Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

What Taking Development Seriously Means For Evolutionary Theory, David C. Witherington, Robert Lickliter, David S. Moore

Pitzer Faculty Publications and Research

Proponents of the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis (EES) emphasize the critical role that organisms and their development play in the process of evolution. This framework explicitly rejects the genocentric focus that once dominated interpretations of the Modern Synthesis in evolutionary theory. In place of genocentrism, EES highlights processes like niche construction, developmental constraint, and extragenetic inheritance as central to any understanding of evolutionary process. However, much more is at stake in adopting the EES than simply moving beyond the gene-dominant viewpoint of the Modern Synthesis. The EES, in fact, represents a fundamental challenge to the core of classic Darwinism itself by …

Multilevel Selection On Social Network Traits Differs Between Sexes In Experimental Populations Of Forked Fungus Beetles, R. A. Costello, P. A. Cook, E. D. Brodie Iii, Vincent A. Formica

Biology Faculty Works

Both individual and group behavior can influence individual fitness, but multilevel selection is rarely quantified on social behaviors. Social networks provide a unique opportunity to study multilevel selection on social behaviors, as they describe complex social traits and patterns of interaction at both the individual and group levels. In this study, we used contextual analysis to measure the consequences of both individual network position and group network structure on individual fitness in experimental populations of forked fungus beetles (Bolitotherus cornutus) with two different resource distributions. We found that males with high individual connectivity (strength) and centrality (betweenness) had …

Measuring And Preliminary Modeling Of Drift Interception By Plant Species, Jonnie B. Dunne, Shanique L. Grant, Jeffrey A. Golus, Jeffrey W. Perine, Stefan Wolf, Michael Winchell, T. Mark Ledson, Ian Whenham

West Central Research and Extension Center, North Platte

Currently, the concept of plant capture efficiency is not quantitatively considered in the evaluation of off-target drift for the purposes of pesticide risk assessment in the United States. For on-target pesticide applications, canopy capture efficiency is managed by optimizing formulations or tank-mixing with adjuvants to maximize retention of spray droplets. These efforts take into consideration the fact that plant species have diverse morphology and surface characteristics, and as such will retain varying levels of applied pesticides. This work aims to combine plant surface wettability potential, spray droplet characteristics, and plant morphology into describing the plant capture efficiency of drifted spray …

Orb-Web Spider Argiope (Araneidae) As Indigenous Arrow Poison Of G/Ui And G//Ana San Hunters In The Kalahari, Tharina L. Bird, Smith Moeti, Robert K. Hitchcock, Melinda C. Kelly, Lefang L. Chobolo, Nonofo Gotcha, Kgosi K. Moatlhodi, Leungo D. Mukoka, Emmanuel K. Sekopo, Caroline Simmrita Chaboo

University of Nebraska State Museum: Staff and Affiliates, Publications

Hunting has been crucial in early human evolution. Some San (Bushmen) of southern Africa still practice their indigenous hunting. The use of poisons is one remarkable aspect of their bow-and-arrow hunting but the sources, taxonomic identifications of species used, and recipes, are not well documented. This study reports on fieldwork to investigate recent indigenous hunting practices of G/ui and G//ana San communities in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR), Botswana. Here we discuss their use of spider poison. The hunters use the contents of the opisthosoma (‘abdomen’) of a spider as sole ingredient of the arrow poison and discard the …

Mapping Accuracy Of Close-Range Terrestrial Digital Photogrammetry, Y. Zhou, C. B. Weerasekara, A, Y, Sheshukov

School of Natural Resources: Documents and Reviews

No abstract provided.

Monitoring Movement And Range Expansion Of Silver And Bighead Carp (Hypophthalmichthys Molitrix, H. Nobilis) In South Dakota Tributaries Of The Missouri River, Lindsey Ann Pearl Labrie

Dissertations and Theses

Invasive species, climate change, human impacts on the landscape, flooding, and drought are all dynamic factors that greatly impact the Missouri River and its tributaries in eastern South Dakota. Invasive Carp, and more specifically, Bighead (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) and Silver Carp (H. molitrix), first invaded the Missouri River watershed in eastern South Dakota in the late 1990s and have since spread throughout the basin downstream of Gavin’s Point Dam. The first chapter of this study uses environmental DNA (eDNA) in the context of two major barriers to fish movement in the Vermillion and Big Sioux Rivers to determine potential presence and …

