Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Fitness Of Interspecific Hybrids In The Genus Cyprinella: An Evaluation Of Swimming Performance In Stream Fishes, Jessica K. Wilks, Gregory J. Glotzbecker, Gary D. Grossman, Michael J. Blum

Graduate Research Showcase

As the result of anthropogenic disturbance, freshwater ecosystems are rapidly being destroyed worldwide. Accordingly, such impacts are also resulting in the loss of aquatic biodiversity. Specifically, the introduction of non-native aquatic species is becoming an increasing concern. Historically, many non-native freshwater fish introductions have been the result of commercial baitfish aquaculture and private aquarium release. Cyprinella lutrensis (the red shiner) is endemic to much of the central U.S., and its natural range does not extent east of the Mississippi River. Since the 1950’s, red shiner have been cultivated and transported across the globe as both bait and aquarium fish. During …

Monitoring Lake Sinclair, Margaret Blackledge

Graduate Research Showcase

Algae, a polyphyletic group of aquatic primary producers, play a great part in earth’s biosphere. They produce half of the world’s oxygen and are major contributors to aquatic biodiversity. When conditions are favorable to a species, algae will bloom. Some algal species will produce algal toxins during a bloom as a potential mechanism to concentrate carbon. Due to the integral part they play in aquatic food webs, nutrient cycling and the potential for harmful algal blooms, algal communities are monitored to determine the health and safety of aquatic environments. Lake Sinclair in middle Georgia is a good model where in …

Choices On Sampling, Sequencing, And Analyzing Dna Influence The Estimation Of Community Composition Of Plant Fungal Symbionts, Jonathan A. Cale, Natalie Scott, Gregory J. Pec, Simon M. Landhäusser, Justine Karst

Publications: Biology

Plant root symbionts, namely mycorrhizal fungi, can be characterized using a variety of methods, but most of these rely on DNA. While Sanger sequencing still fulfills particular research objectives, next‐generation sequencing currently dominates the f ield, thus understanding how the two methods differ is important for identifying both opportunities and limitations to characterizing fungal communities. In addition to testing sequencing methods, we also examined how roots and soils may yield different fungal communities and how disturbance may affect those differences. We sequenced DNA from ectomycorrhizal fungi colonizing roots of Pinus banksiana and found that operational taxonomic unit richness was higher, …

The Ecological Resilience Of A Tropical Montane Pine Forest To Droughts, Fire, And Hurricane Disturbance, Daniel Erland Brugger Swann

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Owing to the geographic isolation and unique climatic conditions which occur in tropical montane forests (TMFs), these systems are highly sensitive to changes in both climate and disturbance. Therefore, as ongoing climate change alters disturbance regimes – potentially facilitating multiple disturbance interactions much greater than that of isolated disturbances – TMFs may be shifted to alternate stable states. However, study of TMF resilience is essentially unknown given the lack of long-term studies in these systems. We address the resiliency of the tropical montane pine forests of the Cordillera Central, Dominican Republic using long-term climate records, remeasured vegetation data, and reconstructed …

Understanding Patterns And Functional Impacts Of An Invasive Tree And Its Biological Control In A Riparian System, Annie L. Henry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Invasive species have become an inextricable part of the landscape, particularly in riparian plant communities, and removal is often a key component of restoration programs. Biological control (biocontrol) is a method of removal that is often both efficient and effective. However, the impact of biocontrol on target species and indirect effects from invasive species removal can be hard to predict. While monitoring the impact of invasive species removal usually involves some species-based assessment such as changes in diversity, historically dominant species or native species, these strategies do not typically provide insight into the mechanisms underlying plant community response to removal. …

Scalability And Performance Tradeoffs In Quantifying Relationships Between Elevation And Tidal Wetland Plant Communities, James R. Holmquist, Lisa Schile-Beers, Kevin Buffington, Meng Lu, Thomas J. Mozdzer, Jefferson Riera, Donald E. Weller, Meghan Williams, J Patrick Megonigal

