Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

The Trichoptera Of Panama V. Descriptions Of New Species, New Country Records, And A Synonymy, Brian J. Armitage, Steven C. Harris

Insecta Mundi

The Río Chiriqui basin is one of 52 major watershed areas, or cuencas, in the Republic of Panama. It occurs in western Panama, discharges into the Pacific Ocean, and includes portions of Volcán Barú on its northern extent. The Río Caldera occupies the northernmost subbasin of this basin. Two of its tributaries, Que­brada Grande and Quebrada Jaramillo, occur in close proximity and on opposite sides, and have different recent geologic histories and current land use patterns. During the course of investigating the caddisfly fauna of these two drainages, three new species of the microcaddisfly genus Neotrichia Morton (Trichoptera: Hydroptilidae) were …

A New Genus, A New Species, New Combinations, And Notes On Synonymy And Nomenclature In American Desmiphorini (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Lamiinae), Antonio Santos-Silva, James E. Wappes

Insecta Mundi

An early, overlooked description of the genus Atelodesmis (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Lamiinae) is attributed to Chevrolat (in Duponchel and Chevrolat 1841), with A. mannerheimii Duponchel and Chevrolat, 1841 as its type species, and the genus redescribed. Atelodesmis Buquet, 1857, is a junior synonym and primary homonym of Atelodesmis Chevrolat. Atelodesmis hirticornis Buquet, 1857 and A. vestita Buquet, 1857 are synony­mized with A. mannerheimii. Fallaxdesmis is described as a new genus with Atelodesmis unicolor Buquet, 1857 as type species. Atelodesmis piperita Bates, 1855 is transferred to Eupogonius and newly recorded for the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. A new species for Mexico …

First Record Of The Non-Native Pacu, Piaractus Brachypomus, In Lago Petén-Itzá, Guatemala, Central America, Diego J. Elias, Susan F. Mochel, Prosanta Chakrabarty, Caleb D. Mcmahan

Occasional Papers of the Museum of Natural Science, Louisiana State University

We documented the first record of the non-native species Piaractus brachypomus (Characiformes: Serrasalmidae) in Lago Petén-Itzá, Petén, Guatemala. One brined specimen was donated by a local fisherman in San Benito, El Petén. The captured specimen was reportedly collected in the southern basin of the lake. We used the mitochondrial gene cytochrome oxidase I (COI) to validate identity of the specimen. We hypothesize that the local aquarium trade is the most likely source of introduction of the non-native Pacu in Lago Petén-Itzá.

Documentamos el primer registro de la especie no nativa Piaractus brachypomus (Characiformes: Serrasalmidae) en el lago Petén Itzá, Petén, …

Descripción De Dos Especies Nuevas Del Género Aleuropleurocelus Drews Y Sampson, 1956 (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) De México, Vicente Emilio Carapia-Ruiz, Oscar Ángel Sánchez-Flores, Oswaldo García-Martínez, Antonio Castillo-Gutiérrez

Insecta Mundi

Resumen. En este estudio se describen dos nuevas especies de hemípteros del género Aleuropleurocelus (He­miptera: Aleyrodidae): Aleuropleurocelus mexicanus Carapia y Sánchez sp. nov., encontrada en los estados de Coahuila, México, Puebla, Sonora, y Tlaxcala en hojas de Quercus agrifolia Née y Quercus sp., y Aleuropleurocelus anahuac Carapia y Sánchez sp. nov. encontrada en los estados de México, Morelos y Puebla en el envés de hojas de Quercus. Se proporcionan microfotografías de estructuras morfológicas de puparios y se discute la separación con otras especies ovales de Aleuropleurocelus.

Abstract. In this study two new hemipteran species of the genus …

Primer Registro De Raoiella Indica Hirst, 1924 (Acari: Tenuipalpidae) En Guatemala, José Francisco García Ochaeta

Insecta Mundi

Se registra por primera vez el ácaro rojo de las palmas, Raoiella indica Hirst (Acari: Tenuipalpidae), en Guatemala. Este ácaro invasivo se encontró en los departamentos de Petén e Izabal infestando palma de coco (Cocos nucifera), palma de Navidad (Adonidia merrillii) y palmera robeleni (Phoenix roebelenii).

The red palm mite, Raoiella indica Hirst (Acari: Tenuipalpidae), is recorded for the first time in Guatemala. This invasive mite was found in the departments of Petén and Izabal infesting coconut palm (Cocos nucifera Linnaeus), Christmas palm (Adonidia merrillii (Becc.)) and pygmy date palm (Phoenix roebelenii O’Brien).

