Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Distribution And Reproduction By The Purple Gallinule (Porphyrio Martinica) In Arkansas, C. Renn Tumlison, Terry L. Tumlison, Tamzen T. Bryant

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

The Purple Gallinule (Porphyrio martinica) is a rare bird in Arkansas, and its populations likely have declined due to loss of marshy areas with emergent vegetation. By use of online sources for citizen science combined with a field study, we elucidate the current distribution of this bird in Arkansas, and document characteristics of reproduction and development. Purple Gallinules arrive in Arkansas as early as April and remain to late October. Nesting occurs from early May into July, and nests may represent second broods. Ontogenetic changes in hatchlings are described.

Examining A Fish Community And Its Response To Coastal Restoration In A Dynamic Coastal Estuary, Richard Mahoney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Globally, coastal habitats are experiencing degradation due to the increase of human population growth, development along coastlines, and a constantly changing climate. This threatens the future production of critical ecosystem services such as shoreline stabilization, water filtration, nursery grounds for marine fauna, and many more. To combat these losses, resource managers are actively restoring coastal habitat. Past research suggests restoring habitats has mixed results; numerous factors influence restoration success. This study is among the first to assess the nekton community in the Matanzas River estuary and uses a BACI experimental design to quantify the effect of habitat restoration on the …

Temperate Eurasian Origins Of Hawaiian Chenopodium (Amaranthaceae) Plus Description Of A New Species Endemic To Moloka‘I, Jason T. Cantley, Angela J. Mcdonnell, J Branson, S R. Long, W Garnett, Christopher T. Martine

Faculty Journal Articles

Chenopodium taxa of Hawai‘i are tetraploids distinguished from other members of the circumglobally distributed genus by minute morphological characters. Because of these reasons, the geographic origin of Hawaiian Chenopodium has remained unclear. Across the Hawaiian Archipelago, Chenopodium taxa are morphologically variable and grow in highly disparate xeric habitats, especially in terms of precipitation, temperature, wind, salt spray, and solar irradiation. Habitats include dry subalpine shrublands, sandy beach strand of atolls in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands, dry forests, and precipitously tall sea cliffs of northwestern Moloka‘i. From the Moloka‘i sea cliffs, which are battered by high energy winds, salt spray, and …

The Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary: An Exploration Of Changing The Discourse On Conservation, Arielle Ben-Hur

Pitzer Senior Theses

In 2015, the Northern Chumash Tribal Council submitted a National Marine Sanctuary Nomination to establish the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary– a means by which to ensure the protection of one of the most culturally and biologically diverse coastlines in the world. On October 5, 2015, John Armor of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) responded to the nomination, adding it to the inventory of areas NOAA may consider in the future for national marine sanctuary designation.

In my thesis, I explore how the nomination of the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary acts as a platform from which Traditional …

Is Context Dependency Imperative To Understanding The Impacts Of Invasive Plants?, Brendan B. Haile

Masters Theses

Introduced exotic species have a tendency to become invasive and impact local biological communities. Invasions often impact community attributes such as cover and species richness, but these factors may also regulate patterns of invasion. In such cases, impacts may be dependent on the invasion context. We used data from the Buell-Small Succession Study, a long-term permanent plot study in the piedmont region of New Jersey, to document context dependency in invasion. To do this, we analyzed the factors that affected the colonization and growth of four invasive species, Alliaria petiolata, Lonicera japonica, Microstegium vimineum and Rosa multiflora, as well …

Belowground Characteristics Of Dominant Coastal Dune Grasses And Potential Community-Level Effects On Coastal Erosion, Shannon L. Walker

