Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Ecosystem Functional Consequences Of Body Size Variation In An Apex Predator (Ambystoma Jeffersonianum), David Samuel Smith

Online Theses and Dissertations

Biodiversity is often emphasized at the species level where each species is assigned a mean functional trait value. However, populations within a species, and individuals within a population, often exhibit considerable intraspecific functional variation. Therefore, instead of focusing on species’ mean trait values, we must incorporate intraspecific variation when considering species’ ecological roles and conservation values. The primary objective of this study was to determine the effects of variation in body size (a functional trait in many aquatic taxa) in an apex predator on ecosystem functioning. We sought to characterize trophic cascades initiated by larval populations of Ambystoma jeffersonianum that …

Vocalizations Of Adult American Kestrels (Falco Sparverius): Effect Of Breeding Stage, Sex, And Context On Call Use And Characteristics, Mark Winland

Online Theses and Dissertations

American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) are small falcons with a vocal repertoire known to consist of three different vocalizations: whine, chitter, and klee calls. However, the characteristics and contextual use of these calls have not been quantified. To determine the characteristics of these calls and better understand possible functions, I conducted a combined observational and experimental study of American Kestrels in Madison County, Kentucky, from February to July 2013. I observed kestrels and recorded all vocalizations uttered by males and females during different breeding stages and different behavioral contexts. In addition, I conducted playback experiments using the whine, chitter, and klee …

Population Demographics And Active Foraging Behavior Of Copperheads (Agkistrodon Contortrix) At A Recreational Site In Eastern Kentucky, Jocelyn Hendricks

Online Theses and Dissertations

Recreational areas represent a significant source of human-wildlife interaction, which can have an especially negative effect on organisms, like snakes, that are generally perceived as dangerous by the public. Considering the projected increase in recreation rates in the United States, the threat to this already vulnerable group of organisms deserves attention. While habitat factors associated with recreational areas—fragmentation, decreased canopy cover, altered vegetation composition—have been shown to affect snake thermoregulatory behavior and abundance, detailed studies of wild snake behavior are uncommon due to their cryptic nature. The goal of this study was to reduce human-wildlife conflict at a recreational site …

The Use Of Environmental Dna For The Detection Of Palaemonias Ganteri (Hay, 1901), A Federally Endangered Cave Species, Andrew Joseph Stump

Online Theses and Dissertations

Kentucky’s limestone caves and karst water systems are an ecologically important part of its natural heritage and home to many unique subterranean species. In addition to being geologically interesting, it is also home to one, of only three, extant North American atyids: the federally endangered Kentucky Cave Shrimp (Palaemonias ganteri, Hay 1901). However, access for monitoring and management objectives involving this species and other cave inhabitants can be difficult, highly contingent upon environmental conditions, and time consuming with low yields using traditional techniques. Advancements in metabarcoding and Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies provide tools that may allow researchers and managers …

Longevity In Snowshoe Hares, Katrina L. Theisen, Alexander V. Kumar, L. Scott Mills

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

For small mammals subject to predation, individual longevity, or lifespan, is typically unknown. Snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus) are used as the focal species of this study to examine the assumption that small prey species do not typically live past one or two years of age. To test this assumption, we analyzed a 20-year capture-mark-recapture database to first index the lifespan of hares. We analyzed this database to determine which factors increased the odds of longevity in hares. Body condition and capture location were significant in increasing the odds of a hare being long lived, whereas sex of the …

City Limits: Heat Tolerance Is Influenced By Body Size And Hydration State In An Urban Ant Community, Dustin Jerald Johnson

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Cities are rapidly expanding, and global warming is intensified in urban environments due to the urban heat island effect. Therefore, urban animals may be particularly susceptible to warming associated with ongoing climate change. Thus, I used a comparative and manipulative approach to test three related hypotheses about the determinants of heat tolerance or critical thermal maximum (CTmax) in urban ants—specifically, that (1) body size, (2) hydration status, and (3) preferred micro-environments influence CTmax. I further tested a fourth hypothesis that native species are particularly physiologically vulnerable in urban environments. I manipulated water access and determined CTmax for 11 species common …