Is It Possible To Make Environmental Science Relevant To Society At-Large?, Adam Rosenblatt

Showcase of Faculty Scholarly & Creative Activity

Over the last five U.S. presidential election cycles, public concern about environmental issues has seemingly declined while concerns about national security and economic issues have remained steady or increased. These changes in public attitudes have been associated with decreased attention to environmental issues amongst policymakers, a situation that contrasts strongly with the 1970s when public concern about environmental issues was high and environmental legislation was a U.S. federal government priority. “Framing” has been pro-posed as a tool that environmental scientists could use to increase the relevancy of their research to U.S. society at-large, thereby helping to change public attitudes and …

Evaluating The Impact Of An Exotic Plant Invasion On Rodent Community Richness And Abundance, Trinity N. Smith, Eric M. Gese, Bryan M. Kluever

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), Russian thistle (Salsola kali), and tall tumblemustard (Sisymbrium altissimum) are nonnative plants widely distributed throughout the desert and shrubsteppe communities of the western United States. The impact of these invaders on plant community structure, form, and function has been well documented, but investigations determining the impacts of this cumulative invasion on terrestrial vertebrates have not been undertaken. Our objective was to assess community-level rodent responses to changes in plant community features, with an emphasis on dominance of invasive plant species. We sampled rodent and plant communities in the Great Basin Desert …

Crayfish Harvesting Practices In The Southern Atchafalaya River Basin: Quantitative And Qualitative Assessment Of Harvester Techniques And Hydrologic Connectivity Influence On Harvesting Strategies, Ivan A. Vargas-Lopez

LSU Master's Theses

Fisheries produce important impacts around the world through the exploitation of a wide range of species. In Louisiana, crayfish is the most emblematic crustacean and supports a multi-million industry based on pond culture and harvest from natural habitats. Although the economic value (USD) of wild-harvested crayfish has decreased from 10% to 3% of total crayfish value from 2013 to 2015, wild harvested crayfish are highly desired by many consumers and have a strong socio-cultural importance in Louisiana and other Gulf of Mexico coastal regions. This project evaluated harvesting practices by: 1) field observation and mapping of harvest sites in southwestern …

Making Rewilding Fit For Policy, Nathalie Pettorelli, Jos Barlow, Philip A. Stephens, Sarah M. Durant, Ben Connor, Henrike Schulte To Bühne, Christopher J. Sandom, Jonathan Wentworth, Johan T. Du Toit

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

1. Rewilding, here defined as “the reorganisation of biota and ecosystem processes to set an identified social–ecological system on a preferred trajectory, leading to the self‐sustaining provision of ecosystem services with minimal ongoing management,” is increasingly considered as an environmental management option, with potential for enhancing both biodiversity and ecosystem services.
2. Despite burgeoning interest in the concept, there are uncertainties and difficulties associated with the practical implementation of rewilding projects, while the evidence available for facilitating sound decision‐making for rewilding initiatives remains elusive.
3. We identify five key research areas to inform the implementation of future rewilding initiatives: increased understanding of the …

Cover Crops And Fertilization Alter Nitrogen Loss In Organic And Conventional Conservation Agriculture Systems, Rebecca E. Shelton, Krista L. Jacobsen, Rebecca L. Mcculley

Horticulture Faculty Publications

Agroecosystem nitrogen (N) loss produces greenhouse gases, induces eutrophication, and is costly for farmers; therefore, conservation agricultural management practices aimed at reducing N loss are increasingly adopted. However, the ecosystem consequences of these practices have not been well-studied. We quantified N loss via leaching, NH₃ volatilization, N₂O emissions, and N retention in plant and soil pools of corn conservation agroecosystems in Kentucky, USA. Three systems were evaluated: (1) an unfertilized, organic system with cover crops hairy vetch (Vicia villosa), winter wheat (Triticum aestivum), or a mix of the two (bi-culture); (2) an organic …

A Social–Ecological Perspective For Riverscape Management In The Columbia River Basin, Brian K. Hand, Courtney G. Flint, Chris A. Frissell, Clint C. Muhlfeld, Shawn P. Devlin, Brian P. Kennedy, Robert L. Crabtree, W. Arthur Mckee, Gordon Luikart, Jack A. Stanford

