Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

The Role Of Habitat Management In Shaping Predation, Animal Color, And Gene Flow In A Metapopulation Of Florida Scrub Lizards (Sceloporus Woodi), Richard William Orton

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Anthropogenic disturbance is known to affect biological diversity at the community, species, and genetic levels. Habitat fragmentation, in particular, has been shown to impact predator abundance and distribution, impede dispersal, and augment genetic drift. In small populations, which often result from habitat fragmentation, the effects of human disturbance may be disproportionately expressed. Small populations are more susceptible to selection pressures and random drift because genetic and phenotypic frequencies can become rapidly fixed, in comparison to larger populations. In turn, fixation of maladaptive alleles or morphs can accelerate extinction. For example, cryptic color polymorphism can be maintained by apostatic selection, where …

Where And How Wolves (Canis Lupus) Kill Beavers (Castor Canadensis), Thomas Gable, Steve K. Windels, John G. Bruggink, Austin T. Homkes

Journal Articles

Beavers (Castor canadensis) can be a significant prey item for wolves (Canis lupus) in boreal ecosystems due to their abundance and vulnerability on land. How wolves hunt beavers in these systems is largely unknown, however, because observing predation is challenging. We inferred how wolves hunt beavers by identifying kill sites using clusters of locations from GPS-collared wolves in Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota. We identified 22 sites where wolves from 4 different packs killed beavers. We classified these kill sites into 8 categories based on the beaver-habitat type near which each kill occurred. Seasonal variation existed in …

Water Loss Rates And Desiccation Tolerances For Spiders And Crickets, Matthew Zach, Kevin E. Mccluney

Honors Projects

Despite the importance of water to living organisms, access varies across the globe with high variability over space and time. Seventy-five percent of the world’s freshwater alone is ice while 99% of unfrozen freshwater is underground (Winter et al. 1998). Understanding how terrestrial species respond to water availability and compensate for water stress can provide insight to their behavior, ecology and physiology. The goal of this research was to examine the differences in the evaporative water loss rates and desiccation tolerances of Hogna carolinensis and Acheta domesticus. First, an experiment was conducted to quantify the rate of evaporative water …

Inter- And Intra-Individual Variation In Predator-Related Behavioral Plasticity Expressed By Female Green Swordtails (Xiphophorus Hellerii), Rachael A. Disciullo

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Phenotypic plasticity is the ability of one genotype to express multiple phenotypes under variable environments. Behavioral plasticity is a type of phenotypic plasticity in which individuals adjust behavior in response to changes in environment. Often, behavioral plasticity is studied at the level of the population, rather than at the level of the individual. Further, few studies have considered the effect of individual traits, such as size and age, on the expression of behavioral plasticity, or, how individual plasticity may be correlated across different contexts. In this study, we used female green swordtails (Xiphophorus hellerii) to test the effects …

Mink Predation Of Brown Trout In A Black Hills Stream, Jake Davis, Jerry W. Wilhite, Steven R. Chipps

The Prairie Naturalist

In the early 2000’s, declines in the brown trout (Salmo trutta) fishery in Rapid Creek, South Dakota, caused concern for anglers and fisheries managers. We conducted a radio telemetry study in 2010 and 2011 to identify predation mortality associated with mink, using hatchery-reared (2010) or wild (2011) brown trout. Estimated predation rates by mink (Mustela vison) on radio-tagged brown trout were 30% for hatchery fish and 32% for wild fish. Size frequency analysis revealed that the size distribution of brown trout lost to predation was similar to that of other, radio-tagged brown trout. In both years, a higher proportion of …

Predicting Suitable Habitat Decline Of Midwestern United States Amphibians And Quantifying The Consequence Of Declines Using Pond-Breeding Salamanders, Brock Struecker

Master's Theses

With current declines of vertebrate taxa meeting or exceeding those of historic mass extinction events, there is a growing need to investigate the main drivers of declines. Amphibians are perhaps at greatest risk of global climate change and land-use changes than most other vertebrate classes and also have significant roles in ecosystem processes – combined, this creates a cause for concern. I designed a study that would investigate the effects of current and predicted climate change and land-use changes on amphibians using species distribution models and a field study to identify the potential consequences of amphibian species declines by investigating …