Theses and Dissertations

Natural dunes arise out of complex relationships between ecological, hydrological, and geological processes and are important for reducing erosion along coastlines. Aboveground structures of coastal dune grasses are known to impact erosional dynamics, and recent studies have shown that belowground structures—such as roots, rhizomes, and belowground stems— may be important in erosional resistance. My objectives were to 1) characterize above- and belowground characteristics of prominent dune grasses and 2) combine these data with functional group abundances and distribution to evaluate community effects on two adjacent locations of distinctive morphology and erosional characteristics and their response to storm disturbance. Whole plant …

The Origin And Evolution Of Flower Characters In Angiosperms With A Case Study On The Genetic Basis Of Zygomorphic Corolla Development In Bee And Hummingbird Pollinated Species Of Schizanthus (Solanaceae), Ghadeer Bukhari

Theses and Dissertations

This Ph.D. dissertation investigates two main projects separated into two chapters, one for each. The first chapter explores the evolution of flowering plants (angiosperms), a macro-scale study. The second project is on a micro-scale that focus on exploring the genes that regulate the similarities and the differences of flower morphology reflecting their different pollination syndromes in two species of Schizanthus (Solanaceae), i.e., S. pinnatus, a bee-pollinated flower, and S. grahamii, a hummingbird- pollinated flower.

In the first chapter, I used floral diagrams to study the origin and the evolution of floral traits in angiosperms, a new set of morphological data …

Dispelling The Mirage Of C4-Driven Drought Tolerance In Poaceae: A Phylogenomic Study, Matthew P. Nissenbaum

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Climate change has been considered a key driver for adaptations in water usage efficiency (WUE) in plants. Perceptions persist that C4 photosynthesis is indicative of some level of WUE. Here, we examined the interaction and evolution of WUE within the grass family, Poaceae, as it pertains to photosynthetic pathway. Unique to this study is the magnitude of taxa sampled, presence of intrageneric sampling, and use of complete plastid genomes (plastomes) for phylogenomic analyses.

310 species were sampled, including 26 with newly sequenced plastomes, which were assembled de novo from next-generation sequencing data. Additional plastomes were downloaded from the National Center …

The Effect Of Neonicotinoid Clothianidin On Ring-Necked Pheasant Survival And Reproduction, Michael Sundall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) are economically important to the state of South Dakota bringing in over one hundred million dollars in revenue each season. The population is known to fluctuate temporally for many reasons, often weather related. Unfortunately, no research has been conducted involving ring-necked pheasants that evaluated the impact or interaction of neonicotinoids on the species. The objective of our study was to gain an understanding of how the neonicotinoid, Clothianidin, affects survival and breeding in pheasants. Our first experiment was to determine if there was a selection bias for seeds treated with neonicotinoids. In this experiment, eight ring-necked …

Epidemiological Investigations Of Bighorn Sheep Respiratory Disease And Implications For Management, Brandi L. Felts

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Infectious respiratory disease has long been identified as the cause of bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) historical declines and extirpations, and Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae (Movi) is the primary pathogen inducing disease and mortality. Population-level effects of pneumonia events range from mild to extirpation. Variable individual response to pathogen exposure emerges from dynamic interactions between competing evolutionary processes within the host and pathogen. Understanding impacts of this evolutionary warfare is essential to assessing long-term impacts of pathogen invasion and developing appropriate countermeasures to protect population health. Freeranging populations are faced with spillover infections from domestic sheep and goats as well as …

Patterns Of Epiphytic Lichen Abundance On Aspen Stands In Proximity To Roads Of Varying Vehicular Traffic, D. Aragon, C. Castillo, J. Moffroid, G. Thomas

Aspen Bibliography

Although present in nearly any wild space with available moisture and on a wide variety of substrates, lichen, and its importance as a bioindicator for an ecosystem, is often overlooked. As air pollution becomes a greater concern for flora, fauna, and even humans, the story told by lichen growth becomes more useful as we try to make sense of the downstream effects of anthropogenic contributions to poor air quality. One such human-driven pollutant is the level of emissions that result from vehicular travel. The Jackson Hole area has experienced a large increase in vehicular traffic in the past five to …

