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Full-Text Articles in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
The Potential Role Of Phenotypic Plasticity In The Ability Of Hydrocotyle Bonariensis To Occupy Two Different Habitats, Harold Ralph Parsons Iii
The Potential Role Of Phenotypic Plasticity In The Ability Of Hydrocotyle Bonariensis To Occupy Two Different Habitats, Harold Ralph Parsons Iii
Honors College Theses
Phenotypic plasticity is the ability of an organism to change morphology and/or physiology in response to changes in the environment. Hydrocotyle bonariensis is a coastal perennial herb found in both coastal sand dunes and inland coastal plain habitats in Georgia. The purpose of this study was to determine if there were differences in leaf morphology for populations of H. bonariensis in coastal sand dune and inland coastal plain habitats. Leaf morphology and microenvironmental variables were compared between H. bonariensis populations at Tybee Island (TI), GA, representing the coastal sand dune habitat, and Georgia Southern University Armstrong Campus (GSU) in Savannah, …
Functional Trade-Offs Between Terrestrial And Aquatic Locomotion In The Amphibious Fish Kryptolebias Marmoratus, Erik Axlid
All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects
The mangrove rivulus (Kryptolebias marmoratus) is a phenotypically plastic teleost fish that can spend considerable time on land and traverse the terrestrial realm through a ballistic behavior termed the tail-flip jump. The tail-flip jump is a transitional stage between fully aquatic and terrestrial lifestyles. Therefore, understanding this behavior can provide insight into how organisms adapt to new environments over evolutionary time. Taxa that are successful tail-flip jumpers have a deep caudal peduncle and uniform body shape. Studies of K. marmoratus show that terrestrial acclimation and exercise improves tail-flip jumping performance due to muscle remodeling, but the implications of these muscular …