Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Algae And Cyanobacteria In The Aphotic Habitats Of Veternica Cave (Medvednica Mt., Croatia) And Selected Caves Of The Dinaric Karst (South-Eastern Europe), Najla Baković, Tanja Pipan, Robert Baković, Roman Ozimec, Josip Rubinić, Renata Matoničkin Kepčija

International Journal of Speleology

Microphototrophs (algae and cyanobacteria) in karst environments have been intensively studied in aquatic epigean habitats. In recent decades knowledge about the communities inhabiting cave entrances and lampenflora has grown substantially, but the data about the communities in aphotic cave zone are scarce. This study aimed to investigate spatio-temporal presence of microphototrophs in the aphotic zone of Veternica Cave (Mt. Medvednica karst) and to present additional preliminary data from 22 caves of the Dinaric karst. The data were collected over ten years, in parallel with research on cave phagotrophic protists. In addition to the remains of microphototrophs, living algae and cyanobacteria …

Modeling The Role Of Land Conversion On The Spread Of An Epizootic Disease, Dustin Padilla

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Is Cleaning Up The Ocean Helpful Or Hurtful?, Megan O. Powell

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Covid-19 And Challenges To The Classical Theory Of Epidemics, Simon Levin

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Trophic Model Closure Influences Ecosystem Response To Enrichment, Anne Willem Omta

Faculty Scholarship

There exists considerable uncertainty about the most appropriate functional form to describe mortality at the highest trophic level (the closure problem). Although linear and quadratic formulations predict strongly different dynamics, it is unclear which of these formulations is more realistic. We introduce an implicit predator population feeding on the highest trophic level, parameterized through a Holling Type II functional response and empirically observed predator–prey scaling relations. Thus, we arrive at a hyperbolic mortality formulation that is a hybrid between the linear and quadratic forms. Subsequently, we investigate the impact of this formulation on the modeled population dynamics. In particular, we …

A Novel Vaccine Candidate Against Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus 2 (Rhdv2) Confers Protection In Domestic Rabbits, Angela M. Bosco-Lauth, Bethany Cominsky, Stephanie Porter, J. Jeffrey Root, Amber Schueler, Gary Anderson, Sara Vanderwal, Andy Benson

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

OBJECTIVE To evaluate efficacy of a novel vaccine against rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus 2 (RHDV2) in domestic rabbits.

ANIMALS 40 New Zealand White rabbits obtained from a commercial breeder.

PROCEDURES Rabbits were vaccinated and held at the production facility for the duration of the vaccination phase and transferred to Colorado State University for challenge with RHDV2. Rabbits were challenged with oral suspensions containing infectious virus and monitored for clinical disease for up to 10 days. Rabbits that died or were euthanized following infection were necropsied, and livers were evaluated for viral RNA via RT-PCR.

RESULTS None of the vaccinated animals …

Visual Ecology: Sensing The Social World, Elliott P. Steele

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Social animals, and even solitary animals, must at different points in their life actively search for and locate conspecifics within their environment, using one or multiple senses. One sense in particular, vision, can provide some of the most spatially detailed and temporally rapid information about the environment. Yet, the surrounding environment can also severely challenge animals’ abilities to find fellow conspecifics. Furthermore, once an animal successfully locates conspecifics, it must then make key decisions about when and where to enter group formations, decisions which may strongly impact their access to socially-acquired resources. Even after an animal has positioned itself within …

Landscape-Level Long-Term Biological Research And Monitoring Plan For The Crane Trust, Andrew J. Caven, Joshua D. Wiese, Bethany L. Ostrom, Kelsey C. King, Jenna M. Malzahn, David M. Baasch, Brice Krohn

Zea E-Books Collection

Our obligation is to make sure we are effectively utilizing science to meet the objectives of the Platte River Whooping Crane Maintenance Trust (1981) laid out in its charter “to rehabilitate and preserve a portion of the habitat for Whooping Cranes and other migratory birds in the Big Bend reach of the Platte River between Overton and Chapman (i.e., Central Platte River Valley), Nebraska”. The original declaration is aimed at maintaining “the physical, hydrological, and biological integrity of the Big Bend area as a life-support system for the Whooping Crane and other migratory species that utilize it.” It was clear …

