Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Hide And Seek: An Exploration Of Antipredator And Predator Avoidance Mechanisms In Orthopodomyia Signifera In Response To Predation From Toxorhynchites Rutilus, Nathaniel Dahlberg

Master's Theses

There have been many observations of larval Orthopodomyia signifera coexisting with the predator Toxorhynchites rutilus. There are three hypotheses that could explain how Or. signifera resists predation from Tx. rutilus. The first hypothesis states that larvae adapt behavioral changes that limit predation. The second hypothesis states thoracic setae serve as a physical defense that prevents Tx. rutilus from grasping Or. signifera. The third hypothesis states Or. signifera possess a chemical defense indicated by aposematic coloration. To test the first hypothesis larval Or. signifera were exposed to conspecific and heterospecific predation cues and their behavior was observed. Both cues …

A Diet Comparison Of Bluegill And Bluegill X Pumpkinseed Hybrids, Russell D. Zwiers

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Bluegill Lepomis macrochirus and pumpkinseed Lepomis gibbosus commonly prey upon macroinvertebrates but have been found to show different preferences to what type of macroinvertebrates. Hybrids of the two species have been found to display physical characteristics of both parents but prey selection of the hybrids compared to the parents is unknown. Therefore, the objective of this study was to analyze the diets of bluegill and bluegill x pumpkinseed hybrids to understand what each species’ preference is when it comes to food as well as finding how a hybrid’s diet compares to the pure breed of one of the two crossed …

Effects Of Velocity And Substrate Size On The Formation Of Zebra Mussel Druses, Ian Mott

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Zebra Mussels Dreissena polymorpha are an invasive bivalve species that are highly successful at dominating new environments. These invaders have been known to colonize substrate so thoroughly that all they have to attach to are members of their own species. When large mats of interconnected mussels completely cover a riverbed, it can have a drastic effect on the surrounding environment. This study serves to create a better understanding of the hydrologic parameters needed for Zebra Mussels to create these ecosystem-transforming colonies known as druses. Data was collected on a small stretch of the Upper Mississippi River in Northern Minnesota, previously …

Estimate Of Long-Term Phytoplankton Biomass In Lake Bemidji, William J. Peterson

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Phytoplankton are photosynthetic organisms that are the base of aquatic food webs. In a dimictic temperate lake such as Lake Bemidji, the environment adjusts with the changing water temperatures and sunlight levels. The phytoplankton in a dimictic lake are adapted to subsist in long term seasonal changes but the exact change to the number of phytoplankton in unknown. The focus of this study was to estimate the biomass of phytoplankton in a long term period including winter stratification and summer peak. From a period between March 2023 and October 2023 water samples were collected from the lake in the south …

Tekëne (Woodland), Jeremy Johnson, Heather A. Wholey, Stephanie Thompson

Gordon Natural Area History & Strategic Plan Documents

Tèkëne are highly biodiverse ecosystems comprised of plants and wildlife that thrive within four layers: tree canopy; understory; field; and forest floor. Temperate deciduous forests are naturally among the most bio-diverse habitats worldwide. The Lenape are among several indigenous cultures with deep ancestral ties to the Eastern Woodlands.

Demography And Habitat Associations Of The Basalt Cactus: Pediocactus Nigrispinus, Zarha Dillon-Zuppelli

All Master's Theses

Cacti are iconic, conspicuous, and important contributors to arid ecosystems. They stabilize soil and provide essential food and habitat to wildlife. Pediocactus nigrispinus is a species of cactus endemic to the Pacific Northwest and has been listed as a sensitive species due to its vulnerability to habitat loss. Pediocactus nigrispinus is being threatened by habitat fragmentation, poaching, and a changing climate. Best conservation methods for this species are poorly understood, due in part to a limited understanding of its demography and associations that may help define its occurrence.

A demographic study in Washington State was implemented in 2016 to give …

Pasture Condition Guides For The Southern Rangelands, Including The Gascoyne, Murchison And Goldfields-Nullarbor, Peter-Jon A. Waddell, Philip We Thomas, Wayne J. Fletcher, Kath Ryan, Joshua E. Foster, John K. Stretch, Jim S. Addison

Bulletins 4000 -

These guides address a recognised gap in readily applicable and easily accessible information on southern rangelands pasture condition and management.