Biology Faculty Research and Scholarship

Elevation is a major driver of plant ecology and sediment dynamics in tidal wetlands, so accurate and precise spatial data are essential for assessing wetland vulnerability to sea-level rise and making forecasts. We performed survey-grade elevation and vegetation surveys of the Global Change Research Wetland, a brackish microtidal wetland in the Chesapeake Bay estuary, Maryland (USA), to both intercompare unbiased digital elevation model (DEM) creation techniques and to describe niche partitioning of several common tidal wetland plant species. We identified a tradeoff between scalability and performance in creating unbiased DEMs, with more data-intensive methods such as kriging performing better than …

Addressing Bias In Faculty Retention, Sparkle L. Malone, Sydne Record

Biology Faculty Research and Scholarship

The field of ecology in the United States is not fully harnessing the diverse perspectives of the American population. Two major limitations to advancing diversity and inclusion include insufficient awareness of biased attitudes and the lack of large-scale faculty engagement in diversity and inclusion programs. Academic institutions must recognize and value individuals that participate in diversity and inclusion programs. Valuing this work will motivate all ecologists to accept the responsibility for these efforts and not simply assume that the few minorities in their field can do this work.

Analysis Of Methods To Measure Heart Rate In Mytilus Edulis, Kristin Pinho

Student Research Poster Presentations 2021

Non-invasive research will be performed to limit the additional stress from equipment and focus on the harmful effects that polluted run-off water has on mussels’ heart rates. The chemical that will be introduced to the laboratory environment will be weed killer. This research will simulate how water pollution affects different aquatic species and how that ultimately leads to environmental changes, while evaluating the most effective methods to conduct this research.

Identification And Functional Analysis Of Thadh1 And Thadh4 Genes Involved In Tolerance To Waterlogging Stress In Taxodium Hybrid ‘Zhongshanshan 406’, Lei Xuan, Jianfeng Hua, Fan Zhang, Zhiquan Wang, Xiaoxiao Pei, Ying Yang, Yunlong Yin, David Creech

Faculty Publications

The Taxodium hybrid ‘Zhongshanshan 406’ (T. hybrid ‘Zhongshanshan 406’) [Taxodium mucronatum Tenore × Taxodium distichum (L.). Rich] has an outstanding advantage in flooding tolerance and thus has been widely used in wetland afforestation in China. Alcohol dehydrogenase genes (ADHs) played key roles in ethanol metabolism to maintain energy supply for plants in low-oxygen conditions. Two ADH genes were isolated and characterized—ThADH1 and ThADH4 (GenBank ID: AWL83216 and AWL83217—basing on the transcriptome data of T. hybrid ‘Zhongshanshan 406’ grown under waterlogging stress. Then the functions of these two genes were investigated through transient expression and overexpression. The results showed that the …

Tree-Ring Based Reconstruction Of Historical Fire In An Endangered Ecosystem In The Florida Keys, Lauren A. Stachowiak, Maegen L. Rochner, Elizabeth A. Schneider, Grant L. Harley, Savannah A. Collins-Key, Hunter A. Bonawitz

SHU Faculty Publications

Big Pine Key, Florida, is home to one of Earth’s largest swaths of the critically-endangered dry forests. Known as pine rocklands, this fire-adapted ecosystem must experience regular fire to persist and remain healthy. Pine rocklands are composed of a sole canopy species: the South Florida slash pine (Pinus elliottii var. densa), along with a dense understory of various woody and herbaceous species, and minimal surface moisture and soil development. Slash pine record wildfire activity of the surrounding area via fire scars preserved within the annual tree rings formed by the species. Our study used dendrochronology to investigate the fire history …

Precise Multispecies Agricultural Gas Flux Determined Using Broadband Open-Path Dual-Comb Spectroscopy, D. I. Herman, C. Weerasekara Et Al.

School of Natural Resources: Documents and Reviews

No abstract provided.