Pando Clone Recovery: Repeat Photos 2014-2019, Mary O'Brien, Marc Coles-Ritchie

Aspen Bibliography

The world's largest known clone of aspen (Populus tremuloides), called the "Pando Clone" is located in the Fishlake National Forest in central Utah. For many decades, significant pressure from ungulate (deer and cattle) browsing has prevented growth of young aspen stems in to trees that would replace the mature trees as they die of natural causes. There has been concern that this impressive 104-acre Pando Clone could be lost altogether due to the excessive browsing of young aspen stems. In 2013, 16 acres of this clone were fenced to exclude all ungulates (deer and cattle) so that recovery …

Evolutionary Ecology Of The Native Johnny Darter (Etheostoma Nigrum) And The Invasive Round Goby (Neogobius Melanostomus): A Genomic Perspective, Abby Joyce Wicks

Wayne State University Dissertations

Round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) is an invasive fish present in all five Great Lakes and is becoming increasingly common in their tributaries. Johnny darter (Etheostoma nigrum) is a native species that often coexists with round goby. Here, I use traditional population genetic methods and genomic tools to explore the evolutionary ecology of these species. First, historic factors are addressed as a source of variation in study populations by characterizing patterns of mitochondrial DNA variation throughout Lower Michigan. Round goby populations were largely homogenous and exhibited no evidence of overarching historical genetic structure, consistent with the recent invasion and rapid expansion …

Molecular Mechanisms Shaping Host Range Of A Vector-Borne Pathogen, Thomas Macgregor Hart

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Vector-borne diseases, such as Lyme disease caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (Bbsl), have narrow host ranges and are apt models to study host-microparasite coevolution. Some species and strains of Lyme borreliae (LB) are specialists, infecting only mammalian or only avian hosts (ex. Borrelia afzelii and B. garinii, respectively), while others are generalists and infect both hosts (ex. B. burgdorferi). Such host tropisms are hypothesized to be partially shaped by the ability of these pathogens evade host immune defenses, such as complement. Complement is a first line host defense against invading pathogens that kills LB in vitro and inhibits spirochete …

A Comparative Spatial And Climate Analysis Of Human Granulocytic Anaplasmosis And Human Babesiosis In New York State (2013-2018), Collin J. O'Connor

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA) and human babesiosis are tick-borne diseases spread by Ixodes scapularis (the blacklegged or deer tick) and are the result of infection with Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Babesia microti, respectively. In New York State (NYS), incidence rates of these diseases increased concordantly until around 2013, when rates of HGA began to increase more rapidly than human babesiosis, and the spatial extent of the diseases diverged. Surveillance data of tick-borne pathogens (2007 to 2018) and reported human cases of HGA (n=4,297) and human babesiosis (n=2,986) (2013 to 2018) from the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) showed a …

Haemoparasite Infection And Immunogenetic Diversity In A Clade Of North American Songbirds, Naima Starkloff

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The persistence of an organism in a particular habitat is mediated by a complex interplay of abiotic and biotic interactions. These interactions become especially complicated for a vector-transmitted parasite as its persistence relies on its ability to colonize both ectothermic and endothermic host organisms. Host factors, rather than environmental factors, have been highlighted as key predictors of the diversity and prevalence of avian haemosporidians (malaria parasites and relatives) globally. The range of a parasite is limited by its host specificity as well as the community of hosts present. In addition, as haemosporidian infections typically have negative fitness consequences on hosts, …

Life History Variation In Migratory Salmonid Populations, Christopher Adams

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Over the last 150 years, many of the native migratory salmonid populations in North America have declined or been extirpated, and their native habitats have been significantly altered. Life history variation within and among migratory fish populations plays an important role in their persistence when faced with changing habitat conditions. One of the most extreme life history events in salmonids is the movement from lotic to lentic habitats, a migration that can span long distances and different habitat types. Understanding the factors affecting migratory life histories expressed by individuals within a population play an important role in dynamics and habitat …

Agri-Combs: Open-Path Dual-Comb Spectroscopy Of Livestock Emissions, D. I. Herman, L. C. Hutcherson, C. Weerasekara Et Al.