These guides provide descriptions and images for southern rangelands pastures with similar management requirements for the grazing of native pastures by livestock. Therefore, the focus is on palatability of vegetation to livestock, and the effects of livestock management and external factors on the condition of the vegetation and soils.

The first section provides an overview and map, introduces concepts and terms important to understanding arid shrubland management in general, these guides in particular, and includes an economic analysis of the …

The Birds And The Bees And The Willows: Understanding The Reproductive Biology Of Salix Nigra Marsh., Julianne Gmys Grady

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Salix nigra is a common tree-form willow found throughout the eastern United States and Canada in riparian and wetland habitats. Like other members of the Salicaceae, it is dioecious with separate male and female individuals. While Salix has been thought to be strictly insect pollinated and Populus wind pollinated, several species of Salix have had wind pollination present in varying amounts by species. S. nigra’s pollination syndrome has not been studied extensively, though it is assumed to be insect pollinated. Unlike other willows with wind pollination, S. nigra is basal on the Salix phylogenetic tree. This study was conducted …

The Importance Of Winter Dinoflagellate Blooms In Chesapeake Bay— A Missing Link In Bay Productivity, Nicole C. Millette, Sophie Clayton, Margaret R. Mulholland, Leah Gibala-Smith, Michael Lane

OES Faculty Publications

It is widely assumed that phytoplankton abundance and productivity decline during temperate winters because of low irradiance and temperatures. However, winter phytoplankton blooms commonly occur in temperate estuaries, but they are often undocumented because of reduced water quality monitoring in winter. The small body of in situ work that has been done on winter blooms suggests they can be of enormous consequence to ecosystems. However, because monitoring is often reduced or stopped altogether during winter, it is unclear how widespread these blooms are or how long they can last. We analyzed an over 30-year record of monthly phytoplankton monitoring samples …

A Cladoxylopsid With Complex Vascular Architecture From The Early Devonian Battery Point Formation (Québec, Canada), Jessica Chu

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Cladoxylopsids are seed-free plants that formed the world’s earliest forests and gave rise to horsetails (sphenopsids), but their evolutionary origins are poorly understood. Here, I describe a new Early Devonian cladoxylopsid from the Emsian (400-395 Ma) Battery Point Formation (Québec, Canada). The structural features of this plant indicate taxonomic affinity to cladoxylalean cladoxylopsids and its phylogenetic position supports placement in genus Cladoxylon (the proposed name, Cladoxylon kespekianum sp. nov., to be formalized by peer-reviewed publication). Specimens of this plant are permineralized in calcium carbonate and were studied using the acetate peel technique with light and electron microscopy. Cladoxylon kespekianum is …

Under Ice Photosynthetic Primary Production And Dark Carbon Fixation In A Temperate Freshwater System, Vanessa Cubillos Tellez

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Ice-covered lakes are vulnerable to environmental change, especially those in the Northern Hemisphere where ice cover is rapidly declining due to global warming. These changes can alter metabolic processes and disrupt carbon cycling driven by primary producers who form the base of the food chain and are key to sustaining ecosystem function. Photosynthetic primary production and dark carbon fixation under the ice in the Keweenaw Waterway, a temperate freshwater system that is ice-covered for ~3 months out of the year, were studied using a carbon isotopic labeling (14C-bicarbonate) technique. Water samples were collected weekly during ice cover and monthly during …

Factors Influencing Mortality Of Bighorn Sheep (Ovis Canadensis), Emily Moberg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Reintroduced bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) in Nebraska faced a devastating pneumonia epizootic resulting in variable ewe reproductive success and poor lamb recruitment in many of the herds. From 2015-2017, no lamb recruitment was observed in the northern Pine Ridge subpopulation and as many as 60% of adults died. This was in stark contrast to the healthier Wildcat Hills herds to the south, where lamb recruitment was estimated to be between 50-70% during the same years. From 2018-2020, we radio-collared and recaptured 76 adult female bighorn sheep from 2 of 3 Pine Ridge herds and 1 of 2 Wildcat Hills herds. …

Diets Of Invasive Channel Catfish Are Subsidized By Invasive Riparian Trees, Christopher A. Cheek, Brandon K. Peoples, Reuben R. Goforth

