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Articles 1891 - 1920 of 19752

Full-Text Articles in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Review Of North American Eucnemis Ahrens, 1812 (Coleoptera: Eucnemidae: Eucneminae: Eucnemini) With Description Of A New Species From Eastern United States And Canada, Jyrki Muona, Robert L. Otto Jan 2024

Review Of North American Eucnemis Ahrens, 1812 (Coleoptera: Eucnemidae: Eucneminae: Eucnemini) With Description Of A New Species From Eastern United States And Canada, Jyrki Muona, Robert L. Otto

Insecta Mundi

Eucnemis Ahrens, 1812 (Coleoptera: Eucnemidae: Eucneminae: Eucnemini) is reviewed from the Nearctic region. Eucnemis americanus Horn is redescribed and illustrated and a new species, Eucnemis piceous Muona and Otto, is described and illustrated from Ontario, Canada and the United States from Wisconsin south to Kentucky, east to Massachusetts and West Virginia, north to Connecticut and Rhode Island. Thus, E. americanus is restricted to the western coastline of northern North America from northern California to northern Washington. A key is provided for the two species.


A New Species Of Therates Latreille, 1816 (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae) From China, Jürgen Wiesner, Xinxin Xiong Jan 2024

A New Species Of Therates Latreille, 1816 (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae) From China, Jürgen Wiesner, Xinxin Xiong

Insecta Mundi

Therates yunnanensis Wiesner and Xiong, new species (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae), is described from Yunnan, China. It is distinguished from its allies by the shape of the aedeagus, labrum and elytral maculation.


Anthaxia (Anthaxia) Amandae (Coleoptera: Buprestidae: Buprestinae), A New Species From Mallorca, Spain, Graham J. Holloway Jan 2024

Anthaxia (Anthaxia) Amandae (Coleoptera: Buprestidae: Buprestinae), A New Species From Mallorca, Spain, Graham J. Holloway

Insecta Mundi

A new species, Anthaxia (Anthaxia) amandae (Coleoptera: Buprestidae: Buprestinae), from Mallorca, Spain is described. Anthaxia amandae belongs to the A. dimidiata species group and externally very closely resembles A. dimidiata (Thunberg). External and internal features are presented enabling the two species to be differentiated from each other.


Aporus (Aporus) Niger (Cresson), A Reclusive Spider Wasp (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae: Pompilinae: Aporini) From Eastern North America, Frank E. Kurczewski Jan 2024

Aporus (Aporus) Niger (Cresson), A Reclusive Spider Wasp (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae: Pompilinae: Aporini) From Eastern North America, Frank E. Kurczewski

Insecta Mundi

There is no host or nesting information for Aporus (Aporus) niger (Cresson) (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae: Pompilinae: Aporini). Wasps in the tribe Aporini and, specifically, the genus Aporus Spinola capture only mygalomorph spiders (Araneae: Mygalomorphae). Purse-web spiders of the genus Sphodros Walckenaer (Araneae: Mygalomorphae: Atypidae) are the most likely host spiders of A. (A.) niger based on Aporus-Mygalomorphae parasitoid-host relationship, Aporus comparative morphology, geographic and habitat sympatry, seasonal synchrony, abundance, and retreat confinement. Aporus niger is the only aporine wasp in Wisconsin, lower Michigan, and southern Ontario. Sphodros niger is the only mygalomorph spider in Wisconsin, …


Nekton Community Responses To Living Shoreline Restorations In Alabama, Shelby Kuck, Christopher Grant, Matheus De Barros, Alexandra Rodriguez, Ronald Baker Jan 2024

Nekton Community Responses To Living Shoreline Restorations In Alabama, Shelby Kuck, Christopher Grant, Matheus De Barros, Alexandra Rodriguez, Ronald Baker

Gulf and Caribbean Research

No abstract provided.