Exceptional Larval Morphology Of Nine Species Of The Anastrepha Mucronota Species Group (Diptera: Tephritidae), Erick J. Rodriguez, Gary J. Steck, Matthew R. Moore, Allen L. Norrbom, Jessica Diaz, Louis A. Somma, Raul Ruiz-Arce, Bruce D. Sutton, Norma Nolazco, Alies Muller, Marc A. Branham

Papers in Evolution

Anastrepha is the most diverse and economically important genus of Tephritidae in the American tropics and subtropics. The striking morphology of the third instars of Anastrepha caballeroi Norrbom, Anastrepha crebra Stone, Anastrepha haplacantha Norrbom & Korytkowski, Anastrepha korytkowskii Norrbom, Anastrepha nolazcoae Norrbom & Korytkowski, and three newly discovered and as yet formally unnamed species (Anastrepha sp. Peru-82, Anastrepha sp. nr. protuberans, and Anastrepha sp. Sur-16), and the more typical morphology of Anastrepha aphelocentema Stone, are described using light and scanning electron microscopy. To contribute to a better understanding of the interspecific and intraspecific variation among species in the mucronota …

Zebras Of All Stripes Repel Biting Flies At Close Range, Kaia J. Tombak, Andrew S. Gersick, Lily V. Reisinger, Brenda Larison, Daniel I. Rubenstein

Publications and Research

The best-supported hypothesis for why zebras have stripes is that stripes repel biting flies. While this effect is well-established, the mechanism behind it remains elusive. Myriad hypotheses have been suggested, but few experiments have helped narrow the field of possible explanations. In addition, the complex visual features of real zebra pelage and the natural range of stripe widths have been largely left out of experimental designs. In paired-choice field experiments in a Kenyan savannah, we found that hungry Stomoxys flies released in an enclosure strongly preferred to land on uniform tan impala pelts over striped zebra pelts but exhibited no …

Ecology And Evolution Of Social Information Use, Clare T. M. Doherty

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Sociality is a strategy many animals employ to cope with their environments, enabling them to survive and reproduce more successfully than would otherwise be possible. When navigating their environments and making decisions, social individuals often use information provided by conspecifics (in the form of social cues and signals), thereby increasing the scope and reliability of the information they can gather. However, social information use may be influenced by many factors, including key differences in context across the physical and social environment. My thesis asks and answers a series of questions regarding the trade-offs in social information use across different contexts, …

Investigating Students' Interpretations Of Ecological Food Webs, Christopher Neil Grissett

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

To better prepare undergraduate students for current and future biological challenges, scientists, educators and researchers in the Vision and Change report recommended five core conceptual areas essential for the improvement of biological literacy, one of which is biological systems. Systems are an identified core concept that may help promote biological literacy. One example of a system that students have difficulty understanding is an ecological food web, which consists of parts or components interacting with one another to perform a given phenomenon. The intricacies of this system tend to confuse students and can produce naïve conceptions that could hinder future learning …

Community-Level Phylogenetic Diversity Does Not Differ Between Rare And Common Lineages Across Tallgrass Prairies In The Northern Great Plains, Sarah A. Herzog, Maribeth Latvis

Native Plant Focused Publications

Niche differentiation has served as one explanation for species coexistence, and phylogenetic relatedness provides a means to approximate how ecologically similar species are to each other. To explore the contribution of rare species to community phylogenetic diversity, we sampled 21 plant communities across the Prairie Coteau ecoregion, an area of high conservation concern. We used breakpoint analysis through the iterative addition of less abundant species to the phylogenetic tree for each community to assess the contribution of rare species to community phylogenetic diversity. We also quantify the phylogenetic signal of abundance using Blomberg's K statistic and calculated the phylogenetic similarity …

The Nebraska Bird Review, Subscription And Organization Information (December 2022)

Nebraska Bird Review

The Nebraska Bird Review is published quarterly by the Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union, Inc., as its official journal, and is sent to members not in arrears of dues. Annual subscription rates (on a calendar-year basis only): $25 in the United States and $35 in all other countries, payable in advance. Single copies are $7 each, postpaid, in the United States and $9 elsewhere. Send orders for back issues to Anita Breckbill, NOU Librarian, c/o Music Library, WMB 30, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588-0101 (or at the email address listed below).

