Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Optimizing Methods For Extraction Of Organic Compounds From Molluscan Shells, Kaydee Jo West

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Mollusk shells contain proteins within and between the crystals of calcium carbonate. These organic molecules play an important role in biomineralization and shell function, and their stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen are also thought to record important ecological information about the animal's diet and nutrient sources. These proteins can be preserved for millions of years, offering potential insight into pre-anthropogenic ecological conditions. However, shell organics in older shells are typically recovered in reduced abundances due to leaching and remaining organics are often converted from insoluble proteins to soluble, free amino acids, making them difficult to detect and recover. …

Pollutants And Foraminiferal Assemblages In Torrecillas Lagoon: An Environmental Micropaleontology Approach, Michael Martinez-Colon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Torrecillas Lagoon in the North Coast of Puerto Rico has experienced extensive anthropogenic influence over the past 400 years. Elevated concentrations of Potential Toxic Elements (PTEs) have been reported in surficial sediments. The main goal of this dissertation was to implement in Puerto Rico the use of benthic foraminifers as a bioindicators of PTEs and to compare the impact of Cu(II) on field samples with results of experimental work using cultures.

Analyses included geochemical assessment for bulk and carbonate- soluble bioavailable concentrations of PTEs in surface, core and pore-water samples, as well as analyses of grain-size, Percent Total Organic Carbon …

Evaluating The Myth Of Allelopathy In California Blue Gum Plantations, Kristen Marie Nelson

Master's Theses

It is widely accepted that allelopathy is not only significant, but more or less singular, in the inhibition of understory vegetation in California Eucalyptus globulus (blue gum) plantations. However, there is no published documentation of allelopathy by blue gums against California native species. Here, we present evidence that germination and early seedling growth of five California native species are not inhibited by chemical extracts of blue gum foliage, either at naturally-occurring or artificially concentrated levels. In the greenhouse, seeds were germinated in field-collected soil from mature blue gum plantations and the adjacent native, coastal scrub communities. In petri plates, seeds …

Plants' Native Distributions Do Not Reflect Climatic Tolerance, Tierney Bocsi, Jenica M. Allen, Jesse Bellemare, John Kartesz, Misako Nishino, Bethany A. Bradley

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Aim: Biogeographers have long known that plant species do not fully encompass their fundamental niche. Nonetheless, in practice, species distribution modelling assumes that plant distributions represent a reasonable approximation of their environmental tolerance. For ecological forecasting, projections of habitat loss due to climate change assume that many species will be unable to tolerate climate conditions outside of those found within their current distributional ranges. We aim to test how well occurrences in the native range approximate the climatic conditions in which plant species can survive.

Location: Continental USA. Methods: We compared the climatic conditions between occurrences in the US native …

Rescuing Perishable Neuroanatomical Information From A Threatened Biodiversity Hotspot: Remote Field Methods For Brain Tissue Preservation Validated By Cytoarchitectonic Analysis, Immunohistochemistry, And X-Ray Microcomputed Tomography, Daniel Hughes, Ellen Walker, Paul Gignac, Anais Martinez, Kenichiro Negishi, Carl Lieb, Eli Greenbaum, Arshad Khan

Selected Works Temporary Series

Biodiversity hotspots, which harbor more endemic species than elsewhere on Earth, areincreasingly threatened. There is a need to accelerate collection efforts in these regionsbefore threatened or endangered species become extinct. The diverse geographical, ecological,genetic, morphological, and behavioral data generated from the on-site collection ofan individual specimen are useful for many scientific purposes. However, traditional methodsfor specimen preparation in the field do not permit researchers to retrieve neuroanatomicaldata, disregarding potentially useful data for increasing our understanding of braindiversity. These data have helped clarify brain evolution, deciphered relationships betweenstructure and function, and revealed constraints and selective pressures that provide contextabout the evolution …

Rescuing Perishable Neuroanatomical Information From A Threatened Biodiversity Hotspot: Remote Field Methods For Brain Tissue Preservation Validated By Cytoarchitectonic Analysis, Immunohistochemistry, And X-Ray Microcomputed Tomography, Hughes, Ellen Walker, Paul Gignac, Anais Martinez, Kenichiro Negishi, Carl Lieb, Eli Greenbaum, Arshad Khan

