Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Long-Term Spatiotemporal Change In Coral Reef Fish Populations And Communities In The Philippines, John Christopher Whalen

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The Visayas Region of the Philippines is a global epicenter of marine fish biodiversity. Hypotheses attribute this peak of species richness within the Coral Triangle to processes that occur at geological time scales. However, changes in biodiversity may occur on ecological time scales, allowing for the assessment of the potential impact of anthropogenic activities. Recent declines in genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity have been observed in the tropics, including the Philippines. Within the Philippines the Visayas Region is considered the epicenter of species adversity due to anthropogenic stressors such as habitat degradation, overfishing, and harvesting individuals for the aquarium trade. …

From Shallow To Upper Mesophotic Reefs: Examining Environmental Influences On Coral Physiology And Thermal Tolerance, Katherine Eileen Parker

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Coral reefs are increasingly threatened by rising ocean temperatures, yet coral thermal tolerance varies widely across species, populations, and environments. This dissertation investigates the biological and environmental mechanisms underlying coral thermal resilience, with a focus on symbiosis dynamics, photoacclimation, and the interaction between light and heat stress across environmental gradients. Specifically, it examines how coral-Symbiodiniaceae partnerships respond to thermal stress using the Coral Bleaching Automated Stress System (CBASS) across contrasting thermal and light environments, spanning population-level differences, depth-associated variation, and experimental manipulation of light during acute heat stress. First, thermal thresholds and transcriptomic dynamics were examined in two wild Porites …

Evaluating Fish Assemblages At An Early-Stage Living Shoreline Project In Lake Pontchartrain, Collin Glaser

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Living shorelines are an increasingly popular restoration approach for reducing erosion while improving habitat quality. The Bucktown Living Shoreline Project is a large-scale restoration effort along the southern shore of Lake Pontchartrain aimed at enhancing coastal resilience and restoring historic marsh habitat. This thesis evaluated early fish assemblage response to the Bucktown Living Shoreline Project over one year and placed those assemblages within the broader historical context of Lake Pontchartrain. Monthly sampling was conducted at the living shoreline and an adjacent riprap control site using seines, cast nets, and minnow traps. Fish assemblage structure was not significantly different between sites. …

Extinction Risk Of Coral Reef Fishes In The Philippine Marine Ornamental Trade, Jemelyn Grace Baldisimo Sepulveda

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Coral reef ecosystems in the Philippines face severe threats from intense fishing and habitat degradation. This dissertation evaluated the extinction risk of fishes in the Philippine Marine Aquarium Trade (MAT) using Productivity Susceptibility Analysis (PSA) and temporal genomics. A global PSA framework was modified by including local susceptibility factors. Of the 103 species evaluated, six were categorized as highly vulnerable and 62 as moderately vulnerable, revealing increased local vulnerability and underscoring the importance of local assessments to guide conservation efforts.

Temporal genomics compared historical (1908–1909 U.S.S. Albatross Expedition) and contemporary populations of the MAT-targeted Sphaeramia nematoptera and Pseudanthias squamipinnis, …

A Comparison Of Ahdrift And Pitfall Traps For Surveying Small Vertebrates, Gabrielle Risko

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Understanding species occupancy is necessary to inform wildlife management and conservation decisions. To minimize the invasiveness of occupancy studies, some wildlife researchers have deployed game cameras to detect the presence of small vertebrates instead of utilizing stressful traditional live-capture methods. The Adapted Hunt Drift Fence Technique (AHDriFT) is an increasingly popular method for modifying and deploying camera traps to detect small vertebrates; however, no studies have directly compared AHDriFT to traditional pitfall traps operating at the exact same time, even though both are deployed along drift fences to capture small vertebrates. I compared these two methods (pitfall trapping and AHDriFT …

Reconstruction Of Copepod Populations In Sierra Nevada Lakes Using The Diatom Fragilaria Cyclopum, Rorie Reisner

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Copepods are one of the most abundant types of zooplankton, and their populations are often a vital part of the food chain, but their past populations cannot be estimated from lake sediments because their exoskeleton usually does not fossilize. Gull Lake is a glacial lake located in the subalpine region of the Sierra Nevada, California, which stands out due to the presence of the diatom Fragilaria cyclopum, which is rarer in diatom assemblages. Fragilaria cyclopum exclusively grows on copepods in lakes. Diatoms have an opaline silica skeleton that often fossilizes in lake sediments, so we can use this relationship with …