The Morphological Evolution Of The Inner Ear In Lacertoidea (Squamata), Cristian Hernandez Jan 2024

The Morphological Evolution Of The Inner Ear In Lacertoidea (Squamata), Cristian Hernandez

Biology Dissertations - Archive

The popularization of high-resolution computed tomography(HRCT) has produced a revolution in the field of comparative anatomy. This technology allows us to reach a level of morphological detail in our observations that has never been possible previously. Now we can perform digital dissections isolating structures of interest such as individual bones, soft tissue organs, and even generate 3D models of body cavities (endocasts) such as the braincase and inner ear. Encompassed with the progress of the HRCT, 3D geometric morphometrics have emerged as a common tool to address morphological questions in a statistical context that outperforms the traditional 2D geometric morphometrics. …


Documenting Plant Biodiversity At The Emu-Owned Parsons Center For Arts And Sciences, Emily Edwards Jan 2024

Documenting Plant Biodiversity At The Emu-Owned Parsons Center For Arts And Sciences, Emily Edwards

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

We present the first vascular plant species checklist for the Eastern Michigan-University-owned property called the Parsons Center for Arts and Sciences. A voucher for each plant species has been deposited in the Eastern Michigan College herbarium and collection data is digitized in the Consortium of Midwest Herbaria. A minimum of three images per species are also available on iNaturalist . The Consortium and iNaturalist databases are publicly available and provide georeferenced locations for each plant. One hundred seventy-one plant species (in 137 genera and 61 families) were documented and identified, representing about 15% of plant species and 41% of families …


Genetic Tracking Of A Rabid Coyote (Canis Latrans) Detected Beyond A Rabies Enzootic Area In West Virginia, Usa, Matthew W. Hopken, Crystal Gigante, Amy T. Gilbert, Richard B. Chipman, Jordana D. Kirby, Rene Edgar Condori, Samuel Mills, Chelsea Hartley, John Forbes, Lisa Dettinger, Dongxiang Xia, Yu Li, Bridgett Vonholdt Jan 2024

Genetic Tracking Of A Rabid Coyote (Canis Latrans) Detected Beyond A Rabies Enzootic Area In West Virginia, Usa, Matthew W. Hopken, Crystal Gigante, Amy T. Gilbert, Richard B. Chipman, Jordana D. Kirby, Rene Edgar Condori, Samuel Mills, Chelsea Hartley, John Forbes, Lisa Dettinger, Dongxiang Xia, Yu Li, Bridgett Vonholdt

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wildlife translocation and cross-species transmission can impede control and elimination of emerging zoonotic diseases. Tracking the geographic origin of both host and virus (i.e., translocation versus local infection) may help determine the most effective response when high-risk cases of emerging pathogens are identified in wildlife. In May 2022, a coyote (Canis latrans) infected with the raccoon (Procyon lotor) rabies virus variant (RRV) was collected in Lewis County, West Virginia, USA, an area free from RRV. We applied host population genomics and RRV phylogenetic analyses to determine the most likely geographic origin of the rabid coyote. Coyote …


Estimation Of Probability Of Habitat Use Of Roosevelt Elk On The Olympic Peninsula, Vincent Michael Gugliotti Jan 2024

Estimation Of Probability Of Habitat Use Of Roosevelt Elk On The Olympic Peninsula, Vincent Michael Gugliotti

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Estimating the probability of habitat use for a particular species is crucial to the direct management and conservation of that species. Without knowledge of habitat preferences, managers cannot effectively focus efforts on vital resources or landscape types. However, modelling probability of habitat use can be done in several ways which leaves room for variation and uncertainty in the estimates produced by each method. This study is an examination of the variation between two estimates of probability of habitat use while focusing on a particular subspecies of elk that inhabits a unique ecosystem relative to other elk subspecies. I modeled elk …


Investigating The Relationships Between Biotic And Abiotic Factors Affecting Migratory Behavior In Westslope Cutthroat Trout Within The Priest River System, Kyle M. Keenan Jan 2024