Departmental Papers (Biology)

Biodiversity hotspots, which harbor more endemic species than elsewhere on Earth, areincreasingly threatened. There is a need to accelerate collection efforts in these regionsbefore threatened or endangered species become extinct. The diverse geographical, ecological,genetic, morphological, and behavioral data generated from the on-site collection ofan individual specimen are useful for many scientific purposes. However, traditional methodsfor specimen preparation in the field do not permit researchers to retrieve neuroanatomicaldata, disregarding potentially useful data for increasing our understanding of braindiversity. These data have helped clarify brain evolution, deciphered relationships betweenstructure and function, and revealed constraints and selective pressures that provide contextabout the evolution …

The Origin And Expansion Of The Eastern Red Fox, Adrienne Egge Kasprowicz

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

When new populations are first identified in a region there are multiple potential sources: introduction of a non-native species, extra-range expansion of a nearby population, or demographic growth of a previously unnoticed species. Red foxes were absent or rare in the mid-eastern portion United States until the late 1800s. Their origins potentially include natural population increase/expansion, translocations from Europe, and, eventually, 20th century fur farming. In this study I attempt to identify the relative impact of native expansion versus human mediated introductions of both colonial era European foxes and early 20^th century fur-farm foxes on the establishment of red …

The Gowanus Canal: Delving Into The Murky And Mysterious Waters Of Brooklyn’S Toxic Canal, Victoria L. Von Ancken

Student Theses 2015-Present

Like many environmental issues we face today, the Gowanus Canal began as a hopeful tale. It was envisioned as a promising cargo transportation waterway in Brooklyn, New York. However, due to reckless planning with little thought for the future, the canal slowly began to have a negative effect on its surrounding landscape and community, as well as abandoning its initial purpose, and ultimately sitting stagnant in the neighborhood. Today, the canal is a large environmental problem we face and is in great need of cleanup. The canal is a prime example of a lack of planning and consequential detrimental effects …

Ocean Acidification And Predator-Prey Relations: Correlating Disruption Of Predator Avoidance With Chemosensory Deficits, Alexandra Fw Sidun, William G. Wright

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

One of the most destructive effects of global climate change is the increased carbon sequestering and consequential acidification of our world’s oceans. The impacts of ocean acidification on marine organisms are still relatively unknown, especially effects on behavioral ecology. Avoiding predation has emerged from recent behavioral ecology literature as a critical feature in the life history of a wide array of animal species; experiments on marine fishes suggest acidic water compromises their predator-avoidance abilities. Recent assays in our lab suggest predator-induced behavior is reduced by weakly acidic water. These experiments do not address the potential factor of generalized malaise caused …

The Influence Of Beached Harmful Algal Blooms On Terrestrial Arthropods On The Shore Of Lake Erie, Nadejda Mirochnitchenko, Kevin E. Mccluney

Honors Projects

Marine primary inputs, such as sea wrack and algae, offer a great niche for insects and other animals to exploit. The existence of a similar niche on the coast of lakes has received less attention. To complicate matters, many freshwater systems are seeing increases in proliferation of toxic and non-toxic cyanobacteria blooms. This study examined patterns in lake shore terrestrial arthropod abundance, diversity, and community composition across gradients of beached algae, with varying toxicity. We detected water microcystin effects on arthropod richness in survey three, beached material effects on Shannon’s Diversity in survey two, and water microcystin effects on the …

Estimating The Frequency Of Sexual Reproduction In The Diatom Stephanodiscus Niagarae, Ann W. Dickens

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Diatoms are single-celled micro-algae with cell walls composed of silica, that reproduce in a way that results in a decrease in cell size after each round of mitotic (asexual) division. A cell cannot continue to shrink indefinitely, so when the average size of the population reaches a critical threshold, diatoms reproduce sexually and restore their maximal size. It is unclear, however, how frequently diatoms undergo sexual reproduction in nature. As a proxy for sexual reproduction, I monitored changes in cell size of a population of the diatom Stephanodiscus niagarae from the plankton community of Lake Fayetteville (Arkansas, USA). Weekly sampling …