Assessing Pace-Of-Life: Comparing Metabolism And Behavior In Tarantulas, Haley Vanscoyoc

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Pace-of-Life Syndrome (PoLS) links physiology, behavior, and life history to understand how an organism lives and is under-researched in many invertebrate groups. In this study I used five tarantula species to assess if they follow the predictions of PoLS. I compared individual species as well as Old- and New-World lineages and solitary and sub-social species. I predicted that Old- World and sub-social species would have higher resting metabolic rates (RMRs) and activity levels compared to New-World and solitary species. RMRs were measured using an open-flow respirometry system, and a classic open-arena test was used to assess activity level. Spearman’s correlation …

Acoustic Communication In The Atlantic Mudskipper, Periopthalmus Barbarus, Seth Hoffman

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Mudskippers are intertidal fishes that can survive both in and out of the water. They are territorial and exhibit behaviors to attract mates and defend against competitors. Recently, it has been shown that vibrations are produced and transmitted through the mud during such displays in one species, Periophthalmodon septemradiatus. To see if similar vibrations are produced in other species of mudskippers, I recorded the behavioral interactions of pairs of the mudskipper Periophthalmus barbarus via digital video and acoustic signals via accelerometer. Comparative analysis of fish mass, sex, contest length, and contest outcome coupled with acoustic characteristics within dyadic pairings …

A Comparison Of Bee Abundance And Species Richness In Three Managed Grassland Types, Emily Russ

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Bees are threatened by environmental changes, pathogens, and pesticides (Pettis, 2012, Meeus et al., 2018). The goal of the study is to compare and evaluate the bee abundance and species richness in three different field types. My hypothesis is that bees would favor the fields planted for their benefit, and that the tall grass dominated plantings would be preferred over mowed fescue. My findings have low power considering few replicates and the use of relative abundance and relative species richness for statistical analyses. Bee abundance and species richness had an overall positive relationship of varying degrees across habitat types. Relative …

Bryophyte Ecology, Janice M. Glime

Open Access Books

Bryophyte Ecology is an ebook comprised of 5 volumes written by Janice Glime, Professor Emerita of Biological Sciences at Michigan Technological University. Chapter coauthors include Irene Bisang, S. Robbert Gradstein, J. Lissner, W. J. Boelema, and D. H. Wagner.

This book is written in the hope that it is useful to a broad audience, from children to seasoned professionals. Its citations help the scientist find further information. The images help the beginner to understand. Its aim is to broaden the group of people who appreciate and understand the roles that bryophytes play in our world.

For videos that accompany the …

Green Team – Ecological Restoration Of Plaster Creek, Jia Luchs, Caleb Mathai, Rachel Warners, David Warners, Deanna Geelhoed

Summer Research

Plaster Creek, though its watershed is home to many potential stewards in Grand Rapids, is the most polluted creek in West Michigan. The Green Team, a branch of Plaster Creek Stewards, is a group of students that work during the summer with a focus on research, education, and working directly to restore Plaster Creek. The team works toward this goal through urban green infrastructure, utilizing native plants to manage stormwater. Two Calvin students, Caleb Mathai and Jia Luchs, one high school intern, Ben Zwart, and twelve high school students living in the Plaster Creek watershed were hired by PCS this …

Crippling Rapid Evolution Of Metastasis And Drug Resistance In A549 Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cells With The Clinically Relevant Hsp90 Inhibitor Auy922, Nickolas Anthony Bacon

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The ability for species to evolve new features in response to changing circumstances in order to survive and propagate is a ubiquitous observation on both the macroscopic and microscopic levels of living systems. It should be no surprise, then, that diseases such as cancer utilize their own forms of adaptation to perpetuate themselves when exposed to external threats. Indeed, concepts drawn from Darwinian evolution are now widely accepted to help explain certain aspects of carcinogenesis and malignant progression, the sum of which have come to be known as the theory of tumor evolution. Since metastasis and drug resistance are features …

“Runoff” With Calculations From The Curb, Evan Hsu, Julie Wildschut, Robert Hoeksema

Summer Research

Objectives

• Re-design a one page calculator system with a user manual and database system on Excel
• Research and update old values that the equations use (rainfall and soil porosities for example).