Reconstructing Stand-Age Structure In A Wet Miombo Woodland Using Dendrochronology, Zambia, Clara Tiyembekeze Zulu

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Dendrochronological research in tropical Africa has remained limited, leaving critical gaps in stand-age structure and climate-growth relationships in seasonally dry tropical woodlands. This study reconstructed stand-age structure and assessed climate sensitivity in the wet Miombo woodland of African Explosives Limited (AEL) forest, Copperbelt Province, Zambia. Field sampling was conducted during four African Dendrochronology Fieldschools (2021-2024) using a Modified Variable Area Transect (MVAT) design across nine plots. The series intercorrelation was 0.351; the average mean sensitivity was 0.423. The oldest tree was 170 years old, and more than 70% of the sampled species showed potential for dendrochronology. Markhamia obtusifolia was the …

The Role Of Phenotypic Plasticity And Bet-Hedging In Coping With Unpredictable Temperature Fluctuations In The Marine Annelid Ophryotrocha Labronica, Gabrielle Dawn Newton

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Coastal ecosystems are increasingly exposed to unpredictable temperature fluctuations, potentially favoring strategies that buffer populations against environmental uncertainty. This study examines how phenotypic plasticity and diversified bet-hedging contribute to variation in life-history traits under differing thermal predictability in the marine annelid Ophryotrocha labronica. After three generations at 24 °C, broods were reared for three generations under four thermal regimes: constant 24 °C (C24), constant 27 °C (C27), predictable fluctuations (Fp), and unpredictable fluctuations (Fu). Survival was assessed before and after acclimation to evaluate selective pressure among regimes. Age at maturity, fecundity, and growth rate were used to quantify plasticity (trait …

The Role Of Individual Specialization In Migration Phenology And How Restored Habits Are Used By Native And Nonnative Fishes, Austin Garner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Native fish species around the world have declined due to habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, and the spread of non-native species. Because these problems often happen at the same time and interact, recovery efforts can stall unless they address all of the factors limiting a species' comeback. The June sucker (Chasmistes liorus), native only to Utah Lake, UT, has declined for many of these reasons, though its recovery effort has made significant progress due in large part to a successful hatchery program. Yet, the recovery efforts have not yet been able to establish a self-sustaining population in Utah Lake, …

'Fast' And 'Slow' Water Handling Strategies Explain Pinyon Pine Decline And Juniper Expansion, M. Faraz Rehman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Across the western United States, pinyon and juniper woodlands are changing with pinyon pine trees dying back while juniper becoming more abundant. Previous studies suggested that pinyon may lose more water during drier periods. But water loss is only part of the story. Water inputs, or how plants absorb water, are also likely to be important, but rarely well understood. To better understand this, we measured how pinyon and juniper absorb water from different soil depths and how actively they lose water through their leaves. Measurements were made over two years at three sites that ranged from more dry to …

A Geometric Morphometric Analysis Of Acetabular Shape Variation Across Bat Families, Jordan L. Huff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bats are the only mammals capable of powered flight, and research is concentrated on this adaptation. Their non-flight locomotion has received comparatively little attention. Previous studies show that non-flight locomotor behaviors vary across families. Members of Pteropodidae are efficient climbers but cannot effectively walk, whereas Phyllostomidae and Vespertilionidae are better at terrestrial locomotion but show reduced arboreal capabilities. The non-flight locomotion of Hipposideridae and Rhinolophidae is less understood, although rhinolophids exhibit limited terrestrial locomotion. This study examined whether differences in locomotor behavior are associated with variation in acetabular morphology. A geometric morphometric analysis of acetabular shape was conducted across multiple …

Re-Examining Endemic Smoky Dace As An Indicator Species In The Upper Little Tennessee River Index Of Biological Integrity, Tayton C. Alvis, William O. Mclarney, Radmila Petric, Jason P. Love

Southeastern Fishes Council Proceedings

Fish communities can be used to evaluate water quality and stream ecosystem health, helping resource managers understand the effects of anthropogenic disturbance. Fish species inform indexes of biological integrity through their ecological traits and tolerance to stressors (e.g. tolerant of disturbance, intolerant of disturbance), but these designations are difficult to determine without localized, species-specific information. The Upper Little Tennessee River watershed is subject to long-term aquatic biomonitoring, applying an index of biological integrity tailored to the region. In this index, the undescribed endemic Smoky Dace (Clinostomus sp.) is classified as intolerant based on a previous designation for the Rosyside Dace …