Investigating The Relationships Between Biotic And Abiotic Factors Affecting Migratory Behavior In Westslope Cutthroat Trout Within The Priest River System, Kyle M. Keenan

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Numerous salmonid species demonstrate diverse life histories, encompassing both resident and migratory behaviors. Migratory life histories play a pivotal role in maintaining metapopulations for various reasons, facilitating genetic exchange between populations and yielding larger-sized females with increased fecundity relative to residents. This study took place in northern Idaho, within the lower Priest River system, which is highly susceptible to degrading habitat. Previous research has discovered this system as a significant contributor to migratory Westslope Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus lewisi, WCT) in the Lake Pend Oreille and Priest River systems. Expanding on these results, we compared four Priest River tributaries that produced …


Walleye (Sander Vitreus) Do Not Exhibit An Aggregative Predatory Response To Larval White Sturgeon (Acipenser Transmontanus) In The Upper Columbia River In Lake Roosevelt, Washington, Seth A. Barr Jan 2024

Walleye (Sander Vitreus) Do Not Exhibit An Aggregative Predatory Response To Larval White Sturgeon (Acipenser Transmontanus) In The Upper Columbia River In Lake Roosevelt, Washington, Seth A. Barr

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Seasonal prey abundance can drive predatory fishes to aggregate in areas of high prey density. This project aimed to determine whether Walleye (Sander vitreus) exhibit an aggregative predation response to larval White Sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) drifts in the Lake Roosevelt system which is a reservoir of the Columbia River in Washington State. Populations of sturgeon are threatened worldwide, and are in need of conservation research. Walleye are a popular nonnative piscivorous game fish that were accidentally or illegally introduced to Lake Roosevelt in the 1950’s. Walleye in this study were obtained by gillnetting during White Sturgeon pre-spawn, peak spawn, and …


Long- And Short-Term Weather Variables Affect Capture Rates In Western Painted Turtles (Chrysemys Picta Bellii) In Marshall Co., South Dakota, Amy Dolan, Heather L. Waye, Peter Dolan Jan 2024

Long- And Short-Term Weather Variables Affect Capture Rates In Western Painted Turtles (Chrysemys Picta Bellii) In Marshall Co., South Dakota, Amy Dolan, Heather L. Waye, Peter Dolan

Biology Publications

Turtle populations are declining globally, and yet accurate long-term population surveys are often lacking. Even amongst widespread species, information on long-term population trends is largely missing. As such, studies on demographics, population structure, and factors that affect capture efficacy are needed. In 2019 we began a long-term study on Western Painted Turtles (Chrysemys picta bellii) in the Couteau des Prairie habitat in northeastern South Dakota. We captured turtles using several trapping techniques and investigated the effects of short- and long-term weather variables on catch per unit effort. Temperature was positively associated with daily capture rates, showing the strongest …


Fillet Weight Comparison For Bluegill, Black Crappie, And Yellow Perch, Mikenna A. Pattrin Jan 2024

Fillet Weight Comparison For Bluegill, Black Crappie, And Yellow Perch, Mikenna A. Pattrin

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Panfish, including bluegill Lepomis macrochirus, black crappie Pomoxis nigromaculatus, and yellow perch Perca flavescens are three sought-after species. Anglers often perceive a change in regulations as an attempt at limiting the amount of harvest. However, the goal of many regulation proposals is to increase the size structure of panfish, allowing anglers to achieve their ideal harvest with less fish. The primary objective of this study was to assess the relationship between panfish fillet weight and total length to estimate how many fillets would be needed to reach a harvest weight of 0.5 lbs. The secondary objective was to …


Specific Measurements Of A Yellow Perch Head Compared To The Total Length, Alex Timm Jan 2024

Specific Measurements Of A Yellow Perch Head Compared To The Total Length, Alex Timm