Stormwater Capture Via Green Infrastructure In The Plaster Creek Watershed, Josian Aardema, Dat Cao, Saul Miranda, Jose Munoz, Daniel Kim, Simon Kok, Delaney Sall, Deanna Geelhoed, David Warners

Summer Research

Calvin University’s campus is located within the Plaster Creek watershed, an area of land that extends from Caledonia to the Grand River near downtown Grand Rapids. All of the water within this region drains into Plaster Creek, which, after many years of neglect and mistreatment, has become one of the most polluted waterways in West Michigan. Plaster Creek Stewards (PCS) aims to restore the local watershed by means of education, research and “on the ground” restoration. The focus of their restoration work is to reduce stormwater runoff containing high amounts of sediment, chemicals, and other pollutants. A variety of green …

Stormwater Capture Via Green Infrastructure In The Plaster Creek Watershed, Brett Barents, Kiara Bromley, Haley Weesies, Deanna Geelhoed, David Warners

Summer Research

Calvin University’s campus is located within the Plaster Creek watershed, an area of land that extends from Caledonia to the Grand River near downtown Grand Rapids. All of the water within this region drains into Plaster Creek, which, after many years of neglect and mistreatment, has become one of the most polluted waterways in West Michigan. Plaster Creek Stewards (PCS) aims to restore the local watershed by means of education, research and “on the ground” restoration. The focus of their restoration work is to reduce stormwater runoff containing high amounts of sediment, chemicals, and other pollutants. A variety of green …

Dog And Owner Characteristics Predict Training Success, Jeffrey R. Stevens, London M. Wolff, Megan Bosworth, Jill Morstad

Jeffrey Stevens Publications

Teaching owners how to train their dogs is an important part of maintaining the health and safety of dogs and people. Yet we do not know what behavioral characteristics of dogs and their owners are relevant to dog training or if owner cognitive abilities play a role in training success. The aim of this study is to determine which characteristics of both dogs and owners predict success in completing the American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen training program. Before the first session of a dog training course, owners completed surveys evaluating the behavior and cognition of their dog and themselves. …

Are Capuchin Monkeys (Sapajus Spp.) Sensitive To Lost Opportunities? The Role Of Opportunity Costs In Intertemporal Choice, Elsa Addessi, Valeria Tierno, Valentina Focaroli, Federica Rossi, Serena Gastaldi, Francesca De Petrillo, Fabio Paglieri, Jeffrey R. Stevens

Jeffrey Stevens Publications

Principles of economics predict that the costs associated with obtaining rewards can influence choice. When individuals face choices between a smaller, immediate option and a larger, later option, they often experience opportunity costs associated with waiting for delayed rewards because they must forego the opportunity to make other choices. We evaluated how reducing opportunity costs affects delay tolerance in capuchin monkeys. After choosing the larger option, in the High cost condition, subjects had to wait for the delay to expire, whereas in the Low cost different and Low cost same conditions, they could perform a new choice during the delay. …

Comparing The Condition Of Deformed And Non-Deformed Walleyes In Long Lake, Mn, Clayton Beck

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Walleye Sander vitreus is a popular game fish in Minnesota. Walleye’s have become such a popular game fish for anglers that it has led agencies to raise Walleye in rearing ponds. Farm raised fish can show deformities due to environmental, genetic, nutritional, infectious, and toxic factors. Due to this phenomenon, the purpose of this study was to determine if the condition of the Walleye differed between those with and without deformities in Long Lake, MN. Angling was the method of capture during the months of September 2020 through July 2021. There was no evidence to suggest condition differed between non-deformed …

Impact Of Maize Hybrid Selection On Water Productivity Under Deficit Irrigation In Semiarid Western Nebraska, Strahinja Stepanovic, Daran Rudnick, Greg R. Kruger

West Central Research and Extension Center, North Platte

The future economic and agricultural sustainability of semiarid western Nebraska will largely depend on more efficient utilization of the declining groundwater resources. The scope of this research was to evaluate the maize hybrid yield, water productivity (WP; i.e. grain yield produced per unit of water consumed), and irrigation water productivity (IWP; i.e. increase in grain yield per unit of irrigation water applied) across a range of semiarid climatic conditions (i.e. drought, normal, and wet) and irrigation treatments. Total of 13 maize hybrids were evaluated under full irrigation (FI), deficit irrigation (DI, receiving ~50% less irrigation water than FI), and dryland …

Using Audio Recording Devices And Multiseason Occupancy Modelling To Evaluate Clark's Nutcracker (Nucifraga Columbiana) Occurrence In Whitebark Pine Habitats Of Washington's Cascade Mountains, Lauren Taracka