Proposing An Rna Interference (Rnai)-Based Treatment For Human Immunodeficiency Virus (Hiv) By Analyzing The Post-Transcriptional Gene Targeting Of Sars-Cov-2, Hepatitis C Virus, And A549 Lung Cancer Cells, Arjun Jagdeesh

UROP Posters

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that infects CD4+ T cell lymphocytes in humans, leading to the development of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) if left untreated. While current treatment methods, including antiretroviral combination treatments, effectively limit HIV replication, HIV can evade these treatments due to its high mutation rate. Long-term antiretroviral treatment can also be toxic to patients, meaning patients would benefit from a new mechanism of HIV treatment. RNA interference (RNAi) is an antiviral pathway found in mammals, plants, and insects that involves a small-interfering RNA that is incorporated into a protein complex called the RNA-induced Silencing Complex …

What Are You Doing Here? Unexpected Occurrences Of Knobfin Sculpins (Cottus Immaculatus) In Connecticut, Joshua M. Tellier, Brooke Winsmann, Michael Humphreys, Stella Minoudi, Alexandros Triantafyllidis, Eric T. Schultz

EEB Articles

Reductions in cold-water habitat owing to anthropogenic stressors are focusing attention on indicator fish species. We investigated an apparent range expansion in Connecticut of a native cold-water fish, Slimy Sculpin (Cottus cognatus). Unexpectedly, genetic and morphological analyses identified the new population as a non-native cottid from the Ozark region, the Knobfin Sculpin (C. immaculatus). This is the first record of C. immaculatus outside of its native range. The new occurrences were not recognized for over a decade despite comprehensive watershed inventories by state natural resource managers. The mechanism by which the non-native Knobfin Sculpin first arrived in Connecticut is currently …

Effect Of Initial Infestation Of Zebra Mussels On Freshwater Drum Diets In Red Lake, Mn, Marissa M. Pribyl

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha veligers were first found in the Red Lake system in Beltrami County in 2017, however no adult zebra mussels have been documented. When zebra mussels first invade a system, fish often switch their prey use to this new abundant resource. Freshwater drum Aplodinotus grunniens is one of these fish species known to consume physidae and bivalves, including zebra mussels, using pharyngeal teeth, the molar-like grinders in the back of their throats. This research aims to identify any presence of adult zebra mussels in the system and determine freshwater drum diet composition and feeding patterns by analyzing …

Nuclear Phylogeny And Insights Into Whole-Genome Duplications And Reproductive Development Of Solanaceae Plants, Jie Wang, Weibin Xu, Junwen Zhai, Yi Hu, Jing Guo, Caifei Zhang, Yiyong Zhao, Lin Zhang, Christopher T. Martine, Hong Ma, Chien-Hsun Huang

Faculty Journal Articles

Solanaceae, the nightshade family, have ∼2700 species, including the important crops potato and tomato, ornamentals, and medicinal plants. Several sequenced Solanaceae genomes show evidence for whole-genome duplication (WGD), providing an excellent opportunity to investigate WGD and its impacts. Here, we generated 93 transcriptomes/genomes and combined them with 87 public datasets, for a total of 180 Solanaceae species representing all four subfamilies and 14 of 15 tribes. Nearly 1700 nuclear genes from these transcriptomic/genomic datasets were used to reconstruct a highly resolved Solanaceae phylogenetic tree with six major clades. The Solanaceae tree supports four previously recognized subfamilies (Goetzeioideae, Cestroideae, Nicotianoideae, …

A Gis Look At Woody Plant Encroachment (Wpe): Mapping Grassland Degradation Through Habitat Succession, Brandon M. Wolf

Geography and the Environment: Graduate Student Capstones

The grasslands of North America remain at a fraction of their historic range. Estimates of acreage remaining vary between 4% and 13%. Affectionately known as the Great Plains, these grasslands have been converted for agriculture, rangeland, infrastructure, and civilization itself. Woody Plant Encroachment (WPE) on the grasslands is a silent, often overlooked, serious threat. The use of a simple GIS can estimate current acreage of a grassland, its adjacent woodland corridor, riparian buffers, and predict future acreage based on trends and hypothetical management scenarios, or lack thereof. The American prairie, though a remnant of its former self, is still home …

