Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Testing The Accuracy Of A Bear-Tracking Satellite Transmitter Collar Under Natural Conditions, K. A. Watson, K. Phipps, C. Drexler, C. R. Middaugh, M. Means, M. Hooks

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission tracks American black bears (Ursus americanus) using Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite telemetry collars in southeastern Arkansas to assess habitat use and behaviors. Companies test the accuracy of their devices, but researchers have found that natural environments, such as the forested habitat of black bears, can cause an increase in spatial error rates. We therefore tested 1 GPS collar in realistic conditions to help refine data interpretation. We placed the collar at 20 random locations in Columbia County, AR, stratifying habitat type based on data collected from black bears. We determined the …

Ecological And Nutritional Drivers Of Floral Fidelity In Wild Pollinators, Adelaide Elise Ergastolo

Master's Theses

Plants must receive pollen from the same species in order to successfully reproduce. For most flowering plants, the transfer of pollen occurs via animal pollinators while they forage on plants to obtain food. Therefore, the fidelity of pollinators to individual plant species during foraging trips is directly related to the amount of conspecific pollen plants receive. Low floral fidelity of pollinators can reduce plant reproductive success, which in turn has the potential to lower food resources for pollinators in the future. While many factors can potentially influence pollinator floral fidelity, several important ones may be the nutritional resources provided by …

Preserving The Past: Exploring The Last Frontier's Ecosystem Shifts And Biodiversity Of The Tallgrass Prairies, Gisell Maldonado, Amelia Villaseñor

Anthropology Undergraduate Honors Theses

In North America, grasslands are a cornerstone of the environment. Historically, the tallgrass prairie was expansive and reached from Manitoba in Canada to Texas. Today this unique ecosystem is highly fragmented and reduced, but it remains an important ecosystem for biodiversity and cattle management. While there are many complex ecological interactions in the prairie, recent research shows that large herbivores are vital in maintaining grasslands through grazing and other behaviors that reduce woody encroachment and support nutrient cycling. Here, we examine cow and bison dietary behaviors and connect these to the ecosystem services provided by these large herbivores. In the …

Acute Effects Of The Psychoactive Pollutant Fluoxetine On The Antipredator Behavior Of The Gulf Killifish (Fundulus Grandis), Semyra Reus

Honors Theses

Pharmaceutical contaminants are increasingly prevalent in aquatic environments, yet their sublethal effects on ecologically relevant behaviors remain poorly understood, particularly in estuarine systems. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as fluoxetine, are of particular concern due to the conserved role of serotonin in regulating behavior across vertebrates. Here, we investigated how acute exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations of fluoxetine influences anti-predator behavior in Gulf killifish (Fundulus grandis), a key estuarine fish commonly found in saltmarsh habitats. Killifish were exposed to control (0 ng/L), low (17.8 ng/L), and high (596 ng/L) fluoxetine concentrations and subsequently tested in the presence …

Feeding Ecology In Coastal Systems, Randi L. Cannon

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

Oysters (Crassostrea virginica) are critical foundation species in estuaries, providing numerous ecological and economic benefits. However, oyster populations have diminished worldwide. Effective oyster restoration and aquaculture require a mechanistic understanding of the physiological and environmental factors that govern oyster feeding, growth, and resilience under changing coastal conditions. We investigated how oyster ploidy and environmental conditions influenced oyster feeding and investigated how changes in abiotic conditions affected behavioral performance of oyster drills (Stramonita spp.), a key oyster predator. To better understand feeding responses and behaviors of both predator and prey we 1) used in-situ filter feeding assays to determine if feeding …

Temporal Avoidance By Gray Foxes Reflects Growing Pressure From Expanding Coyotes In The Neotropics, Madison Odenbach

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Coyotes (Canis latrans) are rapidly expanding their range towards South America, potentially threatening the world’s highest canid diversity residing on that continent. A better understanding of their interactions with native species is needed to anticipate potential competitive impacts. In Costa Rica, native gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) likely occupy a similar niche to the coyote newcomer, yet little data exists on their interactions in tropical ecosystems. We hypothesized the two species separate temporally to minimize the potential for competition in our study area, given preliminary data suggesting high spatial overlap (57.1% of coyote-detected sites overlap with fox-detected …