Gaur (Bos Gaurus) Abundance, Distribution, And Habitat Use Patterns In Kuiburi National Park, Southwestern Thailand, Supatcharee Tanasarnpaiboon

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Population status of gaur (Bos gaurus), a wild cattle, in most habitats where they are present, is still unknown. As the use of camera traps in wildlife studies are widespread, I developed photographic individual identification procedures and utilized encounter histories of gaur individuals from camera trap data to estimate gaur abundance and density using the spatially explicit capture-recapture analysis. The study was conducted at Kuiburi National Park, southwestern Thailand, comprised of dry evergreen forest, moist evergreen forest, and man-modified secondary forest during November 2013- January 2015. I conducted 71 direct observations in a savannah-like habitat area to observe …

Ecology And Genetics Of Lungless Salamanders (Family Plethodontidae) In The Gulf Coastal Plain, Jennifer Yasmin Lamb

Dissertations

During the last half century, lungless salamanders (Family Plethodontidae) have been the subject of numerous studies in the fields of ecology and genetics. While most works have focused on the species-rich Eastern Highlands region, there has been a recent shift towards plethodontid assemblages within the Coastal Plain. The research presented herein applies hierarchical occupancy models and both mitochondrial and nuclear genes to address questions pertinent to the biology and conservation of plethodontids within the Gulf Coastal Plain. The results of a multi-species Bayesian single-season occupancy model indicated that two environmental gradients, upstream drainage area and stream drying, influenced the probability …

[Re]Visiting The Rime: A Case Study Of Adaptation As Process And Product With The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner, Sally Ferguson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis combines adaptation theory with ecology to examine Samuel Taylor Coleridge's Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1798) and its adaptations; it argues further combinations of adaptation with evolutionary theory and ecological ideas could allow for a better interpretation of many texts. The adaptation Rime of the Modern Mariner (2011) by Nick Hayes and the appropriation Perelandra (1943) by C.S. Lewis will also be present in individual chapters to examine the texts' interactions with each other as they evolve and how each work represents the combined theory.

Factors Affecting Tree Swallow (Tachycineta Bicolor) Nestling Resting Metabolic Rate, Brooke M. Piepenburg

All College Thesis Program, 2016-2019

Metabolism is the major force that maintains the most rudimentary of functions, and, therefore, maintains life in every organism. Because of the immense effect metabolism can have on an individual’s life history, it is key that the factors influencing metabolic rate are investigated. This study was designed to investigate the influential factors affecting Tree swallow, Tachycineta bicolor, nestling resting metabolic rates by observing maternal effects, early developmental conditions, age, and body mass in Tree swallow nestlings within collection sites at the Saint John’s Abbey Arboretum and Kraemer Lake-Wildwood County Park in Stearns County, Minnesota. Due to the fact that …

Mass Extinctions Increase Evenness Of Genus Diversity Across Ecological Modes, Catherine Lau

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

In the Big Five mass extinctions, species were eliminated from ecological modes (groups of species in the same habitat with the same motility method and feeding strategy) with greater species diversity preceding these events. Using Knope et al.'s (2015) data set of 18,621 marine animal genera, I asked: When diversity rebounds, does it recover to a similar distribution of genus diversity across modes or to a more even distribution spanning different modes? With each event, the difference in diversity among modes decreases, so evenness increases over time. Mass extinctions contribute to the broad range of diversity we see today.

Natural Skeletal Pathologies In A Population Of Gray Squirrels, Sciurus Carolinensis, From Putnam County, Georgia, Anna M. Bosch, Katelyn J. Benson, Alfred J. Mead

Georgia Journal of Science

Antemortem bone remodeling following severe trauma leads to bone disfigurement that serves as a skeletal record of the injury resulting from events such as nonfatal predator attacks, aggressive intraspecific interactions, or accidental injuries related to lifestyle hazards. In the current study, pathologic bone regrowth was analyzed in a sample of 91 eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) skeletons from Putnam County, Georgia. The occurrence, frequency, and position of bridging fracture calluses, bone misalignments, bone-surface perforations, and localized superficial calluses were recorded and compared to other terrestrial, semiarboreal, and arboreal mammalian species. Evidence of healed bone fractures was observed in 41% of …

Blastomyces: Why Be Dimorphic?, Dennis J. Baumgardner

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

In introducing the infectious disease focus for this edition of the Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews, the author describes the unsolved mysteries surrounding the dimorphic fungus Blastomyces and the related pathogenesis of pulmonary blastomycosis.