Characterization Of The Mycobiome Of Rafflesia Seeds: Their Potential Ecological Roles And Applications In Rafflesia Propagation And Conservation, Feruza Karnitskiy

Selected Full-Text Master Theses 2021-

The plant microbiome exerts a profound influence on plant health, growth, and life cycle. This ecosystem comprises diverse microbial communities, such as symbiotic endophytes, mycorrhizal fungi, epiphytes, saprophytes, rhizobia, and pathogens, which inhabit parasitic and non-parasitic plants. Rafflesia speciosa, a holoparasitic plant, is a unique and endangered species that depends on its host Tetrastigma spp. for survival. In this study, fungal metagenomics was conducted to characterize the fungal community—the mycobiome within Rafflesia seeds, and a phylogeny was reconstructed. The ecophysiological characteristics of these fungal genera were also researched in the literature, and their primary ecological trait, whether plant mutualist, saprotroph, …

Data For "Linking Previous Experiences To Behavior And Health In The Honey Bee (Apis Mellifera)"", Rebecca R. Westwick, Clare C. Rittschof, Gavin P. Brackett, Cameron E. Brown, Bethany J. Ison, Zainulabbeudin Syed, Anna M. Foose

Entomology Research Data

An organism’s ability to respond to changing conditions can be vital to its success. Indeed, plasticity is a common feature of living organisms. Much of the research in this area, though, has focused on effects caused by environmental conditions. What has received relatively less attention is how social experiences and broader features of an organism’s social environment can lead to long-lasting changes in health and behavior. This knowledge gap exists despite the well-documented existence of health and behavioral effects after social interactions in certain taxa such as humans.

Social insects such as honey bees provide an excellent opportunity to better …

Fostering Socio-Ecological Resilience To Wildfire By Interconnecting Knowledge Systems At Cal Poly Humboldt, Jeffrey M. Kane, Erin Kelly, Benjamin Graham, David Greene

Humboldt Journal of Social Relations

The wildfire-related challenges of Northern California and many other regions in the western United States are daunting in scope and magnitude. Ecologically and culturally salient solutions that limit the negative impacts of wildfire and promote resilience of human and ecological systems will require newer approaches. Through Cal Poly Humboldt and the Fire Resilience Institute, there is greater emphasis on the interconnection of knowledge systems across education, training, research, and management. Here we highlight several on-going efforts that seek to enhance the fire resilience workforce, promote socio-ecological resilience through interdisciplinary projects, and inform management through monitoring and research projects that intentionally …

Identifying Stable Isotope Patterns Among Taxa, Sites, And Environmental Variables In The Eastern Mississippi Sound, Evan C. Marth, Carl S. Cloyed, Ruth H. Carmichael

Gulf and Caribbean Research

No abstract provided.

Bibliography, Bruce A. Schulte

Faculty/Staff Personal Papers

Bibliography of publications by Bruce Schulte.

Belowground Plant Communities: Seed Bank Dynamics And Relationship To Aboveground Vegetation In Grazing Allotment Of Klamath County, Oregon, Dellaina C. Morse, Scott M. Estepa

Environmental Science & Management Senior Capstones

Seed banks are valuable resources for restoration but are understudied. The species present in the aboveground composition influence the seed bank through seed inputs. Land managers utilize herbicides to selectively reduce certain species in the above- and belowground composition. The aim of this paper is to observe and assess the species present in a seed bank post-herbicide application, and to discuss the seed bank potential for future restoration at the specific site in Klamath County, Oregon. Soil core samples were collected in the field and brought to the lab where they were processed and prepared for germination. We watered and …

Linking Previous Experiences To Behavior And Health In The Honey Bee (Apis Mellifera), Rebecca R. Westwick

Theses and Dissertations--Entomology

An organism’s ability to respond to changing conditions can be vital to its success. Indeed, plasticity is a common feature of living organisms. Much of the research in this area, though, has focused on effects caused by environmental conditions. What has received relatively less attention is how social experiences and broader features of an organism’s social environment can lead to long-lasting changes in health and behavior. This knowledge gap exists despite the well-documented existence of health and behavioral effects after social interactions in certain taxa such as humans.