The Impacts Of Wing-Flashing By Northern Mockingbirds On Foraging, Parental Care, And Reproductive Success, Anna R. Starman

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Foraging efficiency may be enhanced by flashing patches of white wing and tail feathers and has been documented in several avian species. Northern Mockingbirds (Mimus polyglottos, NOMO) exhibit this “wing-flashing” (WF) behavior while foraging, during displays, and in response to predators. In NOMOs, WF has been hypothesized to increase foraging success, but previous findings are inconclusive. To further investigate the biological role(s) of WF behavior in NOMOs, the ventral surface of white primary feathers of male NOMOs were artificially darkened, and the foraging and provisioning rates of undarkened (control) males and their mates were compared. While foraging, undarkened …

The Ecology Of Arthropod Rain In A Tropical Forest., Andrew Robert Seiler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Tropical forests are structured by complex vertical linkages and nutrient exchanges between canopy and understory habitats. These linkages include the downward flux of organisms, the movement of canopy fauna, and the recycling of nutrients through litter and organic matter deposition. This dissertation investigates arthropod rain and its role in connecting the canopy and forest floor processes in a lowland tropical forest in Panama. Chapter 2 quantifies “arthropod rain”, the fall of canopy arthropods into the understory. Using pan and pole traps, I measured the composition, abundance, and biomass of arthropods falling from the canopy and assessed environmental drivers of the …

Coyote (Canis Latrans) And Non-Target Wildlife Responses To Livestock Guardian Dogs At Sheep Grazing Sites On The California Central Coast, Tricia T. Nguyen

Master's Theses

Livestock depredation is one of the oldest and most widespread forms of human-wildlife conflict. The coyote (Canis latrans), a midsized canid, represents a significant proportion of domestic sheep depredations in the United States, costing livestock producers an estimated 24.6 million dollars annually. Management strategies for coyote-sheep depredation vary widely in their effectiveness and in their level of public support. Identifying appropriate strategies for farms, ranches, and other sheep grazing sites remains a pressing need due to the potentially negative consequences for surrounding ecosystems and socioeconomic outcomes for sheep producers. The livestock guardian dog (LGD) is a nonlethal control …

Investigating The Impact Of Psychoactive Plant Alkaloids On Bumblebee Behavior, Skylar Mathieson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The relationship between plants and their pollinators is often framed as a food-for-service exchange in which plants provide pollinators with nutrients in exchange for transport of their gametes. However, in addition to essential nutrients, many floral rewards (nectar, pollen) also contain defensive toxins such as alkaloids, with largely unexplored consequences for plant-pollinator interactions. I investigated how three psychoactive and addictive plant alkaloids — caffeine, nicotine, and morphine — affect foraging behavior in generalist bumblebees (Bombus impatiens) using robotic flowers. Each of these chemicals affected pollinator foraging behavior, influencing the number and duration of their visits to flowers in …

Drivers And Consequences Of Changes In Nectar Microbiome Composition Across Spatial And Biological Scales, Daniel A. Barker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Microbial communities inhabiting floral nectar, known as the nectar microbiome, are important mediators of plant-pollinator interactions. However, the ecological and environmental factors that shape the composition of these microbial communities remain poorly understood. While previous studies have examined the effects of a few microbial groups, typically independent of one another, on one plant or pollinator species, this dissertation takes a wide-scale approach to explore how abiotic conditions and biotic interaction’s structure microbial communities within floral nectar. Furthermore, I also quantify how variation in microbial richness and identity influences pollinator behavior and plant reproductive success.