Disease-Causing Fungi In Homes And Yards In The Midwestern United States, Dennis J. Baumgardner

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

A number of fungal pathogens that may result in a variety of human diseases are found in residential homes and yards. The growth of these microscopic fungi is often favored by particular characteristics of the dwelling and nearby outdoor environment. Evolved virulence factors or increased ability of specific fungi to grow in diverse, and sometimes harsh, microenvironments presented by the domestic environment may promote growth and pathogenesis. Infection may occur by inhalation or direct inoculation and include endemic fungi in addition to opportunistic or emerging species. Systemic or locally aggressive fungal infections are particularly likely and may be life-threatening in …

Constraining Neogene Temperature And Precipitation Histories In The Central Great Plains Using The Fossil Record Of Alligator, Evan Whiting

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Most amphibians and reptiles (excluding birds) are poikilothermic; their internal body temperature varies with that of their external environment. This makes them useful as climate proxies, especially when linked to geographic distributions of ambient climate. I evaluate the utility of the extant crocodylian genus Alligator as a paleoclimate proxy for the Central Great Plains (CGP) using species distribution modeling. Alligator is a readily identifiable taxon with a good CGP fossil record during the Neogene (~23–2.6 Ma). Alligator first appeared in the CGP in the late Eocene (~37 Ma), was absent during most of the Oligocene, reappeared in the early Miocene …

Success Of Sexual Reproduction In A Specialized Nursery Pollination Mutualism, Andrew J. Gebara Ii, Shivani Jadeja, Brigitte Tenhumberg

UCARE: Research Products

We studied the yucca-yucca moth pollination mutualism that evolved 40 MYA. • It is a nursery pollination mutualism where host plants depend on their specialized nursery pollinator for seed production, which is the host plant’s measure of fitness. • Nursery pollinators lay eggs in the flowers they pollinate, and the pollinator’s larvae depend on the produced seeds for food. • Some yucca moth species lay eggs in developing fruits and do not pollinate flowers. Non-pollinating yucca moth’s larvae also depend on yucca seeds for food. • This system has other seed-eating larvae that reduce seeds that are important for the …

Vegetative Responses To Hydrology And Ground Water Extraction In West-Central Florida Cypress Domes, Paul Thurman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The increasing demand for and limited supply of fresh water necessitates an understanding of how human actions affect aquatic ecosystems. Anthropogenic impacts to these ecosystems occur in many forms including eutrophication, invasive species removals, and hydrologic alterations. Ground water extraction is one such action that can dramatically impact wetland hydrology and is increasing in occurrence globally as clean surface water resources are exhausted. Despite the importance of ground water extraction to meet human demand, little information is available concerning the response of vegetation communities to chronic ground water extraction. Over extraction is known to result in reduced water levels and …

Evolutionary Responses Of Invasive Grass Species To Variation In Precipitation And Soil Nitrogen, Monica A. Nguyen, Amy E. Ortega, Quoc L. Nguyen, Sarah Kimball, Michael L. Goulden, Jennifer L. Funk

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

1.Global climate models suggest that many ecosystems will experience reduced precipitation over the next century and the consequences for invasive plant performance are largely unknown. Annual invasive species may be able to quickly evolve traits associated with drought escape or tolerance through rapid genetic changes.

2.We investigated the influence of five years of water and nitrogen manipulations on trait values in a southern California grassland system. Seeds from two annual grass species (Avena barbata, Bromus madritensis) were collected from experimental plots and grown in a common environment over two generations. We measured 14 physiological, morphological, phenological, and …

Root Hydraulic Conductance In Malosma Laurina Experiencing Severe Dieback In The Santa Monica Mountains, Natalie M. Aguirre 5861995, Avery Davis, Sarah Nelson

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

Malosma laurina is a dominant species in coastal chaparral ecosystems The deep root systems of M. laurina provide structural support for the steep Santa Monica Mountains and allow M. laurina to tap into the deep water table. M. laurina dieback is prevalent in coastal exposures of the SMM, presumably due to historic drought predisposing plant tissues to infection by the fungal pathogen Botryosphaeria dothidea. In ecosystems that experience annual dry periods, a high hydraulic conductance in roots is necessary to provide plants with sufficient water. A recent study has examined the effect of Botryosphaeria on the hydraulic conductance of M. …

Drip Irrigation: Saving Plants And Water Alike, Lewis University

Sustainability

No abstract provided.