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Yellow Perch Perca flavescens is a popular fish for harvesting in Minnesota. Because of this the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources survey populations with gill nets, however, some water bodies have Rusty Crayfish Faxonius rusticus that commonly consume most of the body leaving only the head to be accurately measured. The goal of this research was to see if there is a relationship between specific measurements of the head and the total length of the fish. The number of Yellow Perch sampled in this study was 72 and all came from Lake Bemidji in Minnesota during the month of October …


Evaluating The Trojan Y Chromosome Strategy For The Removal Of Invasive Sacramento Pikeminnow From The Eel River, Ca, Alexander W. Juan Jan 2024

Evaluating The Trojan Y Chromosome Strategy For The Removal Of Invasive Sacramento Pikeminnow From The Eel River, Ca, Alexander W. Juan

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The recent introduction and spread of Sacramento Pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus grandis) in Northern California’s Eel River Basin represents a significant threat and impediment to the recovery of several threatened native fish species. This study was undertaken to evaluate the Trojan Y Chromosome Strategy (TYC) for the extirpation of pikeminnow from the basin. TYC is a genetic biocontrol method that relies on the production and stocking of fish with YY sex chromosomes, which may be phenotypically male (YY male) or female (YY female). These YY fish produce all-male offspring when mating with their wild conspecifics and TYC can lead to …


Northern Shrimp In The Gulf Of Maine And The Impacts Of Climate Change, Alicia Hober Jan 2024

Northern Shrimp In The Gulf Of Maine And The Impacts Of Climate Change, Alicia Hober

Honors Theses

Northern Shrimp (Pandalus borealis) populations within the Gulf of Maine collapsed in 2011 following the first year that sea surface temperature surpassed 10ºC. The population collapse resulting in a moratorium in 2014. The waters of the Gulf of Maine have been rising at a rate of 0.045ºC per year, changing predator distribution, prey distribution, as well as Northern Shrimp biological variables. There has been very little recovery to the Northern Shrimp stock despite the fishing moratorium and the answers behind the collapse and lack of recovery remains enigmatic. Therefore, this two-chapter study includes a literature review and a …


Modification Of Marine Snail Microhabitats By Canopy-Forming Algae, Eleanor Mcgrath Jan 2024

Modification Of Marine Snail Microhabitats By Canopy-Forming Algae, Eleanor Mcgrath

Honors Theses

Brown algae, including the canopy-forming macroalgae Fucus distichus, are declining in abundance around the world due to stressors associated with climate change. Local extinction of Fucus impacts the intertidal community through cascading effects as the ecosystem loses a dominant primary producer at the base of the food web. However, Fucus is not only a resource species; it is also an ecosystem engineer. This thesis investigates the effect of Fucus extinction on the abundance of two herbivorous marine snails, L. saxatilis and L. obtusata, with a focus on the role of Fucus as a habitat- modifier. Specifically, I explored: …


Measuring Nature’S Contributions To People Provided By Species In The Gulf Of Maine Rocky Intertidal Ecosystem, Madelyn L. Eippert Jan 2024

Measuring Nature’S Contributions To People Provided By Species In The Gulf Of Maine Rocky Intertidal Ecosystem, Madelyn L. Eippert

Honors Theses

Ecosystem services aim to quantify the value of nature provided to humans. However, Ecosystem services are typically measured at the level of the ecosystem as a whole and do not consider interactions between species in an ecosystem. Ultimately, the species in an ecosystem determine the services that are provided. Measuring ecosystem services at the landscape level misses the complex interactions and changing biodiversity of ecosystems. Currently, there is no accepted framework to link ecosystem services to species. In this thesis, I developed a framework to link Nature’s Contributions to People (NCP) to species. NCP includes 18 specific contributions (i.e. 18 …


Estimating Daily Growth Of Age-0 Channel Catfish In A Free-Flowing, Commercially Exploited Midwestern River, Kaleb B. Wood Jan 2024

Estimating Daily Growth Of Age-0 Channel Catfish In A Free-Flowing, Commercially Exploited Midwestern River, Kaleb B. Wood