Factors Constraining The Reproductive Output Of Baptisia Alba Macrophylla, Ashley Morgan Hembrough

Theses and Dissertations

Baptisia alba macrophylla, a native, herbaceous perennial legume, produces inflorescences with a large number of flowers, yet matures relatively few fruits. We hypothesized that the number of seeds matured by B. alba macrophylla is maximized based on resource availability at each stage of development, but this optimal number is further compromised by extrinsic factors including pollen limitation and pre-dispersal seed predation by the weevils Apion rostrum and Tychius sordidus. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a field experiment at two sites: (i) the John English Prairie, located in Hudson, IL, and also (ii) the Sugar Grove Nature Center and Funks …

White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) Fawn Risk From Gray Wolf (Canis Lupus) Predation During Summer, L. David Mech, Aaron Morris, Shannon M. Barber-Meyer

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

Little is known about how often various prey animals are at risk of predation by Gray Wolves (Canis lupus). We used a system to monitor the presence during the day of two radio-collared Gray Wolves within 2 km of a radio-collared White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) with a fawn or fawns in August 2013 in the Superior National Forest of northeastern Minnesota. We concluded that the fawn or fawns were at risk of predation by at least one wolf at least daily.

Fate Of Captive-Reared Bobwhite Quail Released In Central Kentucky, Adam Carter

Online Theses and Dissertations

The fate of pen-raised bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) released onto two farms (Site 1 and 2) and a reclaimed coal surface mine (Site 3) in south-central Kentucky during the summers of 2008 and 2009 was assessed. Of the 57 bobwhite quail radio-tagged and released in this study, the fate of 26 (45%) was unknown because the telemetry signal was lost and the birds could not be located. Within 34 days after release, mortality of the remaining 31 radio-tagged birds was 100%. Raptors, coyotes, and mesomammal predators were responsible for most (84%) of the identified quail mortality; accounting for the deaths …

New Tracer To Estimate Community Predation Rates Of Phagotrophic Protists, Alexander B. Bochdansky, Melissa A. Clouse

OES Faculty Publications

Predation of eukaryotic microbes on prokaryotes is one of the most important trophic interactions on Earth, representing a major mortality term and shaping morphology and composition of prokaryotic communities. Here we introduce and validate a new tracer to determine predation rates on prokaryotes. Minicells of Escherichia coli marked with a bright green fluorescent protein (GFP) vector have many operational advantages over previously used prey analogs such as fluorescently labeled bacteria. GFP-minicells are similar in size to naturally occurring bacteria from a variety of environments including the oligotrophic open ocean and the deep sea. They are relatively stable against microbial and …

Predators And Anti-Predator Behavior Of Wilson's Plover (Charadrius Wilsonia) On Cumberland Island, Georgia, Mary K. Strickland

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Predation, the major cause of nest failure in birds, is an important factor when considering management and conservation plans. The predator assemblage in an ecosystem changes each year and can cause profound differences in bird nest survival rates. Shorebirds such as Wilson’s Plovers (Charadrius wilsonia) are ideal study species because they are declining and predator control is often a recommended component of management plans. Therefore the objectives of my research were to determine the predator assemblage of the southern end of the beach on Cumberland Island National Seashore, Georgia, and to determine how three variables affected the display …

Plasticity In Female Mate Choosiness: A Result Of Variation In Perceived Predation Risk And The Interaction Of Female Age And Male Density, Ashley N. Atwell

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In many species, female mate choices can be a strong source of sexual selection. Females often prefer a certain male phenotype, and this can be due to benefits females gain from mating with preferred males. However, such benefits can sometimes be outweighed by the cost of searching for a preferred male. These costs and benefits often change concomitantly with changes in environmental (e.g., predator abundance and conspecific density) and internal factors (e.g., female age). Thus, female mate choosiness (the degree to which preferences for certain males are expressed) should often be plastic. Plasticity in female mate choosiness may be complicated …

Mafia Or Farmer? Coevolutionary Consequences Of Retaliation And Farming As Predator Strategies Upon Host Nests By Avian Brood Parasites, Mark E. Hauber