Climate Change And Desert Ecosystem Resilience: A Systematic Review Of Impacts, Adaptation Strategies, And Sustainability Pathways, Ghada Abd Elsattar Mohammed Oraby, Garmat Zahra

Jurnal Pendidikan Geografi: Kajian, Teori, dan Praktek dalam Bidang Pendidikan dan Ilmu Geografi

Desert ecosystems are among the most climate-sensitive environments on Earth, where rising temperatures, altered precipitation regimes, and increasing aridity threaten ecosystem stability, biodiversity, and ecological functioning. Despite covering more than one-third of the global land surface, a comprehensive understanding of how climate change affects desert ecosystem resilience and the effectiveness of adaptation strategies remains limited. This study conducted a systematic review following the PRISMA framework to evaluate the impacts of climate change on desert ecosystem resilience and to identify effective adaptation and restoration pathways. A total of 16 high-quality studies were selected from 403 records retrieved from the Scopus database. …

What Does Sentience Mean At The Neural Level?, Björn Brembs

Animal Sentience

Jonathan Birch's (2025) LSE criteria for sentience include motivational trade-offs, exemplified by C. elegansweighing hunger against desiccation risk. Yet once the neural circuit is known, this "trade-off" reduces to a single inhibitory synapse—an ‘elemental’ account discrediting the ‘molar’ one. My commentary illustrates the same discrepancy in Drosophila: dopaminergic ramping during courtship as it progressively suppresses threat-detecting neurons; so persistence past danger reflects recalibrated valuation rather than a weighed decision. As neurobiology increasingly discovers such discrepancies, all criteria resting on behavioral classifications risk being defined away without altering the behavior's validity.

Bridging The Gap In Science Research: Preparing Students For College- Level Research In The Sciences, Victoria Helwig, Yaoguang Li

UConn Library Presentations

Many first-year students enter college unprepared to fully engage with scientific literature and academic library resources. Drawing on experiences from academic librarians working with STEM students, this session explores common gaps in science research skills, including navigating databases, identifying scholarly sources, and understanding the structure of scientific literature. Participants will be introduced to practical strategies and classroom-ready activities to better prepare students for college-level research. Discussion questions: What science research skills do students struggle with most when entering college? How can high school instruction better support these skills? Where can librarians and educators collaborate to support student success?

Scorpiops Walteri Sp. N. (Scorpiones: Scorpiopidae) From Myanmar, František Kovařík

Euscorpius

A new species Scorpiops walteri sp. n. (Scorpiopidae) is described from Myanmar, fully illustrated with color photos showing its morphology and habitus. Scorpiops walteri sp. n. is the only species of the genus with a combination of the following five characters: chelal trichobothrium Eb₃ located in middle of manus between trichobothria Dt and Est; patella of pedipalp with 11–12 ventral and 19 external trichobothria; fingers of pedipalps strongly undulate in male; pedipalp movable finger with ca. 47 IAD; and chela length to width ratio 2.8 in male.

Plant Diversity Modifies Multi-Trophic Interactions In Croplands, Grasslands And Forests, Nian Feng Wan, Muyao Li, Siyuan Shen, Jun Xiang Zhou, Yu Tong Zhu, Ben A. Woodcock, Yue Qing Hu, Shinichi Nakagawa, David Tilman, Andy Hector, Michel Loreau, Peter B. Reich, Matteo Dainese, Forest Isbell, Bernhard Schmid, Kris A.G. Wyckhuys, Geoff M. Gurr, Linsheng Wan, Nico Eisenhauer, Yann Hautier, Anu Eskelinen, Richard D. Bardgett, Paul Kardol, Lauchlan H. Fraser, Qi Su, Shiyun Qiu, Yavanna Aartsma, Ramon Albajes, Matthias Albrecht

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Multitrophic interactions can strongly influence the structure and functioning of ecosystems, but how plant diversity influences the direction and predictability of multitrophic interactions across agricultural and natural ecosystems remains unclear. Using 149 field studies across five continents, we found that, on average, increasing plant diversity tended to exert differential top-down and bottom-up effects in croplands versus grasslands and forests. Organic and nonorganic croplands exhibited 846 and 148% higher invertebrate natural enemy-to-herbivore abundance ratios under increased plant diversity, consistent with top-down control patterns where predator gains cause herbivore declines, enhancing crop outcomes. In grasslands and forests, increasing plant diversity was associated …

Reel Into Fishing!: Providing A Recreational Fishing Education Program For Youth, Amelia Valente, Douglas R. Zemeckis, Lisa Morse, Gene Nigro

Journal of Extension

New Jersey is known as the Garden State, but with over 130 miles of Atlantic coastline, it also has very productive marine ecosystems that offer numerous opportunities for recreational marine fishing. The International Game Fish Association, a nonprofit organization committed to the conservation of game fish and the promotion of responsible, ethical angling practices, collaborated with Rutgers Cooperative Extension to host a youth educational program entitled Reel Into Fishing! The objective is to educate participants through hands-on engagement on ethical fishing practices and marine science to help develop the next generation of responsible anglers.