Brave Spaces: Augmenting Interdisciplinary Stem Education By Using Quantitative Data Explorations To Engage Conversations On Equity And Social Justice, John R. Jungck, Jon Manon

Numeracy

In workshops and courses involving in-service teachers, participating teachers can engage in problem posing and exploration of difficult issues when they are asked to quantitatively model alternative scenarios, statistically analyze complex data, and visualize these data in multiple formats. Subsequent to these activities, discussions of sensitive issues, some even considered taboo in classrooms, can open up “brave spaces” in these teachers’ classrooms. Without coaching through elaborate facilitation strategies, the in-service teachers grappled openly with the nuances of such difficult issues and raised many alternatives involving quantitative reasoning as well as considering biological, cultural, economic, social, and political factors influencing social …

Detecting Balsam Woolly Adelgid Infestations Using Tree Rings, Morgan Lane Leef

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Balsam woolly adelgid (BWA), Adelges piceae(Ratzeburg), is a sap-sucking, exotic invasive insect that arrived in North America from central Europe around 1900. Since then, its range has expanded from New Brunswick, Canada to the southern Appalachian Mountains. It is a threat to all North American true-fir species, but populations can be controlled by cold continental winters. Adelgid feeding leaves noticeable traces on the wood tissue (“rotholz”) and causes a temporary positive radial growth response among affected trees. The purpose of this research was to determine dates of initial outbreaks, balsam fir radial growth change during outbreaks, and the relationship …

Adult Atlantic Sturgeon Population Dynamics In The York River, Virginia, Jason E. Kahn

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Sturgeon first appear in the fossil record in the Triassic Period just over 200 million years ago and are among the most primitive of the bony fishes. Despite their large size and historic presence along the East Coast, Atlantic sturgeon were not targeted for their meat and caviar as a commercial fishery until 1880. By 1905 they had declined to less than one percent of their pre-fishing abundance but the fishery continued. Prior to 1980, there had been very little research on Atlantic sturgeon, primarily limited to documenting landing location and poundage, maximum longevity, or weight of eggs per fish. …

Ecology, Monogamy, And The Evolution Of Animal Families, Jacqueline Rae Dillard

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

Family-living has been recognized as a necessary prerequisite for the evolution of advanced cooperative societies, yet the evolutionary and ecological processes that drive the coupling of different forms of cooperation in family-based societies are still poorly understood. In my dissertation, I investigate the correlated evolution of parental care, monogamy, and cooperative breeding in a variety of family-based taxa. I explore the mating and social behavior of family-living beetles with incipient cooperation to better understand the factors driving these social traits. Specifically, I evaluate different causes of extra-pair mating in socially monogamous beetles, the potential benefits that young adult offspring may …

Intraspecific Variation In Dehydration Tolerance: Insights From The Tropical Plant Marchantia Inflexa, Rose A. Marks

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

Plants are threatened by global change, increasing variability in weather patterns, and associated abiotic stress. Consequently, there is an urgent need to enhance our ability to predict plant community dynamics, shifts in species distributions, and physiological responses to environmental challenges. By building a fundamental understanding of plant stress tolerance, it may be possibly to protect the ecological services, economic industries, and communities that depend on plants. Dehydration tolerance (DhT) is an important mechanism of water stress tolerance with promising translational applications. Here, I take advantage natural variation in DhT to gain a deeper insight into this complex trait. In addition, …

Ecophysiological Determinants Of Sexual Size Dimorphism: Integrating Growth Trajectories, Environmental Conditions, And Metabolic Rates, Marie-Claire Chelini, John P. Delong, Eileen A. Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