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) is an invasive, fruit- bearing riparian tree that dominates riparian zones of the San Juan River in the southwestern United States. Previous research in this river suggests olive fruit is common in diets of invasive channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), but its energetic importance is unknown (i.e. critical for catfish fitness vs. incidental consumption). We assessed Russian olive consumption in channel catfish diets bimonthly for 1 year, hypothesizing that olive consumption would be greatest during periods of high olive availability and low benthic aquatic invertebrate availability. We found that catfish consumed olive fruit throughout the year and …

Facing Into The Blizzard: Resiliency And Mortality Of Native And Domestic North American Ungulates To Extreme Weather Events, Jeff Martin

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

Unseasonably early blizzards in the northern Great Plains threaten large mammal populations unacclimated for variable and extreme winter conditions. This region averaged 22 blizzards per winter season during the 2010s, up from 6 during the 1960s, and is anticipated to average 32 blizzards by the 2050s. In early October 2013, the fatal Atlas Blizzard affected four livestock and captive species in 16 counties of western South Dakota. Expected one-week total death losses for the study area were estimated from national average background mortality rates: 161 cattle, 102 sheep, 9 horses, and 6 bison. However, observed death loss varied significantly (McNemar’s …

Advancing Assessments Of Climate Change Vulnerability Of West Virginia Watersheds, Joseph T. Molina

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

As climate change is becoming increasingly recognized as a threat to aquatic ecosystems, climate adaptation planning, in both the long- and short-term, is becoming more common in natural resource management. There is a need within conservation agencies to develop methodologies and assessments that support adaptation planning to efficiently disperse conservation dollars and effectively strengthen ecological and community resilience as climate changes continue. My thesis aims to provide West Virginia natural resources managers with climate vulnerability assessments that can be used to determine where and how conservation efforts should be administered. Additionally, I demonstrate a methodology that can be built upon …

Abundance-Habitat Relationships And Aquatic-Terrestrial Habitat Selection Patterns For Wood Turtles (Glyptemys Insculpta) In The Upper Midwest, Jena Marie Staggs

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Due to range-wide population declines, wood turtles (Glyptemys insculpta) are under review for federal listing under the United States Endangered Species Act. Understanding how habitat associations and environmental conditions influence population dynamics and spatiotemporal activity patterns is fundamental for designing effective management strategies. Previous work on wood turtle abundance-habitat relationships focused on broad-scale habitat relationships in northeastern North America. However, regional differences in climate, habitat conditions, and land use patterns limit their applicability to much of the wood turtle’s Upper Midwest distribution. Much of our understanding of wood turtle activity patterns is based on radiotelemetry studies, which are biased towards …

Relationships Between Watershed Factors And Community Size Spectra Of The Fish And Macroinvertebrate Communities Of Mid-Appalachian Streams, Jarrett Hunter Landreth

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Freshwater lotic communities are complex, dynamic, and quick to respond to changes to their environment. However, some of the specific mechanisms driving those changes are yet to be fully understood. Here, I will use the community size spectrum (CSS) approach to assess how the CSS slope, elevation, and food chain length of the fish and macroinvertebrate assemblages as well as the combined CSS of 15 mid-sized (2nd-4th order) streams in north-central West Virginia respond across gradients of watershed factors (drainage area, mean drainage slope, mean drainage elevation, drainage % forest, and stream specific conductance). Field sampling was carried out in …

Fish Community Responses To Environmental And Anthropogenic Conditions In West Virginia, Katherine A. Adase

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

While Appalachia is among the oldest region in the world, Central West Virginia watersheds have been impacted by anthropogenic stressors, including extractive mining and timber harvest industries, as well as urban development and agriculture, damns, fracking, mining, and land cover use. This study aims to understand how natural environmental and human altered gradients impact affect diversity of fish communities in streams and rivers throughout Central Appalachia. The first chapter aims to provide insights into the impact of the 2016 low head dam removals on taxonomic and functional fish communities in the West Fork River, West Virginia and the potential benefits …

Assessing The Efficacy Of Beaver Dam Analogs In Willow Restoration, Hannah Hill, Dylan Ritter