Ai Is Not The Kind Of Thing That Can Ever Be Sentient, Lori Marino

Animal Sentience

Sentience evolved to allow organisms to move through their environment avoiding harms and achieving benefits. Sentience did not evolve from computation. It evolved from valenced feelings. AI (even robots) are not embodied and are not the kind of thing that needs to be sentient. There is no way to get from computations to feelings. They are qualitatively different things. We should avoid being lulled into thinking that an inanimate object designed to engage our propensity for anthropomorphism, like AI, is actually a mind.

Look Out For Our Kind, Christof Koch

Animal Sentience

Strongly supportive overall of Birch’s broad tent Sentience Project, I offer an alternative dyadic, single-class, two-stage process based on estimating the probability for sentience, and the associated confidence, for any individual or taxonomic group. I criticize Birch’s narrow computational framework when addressing the question of algorithmic sentience; there are alternative approaches.

Aquaponics: Farming Fish And Growing Greens For Grades 9–12, Amy M. Shambach,, Rebecca M. Ward, J. Stuart Carlton, Kwamena K. Quagrainie, Tomas O. Höök

Purdue University Press Books

Aquaponics: Farming Fish and Growing Greens for Grades 9–12 teaches STEM-related course material through aquaponics, a water-based agricultural system that combines aquaculture (fish production) and hydroponics (soilless vegetable production) systems. This curriculum is aligned with Next Generation Science Standards and designed to be used with an onsite aquaponics system. Topics include an introduction to aquaculture, fundamental parts of an aquaponics system, the nitrogen cycle, water quality, population dynamics, our modern food system, and more. The ten lessons presented build on each other and are intended to be delivered in sequential order. Alternatively, lessons may also be utilized as stand-alone units …

Euscorpius Emae Sp. N. (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae), A New Scorpion Species From Montenegro, František Kovařík

Euscorpius

A new species Euscorpius emae sp. n. (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae) from Montenegro is described, fully complemented with color photographs. E. emae sp. n. is morphologically unique by yellow to orange color, very narrow metasoma and enlarged chela. Pedipalp patella external trichobothria numbers are 4eb, 4eb_a, 2esb, 4em, 4est, 5et, and ventral aspect of patella with 9 trichobothria.

Vertebrate Diversity In Cave Systems Of Colombia: An Approach Based On Environmental Dna Metabarcoding Analysis, Rita Daniela Martinelli Marín, Carlos Andres Lasso, Francesco Sauro, Susana Josefina Caballero

International Journal of Speleology

There is currently limited knowledge of the biological communities inhabiting cave ecosystems in South America. This study examines the vertebrate community composition of 21 caves across diverse subterranean ecosystems in Colombia using environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis. Water was collected from water bodies inside caves and subterranean systems in six of the eight speleological regions of Colombia in eight departments. Water was filtered manually through a 0.8 m pore size filter and preserved with Longmire solution. A 170-base pair (bp) fragment of the 12s mitochondrial gene specific for vertebrate identification was amplified by PCR and sequenced by Illumina (metabarcoding). Data corresponding …

Tails From The Isle Of Devils: Two New Records Of Non-Native Invasive Scorpions (Arachnida: Scorpiones) Successfully Intercepted In Bermuda, Including The First Record Of Caraboctonidae, Danniella Sherwood, Mark Outerbridge, Struan R. Smith, Jenny Gosling, Myles Darrell

Euscorpius

Hadruroides sp. (Scorpiones: Caraboctonidae) is newly recorded as a successfully intercepted non-native invasive species in Bermuda, based on examination of a desiccated and damaged immature female specimen. A second record of an intercepted Centruroides gracilis (Latreille, 1804) (Scorpiones: Buthidae) is reported based on examination of an adult male.