Masters Theses

The larval stage in fishes is an important stage in the life history, as their survival dictates the ability of the population to sustain itself as an adult population. While there is a plethora of information available for juvenile and adult life stages of Channel Catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), very little is understood about their larval life stage. This study sought to determine overall density, growth rates, and size structure of cohorts of age-0 Channel Catfish during a study year on the Wabash River. In 2018, I sampled age-0 Channel Catfish using a benthic trawl from May to September. …


Influence Of Seeding Strategy On Insect Communities Within Utility Lands, Kylee E. Nissen Jan 2024

Influence Of Seeding Strategy On Insect Communities Within Utility Lands, Kylee E. Nissen

Masters Theses

Pollinator populations are in decline globally due to anthropogenic changes, particularly in areas affected by agricultural expansion and urbanization. Utility lands - managed to prevent tall vegetation encroachment - represent an opportunity to establish native grasslands and support pollinator communities. This study investigates how different seeding strategies used by utility companies influence pollinator community composition within a 15-acre electric right-of-way (ROW) outside St. Louis, Illinois. Despite the logical benefits of native seeding to pollinators, utility companies are often hesitant to do this, often favoring seeding to turf. Seeded in late 2021, the site incorporates randomized plots with turfgrass seeding (no …


Using Community Science To Monitor Eastern Box Turtles And Engage Public In Conservation, Sarah Zoppa Jan 2024

Using Community Science To Monitor Eastern Box Turtles And Engage Public In Conservation, Sarah Zoppa

Masters Theses

The eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina; EBT) is a charismatic species with populations in decline due to habitat loss, disease, and other anthropogenic factors. However, due to their cryptic nature, studying an EBT population can be a difficult and intensive process. To investigate EBT populations in Coles County, Illinois, we used a combination of community science and computer-based pattern analysis to develop an approach to tracking individual turtles. Citizen volunteers submitted photos of encountered eastern box turtle carapaces for shell pattern analysis along with GPS coordinates of the encounter. We have received 220 submissions from 47 community volunteers. …


Examining Bigheaded Carp Ichthyoplankton Drift In Tributary And Mainstem River Systems Of Two Midwestern Rivers, Adam Landry Jan 2024

Examining Bigheaded Carp Ichthyoplankton Drift In Tributary And Mainstem River Systems Of Two Midwestern Rivers, Adam Landry

Masters Theses

The bigheaded carp invasion in North America continues to negatively impact ecosystems making it essential to understand their reproductive dynamics at various spatial scales. Previous studies have highlighted the suitability of tributaries of large rivers for bigheaded carp reproduction, and the importance of tributaries for ichthyoplankton drift to mainstem rivers. This study investigated patterns in tributary-mainstem ichthyoplankton drift dynamics in two invaded river systems of the Midwestern United States, with distinct hydrology, the Illinois and Wabash Rivers. From May-September 2021, I sampled ichthyoplankton from three tributaries and three mainstem sites in each river basin. I analyzed bigheaded carp egg and …


Monarch Butterfly (Danaus Plexippus) Oviposition Preferences And A Survey Of Fungal Pathogens On Native Milkweeds (Asclepias) Of The Northern Great Plains, Grace Damiano Jan 2024

Monarch Butterfly (Danaus Plexippus) Oviposition Preferences And A Survey Of Fungal Pathogens On Native Milkweeds (Asclepias) Of The Northern Great Plains, Grace Damiano

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

North American monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) populations are experiencing significant declines due to habitat loss caused by land use changes. Much of the American Midwest where milkweed, the only host plant of the monarch butterfly, was once much more abundant has been converted to a predominantly agricultural landscape. There are nineteen species of milkweed native to the northern Great Plains region occupied by South Dakota, North Dakota, and Minnesota. Some of these milkweed species may be preferable to monarch butterflies for different reasons, including morphological factors such as stem length, species-level chemical factors, and temporal factors. As monarch …