Molecular Analysis Confirming The Introduction Of Nile Crocodiles, Crocodylus Niloticus Laurenti 1768 (Crocodylidae), In Southern Florida, With An Assessment Of Potential For Establishment, Spread, And Impacts., Michael R. Rochford, Kenneth L. Krysko, Frank J. Mazzotti, Matthew W. Shirley, Mark W. Parry, Joseph A. Wasilewski, Jeffrey S. Beauchamp, Christpher R. Gillette, Edward F. Metzger Iii, Michiko A. Squires, Louis A. Somma

Papers in Herpetology

The state of Florida, USA, has more introduced herpetofauna than any other governmental region on Earth. Four species of nonnative crocodilians have been introduced to Florida (all since 1960), one of which is established. Between 2000–2014 we field-collected three nonnative crocodilians in Miami-Dade County, Florida, and one in Hendry County, Florida. We used DNA barcoding and molecular phylogenetics to determine species identification and native range origin. Also, we described diet, movement, and growth for one crocodile. Our molecular analyses illustrated that two of the crocodiles we collected are most closely related to Nile Crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus) from South Africa, suggesting …

Diversity-Dependent Cladogenesis Throughout Western Mexico: Evolutionary Biogeography Of Rattlesnakes (Viperidae: Crotalinae: Crotalus And Sistrurus), Christopher Blair, Santiago Sánchez-Ramírez

Publications and Research

Rattlesnakes (Crotalus and Sistrurus) represent a radiation of approximately 42 species distributed throughout the New World from southern Canada to Argentina. Interest in this enigmatic group of snakes continues to accrue due, in part, to their ecomorphological diversity, contributions to global envenomations, and potential medicinal importance. Although the group has garnered substantial attention from systematists and evolutionary biologists for decades, little is still known regarding patterns of lineage diversification. In addition, few studies have statistically quantified broad-scale biogeographic patterns in rattlesnakes to ascertain how dispersal occurred throughout the New World, particularly among the different major biomes of the …

Developing Probability Maps For Locating And Scouting Unprotected Areas Of Gravel Hill Prairies On Rodman Soils Along The Wabash River Valley Near Lafayette, Indiana, Ryan W.R. Schroeder

Engagement & Service-Learning Summit

No abstract provided.

Fire Was In The Reptile’S Mouth: Towards A Transcultural Ecological Poetics, Stuart Cooke

Landscapes: the Journal of the International Centre for Landscape and Language

This paper compares two creation narratives from indigenous peoples on either side of the Pacific Ocean, the relationships between which catalyse the theorisation of a transcultural approach to ecological poetics. The comparison of these narratives reveals important, rhizomatic similarities, and also unmistakable regional differences, concerning the origins of language and culture in Yanomami (Venezuela) and MakMak (Australia) communities. Concomitant with the centrality of indigenous thought in this theorisation of ecopoetics is the de­centrality of human-only conceptions of poetics. Accordingly, the paper considers non-semantic forms of poetics such as birdsong in order to de-centre classically Western, humanist conceptions of language …

Benefits Of Size Dimorphism And Copulatory Silk Wrapping In The Sexually Cannibalistic Nursery Web Spider, Pisaurina Mira, Alissa G. Anderson, Eileen Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

In sexually cannibalistic animals, male fitness is influenced not only by successful mate acquisition and egg fertilization, but also by avoiding being eaten. In the cannibalistic nursery web spider, Pisaurina mira, the legs of mature males are longer in relation to their body size than those of females, and males use these legs to aid in wrapping a female’s legs with silk prior to and during copulation. We hypothesized that elongated male legs and silk wrapping provide benefits to males, in part through a reduced likelihood of sexual cannibalism. To test this, we paired females of random size with …