Social insects such as honey bees provide an excellent opportunity to better …

Reconstructing The Ecological Relationships Of The Latest Cretaceous Antarctic Dinosaurs And How Functional Tooth Morphology Influenced Diet And Ecological Niche Among Basal Ornithopod Dinosaurs, Ian Broxson

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Of the final three connected Gondwanan landmasses, the dinosaur fossil record of Antarctica in the Cretaceous is the least complete. Most dinosaur faunas in this time period (145 Ma to 66.0 Ma) are widely separated geographically and temporally from one another by million years. However, a group of non-avian dinosaurs from the James Ross Basin (JRB) of the Antarctic Peninsula, composed of two elasmarians, a parankylosaurian ankylosaur, a hadrosaur and a suspected megaraptor, all are represented by fragmentary remains have emerged from the same horizon of the Sandwich Bluff Member (SBM) of the López de Bertodano Formation and were thus, …

Evolution Of The Diets Of Australian Possums (Marsupialia: Phalangeriformes) From The Etadunna Formation In The Lake Eyre Basin, South Australia, Theodore C. Wheat

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

The Lake Eyre Basin in South Australia holds Australia’s oldest known fossil marsupials representing both extant and extinct families in the Etadunna Formation, a formation that spans nearly two million years from 23.3 to 25 MA. During that two-million-year period, the terrestrial herbivorous marsupials present in the area underwent a dramatic transition both taxonomically and dentally, likely brought on by a changing environment caused by a warming climate. However, it is unknown whether a similar change occurred to the marsupials like possums that live up in the canopy. Understanding this could help determine how extensively this change in the environment …

Fairy Shrimp (Anostraca) In The Vernal Pools Of Eastern Washington, Megan Garvey

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Vernal pools are ephemeral wetlands that retain water annually from winter and spring precipitation and snowmelt but are dry the rest of the year. Though important habitats and sources of freshwater biodiversity, they are little accounted for in wetland conservation and restoration practices. Like much of the world’s wetlands, they have seen a significant decline from anthropogenic impacts and conversion for alternative land use. Pools are also at significant risk due to the impacts of climate change and invasive species. These small temporary water bodies perform vital ecosystem services and are host to rare and endemic species. Anostraca, or fairy …

Emerging Patterns In Population Structure And Trap Efficacy After Three Years Of A Survey Of Western Painted Turtles (Chrysemys Picta Bellii, Gray, 1830) In Marshall County, South Dakota, Heather L. Waye, Amy C. Dolan, Peter C. Dolan

Biology Publications

Turtles are long-lived and globally declining, but relatively little is known about the natural history of many turtle species. Even amongst relatively well-studied species, there is a paucity of information for some habitats and long-term population trends are lacking. Here we report the results from the first three years of an intended long-term population survey of Western Painted Turtles (Chrysemys picta bellii) in the prairie highlands of the Coteau des Prairies, South Dakota. Turtles were sampled using basking traps, hoop traps, and dip nets. Catch per unit effort varied between years, but not significantly so, and hoop traps …

Have Rusty Crayfish Affected The Diets Of Yellow Perch?, Matthew D. Kvam

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Freshwater ecosystems are some of the most susceptible to invasive species. It is one of the reasons they face the highest levels of species endangerment. Rusty crayfish Faxonius rusticus are one such invasive species, they fragment food webs and negatively affect native species. However, it seems as though native species are beginning to rely on them as a source of food. Yellow perch Perca flavescens, an important forage and game species, is one such species that is highly affected by these invasions. At smaller sizes yellow perch primarily feed on invertebrates whose populations are degraded by rusty crayfish. Therefore, the …

What Kills The Virtually Immortal Palms Of The Florida Scrub?, Warren G. Abrahamson Ii

Faculty Journal Articles

Premise: Life span varies greatly across plants, with some species being capable of extreme longevity. Yet even long‐lived individuals are susceptible to climatic events, fire, and other challenges. We examined rare mortality events and their causes in two long‐lived palmettos over four decades. Methods: We monitored the survival of the clonal Serenoa repens and non‐clonal, Florida‐endemic Sabal etonia from 1981 to 2022 in four habitats along an elevational gradient within the globally imperiled Florida scrub ecosystem. We considered several challenges to palmetto survival, including extreme fires, shading due to lack of fire, droughts, periods of high precipitation, and possible pathogens. …