School of Natural Resources: Documents and Reviews

No abstract provided.

Sharp‐Tailed Grouse In The Nebraska Sandhills Select Residual Cover Patches For Nest Sites, William L. Vodehnal, Gregory L. Schenbeck, Daniel W, Uresk

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: Staff Research Publications

We evaluated selection and availability of residual cover (dead standing herbage) by sharptailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus) at time of nest‐site selection in an intact and annually grazed grassland. We used radiotelemetry in 1988–1990 to locate 147 nests in the sandhills of Nebraska, USA, and classified 121 as initial nests and 26 as renests. We used visual obstruction readings (VOR) to measure the height and density of residual cover at nests and 373 landscape‐scale transects around leks (trap sites). We excluded 77 nests from vegetation analysis because green herbage or early livestock grazing compromised residual cover measurements. Most females …

Obituary: Thomas Henry Kunz (1938–2020), Allen Kurta, Winifred F. Frick, M. Brock Fenton, Polly Campbell, Gary F. Mccracken, Robert M. Timm, Hugh H. Genoways

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Dr. Thomas Henry Kunz, an internationally recognized expert on the ecology and behavior of bats and Professor at Boston University, passed away on April 13, 2020 in Dedham, Massachusetts, at the age of 81 as the result of complications from COVID-19. “Tom,” to his many friends and colleagues, was born on June 11, 1938 in Independence, Missouri, to William H. and Edna F. (Dornfeld) Kunz. He married Margaret Louise Brown on December 27, 1962 in Faucett, Missouri, Margaret’s hometown. Two children were born to Margaret and Tom—Pamela Kunz (Jeffrey Kwan) and David Kunz (Nicole, née D’Angelo), and five grandchildren.

As …

Geographic Distribution Of Bacillus Thuringiensis Cry1f Toxin Resistance In Western Bean Cutworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Populations In The United States, Brad S. Coates, Craig A. Abel, Katharine A. Swoboda-Bhattarai, Debra E. Palmquist, Débora Goulart Montezano, Sarah N. Zukoff, Yangzhou Wang, Jeffery D. Bradshaw, Christina D. Difonzo, Elson Shields, Kelley J. Tilmon, Thomas Hunt, Julie A. Peterson

West Central Research and Extension Center, North Platte

The western bean cutworm (WBC), Striacosta albicosta (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), can be a severe pest of transgenic corn in the western Plains and Great Lakes regions of North America, including on hybrids expressing the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) Cry1F toxin. The level and geographic distribution of Cry1F resistance are not completely known. Neonate S. albicosta from 10 locations between Nebraska and New York state were subjected to dose–response trypsin-activated native Cry1F toxin overlay bioassays. In 2017, the mean estimated lethal concentration causing 50% larval mortality (LC50) ranged from 15.1 to 18.4 μg Cry1F cm−2, and were not significantly different among locations. In …

Agroecosystems Entomology Lab, Research Summary 2020

West Central Research and Extension Center, North Platte

Contents

Introduction: Agroecosystems Entomology Lab

Project # 1: Chemigation efficacy and spray deposition on corn for the control of western bean cutworm

Project #2: Insecticide application on western bean cutworm eggs and response of predators to treated eggs

Project #3: Investigating the Role of Spiders in Integrated Pest Management for Biological Control of Nebraska Crop Pests

Project #4: Modeling the potential global geographic distribution of Striacosta albicosta using MaxEnt

Project #5: Diversity and abundance of arthropods in industrial hemp fields of Nebraska

Winter Patch Grazing, Patch Burn Grazing, And Bird Communities In Western South Dakota, Jennifer Lutze