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Riverscapes are complex, landscape-scale mosaics of connected river and stream habitats embedded in diverse ecological and socioeconomic settings. Social–ecological interactions among stakeholders often complicate natural-resource conservation and management of riverscapes. The management challenges posed by the conservation and restoration of wild salmonid populations in the Columbia River Basin (CRB) of western North America are one such example. Because of their ecological, cultural, and socioeconomic importance, salmonids present a complex management landscape due to interacting environmental factors (eg climate change, invasive species) as well as socioeconomic and political factors (eg dams, hatcheries, land-use change, transboundary agreements). Many of the problems in …

The Effects Of Tree Plantations And Land Use On Natural Regeneration Of Woody Plants In The Tropics: Diversity, Species Composition, Successional Dynamics, And Functional Traits, John Benjamin Longworth

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

As anthropogenic forests become more common in the tropics, there is a greater need to understand the factors that impact forest succession. I used censuses of woody plants in successional forests to study the effects of prior land use and tree plantations on species composition and richness. First, I tested the hypothesis that communities originating from different land uses were converging in species composition over time. I compared species composition using the Chao-Jaccard similarity index. I observed shifts in the dominant species during the first 30 years of succession, but not convergence of species composition in sites with different land-use …

Erratum To Blahnik And Holzenthal (2017): Revision Of The Northern South American Species Of Mortoniella Ulmer, 1906 (Trichoptera: Glossosomatidae: Protoptilinae), Roger J. Blahnik, Ralph W. Holzenthal

Insecta Mundi

After publication of Blahnik and Holzenthal (2017), it was noticed that a large portion of the text had been accidentally removed from the “Phylogenetic and evolutionary comments” section during the proofing stage. The beginning of the deleted section completes the sentence on line 6 of page 129, which begins “The species included in the subgenus...”. The Insecta Mundi editorial staff apologizes for this oversight. In order to provide context for the deleted excerpt, the entire “Phylogenetic and evolutionary comments” section is reproduced here, with the deleted text reincorporated. Insecta Mundi has also released a revised version of the Blahnik and …

Determining Bioindicators For Coastal Tidal Marsh Health Using The Food Web Of Larvae Of The Greenhead Horse Fly (Tabanus Nigrovittatus), Devika Rajeev Bhalerao

LSU Master's Theses

The greenhead horse fly Tabanus nigrovittatus Macquart is native to coastal marshlands from Texas to Nova Scotia. The larvae are apex invertebrate predators and their development is dependent on the food web in the soil. Surveillance of T. nigrovittatus after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico showed population crashes of adults in the coastal marshes of East Louisiana near places where oil made landfall, but not in West Louisiana where the oil did not reach. Sediment collection in 2011 from West and East Louisiana revealed larval population crashes in the Eastern coastal region. We hypothesized …

Stable Isotope (13c/15n) Data Of Meso- And Bathypelagic Nekton, Northern Gulf Of Mexico, March - September 2011, T. M. Richards, E. E. Gipson

DEEPEND Datasets

These data represent stable isotope values (13C/15N) of eight species of meso- and bathypelagic nekton collected in the northern Gulf of Mexico during spring (22-March to 11-April), summer (23-June to 13-July), and fall (8-September to 27-September) of 2011. The species examined in this study include: Anoplogaster cornuta, Chauliodus sloani, Coccorella atlantica, Gigantura chuni, Gigantura indica, Omosudis lowii, Photostomias guernei, and Stomias affinis. Isotope values are derived from white muscle tissue dissected from 212 individual fish that were collected using large mid-water trawls towed from the surface to depths of either 700 or 1400 m. The samples were collected as part …

Temporal Migration Patterns Between Natal Locations Of Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds (Archilochus Colubris) And Their Gulf Coast Stopover Site, Theodore J. Zenzal Jr., Andrea J. Contina, Jeffrey F. Kelly, Frank R. Moore

Faculty Publications

Background

Autumn latitudinal migrations generally exhibit one of two different temporal migration patterns: type 1 where southern populations migrate south before northern populations, or type 2 where northern populations overtake southern populations en route. The ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) is a species with an expansive breeding range, which allows opportunities to examine variation in the timing of migration. Our objective was to determine a relationship between natal origin of ruby-throated hummingbirds and arrival at a Gulf coast stopover site; and if so, what factors, such as differences in body size across the range as well as the …

Carbon Dioxide Fluxes And Plants Interactions Across The Succession Of A Created Brackish Marsh In Southwestern Louisiana, Andy T. Muench

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine: 1) carbon dioxide (CO₂) fluxes in different plant communities in a created and natural brackish marsh and 2) the role of an early colonizing species, Spartina alterniflora, in facilitating or suppressing a later colonizer and higher marsh species, Spartina patens. CO₂ fluxes were measured in four key successional stages: 1) non-vegetated sediment of a newly created marsh; 2) Spartina alterniflora-dominated areas of a newly created marsh; 3) S. alterniflora-dominated natural marsh; and 4) Spartina patens- dominated natural marsh. Spartina alterniflora-dominated areas were sinks for …

