described from southeastern Arizona, USA, Pseudouroctonus santarita, sp. nov. from the Santa Rita Mountains and P. kremani, sp. nov. from the Santa Catalina Mountains. These new species are closely related to P. apacheanus (Gertsch et Soleglad, 1972). A combination of morphological differences in the hemispermatophore, the mating plug, and several morphometric-based characters are identified as diagnostic. New substructures are identified for the mating plug.

Four New Scorpion Species (Scorpiones: Buthidae) From Amazonian Peru, František Kovařík, Rolando Teruel, Graeme Lowe, Stefan Friedrich

Euscorpius

We describe four new species of buthid scorpions from a single Amazonian locality in Peru, situated at the pre-Andean piedmont: Ananteris ashaninka sp. n., Tityus dillerorum sp. n. (a member of the “melanostictus” species-group), Tityus panguana sp. n. (a member of the “bolivianus” species-group), and Tityus wachteli sp. n. (a member of the “clathratus” species-group). Additional information is given on their taxonomy, distribution, ecology, and reproductive biology, fully complemented with color photos of live and preserved specimens, as well as their habitat.

Review Of The Genus Gint Kovařík Et Al., 2013, With Description Of Two New Species From Somaliland And Somalia (Puntland) (Scorpiones: Buthidae), František Kovařík, Tomáš Mazuch

Euscorpius

We describe herein two new species, Gint dabakalo sp. n. from Somaliland and G. puntlandus sp. n. from Somalia (Puntland) (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Additional information is given on taxonomy and distribution of all four species of genus Gint Kovařík et al., 2013, fully complemented with color photos of live and preserved specimens, as well as their habitats. True male of G. calviceps is documented for first time, and validates original decisions to create separate genus Gint, and to transfer Buthacus calviceps Pocock, 1900, to that genus.

Two New Scorpions From The Puerto Rican Island Of Vieques, Greater Antilles (Scorpiones: Buthidae), Rolando Teruel, Mel J. Rivera, Carlos J. Santos

Euscorpius

Two new scorpion species of the family Buthidae are described herein: Microtityus vieques sp. n. (a member of the subgenus Parvabsonus Armas, 1974) and Tityus alejandroi sp. n. (belonging to the “quisqueyanus” species-group). Both were collected from pitfall traps in the Puerto Rican satellite island of Vieques, in the Greater Antilles, and the former represents the first official record of the occurrence there of the gens Microtityus Kjellesvig-Waering, 1966. As expected, the new species have their closest relatives in Puerto Rico. Fully illustrated descriptions and detailed comparisons are provided. Additionally, two other Puerto Rican species of Tityus currently not assigned …

A New Species Of Euscorpius From Bulgaria And Greece (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae), Gioele Tropea, Victor Fet, Aristeidis Parmakelis, Panayiota Kotsakiozi, Iasmi Stathi

Euscorpius

A new scorpion species, Euscorpius popovi sp. nov., is described from southwestern Bulgaria and northeastern Greece based on morphological and molecular evidence analyses.

Observations On Growth And Maturation Of A Male Alloscorpiops Wongpromi (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae), František Kovařík, Michael E. Soleglad, Graeme Lowe, Jana Plíškova, František Šťáhlavský

Euscorpius

An adult male of Alloscorpiops wongpromi Kovařík et al., 2013 was raised from birth, and its five exuviae (instars 2 through 6) were compared to the resulting adult. This adult was contrasted with the original holotype male specimen, which was determined to be only a subadult after the fifth ecdysis. The hemispermatophore of A. wongpromi is illustrated and described here for the first time. In addition to morphological analysis we also describe the karyotype of Alloscorpiops wongpromi (2n=95). Based on comparative analysis of pectinal tooth counts, it is determined that the holotype of A. troglodytes Lourenço & Pham (2015) represents …

A New Locality Of Mesobuthus Gibbosus (Brullé, 1832) From Montenegro (Scorpiones: Buthidae), Oskar Wiśniewski, Barbara Olech

Euscorpius

A new locality close to northwestern boundary of the geographic range is reported for Mesobuthus gibbosus (Brullé, 1832), from Montenegro, Crmnica Region, near Virpazar (42º13' N 19º06' E).