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Willow establishment is a necessary objective of stream restoration due to their role in bank stabilization, stream shading, and enhancement of biodiversity across the riparian zone. However, anecdotal observation indicated that establishment on beaver dam analogue (BDA) restored streams may be lacking. BDA’s mimic the pooling effects of natural beaver structures and are intended to help recreate historic conditions that existed before beaver extirpation. When working as intended, ecosystem function is restored, and a major aspect of this is willow presence. Because of these observations, as well as limited information on willow recruitment following restoration, we ask the following questions. …

Out Of The Frying Pan And Into The Fire: How Hunting Affects The Diel Activity Patterns Of Ungulates In Lubrecht Experimental Forest, Shawn M. Parsons

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Predator-prey dynamics shape diel activity patterns of large mammals. The avoidance of predation risk by prey in both space and time can affect predator-prey overlap and reduce risk of mortality. Here, I examined if rifle hunting affected the diel activity patterns of ungulates and their primary predator, pumas, in Lubrecht Experimental Forest, Montana. I deployed 30 infrared wildlife remote cameras across 29 sites using a stratified random design over three months before, during, and after the Fall 2022 Montana rifle hunting season. This project was also part of the Snapshot USA 2022 initiative. Using timestamps from these photos, daily activity …

Land Systems, Soils And Vegetation Of The Southern Goldfields And Great Western Woodlands Of Western Australia - Volume 1, Peter-Jon A. Waddell, Paul Galloway

Technical Bulletins

This technical bulletin defines and maps the land resources of the southern Goldfields region of Western Australia (WA). The southern Goldfields region, as featured in this bulletin, covers 151,753 km². The western and eastern borders are variable because they align with various cadastral boundaries. The western survey border, which in part follows the WA State Barrier Fence, demarcates cleared agricultural land from the intact, western extent of the Great Western Woodlands. The eastern border abuts the westernmost Nullarbor pastoral lease boundaries, except for the north-easternmost and south-easternmost edges which continue into Crown land. Major towns are Coolgardie, Kalgoorlie …

Land Systems, Soils And Vegetation Of The Southern Goldfields And Great Western Woodlands Of Western Australia - Volume 2, Peter-Jon A. Waddell, Paul Galloway

Technical Bulletins

This technical bulletin defines and maps the land resources of the southern Goldfields region of Western Australia (WA). The southern Goldfields region, as featured in this bulletin, covers 151,753 km². The western and eastern borders are variable because they align with various cadastral boundaries. The western survey border, which in part follows the WA State Barrier Fence, demarcates cleared agricultural land from the intact, western extent of the Great Western Woodlands. The eastern border abuts the westernmost Nullarbor pastoral lease boundaries, except for the north-easternmost and south-easternmost edges which continue into Crown land. Major towns are Coolgardie, Kalgoorlie …

Placing The Evolutionary History Of Desmognathus Salamanders In Context: A Phylogeographic Approach, Kara Jones

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

Patterns of genetic variation do not arise in a vacuum but are instead shaped by the interplay between evolutionary forces and ecological constraints. Here, I use a phylogeographic approach to examine the role that ecology played in lineage divergence in the Desmognathus quadramaculatus species complex (Family: Plethodontidae), which consists of three nominal species: D. quadramaculatus, D. marmoratus, and D. folkertsi. Previous phylogenetic studies have shown that individuals from these species do not form clades based on phenotype. My approach to reconciling phylogenetic discordance was two-fold, using (1) genome-wide markers to provide insight into the …

Competition And Herbivory Influence The Survival, Growth, And Physiology Of Native Tree Seedlings In The Kentucky Inner Bluegrass Savanna-Woodland, James D. Shaffer

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

Terrestrial plant communities are shaped by competition for resources, herbivory, and abiotic processes. Savanna systems represent a dynamic coexistence of contrasting life forms (grasses and trees) shaped by competition and disturbance. The Kentucky Inner Bluegrass Savanna-Woodland (KIBSW) is described as an open woodland of shade intolerant species; however, climatic, and edaphic conditions can support closed-canopy forest. After European pioneer settlement (c1750-1800), over 99% of “savanna-woodlands” have been lost. KIBSW remnants are experiencing a recruitment failure, leading to a dominance shift in tree communities. I researched how tree-grass competition and mammalian herbivory influence KIBSW regeneration and maintenance. The KIBSW does not …