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ground nesting bird species are on a considerable decline and research efforts are being made to increase these populations throughout the Great Plains. Ground nesting bird communities found in the Northern Great Plains are driven greatly by varying amounts of cover and area size. Past research implemented patch-burn grazing to increase structural heterogeneity and to increase grassland bird habitat in the tallgrass prairie. While bird populations were very responsive to this management in the Northern Great Plains fire management is viewed negatively, especially for Midwest cattle ranchers. We implemented research to determine if winter-patch grazing on mixed grass prairie could …

The Oceanography And Marine Ecology Of Ningaloo, A World Heritage Area, Mathew A. Vanderklift, Russell C. Babcock, Peter B. Barnes, Anna K. Cresswell, Ming Feng, Michael D. E. Haywood, Thomas H. Holmes, Paul S. Lavery, Richard D. Pillans, Claire B. Smallwood, Damian P. Thomson, Anton D. Tucker, Kelly Waples, Shaun K. Wilson

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The Ningaloo coast of north-western Australia (eastern Indian Ocean) hosts one of the world’s longest and most extensive fringing coral reef systems, along with globally significant abundances of large marine fauna such as whale sharks. These characteristics – which have contributed to its inscription on the World Heritage list – exist because of the unique climatic, geomorphologic and oceanographic conditions. The region is hot and arid, so runoff of water from land is low, facilitating clear water that allows corals to grow close to the shore. The poleward-flowing Leeuwin Current is an important influence, bringing warm water and generally suppressing …

Theoretical Perspectives Of The Baltimore Ecosystem Study: Conceptual Evolution In A Social–Ecological Research Project, Steward T. A. Pickett, Mary L. Cadenasso, Matthew E. Baker, Lawrence E. Band, Christopher G. Boone, Geoffrey L. Buckley, Peter M. Groffman, J. Morgan Grove, Elena G. Irwin, Sujay S. Kaushal, Shannon L. Ladeau, Andrew J. Miller, Charles H. Nilon, Michele Romolini, Emma J. Rosi, Christopher M. Swan, Katalin Szlavecz

Center for Urban Resilience Scholarship

The Earth’s population will become more than 80% urban during this century. This threshold is often regarded as sufficient justification for pursuing urban ecology. However, pursuit has primarily focused on building empirical richness, and urban ecology theory is rarely discussed. The Baltimore Ecosystem Study (BES) has been grounded in theory since its inception and its two decades of data collection have stimulated progress toward comprehensive urban theory. Emerging urban ecology theory integrates biology, physical sciences, social sciences, and urban design, probes interdisciplinary frontiers while being founded on textbook disciplinary theories, and accommodates surprising empirical results. Theoretical growth in urban ecology …

Network Structure Of Vertebrate Scavenger Assemblages At The Global Scale: Drivers And Ecosystem Functioning Implications, Esther Sebastián-González, Zebensui Morales-Reyes, Francisco Botella, Lara Naves-Alegre, Juan M. Pérez-García, Patricia Mateo-Tomás, Pedro P. Olea, Marcos Moleón, Jomar M. Barbosa, Fernando Hiraldo, Eneko Arrondo, José A. Donázar, Ainara Cortés-Avizanda, Nuria Selva, Sergio A. Lambertucci, Aishwarya Bhattacharjee, Alexis L. Brewer, Erin F. Abernethy, Kelsey L. Turner, James C. Beasley, Travis L. Devault, Hannah C. Gerke, Olin E. Rhodes Jr, Andrés Ordiz, Camilla Wikenros, Barbara Zimmermann, Petter Wabakken, Christopher C. Wilmers, Justine A. Smith, Corinne Kendall, Darcy Ogada, Ethan Frehner, Maximilian L. Allen, Heiko U. Wittmer, James R. A. Butler, Johan T. Du Toit, Antoni Margalida, Pilar Oliva-Vidal, David Wilson, Klemen Jerina, Miha Krofel, Rich Kostecke, Richard Inger, Esra Per, Yunus Ayhan, Hasan Ulusoy, Doğanay Vural, Akino Inagaki, Shinsuke Koike, Arockianathan Samson, Paula L. Perrig, Emma Spencer, Thomas M. Newsome, Marco Heurich, José D. Anadón, Evan R. Buechley, José A. Sánchez-Zapata