Sexual size dimorphism (SSD) often results in dramatic differences in body size between females and males. Despite its ecological importance, little is known about the relationship between developmental, physiological, and energetic mechanisms underlying SSD. We take an integrative approach to understand the relationship between developmental trajectories, metabolism, and environmental conditions resulting in extreme female-biased SSD in the crab spider Mecaphesa celer (Thomisidae). We tested for sexual differences in growth trajectories, as well as in the energetics of growth, hypothesizing that female M. celer have lower metabolic rates than males or higher energy assimilation. We also hypothesized that the environment in …

The Effects Of Management Practices On Grassland Birds: An Introduction To North American Grasslands And The Practices Used To Manage Grasslands And Grassland Birds, Jill A. Shaffer, John P. Delong

Papers in Ornithology

Summary

The Great Plains of North America is defined as the land mass that encompasses the entire central portion of the North American continent that, at the time of European settlement, was an unbroken expanse of primarily herbaceous vegetation. The Great Plains extend from central Saskatchewan and Alberta to central Mexico and from Indiana to the Rocky Mountains. The expanses of herbaceous vegetation are often referred to as native prairie or native grasslands. Native grasslands share the characteristics of a general uniformity in vegetation structure, dominance by grasses and forbs, a near absence of trees and shrubs, annual precipitation ranging …

Distribution Extension Of Aspiculuris Americana Parasite Of Peromyscus Difficilis In Hidalgo, Mexico, Griselda Pulido-Flores, Scott Monks, Jorge Falcón-Ordaz

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

English: As a part of an ongoing project to inventory the helminth parasites of rodents in Mexico, 30 individuals of Aspiculuris americana were collected inhabiting the intestine from three specimens of the rock mouse Peromyscus difficilis, collected from Cerro Xihuingo, Municipality of Tepeapulco, Hidalgo State, Mexico. This species of nematode parasite different species of the genus Peromyscus (P. gossypinus, P. leucopus, P. maniculatus, and P. floridanus) distributed from Yukon Territory in Canada to Florida in the United States of America. This is the first report of Aspiculuris americana in a Mexican endemic rodent, widening …

Taking The Bait: Species Taking Oral Rabies Vaccine Baits Intended For Raccoons, Betsy S. Haley, Are R. Berentsen, Richard M. Engeman

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Raccoon rabies in eastern USA is managed by strategically distributing oral rabies vaccine (ORV) baits. The attractiveness, palativity, density, and non-target species bait take affect ORV effectiveness. We examined raccoon and non-target species differences in investigating/removing fish-meal polymer and coated sachet baits applied to simulate two aerial bait distribution densities. Bait densities of 150 baits/km2 and 75 baits/km2 were evaluated, respectively, in zones expected to have high and low

Racc oon densities. Three primary non-target species visited baits: coyotes, white-tailed deer, and feral swine. The proportion of bait stations visited by raccoons during 1 week observation periods ranged from 50 …

Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles For Bird Harassment On Fish Ponds, Ciera A. Rhoades, Peter J. Allen, D. Tommy King

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The effects of aquaculture decline on piscivorous birds in the Mississippi Delta concern catfish farmers, with possible increases in fish loss and disease transmission. Piscivorous birds quickly habituate to most current methods of harassment (loud noises and visual disturbances) leading to increased depredation and disease. Our study was designed to test the efficacy of using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to effectively control piscivorous birds at fish farms. We hypothesized that a UAV would be more efficient at reducing the number of fish-eating birds on fish ponds than current forms of harassment. We conducted pre-treatment bird surveys, harassment observations, and post-treatment …

The Diversity Of Terrestrial Mammals Surrounding Waterfall At Billy Barquedier National Park, Kelsey Johnson, Jason Apple

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Billy Barquedier is a National Park located in the Stann Creek district of Belize that contains Neotropical vegetation and wildlife. This study was performed to provide a baseline inventory and appearance frequency patterns of the terrestrial mammals located within Zone 1 of the park near a waterfall and to gain a greater understanding of the biodiversity and activity patterns of terrestrial mammals within the park. The methods included camera traps, small Sherman live traps, large live traps, and tracking methods. A non-random sampling method of placing camera traps and live traps on or near human-made or animal-made trails was used …