Occurrence Of A Telson Gland In The Genus Superstitionia Stahnke, 1940 (Scorpiones: Superstitioniidae), Rolando Teruel, Graeme Lowe, Victor Fet, Kelly Anne Daniel

Euscorpius

In this note, we record for the first time the occurrence of a telson gland in the monotypic genus Superstitionia Stahnke 1940 (Scorpiones: Superstitioniidae). The putative gland is marked by an elongated patch of wrinkled cuticle restricted to the dorso-apical surface of the telson vesicle of adult males, and is absent from females and immatures. Similar presumed glandular structures have been observed in a number of other scorpions, including many South American Bothriuridae, and the recently defined vaejovid genera Chihuahuanus González-Santillán et Prendini, 2013 and Maaykuyak González-Santillán et Prendini, 2013.

A Revision Of The Anatolian-Caucasian “Euscorpius Mingrelicus Complex” (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae), Gioele Tropea, Ersen Aydın Yağmur, Victor Fet

Euscorpius

The taxonomic status of the Anatolian-Caucasian subspecies of Euscorpius mingrelicus (Kessler, 1874) is reconsidered. We restrict E. mingrelicus s.str. to Georgia and Turkey, and elevate to species status three of its subspecies: E. phrygius Bonacina, 1980, stat. n., E. uludagensis Lacroix, 1995, stat. n., and E. ciliciensis Birula, 1898, stat. n. We synonymize E. mingrelicus legrandi Lacroix, 1995 with E. phrygius stat. n., and E. m. ollivieri Lacroix, 1995, with E. mingrelicus.

Scorpions Of Ethiopia (Arachnida: Scorpiones). Part Iii. Genus Hottentotta Birula, 1908 (Buthidae), With Description Of Three New Species, František Kovařík, Tomáš Mazuch

Euscorpius

Three new species H. gambelaensis Kovařík, sp. n., H. gibaensis Kovařík, sp. n. and H. novaki Kovařík, sp. n. from Ethiopia are described, compared with other species and fully illustrated with color photos of habitus and localities. Data about the distribution of Hottentotta in Ethiopia including photos of all seven known species and their Ethiopian localities are summarized.

Etudes On Iurids, Ix. Further Analysis Of A Rare Species Protoiurus Kadleci (Scorpiones: Iuridae) From Turkey, Based On Adult Males, Ersen Aydın Yağmur, František Kovařík, Victor Fet, Michael E. Soleglad, Fatih Yeşilyurt

Euscorpius

Additional material of a rare scorpion species Protoiurus kadleci (Kovařík et al., 2010) from Turkey (Antalya Province) was examined, in particular, sexually mature males. New information is presented on the morphometric differences between adult and subadult males of this species, and on the differences between P. kadleci and other species of Protoiurus. An updated diagnosis of P. kadleci is presented, as well as updated key to six species of Protoiurus, and a map showing all known localities.

Etudes On Iurids, Viii. A New Protoiurus Species From The Hıdırellez Cave In Antalya, Turkey (Scorpiones: Iuridae), Ersen Aydın Yağmur, Michael E. Soleglad, Victor Fet, František Kovařík

Euscorpius

A new iurid species, Protoiurus kumlutasi sp. nov. is described from the Hıdırellez Cave, located in the coastal southwestern Antalya Province, Turkey. This species was collected both inside and at the entrance of the cave, and does not exhibit any troglomorphic characteristics. Its closest relative is P. kraepelini, which shares the distinctive shape of pedipalp chela in mature males. The new species can be distinguished from P. kraepelini, however, by its hemispermatophore, which conforms to subtype 1a. Additional hemispermatophores were analyzed from several specimens of P. kraepelini collected in close proximity to its type locality, further endorsing …

A New Species Of Centruroides Marx, 1890 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) From Southern Hispaniola, Greater Antilles, Rolando Teruel, Luis F. De Armas, František Kovařík

Euscorpius

We describe herein a new species of buthid scorpions, Centruroides lucidus sp. n., from southwestern Dominican Republic (Pedernales and Barahona Provinces), in the Greater Antillean island of Hispaniola. It is most similar to Centruroides nitidus (Thorell, 1876) and Centruroides bani Armas & Marcano, 1987 (both of which occur together with it along the same general area), against which a very detailed comparison is provided. The new species is fully illustrated with color photos of habitus, key diagnostic morphological characters, and habitat.