Memberships in the NOU (on a calendar-year basis only): Active …

Fall Field Report, August-November 2022, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

All in all, this was a fairly uneventful fall season, although even uneventful seasons have their share of oddities and variations from the norm. A noteworthy event was a fire that took out much of the brushy habitat in Carter Canyon, Scotts Bluff Co (see photo on following page). It will be interesting to read upcoming spring reports to see what effect the fire might have had on numbers of birds that frequent brushy areas, like towhees and buntings. Optimistically, fires have attracted rare woodpeckers, with first to arrive Black-backed, which would be a first documented Nebraska record, and typically …

Growth Performance And Activities Of Some Liver Enzymes In Clarias Gariepinus Burchell 1822 Juveniles Cultured In A Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia Crassipes [Mart] Solms-Laubach) Infested Media, Phebian Temitope Odufuwa

Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior

A 12-week exposure study was conducted to evaluate the growth performance and activities of some liver enzymes of African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) juveniles cultured in water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) infested concrete and plastic culture media. 152 fish juveniles were introduced into two large concrete tanks (6.0 m × 5.0 m × 1.2 m) for the outdoor experiment. A tank was infested with E. crassipes plant at a density of 12.30 plants/m², while the other tank, which served as the control, contained no water hyacinth plant. For the laboratory experiment, 50 fish juveniles were stocked in duplicate into five …

Impacts Of Algal Morphology And Water Flow On Macroalgal Microplastic Capture, Cheyenne M. Adams

Honors College Theses

Microplastic pollution is a major area of concern in marine environments, especially as microplastics enter the food web. This study used pipe cleaners and two lichen species as algal mimics, and Chaetomorpha sp. and Chondrus crispus as model algal species to test the effects of morphology and biomass on microbead and foam capture. This study also utilized two different water flow methods: vortices and waves. Results suggest that water flow, as well as biomass and morphology, play a role in microplastic capture in macroalgae. For all mimics and algal species, except Cladonia lichens, turfs with increased biomass and length showed …

Viewing Animal Migration Through A Social Lens, Ellen O. Aikens, Iris D. Bontekoe, Lara Blumenstiel, Anna Schlicksupp, Andrea Flick

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

Evidence of social learning is growing across the animal kingdom. Researchers have long hypothesized that social interactions play a key role in many animal migrations, but strong empirical support is scarce except in a few unique systems and species. In this review, we aim to catalyze advances in the study of social migrations by synthesizing research across disciplines and providing a framework for understanding when, how, and why social influences shape the decisions animals make during migration. Integrating research across the fields of social learning and migration ecology will advance our understanding of the complex behavioral phenomena of animal migration …

Influence Of Plant Density On Rainfall Interception By Spartina Alterniflora, Hannah K. Longaberger

Honors College Theses

Abstract

Spartina alterniflora is an abundant plant in eastern US and Gulf coast salt marshes; it is important in maintaining a diverse ecosystem. Salt marshes are impacted by rainstorms, which may affect erosion events. This project examined the partitioning of rainfall on single plants of various sizes and on central plants within different canopy densities of S. alterniflora. By calculating the rain stemflow (SF), throughfall (TF), and water adhered to the stem in S. alterniflora, we gained insight to rainfall partitioning with different plant features. My research found no statistically significant relationship between different plant features and SF, TF, …

Reproductive Traits And Change In Body Shape Of Neonates In The Oak Forest Skink, Plestiodon Lynxe, Manuel Feria-Ortiz, Uri Omar García-Vázquez, Carlos Joaquín Pavón-Vázquez, Adrián Nieto-Montes De Oca