Publications and Research

The organization of ecological assemblages has important implications for ecosystem functioning, but little is known about how scavenger communities organize at the global scale. Here, we test four hypotheses on the factors affecting the network structure of terrestrial vertebrate scavenger assemblages and its implications on ecosystem functioning. We expect scavenger assemblages to be more nested (i.e. structured): 1) in species-rich and productive regions, as nestedness has been linked to high competition for carrion resources, and 2) regions with low human impact, because the most efficient carrion consumers that promote nestedness are large vertebrate scavengers, which are especially sensitive to human …

Molecular And Phenotypic Diversification Of A Cryptic Group Of Terrestrial Frogs From The Southern Andes Of Ecuador, Veronica Urgiles Penafiel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The Ecuadorean Andes sustains one of the most remarkable frog diversifications. In this region, nearly one in three known species of amphibians belong to the Pristimantis genus, which contains the majority of the direct-developing terrestrial frog species. Although efforts are ongoing to understand the diversity of Pristimantis, large regions of the ecosystems they occupy remain understudied, and speciation and diversity of this genus remains poorly understood. Within this context, an interesting taxon with many unresolved questions regarding patterns and process of diversification is the Pristimantis orestes species complex which is distributed across the Paramo landscape and montane forests in the …

Intraspecific Aggression Towards Common Bottlenose Dolphin Calves, Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Errol Ronje, Sarah Piwetz, Heidi Whitehead, Keith D. Mullin

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Infanticide has been widely documented throughout the animal kingdom, and has generally been viewed as an evolved, or adaptive behavior for the perpetrators. Infanticide motivated by increased sexual access to females with calves, or the elimination of potential genetic competition in the form of calf-directed aggression or infanticide, has been proposed for delphinids including killer whales, Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins, Guiana dolphins, and bottlenose dolphins. However, reports of intraspecific aggression towards bottlenose dolphin calves are relatively infrequent, and accounts of confirmed infanticide are rarer still. Reporting instances of intraspecific calf-directed aggression aids researchers to better understand the socio-behavioral context of these …

Antifungal Defense Molecules From Bacterial Symbionts Of North American Trachymyrmex Ants, Georgia Scherer

CMC Senior Theses

Defensive symbioses, in which microbes provide molecular defenses for an animal host, hold great potential as untapped sources of therapeutically useful antibiotics. Fungus-growing ants use antifungal defenses from bacterial symbionts to suppress pathogenic fungi in their nests. Preliminary chemical investigations of symbiotic bacteria from this large family of ants have uncovered novel antifungal molecules with therapeutic potential, such as dentigerumycin and selvamicin.

In this study, the bacterial symbionts of North American Trachymyrmex fungus-growing ants are investigated for antifungal molecules. Plate-based bioassays using ecologically-relevant fungal pathogens confirmed that these bacteria have antifungal activity. In order to purify and identify the antifungal …

Asian Elephant Rescue, Rehabilitation And Rewilding, Liv Baker, Rebecca Winkler

Animal Sentience

Thailand has fewer than 10,000 elephants left. More of them are living in captivity to serve the tourist industry under grim conditions than are living free in what is left of their wild habitat. Conservation efforts need to be focused on all surviving members of the species, captive and free, but they need to take into account the inextricable entanglement of human and nonhuman animal lives in Thailand today. There is an opportunity for rescuing, rehabilitating and reintroducing captive elephants to the wild with the help of the traditional expertise of a mahout culture that has been elephant-keeping for centuries. …