The Behemoth Of The Last Ice Age: The Evolutionary Saga Of The Columbian Mammoth In North America, Nathaniel Valentine Jan 2024

The Behemoth Of The Last Ice Age: The Evolutionary Saga Of The Columbian Mammoth In North America, Nathaniel Valentine

Calvert Undergraduate Research Awards

The Columbian’s mammoth evolutionary history can be traced back to the origin of life and its evolutionary lineage can be tracked down by examining select species over geologic time. I conducted a literature review with multiple scientific journals to identify key transitional species that trace their lineage to the Columbian mammoth. Transitional species were selected from the Precambrian and the various periods of the Phanerozoic which exhibited vertebrate-like body structures and behaviors. Evidence suggests that early vertebrate-like animals were present by the Cambrian period. Mammal evolution would continue in the Mesozoic era and radiate in the Cenozoic era. The Columbian …


The Choice Is Hers: Floral Preference And Habitat Use Of Early Season Queen Bumble Bees In Restored Ecosystems, Kathryn E. Mccabe Jan 2024

The Choice Is Hers: Floral Preference And Habitat Use Of Early Season Queen Bumble Bees In Restored Ecosystems, Kathryn E. Mccabe

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Restored ecosystems play a vital role in providing a sanctuary for native flora and fauna, offering crucial habitat and resources for many at-risk and declining taxa. Ensuring optimal functionality of these restorations is essential to supporting taxon like bumble bees. While many studies have focused on understanding the needs of bumble bees, much of this effort has relied on information gathered during their peak foraging season when workers are abundant, thus, neglecting other critical life stages, such as emerging spring queens. In this study, I investigated how spring queen bumble bees use three types of restored habitats (woodland, edge, and …


Population Viability Of Egyptian Tortoises: Analyzing Demographics Sensitivities And Extinction Risk In North Sinai, Basem Ahmed Rabia Motwaly Jan 2024

Population Viability Of Egyptian Tortoises: Analyzing Demographics Sensitivities And Extinction Risk In North Sinai, Basem Ahmed Rabia Motwaly

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

This study investigated the population viability of the critically endangered Egyptian Tortoise (Testudo kleinmanni) across five populations in North Sinai, Egypt. The research aimed to assess demographic sensitivities, extinction risks, and the influence of environmental variables to guide conservation strategies. Using multistate mark-recapture models within a Bayesian framework, survival, transition, and recapture probabilities were estimated across life stages, integrating site-specific environmental data such as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). The analysis revealed stark contrasts between populations, with three sites demonstrating high extinction risk due to lower juvenile survival and limited recruitment. In contrast, two populations exhibited demographic …


Diving At High Altitude: O2 Transport And Utilization In The Ruddy Duck And Torrent Duck In The Andes, Kevin G. Mccracken, Graham R. Scott, Luis Alza, Andrea Astie, Ciska Bakkeren, Emil Bautista, Mariana Bulgarella, Rebecca Cheek G. Cheek, Beverly A. Chua, Neal J. Dawson, Alexis Diaz, Catherine M. Ivy, Peter B. Frappell, Cecilia Kopuchian, Sabine L. Laguë, John N. Maina, Violeta Muñoz-Fuentes, Elizabeth R. Schell, Matthew M. Smith, Ryan J. Sprenger, Pablo L. Tubaro, Elizabeth R. Schell, Matthew M. Smith, Ryan J. Sprenger, Pablo L. Tubaro, Thomas Valqui, Roy E. Weber, Daniela Wilner, Robert E. Wilson, Julia M. York, William K. Milsom Jan 2024