Context-Dependency And Sex-Specificity Of Dispersal Syndromes, Allyssa Kilanowski

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

For populations in landscapes with increasingly heterogeneous and fragmented habitat patches (e.g., metapopulations), dispersal is an important behavior that leads to gene flow and connectivity among isolated patches. Because dispersal is a complex process, there are many traits involved. When suites of morphological, behavioral, physiological, and life-history traits covary with dispersal (e.g., a dispersal syndrome), the correlated traits can assist dispersing individuals through the complex process. Furthermore, once dispersal is completed, the correlated traits can influence the fitness of those dispersed individuals. Dispersal syndromes will likely interact with the local environment to produce ecological and evolutionary feedbacks on the metapopulation. …

Parental Effects On Offspring Reaction Norms: Consequences For Complex Phenotypes In Variable Environments, Alexandra G. Cones

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

Organismal traits all exhibit some degree of environmental sensitivity, and both the strength and direction of these phenotypically plastic responses to the environment can evolve in adaptive ways. For example, parents can use information about their own environment to precondition the traits of their offspring so that they thrive in their future environment. This transgenerational plasticity can also alter the plasticity of offspring, but explicit investigations of this specific phenomenon are rare. I begin with a review of the literature and provide a quantitative genetic framework to investigate this phenomenon, which I then explore empirically using avian embryos. The metabolic …

Multilevel Phenotypic Integration Of Metabolism And Behavior In House Sparrows And Mice, Tim Salzman

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

Patterns of multilevel variation in behavior, both within and among individuals, raise challenging questions about underlying mechanisms and the selective pressures acting on them. One intriguing hypothesis is that physiology shows parallel multilevel variation, and so might represent a latent trait that integrates multilevel behavioral responses. For example, foraging acquires the fuel needed to maintain metabolism, and in turn, an individual’s metabolism affects expression of foraging, and other, behaviors. Metabolism and behavior thus might coevolve to become integrated traits. Despite the appeal of this hypothesis, numerous investigations into the link between metabolism and behavior have yielded largely equivocal results.

To …

Intercontinental Comparisons Of Subterranean Host-Parasite Communities Using Bipartite Network Analyses, Altangerel Tsogtsaikhan Dursahinhan, Sebastian Botero-Cañola, Scott L. Gardner

Scott L. Gardner Publications

Rodents living in a subterranean ecotope face a unique combination of evolutionary and ecological pressures and while host species evolution may be driven by the selective pressure from the parasites they harbour, the parasites may be responding to the selective pressures of the host. Here we obtained all available subterranean rodent host-parasite records from the literature and integrated these data by utilizing a bipartite network analysis to determine multiple critical parameters to quantify and measure the structure and interactions of the organisms present in host-parasite communities. A total of 163 species of subterranean rodent hosts, 174 parasite species, and 282 …

Space Use And Movements Of Southeastern Breeding Double-Crested Cormorants (Nannopterum Auritum) In The United States, Leah L.K. Moran, Brian S. Dorr, Katie C. Hanson-Dorr, R. J. Moore, Scott A. Rush

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Abstract: Seasonal movements of Double-crested Cormorants (Nannopterum auritum) have been studied at breeding and wintering sites in the southeastern United States, but little information exists on the movements of these birds within and from their southern breeding sites in lacustrine systems. Since 2001, cormorants have established nesting colonies on islands in Guntersville Reservoir in Alabama, USA. Following the movements of tagged cormorants using satellite telemetry, we found that the mean home range during the 2017 breeding season (May–August) was 41.76 km², with a core use area of 6.36 km². The mean home range used …

Variance In Offspring Sex Ratio And Maternal Allocation In A Highly Invasive Mammal, Sarah M. Chinn, Timothy J. Smyser, James C. Beasley

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Skewed sex ratios at birth are widely reported in wild populations, however, the extent to which parents are able to modulate the sex ratio of offspring to maximize their own fitness remains unclear. This is particularly true for highly polytocous species as maximizing fitness may include trade-offs between sex ratio and the size and number of offspring in litters. In such cases, it may be adaptive for mothers to adjust both the number of offspring per litter and offspring sex to maximize individual fitness. Investigating maternal sex allocation in wild pigs (Sus scrofa) under stochastic environmental conditions, we predicted that …