Publications and Research

Many host species of avian brood parasites have evolved to recognize and reject foreign eggs and chicks in the nest. Yet, other hosts accept and care for parasitic young, despite the fitness losses associated with raising non-kin. It has been suggested that nest predation upon host nests by brood parasites could select for coevolved acceptance by hosts, even when their cognitive and motor traits allow for the successful rejection of brood parasitism. Using a modeling approach, I analyzed the conditions that favor the evolution of two predatory strategies by parasites and the acceptance of parasitism in the presence of predatory …

Effects Of Predation Upon The Long-Spined Sea Urchin Diadema Antillarum By The Spotted Spiny Lobster Panulirus Guttatus, Meredith D. Kintzing, Mark J. Butler Iv

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Sea urchins, important herbivores in marine ecosystems, are strongly impacted by both the direct and indirect effects of predation, and the long-spined sea urchin Diadema antillarum is no exception. Once abundant on Caribbean coral reefs, D. antillarum populations were decimated by disease in the early 1980s, and only where their natural predators have been over-fished has D. antillarum recovery been observed. Spiny lobsters (Palinuridae) are predators of sea urchins, and although there are several species of spiny lobster in the Caribbean, only the spotted spiny lobster Panulirus guttatus is restricted to coral reefs where D. antillarum dwells. We investigated the …

Depredation Of Diamondback Terrapin (Malaclemys Terrapin) Nests In North Inlet, Sc: Nest Predator Community And The Cues Used By Raccoons To Locate Nests, Samuel Al Buzuleciu Ii

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Predation on diamondback terrapin eggs has been studied in several terrapin populations across their broad geographic range; however, nest predators have not been studied in South Carolina. Objectives of this project were two-fold: first, identify predators of diamondback terrapin eggs in North Inlet, SC; and second, determine the source of olfactory cue(s) used by raccoons to locate terrapin nests. Terrapin nest predators were identified using a combination of camera traps, visual surveys and trackboards. Raccoons were dominant nest predators and depredated 347 of 349 (combined natural and simulated) terrapin nests during the 2013 nesting season. We identified the source of …

Interference In White Bass Reproduction By Two Introduced Predators In Barren River Lake, Kentucky, Jacob Franklin Fose

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

White bass Morone chrysops are native to the Mississippi River and its tributaries. This range includes the Barren River in south central Kentucky. Over the last thirty years, the population of white bass in Barren River Lake, a reservoir of the Barren River, has been in decline. During that same time, two congeners of white bass have been introduced to the lake. Hybrid striped bass Morone chrysops × Morone saxatilis were introduced in 1979 and yellow bass Morone mississippiensis were first discovered in 2000. Due to the similar life histories and spawning strategies of all three Morone species, I hypothesized …

Presence And Function Of Tetrodotoxin In Terrestrial Vertebrates And Invertebrates, Amber N. Stokes

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Tetrodotoxin (TTX) is a potent neurotoxin found in a variety of species. This toxin has long been of concern to human health as it is found in puffer fish, which are a delicacy in Japan. Since the distribution of this toxin is so great, there are many questions regarding the evolution and ecology of organisms that have TTX. My research has focused on further investigating three topics with this research: production, predation, and identification of novel TTX bearing taxa. In order to perform this research I first refined a Competitive Inhibition Enzymatic Immunoassay methodology to quantify levels of TTX in …

Predation And Behavioral Plasticity In Green Swordtails: Mate Choice In Females And Exploratory Behavior In Males, Andrew J. Melie

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Two studies were carried out with green swordtails, Xiphophorus helleri, to investigate the effect of predation on swordtail behavior, and to determine how behavioral plasticity operates in both a mate choice and an anti-predator context. Male green swordtails vary in colorful conspicuous traits, e.g. the colorful dorsal fin and sword. Female swordtails have a preexisting bias for males with a sword, and prefer long-sworded males to short-sworded males, but this preference is plastic. The first study examined predator-related plasticity in the behavior of males differing in size. Smaller males showed greater behavioral plasticity; they were more active in the …

Nest Success And Habitat Choice Of Wilson's Plovers In Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center Heritage Preserve, South Carolina, Elizabeth Zinsser