Is There A Link Between Aging And Microbiome Diversity In Exceptional Mammalian Longevity?, Graham M. Hughes, John Leech, Sebastien J. Puechmaille, Jose V. Lopez, Emma C. Teeling

Biology Faculty Articles

A changing microbiome has been linked to biological aging in mice and humans, suggesting a possible role of gut flora in pathogenic aging phenotypes. Many bat species have exceptional longevity given their body size and some can live up to ten times longer than expected with little signs of aging. This study explores the anal microbiome of the exceptionally long-lived Myotis myotis bat, investigating bacterial composition in both adult and juvenile bats to determine if the microbiome changes with age in a wild, long-lived non-model organism, using non-lethal sampling. The anal microbiome was sequenced using metabarcoding in more than 50 …

How The Egg Rolls: A Morphological Analysis Of Egg Shape In The Context Of Displacement Dynamics, Ian R. Hays

Theses and Dissertations

Very little is known about how morphology effects the motion, stability and the resulting viability of avian eggs. The limited research that exists focuses on the pyriform or ‘pointed’ egg shapes found in the Alcidea family. This unusual shell form is thought to suppress displacement and prevents egg loss on the cliffside nesting habitat of the Uria genera. Unfortunately, these studies never isolated or quantify the specific morphological features (elongation, asymmetry and conicality) of these pyriform eggs, which limits their applicability to other taxa and hampers a robust proof of concept. We isolated each feature as a variable, produced models …

Chapter 008 - Tropics, Janice M. Glime

Bryophyte Ecology Volume 4: Habitat and Role

Explore the contents of Bryophyte Ecology, Volume 4, Chapter 8 - Tropics by clicking the links above. For the Contents section of this ebook, as well as Volumes 1 through 5, please visit the Bryophyte Ecology Main Page.

Use CTRL+F to easily search within PDF files.

Ebook sponsored by Michigan Technological University and the International Association of Bryologists.

Survey Results Of White (Carcharodon Carcharias) And Sevengill Sharks (Notorynchus Cepedianus) At Seal Island In False Bay, South Africa Between 2000 And 2018, Chris Fallows, Monique Fallows, Lacey Williams, Neil Hammerschlag

Supplementary Data and Tools

This dataset is associated to the article “Disappearance of white sharks leads to the novel emergence of an allopatric apex predator, the sevengill shark” by Hammerschlag et al. (2018), published in Nature Scientific Reports, DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-37576-6. Specifically, these are the data used to create figures 3,4, and 5 as well as supplementary figures S1, S2, and S3. These data are the results of monitoring between 2000 and 2018 of white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) abundance patterns (N=6,333 shark sightings) and predatory activity (N=8,076 attacks on seals) at Seal Island, a Cape fur seal (Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus) colony in False Bay, …

Nebraska Invasive Plants Field Guide, Nebraska Invasive Species Program

Nebraska Invasive Species Program

Invasive species are plants, animals or pathogens that are non-native to an ecosystem. They cause harm to the economy, environment or human health. They negatively affect native species and ecosystems and interfere with outdoor recreation opportunities. This guide identifies federal and state-listed noxious weeds. Federal noxious weeds are regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture; State noxious weeds are regulated by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Protection, Noxious Weed Program. Aquatic invasive species are listed and regulated by Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

ABSINTH WORMWOOD • AMUR HONEYSUCKLE • AUTUMN OLIVE • BRITTLE NAIAD • CALLERY …

The Effects Of Drought On Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaea In Salt Marshes, Hayley Mcmahon

Biology Honors Papers

Severe droughts are expected to occur with increasing frequency under current climate change models. Droughts conditions lead to changes in the chemistry of salt marsh sediment by raising salinity, decreasing pH, and shifting conditions from anoxic to oxic. These changes have the potential to impact salt marsh microbial communities, including those involved in the nitrogen cycle. Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) carry out the oxidation of ammonia (NH3) to nitrite (NO2−), the first and most rate limiting step of nitrification. I analyzed community composition and abundance of AOA in sediment samples collected from a Connecticut salt marsh during 2016, a severe drought …

Impact Of Severe Drought Conditions On Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacterial Communities In A Connecticut Salt Marsh, Jack Beltz