Influence Of Genetic Relationships On The Spatial Distribution Of Breeding Eastern Wild Turkeys (Meleagris Gallopavo Silvestris) In West-Central Louisiana, Rachel D. Price

LSU Master's Theses

Eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) have a complex social system influenced by dominance hierarchies and exhibit seasonal variation in gregarious behaviors. Previous work has examined the influence of kin relationships on interactions between same sex conspecifics and flock associations, but information on how genetic relatedness influences interactions between individuals remains lacking. We constructed a dyad-based social network using high-resolution GPS data from 179 female and 68 male wild turkeys in west-central Louisiana during the 28-day period before a females’ 1^st nest initiation to quantify interaction probability based on genetic relatedness and age. Our findings suggest that …

Avian Conservation And Translocations In The Mariana Archipelago, John V. Bender

Dissertations

Island birds are among the world’s most imperiled vertebrates, and conservation translocations are increasingly used to combat threats, but their success depends on understanding the mechanics of whether and how to conduct translocations effectively. In the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, native forest birds persist across a chain of islands where habitat degradation and loss, invasive species, and extreme weather create persistent conservation challenges. For my dissertation, I investigated how avian conservation programs and translocations can be planned, implemented, and improved under biological, logistical, and social uncertainty. For Chapter 1 I analyzed 15 years of avian translocations across seven …

Examining Individual Representation In Asian Elephants (Elephas Maximus): Implications For Recognizing Familiarity And Presence Of Conspecifics, Elena Lawson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Elephants’ flexible cognitive abilities and fission-fusion societies make them an excellent study species to investigate individual social recognition. Despite the substantial role chemical cues play in elephant social communication, there is a considerable lack of research into their chemosensory social recognition, especially in Asian elephants (Elephas maximus). Using two-choice tests, I assessed Asian elephants’ chemosensory ability to discriminate between individuals by both presence and familiarity. I also used a habituation-discrimination paradigm to assess individual recognition in elephants by determining whether elephants integrate odor cues (i.e., urine and feces) to form multi-cue representations of individuals. Responses between samples were …

Afforestation Strategies In Semi-Arid Mediterranean Ecosystems: Experimental Evidence From Chmistar, Lebanon, Ahmad Saker, Mohammad Saleh, Wael Mostafa, Safaa Baydoun, Jamilah Borjac, Dalia El-Badan

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

The success rate of broadleaf tree growth in semi-arid Mediterranean environments is reduced in afforestation operations constrained by water scarcity, shallow soil depth, and intense competition from herbaceous vegetation. This study, conducted between 2022 and 2024 in Chmistar, East Lebanon, using a completely randomized block design, aimed to evaluate the impact of three planting broadleaf trees techniques (traditional digging pits , hoedad tools, and auger digging) and four effective vegetation control (herbicide application, mowing,  mulching, and no control) on the early growth of three native broadleaf tree species (Pistacia palaestina, Quercus calliprinos, and Quercus infectoria ).

The …

Scorpions Of Angola (Arachnida, Scorpiones). Part I. Family Buthidae, With Descriptions Of Two New Species., František Kovařík

Euscorpius

All scorpion species of the family Buthidae known from Angola are listed, with color photographs and maps of their distribution. Diagnosis of Babycurus ansorgei Hirst, 1911 is revised; its male is described for the first time. Babycurus crassicaudatus Roewer, 1952, is revalidated (it was erroneously synonymized with B. ansorgei, since the females of both species are morphologically almost identical). Uroplectes angolensis sp. n. and U. xavieri sp. n. are described from Angola. Validity of Uroplectes ngangelarum Monard, 1930 is confirmed as different from U. planimanus (Karsch, 1879); its lectotype is designated. Lectotype is also designated for Uroplectes planimanus …

Light-Driven Zonation And Community Structure Of Aerophytic Microalgae In A Tropical Limestone Cave (Gua Tempurung, Malaysia), Wan Maznah Wan Omar, Mohammad Basri Eshak, Luthfiana Aprilianita Sari, Zulaihat Hamza Abdullahi, Yusuf Abdullahi

International Journal of Speleology

Cave ecosystems host specialized phototrophic biofilms structured primarily by light availability, yet quantitative assessments of aerophytic microalgal community organization in tropical limestone caves remain limited. This study investigated spatial variation in the structure of aerophytic microalgal communities across four ecologically distinct zones (entrance, transition, penetration, and low light) of Gua Tempurung, Malaysia. Stratified sampling was conducted during three seasonal periods. Dominant phototrophic morphospecies were identified using microscopy, and community composition was analyzed in relation to key environmental variables. Twenty-three dominant microalgal morphospecies were recorded across the cave gradient. Cyanobacteria constituted the major component of both richness and abundance, followed by …