Publications and Research

Reproductive traits are critically important for understanding how organisms adapt to their respective environments. In this study, we provide information on relative litter mass (RLM) and other litter and neonate related characters of nine female Plestiodon lynxe captured in the field. We also recorded seven body dimensions in 16 neonates and 15 two-month juveniles, and on the basis of these dimensions we compared the body shape of these two age classes to detect changes in the proportions of body parts. The average litter size (4.55) is larger than that found in other viviparous species of Plestiodon, but smaller than …

Text Mining Policy Documents To Support Transboundary Integrated Ecosystem Assessment : The Case Of The South Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Debora Cristina Ferrari Ramalho

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Maritime Stakeholder Perceptions On Challenges And Opportunities To Ratify The Ballast Water Management Convention In Ecuador : Perspectives From Maritime Decision-Makers And Port State Control Officers, José Alejandro Pazmiño Yépez

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Variation In Coastal Macroinvertebrate Species Diversity On Intertidal Boulders In Trinidad, California., Louis Antonelli, Alexandra Winkler, Theron Taylor, Natalie Greenleaf

IdeaFest: Interdisciplinary Journal of Creative Works and Research from Cal Poly Humboldt

Coastal environments of Humboldt County provide an optimal habitat for a diversity of macroinvertebrates. This study’s focus is to determine the differences in diversity of coastal macroinvertebrate (CM) species on intertidal boulders. Eleven CM species were visually counted within a one-square-meter quadrat along two height strata of five intertidal boulders. Based upon the Shannon-Wiener diversity index, diversity was measured between the CM species in the lower region (0-1 meter from base of boulder) and the upper region (1-2 meters from base of boulder). The resulting data showed the lower regions of the boulders had a higher average diversity rating, as …

First Host Record, Nesting Behavior, And Taxonomic Position Of The Spider Wasp Genus Hesperopompilus Evans And Some Other Evans Genera (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae), Frank E. Kurczewski, Rick C. West, James P. Pitts

Insecta Mundi

First host record, prey transport, and burrow excavation are described for Hesperopompilus sp., an undescribed, rare spider wasp (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae) from Texas. Taxonomic, ecological, and behav­ioral examination of the genus subsequently led to an investigation of the previously related Perissopompilus Evans and Xerochares Evans. Taxonomic, host preference, nesting behavior, and phylogenomic relationships of the three taxa are discussed along with those of Xenopompilus Evans. The molecular connection of Perisso­pompilus and Allochares Banks is supported by their common use of host species of Filistatidae.

Evans (1951), in his taxonomic study of the spider wasp tribe Pompilini (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae: Pompilinae), described the …

Synopsis Of The Subfamily Carventinae In New Zealand (Heteroptera: Aradidae), Marie-Claude Larivière, André Larochelle

Insecta Mundi

The subfamily Carventinae (Heteroptera: Aradidae) is revised for New Zealand. Eight genera and fifteen species are recognized.

One genus and six species are described as new: Carventaptera hallae Larivière and Larochelle new species, Lissaptera heissi Larivière and Larochelle new species, Modicarventus kirmani Larivière and Larochelle new species, Neocarventus montanus Larivière and Larochelle new species, Neocarventus northlandicus Larivière and Larochelle new species, Neocarventus potterae Larivière and Larochelle new species, Tuataraptera Larivière and Larochelle new genus.

One new combination is established: Neocarventus uncus Kirman, 1989 = Tuataraptera unca (Kirman, 1989).