This dissertation shows that microbial abundance …

Decoding The Plant Metabolome: A Metabolomics Approach To Guereza (Colobus Guereza) Feeding Ecology In Kibale National Park, Uganda, Emma Grace Thurau

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Plant metabolites, an elusive and diverse group of plant chemicals, represent a complex chemical interplay between plants and herbivores. Plants contain essential nutrients necessary for herbivore survival, yet herbivore consumption results in negative fitness consequences to a plant. This relationship has triggered a coevolutionary arms race in which plants have evolved chemical defenses to prevent herbivore consumption and herbivores, in response, have evolved their own counter-adaptations. This arms race has led to the diverse numbers of herbivores and plants observed today; therefore, these plant metabolites act as a signature of evolution through their influence on herbivore adaptations. Plant metabolites are …

Experimentally Testing A Mechanism Of Urban Adaptation: Are Wild Catbirds Able To Immediately Adjust Their Song In Response To Urban Noise?, Eriberto Osorio

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Anthropogenic noise is loud and low-frequency (low-pitch) sound with frequencies spanning from 1-2.5 kHz in frequency. In noisy urban areas, many birds sing songs with higher minimum frequencies, which can avoid the masking effects of anthropogenic noise. However, the mechanism for an individual to alter spectral aspects of bird song in real time to avoid the masking effect of urban noise is unknown. Immediate flexibility is the ability a bird may use to shifts their song frequency or amplitude in response to noise fluctuations in the environment. Some species that sing higher frequency songs in noisy habitats are not able …

A Genetic And Spatial Analysis Of The Last Megafaunal Species (Tapirus Terrestris) In The Paraguayan Dry Chaco Forest, Emily Bowers

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Ghosts In Glass: Ghost Crabs As Judges Of Glass Sand For Coastal Restoration, Emily Parrish

Honors Theses

Over 60% of the Gulf of Mexico coastline is actively eroding, which has resulted in thousands of miles of lost coastline over the last 100 years. This drastic loss of coastal land highlights the dire need for coastal restoration across the entirety of the Gulf Coast. A vital aspect of restoring these eroded areas is replenishing eroded substrate, traditionally conducted through offshore dredging of substrates which comes with high economic and ecological costs. Recycled glass sand may be able to fill this role and reduce our reliance on dredging while lowering the amount of glass waste entering landfills each year. …

How Bats View Their Flowers: Exploring The Use Of Visual Floral Cues By Nectarivorous Neotropical Bats, Lindsey R. Dennison

Theses

Neotropical nectar bats in cloud forest ecosystems must navigate and forage in dark, complex landscapes containing an incredible diversity of flowering plants. Despite these challenges, nectar bats are extremely successful at exploiting nectar resources from plants. Much of the sensory ecology behind these bat-plant interactions has been investigated and we know from previous studies that echolocation and olfaction are critical sensory modalities to nectar bats. Echo-acoustically conspicuous floral and vegetative structures as well as sulfur-containing volatile compounds function as signals, allowing bats to sense plants. However, not all plants exhibit conspicuous echo-acoustic and/or olfactory characteristics. Furthermore, many neotropical bat-pollinated plants …

The Effect Of Temperature And Vegetative Substrate On The Short-Distance Dispersal Behavior Of An Invasive Weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) To A Protected Dune Thistle, Alyssa S. Hakes, Tina Czaplinska, Monica Paniagua-Montoya

The Great Lakes Entomologist

The invasion of a seed-eating weevil, Larinus carlinae (Olivier, 1807) poses a threat to the persistence of native Pitcher's thistle (Cirsium pitcheri), a federally-threatened plant in sand dune communities of the western Great Lakes. At Whitefish Dunes (Sturgeon Bay, WI. USA), seed predation by weevils is higher for thistles surrounded by native marram grass (Ammophila breviligulata) than for those located in sandy habitats. In this study, we observed how the local abiotic and biotic environment affects the short-distance dispersal behavior of L. carlinae. Weevils were captured on site and individually released on the sand approximately …

The Evolution Of The Stress Response In The Trinidadian Killifish: Ecological Drivers And Maternal Mediation, Mikaela E. Feder

Biology Dissertations - Archive

Ecological variables can induce the stress response in organisms. Yet, few studies have tested for evolutionary shifts in stress responses across ecological gradients. In these studies, we used Trinidadian killifish found in sites with predators (high predation, HP) and sites where they are the only fish present (killifish only, KO). HP and KO populations differ in a suite of behavioral and life-history traits, making the Trinidadian killifish an excellent model to examine evolutionary physiology. My dissertation addresses the knowledge gap by examining: (1) how baseline cortisol differs in wild-caught Trinidadian killifish found in HP and KO sites, (2) the influence …