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The Clark’s nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana) and whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis), both native to the harsh subalpine habitats of Washington’s Cascade Mountains, are being negatively impacted by white pine blister rust (Cronartium ribicola), the mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae), and climate change. As temperatures continue to warm, while many species at lower elevations can move upward in elevation to suit their temperature needs, subalpine species do not have that option. Whitebark pine is a keystone tree species - numerous animals consume its high fat, high energy seeds; it’s a nurse tree, providing shelter …

Impact Of Mature, Female Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus Virginiana L.) Trees On Soil Seed Bank In The Mixed-Grass Prairie Of The Northern Great Plains, Austin Domeier, Lan Xu, Alexander Smart

Native Plant Focused Publications

Eastern red cedar (ERC) (Juniperus virginiana L.) trees are invading prairies throughout the Great Plains due to fire suppression and overgrazing. This encroachment poses a threat to native plant communities in terms of their reproduction, regeneration, diversity, and invasiveness. It is unknown how ERC trees impact belowground propagules in the mixed-grass prairie and how it may alter heterogeneity. The objective of this study was to evaluate how mature female ERC trees impact the soil seed bank composition. In October 2020 in southcentral South Dakota ten female ERC trees with canopy diameters = 5-10 m, similar environmental characteristics, and isolated from …

Genetic Diversity & Connectivity Of Chasmanthium Latifolium (Poaceae) In Pennsylvania & The Effect On Conservation Status Of A Rare Species, Jonathan D. Hayes

Honors Theses

Chasmanthium latifolium (Michx.) Yates (Poaceae) is a loosely colonial, rhizomatous, perennial grass species that lives in riparian habitats, making it fittingly referred to as river oats. Native to the southern Midwest and the eastern half of the United States, C. latifolium reaches the northeastern edge of its range in Pennsylvania. Within Pennsylvania, eleven extant C. latifolium populations are found along four waterways: the Monongahela River, the Susquehanna River, and two tributaries to the Susquehanna River. This limited state distribution exhibits an east-west disjunct distribution, where western populations are largely separated from eastern populations with one centrally located population. Between the …

Investigation Of Fluorescence In Selected Mammals Of Arkansas, C. Renn Tumlison, Terry L. Tumlison

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

The adaptive value of fluorescence among the vertebrates has been studied most in fishes and birds, and only a few observations have been published regarding fluorescence in the pelage of mammals. Recently, reports of fluorescence in some marsupials, the platypus, and in flying squirrels have become available. We report the occurrence of fluorescent properties in some mammals from Arkansas. Most carnivores, bats, and rodents did not exhibit the property when viewed under UV light. However, opossums, rabbits, a weasel, muskrats, and moles showed substantial UV response, and a few other mammals showed minor fluorescence. Colors fluoresced included pink, green, and …

Distribution And History Of The Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea Ajaja) In Arkansas, C. Renn Tumlison, Grace Wills, Karen Rowe

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

The Roseatte Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) is a rare bird in Arkansas and was not reported from the state until 1959, when it was seen in southwestern Arkansas. By use of online sources for citizen science, we elucidate the history of occurrence and present analysis of seasonal distribution of this bird in Arkansas. Individuals arrive in Arkansas as early as April, observations peak in August, and the birds may remain to late October when colder weather promotes southward migration. Most observations are of a few birds, but a maximum of 128 has been counted at one location and time. …

History, Distribution, And Reproduction By The Swallow-Tailed Kite (Elanoides Forficatus) In Arkansas, Grace Wills, C. Renn Tumlison

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

The Swallow-tailed Kite (Elanoides forficatus) is a rare bird in Arkansas, and its historical populations are believed to have declined over much of the last century due to loss of bottomland hardwood forests and associated wetlands. However, sightings have increased in the recent 2 decades. By use of online sources for citizen science, we elucidate the current distribution of this bird in Arkansas, and comment on the status of reproduction. Swallow-tailed Kites arrive in Arkansas as early as March and remain to mid-September, but numbers of reported sightings have a bimodal occurrence with peaks in May and August.