Nutrient Uptake Among Urban And Non-Urban Streams Within The Piedmont Physiographic Province Of Virginia, Joseph T. Famularo

Theses and Dissertations

To assess how urbanization impacts stream nutrient uptake, a series of instantaneous (i.e. slug) nutrient additions were conducted in 3 urban and 3 non-urban streams during open and closed canopy conditions. Single additions of N, P, and combined additions of N and P were performed at each site. These data were used to test the hypothesis that high N:P concentrations in urban streams would result in P-limited conditions, and to assess differences in nutrient uptake kinetics (i.e., the relationship between uptake and concentration) between urban and non-urban streams. The results show that there were no consistent differences in N vs. …

Geospatial Analysis Of Invasive Plant Species And Their Threats To Ecological Functionality At The Vcu Rice Rivers Center, Erik W. Kellogg

Theses and Dissertations

Invasive plants are a significant threat to native ecosystems and to biodiversity. They are often strong competitors and have multiple techniques to outcompete native plants. Thus, controlling or removing invasive plants facilitates the restoration of native ecosystems. We used GPS technology coupled with field surveying techniques adapted from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to locate and identify invasive plants present within VCU’s Rice Rivers Center. We digitally overlaid a 50-meter x 50-meter grid system over the property. In each grid cell we recorded visual estimations of invasive plant coverage sorted into modified Daubenmire cover classes and used ArcGIS for …

Assessment Of Microbial Carbon Processing And Its Implications To The Carbon Budget Of Lake Superior, Lindsey Michelle Koren

Theses and Dissertations

Over the past few decades, there has been increased research focus on carbon cycling within aquatic systems, especially with the changing global climate. Inland waters play a major role in the global carbon cycle, but the fundamental features remain poorly understood, particularly the large lakes of the world. Our experimental approach assessing the carbon budget of Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake by area, provides spatial and temporal variability that has been previously overlooked but may be critical to our understanding on the biogeochemical processes controlling the lake. Multiple stations were chosen across the lake, both nearshore and offshore, to …

Spatial Genetic Structure And Local Adaptation Within And Among Foxtail Pine (Pinus Balfouriana Subsp. Balfouriana) Populations Located In The Klamath Mountains, California, Rebecca D. Piri

Theses and Dissertations

Foxtail pine (Pinus balfouriana) is a subalpine conifer endemic to California, notably separated into two disjunct subspecies. Previous studies have described the northern subspecies,Pinus balfouriana subsp. balfouriana,as having an uncommonly high level of genetic differentiation and no discernible spatial patterns in phenotypic variation. This study seeks to characterize the spatial genetic structure and patterns of selection of the northern subspecies (Pinus balfouriana subsp. balfouriana) using genome-wide data and to identify the influence of ecology and environment on the unique genetic patterns. I show that genetic differentiation among populations is much less than previously estimated …

Eternal Enemies, Or Incidental Encounters? Structure And Patterns Of Interspecific Killing In Carnivora, Tor G. Bertin

Theses and Dissertations

Lethal interactions between carnivorans (interspecific killing) may influence their population dynamics, behavior, and other important aspects of their ecology. In this study, I expand upon previous research on the broad-scale patterns of interspecific killing in Carnivora (Palomares & Caro 1999, Donadio & Buskirk 2006) with a greatly expanded dataset (inclusion of scat and stomach data and more intensive sampling of the literature), and suggest avenues for future research. While like previous studies, I found a positive effect of relative body size between killer species and killed species on the likelihood of forming a killing interaction, I failed to find evidence …

Influence Of Environmental Features On Spermatophore Placement In Spotted Salamanders (Ambystoma Maculatum), Megan A. Kuechle