Diving At High Altitude: O2 Transport And Utilization In The Ruddy Duck And Torrent Duck In The Andes, Kevin G. Mccracken, Graham R. Scott, Luis Alza, Andrea Astie, Ciska Bakkeren, Emil Bautista, Mariana Bulgarella, Rebecca Cheek G. Cheek, Beverly A. Chua, Neal J. Dawson, Alexis Diaz, Catherine M. Ivy, Peter B. Frappell, Cecilia Kopuchian, Sabine L. Laguë, John N. Maina, Violeta Muñoz-Fuentes, Elizabeth R. Schell, Matthew M. Smith, Ryan J. Sprenger, Pablo L. Tubaro, Elizabeth R. Schell, Matthew M. Smith, Ryan J. Sprenger, Pablo L. Tubaro, Thomas Valqui, Roy E. Weber, Daniela Wilner, Robert E. Wilson, Julia M. York, William K. Milsom

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

Hypoxia and cold temperatures create unique physiological challenges for high-altitude organisms that can vary depending on lifestyle. While nearly all studies of air-breathing animals at high altitude are from terrestrial species, species that breath-hold dive underwater at high altitude encounter a very different set of selective pressures influencing their phenotype. The goal of this publication is to highlight the changes in O2 transport and utilization in high-altitude diving birds relative to divers at sea level, and the extent to which these changes are qualitatively distinct from phenotypic changes in non-diving species at high altitude. For example, while high capacities for …


Species Distribution Modeling Of Aquilegia Brevistyla (Ranunculaceae): A Critically Imperiled Black Hills Disjunct Species, Eric Daniel Puetz Jan 2024

Species Distribution Modeling Of Aquilegia Brevistyla (Ranunculaceae): A Critically Imperiled Black Hills Disjunct Species, Eric Daniel Puetz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Unchecked human activity is contributing to rising levels of greenhouse gas emissions, changes in land use, altered disturbance/fire regimes, spread of invasive species, and loss of biological diversity and related breakdown of ecosystem services. Additionally, climatic shifts may lead to phenological mismatches between species and their environments if these changes outpace a species’ ability to adapt or migrate to a more suitable habitat. Isolated mountain populations are particularly threatened by unpredictable climatic conditions, as they may have limited migration corridors and often lower levels of genetic diversity to move or adapt, respectively. As these negative feedbacks compound on the landscape, …


The Effects Of Temperature, Flooding, And Goose Feces Addition On Greenhouse Gas Emissions And Ammonification In Four High-Latitude Soils From Western Alaska, Jenna M. Ross Jan 2024

The Effects Of Temperature, Flooding, And Goose Feces Addition On Greenhouse Gas Emissions And Ammonification In Four High-Latitude Soils From Western Alaska, Jenna M. Ross

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The large carbon (C) stock of wetlands is vulnerable to climate change, especially in high latitudes that are warming at a disproportional rate. Likewise, low-elevation Arctic coastal areas will flood more frequently under climate change and sea-level rise, which may alter goose herbivory and fecal deposition patterns if geese move inland. While temperature, flooding, and feces impact soil C emissions, their interactive effects have been rarely studied. Here, I explore the impact of these interactions on CO2 and CH4 emissions and nitrogen (N) mineralization (ammonification) in soils collected from four plant communities in the Yukon-Kuskokwim (Y-K) Delta, a high latitude …


Movement Ecology Of Paddlefish And Walleye Reveal The Importance Of Continued Interjurisdictional Management In Riverine And Lacustrine Systems, Kaitlyn Bearden Jan 2024

Movement Ecology Of Paddlefish And Walleye Reveal The Importance Of Continued Interjurisdictional Management In Riverine And Lacustrine Systems, Kaitlyn Bearden

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Fisheries systems function at broad spatial and temporal scales. Fishes within these systems are often highly mobile and move to locate adequate habitat, to feed and reproduce. As individuals navigate their environment, they potentially cross regulatory boundaries (state or federal) and or encounter physical barriers such as dams. Regulatory boundaries may not physically impede fish movement, but they are visible to fisheries managers thus the fishes within them may be vulnerable to varying management and harvest regulations. Physical boundaries (e.g., dams) are also particularly problematic for highly mobile species in large river systems. In chapter two, I documented that apparent …