All Theses

Little is known about the reproductive ecology of Wilson's Plover (Charadrius wilsonia). I conducted a study of nest site selection and nest success at a critical breeding area in South Carolina, USA. Data from other coastal nesting birds in the region suggest that a suite of environmental factors including flooding and predation may limit nest success in this region. To assess nest success rates of Wilson's Plovers in an area with limited human disturbance I monitored 72 nests during 2012 and 2013 on South Island and Sand Island located in Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center and Heritage Preserve. I measured environmental …

Age Structure Of Moose (Alces Alces) Killed By Gray Wolves (Canis Lupus) In Northeastern Minnesota, 1967–2011, L. David Mech, Michael E. Nelson

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

The ages of 77 adult Moose (Alces alces) killed by gray Wolves (Canis lupus) during the period 1967–2011 in northeastern Minnesota were significantly older than those of a sample of 17 585 Moose killed by hunters in nearby Ontario. Our findings support those of earlier studies of protected Moose populations in national parks that found that gray Wolves tend to kill disproportionately more older Moose.

Ontogenetic Shifts In Resource Allocation: Colour Change And Allometric Growth Of Defensive And Reproductive Structures In The Caribbean Spiny Lobster Panulirus Argus, Joshua R. Anderson, Angelo J. Spadaro, J. Antonio Baeza, Donald C. Behringer

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Resource allocation theory predicts a disproportionately large allocation of resources to defensive structures during early ontogeny in organisms that are subject to more intense predation at smaller than at larger body sizes. We tested this prediction on the Caribbean spiny lobster Panulirus argus, which exhibits a negative relationship between predation risk and body size with a high natural mortality of smaller individuals. Independent allometric growth analyses demonstrated that numerous defensive structures (e.g. orbital horns, segments supporting the antenna, the tail fan) display negative allometric growth throughout ontogeny. We interpret these findings as lobsters investing disproportionately more resources to defensive …

An Approach For Use Of Dual Frequency Identification Sonar (Didson) To Quantify Behavioral Aspects Of Piscivory At Ecologically Relevant Time And Space Scales, Victoria E. Price

Master's Theses

Predator-prey interactions of large vagile fishes are difficult to study in the ocean due to limitations in the space and time requirements for observations. Small-scale direct underwater observations by divers (<10m >radius) and large-scale hydroacoustic surveys (10s - 100s km2) are traditional approaches. However, large piscivorous predators identify and attack prey at the scale of meters to tens of meters. Dual- Frequency Identification Sonar, or DIDSON, is a high-resolution acoustic camera operating in the MHz range that provides detailed continuous video-like imaging of objects out to 30 m range. This technology can be used to observe predator-prey interactions at ecologically …

Assessing The Link Between Coastal Development And The Quality Of Fish Habitat In Mangrove Tidal Tributaries, Justin Micheal Krebs

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

To assess the potential influence of coastal development on the quality of estuarine habitat for nekton, we characterized land use and the intensity of land development surrounding small tidal tributaries of Tampa Bay. Based on this characterization, we classified tributaries as undeveloped, industrial, urban or man-made (i.e., mosquito-control ditches). Over one-third (37%) of tributaries were determined to be heavily developed, while fewer than one-third (28%) remain relatively undeveloped. We then examined the nekton community from eleven tributaries in watersheds representing the defined land-use classes. Whereas mean nekton density and species richness were both independent of land use, nekton-community structure differed …

Nonlinear Effects Of Group Size On The Success Of Wolves Hunting Elk, Daniel R. Macnulty, Douglas W. Smith, L. David Mech, John A. Vucetich, Craig Packer

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

Despite the popular view that social predators live in groups because group hunting facilitates prey capture, the apparent tendency for hunting success to peak at small group sizes suggests that the formation of large groups is unrelated to prey capture. Few empirical studies, however, have tested for nonlinear relationships between hunting success and group size, and none have demonstrated why success trails off after peaking. Here, we use a unique dataset of observations of individually known wolves (Canis lupus) hunting elk (Cervus elaphus) in Yellowstone National Park to show that the relationship between success and group …

Ramphotyphlops Braminus (Brahminy Blindsnake): Predation, Louis A. Somma

Papers in Herpetology

Ramphotyphlops braminus currently has the most widespread, near worldwide, nonindigenous distribution of any snake. In Florida, USA, R. braminus is rapidly expanding its distribution.