Biology Honors Papers

Salt marsh ecosystems exist along a boundary between fresh and saline waterways, and their function is regulated by a variety of physical and chemical cycles. Microbial communities hold many important roles as mediators in these cycles, and like other aspects of the ecosystem are sensitive to changes in their environment. Climate change is expected to bring many obstacles for salt marshes around the world, one being periods of sustained drought. In this study we investigate the impact that a severe seasonal drought had on the abundance and community composition of microbes involved in nitrogen cycling, specifically ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB). An …

Modeling Chlorophyll Concentrations On The Ohio River Using Remotely Sensed Data, Thaddaeus Stephen Tuggle

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Traditional direct water quality methodologies limit the ability to spatially and temporally predict algal blooms in lotic systems due to the size and characteristics of large river systems. Algal blooms potentially can be predicted by knowing the spatial and temporal patterns of change in cyanobacteria concentrations at large scales. Remote sensing studies investigating freshwater algal blooms, some known to secrete harmful toxins, are primarily conducted on lentic systems while large lotic systems are greatly ignored. In this study I developed a chlorophyll concentration estimation model for the Ohio River using a satellite remote sensing approach. Ground-truth water quality measures, including …

Using Environmental Dna And Occupancy Modeling To Examine Drivers Of Eastern Hellbender Extirpation And Sampling Method Efficiency In West Virginia, Sean Michael Wineland

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Amphibian population declines and range constrictions are widespread but poorly understood. Effective conservation planning relies on accurate distribution data to develop a fundamental understanding of causal changes in species distributions. However, conventional detection methods for cryptic and elusive amphibians suffer from imperfect detection. Environmental DNA (eDNA) has emerged as an innovative and powerful conservation tool for detecting aquatic species presence; however comparative studies aimed at fully understanding eDNA detection probabilities are lacking. In this study, I used environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling methods and detailed historical records to identify drivers of extirpation and sampling method efficiency for an imperiled, long-lived giant …

Southern Fox Squirrel (Sciurus Niger Niger) Translocation, Occupancy, And Foraging Behaviors, Katelyn Marie Amspacher

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Southern fox squirrels (SFSs) are habitat specialists within the longleaf pine ecosystem of the southeastern US whose populations are declining due to habitat fragmentation. Eastern gray squirrels (EGSs) are generalists found throughout the eastern US that have historically avoided competition with SFSs through habitat-partitioning. The purpose of this study was threefold: 1) use translocation as a conservation tool to establish a population of SFSs on Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island (MCRDPI), South Carolina and monitor survival, home range size, and habitat use post-translocation, 2) estimate SFS density on Spring Island, SC and examine patterns of SFS and EGS occupancy, …

A Characterization Of West Virginia Coyotes (Canis Latrans) Utilizing Skull Morphology, Katharina E. Scholer

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Coyotes (Canis latrans) are now found throughout North and Central America, but before European colonization were restricted to west of the Mississippi. Migration occurred in two major paths to the East; north over the Great Lakes (through Canada) and south below the Great Lakes. The location of these routes is significant because those migrating north interbred with the wolves that reside there. These hybrid animals are larger and behaviorally different from their western counterparts. It is possible to differentiate these hybrids morphologically and genetically. Hybrids are known to be located in Maine, New York, and Pennsylvania, but the interest of …

Freshwater Mussels Of The Greenup Navigational Pool, Ohio River, With A Comparison To Fish Host Communities, Mitchell David Kriege

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The Ohio River was historically a free-flowing system with diverse fish and freshwater mussel communities. Heavy industrialization, erosion from deforestation, and wide scale damming during the early-mid 20th century decimated riverine life. While mussel declines are well documented in the United States, in big river systems, freshwater mussel populations are poorly understudied. This thesis project mapped the mussel communities and site-specific sediments of the Greenup pool in the Ohio River for comparison to 2016 nighttime electrofishing data, provided by ORSANCO. Qualitative SCUBA surveys were performed at 18 randomly selected sites and two fixed sites between July and September. Each site …

Amphibians Among Road-Rut Pools In West Virginia, Abby L. Sinclair

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

As anthropogenic environmental stressors such as urbanization continue to increase, it is necessary to understand their impact on amphibian ecology. Due largely to their biphasic life history amphibians are negatively impacted by the destruction of lotic habitats i.e., wetlands for the creation of roads and urban centers. I examined the effects of three human-made road rut pools on the reproductive success and species richness of amphibians in southwest West Virginia from May to October 2012. I employed three detection techniques: drift fence pitfall trap arrays, funnel traps and dipnet sampling. Additionally, habitat covariates were taken (i.e., water depth) at each …