If You Build It: Using Ground Squirrel Risk Perception To Test Wildlife Crossing Structure Success, Sarah Sanz

All Master's Theses

Roads and traffic present many risks for wildlife, and animals must be able to accurately assess risks in their environment. Animals can often perceive the level of risk they face, and their behavioral responses can alter their fitness and potentially even whole-population dynamics. However, animals may be unable to properly measure the levels of risk near roadways because roads present novel environmental conditions and alter predators’ behavior. To mitigate some of the ecological problems created by roadways, wildlife crossing structures (WCSs) are being incorporated into transportation projects. To understand whether WCSs provide quality habitat for wildlife, we compared the levels …

Assessing The Effects Of Wildfire Season Pm2.5 Exposure And Environmental Variables On Breeding Season Avian Body Condition, Cira Seyer-Ochi

Scripps Senior Theses

The increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires pose growing threats to wildlife, yet the indirect effects of wildfire smoke on avian populations remain largely unstudied. This exploratory study provides an initial assessment of how particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) associated with smoke pollution from the 2017 California wildfire season, in conjunction with precipitation and habitat type, influences the body condition of four resident bird species during the 2018 breeding season. Using bird banding data from 29 Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) stations, I assessed the potential interactions between PM2.5 concentrations, precipitation, and habitat type with body condition for Song Sparrows …

Distribution And Ecology Of The Cedar Keys Mole Skink (Plestiodon Egregius Insularis), Kevin M. Enge, Louis A. Somma, Paul E. Moler, Travis M. Thomas, Matthew T. Fedler, John M. Matter, Dennis C. Haney

Papers in Herpetology

We conducted surveys for the Cedar Keys Mole Skink, Plestiodon egregius insularis (Mount), during 1989– 1999 and 2015–2024, examined museum vouchers, and compiled personal observations from others to determine the status and distribution of this subspecies, which has the smallest geographic distribution of the five subspecies and is being considered for federal listing. We observed Cedar Keys Mole Skinks on Airstrip Island, Atsena Otie, Cedar Point, Deer Island, North Key, Scale Key, Seahorse Key, Snake Key, and possibly Dog Island. We have anecdotal reports of Mole Skinks on Way Key, which contains the most potential habitat and is the main …

Endocrine Responses To Two Distinct Foraging Contexts In The Bonobo (Pan Paniscus), Lauren Mitchell

Master's Theses

In gregarious animals, a social structure characterized by female dominance is relatively rare. However, bonobos (Pan paniscus), one of the two species most closely related to humans, are characterized by partial female dominance, with females forming close social bonds. In contrast, chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), a close relative of the bonobo, are characterized by strong male-male bonding and social dominance with female chimpanzees lacking close social bonds. There is a lack of consensus concerning the reasons for these behavioral differences in Pan, specifically, the physiological processes responsible for female dominance in bonobos. The role of hormones …

The Behavioral Specialization Of African Ant-Following Birds On Dorylus Driver Ants, Patricia F. Rodrigues

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Ant-following birds, that forage on arthropods flushed by swarm raiding army ants, are an iconic phenomenon in tropical forests around the globe. Despite capturing the attention of naturalists for over a century, research on ant-following birds has largely focused on Neotropical species. Decades of research on Neotropical ant-following birds has revealed fascinating aspects of their specialization, including complex cognitive and behavioral adaptations that allow birds to locate and track nomadic army ants. Despite this breadth of research on Neotropical species, virtually nothing is known of the behavioral ecology of African ant-following birds, and it remains unknown whether they exhibit adaptations …

Records Of The Red-Bellied Snake (Storeria Occipitomaculata) In Central And Northeastern Nebraska, Taylor Lowe, Sarah M. Bailey, Dan D. Fogell, Keith Geluso