Restoring An Iconic Joshua Tree Forest: Natural Recovery, Restoration Success, And Soil Microhabitats On A Desert Burn Area, Riley Scaff

Pitzer Senior Theses

Wildfires are a novel disturbance type in the Mojave Desert, but have been increasing in size and frequency since the 1970s due to the proliferation of invasive grasses. Burned areas are more susceptible to invasion, which can lead to the establishment of a grass-fire cycle. For this reason, restoration is often necessary to facilitate natural plant community recovery, but the extreme desert climate makes returning native vegetation to burn areas challenging. Planting in nutrient-rich soil microhabitats could be a helpful tool to improve revegetation success, but has yet to be tested. This study surveyed natural postfire recruitment across two seasons …

The Effect Of Blue Mussel (Mytilus Edulis) Extinction On Ecosystem Function In The Gulf Of Maine Rocky Intertidal, Sophia K. Montague

Honors Theses

Stressors associated with climate change including thermal stress and ocean acidification inhibit the growth and reproduction of many species, including the ecologically and economically important blue mussel species in the Gulf of Maine (GOM). Established scaling relationships between mussel size, abundance, and water filtration suggests that the decline of mussels will stunt GOM water filtration. This change in the rate of water filtration could have large effects on the abundance of phytoplankton, abundance of invertebrate larvae, abundance of nutrients and organic material, food web stability, and biodiversity. Overall, this thesis explores the effect of blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) …

Biomechanics Of Mantis Prey Capture, Danielle S. Taylor

Honors Theses

Mantis species have a variety of different morphologies, so do the extreme forms of mantis limbs trade prey catching capability for camouflage? We hypothesize that some extreme forms of mantis limbs that are associated with cryptic species may be associated with a tradeoff of the capability of those limbs. Previous research has developed 2D morphologies of several hundred species of mantises. We are creating a 3D morphology by using micro dissection, micro CT imaging to construct our 3D biomechanical model. We found the attachment points of the ligaments and muscles from a Tenodera forearm and have constructed a 2D biomechanical …

The Role Of Machine Learning And Network Analyses In Understanding Microbial Composition In An Experimental Prairie, Ali Eastman Oku

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Machine learning and network analyses are powerful modern tools can process and map out connections between large amount of ecological data from complex environmental communities. Random forests, an ensemble machine learning algorithm, are particularly powerful as they can capture complex patterns in data while remaining easily interpretable. These tools are specifically useful in experimental settings where different types of data are collected. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the utility of machine learning models and network analyses at analyzing diverse ecological data from dynamic plant-soil microbial communities in a prairie ecosystem. Our experimental system is an experimental prairie …

History, Annotated Gazetteer, And Bibliography Of Sarawak Ornithology, Frederick H. Sheldon, Dency F. Gawain, Daisy G. S. Kho, Rosalina Regai, Subir B. Shakya, Chin Aik Yeap

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

Sarawak is Malaysia’s largest state, covering most of northern Borneo. It has a remarkable history of scientific bird study, starting in the 1840s and growing ever since. To set the stage for the gazetteer, which is the core of this paper, we start with a review of this history and discuss various forces that have influenced the direction of bird research in the state. Following this introduction comes the gazetteer, which is an annotated list of c. 865 sites in Sarawak where birds have been collected, studied, or regularly observed. The gazetteer provides the latitude, longitude, and elevation of each …

Relating Predator Community Ecology And Duck Nest Survival In Eastern South Dakota, Samantha R. Fino

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As conversion of native grasslands and wetlands to croplands continues in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR), managers are tasked with maintaining sustainable waterfowl populations. Mesopredator community dynamics is a hypothesized mechanism driving spatiotemporal variation of waterfowl nest survival in the PPR, yet studies often lack detailed information on mesopredator species occurrence and abundance. Therefore, understanding spatial and temporal variation in behaviors of mesopredators provides valuable insights for understanding predator-prey interactions between mesopredators and upland duck nests. Further, differences in a predator community resulting from lethal removal of dominant species may influence composition and space use patterns of subordinate and non-target …