One new synonymy is made: …

Host Selection And Nesting Behavior Of Nearctic Trapdoor Spider-Hunting Spider Wasps (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae: Pepsinae, Pompilinae), Frank E. Kurczewski, Rick C. West

Insecta Mundi

Host records and nesting behavior of the Nearctic trapdoor spider-hunting spider wasps (Hy­menoptera: Pompilidae) Calopompilus Ashmead and Priocnemissus Haupt (Pepsinae: Pepsini) and Aporus Spinola and Psorthaspis Banks (Pompilinae: Aporini) are reviewed, investigated, compared, and discussed. First time incidental trapdoor spider host records for Priocnemis (Priocnemissus) minorata Banks (Pepsi­nae: Pepsini), Anoplius (Lophopompilus) carolina (Banks) (Pompilinae: Pompilini), and Notocyphus dorsalis dorsalis Cresson (Notocyphinae: Notocyphini) are included, although they are not typical trapdoor spider-hunting spider wasp species. The Palearctic Aporus (Aporus) unicolor Spinola, A. (Aporus) bicolor Spinola and A. (Aporus) planiceps (Latreille) are …

Is The Reputation Of Eucalyptus Plantations For Using More Water Than Pinus Plantations Justified?, Donald A. White, Shiqi Ren, Daniel S. Mendham, Francisco Balocchi-Contreras, Richard P. Silberstein, Dean Meason, Andrés Iroumé, Pablo Ramirez De Arellano

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The effect of Eucalyptus plantations on water balance is thought to be more severe than for commercial alternatives such as Pinus species. Although this perception is firmly entrenched, even in the scientific community, only four direct comparisons of the effect on the water balance of a Eucalyptus species and a commercial alternative have been published. One of these, from South Africa, showed that Eucalyptus grandis caused a larger and more rapid reduction in streamflow than Pinus patula. The other three, one in South Australia and two in Chile, did not find any significant difference between the annual evapotranspiration of E. …

Contrasting Particle Fluxes And Composition In A Submarine Canyon Affected By Natural Sediment Transport Events And Bottom Trawling, Sarah Paradis, Marta Arjona-Camas, Miguel Goñi, Albert Palanques, Pere Masqué, Pere Puig

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Submarine canyons are important conduits of sediment and organic matter to deep-sea environments, mainly during high-energy natural events such as storms, river floods, or dense shelf water cascading, but also due to human activities such as bottom trawling. The contributions of natural and trawling-induced sediment and organic matter inputs into Palamós Canyon (NW Mediterranean) were assessed from three instrumented moorings deployed in the axis and northern flank of the canyon covering the trawling closure (February) and the trawling season (March-December) of 2017. During the trawling closure, large sediment fluxes with high contents of labile marine organic matter content were registered …

The Ecology And Evolution Of Species Rarity In Oaks (Quercus Spp.), Yingtong Wu

Dissertations

Rare species are susceptible to extinction due to ecological and genetic factors. Understanding the distribution, ecology, and evolution of rare species can provide useful information for effective conservation. To investigate species rarity, this dissertation focuses on a species-rich and ecologically diverse genus, Quercus (oaks). In Chapter 1, I aimed to understand how interactions between hosts and soil microbes contribute to habitat restriction in oak species. I performed a soil inoculum experiment on two pairs of sister oak species that show habitat divergence. I found that host-specific soil microbes contribute to habitat divergence and exclusion among sister species of oaks, but …

A Long-Term Vision For An Ecologically Sound Platte River, Andrew J. Caven, Melissa M. Mosier, Kristal Stoner, Bill Taddicken, Brice Krohn, Ashley Gramza, Craig R. Allen, Mike Carter, Michelle Koch, Kirk D. Schroeder, Sarah Bailey, Rich Walters, Brian C. Chaffin, Erica Gnuse, Amy Jones, Kate Bird

Zea E-Books Collection

The Platte River extends about 310 mi (499 km) from North Platte, Nebraska, to its terminus at the Missouri River confluence near Plattsmouth, Nebraska. The Platte River Valley is a continentally significant ecosystem that serves as a major stopover for migratory waterbirds in the Central Flyway including the endangered Whooping Crane (Grus americana) and >1 million Sandhill Cranes (Antigone canadensis) at the peak of spring migration. However, the Platte River Valley also supports a great diversity of avifauna including grassland breeding birds, native stream fish, vascular plants, herpetofauna, mammals, pollinators, and aquatic macroinvertebrates. Despite ongoing conservation …