The stomach contents of a necropsied Dasypus novemcinctus (nine-banded armadillo) found on the premises of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in Gaisesville in March 2011 included an intact adult R. braminus. Dasypus novemcinctus is nonindigenous in Florida. It has a primarily insectivorous diet but occasionally preys upon small vertebrates, including reptiles. This is the first record of R. braminus in the diet of D. novemcinctus.

No Honor Among Snails: Conspecific Competition Leads To Incomplete Drill Holes In The Naticid Gastropod Neverita Delessertiana (R Cluz), Jack A. Hutchings

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The fossil record of drilling predation has been widely used to study predator-prey interactions and their relative importance on long-term evolutionary processes. Incomplete drill holes have been interpreted as indicators of failed attacks due to well-defended prey. However, this interpretation is based on pair-wise interactions between one predator and one prey, a condition commonly compromised in nature. The hypothesis that interference among drilling predators leads to an increase in the relative frequency of incomplete drill holes was tested in the laboratory using the naticid Neverita delessertiana (R cluz) and a common prey, the bivalve Chione elevata (Say). The experiment consisted …

The Invasive Cactus Moth, Cactoblastis Cactorum: Host Plant Testing, Species Interactions, And Effects On Local Opuntia Populations, Heather Jezorek

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The invasive cactus moth, Cactoblastis cactorum, poses a threat to opunitoid cacti species of North America. The following work contains four separate studies investigating C. cactorum host plant preference and performance, predation and parastitism of C. cactorum, effects of C. cactorum on local Opuntia populations, and associational effects of host and non-host plants on C. cactorum and native Opuntia-feeding herbivores. We found that, among southwestern and Mexican opuntioid taxa, moths preferred O. engelmannii var. linguiformis and var. engelmannii for oviposition, while Consolea rubescens and O. streptacantha were superior larval hosts. Oviposition was best predicted by number of cladodes and degree …

Effects Of Prey-Spider Odour On Intraspecific Interactions Of Araneophagic Jumping Spiders, Fiona R. Cross, Robert R. Jackson

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

An important prediction from game theory is that the value of a resource will influence the level to which an animal is willing to escalate during conflict with conspecific rivals. Here we use this prediction as the rationale for experiments aimed at determining whether escalation decisions made by predators are influenced by the presence of preferred prey. The predators we use are adult individuals of Portia fimbriata, a jumping-spider (Salticidae) species from Queensland (Australia). P. fimbriata is known to prefer other salticid species as prey and can detect the odour of Jacksonoides queenslandicus, this being an especially common salticid species …

More Ornamented Males Exhibit Increased Predation Risk And Antipredatory Escapes, But Not Greater Mortality, Kasey D. Fowler-Finn, Eileen Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

Secondary sexual traits not only confer benefits to their bearer through increased mate acquisition, but may also have inherent costs, including the attraction of predators. Here, we examined the relationship between conspicuous secondary sexual traits and predation costs using two male morphs of Schizocosa wolf spiders: brushlegged and non-ornamented. In the field, we ran two predation experiments using artificial enclosures to directly test mortality costs of predation on the two male morphs. Using a natural predator, a larger wolf spider in the genus Hogna, we found no difference in predation on brush-legged vs. non-ornamented males. However, predation was depends …

Gray Wolf (Canis Lupus) Movements And Behavior Around A Kill Site And Implications For Gps Collar Studies, L. David Mech

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

Global Positioning System (GPS) radio-collars are increasingly used to estimate Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) kill rates. In interpreting results from this technology, researchers make various assumptions about wolf behavior around kills, yet no detailed description of this behavior has been published. This article describes the behavior of six wolves in an area of constant daylight during 30 hours, from when the pack killed a Muskox (Ovibos moschatus) calf and yearling on Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada, to when they abandoned the kill remains. Although this is only a single incident, it demonstrates one possible scenario of pack …