Theses and Dissertations

Successful reproduction in salamanders is driven by behavioral, environmental, and temporal interactions among adults. While much of our understanding of salamander mating systems is based upon either courtship behavior of both sexes or aspects of female choice, the decisions made by males regarding where to place spermatophores is much less quantified. In this study, we mapped male spermatophore placement in the spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) with respect to ecological and spatial locations within a vernal pool complex in Charles City County, Virginia. The overall goal was to use the spatial and ecological placement of spermatophores to determine if …

Effects Of Climate Variability: A Long-Term Perspective On Leaf Litter Processing In The Ogeechee River, Jose A. Sanchez

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) predicts a rise in temperatures and changes to precipitation patterns for the 21^st century. These changes are expected to lead to a higher frequency of extreme events such as drought and floods which lead to the alteration of the hydrology, communities, and processes of freshwater ecosystems. Leaf litter decomposition in stream ecosystems is an important component of the energy and nutrient cycle representing a food source for aquatic organisms. This has made it a tool for assessing long term responses to disturbance due to changes in the assemblage of macroinvertebrates that …

Factors Influencing The Movement Of Livestock Guardian Dogs In The Edwards Plateau Of Texas: Implications For Efficacy, Behavior, And Territoriality, John M. Tomeček, Justin T. French, John W. Walker, Nova J. Silvy, Nicholas A. Bromen

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Livestock guardian dog (Canis lupus familiaris; LGD) breeds of domestic dog worldwide provide a degree of control over predation losses. The application of LGDs as a wildlife damage management tool evolved as a cultural practice in the Old World. In the 1970s, this tool emerged in North America. Despite several decades of science and application, gaps still exist in our knowledge regarding applications for LGDs. From February 2016 to November 2017, we deployed global positioning system transmitters on 4 LGDs on a 20-km² ranch in Menard County, Texas, USA operated by Texas A&M AgriLife Research to investigate …

Temporal Trends In Florida Panther Food Habits, Gretchen Caudill, David P. Onorato, Mark W. Cunningham, Danny Caudill, Erin H. Leone, Lisa M. Smith, Deborah Jansen

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Once on the brink of extinction, the Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi) has reoccupied parts of its extirpated range in southern Florida, USA over the past 20 years, which has largely been attributed to genetic restoration efforts initiated in 1995 to combat inbreeding depression and subsequent deleterious traits. Concurrent to the resurgence, an increase in documented livestock depredation events has heightened concern over human– panther conflicts. We examined 312 stomach content, scat, and feces (large intestine contents) samples collected 1989 to 2014 across the endemic range in southern Florida. We compared frequency of occurrence of prey items in …

Nest-Defense Behavior Of Mississippi Kites In Urban And Exurban Areas, Ben R. Skipper, Clint W. Boal

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Mississippi kites (Ictinia mississippiensis) have become an abundant raptor in many urban and exurban areas throughout the Southern Great Plains of the United States. Unfortunately, human–wildlife conflicts have resulted from this juxtaposition of suitable breeding areas for kites and areas that humans frequent, with some kites responding aggressively to humans near nests. To date, there are no data describing the prevalence of aggressive nest defense in the species, making informed management of human and kite conflicts difficult. We assessed and compared the prevalence of aggressive nest-defense by Mississippi kites in an urban area and an exurban area by …

Population Dynamics And Control Of Exotic South African Oryx In The Chihuahuan Desert, South-Central New Mexico, Louis Bender, Patrick Morrow, Mara Weisenberger, Bryce Krueger

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Introductions of exotic species can benefit certain publics but can also have many unanticipated consequences. South African oryx (Oryx gazella gazella) were introduced into the Chihuahuan Desert on White Sands Missile Range (WSMR), New Mexico, USA to alleviate a perceived lack of large mammal hunting opportunities. Because of conflicts with oryx as the population increased, we modeled population growth and determined survival of radio-collared oryx to identify rates of population increase, limiting factors to population growth, and levels of harvest necessary to control population growth. Following introductions in 1969–1977, oryx significantly increased their range and showed a rate …

Cover, Editorial Staff, Journal Information

Human–Wildlife Interactions

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Table Of Contents

Human–Wildlife Interactions

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