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

Red-bellied Snakes (Storeria occipitomaculata) are a distinctive, small species that live in moist woodlands throughout much of eastern North America. In the Great Plains, isolated populations exist in South Dakota, Wyoming, and Nebraska. In Nebraska, the only known extant population occurs in wooded riparian habitats along the Big Bend Reach of the Platte River in southcentral parts of the state. Herein, we report on new county records of Red-bellied Snakes in Nebraska, with two observations from Merrick County along the Platte River adjacent to known populations and two observations of a new population in the extreme northeastern part …

The Role Of Sexual Network Core Groups In Disease Epidemics, Jason Janeaux

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) remain an economic and social burden, non-discriminately affecting sexually active individuals worldwide. The unique transmission of STIs is dependent upon host and pathogen life histories, as well as the underlying network structure of the host population. Within a population there is a group of individuals, the core group, that maintains STI presence and helps sustain ongoing transmission both within the core group and in the surrounding population. While the presence of these core groups is well documented, the criteria for inclusion into a sexual core group is not. In this dissertation, I explore common factors that …

Agroecology And Soil Stewardship: Values And Techniques Of Smallholder Farmers In Bernalillo County, Stephanie Olivas

Geography ETDs

Agrarian movements around the world use agroecology to build sovereignty and steward dynamic ecosystems. Research has shown that agroecological farmers steward more resilient crops, more resilient soil biomes, and greater biodiversity than conventional agriculture. GIS and remote sensing offer many tools to detect the impacts of these farmers on the environment, but it is less clear how such technologies fit into agroecological goals. This study asks: what values, experiences and knowledge do smallholder producers in Bernalillo County embody in their soil stewardship practices? Also, what experience or knowledge do smallholder producers in Bernalillo County have about remote sensing, and would …

Trophic Ecology Of Black Swallowers (Scombriformes: Chiasmodontidae: Chiasmodon) In The Deep-Pelagic Gulf Of Mexico, Travis J. Kirk

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

The ecology of deep-pelagic predatory fishes remains poorly understood despite their importance as ecosystem regulators and energy transfer vectors. This study investigated the trophic ecology of three species of the predatory fish genus Chiasmodon (“black swallowers”) in the Gulf of Mexico, a region that serves as an analog for the global low-latitude deep pelagial, the world’s largest cumulative ecosystem. Foraging habits (e.g., selectivity, chronology, daily ration) of an “advanced” evolutionary fish in a system that is otherwise dominated by basal fish taxa, were quantitatively estimated via high-resolution stomach content analysis. A quantitative dataset of both predator and prey abundance, the …

Eristalis Tenax Movement Behavior In Response To Light, Temperature, And Food, Jeffery J. Zheng, Zdena M. Janderova, Jason D. Lang

Georgia Journal of Science

Drone flies, Eristalis tenax (Diptera: Syrphidae), are important generalist pollinators and visit flowers globally that range widely in color. The flies’ photoreceptors allow them to sense light wavelengths between 300-600 nm and E. tenax exhibit a positive phototactic response. To understand the effects of light on E. tenax movement, we conducted two-choice behavioral tests to determine their phototactic response to different wavelengths of light across the spectrum (ultraviolet to red light, plus full spectrum white light). The drone flies moved most and quickest toward sunlight, with almost twice the percentage of flies moving toward sunlight than toward black and …

Data For Context-Dependence Of An Antipredator Response In Neotropical Harvestmen (Arachnida: Opiliones), Austin Calhoun, Rachel Bowden, Ben Sadd

Faculty Publications – Biological Sciences

Inducible defence strategies evolve in response to temporally and spatially variable predation risk. Selection should favour the expression of these strategies when risk crosses a threshold, but expression may also depend on how effective a given strategy is across different contexts (e.g., social environment). For neotropical harvestmen, aggregation behaviour has been shown to be a group-level defence strategy but can be supplemented by additional behaviour to enhance antipredator defence. A secondary behavioural strategy termed “bobbing” has been documented as being associated with gregarious behaviour, in which individuals rapidly move their bodies up and down. This strategy has been proposed to …

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 …